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

Flurry of Updates: Pt. 2: Halloween and Late Fall

Fall may be nearly over, but the leaves just keep on fallin'. I strapped on my work boots and did all I could to help Mommy and Daddy pick up all the leaves. Personally, I think I was a big help. Though it's past Thanksgiving (which was great, by the way--I tried some mashed potatoes and a hint of gravy, which I promptly rejected), I never got to share with you my Halloween outfit: Yep, a Pea in a Pod. Pretty frightening, eh? Needless to say, I was able to scare all the other neighborhood kids with that get-up. For trick-or-treating I also had a joke that went like this: "wanna hear a joke...The Rams." Pretty good. It also works if instead of "Rams" you insert the name of any professional sports team from Kansas City. Recently Mommy and I had the chance to hang out with Ms. Katie and my friend Sophie. Sophie is, like, way older than me, but once I'm able to master my fine motor skills, I'm thinking we'll be able to play like champs. And I can't add anything more to this: I believe it's Peruvian. --McKinley

Flurry of Updates: Pt. 1: Friends and family

Yes, it's true: it's been a crazy long time since my last post. In all seriousness, how is a girl to maintain her social calendar, let alone her blog? Well, no more excuses. My goal: four posts in the next week. No more chit-chat. Here goes. A few weeks ago the parents took me on a little jaunt to KC MO. Rather than do the touristy stuff, which is quite passé, we just hung out with some family friends (and yes, all mommy and daddy's friends are now renamed "family friends"). It was quite laid back. The highlight was probably a sweet little hike we took in Swope Park. Our hike was sponsored by Puma, which I was sporting here:In the middle of our hike we had time to stop and take some senior pictures for Mr. Jared and Ms. B.J.: B.J. and I were getting to know each other pretty well. We were hangin' out, having a good old time. Then, out of nowhere, she starts talking trash. So I expressed my disapproval. Despite B.J.'s surliness, we had an outstanding hike. It was great getting to chill with Jared and B.J. No journey to KC would be complete, however, without seeing our amigos, the Gilberts. They've got a boy named Braden. Now, I don't know why, but he apparently didn't know my name, because he kept calling me "Cheeks", then grabbing them. Who could blame him? Those puppies are nice. What was also quite entertaining was a game Braden called "faces". Don't know how to keep score, but I think he won. Upon returning to StL, my Aunt Lauren was in town from Seattle. We went out, got some lunch, and had a good ole' time. Be on the lookout for Flurry of Updates: Pt. 2. Coming very soon! --McKinley

I Will Attack Your Face

Fall Festivities (Pt. 2 )

Fall festiveness would be no festiveness at all without a trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Mommy and Daddy took me with our friends the Hudsons. From what I overheard, they've been doing this for a few years, but this is the first trip for Annalynn and me. Before they would let me just hang out with Annalynn and play, Mommy and Daddy insisted that I do a photo shoot with the pumpkins: But play time must be had! First, I thought I would try my hand at some driving. Sadly, my arms are not yet sufficiently long to reach the wheel. No worries--looks like it was a stick-shift anyway. I only roll with automatics. Since the tractor was a no go, I was on the hunt for a vehicle more my speed. Fortunately, I found just the thing. Dominic wanted on. I had to tell him, "sorry, the kool bus stops for no one." Then I found the steering wheel. After that, there wasn't much driving. With that little escapade behind us, Mommy decided that driving wasn't in the cards for me, so she became my mode of transportation. Isn't she beautiful? Annalyn's mom, Angie, was her transport too. (Check out those leg warmers--I gotta get me some of those!). Isaac and Dominic had a different vehicle, also parent-powered. That photo about fits their moods for the day as well.

I finally found the pumpkin of my choice. Right after this picture I attempted to roll that pumpkin all the way to the car. Not the right call, so I learned. By the time the day was over I was shocked at what fun the Pumpkin Patch is! Enjoy the fall, friends! --McKinley

Fall Festivities (Pt. 1)

So summer treated me quite well. Lots of fun trips around town, moving to a new house, finding my voice, and a host of other highlights. But as fun as summer was, it's becoming quite clear that autumn is where it's at. Check the fall fashions: Mere moments after this was taken I filmed a hip-hop dance video: This one only works in fall, and who doesn't want to be a little turkey (although it does look a bit like Frosty, a turkey, and a leprechaun melded into one): Mommy and I have also had some good time to hang out on the back porch and just take in the amazing weather. And it wouldn't be October in St. Louis if we didn't take in a few Cardinals' games. Unfortunately, I missed much of the action. I mean, see how tired you would be if you had to haul these cheeks around. Soon I will have a lengthier update about this afternoon's good times, but here's a sneak peek: Catch you later!
--McKinley

Four Month Smile

I turned four months old this past week. Thought I'd share my good lookin' smile with you and all you talent agents out there. Enjoy! --McKinley

Post Labor Day Fun

Now that my first fall is unofficially upon us (and I learned the hard way about the not-wearing-white rule), there have been lots of awesome goings on around the home front. First and foremost, I am finding that I can make all kinds of curious and interesting sounds. Soon I hope to be able to share some of them with you, but for now we shall stay with tried-and-true pictures. Let's roll.

This is my cover shot. I'm going out for baby of the year: Like anyone else, though, I do have some things to work on. Recently I've pioneered a new exercise technique to combat those baby fat rolls. I call it "the grab". Here's a demonstration: Yep, you crunch those abs and grab your feet. It's extreme. I prefer to use the comfort of the changing table, but you can use any surface you like. When you show it to your friends be sure to give me props.

Nana came over the other day and we did a little photo shoot. It was good times. Here are some of my poses:

Expressive Joy: Sassy Disinterest: Sudden Surprise: Three-Quarter Smile: All that work needs to be balanced with some play time, so Daddy and I did some flying: I may have a future in aeronautics. And I would be remorse if I didn't share with you the amazement that came with this new bouncy seat thingy. I don't know what to call it, but man was it fun! Catch you next time! --McKinley

New Tricks

So now that I've passed the three month mark, I figure it's time to step up to the plate and learn some new tricks. The best place to start, I figure, is where my last post started--my hair. With all the time I spend laying on my back, quite a little case of "baby baldness" is creeping in back there. The solution? Sitting up! Okay, so I needed a little help from the Bumbo, but a girl's got to start somewhere. I've also taken to lifting up my head. It's lots of work, but totally worth it to be able to see over stuff. It's totally changed tummy time, which I have loathed for quite some time. Now at least it's slightly less bothersome. And while this isn't really a "trick" per se, I have been making my way around town, particularly to check in on my favorite ball club. I took mom and dad along.

12 Weeks

So yesterday I turned 12 weeks old. That does not, however, mean that I have learned to do my hair.While cosmetology school hasn't fit into my plans as of yet, working on my posing has been. I call this one "the gun show".--McKinley