Swinging on the big girl swing!

Sweet girl

Makenna,

This morning you really impressed mommy with your sweetness. This month your school is sponsoring a Food Drive for the local food pantry. I had intended to go grocery shopping and have you help me pick out some food but we ran out of time this weekend so instead, I had you help me pick food off our shelves to give to the "hungry kids". I asked you what you were willing to share with the kids and instead of picking out the things that you don't really like to give away, you picked out all your favorite things. You wanted to give the kids your peach applesauce and your Abby Cadabby cookies:) Now these are the same Abby Cadabby cookies you SCREAM for in the grocery store when I try to take them away from you and put them back on the shelf. These are the same Abby cookies that you are soooo very excited to hand to the clerk at the register, but make sure she hands right back to you. Today, you didn't even hesitate for a second - you grabbed them off our shelf and put them right in the bag. In fact, you wanted to give them your Grover cookies too, but the box was already opened so we couldn't. When we got to school, I wasn't sure if you would change your mind or give them up willingly when it was time to actually put them in the big bin. You again didn't hesitate for a second and proudly dumped them right in the bin. I'm not sure you really understood what exactly it meant to put it in the bin, but you did it. And my prayer is that there will be a little girl just like you shopping at the food pantry with her mommy and those same Abby cookies will light up her day just like they light up yours when I buy them for you:) Today, baby girl, I pray that you will always have this giving heart. I love you and I am so proud of you:)

Love,

Mommy

Happy Birthday Oma!

It's a good thing I only put 6 candles in there and not the full 60, eh? 

 

Happy birthday to the most giving, generous, thoughtful, loving mom a girl could ask for.  I love seeing you with my baby girl and how very excited she gets each and every time she sees you.  I'm so glad that we could finally bless you with another granddaughter to love and spoil.  You are doing an amazing job at both:) 

 

Happy Birthday Oma!  We love you!!!!

Fall Sprawl Time

I LOVE Fall Sprawl time!  It has become an annual tradition for my friend Peggy and I to head to Wisconsin Dells to participate in a run/walk that benefits Easter Seals and the camp that Peggy worked at one summer when she was in college.  I love being able to help out this cause & I LOVE all the memories from each year.  We were trying to figure out how many years we have been doing this and I'm pretty sure this year might be the 10th year.  It's funny how each year I reminisce about what I was thinking & where I was at in previous year's doing the run.  I think part of the reason is that nature is one place I really connect with God - I know each year, I count my blessings and reflect back on the time its been since I've last walked or run those hills.  I'll admit it, the years of infertility made it a little bittersweet to go back year after year, still waiting for an answer to my prayers and wondering if I'd ever come to the run with a baby of my own.  I remember running with Peggy the year she found out she was pregnant.  She was a few months along and hadn't yet found out she was carrying twins.  She had to pee the entire race!  I remember being so very happy for her yet feeling so very guilty for the jealousy inside of me.  We had been trying for over a year at that point and I was really starting to struggle with the wait.  The next year I think was the year I invited a bunch of my Metrobrook church friends to come and we made it a little girls weekend.  We had a great time.  After that (or actually I think that year), Elizabeth started to make it an annual event and that added even more fun.  The year I found out I was pregnant with Makenna we were taking it EXTRA careful.  I had just found out 2 weeks before the run and my first ultrasound was right around the corner so I was still at that nervous excited phase. 

I'll always remember the run the year Makenna was born. It was COLD! We didn't even run because she was spitting up so bad at that point that I was sure she would end up with pneumonia from frozen spitup all over her:) Instead, we hung out in the lodge and I fed her, bundled her up and snuggled with her while everyone else ran. It was such a sweet time together.

 

  Last year is probably my all time favorite memory of the race:

 

 

This picture cracks me up every time:) 

 

Last year was a GREAT year for the run!  Rachel decided to make a last minute trip back from South Carolina that weekend so she was able to join us.  I remember getting SO very excited to find out that Rachel, Elizabeth AND Peggy were all going to be together with me for the day.  My bestest friends, each from a different area of my life.  We had SO much fun!! 

 

This year we had a great time, too.  Brad decided to spend the morning with us before we dropped him off in Madison at the Badger game.  And for the first time, Peggy's husband Todd and their twin girls Paige & Emily came too!

 

Makenna LOVES these girls!

A little pre-race stretching

My little girl is getting SO big!

Such a happy camper!

