It's Naptime!

McCarrey and I were in the kitchen working on getting dinner ready and Kennedy was downstairs in the family room watching, "Little Einsteins". (HURRAY!! We have finally branched out from Barney!! BIGTIME WAHOO!) Mac commented on how she must be really loving it because she was being sooo quiet. So- he went down to check on her and she and her baby doll were snuggled up in the dolls bed! Mac just started laughing, and of course had to run for the camera. I guess Kenna got tired and decided that her bed might be a little far away from the TV screen- so the dolls bed would just have to do. She really is a funny little thing!

What a do'!

I thought these pictures were AWESOME!! I took them last night- while we were getting Kenna ready for bed. I had just taken her braids out- so that I could redo them in the morning. Not many people can appreciate just how long her hair is getting now! YEA!! I have to keep it braided tight so that it will grow. Pretty soon- the braids will cover her ears and that will be a big deal! Wahoo! Even with a crazy fro- I still think she is the prettiest girl in the world!

YEA! A Piano!!!

WAHOO!! I don't think I can even tell you how excited I am! My mom and dad surprised us with a piano for our house!! My dad is an avid bargain shopper and found this awesome piano for MEGA cheap!! Even better- it is in really good condition! It used to belong to the church and so they had it regularly tuned and serviced. I AM SO EXCITED!!! Kennedy is at a stage where she LOVES music and she is always asking me to sing with her. She spends a lot of time over at Grandma Terry's house and the two of them are always playing songs and singing at the piano. When we got it home she and I sat down and started playing right away. She loves all of the primary songs- and knows quite a few of them even though she is only in nursery. My ever-lovin' husband grabbed out the camera, and even though I look awful and I didn't realize that he was taking pictures... I am so flippin' ecstatic about having music in the house that I don't even care and I had to post it and tell everyone! Thank you so much dad and mom! We love it!

Wedding Disaster!!

My beautiful little girl all ready to go!

What a charmer!

My cousin, Bonnie, was such a good sport! I would have been terrified of getting bubbles and M&M's all over my dress!

Well......... we gave it a valiant effort!

So- I had to wait a few days to try and recover from the wedding before I posted these new shots. As I feared- Kenna was a typical two year old during the wedding and our hopes of a sweet, innocent, accommodating flower girl were dashed in the first 5 minutes of the event. Kenna took one look at the bride and started crying, then would only compose herself for pictures when tempted with the M&M wedding favors, and the bubbles that we were saving to "send off the happy couple." Then- the time came to walk down the aisle and she screamed "NO!! I DON'T WANT TO!!", the whole way down with my poor mom practically having to drag her. I was at the other end trying to entice her to walk down with more M&M's. BUT- to no avail. I tell ya- Thank Heavens that she has about 18 years before she starts thinking about weddings- I am about wedding'd out!!

Wedding Jitters...

So- we are in for a big adventure tomorrow. My cousin Bonnie is getting married and Kennedy is going to be her flower girl. Kennedy is just excited to have everyone make such a big fuss over her and she is happy that she gets to wear a sparkly dress and carry flowers. We went to the rehearsal- and tried to show Kenna how to walk "slowly"down the aisle and "drop, don't throw" the petals. What we got was a rambunctious two year old running like a bat out of hell down the aisle- grabbing fistfuls of flower petals and randomly chucking them at people- and stopping in the middle of the aisle to twirl like a princess, so as to give everyone the full effect while all eyes are on her. Oh dear. McCarrey and I decided that we would give it a valiant effort to help her get ready for the big day. We got her Easter basket and filled it with ripped paper and tried to help her practice her flower girl duties. Hmmm...Whatever made me think practice makes perfect I will never know. The paper ended up dumped out all over the floor, the basket on her head- and her screeching at the top of her lungs, "I look like a candy cane!". (Ok- so I must admit- the pj's are a little stripey!) Heaven help us tomorrow!

A thought for the "mothers" in my life...

So- This past sunday was Mothers Day. I spent the day literally feeling every emotion under the sun! I found this picture of me, my mom and my daughter. It was taken the day that we got her- we were still at the hospital- it is easy to see from my red eyes that it was a very tearful and happy day for us. Ever since Kennedy has come into my life- the actual reality of what it was to be a mother had not really registered. It got me thinking about all of the mothers in my life and I just wanted to let them know how much I love them.

My mother in law, Kathie, is wonderful! She and Mac's dad produced the most awesome, wonderful man on the planet!(And for reasons still unbeknownst to me- he wanted to marry me!) She is so great with Kenna, supportive of everything we do- and she has the most awesome sense of humor, and is not afraid to say it like it is- which is what I love most about her. I am so grateful that she is in our lives.

My mom- is incredible! No kidding when I say that I would be lost without her. She is always there to listen to me ramble, watch Kennedy, hang out with, run errands- you name it. She has become my closest friend over the years and I can only hope that she has rubbed off enough on me- so that I can be that kind of mom for my daughter. I can't remember a time when she ever put her needs before anyone elses. She has always pushed me to follow my heart, and encouraged me on, even when it meant leaving home and going half way across the world-and I am so lucky to have her as a mom.

I think that it takes a really strong woman to be a mother- dealing with all the stuff we put up with on a daily basis. Wiping tears, noses, kitchen counters, and little behinds. I also know- it takes an even stronger woman to do what "L" did for us- and I hope that she knows how forever grateful I am for her. She gave us the most precious gift in the world- my beautiful daughter...I can't even fathom how she must have felt the day she placed her in my arms. Her strengh, and determination to provide her child that she loved with the opportunity of a two parent home, knowing that she would not be able to wipe tears when needed- must have ripped her apart. I hope she knows that I will do everything in my power to be what Kenna needs- I will give her more love than I can even express in words- and I will never forget my debt to her. Even though she is not in our lives anymore- I love her, and pray that God will fill her life with every good thing.

I don't know why God chooses to work the way he does. I don't know why we were chosen to find our family thru adoption. One thing I do know- we were meant to have this beautiful little girl in our family, and I am so grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who provided a way for us to be sealed together. I am grateful for the "eternal links" to generations of worthy and strong mothers- who have paved the way for us.

Well- hope all you moms reading this had a wonderful day also!

Cousins are the Best!

This past Sunday after church we went to my parents house to visit, and my brothers's families were there also. Kenna LOVES playing with her cousins! She is the only girl- and it just cracked me up to watch all of them. The boys were rambunctious and fighting and wrestling- and Kenna just sat off to the side and sniffed the flowers and was dancing and twirling. So funny that kids' personalities come out at such an early age. Kenna adores the boys though- they are all best friends and I love the fact that we are all so close and get to see each other all the time.

Thank Heavens for Annie who always has her camera out and ready! Kennedy (who is WAY into pretty dresses and girly things) was showing Annie how good she could twirl in her dress. The hilarious thing is that her dress goes down to the ground and she had taken her shoes off, so she was tripping over this crazy long dress and falling right on her face! I shouldn't have laughed but it was just SO cute! She definately also needed a nosewipe in the worst way- but to me that only added to the cuteness of it! My tiny little girl- trying so hard to be a pretty princess and having a hard time even staying on her feet!