It’s the end of the world as we know it…

First, a Zachary update. Still eating, sleeping, growing and farting. Kid is the gassiest baby I’ve ever met. The screaming-the-kind-of-screams-that-make-a mom-pace gas. Over the counter gas relief drops weren’t helping so we switched to a prescription yesterday. So far he hasn’t been screaming as much so I’m hopeful. I wonder how I can slip some into Justin’s diet…

Now Makenzie. She is totally digging this big sister thing. She wants to help with everything and when he cries she is quick to tell me what he needs, which is usually to be held by his big sister. Justin asked her how she got so big and her reply was “Because I’m a big sister.”

I wish her favorite thing to do wasn’t to try to wake him up, but she’s learning not to touch him while he’s sleeping. She loves helping me carry the car seat and push the stroller and really wants to feed him. We’ll let her when he gets a little better at taking bottles and graduates from bobble head status

So far I’m feeling a little clumsy getting around with two kids. By myself, that is. When Justin’s with me I’m perfectly calm. Needless to say the three of us haven’t ventured out much passed getting Makenzie to school and the train wreck of a trip to Walgreens.

I’ll post pictures as soon as I have a few minutes at my computer with both hands free. Maybe by the time one of them graduates high school.

(I meant to post this on 4/12 but didn’t quite make it.)

We welcomed Zachary Michael Boyd to our family on April 5th at 1:11 p.m. All 7 lbs, 15 oz and 20 inches of perfect boy came with no drama and no surprises. That’s my kind of delivery.

We’ve had a great week getting to know Zachary. So far he’s pretty mellow and only cries when he’s hungry, gassy or getting a diaper change. Other than that he’s sleeping. His one week checkup was great. He’s now 8 lbs, 5 oz and has grown 1/4 of an inch. He eats a lot.

Makenzie is in love with her little brother and is being so sweet to him. I do have to remind her he’s not a toy, but she’s getting the hang of this big sister stuff.

More soon…

(Justin had to remind me that I started and never posted my January recap. Pregnancy brain is a killer. Here it is, on April 1st.)

January was rather calm compared to the high-paced, whirlwind December we had.

The theme of January was definitely “cousins.” Justin’s little sister and her family have finally moved to OKC so Makenzie has two (almost three) cousins within 20 minutes of her. We played a lot with Avery and Owen and are really enjoying the Wiggins being so close. When we remember they are here, that is. We’ve gone so long without immediate family in OKC that it’s hard to remember they are.

Makenzie and Avery playing dress up. I cannot remember what outfit goes with what princess, but these two can.

The end of the January brought a much-anticipated trip to Houston to visit Justin’s older sister and her family. Her two boys were being baptized (as was their daddy) and Justin and I were chosen as Godparents. We enjoyed every busy, fun-filled minute of our trip but man, we were exhausted! Makenzie loved her first big airplane ride and managed to entertain several passengers. How? I’m glad you asked.

We landed in OKC and were waiting to exit the airplane. Makenzie grabbed the safety card from the seatback pocket and said she was going to read a magazine. Justin asked her what it said and she told a story about how Michelle drove us to the airport after lunch and the airplane took us back to Oklahoma City. Fair enough, that’s pretty much what had happened that day. Then she grabbed the drink menu to read. Inside the menu were pictures of the drinks the airline offered. Again, Justin asked her what that magazine said, to which she declared (at the top of her tiny voice) “It says I don’t drink beer and soda pop.” I think everyone within a three-row radius laughed out loud.

Here’s a slideshow chronicle of our trip to Houston.

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Makenzie turned 3 last Monday. 3 years old. I know people say they can’t believe how fast their children grow, but Makenzie being 3 feels right to me for some reason. At 3 she’s hilarious, so smart, kind and absolutely in love with life. From eyes open to eyes shut each day she’s playing, dancing, singing, creating and helping Justin and me do whatever we’re doing. Laundry is even fun for this child, and a good thing, too. I’m having a hard time bending over to get in the dryer these days.

Some of Makenzie’s favorite things at this year of her life are:

• Jelly beans
• Taking care of her baby
• Riding her tricycle – we have a pretty good racetrack around our kitchen island so it gets lots of use both indoors and out. She usually puts Baby in the back.
• Reading books – she’s memorized most of her books so we’ve been buying a lot more lately. I melt every time she opens a book and “reads” it to her baby. Correctly.
• Talking about and dreaming of all the fun she’ll have with her little brother.
• Playing outside, especially in the sand.
• Helping me cook and bake. Especially bake.
• Airplanes and watching them fly at Wiley Post Airport with her daddy.
• Sitting in anything that resembles a box or basket. I’m not sure about this one, but she’ll climb in and camp out in just about anything.

Her birthday party was at the Playzone in OKC. We invited friends from school this year. Add in cousins and neighbors and we had about 13 small kids running around that place. We had Hideaway Pizza (her favorite, of course) and I made a chocolate sheet cake (just like my mom makes) and peanut butter rice krispie treats. Everyone had a good time and more than one kid cried when we had to leave. I call that a successful party.

