Making Magic

Dear Mackenzie,

I cannot with all the cuteness today!

-When I was brushing your teeth this morning, you said, "Mama, bend down! I want to kiss you!"

-When we walked home from school today, you not only walked the entire way without once getting in your stroller, you also kept telling me that can "make magic." You'd go, "Mama, I can make magic! See?" And then you would roll your hands around each other multiple times and aim them at, say, the grass and shout, "Grass! Grow taller! See? I made it grow taller!" When you made magic that made my legs go faster, I played along and ran down the street saying, "Aaaahhh! My legs are going too fast! Mackenzie, make them stop!" You did your arm roll and said, "Legs! Go slower!" It was the most adorable game!

-I opened up your backpack pocket to get a tissue for you and could barely find any because you have stuffed this tiny little pocket with two small stuffed animals, several bracelets, half a dozen stickers and so many other random items you have received from school. I asked if I could take some of the things out and you insisted that you "need" all of it. #futurehoarder

-When you spilled water on the foyer bench, you immediately got a tissue out of your backpack (I guess you don't have trouble locating tissues in your disaster area of a pocket) and wiped it up. Later, you told me that you wiped up the water so that no one else would sit on it and get their pants wet or put their backpack on it and get their backpack wet. Whaaaaa?! So thoughtful and considerate!

Love,

Mom

Weighing In

Dear Mackenzie,

Cute things you said today:

-"How many dollars am I?" when you stepped on my scale

-The word "bananee" instead of "banana"

-"You're the best mama ever!" while running over to me with your eyes bright, your nose scrunched and your mouth stretched into a huge smile

Love,

Mom

Snack Attack

Dear Mackenzie,

I was in the middle of cooking dinner and you asked me, "Can I have a snack?" I replied (slightly annoyed, because I hate when you kids ask for snacks while I'm cooking dinner), "Can I put the chicken in the oven first?" You answered, "I asked if I could have a snack. I didn't say you have to give me one. I didn't say, 'Give me a snack right now!'"

Point taken, little girl.

Love,

Mom

Silenced

Dear Mackenzie,

Last night, I was talking at dinner but you wanted to speak, so you interrupted me and said, "Mama, can you stop talking?"

You're lucky you're so cute.

Love,

Mom

No Treats for Mackenzie

Dear Mackenzie,

Your school had a bake sale yesterday but I didn't give you any money for it. This morning, you told me, "Mama, you forgot to give me money for treats. My friends bought treats but I couldn't buy any treats. And when they were eating them, I sat at my table and didn't have anything to eat." OMG. I gave you pancakes topped with chocolate chips for breakfast and packed a fun-size Twix bar with your lunch today. #momguilt

Love,

Mom

Comfort Zone

Dear Mackenzie,

I got upset at Daddy yesterday and went into the kitchen to calm down. You came in after me, held my hand and asked me quietly, "Do you need a hug? Do you need a cuddle on the couch?" And just like that, I felt so much better. Thank you for looking out for me, sweetie!

Love,

Mom

Heavy Lifting

Dear Mackenzie,

Oh, how I love that you still always ask me, "Can I have uppee?" It's definitely getting difficult for me to carry you for very long but I can still do it! And tonight while I was cooking dinner, you asked if we could do that thing that we used to do all the time, where I stand at the stove, put one leg on the stepstool and hold you on top of my leg so that you can help me stir. Yikes, you were weighing my leg down quite a bit tonight but I still held you up! And at dinner, I still let you sit in my lap and eat even though you. Are. So. Heavy. But even though you are heavy now, one day you will be *too* heavy and then I can't hold you at all. That day better not come too soon.

Love,

Mom

Where Are You Christmas?

Dear Mackenzie,

And just like that, Thanksgiving is over and we're looking ahead to Christmas. And Christmas through kids' eyes is always the best! Say what you will about the consumerism and overspending but it is so sweet to see how excited little (and big!) kids get about decorations and cookies and gifts. We started decorating the house for Christmas yesterday and when we began placing the garlands and bows and bells around the living and dining rooms, your eyes lit up and you shouted, "This is the best day ever!" You were so happy to hang ornaments on the tree and when I turned on the Christmas tree lights, your eyes widened so much and you let out the cutest "Oooh!" You have already listened to my Christmas playlist about a dozen times and the way you smile and bounce-dance to "Last Christmas" is so adorable! You have proclaimed that you like Christmas more than Thanksgiving and Halloween and have already asked me a few times, "Is tomorrow Christmas?!" Oh sweetie, I think this may be a very long month for you! I can't wait to see your reaction when you wake up on December 25 and I tell you that it's finally Christmas morning!

Love,

Mom

It Is Written

Dear Mackenzie,

Yesterday, we went to a children's clothing store to exchange a too-small outfit you received for your birthday. The owner didn't have your size but said she would order it for you and call me when it arrived. When I wrote down my name and number, you pointed at the paper and asked me, "Is that how you write your name?" I said it was and then you asked if you could write your name. I said sure and handed you the pen. Then I watched as you wrote "Mack" all by yourself! You paused and I said, "E." You wrote a lower-case e and asked, "What comes after the e?" I spelled the rest of your name for you and you wrote each letter perfectly! Just two months of school and you can already write your entire name all on your own! I am so proud of you!

Love,

Mom

"B"-ing Amazing

Dear Mackenzie,

One of the things I would tell a new mom is that your kids won't want to eat something until you are about to eat it yourself. There have been so many times where I've given you or your siblings a dish of food and you don't want to touch it but then if I serve myself the exact same thing, you are climbing into my lap, opening your mouth as wide as you can and asking me for a bite (or several). That happened last week when you'd already eaten your dinner. Before dinner, you had rejected my offer of hard-boiled eggs. After dinner, I peeled an egg for me and as soon as I pulled off the very last piece of shell, you materialized in the kitchen out of nowhere, saw the egg and looked up at me with big, puppy-dog eyes. 

Me: Mackenzie, do you want the egg?

You: No, I was just looking at it.

Me: Do you want it? You can have it.

You (quietly): Do you want it?

Me: <sigh> No, I want you to have it.

You: Thank you!

You took the egg to your spot at the dining table and happily ate it. Then we repeated the above scene after I'd peeled a second egg, also originally intended for myself!

Motherhood often means getting to eat last (if at all) but you are worth it, baby girl! I love you so much and would give you so much more than just my hard-boiled eggs! And I am so lucky to have such a sweet, thoughtful, independent girl! A few days ago, I was unloading the washing machine and you were laying on your stomach on the floor behind me with your head cupped in your hands, just looking at me. I asked you why you were laying there and you said, "I want to help you carry the basket. I am waiting to help you. I like helping you." And later, when I was putting a clean bedsheet on my bed, you ran into my room, grabbed a corner of the sheet and exclaimed, "I can help you!"

