Happy 18 months!

Mackenzie Leigh is 18 months old today.  She has her 18 month check-up next Wednesday, and we are getting our family pictures taken on Saturday....so I'll do a big update next week.  Until then look at this lady a year ago today!! 

Whatcha up to?

Just like everyone's summer, things have been hectic for the Burchs.  I'm hoping come August, things will slow down and we will be able to enjoy the summer before fall. 
So until then, I found some time to share what we've been up to the past few weeks.


Kenzie is starting to play get into things a lot more.  Her favorite things include anything that includes sports although she thinks everything is "bees-ball."    

Since we are Buffalo zoo members, we've been able to take a few trips there.  It's a fun way to spend a few hours, although it is a little difficult for her to see everything. 

We spend most of our weekends exploring new baseball fields and playgrounds across Western New York and Northeast Pennsylvania!

 Playing in the water with Pa-Pa, and watching Daddy pitch with Grandma

 And look who it is!  It's the boys, Fausto and Grady.

 And we also explored our artistic side with these super fun paints made from fruits and vegetables.  When I bought them I thought, these are genius since I figured she'd be eating more than painting.  Once she started painting...I realized I could've saved a ton of money and just used baby food!

 4th of July was spent with food, friends, and fireworks.  Surprisingly Kenzie loved the fireworks.  Kenzie got to play with her BFF Quinn.  

 We also went on a impromptu trip to and Indian's game.  It was about 95 degrees at game time!  

Our little baby turns 18 months tomorrow.  So excited to see what she has in store for us!

Project 52{25}

Motherhood is:

blurry

I feel like all we are doing this summer is running.running.running.  We have baseball, and weddings, and showers, and some late work nights.  And we also just added Kenzie's Rollie Pollies class which is basically a gym class, filled with songs and circuits of gymnastic activities.  And she LOVES it!  I'm so proud of how independent she is at class, and how willing she is to try things, even though she is the smallest in her class.  And maybe its because of all this excelling I'm seeing, but I've also researched swim lessons and dance lessons.  I couldn't help but think....am I already turning into one of those mothers that needs 7 calendars to keep track of everyone's schedules.  And we only have 1. Are we crazy to be doing this already?  Mackenzie isn't even 18 months yet.  Am I setting us up for running for the next 18 years?  I'm torn, because I love watching her explore and learn new things she can do, but I don't want to miss out because of busy schedules.  But I'm hoping this is all helping her grow (and her daddy hopes setting the foundation for an amazing athlete).

Fruitastic

Oh fruit.  I love them, but Kenzie is a little quirky when it comes to her fruit.  Some days she'll eat it by the fist full, sometimes she won't touch it.  We just continue to offer and offer and offer.  And one way we find that she'll eat it, is if she is control of it.  She doesn't want pieces of banana (or any fruit for that matter) on her highchair..she wants the whole thing!  And you should see this girl with her "nanas."  She can easily polish off one or 2..if we let her.  She also eats off of full apples and really only loves berries if she can eat them right out of the clamshell...which at times ends up being right off the floor!  
I hope someday her love for fruit will be more like the middle picture of her doing anything to get them, including scaling the oven to get to the cheesecake stuff strawberries!  

Outer Banks 2012

I did it again.  I was on such a role updating.  So lets not dwell on the past.....I'm back!
Things have been hectic so far this summer.  I've had stressful transitions with work.  I've also been busy with side jobs, volunteering, and writing.  The weekends and many week nights are filled with traveling all over WNY and PA watching Don play baseball.  Then there is Kenz.  She is busy....and sassy.  One minute she is reading quietly in her bedroom, the next she is throwing every single piece of clothing out of her dresser.  Then she is playing with one of her toys, to then look over and she has every toy she owns on the floor.
So after a long waited one and half months, lets get our trip to the Outer Banks up on the blog! Get ready for pictures!
This was our first long trip since our trip to Maine last summer.  But this time, we were driving the 12 hours with Kenz. So I was nervous. She rides well, but doesn't sleep well in the car.  In fact, I don't think the whole trip she slept more than 1.5 hours.  Now Kenz doesn't watching TV (besides her extreme love for sporting events).  But I knew we were going to have to pull out all the stops if we wanted to make it to Nags Head without wanting to cut off our hears.  So we packed a portable DVD player and set Kenzie up with Baby Signing Time.  Smooth sailing...
We planned a quick stop for lunch in Williamsport, NY.  This also proved to be a grand chance for Kenzie to see Don's favorite family vacation as a kid.

On the way down, we planned a pit stop to see our great friends Dave and Nikki.  They live just outside of DC, so it was a perfect halfway spot to stay the night.  We had a fun but too short visit.  We are so lucky to stay friends with this amazing couple after all of theses years and miles.  (And since I forgot to take any pictures, here is one from their wedding shower when Kenzie was a just a few months old.)

Once we got to our beach house it was all relaxing!  There was 9 of us this year, at our beachfront home in NagsHead. Since we were just steps from the beach, we spent a lot of time at the beach!  I was nervous she'd freak out with the sand, since she didn't love the grass in the spring.  She did eventually get use to it and really loved to play in it..  She did not feel the same about the cold Atlantic.  She also loved seeing the birds, dogs, and kites when we were out on the beach!

Our friends Susan and Justin filled up our first rainy/cold day with lunch at a brewery.  (again, I forgot to take pictures) This was a perfect afternoon of laughs since the coast was being hit by the first hurricane of the season!  We also enjoyed some shopping, dolphin walking, lots of family fun, and good eats!  Let the photos commence!

  The three of us also took a little side trip over to the Niagara Aquarium on Roanoke Island.

The pool was also something Kenzie had to get use to.  She's been in a pool a few times after this, and she warms up to it after a few minutes.  Hopefully in a few years, she'll be a little fish!

Morning beach walk..

We also took a trip to Jockey's Ridge State Park, which is the largest sand dune on the East Coast.  We also went here two years when I was almost 5 months pregnant with a little baby bump. You are surrounded by sand all around with views of both the ocean and the sound.  Although exhausting to climb even without a 22lb baby, the views from the top are really pretty!

And now we were back with a 16 month Mackenzie Leigh.

And back to the pool...

And back to the beach to watch Uncle Bob fly Goldie

And then I pulled out the camera for a family photoshoot!

The first year we went to the Outer banks Don and I went out to find the wild horses on the 4x4 beach.  This year we decided to take a tour since they guarantee we'd see them.
Kenzie couldn't really see the horses that were far away, and I don't think she loved the chilly wind/salt coming of the beach.  I'd do this every time since I think it is very surreal to see horses chomping on some sea oats, cruisin the beach.

And finally, a full family photoshoot with the whole Burch-Dickinson-Charboneau clan!  What a good looking bunch.

And everything came together perfectly when my best friend had her beautiful baby boy Enzo, while we on vacation.  Their house in Baltimore was a perfect spot for a little pit stop, pizza, and photo shoots with this handsome 5 day old baby! It makes me sad that I'm not going to watch this little guy grow! Perfect way to end a relaxing family vacation.