On her actual birthday Justin and I took her to Pops in Arcadia for her first soda pop and to Toys R Us to pick out her brand new car. Every 3 year old needs a Barbie Mustang, right? We spent the rest of the day putting the car together and practicing driving. She was happy that she can now go wherever she wants to go all by herself.

Here are some pictures to commemorate the day.

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Wow. Middle of February and I’m just now writing about Christmas. I have a lot of catching up to do!

Makenzie’s third Christmas was much healthier than her first two, thank goodness! She got into it a lot more this year and even managed to sit on Santa’s lap. Once.

Here are my favorite memories from this year’s Christmas:

• I made several gifts this year, the first for my niece Ella. As I worked on Ella’s Christmas present, Makenzie decided it was “Ella’s Christmas” instead of understanding that Christmas was for everyone to celebrate. I spent a lot of time explaining why we celebrate Christmas, and she got that it was Jesus’s birthday, but it was still Ella’s Christmas. Even when I was working on other presents she’d ask “Is <insert name> going to be at Ella’s Christmas?”
• Makenzie LOVED Christmas lights this year, and we absolutely loved taking her driving to see them. I’ve always loved the lights at Christmas, but I have a new-found admiration for them after this year. I hope her excitement continues and that we spend many nights each season driving through neighborhoods and business districts to see lights. It will never get old for me.
• She was really good and careful with the Christmas tree and all the decorations this year. I gave her two she could play with anytime and she left most of the other ones alone. As I took the tree down after Christmas I found several toys hidden within its branches, so apparently she wanted to add her own little touches to the decor. Gotta love that.
• Her favorite decoration was a snowman statue that was just her size to move to different spots around the house. It ate with us some nights, she posed for many pictures with it, and it even went to timeout for being bad.
• Some may think it’s cruel, but I’ll never forget the terror on Makenzie’s face when she finally sat on Santa’s lap this year. I think it’s a right of passage all children and parents get to experience. We made some progress by telling her that yes, he is a little scary looking, but he’s one of the kindest people on Earth. Hopefully she warms up to the guy next year.
• With all the gift buying and making Makenzie and I made many trips to Target, Hobby Lobby and the mall together this year. (Mostly Target and Hobby Lobby since I avoid the malls like the plague during Christmas.) So many that every time I’d pick her up from school she’d ask to go to shopping and has learned that Target has big, red carts and Hobby Lobby has small, blue carts. She still asks to go to Target on a regular basis, which her teachers find hilarious and I find a tad bit embarrassing.

Since pictures tell stories, here’s our month of December as it happened. There’s a lot; it was a busy month.

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Yes, I realize it’s the end of December.

November kicked off with a lovely day at the beautiful shores of Lake Guthrie. Our dear friends Jan and Bob hosted Makenzie and me for a day of feeding geese (who were scared and not hungry), looking for crawdads (too cold), throwing rocks, lunch and throwing pottery. They have a pottery studio at their house (very cool and if you ever get a chance to view or purchase Garrett Pottery, please do.) so they let Makenzie play with clay and me make something. I definitely don’t have a future in pottery, but it was fun to get messy and try something new.

Geese - who needs 'em?

Serious conversations happen by the water.

Playing with her "play doh."

Good times had by all.

I think I’ve mentioned before that Justin’s little sister and her family are moving to OKC at the first of the year. While they were house hunting and preparing for their move we got to watch their kids. I love how well Makenzie and her cousins play together and find fun at every turn. We cannot wait to have them closer and watch them grow up together.

Playing peek-a-boo with the shower curtain. Owen's in there somewhere.

Oh there he is!

And here's Owen again after knocking over Makenzie's tent. Good times.

I was equally thrilled and scared when our friend and Makenzie’s occasional babysitter asked her to be a flower girl in her wedding. Thrilled because I was so touched that someone would want my child to be part of her wedding and scared because Makenzie’s not the greatest “performer” in front of crowds of strangers. She did extremely well at the wedding and partied into the evening at the reception, especially since her nap was only about 30 minutes in the car.

How about we get this show on the road?

Party animals, just add slinkies.

And no November post is complete without talking about Thanksgiving. We had four Thanksgiving meals this year, up one from our normal three. I can’t say I minded too much because I’m wearing stretchy maternity pants and have a big ol’ appetite. The traveling wore us out, but that’s every year. Makenzie loved seeing family and playing with her cousins. We are very blessed to have such fun families. Each one is different, but each one is fun to be around. This was the first Thanksgiving without my grandpa so we had a few tearful moments, but we quickly recovered with a happy memory.

The only family pic we managed to take. Gobble gobble!!

I had my ultrasound today. Like I always do, I chose my outfit last night and planned a navy top, dark blue jeans, my new boots and a scarf, not thinking anything about my color choices. Justin threw on a light blue shirt and darker blue jeans and asked me if it was “too much blue.” I said no, but we’re awfully blue today. He thought it was a sign. It was.

