Time usually crawls by, but someone else is crawling instead!

It really is crazy to me just how quickly time flies by.  McKenna is now 7 months old, and I'm a bad mom and didn't update on her sixth month.

We took McKenna in for her sixth month check up on April 9th, she weighed 14 pounds 3.5 ounces,  so just a little girl! She still had not doubled her birth weight.  She probably has now :) a month later. Daniel got to come to this checkup with me, so he got to help her the her shots.  Not fun! But we don't have any more until she is a year old! Some of her favorite things at 6 months:

Her toes, loves to play and suck in them! She is quite the contortionist!

She loves to put anything in her mouth, paper, fingers(hers and yours), spoons, toys, paper, etc.

She loves her walker, it is crazy how fast she is growing because about a month ago her toes barely touched the floor, and now she is flat footed

At six months we tried baby cereal and solids this time.  She LOVES avocados! As you can see by her excited face, she. Has also acquired a taste for sweet potatoes (didn't really like the texture of that one), bananas, and sweet peas, as well as oatmeal and rice cereal.

She also started scooting herself pretty well at six months across the floor.

We had to finally move her into the tub for baths because she was drenching my kitchen each night.  I don't think I have ever seen a baby loves water as much as she does!

At seven months this little cutie is starting to develop her little personality.  She loves being outside and does not mind the grass like most babies.  She loves to swing, stroller rides, and watching and listening to birds.

She is getting great with her "ma-ma-ma" sounds, buzzing her lips, and she has recently started rolling her tongue! The first time she did that I could believe she had, I can't even roll my tongue, she sure amazes me!

She is now an expert scooter- she can successfully get anywhere she wants and she is getting pretty quick at it too.  She will push up on to her arms, push with her feet, scoot, and then back on to her stomach, and repeat the process over.  She is pretty good at judging distances, she likes to scoot across the hallway and play with Daniel's alarm clock in our bedroom. She will follow me around the kitchen while I am making dinner, and gets pretty vocal when she wants your attention or to be picked up.  She also loves to kick things, whether that be the stove, the heat vents, the floor, the bottom 

 She loves just about anything you give her to eat now, that is baby food that is.  Her favorite is still avocado though.  There are thirteen more days of school left and then I get to be home with her all day! So excited and so ready for that! 

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin', keep that baby Rollin'!

Such a big girl sitting all on her own!

One word just about sums up McKenna to a tea right now, Rollin'! She rolls everywhere, onto the wood floor, into the tile at the base of the fire place, into the walls on the crib and pack n' play, into the leg of the coffee table, under Grandma Richens' coffee table, into the couch at Grandma's, and into just about anybody who will lay there and play with her.  I sure do love this girl! Each day she makes it harder and harder to go to work!

McKenna turned 5 months old on the second of March, so I am a little behind in posting this.  We tried a go with rice cereal about 3 weeks ago... We think it made her tummy pretty upset and gurgly, there was one night she cried for about and hour for me, and the sitter the next day :( so it was not worth it to me to have her be uncomfortable and not her normal happy, sweet self.  I have some oatmeal to try in a few weeks, and I have also started making some baby food that I thought I might give a go at when she is six months old.

Mmmm, my sock is soooo tasty! Live the look on her face in this one!

 This girl loves to roll everywhere as stated earlier!  There is no more just leaving her on the bed for a second. She has to be somewhere where she won't roll off.  She refuses to be held facing you, and automatically turns her body so she can see out in front of her.  She is so observant and watchful, this makes feeding her a bottle especially difficult, not quite as bad when she nurses.  Grandpa Richens thinks she wants to be an owl :).  She loves to buzz and gurgle still, and just recently has started making the ma-ma-am  ma-ma sounds- they are so cute! Now we are trying to work on the da-da and ba-ba sounds.



