The Starnes' Family Blog Page

Snow Day

2010-02-23T19:54:00.000-08:00

We had a snow day today!! I'm not quite sure how much snow we got, but enough to go out and enjoy it at least. Mackenzie really enjoyed playing in the snow, but we don't really have "snow gear" for her, so she got cold after about 30 min of playing outside (we all did).

Butt-crack Baby!!

Lacey enjoyed the snow as much as the rest of us. Buck would throw snowballs and she would chase them. It was too funny to watch!

St Jude Trike-a-thon

2009-10-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie participated again this year in the St Jude Children's Trike-a-thon. She raised over $100 for children with cancer! Thank-you so much to all of you who donated to such a great cause. They combined the trike-a-thon with the fall festival this year, so it was a very fun-packed night.

Our little fairy princess

"bowling"

Hula-toss

She really liked the pumpkin catapult

Our little school girl

2009-10-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie had school pics today, and she wanted to show off how cute she was........

posing

Lacey girl

2009-09-25T16:40:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Lacey and Sam got attacked by our neighbors pitbull. Buck was taking our dogs out for a run, and the neighbor kids had their dog outside, without a leash. When the pitbull saw our dogs, he ran up and attacked Lacey, breaking her jaw and causing multiple puncture wounds to her body. Sam tried to help out by biting the pitbull on its butt while it was attacking Lacey, but it turned around and bit Sam's ear (which is why he's bandaged up). When Sam did that, it gave Buck a chance to get in and try to break things up. Anyways, when it was all said and done, Buck rushed the dogs to the vet and Lacey was in surgery about an hour later. She stayed overnight, but is home now with us. It's very obvious that she's in a bunch of pain, and will have a long healing process, but, she's alive and will come through this.

A little R&R

2009-07-20T12:57:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful vacation this year at Gulf Shores, AL. We spent 8 days there, and had a blast!!

Starnes Family

Playing in the sand

Flying a kite with daddy

Swimming in the ocean

Getting a little shade

Mommy and Mack

Wave jumping (her favorite)

Buck and Steve

Starnes and Davis clan

The kids had a blast running in the waves

Macky with Miss Gerri (Wade's mom)

Macky with her Papa C.

This is Buck's father, Ken, and his wife, Betty. They just happened to be in the Gulf Shores area the first weekend we were there, so Mackenzie got spoiled by all kinds of grandparents that week.

July 4th weekend

2009-07-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

So I'm finally getting around to posting July 4th photos. Better late than never!

These are some picks from our house. We had some friends over to celebrate, and the kids had a blast!

My friend brought over a pinata for the kids, they loved it!

She only did the sparklers once, she was too scared after that.

Macky and her dad at the Freedom Fest at Ft. Hood on July 4th

This is while we were watching the fireworks

Oh Happy Day

2009-06-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

So as you can tell, our "Oh Happy Day" has finally arrived.

This is us patiently awaiting their arrival. They had music blaring and everyone was is great spirits.

The firetrucks........thats how I knew which direction they were going to come from.

The crowd of people......there were just as many people to my left.

Everyone got really excited when the firetrucks turned on their flashing lights, we knew then that it was close (12:30)

The firetrucks spraying water on the buses as they rolled in.

Here come the buses

The soldiers in formation

After they called "Fall-out"

Here he comes....

A sweet reunion with Miss Macky......she didn't know what to think.

One happy girl!

One happy family!
They played Etta Jame's "At Last" during this time....what a perfect ending!

The buses as they drove away, left a formation of our soldiers.

Our soldier's marching forward.....they just had to play that song.

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Mackenzie!

2009-05-09T06:16:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Mackenzie!!

"Happy Birthday" at school

Our birthday girl, getting blown away in the wind. There were gusts up to 35 mph!

Mackenzie with her pal, Ryan.

Mackenzie with Damien

We couldn't even have her blow out a candle, because the wind would've done it before she even had a chance.

Ballet Lessons

2009-05-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie had her first ballet lesson today. It was so cute! She did really good about following directions for about the first 15min of it, then kinda went off on her own. She'll get into it eventually.

10 Laps!!

2009-04-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie completed 10 laps at the trike-a-thon today! She really enjoyed it, and even started going pretty good towards the end. Thank-you all who donated to St Jude's.

Our little miracle!

