SoLongSummer

Oh my. I have really gotten far behind. Looks like I posted something in September...two months ago! I am also behind on uploading photos and probably taking them. I have to say, what a change! Being too busy to write about it.

So, how was our summer? Yes, I know it's November, but I really lagged in blogging over the summer. I think I did okay part of it...but as things got moving...

Anyway, enough of the excuses. I need to just get to the point.

Kids took their first swimming lessons and we spent a bit of time at the pool at the 'Y.' Mackenzie got a lot more comfortable in the water, despite screaming through much of her lessons. Zach got comfortable in his own way, but was not too open to lessons quite yet. Maybe next year.

On warm days, we got inventive and stuck the little climber in the little pool. Added some extra fun to the backyard swimming. Next year, it's going to be bigger and better! Oh, and the astroturf...maybe next year we'll try grass, but it's hard here in the desert, so maybe more astroturf...haha.

Of course we spent time at parks...parks...parks...

And went on family hikes....

The kids both celebrated their birthdays. Turned 4 and 2. To say time flies, is an understatement of magnificent proportion. Mackenzie had a Wizard of Oz themed party at none other than....Go Bananas. She had friends from school there as well as her friends from 'home.' My #1 goal was obtained, she felt special. What more could I ask for?

Did I cry when everyone sang Happy Birthday? You betcha.

Zachy turned 2 with a BBQ at home. Two parties in less than a week, I was pretty impressed with myself. For Zach, we did a Thomas the  Train theme. I later saw the cake decorator at Fry's grocery and told her how special my Zachy felt when he saw his cake. Showed her picture of him. She said he made her day.

Opening his preparty gift in the morning. I should have posted the picture of Mackenzie watching. She was traumatized. How dare he have a party!

Waiting for his cake. Waiting for everyone to celebrate him turning 2 on the day he was born. Did I cry yet again? You betcha.

While my kid's turning 4 & 2 was a big deal, we here in Prescott also got to be part of the kick off to Arizona celebrating their centennial. Our town hosted the first of a series of Best Fests in Arizona. What a wonderful job they did. I went with both kids...separately.

Mackenzie enjoyed some pink lemonade on the courthouse steps.



Zach got really involved and loved the petting zoo and even made a cow craft.

Zachy moved to the Toddler B class. Here he is on his first day. Riding a bike, of course. in a fireman hat, of course. He has been loving it there. How couldn't he? Miss Lisa has a gift.



Here is the beginnings of his Toddler B picture for the friend wall. He colored it and put Thomas stickers on.

Mackenzie started ballet. She seems to really enjoy it. Some days she feels a bit shy, but in her words, she 'works through it.' Crossing my fingers that she will work through it for her class's little in house recital for Christmas. But if not, there's always next year! I am just proud of how much she is trying and putting herself out there.

And Zachy, he loves watching. At home he loves to copy his big sister's moves. Too cute.

Bygosh, that hardly summarizes our summer by any stretch of the imagination. We spent lots of time at the zoo, continued with our gymnastics (Zach started up too), had visits from Grandmas and Grandpas, took a trip to Out of Africa Wild Animal Park. Hot days we hung out in the mall, rode their little rides, played at Go Bananas. We played with friends. Just had funFunFUN! Maybe, just maybe I'll get some Fall pictures together...before Christmas. Maybe just maybe, I'll get more consistent with this thing, cause I love you guys, my sweet Mackenzie and my sweet Zachy and this is, afterall, for you guys!

TotpreschoolHappenings

Just a few cute totpreschool happenings to get down on 'paper.' So, bullet points seem to be the way to do it, especially with how busy our days have been. Busy = Good! Things are good.

