Fall Fun

It's been a while since we've updated all of you on what's going on and that's because we have all been so very busy! Here's what we've been up to:

Jason's classes are going great and it's only two weeks before he'll have a break for Thanksgiving. He'll return after that for another week of classes and then be off for Winter Break! Kenzie and I are really going to enjoy having him home in the next few weeks.

Mackenzie and I have been keeping busy with our weekly activities and meetings with friends. I have joined M.O.P.S. (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) with my good friend Andie Smith and we attend that twice a month at a local church. It has been a great way for Mackenzie to socialize with other kids while giving me a chance to visit with other local moms. Jason and I have also signed up for Parents as Teachers. They have a play group on Fridays that I have been taking Mackenzie to. There are also trips to the library, play dates at the house, and going to the park. Here are some pictures of Mackenzie and our close friends, the Smith's daughter, Mieka, playing at Grover Park.


For Halloween this year we dressed Mackenzie as a butterfly and she flew around town collecting candy in her pumpkin. We took her to the Downtown Trick or Treating which was very fun to see all the kids around town dressed up. It got to be very crowded so we headed to the Smith's church for a party there. Here are some pictures of her before we left for our outings.


We also recently took a trip to St. Louis at the beginning of October where we stayed with Jason's brother and his family for a night. After we spent time visiting with them in their beautiful home we met our friends Tracy and Julie and their four and a half kids at a local Pumpkin Patch! We stayed at their house for our annual Halloween Hullabaloo get together where we always have a great time. Here are some photos from the event.


It has also been the political season and I have been working very hard on several campaigns both locally and nationally. I had several fun opportunities, such as meeting U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, where I was able to interview her on the steps to take in order to support getting the Equal Rights Amendment passed soon. As a family we got to meet the newest governor for Missouri, Jay Nixon, and speak with him about education policy. Kenzie and I were asked to pose for a local politician's photo shoot and we were featured in some of the fliers that went out all over the county. Jason and I also took a trip to Kansas City to see Obama speak at the Liberty Memorial along with 75,000 people. It has been so amazing being a part of his history. I even got a phone call from him thanking me for all my work on the grassroots level. We truly feel this man will help our country in ways that are so very badly needed. Thank you to all who gave him the support. I now have been asked to go to Camp Wellstone to be trained on becoming a campaign manager by the organizers for the Obama campaign here in Missouri.

Election Day, 5 a.m., Obama Headquarters, Warrensburg, MO
We won Warrensburg (where I worked) by 7 votes!

Claire McCaskill, U.S. Senator for Missouri

Jay Nixon, Missouri's newly elected Governor

Recently we took a trip down to Jason's parents farm in Sheldon for Charles' 70th Birthday Party. Judy surprised Charles by inviting a number of friends also celebrating November birthdays and having the family down for the weekend. It was great to see everyone and especially enjoy Grandma Judy's cooking!

November Birthday Boys: Jason, Charles, and Spencer

Our nephew David caught a big catfish


And loved it so much he decided to give it a kiss!

Mackenzie gave us our entertainment for the evening

Soon we will be traveling for Thanksgiving and then turning around to celebrate Christmas. It's amazing how much time flies by with a little one in our life. She's been changing so much every day and it's so fun to watch her grow. These are the funny things she's been up to in her development:

* Says "Ha-low!" into the phone and then gives a big raspberry! (We honestly don't know where she has learned this)

* Recites words like "shoe" "baby" "book" "cup" "eat" "bite" "slide" "happy" "cow" "cat" "dog" "star" "moon" "clock" "orange", tons of animal noises, family names, and many more. She understands almost everything we say now.

* Is starting to tell us when she has to go potty and will go to the bathroom on her big girl chair. She gets a marshmallow afterwards so this really thrills her to no end.

* Loves to wash her hands in the sink and even wash her feet.

* Identifies all her body parts by pointing to them when asked.

* Helps put away clothes. When asked she will put things in the laundry hamper or her sock drawer. She'll even pull clothes out of the dryer and put them in the clothes basket for me while I get another load ready in the wash. She's a big helper right now and I'm sure it will stick through her teenage years.

* Puts things in the trash when asked and walks up and down the stairs really good.

* Asks for cheese and yogurt when she's hungry. Cheese is her favorite food by far. Just like her Uncle Joe Morgan was when he was a baby!

* Loves to play with Rolo outside and ride in her VW bug that Jason found in someone's trash. He cleaned it up, then pimped it up with personalized decals, charged up the battery and set her loose! Here she is in her new ride:


And a few others because it's fun:

Kenzie loves walking around in Mom's shoes

A nice visit with Nana Cole

Uncle John-John gets a rare moment where Kenzie sits on his lap

The Univ. of Central Missouri had its Homecoming Weekend recently where we watched a parade go through town. Afterward Kenzie got to meet Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat. Mackenzie absolutely loves monkeys so she could barely wait her turn to get to hug him. She was in love!