You just turned 4 years old and you are already such a big girl. Last night after your shower, I went into the bathroom to hang up your towel and when I got back to your room, you had already gotten a pair of pajamas out of your pj drawer, which I hadn't realized that you are now tall enough to reach. When I said I was surprised that you could reach that second drawer, you said, "I can reach up to the second drawer, pull it open and take out my pajamas by myself. I can brush my hair by myself, I can brush my teeth by myself. I'm a big girl!" Oh my goodness, yes, you are! And today, you impressed me more when I was again unloading laundry (sigh, always laundry) and you just said, "A 'B' begins with a straight line and has two circles." Smart girl!

Love,

Mom

Big Chess

Dear Mackenzie,

We drove by a cemetery this morning and you don't know what a cemetery is, so when you saw the tall headstones topped with crosses and angels, you said, "Oooh! Big chess!" And I know the list of contenders is probably not that long but omg, cutest reaction to a cemetery ever!!

Love,

Mom

You're Four Years Old!

Dear Mackenzie,

"Today is my daughter's fourth birthday. When she came to me this morning, I didn't recognize her. I had never seen her be four." #dadjoke

Happy fourth birthday to my fourth kid! You had been looking forward to your birthday all week and kept asking me, "Mama, how many days until my birthday?" When you woke up this morning and saw Daddy or one of your siblings, you exclaimed, "It's my birthday!" And when Second GuhGaw led you into the dining room where you saw a table full of balloons and presents, your whole face lit up! I love how kids are super excited for birthdays because I love celebrating birthdays! And I had so much fun celebrating yours today, Kenziebear!

Since you were born right before the crazy coronavirus pandemic, we weren't able to have big parties for your first three birthdays but you are getting FOUR celebrations this year! Today, you had a party in school (with chocolate doughnuts and apple juice!), a party after school at Eddie's Sweet Shop (with ice cream sundaes!) AND a party at home (with homemade chocolate cake!). This Saturday, you are going to have a birthday play date with three of your BFFs at Kid's Play World. We are clearly making up for lost time!

You had so much fun at your ice cream party! Current classmates from Mercy and former classmates from Community House came and you and your buddies had a blast eating ice cream and playing in the shop (which was thankfully not that busy, so we practically had the whole place to ourselves). Everyone brought you presents and wished you a happy birthday and you had such a big, happy grin on your face the entire afternoon! I could tell that you felt so special--and you deserved it! (Btw, you were so busy playing with your friends at the ice cream shop, you only had maybe three bites of your sundae before you dashed off. With your sweet tooth, I was shocked. Shocked! JieJie ended up eating the rest of your ice cream, haha!) After the ice cream party, our family went out for pizza and then home for cake. I guess it was a good birthday because when I was helping you get ready for bed, you asked me hopefully, "Am I going to have another birthday?"

There were several other cute quotes from you today, too. When you saw your gifts this morning, you jumped up and shouted, "This is my great birthday!" On the way to Eddie's, we were walking behind your friend Gianna, who lives down the block from Eddie's. I said that because she lives so close, she can get ice cream every day. You replied, "But that's not healthy. You can't eat ice cream every day. You'll get a stummy ache." And when we came home after pizza and you saw the giant Bluey balloons we'd gotten for you, you had such a cheeky grin and exclaimed, "This is the best birthday!" Yes! That was what I was going for!

You are such a sweet, funny, smart girl! Here are some things about Mackenzie, age 4:

-You didn't really recognize any letters before school started but that has drastically changed over the past couple months. You definitely know the letter M since that's what your name starts with and every time you see one, you point to it and shout, "M!" You also recognize many of the other letters in your name and have been working hard at school learning how to write your name. You have such a long name that when the school year started, your teacher only had you practice writing "Mack" at first, but you have since moved on to writing your whole name now. When we named you, I always knew you'd have a bigger challenge than your siblings when it came to learning how to write your name but you are mastering it quickly!

-You are taking Spanish in school and already know some basic words like "hola," "buenos dias" and how to count up to five.

-It's been a little hard for you to wake up at 6:30am every day for school, but you do like going. When you had a bad-sounding cough yesterday, I kept you home and you told me, "I don't want to miss school." When your siblings came home from school in the afternoon and you realized the entire day had passed, you asked me if school was over. I said yes and you actually started tearing up and repeated that you didn't want to miss school. Thankfully, your cough was gone today and you were able to return to school today for your party!

-Your drawings now consist of recognizable human figures with heads, eyes, arms and legs, instead of just a bunch of scribbled lines. I don't even know when you made that transition but it's pretty cool to see! And one time when you showed me a picture and I asked you what the circle in the corner was, you replied, "It's a random thing."

-You say other cute things like "Do you remember yesterday a long time ago?"

-When you want your siblings to give something to you, you tell them, "Sharing is for caring!"

-During recess one day, you found a shiny, gold-colored, still-wrapped Mickey Mouse coin on the playground and your first instinct was not to keep this unexpected treasure but to show it to your teacher and tell her that someone lost it. Knowing that the coin would never find its way back to its owner, your teacher said you could keep it. Thank you for being so honest, baby girl!

-You are so well-behaved and do such a good job following the rules, at home and at school. You clean up your toys, eat dinner, get dressed, etc. whenever I tell you to without much complaint. Sometimes, you do too good of a job following the rules. One day, you told me that you were crying during rest time at school and when I asked why, you said you had to go to the bathroom but your teacher had told you guys not to talk so you didn't ask her if you could go. Oh, sweetie! We had a talk then about when it is okay not to listen!

-You like to play shop and are always in your room arranging your toys and setting up different kinds of stores, like a mochi shop, ice cream shop or jewelry shop. You also like to set up a "library" in your room.

-You are SO loud. I can always hear you clomping up and down the stairs. And in a house full of older siblings, you make SURE we hear you when you talk, even if someone is already talking. You need to work on waiting to speak while someone else is speaking but I do admire your assertiveness!

-You are by far the most independent of all my kids. You always insist on doing things by yourself and sometimes it takes all of my energy to grit my teeth and let you because it takes so long. But again, I admire you for taking charge.

-I also admire you for your helpfulness. You constantly rush to assist me with things, whether it is getting something out of the fridge while I am cooking, pouring ingredients into the bowl when I'm baking, running to get my water bottle from another room or carrying the laundry back to my room. Thank you so much for being such an awesome helper!

