101/120 - Surprise!

McKenzie and I flew to Vernon this weekend to surprise my mom for her birthday. Last time I tell my dad about a surprise for my mom. She knew we were coming and got everything ready for us.

McKenzie relaxing before we go out for dinner for Grandma's birthday.

Uncle Ryan and his fancy dinner. Ryan and Bobbie joined us for dinner at the Italian Kitchen.
Grandma enjoying her dinner.

Grandpa digging in. Aunty Bobbie's arm.

Grandma opening her gifts.

McKenzie loves these singing cards.

This morning we went down to visit my mom's brother Buddy at his cabin on Okanagan lake. This is the first time McKenzie has been down to the lake.

The neighbours have a sandy area they have created and McKenzie had a blast playing there.

Sand on the toes...is there anything better?!?

Worn out after a morning at the beach.

My dad's brother, Uncle Elmer came over for dinner tonight to help celebrate.

McKenzie going to town on the corn on the cob. MMMMMMMmmmmmm!

100/120 - Hamper

McKenzie is at the stage where she loves to put things into something else and take things out of other things. Tonight, she decided to "help" put her dirty clothes in the hamper. Then she decided they should come back out...what better way to get them out than to....

...go in after them!

All the way in...
...and loving it!

Hmmmm, now that I am in here...how do I get out? Maybe I should lay down and think about it.

OHHHH, I back out.

99/120 - McKenzie's room is coming along

So in order to get the look I want for McKenzie's room I had to order some stuff from an online company Heart to Heart and it came in today! hip hip hooray!

McKenzie loved her new flower pillow/chair and sat in it right away to read books.

It is also good for laying down.

Finally convinced her to get up so we could put it in her room. Still good for reading books.
Her bed with the new smaller flower pillow and her fairy princess doll that looks a lot like the ones on her bedspread.

She loved the butterflies that I got to suspend over her bed and took this one for a walk around her room. She is also wearing the super cute dress I got her today while I was trying to pick up one more birthday thing for my mom...didn't find anything Mom so I mailed the parcel as is. Don't open it until Sunday!!!

This was so entertaining that when we had to take it away it caused a full melt down!

98/120 - nap time fun

I'm a big girl! I don't need a nap...yeah right!

McKenzie has really been fighting her naps and then falling asleep in exhaustion in the later afternoon. What can you do? We try and put her down. Leave her in her room to play for an hour and nothing. Take her out and she is lively right until the moment of collapse. Sigh. Where is that parenting manual?!?

97/120 - Catching up

So I looked at the blog and realized it has been almost a week since I posted a picture. Too busy giving Lawrence a bad time about not having posted a picture in awhile I guess! I tried to get some good shots of McKenzie and before her bath this is the best picture I got. It reminds me of the find the Loonie challenge in the Our Canada Magazine. Can you find McKenzie in this picture?

Here are some from on our way to the bath.

"Hey Mom! Put that thing down and come give me a bath!"

"Boo"

After her bath while she was naked and running around I put out McKenzie's new potty to see what she would do with it. We are not quite ready to start but I thought we could have it around the house so she got used to seeing it.

"Hmmmm. What is this thing?"

"I could try sitting on it. I have a book handy to read and everything."

"I'll sit over here thanks. Mom! Did you know that thing has a hole in the middle...makes it hard to sit on!"

Yesterday was a bad day but today was much better. Errands in the morning, lunch and nap in the early afternoon and then we went over to our friends Ed and Daphne's house to help celebrate their daughter Ashlynn's 5th birthday. I remember when she was a baby! Where does the time go!?!

96/120 - Night Night

Looking cute in her nightie. This is a hand-me-down from Ashlynn, my friend Daphne's little girl. I thought it would be too big for McKenzie but we were out of clean PJ's (apparently I need to do laundry) so thought I would give it a try.

She's cute...but...not really ladylike yet.

Good thing we haven't graduated to panties yet. Showing off her diaper instead.

In these next pictures I asked her to smile for the camera. She did stop what she was doing and look up but smile...not quite.

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She did finally smile but before I could snap the picture she took a drink.