• Zachy is in a baaaddddd sleep phase. Involving lots of screaming. Need I say more?
• The other day, before leaving for a birthday party, Mackenzie yelled out: Let's rock and roll to the party!
• At naptime the other day I put Rufus in Zach's room. It helped. Tried again at bedtime. No luck.
• Zachy loves to sing songs before bed. It's so dang sweet.
• Mackenzie has been quite the 'helper' lately. Always looking for jobs to do. Until a tv show comes she likes. Then she takes a little rest.
• We've had a series of mishaps this morning, resulting in Mackenzie using the word issue a lot.
• I can't play. I'm working.
• Mackenzie said Zachy was 'melting down.' Spoken from personal experience.
• Mom and Dad have the same phone, slightly different colors. Zachy knows and when he sees them will them back to their rightful owner. Herego, phone.
• When we are getting ready to go somewhere, I usually yell out, Let's G-O...GO! or 1, 2, 3 Let's DO-IT! Mackenzie now says the whole things along with me and Zachy will yell out either the GO! part or the DO-IT! part. It's cute. Trust me.
• Zachy gets this crazy manic thing going where he runs to the bed in the playroom, gets on it, jumps and then bangs his head into the pillows. Laughs. And does it all again. And again.
• When I don't let Mackenzie have something, she will look at me with big eyes and say, Just say oh-kay!
• One day Zachy had a new kind of diaper, with Mickey and Minnie. He looked at them, pointed and yelled CATE! Asked her Mom and, sure enough, Cate wears 'em. Perceptive little guy.
• Yesterday Mackenzie suggested we go to play at Tess's house. I think she tried to get what she wanted by suggesting that I go play with my friend, who just happens to be Ari's mom.
• Zachy combines two words a lot now. Most of his combinations contain the word no, mine or both.
• Sometimes when she wakes up in the morning, almost always first, Mackenzie wakes me up by saying, I love you, Momma. Is that an awesome way to wake up, or what?

Busy weekend. Tsunami on the Square today and tomorrow is Father's Day. Looking forward to funFunFUN.

Betty&Veronica

Mackenzie seems to have a BFF, Miss Ari. Miss Ari was born in December, about four and half months after Mackenzie. They have essentially 'grown up' together.

Yesterday we went to the zoo. They ran around in their bathing suits. It was absolutely adorable. They ran away from us, as usual. This could be a problem when they are teenagers.

I think the wonderful thing about watching them together, is that their relationship seems strangely easy, especially given that they are three. Neither of them seems to dominate. They both take the lead at different times. Together I see them figure out boundaries and how to problem solve through their conflicting needs or wants. In many ways, they are quite different. But I think perhaps, at this point in time, they compliment one another very comfortably.

It's been fun watching their friendship evolve.  Now that we live in town, they get to get together much more frequently. Momma Tess has named them Betty&Veronica. Who knows what will happen as they get older, but for now, they are two peas in a pod. For sure.

MishMashFromTown

So far behind...but today seems like a good day for a MishMash...

• Zachy was up every two hours last night. Reminded me of the good ol' days until I remembered that back then he was up every four hours. For the first year of his life. Not the same. Not at all.
• Went to Walmart. Kids got toothbrushes. Cheap dates.
• Mackenzie picked a Spider Man toothbrush. I had no idea she knew who he was. Or Snow White or Cinderella for that matter.
• Mackenzie took a bag with two changes of shoes. She did in fact change her shoes during our short stay. Twice.
• We're taking a casserole over to Momma Julie. Mackenzie is going to share a princess band-aid. What a good friend!
• Zachy understands 'turns.' Yesterday I was mopping and he frantically said, Turn, Turn. Only problem was, once it was his 'turn,' the turn-taking was over.
• Just got back from Momma Julie's. Mackenzie wore her bathing suit. Zachy fearlessly tried to ride a big kid bike.
• Yesterday Zachy helped me mop.  Today Mackenzie helped me clean the bathroom. Lucky me. I'll leave it at that.
• My kids make me smile. Each and every day they do something. A lot.
• Mackenzie's play is revolving around a cell phone. I am ashamed. Okay, I'm not, but I should be.
• Aw, Mackenzie just walked up to me and said Mommy, I don't want to be a Mommy or a Daddy anymore. What do you want to be now, I asked. Just a kid.
• Mackenzie and Zachy got to meet a potential babysitter friend. She (M) wow'd her with her poopy talk and Tinkerbell play. Zachy wow'd them with his chatter. He gets so serious.
• Family went to Red Robin tonight. Once the kids at the next table got balloons, it was all over.
• Zachy didn't want to go to bed tonight. So he engaged me in a game of strollers. If I tried to stop, he'd grab my hand and place it back on my stroller. And then crash his into mine. And yell Crash!
• After the crash game, he engaged me in a tickle game. 'Gain, 'gain he said while laughing hysterically with that cute Zachy giggle.
• Before we moved, I told Mackenzie we were moving to 'town,' so now she calls our new home 'Town.' It sounds really cute when she says it.