-Your loves: the color purple; playing with your dolls and dollhouses; playing in your play kitchen; dressing up with headbands, sunglasses, capes and bags; wearing dresses; dancing, watching Bluey and K-pop music videos (whenever you hear one of your favorites start to play on my computer, you FLY into my room to watch it--your current faves are "3D" by Jungkook and "Cupid" by Fifty Fifty); eating chocolate!

-You have a big sweet tooth but also a discerning palette because you reject some desserts when they are "too sweet." You love strawberries and blueberries, too, but even those can sometimes be "too sweet."

-You have the BEST dimpled smile and adorable giggle! You are so playful and joyful and I am so, so, SO grateful for you. Happy birthday, baby girl!

Love,

Mom

Good Things

Dear Mackenzie,

You were helping me make your birthday cake (because your birthday is tomorrow, squeeeee!!!) and as I poured the batter into the pan, you said matter-of-factly, "You're a good baker." And when I was filling up the tub for your bubble bath later, you stated, "You're a good mama." Awww, thank you for the compliments, sweet girl!

Love,

Mom

Spice It Up

Dear Mackenzie,

You were helping me make pumpkin pasta for dinner tonight and when I said I needed the cinnamon, you said, "I can get the cimmanim!" Cimmanim! So cute!

Love,

Mom

Sweet Suggestion

Dear Mackenzie,

Yesterday was one of those marathon housework days (I had to Swiffer the floors, wash and fold two loads of laundry, clean the stove, etc., on top of feeding children, nagging them to study for tests, reminding them to pick up their toys over and over, etc.) and by the evening, I was wiped. I guess you sensed this because you came up to me and asked gently, "Mama, do you need me to do anything for you?" Just asking me that made me feel so much better! I told you, "Thank you, but no. I have to go cook dinner." You replied, "I can cook dinner so that you can sit down and rest." Thank you, sweet girl, for being so thoughtful! I love you so much!

Love,

Mom

Knee Pain Relief

Dear Mackenzie,

At dinner tonight, I stood up from my chair and banged my knee really hard on the leg of the dining table. I winced in pain and you immediately rubbed my leg and yelled at my knee, "Go away! Go away, boo boo!" OMG!!! How are you so cute?!?

Love,

Mom

Cream of the Crop

Dear Mackenzie,

At art camp this summer, JieJie made a doll of herself out of yarn, fabric and popsicle sticks. You were playing with it and said, "I'm Lila, I wear crop tops." Hahaha! Yep, you captured all of JieJie's essence right there!

Love,

Mom

More Sweet Than Sour

Dear Mackenzie,

Please never stop pronouncing lemonade "lemolay."

Love,

Mom

My Perfect Girl

Dear Mackenzie,

Recent cuteness:

-We were watching a show the other day where the male character stormed away from the female character and you asked why he was mad. I told you that it was because the guy liked the girl and he was upset that she didn't like him back. You asked me why she didn't like him. I explained that you don't get to pick who you like, you just like who you like. You were silent for a few seconds and then said, "I like Mama."

-You have started giving me these prolonged kisses on my cheek where you keep your lips on my cheek and make exaggerated kissing noises. We have named then "juicy kisses" and when Daddy asks for one, you say, "Only Mama gets juicy kisses!"

-You love playing with your Calico Critters, small dolls and DC Super Hero Girls action figures in the three (yes, three!) dollhouses set up on top of your bookshelf. And I love listening to you while you play with them. The other day, you sang, "When you're mad, you stomp stomp stomp" and then you made Supergirl stomp down the stairs.

-A couple of nights ago, I was at the other end of the second floor but I could hear you in your room singing at the top of your lungs the song "Break Free." You only knew the one line from the chorus and just kept singing it over and over but you were singing it so loudly with such carefree abandon, which was just so cute!

-You have devised a stalling tactic when you don't want me to leave your room after I tuck you in at night--as I get ready to walk out of the room, you say, "Mama, I have a question" or "One more thing . . ." You don't always have a question or one more thing to tell me, but making me wait while you think of one buys you a few more minutes with me. Smart girl! Especially when you say, "Mama, one more thing . . . um, uh . . . you're beautiful!" Hahaha!

-Every night, I put you to bed in your room. Every night around 2 or 3am, you wake up, stomp down the hallway and crawl into my bed. You always climb in from Daddy's side of the bed, crawl across his legs and wiggle your way in between the two of us. The other night was a little different, though, because you put your arm around me and asked, "Mama, can you hug me?" Of course, sweetie! Anytime!

-You are a hefty 40-pound kid at this point and I am an aging 42-year-old mom, but I can still pick you up and hold you straight up in the air (for several seconds anyway). I did this the other day and said, "I can still pick you all the way up!" You replied, "Yes, it's because I'm perfect." I think you meant that you are still the perfect size for me to do that but yes, you are also absolutely perfect!

Love,

Mom

Told You So

Dear Mackenzie,

Your sassiness brings me such amusement! Overheard last night:

Second GuhGaw: I told you to finish your banana!

You: I told you to stop telling me what to do!

Hahaha!

Love,

Mom

Ms. Muscles

Dear Mackenzie,

I was putting groceries in the fridge the other day and you, as you often are, were very eager to assist. ("I can help you!" is a common phrase of yours!) There were two boxes of tofu on the counter and I said, "You can hand me those, and you can do it one at a time if it's too hard to pick up both of them." You replied in your usual can-do attitude, "I can carry them, I have muscles!"

Another day, I gave you a big, long hug and said, "I'm so happy I have a wonderful daughter." You hugged me back tightly and said, "I'm so glad I have a beautiful mama."

You are the best!

Love,

Mom

Rain Date

Dear Mackenzie,

While JieJie and Second GuhGaw were at math tutoring yesterday, I took you to a coffee shop to hang out until they were done. We sat at a table and when I looked at you at one point, you had your hoodie on, you were chewing a piece of chocolate chip cookie and you were bopping to the music playing over the stereo system. You just looked so comfortable, unselfconscious and CUTE! You also looked adorable later on, when you were clutching your umbrella and charging through the rain with a big smile on your face. I love my little Kenziebear!

Love,

Mom

Charge!!!

Dear Mackenzie,

You were playing in the living room when I did my squat stance at the end of the dining room. When you saw me, you smiled and said, "Yay, run hug!" Then you went to the opposite end of the living room and charged at me with your arms pumping, your feet stomping and the BIGGEST grin on your face! I love it! Even though your running charges kind of scare me a little now, hahaha! I also love it when you want to increase the distance of the charge and tell me, "Go backer! Go a little more backer!" So cute!