2009-04-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

As a lot of you know, Mackenzie got tubes in last Wednesday. The procedure went very well. While she was sedated, they did another ABR (hearing test) on her. Her results came back as NORMAL!! I truly believe that this is a miracle from God. Mackenzie was diagnosed with a sensorineural hearing loss which is irreversible, but here she is now with "normal" hearing and she doesn't have to wear her hearing aids anymore. They did say her left ear was still "a little low", but she doesn't have to wear them anymore, and it shouldn't hinder her.

There are two types of hearing loss, conductive (which has to do with fluid behind the ear-reversible if caught in time) and sensorineural (which has to do with something wrong neurologically-irreversible). When they did Mackenzie's initial hearing test, the one where they found she had a hearing problem, there was no fluid behind her ears. They did multiple tests to ensure it wasn't fluid. Plus, the type of hearing loss she had (high frequency loss) is associated with sensorineural. Conductive loss generally creates a low frequency hearing loss.

Mackenzie has been seeing the ECI team here in Killeen, and even the deaf education specialist that Mackenzie's been seeing for the last year is flabbergasted about the whole thing. She doesn't understand how this could've happened either. Like I said, I truly believe this was a miracle. The doctors may have misdiagnosed her on that original appointment, but where was the fluid? Also, for all you pessimists out there, the same audiologist did her ABR both times, so there is no difference in technique or interpretations! Praise the Lord for he is good!!

St. Jude's Trike-a-Thon

2009-04-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

Today Mackenzie got to ride her first tricycle! She did pretty good. We had a few steering issues and pushing issues, but by the end, she was steering pretty good. I still had to push her most of the time, but I think she'll get better and better. This is an early b-day present for her. Her school is doing a Trike-a-thon for the St. Jude Children's Hospital in a couple of weeks and she can raise money by riding her trike around and doing laps. If anyone is interested in donating $1 per lap, let me know and I'll mark you down for this great cause. I'll even send you a pic of our little princess while she's doing her laps!

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-12T19:55:00.001-07:00

Mackenzie had a really fun time at the Easter Egg Hunt this year. She didn't get a lot of eggs (she acted kind of shy at first), but she really had a blast. Her favorite part was after when they got to eat cookies and sing songs:)
Counting her eggs (she really counted them, she's getting quite good at her numbers)

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter Everyone!! Mackenzie really enjoyed Easter this year. She had fun going through her stuff that the Easter bunny left her and finding all the eggs hid around the house. This is the first time she was really into wearing a hat too. She picked it out, along with her purse. She's becoming quite the little girly girl.

Both the dogs managed to get in the picture too.

Mommy and Macky at church.

She got lots of neat stuff this year.

Going through her Easter basket (if you look close you can see her eggs on the ground in the background)

Miss Attitude

2009-04-04T19:56:00.000-07:00

This is proof to all! She went from my sweet beautiful ballerina.....

to Miss Attitude in 15 seconds flat!

Thank-you Buck!

2009-04-04T19:55:00.001-07:00

Thank-you Buck for the beautiful flowers! It was such a nice surprise to get these last week. I love you so much and can't wait you to get home.

Our Little Drummer Girl

2009-04-04T19:51:00.001-07:00

When Mackenzie and I went home for Spring Break (NE), my dad has his drum set set-up. Mackenzie had a BLAST playing the drums everyday and making "music" for us all to hear. Who knows, maybe we have a future percussionist on our hands!

Official Word

2009-03-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

I've recieved official word from the unit: do not send any packages after April 15th. "Mayish" may be looking pretty good now. I have my fingers crossed.

Buck's new (and hopefully last) address

2009-03-25T05:46:00.000-07:00

Hopefully this will be his last address while he's over there. He just got switched to a new company and will be the Safety Officer for them (whatever that means). Anyway, his spirirts are good and we're so looking forward to him coming home in May/June-ish.

Timothy Starnes
A Co 3-4 4CAV 4ID
Camp Taji
APO, AE 09378

I wouldn't send anything after May 10th or so. He greatly appreciates all of your letters and packages. Please keep him (and Mackenzie and I) in your prayers as the last little bit of this deployment narrows down.

Happy Anniversary Buck!

2009-03-11T18:57:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary Buck! I can't believe its been 4 years, my how time flies. I wish you were here to celebrate, but just know how much I love you and how grateful I am to have such a wonderful husband who takes such good care of Mackenzie and I. Mackenzie and I miss you so much and can't wait for you to get home. We love you and miss you!!

