Fun weekend!

This past weekend, my mom, grandparents, and a family friend all came to visit! Anna Claire had a blast entertaining everyone!
Here she is playing "peek-a-boo" with us in the car!
Here she is with Granny -
Pa, Ma-Maw, and Anna Claire have a delicious Sunday lunch -
Our family friend, Herb, was able to make the trip as well!

Anna Claire's new trick

While I was getting ready the other day, Anna Claire discovered a new trick. I was finally able to catch it on video. Enjoy!

We're Homeless!

Ok, we do have a roof over our heads, but as off yesterday, we don't own a home! We officially closed on our house in Katy! Yippee! Now we are in the process of finding the perfect house here!
We didn't realize that the couple purchasing our Katy home would be at closing, so it was a little strange sitting across the table from this couple that would be occupying the place that was our first home to purchase, the home we brought Anna Claire from the hospital. That home is sentimental, and we pray this couple will enjoy living there.
There was a hang up in closing, and it lasted much longer than we expected! Anna Claire started getting rather restless, so our super realtor, Randy, put her in the stroller and walked her up and down the sidewalk. She finally fell asleep, but refused to lay back, so she just rested her head on the snack tray of her stroller. Such a silly girl!

Playing in the grass - a new discovery

I sat Anna Claire in the grass today b/c I realized she's never sat in the grass before and I was curious how she would respond. No shock here, she tried to eat the grass! Lovely.

Don't you love technology?

I found this fun website on another person's blog! The possibilites are endless! (Click on the picture to read the text).

A video??

I think I've finally figured out how to add video to our blog! This particular video was taken a couple of weeks ago when Anna Claire learned how to wave!

Like Mother, Like Daughter?

He's Been Faithful...

Carol Cymbala of The Brooklyn Tabernacle has a book with the same title as this blog entry. If you have a chance to read it, do just that. It will bless your socks off, and it will remind you to look for the little places (and big places) in your life where the Lord is faithful.

He's Been Faithful....

1. We found a Christian childcare facility that is just perfect for Anna Claire! After calling nearly 30 places and visiting other facilities, we were discouraged. Every place had a waiting list and the places that had openings...well, there's a reason they had openings, if you know what I mean. On Tuesday night, we had all but come to the decision that I would resign from my job to stay home and care for AC. Wednesday morning at 7:30am, the phone rang. The owner of Alphabet Soup called to let me know they had an opening if AC was crawling! Beautiful! So we quickly got ready and headed over to check things out. This place was bright, friendly, and inviting! Anna Claire was fascinated by all the kids and toys. Brad and I had such a peace about this place, and we are excited for this opportunity. Thank you, Lord.

2. We have a contract on our house in Katy! The inspector went to the house at the beginning of the week, and the report was a bit disappointing. Termites - yes. Issue with the hot water heater - yes. Problem with the A/C - yes. Our super realtor met the termite man, the plumber, and the a/c repair man at the house. The result: Termites - minimal damage; hot water heater - no damage, checked out fine; A/C - a braker needs to be replaced - minimal charge. The couple has 'til Friday night at midnight to back out, and if all goes as planned, we will close on our home next Thursday.

HE'S BEEN FAITHFUL!

And finally - Anna Claire can now drink from a straw - fun times!

Another Broken Egg, A Gecko, and A 3-year waiting list...

This morning, our dear friends Jim and Pinky stopped by as they were passing through Baton Rouge! This is the lovely couple who kept Anna Claire this past spring in Houston! We went to a delicious place for brunch called Another Broken Egg - love the name, and I really love their food! I don't even like eggs, but they have a wide variety of breakfast treats! If you come visit, we'll take you there.
This afternoon, I was calling child care facilities like a mad woman! It's July 16th, and I have to find a place for Anna Claire to go when I go back to school in early August. Yes, I know, not much time! I've been looking for a while and most places are booked, and some will gladly put your name on a waiting list for $100...lovely. I called one place (which shall remain nameless), and they said they were booked for the fall (no shock there), but they would gladly put my name on their waiting list for no cost. Great! They asked how old my child is, and I responded with 8 1/2 months. Then, this kind lady informed me that the waiting list for that age group is 3 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you kidding me??? Apparently, they have on their waiting list Baby McKenzie, Baby Insert Last Name Here, etc. That is stinkin' ridiculous! So, if you are considering having a child in three years and you might move to Baton Rouge - call me and I'll give you the name of this place so you can put your child's name on their waiting list!
And then tonight, I was taking Anna Claire in to the bathroom for her nightly bath only to be greeted by a baby gecko - YUCK! If you know me, you know just how much I loathe these gross little creatures. So, Anna Claire got a sponge bath in the sink, and the gecko disappeared before Brad could rush in and destroy the little sucker....now I'm left hopping around the bathroom in fearful anticipation of it's return.
Enough writing - here are some pictures :)

To play in Mommy's flowers or to destroy her magazine? Such decisions!

