Busy, busy

It's hard to believe it's been almost a month since I posted. Needless to say, time has slipped away as our family has just been busy, busy, busy. We've had family vacations, dance recitals and just the round' the house excitement of watching our two girls grow.  Brandon and I agree that the girls are at such fun ages now. We'd be just fine if they stayed where they are for a long while :)

Kaleigh had her third dance recital the middle of May. She did "acrodance" this year at The Dance Shop. She was in class with five of her best friends which meant for some precious memories for the girls and all the mommies and daddies! She had quite the fan group coming to watch the big night--and she impressed us all. We were proud of her awesome shakes and cartwheels on stage.

On that note, we have to brag a little for little Boo. Kaleigh was invited to try out for the competition team TINY TOTS at her dance studio! We were so proud of her for even receiving the invitation and she was thrilled. On Saturday May 21st, she went to tryouts and is now in her second week of practice for the team! YAY Kaleigh....we can't wait to see all the new things you'll learn this year. We're eagerly awaiting your first competition to see you do your "sassy walk."


Makenna is still impressing us all too! She turned six months old yesterday (hard to believe I must say) and guess who is sitting unsupported? Our little Mak of course. Another milestone reached, another answered prayer, another beaming mommy and daddy!

Makenna is discovering all kinds of new things. She's gone swimming (and LOVES the water) and taken a boat ride. She's become very vocal lately--her most impressive squeals usually come first thing in the morning. She's getting better at eating whatever mommy offers on a spoon, and you can surely tell as she is getting few new rolls on her legs--so sweet!

It's hard to believe that in another six months we'll be celebrating Makenna's first birthday--man how time flies. In the meantime, we're taking in every sweet moment and milestone; just having a blast watching our babies grow!

Time Flies

So cliche' I know. But, literally the past five months have passed in the blink of an eye. Look at our big girl!

This past Saturday Makenna turned five months old. It was a very special day for our family because it was baby dedication day at our church. Brandon, Kaleigh and I accompanied Makenna on stage as we made a commitment to raise her in a loving Christian home. Makenna was all smiles the whole time despite the fact that the celebration time was right in the middle of her usual naptime. I must say, I think our family looked pretty sweet together on that day!

So much has happened in the past five months. We're just continually amazed by what Makenna is bringing to our life. She is quite the pleasant baby, always smiling. She has proven herself a determined little girl and has accomplished so much. She is right on track with her milestones and is learning new things every day. I wanted to share some pictures of her most precious moments.....ENJOY. We love you Makenna!

Napping with Daddy.  Don't hate us, but overall, Makenna has been a great sleeper from the start. She would consistently sleep for 8-9hrs as early as 7weeks old. We took some advise from Babywise but were not crazy strict about it either. Now, we did have some setbacks along the way, but nothing worth complaining about. What can we say--she gets it from mommy and daddy. Makenna now goes to bed at around 8-8:30 and wakes between 6:30-7:30. Morning time is definitely her happiest of the day. She is full of coos and smiles for us. What a sweet little thing to wake up to; and yes, she is still sleeping in our room. What can we say--her co-sleeper just seems the best place for her right now. We tried one night in her room. Makenna did fine, but mommy and daddy did not. We'll try again at six months :)

As you can see, Makenna was thrilled to death over the fabulous things Santa brought her! Her sweet big sister did take the time to show her every item though.

Makenna's first encounter with a spoon occurred on March 8th, 20011 at 14weeks old. We introduced her to rice cereal mixed with breast milk. She was very interested in the spoon, just not so great with getting the food to stay in her mouth. We took a break for a while and started back up in April. She now (at a little over 5months) has had 2 1/2 weeks of solids. She's tried, and LIKED, squash then sweet potatoes and now bananas. I've been making her baby food by pureeing mawmaw's canned vegetables and fresh fruits. We were originally worried that Mak might have some difficulty with mastering the spoon b/c of her occasional tongue thrust--but she has proved us wrong. Way to go Makenna!

Makenna is so blessed to have such a wonderful big "sissy." Kaleigh has been nothing but delighted to have Makenna added to our family. Kaleigh loves talking (in her cute baby-talk voice) to her sister, holding her, playing with her and reminding Makenna of all the things they will one day do together. Just yesterday, Makenna was taking a ride in her stroller while Kaleigh cruised in her Barbie jeep. Kaleigh rolled up and said, "Makenna soon you will be riding with me, and you'll want to drive won't you!"

Makenna is fascinated by watching Kaleigh's every move and definitely knows her sister's voice.

We took our first family vacation since Makenna's arrival in late April. We went to Myrtle Beach and stayed at Mimi and Papa's house for a few days before Easter. Makenna got to see the beach, stick her toes in the sand and even took a dip in the pool. She just loved it all, as did we!