Whew... what a week!!!

Well, all these pictures are in backwards order b/c I don't know how to organize them yet... but here's a glimpse of our fun week!

Today we went to Uncle Stephen's soccer game... she stole some of the attention... Like I said, she stole some of the attention...
Here's Uncle Stephen in between games trying to get her adorable little boot back on... Jake insisted they didn't fit, and by the end of the day I had to agree with him... even if you do get her foot down where it should be, her ankles are too chubby to get the zipped all the way! Oh, and notice Poppop's protective hand... ever on the look out for his little granddaughter!
Here's our little girl with her friend Hannah... we had a fun play date on Friday with Hannah L. and all the Williams!
Here are the pretty princesses!!
Here's Little Miss holding her pen ever so importantly...
I got them to stay still for a minute...
... more like a second...
Here's our Little Wonder in a swing at the park for the first time in her little life!! She was so cute!!

She loved it!!

Here's a video of her first swinging experience with her friend Celeste. Celeste is so cute clapping her hands and saying "yea"... I'm really looking forward to Mackenzie being able to do all that stuff... but for right now, we have very expressive happy kicking feet!




We had a very fun and very full week... I'm so tired and when I look at all these pictures, I'm not surprised... we've been busy!

Thank you Lord for friends!!

Here's our girl... playing with those stackable donuts that are a must for all babies! Notice the new outfit complete with hat... I'm not sure who gave it to us, but I love it! I was going through all her clothes today and she almost missed her opportunity to wear this one... and it's so cute that would have been a tragedy of the most severe kind!! She's so cool... chillin' in her hat playin' with her toys...

Today I wanted to blog about how blessed I've been to have so many wonderful friends who are sharing this same season with me! Shana Baloche just came over today and we had fun eating lunch, feeding babies, changing babies, and then taking a walk with our strollers! I loved the company and sharing how we're doing as wives and mothers together. Her daughter Elise is about 3 months younger than Mackenzie and I can't wait for them to be able to interact with each other!

Another friend I've been truly blessed by today is Julia Melone. She emailed me this morning and encouraged me - again - with truth about being a stay-at-home mom. I asked her if I could share part of her email on my blog, and she said I could. Here it is:

when i was making dinner and baking (the friendship bread from kristin!) - i realized that there are a lot of people in the world who can do graphic design (or work at a daycare) - but there is only ONE person in the world - ME - who can sufficiently care for Grace. (and mackenzie) and right now it is very apparent with breastfeeding! :) anyone can go to school and learn how to make things look cool, but only one person knows the sound of grace's cry, and what she needs when she needs it. (mostly!) :)

and, if God ordained my days and made me pregnant, gave me a baby, provided for us financially so that i'm able to stay home with her full-time -- it means He will give me the grace to do the work. even if it's hard.

I so appreciate her friendship and her godly perspective on what we're doing. She's right... if God gave us this privilege of being moms and the ability to stay home full-time, He is going to give us all the grace we need to do it well... even when it's hard!

Lord, thank you so much for the godly friends you have placed in my life. I am so thankful for the way they come along side me and point me back to you! Thank you for the moms that are further ahead of me that have so much wisdom and encouragement to offer. Thank you for the friends that are right here in the thick of it with me, struggling for joy and contentment and so in love with being a mom at the same time. Thank you that "no sin has seized [me] except what is common to man." And thank you that you are "faithful and will not let [me] be tempted beyond [my] ability, but with the temptation [You] will also provide a way of escape that [I] may be able to endure it." Thank you for the encouragement that Julia and Shana were to me today!!

Mackenzie's First Easter

Here's Mackenzie at her first Easter Egg Hunt at church... she didn't participate too much this year, but she was very well-behaved the whole time! Here she is with her Memom showing off her spring outfit complete with jacket! (Notice the proud Uncle Andrew in the background!) Here she is at Mommom and Poppop Small's house... with her Poppop Boettcher... chewing on her Easter Basket...
This is a cool picture! I forget where my mom got the idea for this, but it's my Mommom's hand, my mom's hand, my hand, and Mackenzie's hand... this would be pretty cool in black and white!
Here's the handsome Uncle Stephen in his "tux" (as he likes to call his suit) holding his pretty neice on Easter at church!
And here's the happy Moon family on their first Easter with Mackenzie! We went to my mom's after church to have lunch and hunt for our Easter baskets (she even had a little basket with two eggs in it for Mackenzie!) Stephen did the Resurrection Eggs for us while we ate and he did a very good job! I can't wait until Mackenzie is old enough to participate someday... well wait... I can wait... I don't want to rush any of this... it's already going too fast!
We were supposed to get together with Jake's sister, Samantha, but her son Conor got sick =( So the rest of the day we just chilled... and it was good cuz I think I'm getting sick and I really needed to rest!