95/120 - McKenzie's Room

McKenzie's room is coming along. Today Kari, the most amazing friend ever, finished painting the wall art in her room. Here are a few shots so you can see the progress. Walls painted, wall art done, new mattress and bedding, all done. Still waiting for the actual bed frame (the one that came had so many problems so Sears is replacing it for us but want to quality check the next one so will not be here until the 28th), the bookcase and her dress up station, as well as, a few more little details. Looks good so far.

Wall art over where her dress up station will be.

Over her bed. Such a cute fairy princess.
Over her bed.

On the angle wall as you enter her room.

Bed set up on the floor right now.

Where the bookcase and dress up station will be.

Loving my big girl bed!

And just cause it never gets old...

94/120 - Transitions

McKenzie is transitioning into her big girl bed. She has been getting up in the mornings and coming in to say hi.

A much nicer way to wake up than an alarm, until...yesterday she came in at 6am. Did anyone tell her I am on vacation here?!? I don't know if it was right or not but I was so tired I just lifted her into bed beside me and fell back asleep as soon as she did. (I think she fell asleep out of boredom cause there was nothing to do with both Mike and I half asleep just lying there.)

This morning she came in at 4:45am. Both Mike and I had trouble falling asleep the night before and last glanced at the clock at 1:30ish and now she is there at 4:45AM. I tried to pick her up in the bed again but this time she was on to me and started touching my face and naming all the places she touched so I couldn't just lie there. I took her back into her improvised room (we are in the process of finishing hers) and I could hear her playing and knocking to get out. Knocking progressed to banging on the door but no crying so I went back to sleep. I guess she got tired of trying cause when I did wake up later I peeked in and this is what I found...

93/120 - Ribbon fun

For those who don't know, Crave Cupcakes come wrapped in a lovely brown silky ribbon. This morning I wrapped it around McKenzie like a headband.

She looked like a '20's flapper in my opinion. She was not so enamoured of the look.

92/120 - Happy Birthday to ME!

Today is my birthday. I am apparently an anomaly as I really love my birthday. Most people seem to dread theirs (unless you are young enough that you still tell people your age and mention half or three quarters as appropriate).

Here is McKenzie helping me open my presents. Thank you everyone for my gifts. They were great and I loved them all.

My friends Kari, Lawrence and their son Maks came over for dinner and Crave Cupcakes for dessert.

Here's Maks enjoying the chocolatey goodness.

McKenzie would not be outdone!

Everyone playing together. McKenzie apparently needs some practice in sharing "her" toys with others. She was not so fond of Maks playing with her stuff. It didn't help that she was a little tired and grumpy this afternoon and not her normal self.
All in all a great day. The one problem with being the one to take most of the pictures is you are not in many of them. Perhaps I will have to start a self-portrait day on the blog.

91/20 - Rainy afternoon

Rainy Tuesday afternoon + bored and cranky toddler = Let's make cookies!

I have great memories of pulling a chair up to the counter and "helping" my mom bake cookies, cakes, pies, etc. It was very cool to do this for the first time with my own daughter. "Helping" me MAKE cookies.

Are they ready yet Mom?
"Helping me EAT cookies.
Boy are we good bakers...those were yummy! We had a lot of fun and it really kept McKenzie engaged for a long time.



I really do have great memories of helping mom but this one will always stand out for me. It's not my "best"memory of helping mom bake cookies but it is my most vivid. I had a chair pulled up to help mom out. The phone rang and at that time we had only one phone and there was no such thing as cordless. She asked me to go and see who it was so I got down and ran into the living room to answer it. While I was doing all this my brother, Ryan, was playing on the floor in the kitchen. The phone was for my mom and so I yelled for her. She came into the living room to talk to whomever it was. All of a sudden we heard this scream and howl from the kitchen. We ran in and as we rounded the corner, saw Ryan up on the chair with a sharp knife sticking out of his palm, his arm straight out from his body. We didn't even know he could climb let alone get up there, balance, grab a knife and try to figure out what it did. It still gets the hair on the back of my neck standing up when I think of him there with that knife in his hand. He was fine, no lasting damage but it has taught me to be ever vigilant with McKenzie and make sure there is nothing she can climb or nothing dangerous around if she can. Thanks Ryan for taking one in the hand for the safety of your niece. :)


Bonus Video of McKenzie doing her thing.

90/120 - They say a picture is worth a thousand words...