Just a few questions....

The following is a quiz my friend Becky posted on her blog. It was really cute how her daughter answered the questions, so I thought I would asked them to Mackenzie. Here's how she responded:

1.What is something dad always says to you? Go to the corner.
2.What makes dad happy? When I listen.
3.What makes dad sad? When I scare him.
4.How does dad make you laugh? When he says silly songs.
5.What was daddy like as a child? He liked toys.
6.How old is dad? Big now--12
7.How tall is dad? Big tall.
8.What is dad’s favorite thing to do? Work at his work.
9.What does dad do when you’re not around? He laughs.
10.What is dad really good at? At being happy.
11.What is dad not good at? At listening.
12.What’s dad job? Working at the computer.
13.What makes you proud of dad? When he is happy and good.
14. What do you and dad do together? We go to his work.
15.How are you and dad the same? We are skinny.
16. How are you and dad different? He has different hair.
17. How do you know dad loves you? He gives me kisses.


1.What is something mom always says to you? You can get out of the corner.
2.What makes mom happy? When I am good.
3.What makes mom sad? When I bite her like a crocodile and make a hole on her knee.
4.How does mom make you laugh? When she tells me there is a goose outside flying at us to eat us.
5.What was mommy like as a child? She liked animals.
6.How old is mom? 11
7.How tall is mom? This big (holding her arms about a foot apart).
8.What is mom’s favorite thing to do? Clean the dishes.
9.What does mom do when you’re not around? She plays.
10.What is mom really good at? Computers.
11.What is mom not good at? At listening to me.
12.What’s mom’s job? Cleaning up rooms.
13.What makes you proud of mom? When she listens to me sometimes.
14. What do you and mom do together? We play.
15.How are you and mom the same? We love each other.
16. How are you and mom different? Hair, glasses and eyes are different.
17. How do you know mom loves you? I don’t know.

Have you ever heard of the game called Soccer?

Mackenzie's first day at Soccer Camp.

Happy Birthday, Mackenzie!

Mackenzie's fourth birthday was last week. I can't believe she is four! We decided not to have a birthday party since we just got home from our trip. Instead, we had a birthday dinner and opened presents. Grandma Hoover and Great Grandma Powell came to visit Macky for her birthday.

Brooklyn thinks it was her birthday too. She loves this scooter!

Trip to Washington D.C.

Arlington National Cemetary

Mackenzie at JFK's grave site.

Brooklyn, the sign says stay off the wall!

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Brooklyn on the Metro

The National Mall

April and the girls in front of the Capitol

The first day, the girls and I set off on the subway to go to the National Zoo. Mackenzie loved the turtles, the pandas and especially the elephant who decided it needed a bathroom break right in front of us. Somebody should really have his bladder checked! Brooklyn was quited fussy that day--still adjusting to jet lag, I'm sure. We came back to the hotel where she took a much needed nap on her "special bed" that Abe made her. He basically just threw some pillows in the floor. After Abe was done with his classes, we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed off to see the White House, Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. We walked and walked and walked!!! Finally we caught the subway and headed back to the hotel for some much needed zzzzzz! Stay tuned for the pictures from the rest of the week.

First Day of Preschool

Today was Mackenzie's first day at preschool. I finally made the decision to go ahead and register her. I'm so glad I did. She was really excited to go. She picked out a new backpack(which is almost as big as her small body.) Her preschool is near our house so I was able to push the girls in the stroller instead of driving. I dropped Macky off, gave her a hug and she was gone. Brooklyn takes a nap during Macky's school so I have almost 3 hours of "me" time. I haven't decided what kind of fun projects I'm going to start doing during this time. Maybe, I'll actually finish a couple of cross-stitching crafts that I started years ago. Maybe, I'll just take a nap. Or maybe, I'll finally have a spotless house--at least until Brooklyn wakes up and Mackenzie comes home. In reality, as excited I am for Mackenzie to get away and learn with new friends, I miss her just as much. In almost 4 years, we've never really been apart on a regular basis. Now, I'm not going to be with her for 6 hours a week. I guess, I've always been really protective of her. She's my first born. Everything had to be perfectly safe. I had to have the baby gate always up, the outlets covered, food chopped to almost puree, no stuffed animals/heavy blankets in the crib, the special baby laundry detergent to wash her clothes and of course, I woke up often at night to make sure she was okay. On her 2nd birthday, I even got her a helmet and knee pads to go along with a little tricycle. Most people thought I was beyond crazy. But, I had my reasons. My little girl has always been very inquisitive and daring. She has always wanted to do bigger things than her little body should be capable of doing. For example, running. She never really started walking. After a few steps, she was like lightning. That was at 10 months old. Now, she is almost 4. I don't put up the baby gate anymore, no more special detergent, the food isn't chopped super small and I even let Brooklyn play with many "not for children under 3" toys. I know, I'm living on the wild side. I guess, there's a time when children grow up and parents have to let them go. I'm just glad that I only have to let mine go for a mere 6 hours a week.

Quote of the Day (or perhaps a lifetime)

"Mommy, you're the perfect mommy for me."

--Mackenzie Swensen

Labor on Labor Day

Another Labor Day has come and gone. Abram calls Labor Day a "useless" holiday. I actually watched a news segment on the internet about why we celebrate this "useless" holiday. Back in the 1800s many Americans worked 12 hour days, every day. Finally, they started to fight back for better working conditions and an 8 hour work day. How did they fight? By throwing a parade! Yes, a parade! I guess it worked because today most Americans get their 3 day weekend at the beginning of September. But what about those of us who don't get this "useless" holiday off? Abram hasn't had Labor day off since he began working as an accountant 3 years ago. They have a big deadline in September. He gets 2 days off but has to use them after September 15th. I guess the IRS or the client or whoever it is to blame doesn't respect the American worker and value their contributions to our society. And what about the 8 our work day? I could probably count the number of 8 hour days that Abe has worked on just one of my hands. Now, don't get me wrong. He has a wonderful job. But, if he worked 8 hours instead of 12 hours or 18 hours then it would definitely be better. Maybe he and his coworkers should throw a parade. It worked for the old timers in the 19th century. And last but not least, what about us moms? Moms never get Labor Day off. My mom even gave birth on Labor Day. Moms never work only 8 hours. Their working conditions are sometimes only subpar. As soon as we clean up, it seems there's an employee throwing macaroni all over the floor. Often times, our employees are back talking and occasionally they bite. Where's our parade? We need a moms' union to help us fight the inequalities of this "useless" holiday and society itself. No more labor on Labor Day.