Home Sweet Home and Gustav....

Yesterday, we closed on our new home! Fabulous. We knew another home was out there after the last deal fell through, but we didn't expect to find it so quickly.
We went over there last night so I could take a few pictures. It was too dark to take exterior photos, so all I have right now are interior. I will post more later.
Any curtains or wall decorations that you see were left by the previous home owners.
The living room:

Dining Room:
Kitchen:

Utility Room:
Guest Bath:
Master Bedrom:
The back porch and swing:


And now for a hurricane update....We are monitoring the storm like the rest of southern Louisiana. At this point, the storm is supposed to make landfall around Tuesday morning. We have all our supplies and we will be picking up a generator when we are in Dallas for NazNite. So, now we wait for the 'cone of uncertainty" to make itself certain and like our governor just said in a press conference...pray for the best, prepare for the worst. Our friend, Chris, the Wal-Mart manager from across the street came by today to see if he could borrow our shower facilities at the church b/c he will be camping out at the store until the storm passes. He said that yesterday they had 3 days worth of sales in just one day. More to come....

Toast, Self-Portrait, and The Duck's Last Day....

Anna Claire has been under the weather since Friday afternoon, so she's been on a rather bland diet for the weekend. Lately, she has been asking for "two" of everything. It's her new favorite number. Today, Brad made her two pieces of toast and she was delighted. Who knew toast could be so fun?
Last night while watching the Olympics, Brad drew a self-portrait of himself on AC's mini MagnaDoodle. Today, when AC saw the picture, she said, "Daddy!". I guess it must really look like him.
And today is Duck Day 10...the last day. I guess this is "full-size"...who really knows? Anyway...here's a picture from the first day and one from today.

Must....Have....Grapes....

Anna Claire discovered a new trick this week. She has figured out how to open the refrigerator, pull open the bottom "produce drawer", and get a grape out. Nice. I finally caught her in the act this afternoon! She is very proud of her accomplishment.



And...Duck Day 8:

Duck Update

Well, I guess I didn't realize just how popular the duck updates were until I heard from 3 different people today about the missing duck day 5 photo. ha. So, here are days 5 and 6. Apparently, after the thing reaches full size and you take it out of the water, it will begin to shrink. Fear not, though, you can put it back in water and it will grow again. I think one time is enough.
Day 5:
Day 6:

Singing in the Rain

Google

According to the sitemeter, someone in Canada found our blog by going to Google and typing in "'Monkey See, Monkey Do' by Anna Claire Designs"....funny.

My "Helper"....and Duck Day 4

Tonight, before I put AC to bed, I took her dresser drawers in the living room to sort through them because I can't do it while she's awake....and here's why: (thanks to help from her Daddy!)

And here's Duck Day 4 (FYI: 6 more days until it reaches full size...whatever that means):

Just Look at His Smile....

Last week, Brad had the opportunity to attend a pastoral luncheon at the governor's mansion! Brad was excited to meet Governor Jindal and be a part of this opportunity.

Yes, I Know It's Only August....

....BUT...I was on Pottery Barn Kids website and noticed they already had their Halloween costumes posted, so I decided to give them a look. There are some cute ones this year, but these caught my eye....not because they're super cute, but because of the price. Can someone explain to me why a person would spend $119. on one of these costumes??? Seriously.

Keepin' It Real....

This morning, Anna Claire wore a little dress that my mom had bought her a while back and it just now fits. It was so cute on her, and all I wanted was one picture of her wearing the dress. Apparently that was asking to much of our little darling...and here are the results:


And what post would be complete without a duck update....here is day 3:

Duck Day 2

This and That....

Today was a rare day in the McKenzie household....we had nothing planned! Woohoo. We were able to just play around the house and relax. And here's what happened....
I was getting some things ready to take over to the church nursery, and Anna Claire was pretty sure this Bumbo-like chair was just her size.
And then, I made some ice cream sandwiches using cute little western-themed ice cream sandwich makers from Williams-Sonoma that we found on clearance for $2.99 - love it.
Tonight, the next Michael Phelps showed up in our living room. Here's Brad showing us what he would look like if he was warming up to swim in the Olympics!

