Back in the Saddle!

Well, we are back from our trip to Tokyo, and despite my best efforts to nullify jet lag by staying up for 32 straight hours, to theoretically force my body to get a full night's sleep on Sammamish time, I find myself sitting here with nothing to do at 2AM.  So, since it's been a month since the last update, I thought I'd get back in the swing of things with a report on Mackenzie's birthday.

It's so hard to come to terms with my little bunny rabbit turning four years old.  While she is excited to be four, and I am happy for her and look forward to all that she will become this year, she is growing up too fast!!  I will always cherish my little 3 year old, with all of her spunk and sass, her big frowns when she is mad and her even bigger smiles when she is happy.  The way she hopped everywhere she went.   How she liked to walk around on the balls of her feet, and I will proudly remember how I vigilantly defended her right to do so, despite Steph's well meaning concerns that she would develop calf issues or arch issues or something (I don't know.  It seemed silly to me).  Most of all, her very big heart and adoring love for her family.  The best part is that this quality will only grow bigger, along with her!

Back to the birthday deets:

Mackenzie creatively chose to have a "Tinkerbell pony party" for her birthday, inviting a dozen or so of her closest friends to Farrel McWhirter park in Redmond for pony riding and Tinkerbell cake and snacks.  Jackson was very excited by this choice, as you will recall that at his version of a pony party he got some kind of heat stroke or something and had a miserable time.  So finally he got a chance to relive the scene with full zeal and gusto.  Mackenzie loved riding ponies, pretending to milk a cow, opening presents, and just being the special girl on a special day with friends.

Of course, in our grand tradition, she got a second birthday celebration with family.   She was very excited to see all of her grandparents, her uncle Matt, and her cousin Gracie.   She chose a special birthday dinner of home made macaroni and cheese, watermelon, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and pineapple.  She of course enjoyed a second birthday cake, surprising us with her choice of spice cake.  And she took home a princessly haul of gifts, including, but not limited to: a Disney Sleeping Beauty Castle with all the characters, her own reclining Tinkerbell lawn chair, barbie stuff, Silver Mist doll, a pink soccer ball, and a Tinkerbell Polly Pockets collection from her thoughtful brother.

Kenzie likes to fully immerse herself in her gifts before opening!