20 months old and the Natural Science Center!

Mackenzy turned 20 months old last weekend and I thought she was long overdue for her 1st trip to the Natural Science Center! Ray hadn't been there since he was in elementary school and was very confused as to why I asked him to buy sunscreen!  The center has expanded over the years and now includes an outdoor zoo portion that I personally think is awesome because the animals are so close!  Ray wasn't so sure about being "up close and personal" with animals...

Our first stop was the meerkats.  Obviously, they were intrigued by the cute little critters and even had the same expression on their faces!

While we were walking, I tried to tell Ray that there are birds that roam the grounds and they like strollers.  As soon as I said that, the turkey came walking right up to us and my chicken of a husband jumped, grabbed the camera, and proceeded to take a close up picture of it!  The turkey must like cameras too because it followed us all the way to the goats...

Ray was not about to go in to the area with the goats.  So I went.  Mackenzy liked the goats and even though she thought they were "doggies" she was yelling "goat" after we left the fenced in area.

Like I said, there are birds all over the Natural Science center and Mackenzy wasn't afraid of them at all!  When she saw the chickens she said, "Ooo, look!  Chick chick!"

This bird sounded like a dog.  Mackenzy barked along with it and Ray walked very quickly from it...

Me: "Hey Kenzy.  Lets take a picture."
Her: "Mommy, cow."

Me: "Say cheese!"
Her: "Mommy!  COW! Go. PPEEEAAASSS! Get"

Ray: "Mackenzy, say cheese!"
Her: "Daddy. Cow.  Mooo!"

 Ray: "Kenzy, lets go see the otters."
Kenzy: "Bye, bye cow..."

She REALLY liked the cow, but we didn't stay in that area long because the llamas were very stinky... 

And yet another bird!  The peacock paid no attention to us when we walked by it the first time, but the second time it tried to mate with Ray!  He got the rare feather spread and booty shake from the peacock!



Tiny Dancer

A couple of weeks ago, Mackenzy and I attended my schools prom.  In the 4 years I've been teaching at my school, I'd never attended the prom and since Ray was gone to a basketball tournament, we got all dressed up and made an appearance.  Miraculously, I got off work at 5:45pm, picked her up, fed her dinner, bathed us both, fixed her hair, and fixed my hair in a little over 1.5 hours.  Trust me, turnaround times like that don't happen in this house anymore!

I was a little worried that she would be cranky because we were out way past her bedtime.  Once she heard the music and spotted the pretty lights she became a dancing queen!  She broke out her Mackenzy dance moves (which I have yet to catch on camera) and even "sang" a few songs!

I was super excited that Brandi was able to catch her on camera.  Being a rambunctious 20 month old toddler means that she no longer stays still for anything but her Counting DVD.

Of course we had to pose for a picture!  By this time she was getting tired and was all danced out.  My tiny dance fell asleep as soon as we got on the highway...

Mackenzenese and Mackenzyisms!

Being that Ray and I are around Mackenzy the most, we are often translators for her.  She is quite a comedian and as her language develops she's beginning to say the darnedest things!

Example #1:  When I was reading Goodnight Moon to her at bedtime I asked her to identify the animal on the page, which was a mouse. 

Me:"Goodnight bears.  Goodnight chairs.  Goodnight little house.  Goodnight..."  Mackenzy what's that?  (as I pointed to the mouse)

Mackenzy: "MAMA!"  and she proceeded to giggle hysterically and continues to do so 3 weeks later!

Example #2:  My mom and Mackenzy often play the "what's your name game".  She knows how to say Kenzy but loves fooling everyone because she gets lots of laughs.

Mimi: What's your name?

Mackenzy: Kay (her Nana's nick name)

Mimi: That's not your name!  What's your name silly?

Mackenzy: Nomi (aka Naomi which is her friend at school) and she laughs

Mimi: Nope, try again! What's your name?

Mackenzy: J!  (what she calls my step dad) and she runs away giggling!

She also has her own was of forming sentences and she'll say things like:

• Mommy!  Poon.  Get.  Peas. (Mommy can you get the spoon)
• I get.  Right there.  Thank you! (Can you get _______ for me?  Thank you!)
• Nick Nick home.  Mimi.  (Nicholas is at Mimi's house.)
• Red. go? (Are you ready go to?)
• I want.  Pabi.  Peas?  (I want my paci please)
• Pider!  (Looking at the spiderweb outside of our house)
• Bird.  See it? Bird gone. (Do you see the bird? The bird is gone.)
• Mommy.  Honey.  Eat, eat. (Mommy, I'm hungry and I want to eat.)

And finally, Mackenzy Hates getting her hair done because that requires her to sit still.  This weekend she didn't want to take her nap, so I decided to do her hair instead.  While we were sitting there, she listened to my Ipod, drank my water, stole my lotion, and then started yawning.  Before I knew it, she had fallen asleep and was knocked out!  So being the mom that I am I took the opportunity to paint her fingernails and toenails, took a picture, and texted the picture to Daddy and Mimi, all before I actually put her in her bed.  She slept for a good 3 hours before I went to wake her up.  I guess getting your hair done is hard work!

All Natural!

So I just realized that I have not had a relaxer in my hair for over a year!  That's right folks, I am all natural!  I may have a few 1/2 inch spots where the relaxer is being stubborn and hasn't been cut off but other than that the relaxer is all gone.

Many people are surprised to hear that I'm natural because on a good day my hair still looks permed.  It's definitely been a LONG journey of trial and error, but after a year I am finally able to get my hair to look as good as when I pay my hair stylist to do it!

Many people ask me:

Why did you decided to go natural?  When I was pregnant, they suggested I not get relaxers because they don't know effect of harsh chemicals on a growing fetus.  I got 2 relaxers while I was pregnant (2nd and 3rd trimester) and when she was born I figured if it wasn't good for her while she was in the womb, it probably wasn't good while I was nursing, and it was certainly not good for my overall health...  Plus, having to drag a baby to a hair salon and go through the "relaxing process" was kind of difficult.

How did you do it? I obviously opted for the longer route and did not do the "big chop".  I have been getting a wash and blowout for the past year and she flattens my hair with a flat iron.  She used deep conditioners and trimmed the ends at every appointment.  Surprisingly enough it wasn't hard to do at all and my hair still looks like I have a perm... until the humid days.

Is your hair easier to manage?  Not really.  It's about the same.  I still have to wash, blow, and flat iron.  I have to be mindful of the weather and watch for the super humid and rainy days.  My trips to the hair stylist are shorter (1-2 hours) but more frequent at the moment because I'm trying to keep my hair healthy as I transition.  I'm going to be more adventurous and try more natural styles since I have learned how to manage new hair.

My recommendations:  If you are ready to go natural make sure you are truly up for the challenge.  Whether you go cold turkey and do the "big chop" or take the long, scenic route you are bound for a few bumps in the road.  Don't get discouraged when your hair looks dry or you get it nice and straight only to have it curl/poof up when you step outside.  You will get over the "girl in need of a relaxer stage" and your hair will get used to the new growth.  It's like starting over again and you have to re-train your hair. 

If you are taking the scenic route like I did, make sure you have a good, commercial grade blow dryer and flat iron.  I am currently using a yellow bird blow dryer and I just got a GVP flat iron.  They both seem to be working well for me.

At any rate, I'm glad I made the decision to go natural and I thank my mom for encouraging me (and going through the process first!).  Its been tough changing my ideas about what makes black hair beautiful and I'm learning to embrace the kinky curls God blessed me with!