Love,

Mom

Beautiful Mama

Dear Mackenzie,

When I called your name the other day, you replied, "Yes, beautiful Mama?"

And when I put hydrocortisone cream on your mosquito bite, you told me, "You're the best mama ever." 

Oh sweet girl, you make me so happy!

Love,

Mom

Independent Crafts

Dear Mackenzie,

I boiled dumplings for your lunch today and when you saw me scooping them, you said, "I thought you use that spoon for oint-moy. Oint-moy. Ugh, I can't say it good." Hahaha, you were trying to say "oatmeal." So cute!

This afternoon, we made crafts and you impressed me when you began making entire crafts all on your own! First, we made a tissue-paper star and an opera mask where I did most of the work but then when you said you wanted to make the paper bag owl next, you did it entirely by yourself--you figured out the illustrated instructions, gathered the necessary components and even unpeeled several squares of double-sided tape and placed them in the correct spots (note: your older siblings have trouble unpeeling that same tape and often ask me to do it for them!). When you finished the owl, you were so proud! Then you set your sights on the paper bag bunny, which required a lot more double-sided tape squares. You said you were tired and I told you to take a break but you pushed through (like you did with scootering yesterday) and finished the bunny all on your own, too! You are so awesome!

On another note, whenever you see a group of objects, you like to turn them into representatives of our family. For instance, there are several plants on our kitchen shelf and you say, "The tall one is Daddy, the medium one is Mama, the tiny one is me and the other ones are Connor, Lila and Sawyer." When you finished the paper bag crafts today, you said, "The owl is Daddy, the unicorn [which we made together on another day] is me and the bunny is Lila." It's a sweet thing that you always do!

Love,

Mom

Girlboss

Dear Mackenzie,

I love your take-charge attitude. You're always jumping at the chance to help me do things, whether it's carrying a load of laundry or turning the blender on when I'm making smoothies, and your most-uttered phrases are "I do it!" and "I can do it by myself!" I also love your determination. I took you out today so that you could scooter around the neighborhood and we ended up scootering to the nearby school, which is half a mile from our house. You played on the playground for a bit and when we headed home, you said your legs were tired. I said you could walk instead but you insisted on scootering all the way home. Even when we got to the last block, which gave you trouble because it's long and uphill, you pushed yourself to keep going until we made it to our walkway. I am so impressed by you!

Here are more things I love about you:

-One of your favorite things to do right now is play store. You spend hours carefully arranging your toys, books, jewelry and stuffed animals around your room to set up your "shop."

-You also like to play airport (you went on your first flight in April and was definitely been bitten by the travel bug!) and pretend you are the pilot. The last time we played and we "arrived" at our destination, you bowed regally and said to me, "I can take you anywhere you want to go."

-When I got a cut on my finger, you asked if you could see it. I held my finger up to you and you said, "Let me take a look," squinted at my finger, then put on these plastic lens-less play glasses and squinted at my finger again, just like an old woman would!

-When I explain something to you, you often reply, "Oh, I see."

-Sometimes you pronounce "yes" like "yesh" and it' is just so cute.

-Sometimes when I ask you to do something, you say "Okay, Mama" in the sweetest, softest voice.

-One of your favorite things is when I squat down on one side of the room and you run to me from the other side and jump into my arms. Sometimes, you'll just be going about your day but as soon as you see me in a squat position facing you, you smile, stop whatever you're doing, scurry to the other end of the room and charge at me with such glee! Once I catch you, you often shout, "Again!" Strangely, if I count down "3-2-1," you always tell me, "Don't count!" These days, I have to really brace myself because you are getting so big and strong and I don't want you to knock me over! 

-You burp the *loudest* burps! It's truly amazing that such big belches can come from such a tiny person. Your burps are louder than anyone's I've ever heard!

-Our conversation this morning:

Me: Do you want a bagel?

You: Yes.

Me: With cream cheese?
You: Yes.

Me: With everything seasoning.

You: That's correct.

In other news, we went over to our neighbor's house and you held her new three-week-old baby. The smile on your face when Connie first placed him in your arms! You looked so happy! But you couldn't hold him for long because you said he was too heavy. Then you asked why he was heavy. You have been used to holding your featherlight dolls and stuffies!

Love,

Mom

I'm Blue

Dear Mackenzie,

Whenever you finish your food, you proudly announce, "I finish all my [whatever you just ate]. See?" And then you flex your arms to show me the muscles you instantaneously grew from eating all of your food! So cute! Also cute is that whenever I ask you if you need anything, you say, "I just need a hug from Mama." I will hug you anytime, Kenziebear! Picking you up, though, is a different story because you are HEAVY now. I can barely make it up the stairs with you in my arms and am definitely winded by the time I get to the top. You are such a big girl already!

And you are also such a fun, happy little kid! You are always singing and dancing enthusiastically (your current favorite songs are "I'm Good" by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha and "Dear Future Husband" by Meghan Trainor) and cheerfully running around the house in one of your amazing get-ups (a common outfit for you consists of a headband, sunglasses, LOTS of bracelets, necklaces and anklets, winter gloves, one of your princess dresses or your Wonder Woman costume, several purses AND high heels that belong to JieJie's Build-A-Bear--they don't fit you at all but you manage to tiptoe up and down the hallways in the them like a runway model!). You still LOVE chocolate and eat it as much as you can. One night after dinner, Daddy was looking in the pantry for something sweet, so you showed him a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels. When Daddy said he didn't want them, your eyes widened and you pointed to the bag and said in all seriousness, "It's CHOCOLATE." You couldn't understand how someone was rejecting chocolate! After chocolate, your next love is the show Bluey. We'd never watched it before but when we were vacationing in Hilton Head over spring break, it's all that was playing on Disney when we were in the hotel room and you (and Daddy!) got hooked. You used to love Peppa Pig, then Turning Red and now it's all "Can I watch Bluey? Can I watch Bluey?" It is a funny show, though, and waaaaaay less annoying than that British pig!

Love,

Mom

Hugging Sticks

Dear Mackenzie,

When I went to your school today to pick you up, you and your classmates were playing outside on the playground. When you saw me, you ran to the fence and shouted, "Hi, Mama! Hi, Mama! Mama, hi!" After 30 seconds of this, your teacher told you to go play. Ten minutes later, when she brought you all out for dismissal, she told me, "After I told Mackenzie to go play, she said to me, 'My mama is so beautiful.'" Whaaaaaaaat?! So sweet!

On the walk home, you found two sticks, one longer than the other. You said, "The big one is Mama, the little one is me." Then you made the sticks interact: "Hi! Hi! Hug hug hug."

