Beach Bound

Despite the minor accident that Andy had with a Ford Explorer on our first night of vacation (post to follow), we made the most of our time in North Wildwood. The entire Horn clan spent a week at the beach...just one block from the ocean. The kids had an absolute blast together. It's great that they are all so close in age. The beach took a little adjusting before the kids decided what they thought of it. I'd say that Evan certainly didn't mind the sand as he found it quite tasty. Carter took a bit but before long he was on the move. He didn't seem to mind the water or the sand by weeks end. As for Mackenzie, I think she is still unsure. We all witnessed her dislike of the sand. However, she would have a blast in the water from time to time. It seemed as if one minute she loved it and the next she could do without. Perhaps next year will be the winner?

In addition to the almost daily beach trips, we also took quite a few walks on the boardwalk, some bike rides, a trip to the Cape May Zoo, and a morning at the playground.

It was great to get everyone together for the week. We are looking forward to the next adventure!

UNTIL NEXT TIME.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARTER!

It's hard to believe that it's been one year since my first nephew made his appearance into the world. I can still remember when Katie & Tim called to tell me that her water broke and that they were on their way to the hospital. And now, a year later, here we are, celebrating his first birthday. Time sure does fly by.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARTER MICHAEL!!

JULY 10, 2011

Family Bike Ride

We decided to take Mackenzie out for a family bike ride along the Valley Forge-Manayunk Rail Trail. We went with our good friends Magali & David on July 2nd. It was a great day for a leisure 20 mile bike ride. We took our time, stopped for a snack at the mid point and then headed back for a picnic lunch. Looking forward to the next one!

A Kingdom for Kids

We ventured to Dutch Wonderland on Saturday, July 1st with Roseanne, Giada, Dominic, Katie & Carter. It was a gorgeous day and we were looking forward to having a great time in the kingdom. We thought we would start off with the dry rides and then hit up the water park after we had our picnic lunch.

Mackenzie's first ride, the carousel. I've comed to realize that Mackenzie really isn't a fan of fake animals. This was our second encounter with a 'statue' type animal (the first being a turtle) and she wanted nothing to do with it. So, we quickly got off the horse and sat on a nice little bench as we went round and round on the merry go round!

Next up, "Off-Road Rally." This appeared to be the perfect ride to try out. The kids could sit in the front of these monster trucks and the parents were able to sit directly behind them. No sooner did I get Mackenzie and Giada in their seats did she start climbing her way out. I was leaning over the entire ride trying to convince her to stay seated and distract her with our surroundings. Thank goodness we only did one loop!

She did ok with the "Fun Slide" and the "Double Splash Flume." I wouldn't say she was begging for more. But there were no tears from her nor any nails marks on me!

The last dry ride we tried was "Lady Gay River Boat." I thought she would enjoy taking a ride on the boat. However, she only enjoyed it while we were sitting still. As soon as the boat started moving she was a cling on.

Once we hit the water park you could see that Mackenzie finally found her 'home.' She is a fish in water. She had a blast! The smiles on her face made up for the fear that she had earlier in the day. So, the water park was her Kingdom!

Osika Family Participates in Philly Triathlon

The weekend was filled with events that the whole family was going to participate in. First off, the Spring Triathlon on Saturday am. Later on in the day was the kids fun run (which Mackenzie napped through). Then, Sunday was the Olympic Triathlon.

Mommy participated in the Sprint Triathlon on Saturday, June 25th starting at 7:30am. The Sprint Triathlon consisted of a 1/2 mile swim (much to my surprise) in the Schuylkill River, 16 mile bike, and a 5k run. I was pleasantly surprised with how I finished. After all, this was my first triathlon since having Mackenzie.

Daddy participated in the Olympic Triathlon on Sunday, June 26th starting at 7:00am. The Olympic Triathlon consisted of .9 mile swim, 25 mile bike, and a 10k run. This was just a taste of what Daddy has in store for him in September when he participates in the Chesapeakeman IRONMAN (2.4m swim, 112m bike, and 26.2m run).

Pictures are far and few between now that we have a little monkey to keep an eye on during the races. But I've included a few before and after pictures to check out....

2011 Lancaster Red Rose Run

Well, it took 8 years but I finally did the Red Rose Run again this year. I did this race in May 2003. It was my first race and had never run 5 miles in my life. The challenging course made it for a rough first race and needless to say made me never want to do it again. However, 8 years later, married, a baby, and quite a few running races and triathlons under my belt and I gave it another whirl. My only goals were to have fun while pushing my daughter and running with my good friend Rosie and to beat my time from 8 years ago of 56:04. I think I shattered that time when I crossed the finish in 47:19. Go Us! Let's just say, I don't think I'll wait another 8 years to do the race again.

18 Month Well Visit

Daddy took Mackenzie to her 18 month well visit this morning. The doctor is extremely pleased with how well she is doing. She is happy to hear that she is talking up a storm and on the move. She said we should expect her to start saying phrases around 20-22 months. And it wouldn't be uncommon for us to see her hit or get frustrated as this is her means of communicating. She is definitely chatty and surely tries to tell us what she wants/needs but most of the time I'm only guessing at what she is trying to tell us.

The doctor did confirm that she does have eczema. We had noticed a rash behind her knees, behind her elbows, and on her neck (by her hair line). We thought it was due to the heat but have noticed some areas getting worse. So, we are to apply cortisone cream and lotion to help with the irritation.


The doctor noticed two more molars breaking through on the bottom. She said that since she is getting her 12 month molars a bit later she will most likely hit puberty later and also be taller than originally predicted (5'4"). Interesting tid bit!!

18 month statistics:
Weight: 18 lbs 14oz (0.49%)
Height: 30" (8.9%)
Head: 17.8" (15%)

The best things come in small packages!!