Pics from Buck

2009-02-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

Buck just got some pics to me from Iraq. He's doing well and we're finally on the downward slope of this deployment. There is a possibility that he may be home in late May instead of June, but I'll believe it when I see it. We're doing fine here in the homefront. I'm looking forward to spring break! Mackenzie and I are driving up to NE so I can get my crown fixed (for free!). After spring break I start clinicals, so life will get even more hectic. Anyways, we're just counting down the days until Buck gets home. Love you all!

Vince McMahon

In the middle of a sandstorm

What a dweeb!

John Cena and ????????

Baghdad

Our Little Angel

2009-02-28T18:34:00.001-08:00

I know that these are a little late (only 2 months). I finally got the disk from the school last week, so its not totally my fault. I just had to share these pics of my beautiful little angel.

Buck is now a PC!

2009-02-16T14:57:00.001-08:00

I just found out today that Buck is officially a PC (Pilot in Command). I'm so proud of him. He worked so hard and put up with a lot to get to this position. Congratulations Buck!!!!

Buck, help me pick out some couches!

2009-02-16T14:48:00.000-08:00

Today Mackenzie and I went couch shopping. These are the two couches I have it narrowed down to (this is for Buck, so he can help me pick).

This is just a great pic (above)

These two (above) have the foot rests. The only thing I don't like about his couch is there is only 2 cushions.

I really like this set (3 pics above). I don't think the leather will be a problem, since its not on the part where you sit down, so the dogs should not be able to puncture it.

Elmo Show

2009-02-14T17:14:00.001-08:00

Mackenzie and I went to the Elmo show today in Austin for Valentine's Day. She absolutely LOVED it!!! She even got a little souvenir to take home:) I talked to Buck this morning, and he wishes so much that he could've been there too. He's such a good Daddy! We miss him so much, especially on this Valentine's Day, and can't wait for June!

Her little souvenir. When you push the button it turns and lights up. A "must-have"!

Happy Birthday Papa

2009-01-31T08:05:00.000-08:00

Jim, use whichever you want

I love Elmo!

2009-01-26T16:09:00.000-08:00

Mackenzie is in love with Elmo! Everyday we come home, she goes straight to her room and shuts the door, digs through her dirty clothes basket and drags out her favorite pair of Elmo PJ's and attempts to put them on. As you can see, she doesn't quite have the process down yet to put her own shirts on. That's about as far as she gets with the process:)

Update on Mackenzie

2009-01-16T12:57:00.000-08:00

Great news! We went to see the endocrinologist today, and he believes that Mackenzie is just a late bloomer and she doesn't have any hormone deficiencies!!!! She does have a follow-up in 6 months with the doctor, and he wants to see her grow at least 1 inch in that time. If she doesn't, then they'll do more extensive testing, but hopefully that won't be a problem. Thank you for all your prayers.

Another New Address for Buck

2009-01-13T05:13:00.000-08:00

Hey,

Buck has another new address. I'm not exactly sure when it changed, but it did change some time ago, so hopefully if you sent something out recently he will still get it. Anyways, here it is:

Timothy Starnes
449th TAB
B Co 3-4 AHB
APO, AE 09322

I just found out myself and sent a card a couple of days ago, so hopefully he'll still get it. Have a great rest of the week!

Love,
Steph

Great Times

2009-01-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

Well Buck has officially gone back to Iraq now. It was so great having him home. I can't wait for the next 5 months to fly by. Here are a couple of pics from when he was back.

Buck and Steph, New Year's Eve, downtown Austin, TX

Welcome Home!!!

2008-12-22T16:35:00.001-08:00

Buck finally made it back home for R&R!!! After a long, exhausting day of waiting, he's finally here. Mackenzie went right to him and said "My Daddy!". We will definitely enjoy the next 2 weeks.

B-day party

2008-12-08T08:11:00.001-08:00

Mackenzie's friend Madeline had her B-day party yesterday at a local gymnastics place. It was so neat! There was so much for the kids to do there.

Jumping on (one of) the trampolines.

Mackenzie and mommy in the foam pit. This was so neat. They had trampolines right next to this huge foam pit so you could jump into it. Mackenzie really liked this!

