Lazy Days of Summer

While this may be true for the girls, it has not proven true for the moms. Kim is working non-stop with the activities being held on the UT campus for the summer. She comes home hot and tired every night. I am working harder than I ever knew was possible. My self image has always included words like lazy and not so smart. Well, I have busted through the self image because I am working my butt off! The lesson for the month is self care, which neither one of us picked up along the way.

As for my darling divas, they are fantastic! The summer has been remarkably mild with an unusual number of thunderstorms that leave us sticky and everything else green. Kim let the girls play in the sprinkler the other night to cool off. Maddie loves the sprinkler, but it seemed to be McKenzie's first experience. Maddie, of course, showed her the ropes.

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We're headed to the Luling Watermelon Thump tomorrow. Kim and I have always wanted to go and have never made the drive. So now we're going. Of course, watermelon IS Maddie's favorite food. Remember the summer when she ate so much that her pee-pee turned pink? I am anticipating an awesome nap out of both of them! We are suppose to have a playdate with 2 of her best buddies from school in the afternoon. We'll see if they're up to it. McKenzie is playing well with friends. Maddie is getting used to not being the center of attention, which isn't easy. Kim and I are making efforts to spend one on one time with her. I tell myself all families go through this, right? Here are some other snap shots of my babies.

Presenting McKenzie Kathryn Rasmus-Ford

We are so excited to announce that Shawna is going to be a permanent member of our family! We received the call last week that she is eligible for adoption and we are completely in love with her, so the next step is to begin the adoption proceedings. Granted, her social worker is 3 weeks behind returning our calls, so I don't anticipate any of this will happen immediately.

Despite Maddie's pleas to re-name the baby Coconut Tree, Kim and I have chosen the name McKenzie Kathryn. We both like the name McKenzie and Kathryn is to honor my Aunt Kathy, who you all know I lost 3 years ago. Her given name was Mary Kathryn and I still miss her every day. It is still unbelievable to me that she won't know my children. She can never be forgotten now and that is why I love this name so much.

Of course, changing the name of a toddler isn't easy. The books we read suggest calling her Shawna McKenzie for a while before completely dropping the Shawna. That is the plan for now, and to keep Maddie from teaching her how to say Coconut Tree. This situation completely reminds me of my friend Mollie James (now Vickery) who once took over her little brother's room when he lost a hand in spades.

McKenzie is too young to know what is going on. She will be 2 in August. She is just happy and loves to be loved. Here she is dancing in the kitchen the other night.

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We will keep you posted on the progress of the legal proceedings. In the meantime, we'll be loving her like crazy!