E-L-M-O

Elmo is becoming a popular figure in the Boone household. Popular enough for the stuffed animal version to join us at the dinner table each night (Mackenzie won't say grace unless Elmo is present).

Josh thought it'd be awesome to take Mackenzie to Sesame Street Live! to see the red fella in person. With hundreds of other fanatic children. In an enclosed area. On his birthday (I heart this man).

Mackenzie's love of her Elmo doll, Elmo books and the TV version of Elmo was quickly replaced by utter fear of the real deal (remember--it's taken months to warm up to the Miami mascot). I'll give her credit, she never cried, and within about 10 minutes warmed up to the idea of her role model singing and dancing in the flesh.

The most wonderful time of the year

College football season is here!

This means long days at the stadium for Josh and me--and Mack is happy to come along. Props to Josh for doing most of the heavy lifting on game days.

So far, Mackenzie can say "Go Canes," give half of a "U" and will get within 3 feet of Sebastian the mascot without collapsing in fear.

Oh, and her favorite part of the game is getting to eat pizza--seen post-pizza slice above.

Summer Vacation

We were lucky enough to take two weeks vacation in July--and naive enough to think that traveling to the remote locations of the Outer Banks and Maine coast would be a fun adventure with a 1 year old.

OBX:

Maine:

Happy 4th!

We enjoyed 4th of July this past weekend with our friends Chris, Courtney and Dayton at Vero Beach (picture Nags Head-esque with more retirees), which-in theory-is a 3 hour drive north of Miami.

Whatever driving estimate Google Maps provides with its directions, add at least an hour for the Boones to make the same journey. Between South Florida traffic, diaper changes and bathroom breaks (remember, I drink at least 5 L of water a day for my kidneys), we give the old school Oregon Trail dysentery/snake bite/ford a river venture a run for its money. A 3 hour trip took us 4 1/2. Good thing the beer was cold when we arrived!

Dayton making sure that Mackenzie was safely strapped into her beach chair.

Outtakes

I love Mackenzie. Her candor and discernment are both amusing and honest.

Below are 'outtakes' of our professional photography session. We had them taken at a beautiful park on the beach at dusk--sounds intimate and romantic, right? Well, not if you're Mackenzie and are trying to figure out why some strange lady is trying to make you smile.

Seriously, why does this lady insist on following me around?

This is weird, guys.

Is she stalking us?

And, then, this beauty. This picture captures the essence of Mackenzie: curious, confident and on a mission.

U-S-A, U-S-A!

Someone has gotten into the World Cup spirit! And, Mackenzie just likes the snacks served at game watching parties.

Poo = Pool

Last week Josh and I had a conference in Orlando for work, and, as we view our jobs as a way of life and not just a job, we carted Mackenzie with us.

This was both easier and harder than last year when Mackenzie accompanied us. Last year, there were a lot more late night cries and feedings. But, last year, we could simply put Mackenzie in her stroller and attend conference sessions and post-session cocktails. This year, Mackenzie is fully mobile and able to express her confident personality--at times creating a danger for a toddler trying to navigate a busy hotel lobby. But don't tell her that she is short compared to adults.

And, this year, Mackenzie is just a lot more fun. Don't get me wrong--she was fun as an infant--but it's different when you can watch your child fully embrace and experience new things.

Some of Mackenzie's favorite things at the Marriott WorldCenter in Orlando:

The Pool. Hands down. This kid is a water baby. And, in case you need help in deciphering toddler-speak, "poo" means "pool." Let's hope she never has to really poo in the pool. That could get confusing.

Breakfast buffet. Clearly, this is something Mackenzie has been sorely missing at home.

Grandparents.

Helper

Emily Day

The 17th marked the 33rd Annual Emily Day.

I really like birthdays. Really like them. And, I just happen to like mine the best (Mackenzie, yours is a very, very close 2nd).

We had breakfast at our favorite place in Coconut Grove, a trip to the UM baseball game (ACC Champs!) and a trip to South Beach sans Mackenzie for a birthday dinner.

Called Out

I've been called out on my negligent blog postings, so I am breaking my own rule and blogging during the work day. To my credit, I do intend on blogging every evening. Then I fall asleep. I blame Mackenzie for continuing to wake us up early every day for over a year. 

At this rate, Mackenzie will be 16 and I will still have the same pigtail pic up from my previous post. Thank you, Courtney Freet, for giving my blog a re-start.

In keeping with the pigtail theme, I give credit to Josh for being such a good sport (see pigtails) and such a great Dad.

Just an average Tuesday evening.

One Year

Dear Mackenzie,

Today is Mackenzie Day, aka you are 1 year old today.

When I was pregnant with you, I'd spend a lot of time day dreaming about what you would be like. And, I wondered what I would be like in my new role as a mother. There is no way I could've ever imagined that it would be this good.

The best part about this year has been watching you develop as a person. Often I would wonder if you would be reflective and introspective like your dad, or extroverted like me. And, a lot of times I see glimpses of both of our traits in you, but, 99% of the time, you are Mackenzie. You are your own unique person, and you will dictate who you are and who you will become. You've made that clear from the very beginning.

One of my favorite things about it you is that you have no idea that you are a kid. When you walk into a room, you own it. Even better is that you rarely now require the hand holding from your dad or me. It's like in your head you are thinking, "I am Mackenzie. This place needs to know that I am here." When you are doing anything--playing with blocks, books, examining a paper towel--you act as if it this the most important thing. You take your play very seriously.

You are also very curious. You are fascinated by other people--especially children--and you spend a lot of time sizing people up. I'd love to know what is going on in your head when you do that. You spend a lot of time figuring out how things work, and have picked up on things like where we put our dirty laundry, how to wipe up water on the floor and how to buckle your car seat.

Mackenzie, you are a light in our lives, and make our family whole. I love being your mother. Love. It. Keep on being you, kiddo.

Pigtail Delight

Happy Friday, everyone!

One of Mackenzie's teachers was thoughtful enough to send me this picture of Mackenzie--plenty of hair for pigtails.

Mackenzie, always a boss.

Mackenzie Makes the Big Leagues

Mackenzie's been called up to the bigs. In baby world, this means she has moved up a classroom in day care.

Mackenzie's always known that Infant Room B has been her destiny, as she has frequently tried to bust her way in (see below).

Photo courtesy of Chris Cohen

She is excited to join her former Infant Room A teammates, get paid in Cheerios and have access to better facilities (aka, toys). 

Mackenzie, you must have a great agent(s).