It's a .........Boy!!

Today McKenna found out that her new little cousin is going to be a boy! Katie and Josh had their sonogram today and found out that they were going to be having a little boy! They are going to name him Caleb Hinson and he is due to arrive on Jan. 21st! McKenna is so cute saying Baby Caleb. It is more like "Baby Ca-Lob." She loved looking at his picture and kept saying "more baby Caleb" and "another Caleb." (she was wanting to see more than just the two pictures I was showing her) She is going to be such a good big cousin! She is already saying "Love cousin Ca-Lob"

Here is one of Caleb's first pictures! It looks like he is going to be a thumb sucker too just like his big cousin!

Lake Tahoe and Sonoma!!

The week before last Todd and I were able to take a wonderful trip to Lake Tahoe and Sonoma! With thanks to my parents for giving us the airmiles for the plane tickets and for Todd having hotel points left over from when he used to travel we were able to take this much needed vacation! We also couldn't have done it without my parents and Katie and Josh too who kept McKenna for us while we were away. Even though I really needed a vacation it was so hard for me to leave McKenna. This was the longest I had ever been away from her. I knew she was in the best of hands though and I knew that she was having such a fun time being spoiled to death! (which she definitely had a great time and was very spoiled!!)

Lake Tahoe was beautiful! The weather was so nice too. We felt so bad for everyone back in Dallas with 100 degree weather when we had 80 degree weather in Tahoe. We did so many fun things. We did some hiking, boating, lots of walking, and a horse back ride through the mountains. The ride was great but I had the slowest horse ever. I was also the very last one so at times I felt like I was on my own little ride because the others would turn a corner and there was Lucy (the horse) and I just poking along. I just kept praying that a bear wouldn't come or something like that! One day we also drove out to Reno and spent a day there. It isn't Vegas but it is definitely fun! After spending 4 days in Tahoe we drove to Sonoma and spent the last two days there. It was beautiful and we were there at a perfect time. The grapes were all still on the vines and on one of the tours they let us taste the grapes and said that they would be picking them in about 3 days.

Even though we had a great time I was ready to get back to my little girl! The plane ride home was very long because I was so excited to see her! She came to pick us up at the airport and we both had the biggest smiles on our faces to see each other. (and those of you that know I cry at everything know that I had some "happy tears" too) Hopefully we will get to go back to Tahoe someday and next time we say that we will take McKenna to see this beautiful place!

Summer Fun!

For the past few weeks the rain has been away so we have been able to go out and do some fun summer things! On Monday we spent the day at Kaitlins house playing in her pool and with her water table! McKenna had so much fun! I am really going to have to look into getting her a water table! She loved it! And of course she wanted to wear her cool sunglasses most of the time! (We can't leave the house without them these days or we have a little meltdown!) On Wednesday we went to the Rainforest! McKenna had so much fun! It is basically a smaller version of something like Hawaiian Falls or some type of waterpark. This one though is made for smaller kids with very shallow water, waterfalls and a few slides! McKenna of course loved the big slide the best. She is definitely my adventurous, no fear girl! She wanted us to go down it all the time. Everytime we did it she would say "again" and "big slide"! I have to admit too it was a pretty fun slide! We went with McKennas little friends Ainsley and Abby and we all had such a good time and we look forward to doing it again soon!

On a side note: We are gearing McKenna up for football season! Last year we were so excited that when we said "touchdown" to McKenna she would hold her hands up in the touchdown position. Well yesterday to get ready for the Cowboys first pre-season game we worked on saying "Touchdown Cowboys" when she holds her hands up. She does it great with a hugh smile on her face! It is so cute! At first it was just "touchdown boys" but after a few more times it is now "touchdown cowboys!!" She is such a good Cowboy fan already!! Hopefully she will get to go to a game this year! Go Cowboys!!

"Nastics" (aka gymnastics!)

For the past three weeks I have been taking McKenna to her first gymnastics class. She had to be 18 months before I could sign her up but I wanted her to do something that would help her release some energy and something that would help her with her gross motor skills. I wasn't sure what she would think about it but she loves it! She even cries when we leave. The first time we left she cried and said "more nastics more nastics" almost the whole way home! Her good little friend Abby is in the class too and every Wednesday when we go to gymnastics she gets in the car saying Abby nastics! She is so excited to go! It is a wonderful facility and the teacher is so good with the little ones. She is really learning alot and it is surprising how each week she gets more confident and can do more things! This past week Mimi went with us because she wanted to see McKenna in her class before she had to start back to school. I had her take some pictures on McKenna during the class! Enjoy!