Makenzie’s prediction was correct. She’s getting a little brother. Time to figure out what the heck I’m supposed to do with a baby boy. All I’ve ever known is girls (sisters, nieces, daughter) so this will be a completely new adventure. From what I know from my nephews, they tend to get a bit wild. But, no girl drama like we are experiencing now so there’s a plus.

Makenzie has been asking some funny questions about the baby lately. Here are a few I can remember and will update when I think of more.

• Will the baby walk by itself?
• Can the baby slide with me?
• (On the way to the ultrasound this morning) Are they going to take the baby out of your tummy to take it’s picture?
• Can I feed the baby applesauce?
• Is it’s head going to fall off? (In response to the ultrasound tech pointing out his head this morning.)
• Will it’s momma rock it like a baby? (We have work to do on this one.)
• And my favorite… Can I tickle the baby? (She then proceeded to tickle my belly and laugh.)

Time to shop for airplane decor. I have a room to decorate!

October was another full month. Justin and I got the chance to spend his birthday at the Four Seasons in Las Colinas. Just so happened we planned that trip on OU/Texas football weekend. Pretty smart for a couple of OSU fans, but we were far enough away from the thick of it and managed to avoid traffic both ways. Aside from spending a great evening with our friends the Kreys, we barely left the resort. We had massages, my favorite pizza delivered (iFratelli, try it next time you’re in the Dallas area) and dinner on Justin’s birthday a mile from the hotel. It was a relaxing weekend of nothingness that we both needed more than we realized. Makenzie had fun staying with Grandma and Grandpa and Nene and Papa. She always does.

We had the chance to watch Justin’s little sister’s kids, Avery and Owen, while she and Mark looked for houses in OKC/Edmond. They are moving at the end of the year. We are so excited to have them closer and that Makenzie will have cousins to grow up with. We had fun spending time with them and cannot wait to have them here permanently.

Halloween was really fun this year. I didn’t realize that kids wear their costumes so much – school party, friends’ party, Grandma’s house and trick or treating -  but our little ladybug didn’t mind. Makenzie loves ladybugs so when I found the costume I bought it right away. I was looking for a black shirt when I found the ladybug tights. That was just a bonus that made her costume that much better, in my opinion.

We stopped by our neighborhood party for dinner before begging for candy on Halloween night and met up with some neighbor friends, one of which was also a cute little ladybug. We wound up trick-or-treating with them, which was a lot of fun. She was a trick-or-treat professional after just two houses. I think it was her third house where she got a piece of candy, I asked her what she should say, and she said “Can I have some more?” Not exactly the “thank you” I was looking for, but it got a laugh from the lady and two or three more pieces in her bag. Can’t beat smiles and candy.

We enjoyed the great weather and great football this month. Our beloved Cowboys are kicking butt and taking names this year and we are loving every minute of it. We have to, you never know when Squinky will strike again.

September brought cooler temperatures, the State Fair of Oklahoma and a Day Out with Thomas into our lives.

We aren’t regular fair-goers, but my pregnancy appetite is pretty strong so the thought of all the food got me a little giddy. Makenzie, being exactly 36″ tall that day, enjoyed the kiddie rides she was tall enough for until a mute carney man decided to post his 36″ sign higher than the rest and crushed a little girl’s dreams of riding in a flying Dumbo. She got over it fairly quickly; I have not.

I picked Makenzie up from school one Friday afternoon and journeyed over to the Oklahoma Railway Museum to meet Thomas the Tank Engine. I had no idea what to expect, but Makenzie likes trains and I couldn’t pass up the beautiful weather. We both had a good time and are looking forward to next year.

Click on a picture to be taken to a slideshow of all of them.

Life’s been a bit hectic lately and I’ve neglected my blog. Not that anyone cares, but it’s always nice to get stories on screen before I forget them. So, I’m going to start a “what’s been happening” series, starting with August.

We made another summer trek to Branson the first weekend of August. We were looking forward to it so much because Justin’s entire family was going to be there. The long weekend was packed with lake fun, food, drinking (well, some of us), and laughs. A few tears (can’t get that many kids under 4 together and not expect a few tears) but mostly relaxing good times. We even managed to take a family photo in Justin’s parents’ backyard. That photographer definitely had her hands full with all of us, but she was a true professional and stayed calm. Can’t wait to see the finished products.

Lake bums

Michelle and Carson

Ready to go!

Concentrating on Collin's train set.

Concentrating on a good song. See any similarity to picture above?

My step sister is a roller derby rock star on Enid’s newly formed team. We jumped at the chance to see her compete in OKC. Makenzie thought it was fun, Justin was an instant fan and I loved seeing Bonnie kick some tail.

Enid Roller Girls' newest fans

Always fun hanging out with Aunt Traci and Poppy

We also got to meet our friends’ new baby girl Camryn Nash, spend some time at the pool and hang out with friends and family. A tough month following my Grandpa’s passing, but all in all, a good end to the hottest summer ever recorded in the country’s history.

So happy to be holding "Baby Camera."

Pool time with the Bachmans

I love it when my mom and sisters meet in Stillwater for lunch. It's my happy place.

Still too hot for the pool? Bathtubs work just as well. (I love this picture.)