This is one of my favorite pics of Mackenzie and I!!

Girls Night Out!

2008-12-08T08:05:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Mackenzie and I both got a girls night out! My friend Kerri and I went to a free Christmas concert given by a local symphony and then out to Olive Garden. We used the same babysitter and the girls got to have a sleep over. They had a blast, as did Kerri and I.

I love this pic!

School Pic

2008-12-01T16:07:00.000-08:00

Here are some miscellaneous school pics of Mackenzie. As you can see, she really loves going to school and is making a lot of new friends.

These next two are from their Teddy Bear Parade.

Campfire Time

NE trip

2008-11-15T18:34:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pics from our trip to NE last week.

Enjoying the trampoline. Buck, I think that we're going to have to get one of these some day, she had a blast!

Mackenzie with some of her cousins. They all really helped out a lot. She had so much fun playing with them. I think they enjoyed playing with the playdough more than Mackenzie:)

Brock, Shelbi, and Mackenzie had a good time "decorating" Missy's hair.

Mackenzie thoroughly enjoyed going in and out the doggie door:)

ABC's

2008-11-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

Here is our little angel (if only she was this cute all the time). Anyways, her two new favorite songs are the ABC's and Wheels on the Bus. We sing them everyday. I'll have to get Wheel's on the Bus on video sometime. She's done the ABC's better, but as soon as I get the camera out, she doesn't do it (as well).

On a side note, please keep Mackenzie in your prayers. A couple of weeks ago I took Mackenzie into the doctor because I was concerned about her weight. The doctor did a bone age test on her (x-ray), and determined that right now her bone growth is at the rate of a 7-month old's. He is convinced that she has a hormone deficiency, we just have to figure out which hormone it is. She's had her blood work done, we just have to wait for the results now, which will take up to 2 months. I'm not trying to worry about things. I trust that the Lord will provide for us and that whatever is wrong with her, her doctors will be able to fix in this modern day of medicine. The extra prayers won't hurt though. Physically (besides her stature), she has no abnormalities. She's as healthy and playful (and moody) as any 2 year old comes. I'm so blessed to have a happy, healthy little girl who gives me so much love.

Trunk or Treat

2008-11-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

This year our church held a "Trunk-or-Treat" for the kids. About 20 cars decorated their trunks and handed out candy to the kids. There were also games and food. Mackenzie had a great time.

Mackenzie did the bean bag toss (kind of)

She played musical shapes (kind of like musical chairs) about 50 times. She loved running around in a circle. She would've stayed all night if I let her.

This is Her Majesty, Princess Mackenzie (actually wearing her tiara). She only wore it for about the first 10 minutes, and then it was off. Good thing I took a picture right away!

This was the pumpkin sweep. She attemped to sweep the pumpkin down to the finish line.

Good news for Steph!

2008-10-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

The Lord has blessed us so much this year. I just wanted to let you all know that I got my acceptance letter to start the nursing program in January! Praise the Lord!!!! The program is a 2-year program (ADN), so I should graduate in December 2010. My sister just recently got accepted into the nursing program (in St Louis) to start next fall, so we'll both be in nursing school at the same time! Kind of cool. Anyways, I just wanted to share my good news.

Socks

2008-10-12T19:39:00.001-07:00

One day when I was folding laundry, Mackenzie decided she wanted to put on my socks. She picked two completely different socks then put her shoes on with them and walked around the house with the whole ensemble. It was hilarious!

Stylish!!

She thought that I needed to wear socks too.

The Circus

2008-10-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Mackenzie's first circus experience. She was a little scared at first from all the loud noise and lights (brings back memories of July 4th), but as the night went on she started enjoying herself. She really liked the elephants, although I think that riding it would've traumatized her. Maybe next year with daddy's help!

These are Mackenzie's friends, Madeline and Emily, that we went to the circus with.

Mommy and Mackenzie

Mackenzie really liked the elephants.

The Tiling Job

2008-09-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

Buck wanted some pics of the tile that we just had put in, so I decided to incorporate that with the assistance from my lovely young model, miss Mackenzie Sue.

These are from the master bath. The hall bath has the same exact tile.

Here, our lovely young assistant is showing the kitchen tile off. It turned out beautifully, and it looks like a totally different room now.

