Mason's Baptism

Sunday, July 27, 2014 was a perfect day. Our son, Mason Dee, was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit at the Sutton Federated Church by Pastor Harry Cross. His Aunt Kelly and Uncle Chad stood as sponsors while all four grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends witnessed the washing of his sin as he joined the community of Christian faith.

Papa Bose was the first to congratulate Mason

Three generations of handsome McKenzie boys

with Grandma and Grandpa Mack

with Grandma and Papa Bose

with his silly sister Jentry

with honorary God-Grandfather, Eric Schulenberg

After the ceremony, we celebrated with lunch at the American Legion and dessert at our home.

Always so much fun with cousins!

"There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called-one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Ephesians 4:4-5

Lazy Girl

Yes, this just happened...

I needed to go to the post office so I asked Jentry if she wanted to walk with me.  Of course, she did not want to go...not because SHE didn't want to go but because her MOTHER wanted to go. She then said, "I will go if we take the car." How sweet of her to negotiate with me, however the purpose of the trip was to mail a letter AND get some needed exercise. I finally convinced her to go with me by offering to push her in the stroller. Yes, I pushed my six-year-old daughter in the baby stroller because she was too lazy to walk.

When we got home I said, "I'm tired now. You're a heavy girl!" To which Jentry replied, "Well, you said you wanted some exercise."

Five More Weeks

School begins in five weeks....how could it be? In five weeks my baby will be a big bad first grader and our routine must begin again, yikes. Then again..just 35 more days and we can get back to a schedule, yippee! The beginning of a new school year is definitely bittersweet. The lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer will come to and end, however being a creature of habit, a daily regimen is definitely welcome. Don't get me wrong, I love summer and have definitely been enjoying it with Nathan and my two littles, but seriously where has the season gone? Thank goodness I have these photos to remind me of what we have been up to.

Celebrating with friends at the Children's Museum in Lincoln

Aubrey, Jentry, Mia and Kennedy

Learning to set up

Basking in the sun

Chatting with Grandma Johnson

Smiling

Playing with BFF Brantley

 

Drinking with the help of Sissy

Giving and receiving lots of hugs and kisses

Learning to sleep with our arms out

Taking selfies with mom

Dipping our toes in the water

Splashing in Jan-ma's pool

And playing pirate fairies

I am so thankful I live in the day and age that electronic devices can help preserve these amazing yet fleeting moments with my loves.

Crazy June

The end of June was just as crazy-busy as last year and I am beginning to realize that the end of June might continue to be frantic for the rest of my life! I think everyone can agree that summer is always more hectic than the slow winter months, but when you add Dugout Days and Jentry's birthday to last few days on the June calendar, life is a whirlwind.

The Dugout Days festivities began Saturday morning with kid races and games in the park. Usually Jentry is the smallest/youngest participant of any race and is most likely to come in last, however this year she was the oldest five-year-old and got first place in flip-flops!

They had lots of fun activities for the kids. Miss Independent took off in the crowd with her friends and before I could get the stroller down the hill her hair looked like this and she was eating a muffin that she hadn't paid for.

Isaac and Anna showed up just after lunch and we somehow got everyone suited up and to the pool. This was Mason's first trip the pool.  He liked the water but would have rather been napping in his crib at home.

The three big kids are all brave enough now to go down the slides by themselves and Isaac and Jentry can even make it to edge without assistance. Aunt Kelly was there to help just in case.

After a quick supper at home, we all enjoyed the parade in the shade. It was a beautiful evening.  

As if we hadn't already had enough fun in one day, after the parade we took the kids to the carnival. They had a blast and the Fun House was the favorite again this year. 

It is so fun to watch these cousins play. They have such interesting imaginations at this age. They had made a fort in the basement and then pretended a tornado came through and destroyed it. Oh my, what a mess! "I hope the guards (aka stuffed animals) are OK."

Sunday, we celebrated Jentry's 6th birthday with her favorite foods for lunch. Pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans, corn and pears.

For dessert she requested red velvet cupcakes and chocolate ice cream. Isaac thought she needed more than one candle in her cupcake.

After presents, Nathan took them outside to light some smoke bombs and parachutes. They had a blast dancing in the smoke.

Someday Mason will be big enough to play with the big kids but for now he gets to snuggle with Grandpa Mack on the porch.

Monday was Jentry's actual birthday and we saved a present for her to open. What six-year-old wants a laminator?  Well Jentry of course! She absolutely loved it. No piece of paper is safe in our house anymore.

It was a crazy weekend and to top it all off this cutie pie turned 3 months old on the 29th. What a sweet boy!

June...you may be crazy but oh how fun you are too!

Hair Creations

This is a page from Jentry's baby book. It is the only page that is not completed. I used to joke that I would probably be able to fill it in when she turned five. Little did I know that would be the reality of Jentry's hair.

Last week Jentry's step-mom took her to the salon for her first "official" hair cut. Their good friend, Lisa, got the privilege of the making the first few snips. She thought trimming up the ends a bit may help stimulate some new growth. Erica sent me these pictures and said, "There wasn't anything to save...it just kind of flew away." I completely understood as Jentry's hair is so fine. The photos made me smile, because I could see how special she felt.

Jentry's unique hair is the result of Ectodermal Dysplasia. Ectodermal Dysplasias are inherited disorders that involve defects in the hair, nails, sweat glands and teeth. When a person has a least two types of abnormal ectodermal features the individual is identified as being affected by ectodermal dysplasia. There are more than 150 different types of ED. Symptoms range from mild to severe. Only in rare cases does ectodermal dysplasia affect lifespan and very few types involve learning difficulties.

Fortunately for Jentry, her hair and nails are the only parts affected. Individuals affected by an ED syndrome frequently have abnormalities of the hair follicles. Scalp and body hair may be thin, sparse and very light in color, even though beard growth in affected males may be normal. The hair may grow very slowly or sporadically and it may be excessively fragile, curly, or even twisted. Fingernails and toenails may be thick, abnormally shaped, discolored, ridged, slow-growing, or brittle. The cuticles may be prone to infections.

All ectodermal dysplasias are heritable or genetic disorders, which means that they can be inherited or passed on to children. Jentry inherited the disorder from her father's side of the family. Her dad, grandmother, and several other relatives are also affected by ED. No one is really certain how many people are affected by ED worldwide. The latest estimate is that as many as seven of every 10,000 babies are born affected by an ectodermal dysplasia. Currently there is no cure.

This disorder is completely cosmetic for Jentry. Her appearance may be different from the "norm", but she is a completely healthy little girl. Majority of the time I forget she even looks different. To me it would seem strange for her to have long, flowing hair. When it comes to her self perception, I don't think she realizes that she looks different from her peers. This will most likely only last for a few more years, but I am hopeful that her strong personality will see her through the tears that I am sure will be shed from time to time. 

Every once and awhile she asks me when her hair will be long and I always respond, "I don't know honey. It may always be short because that is the way God wanted your hair to be." 

Jentry loves to play with her dolls' hair and even begs to brush mine. Of course I let her every chance I get. She is so proud of herself when she can get my hair up into a ponytail, which is not easy task as my hair is super thick. If only I could give Jentry just half of my hair.

I am not sure if it is due to her naturally short hair or if she would have been fascinated with hair anyway, but she is definitely into wearing things on her head.

I call them Jentry's Hair Creations. She really is quite imaginative! 

No matter what her hair decides to do, my hope is that Jentry has no doubt that she is loved no matter what. I am certain there will come a day when she is crying to me about something someone said or when she is mad at God for making her different. I pray that I can give her words of wisdom and someday she will be able to accept her irregularity with great confidence.