Both kids are happy and asleep. Another fine day.

Motorcyles&Trains

Mackenzie has never been one to get attached to anything. No transition object for her. No lovey. No special blankie or binkie. Zachy has his beloved Gunky. He wakes up in the middle night and cries if he can't find him in the crib. He sits him down at mealtime. He pushes him in the stroller. He looks for Gunky. He asks for Gunky. He loves Gunky.

Not Mackenzie. We used to say she had an entourage of items. Now, she's 3 1/2 and I think she has found the item. It's a guy on a two inch motorcycle. We got it at Big Lots. It's not snuggly at all. It gets easily lost, which is a bummer for me. Seems she has to have him around at all times. Yikes, she sounds like a teenager already. I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come.

So, where do the trains fit in? When were at Big Lots, Mackenzie got her motorcycle guy and Zachy got a Thomas the Train. Whenever he sees Mackenzie holding her motorcycle guy, he asks for his train. I love the way he associates the two. When it comes down to it though, he's a Gunky loyalist. Mackenzie....we'll just have to wait and see. For today, it's definitely the motorcycle.

TheWishPresent

Mackenzie had an eyelash on her cheek a few days ago. I put it on my finger, told her to blow it off and make a wish. She was a bit confused, but she blew anyway. I asked her what her 'wish' was. She thought about it. True to her three year old self, she said, A present. Of course.

Five minutes later she went looking for her present. Bygosh the girl catches on quick. Mommy suddenly finds herself regretting the whole make-a-wish thing. But she'll forget, right?

The next morning, she wakes up, smiles and says, Let's go see if my wish present is here yet. Searching all over. Nope, not yet. Mailman comes, Let's go check the mail, see if my wish present is here yet. Nope, not yet.

Mommy is thinking to herself: Fantastic. My daughter makes her first wish and it's going to shatter her forever if it doesn't come true. She'll never have hope again.

Then the next day comes.

The mail comes.

There it is.

Her WishPresent...

A Wow-Wow-Wubbzy DVD.  Her favorite show. Just in time for moving.  So she won't be without when we're without cable.

How did the Wish-Fairy know?

BulletPointMommaReporting

 I know, I said it last week, I am so neglectful right now. And you guys are as cute as ever. This whole moving thing has me preoccupied. Hugely.

Although I have been lagging on the blogfront, I have been posting and status updating on Twitter and Facebook and writing things down when I get the chance.

So, what I'm going to do, for today, is yet another cop out post full of bullet points. That's right, I'm totally a 'Bullet-Point Momma.' Better than nothing, right? And an easy way to post a bunch of happenings.

This, my sweet babies, is just a very little bit of what's been going on (and not necessarily in order...sorry!):