She does pretty well at sitting up, still wobbles from time to time, but whe. We put Baby Einstein on, she is very riveted and will sit without wobbles for at least five minutes or more.  She has started scooting backwards on her belly.  There are times that she will hike her rear end clear up, plant her face down, and scoot - crazy girl! She also just giggles whe I try to help her with the motion of pulling her knees up underneath her.  Daniel thinks she might be crawling by the time she is 6.5 months, we will have to see! We have the baby gate up already just in case

No teeth yet, but there are days when we wonder if they are starting to bug her- but we also know that they take a while to break through.  Here's hoping she got Daniel's pacing with teeth ( he didn't get any until he was a year old or more I think)

Some of her favorite things right now are:
Her butterfly bug- she will chomp down on its wing and it will just hang in her mouth
Teething fruit ring
Her thumbs, both sides are getting pretty chaffed again
Books- she loves to taste the words to help her read
Patting surfaces with her hands
Her toes
Baby Einstein Neighborhood Animals- she loves the cats and dog segments
Tiger- the big orange cat at Grandma Richens' house ( when he comes into the room she wil turn to watch him until he is out of sight)
Outside- she gets really quit whe we take her out and just sits back and soaks it all in
Grandma and Grandpa Richens
Grandma Luke and Grandpa Luke after she warms up to his bearded face
Uncle Chantz and Uncle Jared who can always make her smile or laugh

Each day this sweetheart changes a little more and grows a little bit. It is so fun to see her go through these different quirks and stages- we sure do love the joy that she brings and that we get from being her parents!

Giggles, Grunts, and Gurgles!

Smily and strong at 4 months old!

McKenna turned four months old on Feb. 2nd. I can't believe how quickly time passes.  I am glad that  the school days pass quickly and I can hurry home to play and laugh with my little girl.  She is so much fun.  I was told by a few people before she was born that once she got here it would be hard to remember a time without her, and it is true.  Life seemed so ... Not boring, but just less exciting without her.  When we get home all I want to do is play with her and work with her to get her stronger.

Smiling and playing with mom one night after work

Since about December she has been rolling from front to back, and she is getting better and better at it.  She is now getting to the stage where we are working with her to roll on her own from back to front.  It is insane how strong she is, she loves to stand and is starting to balance, but funny thing, she doesn't really enjoy sitting.  However, there are times we joke she is doing crunches because she will try to sit up on her own from a laying position.  She loves her toes, and her little butterfly bug.  Everything goes right for her mouth now.  She has moved past her growl stage and only growls when she is mad, and has started gurgling in her throat.  It is funny how quickly she changes and adapts her sounds.  She loves to squeal and scream back at her dad, they get into squealing battles with each other.  She is full of smiles for just about anyone who will take the time to talk with her.  She is also getting really good at buzzing her lips, get too close and she will make sure to spray you with her baby spit, which also results in foamy bubbles covering her mouth and chin, it's so cute!

We went to the doctor today for her next round of shots.  :( Don't like those at all, but we know that they are to help her in the long run.  Thankfully my mom could come with us.  McKenna didn't like Dr. Madsen at all this time, as he was poking and prodding her this time, she was screaming at the top of her lungs.  It is sad to see her cry like that.  I think the main reason is only because he scared her, she didn't nap well at all today, and slept horribly last night too. So, she was just exhausted.  She is currently sleeping in my arms right now as I finish this post because she woke up crying and fussing again just a little bit ago.  Poor girl.  However, on a happier note, she is growing! We kind of knew that by the cute chubby rolls she is getting on her legs and by how she is starting to finally grow out of 0-3 month clothes.  She is now 24 1/2 inches long and 12 lbs. 7.25 oz. I thought she would be right close to 12 pounds, so still just a small little girl, but she is right in the middle of the growth chart.  She handled her shots again like a champ, and really only cried because she was woken up from her nap.  Now we have 2 months until we go back for check ups and round three of shots.  On the upside, Dr. Madsen did say that it seems that our area is finally coming out of this bad flu and RSV season, keep fingers cross we can continue keeping the sickness at bay!

