two, dos, duex

WHAT?! Mackenzie is TWO? When did that happen? As I sit back and think about the last year, I'm reminded of moments of wonder, moments of frustration, moments of pride and moments of love. Mackenzie has been such a blessing and is truly a wonderful little girl who makes every day worth living! So when it came time to celebrate her big day, we opened TONS of gifts and partied in style and fun. At one point during her party I heard screams coming from down the hall and found Mackenzie and her two best friends Reilly and Jameson jumping on her bed!

wedding-mania 2011 & mom's day

We kicked off wedding mania with a trip to So Cal to celebrate Jeremy and Jenna who got married on March 20th. Kenz got to stay and play with CeeCee and Poppa and Blake and I got to bunk with the soon-to-be Stephans and the Eckhardts. We, read Blake and the others, celebrated with LOTS of drinks all weekend long which brought a lot of hilarious moments to the weekend. Next stop was Seattle to celebrate with Mark and Sonja who were married on April 9th. We brought Tamu up from Portland to stay with Kenz while Blake and I had a stay-cation in the city! We had a great time karaoking and dancing with the now Horvaths, Miss Karissa and the Smiths! Final stop was in Vancouver Canada where we celebrated Gord and Christy's wedding on May 7th. Kenz stayed home with one of her favorite people Tonya while we braved the stormy weather... oh boy... and attempt to celebrate Mother's day in style. Unfortunately the florist and hotel could not pull it together prior to our departure back to Seattle to help Blake with his Mother's day surprises. And honestly, Kenz couldn't pull it together either and tantrumed all day. We had a bit of a re-due the following weekend, but all in all... looks like Mom's Day 2012 will be better than 2011... at least I hope it is!

BLUE!

We couldn't wait... the ultrasound appointment kept us anxious for weeks! Today was the day. It was a snow day at school so Kenz got to join us for the big news. We came in to the room and our 2 year old started acting like one... into everything, running around and well, not listening. So out she went with Blake to wait in the waiting room until we were done. The tech was nice enough to keep the news to herself while placing a card in an envelope so that we could find out together. As we left the office, we looked at each other and I handed the envelope to Blake. He opened it and saw little blue feet...a smile appeared on his face and read the card to me. It's a boy!! We couldn't be more thrilled to round out our family with a sweet little boy!!

generations live on

My grandparents cousins have been wonderful to our little family and I am so grateful for our relationship. They love and adore Mackenzie and soon our little boy. We all look forward to the times that our family gets to be together with our cousins. Mackenzie and Lila have a special bond as much as my grandma and I had. I'm thankful that Mackenzie gets this brief glimpse into that side of our family. On this day, Mackenzie was given Lila's precious lamb and doll collection to play with, and a special blanket. A blanket that my grandmother made, a blanket that Mackenzie now loves and plays with every day.

Bunnies and Eggs... oh my!

Easter traditions have started... and this Jewish girl LOVES it! Mackenzie woke up on Easter Sunday with a note from the bunny. A scavenger hunt began... off she went one place to another until she found the big basket!! In the afternoon we ventured over to the Castagno's for Easter dinner and the egg hunt with all the kids! Kenz had a wonderful time playing and hunting for eggs!

laidlaw 3.5

We did a family photo shoot to mark the end of the Laidlaw 3 to the beginning of Laidlaw 4. My friend Sarah was kind enough to shoot us at the famous Gasworks Park and she made quite the impression on Kenz. She now asks me to go to the park so she can play with Sarah who is "super fun". Thanks Sar!

single daddy week

Although Blake travels for work regularly, it's usually only during the week, not me. Typically when I travel it's over a weekend and now that it's time for the big housewares show in Chicago, Blake has found a week with just him and our princess. Below are a few pictures from my trip to Chicago where I got to see Rachael and Karissa (I promise I did work while I was there) and also the pictures that I received from Blake from his Daddy and Kenz time! I love them!