Time Flies When You're Growing FAST

So, I've heard your clamoring & I'm finally getting around to updating you on me! I've been busy lately. Here's a recap. I turned one in June.

Here's my one year old smile!

I was really excited!

We were short on forks.

I went on vacation to Door County, WI with Mommy, Daddy, & some good friends. I got this cool new ride before we left & we went everywhere in it. I even rolled in it to the beach!

I was glad to get out of my ride & spend some quality beach time with Mommy & Daddy too.

They got to spend some quality time together on these kayak things. I was a little too small to go, but took note of how they maneuvered them, so some day I'll know just what to do.

I also got to ride in this sweet pack while we went on hikes. It was so comfortable I even fell asleep in it.

Daddy pulled me behind him in this buggy while everyone biked. Fell asleep in this too.

Print this one out and cut it up--makes for a great puzzle.

I stood up for the first time all by myself while we were at the beach. I think my tongue helped me find my balance.

We stopped at this place where my parents made me stick my face in this hole and pretend I was having a good time. I wasn't.

But, I got the hang of it after awhile.

I also LOVE to talk! Here's me chatting about something & pointing it out (finger in one direction, toes in another).

I have a LOT to say these days. I'm very curious about all these new things I see throughout the day. I frequently say "What'sdah?" while I point to something. This one of my favorite questions. Probably because it can mean so many things. For example: "What's that light about?" or "Please give me that food," or even "I want that thing I know I can't have, but if I say it cutely enough maybe you'll give it to me!"

Enough for now. I'll update you again soon. -McKinley

One in the Books

It's hard to believe it's been a year already. Seems like just yesterday that the swaddle was in full force and I was sleeping 20 hours a day. Time flies! Now I'm crawling at a hundred miles an hour, pulling up, and talking up a storm (though no one seems to be able to get what I'm trying to say). Mommy and Daddy have been frantically preparing for my party, which I will neither understand nor appreciate, though it will be good to see family and family friends.

So what have I been up to you ask? Let's get started.

Though my massive cheeks are both pinch-able and adorable, I get the feeling their cuteness has a life span; at some point the baby fat will have to go. To that end, I've developed my own patented workout routine. Here you can see I'm working up quite a sweat:

The other part of my in-house gym is the crawling obstacle course:

I'm a mover and a shaker. You might think I'm quietly playing with something in the other room, but don't get too comfortable. I'm like a ninja; when you're not even suspecting it you look down and...BAM! There I am.

Inventing award winning workout routines is just one of my passions. I also enjoy coming up with new games. This one's called, "Spoon Mouth." It's simple to play, and I'm a champ:

When I'm feeling a little more relaxed, sometimes we go to the park and just chill:

Swinging is one of my favorite past times. I've thought about getting into competitive swinging, but right now I'm trying to keep myself free to spend more time with my family.

Since my talking isn't quite where I'd like it to be, I prefer to communicate textually:

In honor of my first birthday, here's a video that shows why the childcare workers at church call me giggles:

And finally, here's a hidden bonus called "guess who's crazy".

--McKinley

8-Month Update

Now that I'm 8 and a half months old, thing are getting pretty darn exciting. It seems every day is filled with new adventures. There are interesting things to grab, chew, bang on, try to fit in my mouth, etcetera. Here are just a few of my recent happenings.

Playing is totally my thing. Toys must be present at all times. Despite my best efforts, I have not yet mastered my fine motor skills, as evidenced by the following:
Perhaps you have noticed that it is winter outside. Since I am totally an outdoor kinda girl, having the proper attire for our excursions is a must. Recently I've been sporting this sweet little getup: Yes, that is awesome. It gets even awesomer when placed against its predecessor, which mommy and daddy naively tried to pull over on me. I call it the pink nightmare: I definitely won that argument. In fact, we all won. Win-win-win. [Apologies to the friend/family member/acquaintance/ex-friend who pawned that disaster off on mommy]. Other things I'm into:

• Chewing on stuff

• Really wanting to crawl but only going backwards

• Bath Time (a.k.a. chewing on stuff when wet)

Before you go, here's a bonus: This is my video Valentine's Day greeting. I was trying to say hello, but got so excited nothing came out: --McKinley

Favorite Toy

I've learned that being born into this family means several things:

• We celebrate Christmas
• We celebrate multiple Christmases
• We celebrate at least two of those Christmases long before actual Christmas

Having now attended two family gift-exchanging festivities, quite the bounty came my way. There were thoughtful gifts that I will value more as I age (grandpa gave me stock...I keep a close watch on the Dow), practical gifts like my new "Crazy About Daddy" shirt, and downright fun gifts like the alphabet block set. But here I am playing with my favorite gift of all: Pretty sweet. --McKinley

Me and Miss Erin

A few weeks ago Mommy and Daddy set up a little six month photo shoot with Miss Erin Duggin (she's an awesome photographer, and we highly recommend her for any photo shoots you might have in mind: www.erinduggin.com). Here's a sampling of the awesomeness that ensued.

I call this one "Dueling Hats." The purple one won. This is the new cover shot on my modeling portfolio: Gratuitous cheek shot: Of course there had to be a few Christmas looks in there: Yes, yes I am... This was a real tease--I thought we were vacation bound. I've only got so much fuel in the tank, and the needle was getting a little low toward the end. --McKinley

New Best Friend

Recently I've met a new best friend. I've named her M'Binley. We're going to be BFF for sure. Here's us playing: --McKinley

Flurry of Updates: Pt. 3: Skills

Recently I've acquired lots of new skills. From most fun to most mundane, here are some videos: #1. Eating (I've got this one down pat) Yup, step 1: laugh or yell; step 2: insert food; step 3: spit it out; step 4: repeat. Done.

#2. Rolling (step 1: throw your head to the side; step 2: let your body fall that way; step 3: get someone to turn you back over) #3. Sitting Up. As you can tell by this picture, this one is my forté: Here's a video from my early training days: #4. Laughing Like a Crazy Person for No Reason at All: --McKinley