May Happenins

May has come and gone.  We've had a busy month with fun in the sun, a trip to the zoo, birthdays, Mother's day, and we just got back from the OuterBanks.  Pheww, what a month!


With some HOT days early in the month, we finally were able to put together Kenzie's water table that her Aunt Megan got her for her 1st birthday.  She LOVED this thing.  She'd laugh and laugh when the water would splash and I'd say "Burrrrrr."  Of course it didn't take long for 90lb Fausto to try to lay in/on the table to cool down.  Turns out to be a great toy for Kenz, and a great big water dish for the pups!  

We also headed out to the country so I could take pictures of my college roommate's 6 month old baby Colton.  Lucky for Kenzie, she also got to meet some horses as well as other farm animals when we headed out to a festival in a cornfield...yes a cornfield. 

We also spent the afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa Burch.  Kenzie helped her grandma with some baking, just like her daddy did when he was little.  We also took a nice walk to the playground while Don was at baseball practice.    

We also got memberships to the Buffalo Zoo this year.  Kenzie really loves animals which she so shyly shows by pointing and shrieking and loud as possible.  So we were pretty excited to take our first trip to the zoo Mother's Day weekend.    

Checking out the gorillas

 and the fish

Stay tunned for our trip to the Nags Head, NC! 

Chop Chop

Holy Cannoli!  I have so much to blog about but no time to do it.  So quickly before I have to dash off to work on this hot and humid day, I will share one of the exciting events happening with the Burchs.


It was another 1st for Kenzie, and in my personal opinion...an overdue one!  Don was hesitant about cutting her hair.  Secretly I think it was because he equated hair cutting to getting bangs, and God knows I rocked bangs a good portion of my life.  Once I assured him, it was just to even it up, and there would be no bangs, he agreed to let my sister/hairdresser/extraordinaire get to work.


Kenzie has had lots of dark brown hair from Day 1.  In fact we knew she had hair when our ultrasound tech told showed how long it was on the ultrasound done 2 days before she was born.  I remember those early weeks of random strangers so excitedly ooing and awwing over all of her hair, only to follow it up with..."oh she'll probably lose it."  "It'll fall out, my daughter's, best friend's, step-niece's baby's hair was just like that, ...and it fell out."  Oh how nice for you.  

This girl has more hair than toddlers twice her age.  And boy is it blonde.  It has consistently changed over the past 15 months to become more and more blonde...just like her Daddy's.  He had a full head of blonde locks, well past 4, so I imagine hers will be similar. 

So far now we have this blonde slightly curly especially when wet or humid hair, blue eyed baby and she is my beauty!

 Enjoying a little snack.

The finished product -- She is ready for her close up!

15 Month Check-up

Well better late then never I suppose... So back a few weeks Kenz had her 15 month appointment.  I don't know why I felt more anxiety about this one, and those blessed shots....but I was nervous!  Enough to be sick to me stomach the night before.  But we toughed it out as usual, and she wasn't kicking and screaming like I imagine she will be at some point in her life.  

So what is she up to these days?  Here are her stats:

Length: 33in, 97th percentile, she's back on the chart folks!

Weight: 22lbs 13oz, 43th percentile

 = tall and skinny baby!

Movin' & Groovin: Kenz is fully toddling around these days.  She started walking probably 2 months ago and decided she was going to take some time off from that after taking a couple of nasty face-plants.  But probably a month ago she decided she was ready to turn heads and really perfected her adorable wobble.  

Teeth:  At her appointment she had a solid 6 pearly whites.  2 front top, 3 bottom front, and 1 molar? in the back.  Over the past few days I noticed 3 new guys popping up to say hi, including another molar.    

Smartest baby on the block:  Oh the sign language has taken off, and it's really the cutest thing ever.  I"m so glad researched the concept and dove right in with it.  I think it has really payed off when it comes to her communicating as best as possible.  Since her 1 year update she has added; all done, banana, drink, cereal, bird, fish, signing, yogurt, bath, please, cracker, up, and down. 

What is she saying? Mom (and Don even taught her how to yell Mom...just precious when you can hear her across the grocery story yelling Mommmmm) , Da-da, cheese, doggie, na-na (banana), see ya, hiiiiii.  She really repeats a lot of things we say to her, including when Don asks her where she wants to go to college.... Hav-ad!  I guess we better start adding a little more to her college savings fund!

Favorite things:  This girl loves basketball.  LOVES it.  She recognizes it when its on TV, even from the other room.  She loves to watch baseball with daddy and claps when the people on TV do.  She loves being outside, although the swing is not a favorite, but she loves the slide. She also has developed a new found love for bags.  And the bigger and more awkward the better.  Her favorites include reusable shopping bags.   

Temperament:  Well as I knew it would, Kenz has a little bit off a wild side to her.  She throws fits, she throws her self onto the floor, and throws food.  This could be because of those 3 new teeth coming in all at once, but I'm guess she is just getting older and frustrated with her lack of a real voice.  But we are handling it, and hoping she will grow out of this sooner than later and hoping these sass attacks will be few and far between!

Little foodie?  She is still eating pretty good although not as much now that she insits on feeding herself with a fork and spoon.  Very little actually makes it into her mouth, but those said fits may occur if we don't allow her to be Ms. Independent.  

So after her Dr. appointment we decided to combine 2 of her favorite things...clapping fans at the local softball fields and the playground!

Pancakes and Parades

A few weekends ago we took Kenzie back to my hometown for the pinnacle of Springtime festiveness...The WNY Maple Festival.  This was that festival that every kid in town (me included) saved their pennies for to stuff their faces with fudge, sandart in their pockets, and cover their melons with paintings of unicorns and rainbows.
Sadly the Maple Fest isn't as whimsical as I once remember.  But to show some hometime pride, we took the drive down Saturday, to take in the sights and sounds of the fest!


We took full advantage of the All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast.  This baby girl was still considered free (or maybe she wasn't and that everyone remembers you, small hometown perks kicked in), but she still got her "money's worth."

Up next....We hit the parade route to get a nice peek of the horses and fire trucks...and thats about it.  After getting pelted with candy from those darling Boy Scouts we decided she was safer in Daddy's arms.  She did okay until those ever obnoxious fire trucks sounded their sirens and blasted their horns. But luckily the caboose of the parade...the horses, cheered her up!

Until next time Maple Fest....stay cool!

Project 52{18}

52{18}

Motherhood is:

giving in

"Kenzie no."  "Kenz get down." "Kenzie come on." "Kenz, No No." "Mackenzie, you'll get hurt." "Kenzie, you're not listening."  

Sometimes she picks up on things SO FAST!   She'll sign words like ball and drink with only seeing me do them once or twice.  She'll say words like pizza ("zee, za") and banana ("na na") after hearing me repeat them only a few times.  But the word NO goes in one ear and out the other.  Perhaps her selective listening is already starting.    

Project 52{17}

52{17} 

Motherhood is 

fleeting

It can sometimes be exhausting.  Sometimes frustrating. Sometimes emotional.  Sometimes a handful.  
But I can't believe she is over 15 months old, and I know in no time she'll be off to her first day off school, and her first prom, and college.  So for now I'm embracing her growing personality, her laughter, and my favorite....open mouth spitty kisses.  
I can't tell you the last time she fell asleep on either of us.  But on one day when I was trying to stall her nap, so she could sleep during my conference call, I realized she was becoming still.  As much as I needed her to be awake, I let her lay there.  We laid there snuggling together for a too short 20 minutes.  There is something about her when she is sleeping.  Whether its in her crib or on me, I just want to be with her.