God's Protecting Hand

God has been very busy this week protecting Mackenzie from stupid mommy mistakes and from sickness!



Tuesday we were out running errands and she started coughing in the back seat, I looked back just in time to see her puke her guts up all over herself and the car seat! It wasn't just a little bit of throw up, it looked like that little girl from the Six Sense! I was stuck at a light and didn't know what to do... the light finally changed and I was able to pull into the Faris's driveway (Katie wasn't home... what were you doing Katie?? Having a baby or something??) and get her out and clean her up... I felt like such a mom with my baby wipes in action cleaning up something other than a bottom! I realized the reason she had thrown up was because she had choked on some strings that came off of her little hat. Her hat had pompoms on it and the one was starting to fray and come apart... dumb mom me put it in her car seat with her so I would remember to throw it out when we got home... dummy... I put it with a baby who eats everything she gets in her fist!! God really protected her... instead of her choking on the strings and passing out without me even know it, she gagged and then threw up! I've never been grateful for throw up before, but I was Tuesday!



Yesterday morning was scary too! I heard her making noise at 6:45 her usual wake up time and I went in to get her and thought there was a seal or a dog in bed with her... there was this horrible barking sound coming out of her little self! I've never heard anything like it before... she wasn't gasping for breath, but she was coughing and every cough was like a bark! I called Jake and then I called Dr. M and she told me to take her outside in the moist morning air... sure enough, as soon as I got her outside she stopped coughing and now she's peacefully asleep in her crib! I took her to the Dr's in the a.m. and was given a prescription to help relax her airway and Jen let me borrow her vaporizer... Mackenzie is doing much better now and doesn't have that deep voice she did.... she sounded like a teenager every time she cooed!

Jake is off today and we already got our three day weekend off to a good start! Yesterday we went to Rita's to get our free water ice, then he went grocery shopping with me (I love it when he comes!), and then we picked up Chinese food (something we've never done before believe it or not!) and then we came home, watched four episodes of The Office together and chilled. Then... there was a water fight... inside... in March... I'm not exactly sure how it got started (OK, I am, but I can't write that down...) but it ended with me being pushed in the shower (he turned the shower on) fully clothed! By the end of it there was water to be wiped up all over the kitchen and bathroom and we were both soaked... I did a really good job getting him wet... but he definitely won the war by putting me in the shower, I never would have thought of that, nor had the strength to do that, he's so darn strong!!

The only thing I have to post today is a video I took of Mackenzie putting herself to sleep... she rubs her head back and forth and it kinda had me concerned and the dr. told me to take a video of it and let her see it... so I did... Dr. M said it was just a self-soothing technique and completely normal... this video is kinda cute though... she was just on her way out and I kept peeking on her to try and catch her in action... then she caught on!

Why I'm at Home

The loves of my life!
Hey, I don't know if this will work, but I'm trying to attach a link to an article I really liked written by Heather Koerner on the website boundless.org. Here's the link: www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001697.cfm She shares about her decision to be a stay at home mom and I liked her thought process. For us it's never been an option, since day one we tried our best to live off of Jake's income only and although it's taken us longer to get into a house than we anticipated, I wouldn't trade my new full-time job for anything! I am SO grateful I get to be home with Mackenzie every day all day! There are definitly moments of self-pity and temptations to think what I'm doing isn't important as I change another poopy diaper and feed her another meal, but I am so grateful I'm the one that gets to do these things and I don't have to worry about someone else not doing it the way she likes it. She is home with me, she's my first priority (after God and Jake of course) and if it means the house isn't cleaned but she is cared for, than I've had a successful day!