I. Cannot. Handle. All. The. CUTENESS!!!

Love,

Mom

Excited Reunion

Dear Mackenzie,

I had a hair appointment in Manhattan today so Daddy took you and your siblings out around Madison Square Park while I had my hair done. When I said bye to you, you kept hugging and kissing me as if I was leaving you for three weeks and not just three hours. And then when we reunited afterward, you shouted joyfully, "Hi Mama! I'm so excited to see you again!" Thank you, sweetie, for always making me feel so loved!

Love,

Mom

Beautiful Day

Dear Mackenzie,

This morning, I was walking down the stairs when you came after me and said, "Wait for me, beautiful mommy." Whoa, when you ask me like that, I will definitely wait for you! And then later after school, when I bent down to help you with your pant leg, you looked into my eyes and said, "Mama, you look beautiful." Thank you so much, sweetie! You sure do know how to make a person feel good!

Love,

Mom

Friendly Encounters

Dear Mackenzie,

You seem to be very preoccupied with the concept of friendship lately. Here are some things you said to me recently:

-"When we get home, can we draw a picture together because we're good friends?"

-"Why you not share with me? I thought we were friends."

-"You don't have to say sorry. It was on accident. We still good friends."

So cute!

Love,

Mom

Thoughtful Gesture

Dear Mackenzie,

We were playing in the attic today and when I sat down in the rocking chair, I asked you to bring over a small chair so that I could put my feet on it. Not only did you carry the chair over, you made sure to place it so that my feet were exactly on top of it AND you brought over a toy box, put it right next to the rocking chair and put my water bottle on top of it so that I could easily reach it. You are so thoughtful!

Love,

Mom

Milk Does A Body Good

Dear Mackenzie,

Yesterday, when I asked you if you had finished your milk, you said "yes," then flexed your arms, grunted and said, "See? Muscles?" So cute!

Today, when I told you to come down from the attic to brush your teeth, you weren't happy about having to stop playing. As you grumpily walked down the stairs, you said, "Mama, I'm angry about you!" You were kind of yelling at me but still so cute!

Love,

Mom

Tummy Tickles

Dear Mackenzie,

This morning, you were sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor while I was packing Lila's lunch and singing the CUTEST song that you made up: "I want Mommy, yes I do, yes I do. I want Mommy, yes I do, yes I do. I love Mommy, yes I do, yes I do. I love Mommy, yes I do, YES I DO!" It made me smile so much!

Another thing that makes me smile is when I spray the shower head on your tummy during bath time. You've been asking me to tickle your stomach at the same time I spray it and you giggle the CUTEST giggles because it tickles so much. I stop when I think you've had enough but you always demand, "Tickle me again!" You love it! And I love hearing you laugh so much because you love it!

Love,

Mom

Questions & Answers

Dear Mackenzie,

I asked you some questions for fun and here are your answers:

How old am I? I don't know.

What is my favorite color? Purple and blue and pink.

What is my job? To protect me and make art with me.

What do I cook the best? Mushroom pasta soup.

What do you like to do with me? Cook.

Why do you love me? Because you're the best and I love you and you look beautiful.

What is something I say a lot? I love you.
What makes me happy? Hugs.
What makes me sad? Connor.
How tall am I? Six feet.

What am I good at? Protecting me from bad guys.
What is my favorite thing to do? Make art.
What is my favorite food? Pasta.
What is my favorite drink? Soda and oil.
If I could go anywhere, where would I go? To the hospital.
How do I do that bothers you? Nothing. Connor bothers me.
What is my favorite TV show? Ted Lasso.
What is my favorite music to listen to? BTS and 'Ackstreet Boys
How much do you love me? A lot.

Love,

Mom

Biker Chick

Dear Mackenzie,

On this Mother's Day, I am super thankful that, as crazy it was to have a fourth kid, Daddy and I decided to have a fourth kid because that fourth kid is pretty incredible! You are kind, thoughtful, silly, loud (oh my god, SO LOUD), brave, independent, friendly, bright, perceptive, beautiful--just so many amazing things and I am so grateful that I get to be your mom and watch you grow.

And it really is fulfilling to see you accomplish things both big and small. Yesterday, you started riding a big-kid bike with pedals and training wheels (you'd just been using your balance bike before that). Initially, I thought it was way too early to put you on a bigger bike and that you wouldn't be able to ride it but after an hour of Daddy helping you and pushing you around the park, you did it! You were able to pedal all on your own and even when I tried to help you, you said proudly, "I do it myself." I'm so sorry I doubted you. You are a rock star!

Love,

Mom

Whobody Said That?

Dear Mackenzie,

I love how you say "lemolay" instead of "lemonade" and that you still say "whobody" instead of just "who." And it's cute the way you pronounce your school name: "Cyoomee House" (Community House). I also love that when you called out to JieJie and Second GuhGaw when we were walking home, you shouted, "Sibalings! Wait for me!" In other lingual news, you have a classmate named Amelia but you used to pronounce it "Millia." Then last week, you were able to say her name correctly and when you heard yourself, you were so psyched! "I say 'Amelia!' I can say it now!"

Love,

Mom

Just Chill

Dear Mackenzie,

When I was bathing you tonight, you kept drinking the faucet water. I kept telling you to stop doing that and after the third time I told you to stop, you said, "Chill, Mama." Excuse me??? Haha!

Love,
Mom

Warming Up

Dear Mackenzie,

This past Monday was pretty bad for me in terms of tons of housework, fighting kids and kids who wouldn't listen so at the end of the night, I collapsed onto my workout mat in the fetal position. When you saw me, you covered me with the big Harry Potter robe that you love to dress up in and said, "I tuck you in." When I eventually got up, you put your arm around me, leaned your head against mine and said with a big sigh, "It been a long day. It been a long day."

Tonight, we were cuddling in your bed after I read to you when you rubbed your hand along my bare arms and said, "You cold? I warm you up." And then you snuggled in closer to me.

I love you so so SO much, Kenziebear! You are the sweetest!

Love,

Mom

Third Mama

Dear Mackenzie,

Daddy and I call JieJie "Second Mama" because she is so responsible and helpful and you are definitely "Third Mama" because you are also responsible, helpful--and bossy! You and Second GuhGaw were fighting over something tonight and he hit you. I called him into my room to scold him and then told him to apologize to you and give you a hug. After he did so, you pointed your little finger at him and said, "You better not do that again, Thawyer! Do you understand? You better not do that or Mama gonna take away your Minecraft shirt [which he was wearing] and your Minecraft Legos and your books and your paintings and your toys. Be better!" I had to try with all my might not to smile because it was so dang cute! Nobody better mess with you!