Playset

2008-09-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

I got Mackenzie a new playset yesterday. It's used, but in great condition and we got it for a great price. She absolutely loves it! There is a swing set that attaches to it at the other end, I just have to round up someone to help me put it up. Thanks to someone who goes to my church, and and fellow neighbor, we got it in my backyard by lifting it over the privacy fence. I'm so grateful for all the help that I recieved.

Another New Address

2008-09-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

I know, this is getting ridiculous. Don't worry though, he will get your letters is you mailed them to the previous address. Here is his new address:

Timothy Starnes
B Co 3-4 AVN
Task Force 49
APO, AE 09322

Sorry for any inconvienence. He should be here for awhile, so hopefully no more address changes for awhile.

Address Update

2008-08-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

This address is good for the next month, and then he'll be relocating, again. Don't worry if you have sent packages to the previous address, he will get them. Here it is:

Timothy Starnes
B Co 3-4 AVN
CAV 4th ID BIAP
APO, AE 09322

He's supposed to relocate somewhere around the 1st of October, so I'll have a new address then.

Our Future Gymnast

2008-08-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

On our way home from Nebraska, we stopped overnight in Edmond, OK. We turned the tv to the Olympics, and it was the final night of gymnastics. Shawn Johnson was doing her balance beam routine, and she was very artistic. Mackenzie was imitating her and jumping all around the bed doing "flips" and things. It was hilarious. I think she's back to normal now. The wedding really took its toll on her. Well as you can assume, we made it back home to Texas safely, Praise the Lord! Mackenzie and I both start school on Monday, so we'll be getting right back into the swing of things.

Changing the Oil

2008-08-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie learned how to change the oil today with her Papa. I'll have to have her do it for me next time:)

Missy's Wedding

2008-08-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

This is how we walked down the aisle. Mackenzie was so tired from the weekend's events, she just couldn't hang on anymore. It was probably a good thing though, because she was so cranky.

These were taken after the wedding ceremony. She liked blowing the bubbles, and pouring them all down her dress (and mine).
This picture was taken at the park before the wedding ceremony. It shows just how beautiful a bride Melissa was that day.

So for all of you that didn't know, my sister got married this past weekend. It was such a fun event, but a whirlwind. Mackenzie was so off her routine, she just wasn't a happy camper all weekend. She ended up not being in many of the wedding pictures because she was so tired and cranky. I asked Missy if she minded if Mackenzie was asleep as we walked down the aisle, so thats how we did it. It was for the best though. Better that than a screaming, cranky child! All-in-all, we had a great fun weekend. It was so nice seeing all of our family. I really wish that Buck could have been there.

Buck in Iraq

2008-08-13T07:26:00.000-07:00

Buck finally got a picture to me from Iraq. This is him sitting in the pilot seat. He's been very busy flying lately. On the days when he does fly, he flies for about 7-8 hours, so he's pretty exhausted on those days. I can't believe that he's been gone for 2 months already. Anyways, he loves getting mail, so even a letter is greatly appreciated. He should be getting R&R sometime in December. Love you all and thank you for your prayers.

Pink Toes

2008-07-27T19:32:00.001-07:00

Today Mackenzie got her toes painted for the first time. I was painting my toes, and she decided she wanted hers painted too. Let me tell you, its not easy painting a 2 year old's toes! She kept wanting to touch it and move, needless to say her little nails are so tiny! She's very proud though and likes to show off her pink toes. She actually posed for me to take this picture. Thats a first!

My landscaping

2008-07-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

I've been busy lately planting some new trees and flowers. I planted the 3 Crape Mertel trees against the front of the house and one in the back of the house. I also dug up the dead hydrangeas in the flower bed in the back and planted some pretty live flowers in place of them. I'll probably put some more towards the front of the bed, but its good enough for now. Its just nice to see some live flowers in there:) I had to replace a dead bush on the side of the house too, so needless to say, my back hurts after all that. I just had to show my hard work. This is the first time I've ever planted a tree or really done any planting, so I'm proud of myself. Buck planted the rose bushes, but they are finally all blooming at the same time so I decided to take a picture of them, too.

Sam is in the doghouse

2008-07-25T19:19:00.001-07:00

Needless to say, Sam is in the doghouse. He decided to use my couch cover as a chew toy. Every time Mackenzie sees it she says "Uh Oh" and "Bad". Other than this, and a few other minor incidences, he has been a good dog. I hope he decides to keep it that way!