• mackenzie just made herself a PB&J with cheese. she says it's good. i'll take her word for it.
• okay. time to get grounded in reality. last week i was preoccupied with house buying. this week i need to be a mom again. zachy and mackenzie - who took over while i was 'gone' - will be very very disappointed I'm sure.
• thanks to my being completely distracted this last week, mackenzie has started to 'take care of'' zachy. that's the good news. and the bad news.
• you know it's bad when she asks if they can have juice. he starts yelling ju! ju! i say no. it gets quiet. five minutes later they both come walking up to me, laughing, with juice boxes.
• z  just saw his 1st medevac in the field behind us. he's excited. nothing like a plane landing in your backyard for a 20 mo old.
• mackenzie: is it spring? me: yes. mackenzie: does that mean the fever is going to come out? and the chipmunks?
• z can be fine and happy and the minute he hears my voice, it's all over..mommmmmyyyyyy.....
• i asked mackenzie if she knew another child's name from a different class at the totcollege and she said no, but she comes with a big sister like zachy does.
• zach and mackenzie are playing babies together. he's pushing the red buggy. she's bossing him around. too cute.
• i'm house hunting online and the kids, 1&3, are fending for themselves. this can't be good. better focus. on them that is.
• mackenzie: zach's my baby tinkerbelle. he's thrilled, i'm sure.
• m saw tinkerbelle at the mall. i've had to call her that since.
• vvzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzs zzzzz z zs zszzzzzz z zzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzz (today's facebook status brought to you by the one and only zachy!)
•  woke up to several inches of snow. in april. in arizona.
• m: a nice mommy takes care of the babies and daddys. momma: who takes care of mommys? m: nobody.
• z is perfecting his ability to go boneless and have hulk-like strength when he doesn't want to do something.
• m, of course: i'm a good mommy. i don't yell. i don't argue. i say yes, yes, yes all day long.
• m, yet again: i will be kid while i have the cookie and then i can turn back into a baby. and she's serious. it's like she's always one step ahead.
• hearing daddy read 'pinkalicious' m...hilarious.
• momma just did her first if it's on the floor, it's mine speech. unfortunately, for me, i was talking about cut up pieces of paper.
• mackenzie is all about BFF saige these days. I asked her if she still plays with jojo. she said, 'yes, but sometimes she plays with other friends and sometimes I play with other friends. sometimes it's good to play with other friends.' is she really 3?
• before school on thursday, m said momma, i can't wait to go to school and play with jordan 'palvlenie'. she always hugs me momma. why do you think she hugs me?
• the other day i said the word dance in a sentence and zachy started to. on cue. just like that.
• zachy identify toots now. by name. and laughter.
• he also likes to make pretend toots on his hand. he's a boy. for sure.
• i asked dad one day if he had done something on purpose. he said he had not and m said, it was on accident. i was impressed.
• they have been way too cute lately. one night before bed they hugged. and hugged. and hugged.
• tonight before bed m said to z come on! they ran out of the room. then back in laughing. then back out. then back in laughing. for no real reason. just to have fun. no better reason, i suppose.

Hardly does you two justice. Things have been good lately. Really, really good. I'm excited for us to get to our new home and Mackenzie is as well. Life is in limbo as we wait to go. But we're doing alright. Better than alright.



Just call me Baby Tinkerbelle!

Momma Tinkerbelle with Baby Tinkerbelle.

Our last snow of the season...

....and at this house.

Sissy in Charge.

M.ParkingCars

As we have discussed, Mackenzie likes to park cars. It's a long standing favorite at this point. It helped her through potty training. As much as she likes playing it, it also seems to be relaxing for her. Over the last year or so, the game has evolved. When she plays, she talks the whole time. Carrying on back and forth conversations between the cars.

This morning, it sounded something like this...

I wanna park by Teddy's car. Teddy is right over there. Oh no! Teddy is not going to park by me. That's someone else's car. I'm parking here instead. Really close. Yay! I see Teddy over there. The blue car. Oh no! That kid. Yes I am. I'm parking. What about right there? Oh, okay. Bye! Do you want to park next to me by Teddy. How about right there? I think it's going to be a better day tomorrow. But why are we not parking by Saige? Mackenzie wants to park by Saige. She went bye bye with her Mommy Daddy.

(Even at the hotel. It's definitely 'her'game.)

M.CircusSnakes&Musings

Okay, now it's Mackenzie's turn. First and foremost, if she knew right now she was 'second,' I'd be in some trouble. She really is into: First, Second, Winning, Fair, Fault, and Blame. Serious stuff for a three year old.