But I can't write any of that without first expressing my deep gratitude to my husband who works so hard for us so that I can have this privilege! Everyday he gets up at 6 a.m. and leaves for work by 6:40... usually after reading his Bible and praying with me for our day. He doesn't love his job, but he is willing to work at it diligently in order to provide for us. He never knows what his day will hold, if he'll be in Ocean City or in Marlton, if he'll be home at 4 p.m. or at 10 p.m.... but he works hard and is always happy to come home! I couldn't ask for a more diligent or hardworking husband! And in saying all this, I am reminded again of my gratefulness for my father-in-law who taught his son what it was to be a hard-worker. Jake saw his dad provide for his family and work hard so his mom could stay home, and I am so grateful for the example Dad Moon set for him! Thanks Dad Moon!

What a fun weekend!

This friday we had a very busy day! First we went to Katie Faris's house for the mom's prayer morning... thanks to Barb, Christy, and Heather Paton for watching our children! Then we went to our friends' the Williams for the afternoon! All the kids took naps and Kim and I got to chat... it was so much fun! Then we drove home and went for a walk since it was such a pretty day. Then Jake came home and we got all dressed up and dropped Mackenzie off with the Heritage Team (thank you so much Andy, Catherine, Britney, Derek, Andrew, and Jenna) and went on a date! Jake was really busy serving on Saturday... so Mackenzie and I packed up in the afternoon and went over to Memom's for a walk! Poppop got home early and we had fun hanging out with him waiting for mom to get there so we could walk... the following is a video of him making her blink... it's really funny!

Today was a great day too! We got to drive to church together as a family and that is always my favorite!!! After worship I put Mackenzie in Sunday School to see how she would do and she did great! (I stayed with her the whole time since she's never been in that kind of context before). She sat up the whole time... only following over once! I think we'll try it again next week... and I might not stay the whole time either!! The rest of our day was spent together being a family... Mackenzie took a great long nap and Jake and I had fun watching The Office and hanging out and then going for a walk when Mackenzie got up! We stapled up some signs about our house being for sale... hopefully it won't take too long to sell cuz there are so many houses we keep seeing and falling in love with!

Ok... well I don't know what the point of this whole blog was... just wanted an excuse to post some more pictures of Mackenzie with her friends and the cute video of her playing with her Poppop!

Hanging out at Memoms house!

Here's our girl with her awesome Uncle Andy... she was runny low on smiles at this point of the night... usually she's all laughs and giggles for her uncles! Here's the happy Memom... still no smiles on girlie girls part... very unusual for being with her Memom! Her face lit up this week when she recognized my mom at church... it's so cool to see her starting to know people besides me and Jake!
Here's Jake putting in the ceiling fan in my parents bedroom (it was their Christmas present from us!)
And here's Jake with his "helper"...
I say helper with all due respect, daddy =)

And here's our little girl playing peek a boo... anytime I cover her face she and say "where's Mackenzie" she gets all excited and plays peek a boo with me!!

That's all for today!

Here's our girlie... proudly sitting by herself while I type this! Her Memom bought her this cute spring outfit last night... it has an adorable little jacket that goes with it... I'll have to post the full assemble soon! She just discovered how amazing her feet are about two weeks ago and now when I get her changed I have to pry her feet out of her hands!
Here is Jake practicing sharing the Gospel with her in preparation for Friday night at the mall... he didn't manage to convert her, but she did show some pretty humble tears of repentance... or maybe they were tears of "Daddy, I'm so tired..."

I got Mackenzie's pictures taken at the Picture People on Sat. and I LOVE the way they turned out... I was only able to get a couple though cuz I'm saving up to go all out at 1 year. I'm heading to Sears today to get some more affordable ones taken there so hopefully by Easter I'll have plenty to hand out... I don't want to have to be stingy like I was with her 3 month pictures.

Here is the link to the Picture People ones so you can see how cute they turned out... I hope it works! http://smilestore.picturepeople.com/my/images?cg=207294587116875920

Also... she went to the doctor's yesterday and here's the update: 18 lbs. 27 inches... 90% for weight, 75% for height... still our chunker girl! The doctor was pleased that she is sitting up unassisted and not concerned about the not rolling over bit... she said that Mackenzie is so big it's going to be harder for her than for smaller babies to be mobile... but the fact that she is sitting up is really good cuz it requires all sorts of balance and core muscle strength! I asked her a zillion more questions and felt like a real pain, but Dr. M said she was happy I was asking and it's the parents that don't come with a zillion questions that she worries about! So phew... I'm not a pain and Mackenzie is right where she should be!!