I'm also kind of combing this post with our Anniversary post too.  This Friday, the 8th, Daniel and I will have been married for five years.  Looking back at where we were five years ago it is hard to imagine how we got to where we are today.  Lots of hard work, teamwork, sacrificing, and determination.  We have grown so much as a couple these past five years, and especially these last two with the challenge that comes with staring and having your own family.  We thank The Lord every day that we were blessed to be parents to McKenna.  We still have a lot to learn and are not experts by any mean.  It there is one thing I have learned these past five years it is to trust in The Lord and to have faith.  It is only him who knows what lies in store and what we need to be faced with and how it will help us to grow.   I am so glad and so blessed that I have Daniel as my eternal companion to go through this life and eternity with.  I'm wondering if eternity will be long enough with this amazing guy :). There are days that I wonder how he tolerates two stubborn red-heads, (McKenna can already be a little stinker), but I am sure glad he has the patience to do so, and is so helpful with her.

Bring it on!

It seems like time just keeps flying by. I don't know where the past three months went and I find myself back to work now, and missing my sweet little girl.  One good thing is that with my job I have my own brood of 26 nine and ten year olds that keep me pretty busy and entertained, so while I am at school I don't really have time to worry about McKenna.  I have four wonderful women who watch her for me.  Three are in our ward from church and they take one day a week ( this way I figured they wouldn't give up every day all the time ) and she gets to go have some fun bonding time with Grandma Richens on Thursdays and Fridays.  I really appreciate their willingness to tend my daughter, and they are such wonderful moms themselves that I don't worry about her.  I am counting down the months until summer though, 5 months! Next week we have a three day weekend so I get to see McKenna an extra day, yay!

A little update on the last month or so, we had a wonderful quiet Christmas. We spent a little time with both of our families, but Christmas Eve and almost all of Christmas Day was spent with our little family.  We woke up christmas morning at 8 am when McKenna was hungry, I know our Christmases of sleeping in that late are becoming fewer and fewer.  McKenna was spoiled with toys and clothes and she is lovig her new rattles for her hands and her feet.

She is now talking up a storm with her little noises, she buzzes her lips, and coos, and can get to squealing pretty loud. :)  She has also started rolling over from her stomach to her back more consistently, she did it about ten times tonight! She also loves to arch her back and scoot to the top of her blanket, this is especially fun whe trying to put a diaper on, or letting her air to help with the diaper rash she gets on occasion.  One of my most favorite things she has started to do is giggle.  She has such a cute little giggle, and it is contagious! She will laugh so hard that she gives herself the hiccups.  She has also found her toes within the last week and a half and whenever she is laying on her back, and especially when she doesn't have socks on, her feet are up in the air and she has hold of both feet. She is still sucking on that little thumb of hers, but she just loves her hands in general!  We love this little girl and still have to sit back sometimes and ask ourselves, is she really real? Is she really ours? The answer is yes, and we love that!

Daniel and I are both doing well. Daniel will be managing a new job really close to home on Hwy 10. It should take until about May to complete and it will be so nice to have him home at a decent hour each night.  He has started setting time aside to run and lift weights and it is fun to see his excitement wit finally having some time to do things he enjoys each night.  I am back to work as earlier stated, and it is good to be finishing what I started.  I did miss my kids, they just seem to find a special place in your heart, climb right in, and don't let go.  I started my second to last class for my math endorsement this week.  So by the end of the school year I will have my elementary math endorsement and 18 credits towards a masters degree.  We are busy and loving being parents to this sweet little girl.

McKenna got spoiled for Christmas.  Her leggings are almost as long as she is!

Family picture with Santa

We were able to get family pictures taken just a few days before the new year, they turned out wonderful!  Thanks dad!

Such a smily little girl!

McKenna turned 3 months old on January 2nd!

McKenna got to hang out with dad the first week mom was back to work.  She was so helpful, she loves to help with the laundry!

Happy Holidays!

I love my new little model, she is so patient - and so much fun to snap photos of.  Hoping everyone has a wonderful holiday season, remember to slow down in all the hustle and bustle of things and enjoy the season.  This is my favorite time of year, and feel very blessed that we get to start sharing Christmas time with McKenna.

She is starting to really grab with her hands now

Beautiful, deep, baby blues!