So, Mackenzie and I had a little adventure this weekend. We really didn't know what we were doing. No game plan. But she's a trooper and just up for getting out. We ventured to town. I needed a haircut. It happened. We did a little basics shopping at Walmart and then decided to head to the mall for the play area.  And what did we find? A mini circus. Next show in twenty minutes. Why not? So we did. She had cotton candy. For the first time. And loved it. She brought home a souvenir coloring book. She clapped vigorously for the juggling guy. As far as the lady on the long rope, she said, That looks not safe. I not going to do that. Phew! I can sleep easy now. At intermission she decided she'd had enough, so we left. It's her adventure, right? We went into the mall. Tried to take pictures in a booth but all the booths were broken, darn it! She rode the car ride. We played in Barnes and Noble. She pretended to be a 'Circus Leader' on their little story time 'stage.' Then her sugar high wore off and it was quickly and clearly time to head home. She had french fries in the car. And chocolate milk (Apparently it was a junk food adventure more than anything).

Mackenzie had a bad dream the other night. It really freaked her out. All of the sudden she woke up and scooted to the side of the bed and screamed. She told me a snake licked her. She made me check under the blanket, which she would not put back on. She didn't want to go back to sleep. She really got scared. Her talk about the next day, however, was pretty cute. It went something like this:

It was big and huge. It lickded me. Let's look for it more. I think I heard it. Maybe that was Rufus. It licked my arm. Right here (pointing). Let me tell you some more truths about snakes, baby snakes you can hold, but not big snakes. Momma snakes are in big holes and baby snakes in small holes. You better keep an eye on me so the snake don't lickded me again. Can we check again?

She talked about it most of the day. And then again this morning. At some point it clearly became more of a 'thing' than an actual fear. For now anyway. Until the next bad dream, poor thing!

Some of Mackenzie's favorite things right now are:

• Her friend Saige at school. She identifies everything with Saige. Me and Saige like purple. Me and Saige....
• Performing songs and dances. The other day she did an edgy, punk rock like version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
• She's obsessed with her birthday. Which is in August. Five months away. The day we went on our Adventure, I asked her where she wanted to go and she said, of course, To my Birthday.
• Her imaginary friends.
• Cars. She still loves playing cars. And probably will for quite sometime.
• And playing babies. And playing baby, where she's the baby.
• Practicing her letters and shapes and coloring.
• Books right now: Purplicious and Knuffle Bunny.
• Competing with Zachy, for everything. Making sure she has more of everything or is first or second, or whatever is 'better.' Today Zachy started to put rocks in his bucket, so she made sure she got more and bigger ones.

Things I find cute. Like with Zach, it's the little things. Such as:

• She has been working on different letters and shapes. The other day she made a triangle and said Look Momma! I made a triangle. I worked hard.
• Her facial expressions and hand gestures.
• Her use of language.
• Her thought process.
• Seeing her interact with people.
• When she takes pride in being a big sister.
• Of course, when she tells me she loves me.

Lastly, how about a few totmusings?

• When we were driving, Mackenzie saw a balloon and said, Oh, when  Zacher sees those, he's going to want one!
• Taunting Zachy before naptime. Good night, Zacher. Sorry you have to nap. Big sister doesn't have to. Just you. Sorry. Big sister is going to have a treat.
• Commenting on Zachy: Look at Zachy. He's a crazy dude.
• I didn't toot on your leg, I tooted on my hand!
• After getting mad at me: You're not a perfect Mommy! (Glad we got that figured out.)
• Commenting on my mothering abilities yet again, another day we got in the car and had to arrange all her stuff. She said Wow Momma. You did much better than yesterday. Good job!
• And my personal recent favorite: After getting mad at Zachy for something, she said, Zachy, you a dirty diaper! Such a little lady.

That's a little bit of Mackenzie right now. Just like with Zachy, I love that girl. And, as always, she's as sassy as she is sweet. And loving. Incredibly so.

Over the weekend, she had been outside and came in to surprise me with 'flowers.' She said

 I saw flowers and thought to myself I pick you some flowers and some for me too. This one is for me and this ones are for you.