Buck has another new address

2008-07-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

I know, this is the third one, but he should be here for awhile. Don't worry, if you sent it to the TAJI address he will still get it. His new address is:

Timothy Starnes
3-158 AVN
B Co 3-4 AVN
APO, AE 09322

Keep the TAJI one on file though, he will eventually end up back there. I'll let you know when that is. Buck is doing fine. He hit a little snag with being able to progress where he is, but they have it worked out now and he starts flying nights later this week. Please keep him in your prayers. Love you all!

Playing the Guitar with Grandpa

2008-07-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie really loved to watch her grandpa play the guitar. She liked to strum along too:)

Our Nebraska Trip

2008-07-21T20:15:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie and I flew out to Nebraska this weekend for Melissa's Bridal Shower. It was a well needed vacation (if you want to call it that). Mackenzie had a BLAST playing with all her cousins. Her and Shelbi really hit it off. The pink dress is a dress that my grandmother made for her. Its so adorable. The white dress is her flower girl dress (that my grandmother made also) for Melissa's wedding. She looked so official up there getting fitted. Anyways, it was great seeing friends and family. We're driving back up to Nebraska for the wedding on Aug 7th and will be there for a couple of weeks. I can't wait for August!!

Playtime!

2008-07-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie and I have been busy having lots of fun. The top pictures are from McDonalds. She loves to go and play there. The bottom pictures are from Wazoo's. It's an indoor inflatable funzone, which is great since its sooooooo hot here in Texas. The great thing about that place is once you pay, you can come and go all day, so we made a whole day of it. She slept great that night!

Mackenzie update

2008-07-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have been asking how Mackenzie is doing with her hearing aids. The answer is, well...... not exactly how we were hoping it would go. She will only wear them for short periods of time now. I try to make her wear them for at least an hour everyday, but sometimes that doesn't happen. I've been using playdough to keep her occupied. So far its working, but as soon as the playdough goes away, her "princess ears" come out. I'm hoping by the time she's 3 she'll understand better and wear them more often. We're still on the waiting list for speech therapy, so until then I'm trying work with her as much as she'll let me (she's VERY independent now). Thanks for all your prayers and support.

Happy 4th!

2008-07-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

We had a good time this 4th of July. Mackenzie, Jacob, Shannon and I went to the Ft. Hood fireworks celebration. They really had a great spread. There were inflatables and rides for the kids, and a beer tent for us adults:) Mackenzie was not very fond of the fireworks this year. I think the loud sounds really scared her. Well I hope you all had a great 4th. Buck is doing good. He starts flying this week, so please keep him in your prayers. Love you all.

Busted!

2008-06-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

The picture speaks for itself. Her expression is priceless.

Pool Fun

2008-06-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

Hey,

Mackenzie really loves swimming in her pool that we have out back. She's the happiest when mommy sits in there with her:) The swimsuit is not needed though. She prefers to swim in the nude! Anyways, thank-you Uncle Steve and Aunt Trish for the the pool! It's getting a lot of use this summer.

Mambo

2008-06-26T17:08:00.001-07:00

We were watching Dora today, and they were doing the Mambo. Mackenzie thinks its so fun to do. It was really hard to catch her doing it, but towards the end of the video she starts doing it a little (its so cute). Of course off camera, she does it all the time, but catching it on camera is next to impossible.

Bucks address

2008-06-22T19:45:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone,

Buck has his new address for where he'll be in Iraq. He said they will only be in Kuwait for about another week or so and then they're headed to there new "home". His address is:

Timothy Starnes (no rank)
B Co 3-4 AVN BN, Unit #6061
Camp TAJI
APO, AE 09378

I know that some may want to send some care packages, so here are some things that Buck said he would need:

Baby wipes
foot powder
toothbrush
toothpaste (he needs the kind for sensitive teeth)
Old Spice body wash (hair/body wash in one)
stamps
notebook
gum
beef jerky
disposable 3-blade razors
shaving cream
Myoplex Bars (@ GNC, the peanut butter flavored-these are for when he's flying nights)

We thank you all for your prayers.