Mid-yawn, but always working that tongue!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Two months old and a kitchen remodel!

This beautiful little lady turned two months old on December 2nd!  How crazy is that!  She is so much fun, and I think gets cuter each day, if that is possible!  We went in for her two month checkup and she now weighs 9 lbs. 13 oz.  and is 23 inches long.  I don't think she will have any problem passing up her mom in height!  We also got her shots, she handled them like a champ and was a little sore that night but slept wonderfully that night despite her discomfort. 

Some things about McKenna at two months.  She loves her bath time - she will kick and splash in her little tub, and get the kitchen and mom and dad soaked!  We have to hold a hand over her arms so it doesn't get too bad.  She loves to kick and play.  She will talk your ear off if you let her with her little coos', and she will brighten anyone's day with those sweet smiles!  She loves tummy time and pushes like no other with her feet - I sure hope I don't have a crawler at 5 months, but I'll take whatever she gives me!  She loves to be propped up so she can be sitting up because she likes to look around at everything, which is why she has a bald strip across the back of her head because she is and always has been turning her head from side to side.  Her hair has been coming in so well also the last few weeks, and it is still red!  She is so much fun for her dad and I - we love her so much!

Oh... and she now sucks her thumb! :)  She just loves her fingers more than her bink sometimes, so here is hoping we can break her of the habit! But it is pretty darn cute!

She puts her thumb in and then the rest of her fingers rest on top of her nose.

About two weeks before Thanksgiving Daniel came to me and said he needed a new project to work on in the house, so I told him I wanted to give a fresh coat of paint to the walls in the kitchen and replace the wall paper border to something more fitting to our taste...... note to self, do not ask Daniel to look at something (such as how we would go about changing the light bulbs in the kitchen if they were to ever burn out) because he broke the cover, so we took it down and saw how ugly it was, and the annoying buzzing of the florescent lights, and the fact that one kitchen cabinet came out into the light fixture.....  Needless to say, the simple kitchen project turned into almost a month long project.  It looks amazing!  I am so grateful for a husband who will humor me and do projects like this :)  He put can lights in, climbed up in the attic to wire them and everything, sheetrocked the opening at an angle to make it look nicer and cause less shadows to keep the recess, retextured the ceiling, painted the walls, then I hung wall paper border ( with the aide of my dad so I could learn how), and now we have a beautiful kitchen with quiet lights, with new wall paper that McKenna can splash all over for bathtime!

Our light project, 6 ft florescent bulbs...

Can-lights in!  Success!  As well as the wood framing for the sheetrock.

What they look like in the attic, Daniel had to lay up there on the joists for about 3-4 hours while he wired them,  He is such a good guy to me!

Daniel sanding, plastic put up to try to keep the mess in so McKenna didn't have to leave the house.

We would try to clean up a little bit each night so as to not track dust everywhere in the house... and the kitchen is McKenna's bathtub.

The Finished Product!

I have an amazing husband who humors me, we have so much fun doing stuff like this.  Every project we have seems to turn into something bigger than we initially thought.  I love him though, he worked so hard on it, about a weeks worth of hard work every night after putting in a full day of work.  Love you hun!

A name and a blessing...

McKenna Mae Luke was given a name and a blessing by her father, Daniel on Sunday, November 4th, 2012 

We were surrounded by our close family members, and appreciate them for making the trip to spend time together on McKenna's special day.  Daniel did a wonderful job on the blessing and we enjoyed being able to visit with family.  McKenna did so well at her first sacrament meeting, didn't cry at all during the blessing, and slept most of the meeting.  She is such a good little baby!

Something special about her dress, this is my blessing dress that I was blessed in twenty-four years ago!  I'm so glad that my mom kept it tucked away safely in her cedar chest all these years.  I plan to do the same for McKenna, and who knows, maybe it will be used again when the dress is fourty-eight years old!  She looked so pretty in it!  A lot of dress for such a little lady, but she sure makes it look easy!

The proud parents - we are still on cloud 9 with this little one, not sure when or if we will ever come down!