Grudges

I am a sucker for a good quote so when a facebook friend posted this, I just had to share.

Mara at 3 months

*** still sleeping through the night (sorry, Katie!).. 8+ hours, eats, back to sleep for 1+ hour

*** 4-5 "catnaps" during the day

*** drinking 5-6 oz of formula every 3-4 hours (sorry, Katie!)

*** starting to giggle, lots of cooing

*** beginning to grab onto objects that are dangling above her

*** seems to be keeping dark hair, deep blue eyes

*** so much fun!

Pre-school Pals

Kennedy and Roderick started co-op pre-school today. Twice a week, for two hours, they will attend the same cooperative pre-school. I am so excited for them to do this- I think it will be so great. They will participate in circle time, singing, art, snack time and recess.

Amy and I will each help out in the classroom one day a week. On our "non-work" day, one of us will keep the babies. It has worked out perfectly!

Our sweet, sweet girl on her first day of pre-school. This picture actually makes me teary because it is so darn cute and she looks like such a little girl.

Yes, they did have fun- though you would never know it from this picture! Getting these two to smile and look at the camera is quite challenging!

Kennedy and her teacher, Ms. Melissa (or "Miss-a-Lissa", as she pronounces it!)

Watercolors

I have been trying to make an effort to do more "artsy" things with Kennedy which is why I broke out the watercolor paints today. She absolutely loved them! She spent an hour and a half at the counter painting!

Yes, these are homemade muffins. While Kennedy painted, I made two batches of muffins, brownies and a casserole. Just call me Suzie.

Wedding Fun

We had a fun (and rare) night out without kiddos this past weekend! Amy, Harv, Sean and I attended the wedding of the daughter of old family friends of the McKenna family. It was a beautiful wedding in Carnation and we had a fantastic time. I had a really fantastic time... so fantastic in fact, that it took me two days to recover from my fantastic time. Whew- I am definitley getting old. Plus the glasses of wine were huge. That never helps.

Here are a few photos from the beginning of the night- thank God... we don't need to see any photos of me by the end of the night. :)

Doin' the Puyallup

We hit up the Puyallup fair last week with Aunt Martha and her kids and Amy, Roderick and Mckenna. This was the first year that Kennedy could actually do a few rides. She still wasn't tall enough for most of the kiddy rides but she and Roderick were able to ride the boats, the cars and the train. Unlike last year, Kennedy would not ride the ponies!

My camera seems to have something on the front of the lense so please excuse the "haze" in the middle of these photos!

 Cousin Robert checking out the fireman jacket (how cute is he???)
 Amy and the kiddos
 Roderick and Kennedy riding the boats- they were too adorable, Amy and I couldn't stop laughing!  

 Cousin Elyse and Kennedy in the bee photo op
 Kennedy with cousin Clare 
 Kennedy and Roderick riding the cars.

The Two M's

Kennedy and Roderick are best buds.
And I'm thinkin'... these two are going to be pretty tight too.

cousins Mckenna and Mara

6 months and 2 months

Some days...

you are just not in the mood for a mommy-inflicted photo shoot.

And some days your big sister just won't get out of your face.

But it's only because she loves you so much.



Some days are just meant for wearing headbands like a crown...

and for smearing lotion all over the bathroom mirror... just to add a little more chaos to moms day.

But most days turn out just fine. Ours did.



Happy 12-week birthday, baby girl.

Mara's New Spot

Mara does not like to miss the action so her new favorite spot is on the kitchen counter.
She is happy as can be watching me cook, clean, wash dishes....

Mara at 11 weeks


Her sister also liked to hang out in the kitchen at this age but often fell asleep...

Kennedy at 10 weeks

And clearly they are both pacifier-lovers! 

Kennedy at 2 1/2...

is definitely something to remember! I can accurately describe her (at this age) in one (okay, two) sentences: Approximately 80% of the time I think she is an absolute joy and I truly can't get enough of her. The other 20% of the time, I have to fight the urge to stomp my feet, swear, and pull out my own hair (and possibly hers too!). This is because she is discovering autonomy and she wants to enforce it at all times. If she isn't in control, chaos and major temper tantrums ensue. She constantly tells me "I do it myself mom." She wants to carry her own cereal bowl. She wants to get into her car seat by herself. She wants to buckle herself into her car seat by herself. She wants to pick out her own clothes. She wants to put on her own clothes. She wants to open her own fruit snacks. She wants to put on her own shoes. She absolutely insists on brushing her own teeth and pushing the rails up on her big girl bed at bedtime. She wants to help make dinner. She wants to change Mara's diaper and apply the desitin to Mara's butt (and on her own butt while she is at it). The list, quite literally, goes on. and on. and on.

Needless to say, we have had some frustrating days but I have decided to just embrace this need for autonomy and give her lots of choices so that she feels like she is in control even when she isn't. Therefore, questions like "Do you want raisin bran or kix for breakfast?" and "Do you want to wear the jean skirt or the shorts?" can often be heard in our house these days. If I don't give choices then the temper tantrums start and the likelihood that mommy might lose her mind increases.

Now for the things that I love and adore about our girl at this age. Because there are many.

 How she has embraced the big sister role.
She definitely digs her little sis. And with the exception of a few moments of jealousy ( with demands like "put that baby DOWN..." ), she has adjusted really well to our new addition. And, she is a great little helper too. She loves getting Mara's diaper, giving her the pacifier and covering her face with a blanket ... no, I am not kidding. While she is a great helper, she can't be trusted alone with her little sis quite yet! As Mara is becoming more interactive with smiles and cooing, Kennedy loves to stick her face right on Mara's and talk to her as loudly as she possibly can. True to form as the younger sibling, Mara takes it all in stride...

How she creates her own fun and can entertain herself with any number of activities.
Our mission to limit t.v. time seems to be paying off.  She may watch a half-hour show in the morning or evening but other than that, she is pretty disinterested in the "boob tube" and we love it! Instead, she loves to read, color, play with her train set, and play outside. She also loves bags of any kind - purses, Trader Joe bags, Ziploc bags- it doesn't matter. Everyday, I find miscellaneous bags... in miscellaneous places ... with miscellaneous items in them.

Language and Conversation

I am amazed at how Kennedy's language and conversational skills have developed over the past six months. She is truly a little chatter-box! She always was but now we can really understand her! Not only is her chatter never-ending, it is also quite loud. Not surprising really... she is a McKenna, after all! ;)

 Kennedy's hair has turned into a beautiful strawberry-blond color.

In summary, our sweet Kennedy Renee is just a joy. We love her spunk, her smarts, her contagious laugh and her sweet voice. We love her sense of humor and how she loves so many people so wholeheartedly. She is a true blessing not only to us but to all her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends!

Circus Time!

Kennedy has started labeling everything with "time." For example, she will say "park time!" or "dinner time!" or "bath time!"... so many things end in "time" now. :) Yesterday, we spent the afternoon at the circus and the whole way there she said, "circus time!"

Here are a few photos from our fun day at the Ringling Bros./Barnum & Bailey Circus!

family photo on the way into the arena... please disregard the large sunflower sitting on my head!

 Kennedy and great-grandma "lann"

 the Harvie family

 captivated

 Mara enjoying the view... it was a quick view as I decided early in the show that it was just too loud for her so Sean and I took turns hanging out with her outside the arena.



Happy Birthday, Tyler!

We celebrated our nephew Tyler's 2nd birthday over Labor Day Weekend. It was a beach-themed party and we had a great time! Happy birthday cute boy!