We are going over to her friend Elise's today... us Mommy's are gonna do some accountability and our girlies get to hang out with each other and poop! Hope you have a great day!

Random fun memories...

Here are some really cute random photos I just had to post! This first one is from Summation '08 when we all dressed up like pirates! Her Poppop was a very scary looking pirate with makeup, an earring, and silly teeth... but he doesn't look to threatening with this plump little baby on his shoulder, does he? There are more Summation pictures at the end... for some reason I couldn't get these all loaded in order!

These next three are of our Valentine's day... we got all dressed up for daddy and made him a special dinner! Mackenzie had her first bite of cereal that night... see the next picture for her reaction! hmmm... whatcha think, Mackenzie???
After dinner us girls took turns dancing with Daddy... Mackenzie and Daddy danced first to that song by Steven Curtis Chapman "Cinderella" (and I got all teary-eyed of course!) and then Jake and I danced to the song we danced to at our wedding... so romantic with a baby now crying in the background! How our lives have changed since May '05... it's only gotten better!

This one is of Mackenzie hanging out with the Lockhart girl's on Monday. Jen and I had fun taking everyone for a walk... I'm so glad Mackenzie has so many nice friends to grow up with!

Here's Maria and I with our scary pirate babies! Liam and Mackenzie were so good and we had fun finding a closet to nurse in! What friends and memories are made when you're nursing!
Here's Mackenzie and me... it's going to be rare when there are pictures of us together so I had to put this one up... notice our matching shirts and bandanas!

Thanks for checking in... I'm not sure when I'll have more adorable pictures I'll just have to post... but keep looking cuz she does something cute every day... more like every single minute!!

visit with our friends Melissa and Camryn

Our friends Melissa and Camryn Shank came over for lunch today! Melissa and I had a great time chatting about mommy stuff and we discovered that we were both proposed to on top of the Empire State Building... how cool is that?? Our girls had a fun time eating and pooping... and that was about it. Melissa was so kind to take some pictures of our time together... I don't know what happened to my camera... I gotta find it! Here's a picture of our girlies together!

Such a happy baby! Melissa snapped this picture at just the right moment!

This is a picture of Camryn Shank... she's one month old today! We're so glad we got to visit with new friends today! Both our girls were so good and let us get in lots of talking... something I think most mom's crave... at least this mom does!

My first post as a bloggermom!

Well, her it is, my first post as a bloggermom! What a wonderful way to share pictures and videos of our little girl and express to other the joy that she brings us! I should have started this way sooner than now! Here she is in a very pretty outfit from Mommom and Poppop Small. She looked like such a big girl sitting in our glider and wearing her overalls like she just got off the farm! What a happy smile she has!She is doing so much now! She loves her exersaucer and her jumper... she kicks her little feet around and gets so excited when you talk to her! She sits up all by herself pretty steadily now and looks so grown up as she tries to balance her big 'ol head on her little body! She has two teeth that have broken through on the bottom and we only had one day of tears for those! She is eating cereal and a few other foods now... I'm very grateful to all the other moms God has surrounded me with that have been advising me every step of the way! It amazes me how much I don't know and how often I have questions! I know Mackenzie better than anyone else in this world, but when it comes to figuring out how to feed her, bathe her, etc... I wouldn't have the first clue how to do any of it!

Anyway... back to Mackenzie happenings... she got excited for the first time yesterday when I said, "Daddy's home!" She hadn't even seen him yet and she was excited cuz she knew who I was talking about! He came in and she gave him the best greeting... arms flapping, feet dancing, big smile... the works! He got right down in her face and she tried and tried to "kiss" his nose and she grabbed his cheeks and was just so excited to see her daddy! I'm so glad he got this greeting... we've been waiting for it and it was so worth the wait!

Ok, I'm going to post a video of her "talking" and that will be all for this post! Here is she talking to her daddy about 6 weeks ago... she already outgrew that onesie! It's an old video... but it's just so sweet! Thanks for reading!