Heat Wave!

Since the heat index is supposed to be 110 degrees today...We had to get our outside fun in early! We went to the park this morning and were home to hydrate and enjoy the A/C by 10am!! :)



I'm hoping to go for a run tonight...Hopefully the heat will die down by 8pm or so.

Answered Prayer

The ultrasound was NORMAL! :) We're so relieved, and praising God. Our pediatrician said there were no obstructions, etc. but that she did have some extra fluid in the front of her head. He said that it's ok though, because it is a normal variable: some kids have it and some don't. Because the ultrasound images were so clear and easy to read, there was no need for the MRI. (So the fact that she still has a bit of a soft spot on top of her head was a blessing=gave them a clear window into her her head where they could see her brain!)

Now I just have to take Mckenzie in every month for another head
measurement, until she's 15 months.

One Year & a Prayer Request

My baby girl turned a year. I have yet to do a 1st Birthday post, but intend to post the slideshow Joel made of her first year. Soon.

I took Mckenzie in for her 12-month checkup. She's in the 90th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight. The troubling thing to the doctor was that her head is off the charts...way off the charts. It was big at her 9-month appointment but has continued to grow at an apparently alarming rate. The pediatrician ordered an ultrasound and MRI. They're scheduled for Wednesday. I really trust our pediatrician. He has 9 kids of his own and is a fellow believer. He said that this is what he would do if it were his kid.

Whatever the results do (or don't!) show, I have to take Mckenzie in every month for a lab only...weight check and head measurement. The doc wants to make sure there aren't any more sudden spikes in the growth of her head.

I shouldn't have done it...but I started reading online after our appointment today. I can't handle reading about what could be wrong and have vowed to not read any more possibilities on the internet today. I'm trusting that my Heavenly Father is in control and He is more than ABLE to take care of our sweet baby girl.

Please pray.

Vacation Memories

I wish I could say that we had a a super relaxing trip and it was so nice to get away...Traveling with kids is STRESSFUL. Mainly...traveling with a screeching baby girl is stressful! :) We were in the van for about 35 hours. Mckenzie does great when she's in her normal routine (morning nap, lunch/play, afternoon nap, etc.) Needless to say, that traveling for long distances, it is impossible to put a baby down to bed for regularly scheduled naps. Most babies would probably sleep in the car. Right? Not in this case. Mckenzie likes to sleep in her bed. With her sound machine on. When we differ from her regularly scheduled routine, she does not cope well. Poor kid was so tired...and yet she fought each nap. Instead of sleeping...she'd scream. Not a sad-cry, but most of the time it was a shrill (LOUD) screech. She is so different from Mr. P when he was a baby...Car rides are just not fun and in this case nearly drove us over the edge. This is probably our last family vacation for a very long while. :)

That said, we did get to see some very cool things and spend time with Joel's Sister and her sweet family. I'm glad we got to make some memories together. And I'm VERY glad to be home and done traveling for a while.

Here are some photos from our journey:
Of course we had to hit up Steak & Shake along the route (twice!) We really loved that place in Pensacola, so it was fun to eat there again and enjoy a vanilla coke...Yum!


A moment of peace when *both* kiddos fell asleep at the same time. Ahh...:)


We met our new nephew for the first time and Mr. P adored his tiny cousin.


Mackinac Island...WoW!! I've always wanted to visit there. The ferry ride over to the island was also phenomenal.


This is one of my favorite pics from the trip. LOVE.


Another fantastic view from the island!

My family. Posing for me on our trek back home.

Summer Fun

It was so nice to have a 3-Day weekend. Joel's Aunt/Uncle and their 2 kids stayed at our house and left Monday. My former college roommate came on Saturday and we took our kids to the Zoo. Saturday evening, more friends from college joined us (along with their daughter) and Joel and the kids and I went to eat and play at the Amazing Pizza Machine! It was fun. And loud. :) Now that I'm in the "baby stage" again, I notice the noise more...Mckenzie hadn't had much of a nap all day (other than 15 minutes in her stroller at the Zoo) so she was due to sleep and finally caught some zzz's while I watched Joel and P ride the go-carts. The track is really neat and I'm pretty sure that it was the highlight of P's evening.

Sunday was church and then lunch over at Joel's parents, where we spent the afternoon. Sunday night was church again and then home to put the kids to bed.

On Monday we had a cookout at our house complete with yummy sides and homemade icecream! Joel's Aunt & Uncle worked hard at making vanilla and I made peaches & cream. It's ok, but not near as "peachy" as I thought it would be. Next time=More peaches!

After lunch, the guys set to work on putting together our (new to us) swingset! I was blessed to be informed of a free swingset, so I jumped on that offer. :) P has been enjoying playing on it by himself and with the neighbor kids. It won't be long before Mckenzie will be joining him. Joel took some pics of the kids that I have to post:


A special thanks to everyone that helped set up the swingset: Grandpa W. and Grandpa S., and Uncles Seth, Tim, and Paul. These guys had the playset assembled in 2 hours! I was impressed. :)

Dancing Baby

Joel took a video of Mckenzie tonight. Girl loves to dance! Her moves are better than any bobblehead doll I've ever seen.

The Curse of the Hula Hoop

My Mom and I bought a hula hoop and arm hoops at a health fair. The waist hoop is a weighted, padded hula hoop that is supposed to help strengthen your core and help to LOSE INCHES. I was excited to try it out. Hooping for only 10 minutes a day promised major health benefits...and I was ready to reap the rewards. I started out small. After doing only 4 minutes, I quit. The following evening, my back went out! Yikes. Thursday morning (2 weeks ago) I almost threw-up and then felt like passing out in the shower. I then realized that it was from the pain of trying to stand up straight! Joel worked from home for the morning and then my Mom came down in the afternoon to help me get to the chiropractor. Lifting Mckenzie was my biggest obstacle! I literally could not LIFT her out of bed, or her highchair, or off of the floor. I couldn't stand up straight and got around the house by CRAWLING. All of this to say that I'll never again take for granted a pain-free body! My back is a lot better now (several chiropractic visits later)...and I don't really have a lot of pain anymore. Based on my x-rays, my chiropractor said I was vulnerable to injury, and this was the "straw that broke the camel's back." Haha! Ahem...I called the woman who sold us the hoops and she said she'd never heard of this happening before. She suggested that I try hooping again when I'm pain free. She said that for her, the hula hoop strengthened her core so much that she didn't need a chiropractor anymore. I'm a little gun-shy now though and thinking that the hula hoop and me? We're not good friends.

The most ironic part is that my Mom confiscated the hoop from me because she didn't want me to hurt myself again. And then her back went out! She hadn't even used the hoop yet...so I figured this was the "curse of the hoop". Hmm...Even my Dad had back trouble within days of her taking in the hoop, so I think we can attribute that to the hoop curse as well.

Here's a little video of the kids outside. P is getting pretty good at riding his bike (with training wheels on for now). I can't believe that my baby will be ONE in a couple weeks! We're leaving for vacation soon so I've got to get her Birthday party planned before then. :)