Love,

Mom

Little Shopaholic

Dear Mackenzie,

A lot of times when I pick you up from school, you ask me, "Did you bring your credit card? Are we going shopping?" And if we do go shopping, you love wandering up and down the aisles and looking at everything. When I took you to Bath & Body Works today, you actually kept plopping bottles of lotion and shower gel into my basket. And much to the delight of the B&BW employee, you shouted, "Let's buy more!" Oh man. I smell trouble along with the strawberry-scented body creams!

Love,

Mom

The Marrying Kind

Dear Mackenzie,

This afternoon, you reached up, put your arms around my neck, kissed me and said, "When I grow up, I want to marry you." So sweet!

Love,

Mom

Breathing Better

Dear Mackenzie,

This morning, I was doing the very glamorous job of clearing the boogers out of your nose. You blew your nose several times but there was a stubborn piece of snot that just would not come out so I had to use a Q-tip to scrape it out. It took a couple minutes but when I finally got it, you took a deep breath and said, "I can breathe better now. You're the best mama ever." Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for saying that, sweetie! Being appreciated makes all the icky parts of motherhood so worth it.

Love,

Mom

Faulty Matters

Dear Mackenzie,

You are so mature for your age and sometimes you say things that are so grown-up. Example: Your older siblings were playing Monopoly and wouldn't let you play. You came into the kitchen upset over being excluded. I hugged you and said, "I'm sorry they are being mean." You replied, "You don't have to say sorry. It's not your fault. It's their fault." So perceptive!

Love,

Mom

(Not) Quiet As a Mouse

Dear Mackenzie,

While I was doing laundry the other day, you were marching rather forcefully around the hallway in a circle and singing/yelling at the top of your lungs. The funny part was what you were singing: "Tiptoe tiptoe like a little mouse! Tiptoe tiptoe back into your house!" It was all "TIPTOE [stomp stomp] like a little MOUSE!! TIPTOE TIPTOE [stomp stomp] back into [stomp stomp] YOUR HOUSE!" I don't think you quite understood the lyrics, hahahaha!

Love,

Mom

Mama's Booboo

Dear Mackenzie,

Cute things you did/said today:

-We were both brushing our teeth while standing next to each other at the tub this morning when you reached over and took my hand in yours. Then we brushed our teeth while holding hands and it was just the sweetest moment.

-I asked you a series of questions for fun and here were your answers:

What is your name? Mackenzie

How old are you? Three

What is your favorite color? Purple

What is your favorite food? Staw-bees (strawberries)

What is your favorite toy? Peppa Pig

What is your favorite book? Olibeeah (Olivia)

What is your favorite show? Mickey Mouse

What is your favorite thing to do? Hug Mama (awwww!)

-After I tucked you into bed tonight, you came out and told me, "There was a booger. I got it out. I threw it in the garbage. [pause] I used my finger." I said good job on getting the booger out but you had to wash your hands. As you walked to the bathroom, you turned your head and asked over your shoulder with a smile, "Okay, and then you hug me? We can hug?"

-When you popped out of bed yet again several minutes later (I put you to bed at 8pm tonight and you pretty much got out of bed every five minutes for one thing or another--OMG, you literally just got out of bed and came into my room AGAIN as I was typing this sentence and it is 9:17! Gah!), I had a tiny cut on my elbow and you came with me to get a Band-Aid. As I was getting one out of the closet, you went to go tell Daddy, "Daddy! Mama has a booboo! Your wife has a booboo!" Hahahaha! After I put on the Band-Aid, we were cuddling in your bed and you said, "I'm sorry, Mama. I'm sorry you have a booboo and that it beed [bled]. It will feel better in the morning. Sometimes I get booboos and they beed and I put on a Band-Aid and then they feel better." Awww, thank you for comforting me, sweetie!

Love,

Mom

Sibling Rivalry

Dear Mackenzie,

Ohmygod, you and Second GuhGaw were fighting SO MUCH today. Fighting over who gets the toys, fighting over how to play with the toys, fighting over who should clean up the toys. There was so much yelling, both between you two and me at you two. At one point, I asked you, "Can you guys please stop fighting? I don't like yelling this much. Yelling doesn't make me happy." You replied, "Yelling doesn't make you happy? Being happy makes you happy?" And then you started making silly faces at me and said, "My faces will make you happy." And you know what, they did! Thank you, sweetheart! But you still need to stop fighting so much with your brother.

Love,

Mom

So Fresh So Clean

Dear Mackenzie,

Today's Mackenzie funny: You were talking to Daddy and you said, "I clean. I smell good. I brush my teeth."

Also, I love the way you say "pway" instead of "play."

Love,

Mom

A New Style

Dear Mackenzie,

Today's Mackenzie funny: You found an old tutu skirt of yours and for some reason, decided to take off your shirt and put the tutu around your chest. I found you like that in my closet, looking at your reflection and cracking up! You're so silly!

Love,

Mom

Ithaca Memories

Dear Mackenzie,

I was helping you get ready for bed tonight when you asked me, "Remember when we went on acation [that's how you always pronounce "vacation"] and we played that game with the balls on the table?" You were talking about our trip to Ithaca, where we stayed in a house with a pool table, and I was floored because that was last July and how did you remember that?! You were only two years old! When I told Daddy what you recalled, he told you that that was our vacation to Ithaca and asked you what color the house was. You answered correctly, "Blue!" Whoa, good memory!

And later, when I was reading to you, I coughed and you held out your arm and asked, "You okay? You want to cough into my arm?" Such a sweetheart! Also sweet is whenever I ask you if you're okay and you reply matter-of-factly, "I fine."

Love,

Mom

Busy Girl

Dear Mackenzie,

You always want to help me sort and fold the laundry so I asked you to organize the load of socks I washed. You spent several minutes putting them in random piles and then you walked away to play with your toys. I said, "I thought you wanted to help me with the laundry." You replied, "I'm busy. I have a lot of work to do. I can't help you with the laundry right now." Um, okay.

Love,

Mom

Spongy Tofu

Dear Mackenzie,

Daddy was scrolling through things to watch on Hulu and something caught your eye. You asked, "Can we watch the tofu man?" Daddy was confused and you directed him, "Go back up, go back up." He scrolled up and you said, "There! The tofu man." When we looked on the screen, we saw what you were looking at: SpongeBob SquarePants! Hahahaha! I guess he kind of resembles a block of tofu?

Love,

Mom

Loud Steps

Dear Mackenzie,

As I type this, you are using a wet washcloth to wipe down my desk, chair and floor mat. I asked you why you are cleaning and you said, "Everything is so dusty. I want to make it nice and clean. If there is a dust on it, you clean it up. Your floor is dirty. You have to clean the dust off."