 

A little pre-race snack

 

Aaand, we're off.  Well slowly anyways so daddy doesn't spill his tea

 

What a beautiful walk!

And look who is ready to race to the finish line....

 

We did it!

 

What a great day!!  I can't wait to see what God has in store for us until next year's race!!

 

 

 

Movie night!

We checked out Princess and the Frog from the library and Makenna was SO very excited to watch it!

 

She loved the part where the frogs were trying to learn how to stick their tongues out to catch food - we had to try it out together.

 

I think the music is her favorite part.  Here she is singing and dancing to the music near the end of the movie.

 

What a great night!

 

Zoo Wednesday

We were lucky enough to make it to the zoo again this Wednesday!  I love going to the zoo on Wednesdays - Grandpa is working and we always get to see him by the train.  Makenna just LOVES her Grandpa and it is always so sweet to see her run to him and give him a big hug.  One of these days I'll remember to take a picture of it.....

Love the look on her face when I'm chasing her as she runs yelling "catch me, mommy!"

Such a doll

The leaves at the zoo were BEAUTIFUL

Here Makenna is trying to catch the falling leaves:)

She was very excited about this pretty yellow one.

Silly girl

I have a dumb look on my face in this one, but she has the cutest smile ever:)  Here she is riding on the carousel on her "princess pony".  The train is right across from the carousel and every time we went around she would wave wildly at Grandpa who was watching her from the train station.  Too too sweet!

Goofy girl on the choo choo!

Cuties

Grandma lovin

Where's Grandpas money?

Makenna wants to play more games so she asked us.... Where's Grandpas money?  L.O.V.E.

Helping daddy

Loving listening to the "here daddy!" every 5 seconds as she helps daddy build our new Ikea shelf.  My heart is sooo very full this morning realizing just how very blessed I am to have such a sweet girl and such a loving patient hubby/daddy.  I love you Bradley and Makenna!

Fall bike ride

With the BEAUTIFUL weather we are having this week, I conviced myself it was time to pump up those bike tires and get out for a little bike ride with this little sweetie. 

 

She did great for the first 5 minutes or so, then started whining she wanted to go home.  I had the great idea that we should bike to get some pumpkins, knowing that if we had a fun destination in mind she would be alot more excited about staying in the bike trailer. 

 

 

 

Ahhh, worked like a charm.  Makenna was SO very excited to pick out a pumpkin, even if it was out of a big trailer at the gas station:) 

 

 

Decisions, decisions....

 

 

Will this one fit in the bike trailer with me, mama?

Ummmm, nope.  We settled on 3 little pumpkin pie pumpkins, 3 baby pumpkins and 5 gourds instead.  Not bad for $5:)

 

 

 

 

This one was her favorite - she kept calling it a flower since it was a different color than all the other ones.

 

 

 

Makenna was SO excited the whole bike ride home to have so many little pumpkins to play with.  Mommy on the other hand, just about died trying to bike those measly 2 miles all up hill. 

 

 

Look at my gourd mama!

 

She kept doing this the whole ride home, which was a good excuse for me to take plenty of pitstops so I could catch my breath - ha! 

 

I think tomorrow maybe we'll take a walk instead! 

 

 

 

 



Just told her daddy was on his way...... She sure loves her daddy

First day with no tears;)

She loves her puzzles

Car wash with daddy

 

Daddy insisted Makenna help him wash his car while I make dinner the other night.  I walked outside to find the two of them laughing soooo very hard and both of them soaked!  I love her evil little laugh as she sprays him with the hose:)  I'm pretty sure this is one of those memories daddy will always cherish with his little girl. 

Getting ready for halloween....

 

I've been debating over what to do for halloween costumes this year.  Last year we had SO much fun with the Chorizo costume - seriously, this would be impossible to top:

 

I think homemade costumes are way cuter and way more fun that store bought (ha - I always complained when I was little that I just wanted my mom to BUY my clothes or BUY my halloween costumes, not make them).  However, we saw this little number at Old Navy this weekend and for $15 I was sold.  She thinks she is Strawberry Shortcake in it, which was what I was thinking of doing anyway.  So, I think we are all set! 

 

 

Best of all, it is bundleable in case we have a super cold halloween:) 

 

I love you my little strawberry!

 

 

Enjoying Drew's football game

My sister sent me this sweet picture of Makenna tonight at Drew's football game. Drew was sooo excited for her to come watch him play. She sure loves her  cousin!