March for Babies 2011

Hi everyone

It's me, McKenna

I've come to hijack my Grandma's blog again!

I hope you had a great Christmas, and that the New Year is off to a great start!

It's that time of year ... My grandma has just finished working on her personal page for "Team McKenna Faith" (that's me, dazzling you with my cuteness) for the March of Dimes walk coming up on May 1st.

My mommy did the March of Dimes walk for a few years before she even thought of having a baby. She didn't have any idea at the time that she and Daddy would plan to start their family, and that I would be one of the babies born prematurely. I was one of the babies that she was walking for and didn't even know it.

Since then, the March of Dimes has become even more important to Mommy and Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa, and our whole entire family and circle of friends. That's why last year there were about 40 people on Team McKenna Faith who walked during a rainy weekend in April and raised more than $6,000.00 for the March of Dimes. This amount was the 5th highest fundraising effort for the whole Metro Detroit area, and we were 11th for the entire state of Michigan! YAY TEAM! But we are setting our sights even higher this year. We want to raise $10,000.00 for this very worthy cause.

You know, when I think back to my time in the hospital, I realize how lucky I am. Some of those babies in the NICU with me were not doing as well as I was. I wish every one of them could be as strong and healthy as I am now. I wish all of us could have stayed in our mommy's wombs a little longer so we could grow inside and not in the NICU. It was not a fun place to be for any of us, but those wonderful angels (nurses and doctors) helped me get bigger and stronger so I could go home to be with my mommy and daddy.

Look at me now! I have not been sick one single time in my whole life! Yee haw!

My mommy and daddy, and all the adults in our huge family are trying to get an even bigger team of local friends and family to walk with us. I will be in my stroller, which will be all decorated with balloons and signs. It's going to be a fun walk. Better than last year.... more people, more money raised (and please, MORE SUN NO RAIN!) But even if it rains again, we will march on for the cause.

I know you can't come walk with us, but please consider a donation for our team, for a very worthy cause, in honor and celebration of ME! Just click on the banner below for my grandma's donation page. Easy-peasy!

Thanks a bunch!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO,
McKenna

(my grandma, the Bloomin' Knitiot, thanks you too!) Mwah!

Just a little reminder of what I looked like when I was born. I weighed only 2 lb. 5 oz. Babies this small (and even way smaller) are born every day and they need our help!

Day 2, going strong!

I decided yesterday that I would do an extra "photo a day" project this year. In addition to my regular Project 365 photo, I'm going to try really hard to take a photo at the time of day that is the same as the date of the day. I came up with this idea while in the shower yesterday and when I came downstairs it was exactly 1:01 and I had to grab my camera and just shoot a picture of something nearby before it turned 1:02! Here's the photo I got. It's a small example of the new colors in the family room.

Here is today's Project 365 photo:

Love what you do! Not only that, Do what you love!!!

I have this plaque sitting next to the ceramic Christmas tree my dear Grandma made for me so many years ago. It hasn't gotten put away yet. The colored lights on the tree are reflecting here and there on the shiny paint on the plaque.

And I was in the middle of making these at 1:02 this afternoon so snapped a shot of the pile:

These orifice hooks are listed in my etsy shop if you're interested in purchasing one of them.

I didn't take this picture, but it is so cute I had to share it. This is McKenna at a NYE party she went to with her mommy and daddy. She looks so grown up in this picture. I can't believe she's 17 months old already! What a cutie-patootie!

Happy New Year!

So, we're off to a new start. What will this year bring?

I've decided to join a few friends (and thousands of other people I don't know) in doing Project 365, (<<-- flickr group link) which is basically a "photo a day" project. (Another site to check out: Project 365: How to take a photo a day and see your life in whole new way)

I'm not going to follow any particular theme, other than to try to capture a special moment or something that depicts what that day was all about. Some people do a self-portrait every day. Ahem. No. That will not be me.

I am hoping to become much more familiar with my camera (about time, since I've had it 2 years, and have mostly used the "auto" mode. What a waste of features!) and learn to take better photos. Hopefully when the year is over I can look back and see that this has turned out to be true! Join in, won't you?

Here is 1/365. Our weather has gone from mid 20s for about a month to several days of mid 40s into the low 50s. The snow has melted, and we've had several days of rain. Nature has washed away the old year and freshened things up for 2011. Now, a nice layer of pristine snow would be nice. I'm not a fan of the gray/brown bleakness of winter when there is no snow to make things pretty.

Happy, healthy, wonderful new year to all of you!