In other cuteness news, I was washing my hands and you were standing next to me making silly faces at your reflection on the silver faucet head. Hahaha! 

And in loudness news, I feel as if I came back from Miami and you now THUNDER through the hallways. You used to pitter-patter across the floors when going from room to room but now your feet go STOMP-STOMP-STOMP. And when you go up and down the stairs, the THUMP-THUMP-THUMP sounds as if an elephant is clomping around, not a 3-year-old! Dude!

Love,

Mom

A New BFF

Dear Mackenzie,

I love the way you say "you-corn" instead of "unicorn" and the way you say "yeyoh" rather than "yellow." I like that you have started saying, "I want Mama Uppee Time." And when I was washing my hands tonight, you said, "I turn off the water when you done because I'm a good little helper." Yes, you are!

I also love the way that you have bonded with your classmate Emma. She joined the class in January and you two immediately became buddies. When she cried on her first day, you hugged her and gave her a cup of water. On her second day when you saw her waiting to go inside the school, you went right up to her and held her hand. We went over to her house for a play date a couple of weeks ago and you two were soooo cute together, holding hands while you walked around the playroom and you leading Emma around because you guys were pretending she was your pet cat. A few nights after the play date, you were looking out my bedroom window when you started crying softly and saying, "I want Emma. I want Emma." You don't even do that for Daddy when he is away on business trips and I was so surprised and saddened. I texted Emma's mom to tell her and ask if you and Emma could do FaceTime but Emma was already asleep. However, her mom told me that when Emma went to bed that night, she was crying inexplicably and her mom had to hold her; she said it was odd because Emma had never really cried like that at bedtime before. When Emma's mom told me that, I got goosebumps! What a strong bond!

Last week was mid-winter break, so you didn't go to school or see your friends. You returned to school today and when we were about a block away, you saw Emma. Your face broke out into a big smile and you started running so quickly toward her--I had to hustle to keep up with you and make sure you didn't fall or bolt into the street! Once you crossed the street, you two ran toward each other and shared the CUTEST hug!! I couldn't see your face but Emma had the happiest smile on hers. The whole thing was so adorable that a woman standing on the same corner and who we don't even know tried to get out her phone to record the moment for us (she wasn't quick enough to capture it, though, darn it!). Omg, so. Friggen. Sweet!

Love,

Mom

Pig Tales

Dear Mackenzie,

Currently, you are really into Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems. Your favorite ones are Happy Pig Day and Let's Go For a Drive, which you have been asking me to read every day at naptime and bedtime. Tonight, I just realized that you like a lot of things involving pigs: Peppa Pig, Olivia and now Elephant & Piggie. You were born in the Year of the Pig on the Chinese calendar, so it tracks!

Love,

Mom

Puzzle Master

Dear Mackenzie,

I brought back a few Miami souvenirs for you, including a space-themed puzzle from the science museum we visited. It was so cute watching you put it together! You kept saying, "Will this work? Let's try it." And sometimes the piece wasn't in the right place and didn't quite work but you pushed it in so hard and forced it to work! Hahaha! So determined!

Love,

Mom

Missing Mommy

Dear Mackenzie,

My sweet girl! I went on a vacation with JieJie and Second GuhGaw* and we were away for five days. It was my first time being away from you for more than a few hours and I wasn't sure how you would react but like so many times before, you handled it with such maturity. It might have helped that the three of us left for the airport last Tuesday before you woke up, so you didn't have to see us leaving with all of our luggage. While we were in Miami, we video chatted with you every day and Daddy said you didn't cry at all, though there was one time when you got sad and said, "I want Mama."

We returned home late last night/early this morning at 1:30am and you were of course fast asleep in bed. After I took a shower, I crawled into bed with you and hugged you but you didn't wake up. This morning, you woke up before me and were playing in your room. When you heard me get out of bed, you ran to me, looked up at me with big eyes and wrapped your arms around my legs. I picked you up and then for a few minutes, you just kept repeating, "I want Mommy. I want Mommy. I want Mommy." You rested your head on my chest and looked so sad. I asked you how your week had been and you said, "I was sad. I want Mommy." My Kenziebear! I missed you so much and and am so glad to be back home with you!

Love,

Mom

*If you are wondering why I didn't take you on the vacation, too, it's not because I didn't want to! Daddy couldn't take the week off from work and it would have been too much for me to take all of you kids on vacation by myself. Next trip, though, you're definitely coming with us!

Clean Mouth

Dear Mackenzie,

Adorable things you have said/done recently:

"Oooh! I have an idea!"

-We were trying to choose a movie for you and your siblings to watch and you made a case for Frozen: "Frozen is a good movie. There are a lot of fun characters. There's Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Sven. There are a lot of fun characters." Wow, I didn't even know you knew the word "character." Or that you had such awesome debate skills!

-When I was helping you in the bathroom, you wrapped your arms around me and said, "I forgot to hug you today."

-Whenever I tuck you in, you ask me, "Do you have work to do?" The other night when I said I didn't, you said, "Yay! Then you can sleep with me the whole night!"

-We were eating a snack and you asked for a particular kind of cracker: "Can I have the cracker that is not the same shape as that one [that was already on the table]? The other cracker? You see my hands? [You make an oval shape with your fingers.] You see my circle? [I ask you if the cracker is shaped like a circle.] No, the cracker is not a circle. [I ask you if it's shaped like a rectangle.] No. [I go to the snack drawer and hold up a box of everything seasoning crackers and ask if it's those crackers.] No, that's not the ones. [I give up and just bring the rectangular everything crackers to the table.] Yes, those are the crackers." #facepalm

-In following with your independent streak, you go upstairs to the bathtub to wash your own hands after you eat. Last week, you started washing the food off of your face, too, but when you did that, you kept getting water all over your shirt and on the floor so I told you to stop doing it by yourself and that I would help you wipe your face with a washcloth if it was messy. Yesterday, you had a snack and washed your hands and then went into your room, got a washcloth out of your drawer, brought it back to the tub, put some water on it and wiped your mouth clean. Then you put the washcloth on the side of the tub to dry. I didn't know you did that yesterday (and was wondering where the washcloth on the tub came from) but then I watched you do it all today and I was so impressed. You are such a smart, capable little girl!

Love,

Mom

Supporting Hand

Dear Mackenzie,

Whenever I have to climb up on a stepstool to get something from an upper shelf in my closet or in the kitchen, you place a hand on my leg and tell me it's to make sure I don't fall. You are always the sweetest! Thank you for looking out for me!

