Baby Recognition Day

Sunday, January 11, 2009 was baby recognition day at the church that Scott and I grew up and got married in. All the babies that were born in 2008 were recognized, prayed for, and given the gift of a precious a white Bible. It was neat to see all the babies that were born in 2008.

Daddy, Mommy, Mackenzie, Hollie, Ashley, and Keith. Hollie and Keith are dear friends of ours that have a 4 year old son, and Hollie had her little girl on Christmas Eve...what a special Christmas present! I can't wait for our girls to play together.
Our little family

And the little one said,"roll over, roll over!"

I've had enough of tummy time, and rolling over!

We now have a rolly polly! Mackenzie is not a fan of tummy time, so we've been wondering when she would try to roll over. We were in her room playing one night and daddy put Mack in her crib on her tummy, and before we knew it, she was starting to roll over. Luckily, we had the camera right there so we were able to capture every step of the way. We laughed, because we had her do it several times, and the last time that Mack attempted to roll over, she spit up and then she just looked at us with this blank look. Only a few days after she rolled over from her tummy to her back, she rolled over from her back to her front, which is even funnier to watch her do, because she has this whole process she does...she twists her neck, arches her back, turns her feet, and away she goes!

Here I go!

Almost there!

Whew, that was hard work!

4 Months Old

Hmmm, what am I supposed to do with this? Not so bad!

I've had it, I want my milk! Happy 4 months, Mackenzie! You're such a big girl!

Mackenzie turned 4 months old on January 4th and we celebrated by going to the doctor for her check up. Scott couldn't go, so Uncle Matt came along for to see what happens at the appointments. I'm so thankful to have him around. Not only was the appointment at 9 a.m. (and these days, he doesn't wake up until at least 10 a.m.) it was also the last day of his Christmas vacation. We have nicknamed Mack our "skinny minny", the only chubby things on her are her HUGE cheeks which are so kissable! I was a little concerned about her weight, but the doctor wasn't worried about it at all. In fact, he said that she just has very high metabolism.

Height: 24 inches 25-50%
Weight: 12 lbs 3 oz 25%

Head Cir.: 39 1/2 cm 10-25%

I'm not sure why there is such a large range for her head, but that's what the nurse wrote down. We also got the go ahead to start cereal, so Mack's been getting that about 4 times a week during her 6 p.m. meal. She's still nursing like a champ and plan to continue until her first birthday or until she decides otherwise. Mackenzie also tried out her exersaucer for the first time this month, and she loves it! It's so funny to watch her get excited and twirl, push, and grab for the toys. We have to stuff blankets around her tummy, because if not then she wobbles all over the place because she's so little, yet her feet touch the base of it. It's so fun to watch her explore and discover new things.

Cooper and Mackenzie

A few days before Christmas Mackenzie got to meet her new best friend, Cooper! Carmen, Mat, and Cooper came to visit and brought Pizza. It was nice to relax for a few hours and visit with them amongst the hustle and bustle of Christmas. Cooper is 8 weeks younger than Mack, and he's a cutie!

Mackenzie's 2nd First Christmas

Because Uncle Joe was serving our country for the past 8 months and he only got home a few weeks before Christmas, we celebrated with the Madsen's on December 28, 2008. We had a fun-filled day of lots o' presents! Since there are now 5 grandchildren on the Madsen side, it was fun to watch all the kids open their presents. Mackenzie got a cute red fleece and sherpa winter suit, and money from her Nanny and Papa. She also got a very cute learning purse, soft building blocks, stacking cups, stuffed animals, and clothes. Scott and I are quickly learning that apparently a girl can never have too many clothes! :)

Sibling Love

There are 9 years between my brother and me. Being an only child for so long was hard on me, because I wanted a little brother so bad. I so happy when my brother was finally born and took pride in showing him off and acting like a second mom to him. As the years passed, the bond between struggled, Matthew always wanted to be with me. He quickly became the pesky brother that wouldn't go away and was always making a mess of my things. I, of course, had to be the bigger kid and clean up after him, afterall he was just a baby. Now that we're both older, I absolutely LOVE my brother! He is so special to me and I cherish the time we get to spend together. Matthew treats Mackenzie so well and really enjoys holding her and blowing in her face. :) On Christmas night we wrestled and as you can see, he dominated.

Getting ready for blast off!
I used to do this to him!!!

Notice Uncle Matt has me in a head lock!

Just having so good ol' fashion family fun!

Finally, I was ahead of the game, but not for long.

Mackenzie's First Christmas

This was the first year that Scott and I didn't have to set our alarms for 5 a.m. so we could do our Christmas. We decided to have our Christmas with Mackenzie, eat breakfast, and then start making our rounds. I don't know why, but we didn't take any pictures at our house! Santa brought Mack a shape sorter, a pretty purple R.E.I. vest, two books, and jammies. After Mackenzie woke up from her morning nap, we headed over to Scott's parents house to visit for awhile before we went to my mom and Alfred's house. Since my aunt and uncle were in town for the week, we loaded up the dogs and spent the next two nights in Flowery Branch. We had so much fun! Of course Mackenzie was showered with all kinds of gifts...toys and clothes. Mackenzie got her first Gloworm from her Gram and Poppa. So far, she's not only slept with Hermie the Wormie everynight, it also goes everywhere with her. It didn't take long for Mack to learn that you have to press the tummy of the worm to get him to light up and sing. She also got an interactive learning book from her Great Aunt Candy and Great Uncle Larry.

Nicky and his new duck, he treats his toys like babies.
Stetson, the detructive one, he HAS to get the squeeker out of the toy!

My brother Matt, Gram, Aunt Candy, and Poppa Al

We got my brother a ski mask for when he does his monthly physical training with the Marines.

Poppa Al, Gram, Uncle Matt, Mommy, Mackenzie, and Daddy

This is why I love my family so much!

Poppa Al and his girl