Moore Fun

I'm not sure why Megan loves putting stuff on her face, but she does. This time she drew on her face with an ink pen while she and Makena were making "lists." Of course I had to take her picture before we washed her face. This was much easier to handle than the white-out.Makena had her 2nd haircut this week. It was really just a trim. You can barely tell she had anything taken off at all. We'll probably wait to get the next haircut until right before kindergarten. :)Megan asked to have her haircut, too. I told her I would let Ms. Amber brush her hair if she liked. "No thanks," she said.
Look how long her hair is now!

Since Makena is 4 years old now, she can have her very own library card. She was very excited to check out books herself. She chose quite a few princess books. We have an abundance of children's books at our house but it's always fun to go to the library and look for ones we haven't read. I hope Makena continues to love reading as much as she does now.

New Lows

I got an update from my OB and Hematologist yesterday. The hematologist called to tell me that my iron and protein levels were also low. She wants me to increase my protein intake and start taking an iron supplement. They called me at a crazy time so I failed to ask what the levels were. I'm hoping this is just a reflection of my diet. The OB called later in the day to tell me what my most recent platelet count was. It has now dropped to 72k (it was 80k last week.) The levels are being communicated back to the hematologist. And the hematologist isn't going to consider treating me until my platelet count drops to around 50k. I still have to go for weekly blood draws until further notice.

Preschool Party

Makena provided the snack for her preschool class today. They usually let the kids do this when it's close to their birthday. Makena wanted to take Krispy Kreme doughnuts with sprinkles and milk. One of the other kids had brought doughnuts on their birthday and that's where she got the idea. She really enjoyed celebrating with her preschool friends. They sang happy birthday to her and she got to be the line leader. They take turns being the line leader and door holder and I've found that these are very coveted positions. Makena sitting with Beck, Erin and Dew. Beck was showing off his new shoes.

Peter, Avery, Caleb and Dixon

Emmett, Jack, Sasha and Rebecca

Derek, Sonia and Salma

Makena and Avery

Makena and Erin

There were a few kids yelling, "Take my picture! Take my picture!" Here are two of those kids.

Dixon and Caleb

They invited me to music class. I had so much fun tagging along and watching the kids. Makena always talks about the Music and Kid Fit teacher, Mrs. Willis.

The wheels on the bus go round and round...

Jack, Beck and Rebecca playing the drums.

Sonia, Makena and Derek

Happy Birthday Makena!!

Our big girl, Makena, turned 4 today! And despite all of the fun we had at her birthday party on Saturday we had to celebrate a little more today. We started off the day by going to Toys R Us. Aunt Carol had sent Makena a gift card to buy a car for her Barbies. She and Megan each got a pink Barbie convertible. You can't take 2 kids to the toy store and only let one of them get a toy! We also went to the park and had a picnic with some of our friends. I took my camera but failed to take any pictures. Here are a few pictures of our sweet girl over the past 4 years:

January 19, 2006

I couldn't resist posting a couple more baby pics. She was an adorable baby. I love her expressions!

The birth announcement picture

First Birthday PartyJanuary 19, 2008: A two year old Makena with her brand new sister, Megan.

Princess Makena at 3 years old And here are a few pictures from today. I let Makena help make her own birthday cake. (What do you think of our new countertops?) Tasting the frosting...
Makena wanted to go to Mi Pueblo for her birthday dinner. (She picked Mi Pueblo last year, too!)

Megan was the only one wearing a party hat.

After dinner, we came home to put together Makena's big present from us, a baby doll care center.

Megan helped her Daddy put it together.

This is Makena and her favorite baby doll, Benny.

Polkadots are Great, Just not on your Face

Saturday night I had my first visible sign that my platelets are low. I hadn't had a problem with nausea or vomiting in weeks. And I didn't feel that bad Saturday night. But as soon as I stepped out of the shower it hit me and I threw up. This is my 3rd pregnancy, so I have had a lot of morning sickness. But this time was different. My whole face hurt while I was throwing up. It was really weird. I looked in the mirror and saw petechiae (or little red spots) all over my face. It's not a very attractive look. I took a picture of myself last night which was a full 24 hours after the event. So the petechiae aren't as pronounced as they were Saturday night and Sunday morning. I closed my eyes because I wanted to show the extra spots I got around them. I took the picture after I showered. So my hair is wet, I have on no make-up and I look as bad as I could possibly look (especially with the new polkadots.) The petechiae may be hard to see until you click on the picture. My face usually isn't this splotchy. All of the spots you see are petechiae. They kind of look like little red freckles.

Our New Bathroom & More

We went to check on our lot and discovered it had finally gotten warm enough for them to pour the concrete. Hooray! It was dark when we went out there so the pics aren't terrific.

And we have a new addition to our lot....a bathroom! :)

And just to add a little cuteness, here is a pic of the smallest Hannah Montana fan ever.

Makena's 4th Birthday Party

Makena will turn 4 on January 19th. She is growing up so fast! Makena has been thinking about her 4th birthday party since her she had her 3rd birthday party. (It's easy to start planning early when you don't have a sense of how long a year really is.) For her 4th birthday, she wanted a party at Cash Lovell Stables. (Most of the party venues have websites I was able to show her and that helped her choose.) Cash Lovell has a climate controlled riding area. All of the kids got to ride a horse (at least once), make a horse craft and have their faces painted. Makena and Megan got a little extra time in the saddle. After all of the horsey fun, everyone went into the lounge for birthday cake. We asked our party guests to bring items for a local charity instead of birthday gifts. We chose Samaritan Ministries of Winston Salem. They are home to Winston-Salem's only soup kitchen, a 69 bed homeless shelter for men and also offer a substance abuse recovery center for men. We were able to collect approximately $200 worth of gift cards and checks as well as many items off of their wish list. We had a huge box that was overflowing with donations. I am always impressed with the generosity of our friends and family. Phil, Makena and Megan took everything to Samaritan Ministries today. They were very appreciative and impressed by our large donation.

Here are some fun pics from Makena's party:

The kids listened to a safety talk.
(Most of the kids) waited very patiently for their turn.

Megan was very excited!

Such a big girl!

The birthday girl got extra time in the saddle.

Makena and Megan worked hard on their horsey craft.

Kaley

The adults thought the face painting was mediocre. The kids thought it was fantastic.

Adam

Wyatt

Weston

Owen

Big smiles from the birthday girl!

Makena going down the "horsey slide."

Before the party, Megan told us she wanted to ride a green horse. There were no green horses but I don't think she was disappointed.

Makena picked the picture for her birthday cake out of one of her books. It's Cinderella and her horse with Prince Charming. Everyone loved the cake. Mrs. Pumpkin's came through again!

Beck enjoyed his first taste of cotton candy!

Yee-Haw, Daddy!

Afterward, Makena told us it was the best birthday party ever. Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!!