Super Helper

Here, Dad.

McKenzie is a great little helper these days.  What?  It's time to empty the dishwasher?  YAY!  I'll be reminding her of her excitement for this chore when she's about 12 years old and hating every second of it. But right now, she loves helping Daddy unload the dishwasher.  She starts by handing him each piece of silverware and once the bottom shelf is unloaded, she gets her stool so she can help get the top shelf cleared.  I snapped a few pictures of the little helper doing her thing!

Stacking her bowls neatly.

Isn't this fun?!

No Bows, But...

Maybe a barrette or two!  I'm not saying McKenzie will never wear a hair bow, but I doubt she will wear them often, especially if she continues to keep her hair so short.  On the other hand, I think little barrettes and ribbon covered clips are super cute!  In this picture, where she appears to be eating an Oreo (it's the lens cover) with really strange/large hands, she is wearing my barrette.  I wear it to workout to keep my bangs under control, and she's kind of obsessed with it.  Last weekend at the Toggery, I found lots of cute barrettes from felt covered tiny owls to larger flowers.  All of them were adorable and if they weren't $8-$10 a pop, I would have bought more than one!

Snow Day Summary in Pictures

What's happening Daddy? (pic taken Sunday night)

So did that snow stick?

The roads don't look so bad.

Pretty cool day!

Minute to Win It - Gosnell Style

Brant and I decided to spice things up on Christmas Eve with my family.  After watching a few holiday versions of the show "Minute to Win It," we were inspired to play a few of the games.  At first, everyone was a little hesitant, but after we got started, it was fun for all!  Here are a few of my favorite pics.

Dad attempting the Christmas Tree Unicorn game.

Mom playing Junk in the Trunk.

Rebecca on her way to winning Junk in the Trunk.

Yes, he did fall on his butt!

Chris and Rebecca couldn't do it...

We pull it out in a fast 15 seconds!

Cookie Face game!

I never got the cookie in my mouth.

Oh...

McKenzie wants to talk.  No wait, McKenzie talks.  All the time.  Just not in English.  She has several words that we understand, but so many more that we don't.  One word that she's been using the last few days is "oh."  It's funny because we know that she understands what we are saying to her.

Where's Bailey?

McKenzie: BaaaBaaa!  BaaaBaaa! (calling for Bailey)

Brant:  Bailey went outside.

McKenzie: Oh.

The cuteness of it probably doesn't translate, but it's really adorable.  

I haven't taken the time to write down all of her words, so I'll do that now:

NO! (her personal favorite)

Dada (probably her second favorite)

Momma

Meemee (Mickey Mouse)

Elmo (that one is perfectly clear!)

outside

ba (bottle)

nana (banana)

this (and points to what she wants)

nite nite

hi

bye

bath

I'm sure I'm leaving a few out, and there are several more sounds she makes for certain things, but I can't bring myself to classify those as words just yet.  She loves trying to repeat words that people say to her, and I guess she's just storing those away until she's ready to speak English.

Who needs words when you're this cute?

Ringing in the New Year

Somehow, we managed to stay awake til midnight and ring in 2011 with friends.  Two minutes later, McKenzie woke up screaming, obviously wanting to join the party.  So, here's our first family pic of 2011:

Now, for our resolutions.  As a family, we want to get to church as much as possible.  That means doing our best to not miss two Sundays in a row.  With McKenzie, it's easy to find excuses to not go, but now that she goes to the nursery with little fuss, there's just no reason to not go.

  

Personally, I would like to keep a diary and one of my Christmas gifts will help me do that.  I received a Simple Diary and I love it!  I'm hoping to at least use it two or three times a week.  Also, I would like to watch TV less and engage with my family more.  I don't think my TV watching is excessive, but there's always room for more family time.

Brant's resolution is a typical one, but I think he will actually do it: work out and lose weight.  He's been going to the gym pretty regularly, but has only gained muscle rather than losing weight.  With a few tweeks to his workout routine, I think we'll be seeing a healthier man in no time!

McKenzie mentioned a few things she would like to work on as well.  First, getting rid of her pacifier.  She only uses it in her crib, but she would like to get rid of it completely before the year's end.  She also wants to learn how to say "no, thanks" or "nah" or just "no" with a little less anger.  Not only is the answer to every question "no" but it's with a certain attitude that's becoming less and less cute.  She's agreed to work on it.

I can't wait to see what's in store for our family in 2011!  And neither can McKenzie!