Love,

Mom

Waiting for Friends

Dear Mackenzie,

When we were walking to school today, we saw your friend Bobbi walking ahead of us and you started screaming, "Bobbi! Bobbi! Wait for me! I'm your friend!" Hahaha!

Love,

Mom

Little Composer

Dear Mackenzie,

You sing all of the time and I love it! Sometimes it's BTS or Backstreet Boys songs (you love your boy bands like me!); recently, it's been "Skidamarink" because you learned it in school and also songs from the Moulin Rouge Broadway musical because I saw the show a few weeks ago and have been playing the soundtrack a lot. Sometimes, you also sing songs you just make up, such as the ones where you sing-narrate what you are doing at the moment: "I washing my hands! I putting soap on my hands and rubbing! Then I rinse!" And then there was the Mackenzie original you sang while I was showering you tonight: "You killed my daughter and you didn't even cryyyyyyyy." Um, what now?

Love,

Mom

A Big One

Dear Mackenzie,

To be filed under "Things That Are Only Adorable When A Little Kid Says Them": When you pooped today, you strained a bit and said, "It's a big one." Hahahaha! Three-year-old says that about her poop, cute! Adult says that, gross!

Love,

Mom

Money Bag

Dear Mackenzie,

I was eating a bowl of spicy noodles and sniffling from the spiciness but you thought I was crying. You looked at me all concerned and asked, "Mama, you okay?" I said I was and then you held out the bag of Monopoly money in your hand and asked, "You want money?" Hahaha!

Love,

Mom

First Dentist Visit

Dear Mackenzie,

You had your very first dentist appointment yesterday and like all of your other firsts, you handled it like a boss. Some kids would be scared but when we were in the waiting room and the receptionist was calling patients' names, you actually kept jumping up and asking hopefully with a smile on your face, "My turn? Is it my turn now? Did she say Kenzie?" When it was your turn, you climbed right into the chair and opened your mouth for the dentist. And when the cleaning started to feel uncomfortable, you squirmed and resisted a little but you stayed in the chair and let the dentist do her thing. No crying, no biting, no needing Daddy or me to sit in the chair and pin your body on top of ours like we had do to with all of your older siblings when they were your age. Rock star! And not only were you an awesome first-time patient, when it was JieJie's turn, you put one hand on her chest and used your other hand to hold hers. Always looking out for your sister, so sweet!

Love,

Mom

Picky Picky

Dear Mackenzie,

You were sitting in my room last night pretending to be a teacher and reading a book to your imaginary class. You read a page and then you looked up and said to the air, "Can you please stop picking your nose? It di-guthing." Hahahaha! I wonder if your teacher said the exact same thing in school yesterday?

Your role playing continued when you told your class the schedule: "Eat 'nack, then do music. How that sound?" So cute!

Love,

Mom

Huggamugga

Dear Mackenzie,

This morning, we were sitting on the couch when you looked up at me with your sweet eyes and said softly, "Mama, hug me hug me hug me hug me." No problem!

Love,

Mom

Mama's Helper

Dear Mackenzie,

I was doing laundry last week when you came up behind me and said, "Mama, I do the laundry. I do the laundry for you so you don't have to and you can take a break."

Then today, I was unpacking the groceries and without me even having to ask you, you went over to the bags and started handing me things. You even managed to pick up the half-gallon cartons of milk and give them to me! Your arms were shaking and you almost dropped them but you used all of your muscles and picked them up! Thank you always for being so incredibly helpful!

Love,

Mom

Early Bird

Dear Mackenzie,

You woke up at 5am today crying about being thirsty. I gave you water and thought you'd go back to sleep after you drank it but no, you asked me, "Can you change me [out of my overnight diaper]?" I said that it was really early and that it was still dark out and when I asked you if you wanted to go back to sleep, you replied, "No, I already sleep. I done." And that's why I am currently drinking my third cup of coffee today! (And you did go back to sleep at 8am and took a three-hour nap!)

Love,

Mom

Pig Tale

Dear Mackenzie,

You were playing with your Olivia stuffie this morning and I made the mistake of calling her Peppa. You looked at me and said, "She not Peppa! Her name is [slows down for emphasis] O-lib-eee-ahh. You call her the wrong name!" Hahaha! It was just so cute the way you corrected me!

You were also cute yesterday when you were telling me about the new girl who joined your class this semester. You said, "My new friend was crying. I hug her and I give her water." Thank you for being so kind!

Love,

Mom

Helping Hand

Dear Mackenzie,

The first word I would use to describe you would definitely be "independent." Your older siblings all like to be coddled a bit but you have always insisted on doing things by yourself. "I do it" is one of your most spoken sentences! But you are not above asking for assistance and say "I need help" when you can't do something on your own.

The second word I would use to describe you is "helpful." Whenever I am doing laundry or cooking, you ask, "Can I help you?" For the laundry, you always want to help me sort the socks, hang the wet laundry on the drying racks or deliver the folded clothes to your siblings. Today, you started helping me transfer the clothes from the dryer (I take them out of the dryer and hand them to you and then you drop them into the laundry basket) and then helping me carry the basket back to my room. You looked so happy and excited when you were helping me carry the basket. And you are always eager to help turn off the lights when we leave a room, hand me a towel after I wash my hands, give me the toothpaste or rinse cup when we brush your teeth, clothes a drawer after I take something out of it, carry the bag when we buy something from a store, give me my purse when we're leaving a restaurant or someone's house . . . Thank you for always being such a good assistant!

Love,

Mom

Hot Ones

Dear Mackenzie,

Cute/funny things you said recently:

Me: What do you need?

You: I need Mama!

-Your teacher often directs Alexa to play songs for your class in school and you were clearly channeling your teacher when you were sitting in my room playing one day and I heard you say, "Hey Alexa! Play 'Hello Reindeer.' Alexa! Play Christmas songs!"

-You remember the most random things sometimes. Months ago, you cut your finger on the foil lid of a yogurt container and you weren't even eating yogurt yesterday when we were in the kitchen and you brought it up: "Mama, remember when I open the yogurt and I cut my finger and you gave me a Baby Shark Band-Aid? Which finger was it? The pinky or da dumb?"

-I have a t-shirt that features four iconic 80s cartoon characters: Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake, Jem and She-Ra. When you were looking at my shirt yesterday, you pointed to each character and said, "You like da one with the rainbow, JieJie likes da one with the straw-bee, I like da one with the star earrings and Daddy likes Hot Girl." Hot Girl?? Huh? Ohhhhh, She-Ra kind of resembles Hawkgirl from your DC Super Hero Girls book. Hahahaha!

Love,

Mom