Love,
Steph

Buck left for Iraq

2008-06-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

Buck officially left for Iraq yesterday. Needless to say it was a very emotional day. We had a very nice time together before he left though. Mackenzie and daddy got lots of play time together and Buck and I got to go out for dinner and a movie Friday night. Buck called me this morning from Bangor, Maine. The plane was stopping to refuel and then they were headed to Kuwait. They should be there around 6pm (Central time) tonight, which is early Monday morning there. His unit has some training to do there and the mechanics have to get the helicopters up and running and then they will fly into Iraq. They will probably be in Kuwait for a couple of weeks or so. You can email Buck at timothy.starnes@gmail.com. He may not be able to check it very much at first, but I'm sure he'll try to get to you as soon as he can. I'll keep you all updated as more news comes in. Please keep him and his unit in your prayers for a safe return (in 15 months). God Bless!

Hearing Aids

2008-06-12T18:02:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie got her new hearing aids yesterday. She is doing great with them! I think she really likes them. She really doesn't mess with them at all. I caught her one time taking them out, but I think she was more interested in what they are. Anyways, she's really taken to them well, and I think they are really going to help her.

San Antonio Trip

2008-06-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

We went to San Antonio last weekend and had a blast! We took Mackenzie to the Children's Museum there and spent a lot of time on the Riverwalk. We also went to Sea World. It was so neat! Mackenzie really loved the Shamu show and the dolphins. As most of you know, Buck will be leaving for Iraq this weekend. Please keep him in your prayers.

Happy 2nd Birthday Mackenzie!

2008-05-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my little girl is 2! Mackenzie had a great birthday, but did NOT like it when we sang Happy Birthday to her. She is getting to that shy stage. I'm having difficulty with my computer right now, so I don't have a lot of birthday shots right now. Here are few I hope you enjoy. Mackenzie's Grandmommy and Granddaddy came all the way from Atlanta to wish her a Happy Birthday. Her birthday theme this year was Elmo. She really enjoyed all the Elmo stuff. She also got tons of clothes this year, so she should be set now for awhile! Buck and I got Mackenzie a play kitchen set, and she really loves playing with that. It occupies a lot of her play time now.

Mackenzie Update

2008-05-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie had her sedated ABR today (hearing test), and they did find some mild hearing loss. The doctor recommended that we get hearing aids for her. They still don't know exactly what caused the hearing loss (genetic or not) or whether its degenerative. Its something that we'll have to keep checking periodically to see what her status is. For now though, we can get her hearing aids that will hopefully help (if she'll keep them in). Please pray for her that its not degenerative and that the hearing aids will help her. We'll keep you all posted.

Landscaping

2008-04-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend Buck and I finally got some landscaping done. We planted the tree and put hydrangeas around it. In the plant bed we put some more flowers and bushes. We also put in all the white landscaping rocks (they were heavy!). Its so much funner doing yard work when you actually are working on your own house!

Our Baby Girl

2008-04-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

Today we found out some unsettling news. For some time now we've been concerned about Mackenzie's speech delay. Part of the process to get speech therapy is to rule out any hearing problems. Well today she had her hearing exam. They did a test on her (while she was sleeping), and the audiologist thinks she may have some hearing loss to high frequency sounds. We have to get further testing done to confirm these findings. We're hoping that maybe somehow there was a fluke with the machine, but for now the doctor told us not to worry about it. If she does have any hearing loss, then she may have to get hearing aids. The good news is that now we know why she has had delays with her speech, and we can focus our attention on this and get her the help she needs to progress. There are many good programs out there to help children with hearing loss, so we have to count our blessings. Please keep her in your prayers. I will keep everyone updated as soon as we find out more about her condition. God bless!

Our First Camping Trip

2008-04-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

We finally went camping for the first time. Mackenzie really enjoyed it, minus the wind. It's not easy setting up a tent when the wind is blowing 30mph! Overall we had a great time.

ps. Mom and Dad, thanks for the tent. We love it!!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-31T19:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! We had a great Easter. Steph sang in the choir Easter morning so we went to the early service that morning. For lunch we went to Lew and Janiece's house and spent the afternoon with them. We hope you all had a wonderful Easter. He is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

Mackenzie's First Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-31T19:21:00.000-07:00

This year was Mackenzie's first Easter egg hunt. Their eggs were hidden on the playground, and Buck said before they even started that he bet she would go straight for the swings instead of the eggs. Well he was almost right. She headed straight for the playhouse! She played in there for a couple of minutes and then decided she wanted to pick up eggs. Overall she did very well and I think she had lots of fun.