Playing in the flowers wins!

A ceiling fan can keep a child fascinated for an entire meal!
Anna Claire will talk for hours to her "friend" and even tries to give her toys to play with!

Where's the Beef?

So, there's a fun restaurant in town called Cheeburger Cheeburger! They have a challenge that Brad couldn't refuse....Eat a 1 lb. burger and get your picture taken with a huge hamburger! Your picture then goes on the "wall of fame"! Brad came home today and said, "I'm ready for the challenge!"....Off we went to Cheeburger Cheeburger!
Before the burger:

And after the burger:

Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!

Today, we took Anna Claire to the portrait studio! She did great, and I've put a few of the pictures below! Enjoy! The christening dress she is wearing belonged to her great-grandmother, Me-Ma Carlton. Her Ma-Maw Etier took time to clean it and touch it up to make it picture ready! (PS -Mom, you can press the "stop" button at the top of the pictures and then press the right arrow to go at your own speed)

1946 Kentwood Lane

And so it is, the place my family called home for 27 years now belongs to a new family. I must admit, the selling of my parents' home saddened me more than I expected. We all know it's not the physical walls of a house that make it a home, but this house holds so many wonderful memories. This is the place where my dad and I walked out the front door to a Dallas Cowboys game, only to be called back in by my very pregnant mom letting us know it was time to go to the hospital and Elizabeth was born! It's the kitchen where 900,000 cupcakes and brownies were made for any and all occasions! It was the pool where my dad and I had a few "pool talks" regarding behavior, and that same pool where I decided that Baby Stickups (my favorite cloth doll) needed to learn how to swim! It's the mailbox where my acceptance letter to A&M arrived! It's where we woke up every Christmas morning for so many years! I could go on, but I'll stop there. To the new owners of this house, make us proud and take good care of this place we called home.

What's in the tub?

Anna Claire is trying to enlist the help of her dear pal, Sophie, to get her toy out of the tub!

This past weekend, Brad officiated a wedding at our church.

Here's a picture of Brad and I with our friends, Heidi and Rick, at the rehearsal dinner.

Then, after the wedding, the couple handed out leis to wear to the reception. Anna Claire thought this was fun!

And here is Anna Claire entertaining our table at the reception! If only we knew what she was trying to say!

Life can go on....

I'm happy to report we have a new travel bottle!!! Life is good!

Shopping at the Disney Store

All dressed up and ready to go shopping! There was a sale at the Disney Store - love it!

Happy 4th of July

We had a fun-filled day! We started the day off with a cookout at our house, and several people from church came! The rain held off until after we finished eating, so we didn't have to figure out a way to fit everyone inside our humble abode! Then, tonight, we went to the state capitol to watch a fireworks show off the Mississippi River! The weather was perfect, and Anna Claire LOVED the fireworks!
We hope you all had a very happy and safe 4th of July!
Enjoy the slideshow!

A Moment of Silence

Please observe a moment of silence for the death of our beloved travel bottle! It was accidentally left in the car, and well.....the summer heat and baby formula don't exactly mix. So, off to Babies 'R Us in hopes they carry it b/c the McKenzie family cannot survive without the infamous travel bottle!

Weekend Update

The McKenzie family had a great weekend- busy, but fun! We had a terrible storm on Saturday afternoon, and lost power for a while, but it's all good! We headed to the mall! Then, today (Sunday), the District Superintendant was here for Brad's installation service as the senior pastor of this church. I've never been a part of this type of service, and I must say it was very meaningful and moving (you will notice my eyes are a little puffy in the family picture below!)
I've also posted a picture of the various "symbols" given to Brad during the service.
Anna Claire is all over the place - very mobile and wanting nothing more than to take that first step! She pulls up on anything and everything and crawls everywhere! The dogs aren't so sure about her new mobility, but they'll adjust!