D is for Ducks and Dogs

Ducks:
We bought a little duck that will grow in water. Apparently, it takes 10 days to grow. Anna Claire is fascinated by it, and she has gone to the kitchen no less than 100 times already to check on it.
Dogs:
Anna Claire and Sophie have always been best buds. Today, when Sophie came in from outside, she pushed the boundries of their friendship....she sat in THE chair! Anna Claire doesn't share her chair well, but she made an exception for Sophie.

Sweet Dreams

Anna Claire has started asking for a pillow and blanket at bed time. I think it's because they use these items at school for nap time. She always has to have her 3 animals (the dog, the duck, and the monkey) and her "lovey" (sp?). Thanks to Bernadette for making the cute pillow and to Anita for making the cute blanket. She loves them.

Did It Have Hair?

I'm sure this won't be the only post I devote to the funny conversations heard around our house these days now that Kerstin is here with us. I must say she does very well when it comes to speaking English, and we've been impressed with all she has been able to comprehend. All this to say....we have some rather funny conversations when trying to get on the "same page". Case in point.....Tonight, she was walking back to her room, but when she got to her door, she stopped, turned around and quickly came back in the living room. Here's the conversation between Brad (B) and Kerstin (K):
K: I just saw an animal!
B: An animal? What did it look like?
K: It was about this big (picture her using her hands to show about 3 inches long).
Now, they go to inspect the scene.
K: I think it went into the wall. It had 4 legs.
B: Was it furry?
K: (confused look on her face) What is that?
B: Did it have hair?
K: (looking a bit confused) No.
B: Was it a lizard?
K: I don't know what that is.
B: A geko?
K: Oh yes! That was it.
B: Good. I'm just glad it wasn't a mouse.
K: A mouse? I know that animal. If it was a mouse, I would have said that.

First Day of School

Today, Anna Claire went to her new class with new teachers and friends. She's in the two year old class, but she won't be two until October. Anyway, as Brad said, "the kitchen sealed the deal." Anna Claire LOVES any and all play kitchens. Her new classroom has one, and she walked in and immediately starting "cooking". She had a great day at school! Here are a couple of silly pictures from this morning. My intent was not to get a silly picture, but that's what I get these days from our little darling. In the first picture, her shorts look like I have them pulled up to her ears, and in the second picture, she is refusing to look at me all the while having her hands in her pockets (probably seeing if she has any rocks hiding out in there)!

Kids Today....

The youth group at our church hosted a back to school bash last night with "decades" as the theme. Here's a sampling......
Anna Claire spent her time at the party playing in the gym, but paused long enough for a picture with her mama.

Meet The Teacher

This morning, Anna Claire's "school" hosted "Meet the Teacher". Anna Claire is in a new classroom with new teachers. She went right in and started playing with all the toys. Her little school continues to be such a blessing, and she just loves going each day!
Here is a picture from last year's "Meet the Teacher":
And here's a picture from this morning:

Wah-Wah and Dora...Life is Good!

We went to the mall tonight to do a little shopping, and of course, we had to stop by the fountain for AC to toss in some pennies - a favorite hobby of hers. She got a new Dora necklace and matching bracelet tonight, so between the wah-wah and the jewelry, she was a happy shopper!

Elmo

We took Kerstin shopping tonight for school supplies, and Anna Claire was such a good sport. While we were in the dollar store, Kerstin picked up this little Elmo washcloth for AC. It is the kind that comes wrapped in a super small package and when you put it in water, it expands. AC had never seen anything like this, so she was impressed.
On a sidenote, Kerstin survived her first day of high school in the US. She was a bit overwhelmed, but she is ready to go back tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!

Say A Little Prayer....

Today is Kerstin's first day of school! I'll post pictures later tonight. Anna Claire doesn't start school until Monday, so she is going to miss having Kerstin playing with her today and tomorrow!

Read Carefully

As is obvious, I changed the background on our blog. I found the cute page on a site called "The Cutest Blog on the Block", and you can see they have a little advertisement in the top left-hand corner of our blog. You can click on the box and be taken directly to their website, or you can type in their web address yourself....but be warned....the complete address is www.thecutestblogontheblock.com. Thank you, Jodie, for pointing this out! :)

So You Think You Can Dance....

Let's Learn a Little German

Kerstin brought Anna Claire a cute little gift set with a book and picture cards of American and German words.