It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

I'm afraid Mackenzie inherited my fine/thin hair gene which is particularly noticeable at her young age. I had to put this picture up so you could see for yourself she's not completely bald. She has quite a bit on top though it's only noticable when she wears headbands (which is SO not happening anymore), when she bathes and when a slight breeze picks it up. Luckily the "what a cute little boy" comments have not yet affected her self-esteem

A Dinner of Cheese

Keith's White Coat Ceremony

Saturday, Keith had his White Coat ceremony. I didn't catch the whole speech on the importance of the white coat because I had a very squirmy baby in my hands but basically receiving it means that he's been accepted as a professional and should now act as one.
It was a proud moment for me as I watched him cross the stage. We've been together almost 3 years now and for the duration of that time, Keith's goal has been to attend dental school. All the hours he put into studying and all of his hard work have payed off. We have 4 years ahead of us but Keith is already loving school here and excelling in his classes. I think our time here will be over too soon and then onto the real world and the glory of the paycheck!!!

Speaking of post-graduation, as of today, Keith has completed the requirements for the military so that will definitely be our plan for three years after dental school is completed. They will keep us debt free for three of our four years here in school and Keith will pay them back with 3 years of service in the air force as a dentist. We've put a LOT of research, thought and prayer into this decision and we feel it is right for us and are grateful that we will not have to come out of dental school with 300,000+ in loans.

Engaging Without Being Defensive

I saw this talk today on LDS. org by Elder M. Russell Ballard on how to share your beliefs. The talk was given at BYU's graduation ceremony on August 13th and it really opened my eyes! You can click here to view the full talk. Here's a few highlights that stuck out to me:

"He [Christ] knew what He wanted to say, and He said it without apology."

"But one thing is inescapable: it will be your century, one in which you have the opportunity to leave your mark for good or otherwise. You will try to influence others, and others will try to influence you. Either you will share and promote your core values, rooted in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, or you will allow others to define your values for you and your posterity."

"If we want to be respected today for who we are, then we need to act confidently — secure in the knowledge of who we are and what we stand for, and not as if we have to apologize for our beliefs. That doesn’t mean we should be arrogant or overbearing. Respect for others’ views should always be a basic principle for us —
when we act as if we are a persecuted minority, or as if we expect to be misunderstood or criticized, people will sense it and respond accordingly.
The apostle Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:16)."

A couple suggestions he had for talking to others about the gospel:

"First suggestion: Don’t let irrelevant issues drown out the more important subjects."

"Now my second suggestion to you is to emphasize that Latter-day Saints follow Jesus Christ and what Jesus Christ teaches. We try to follow Him in all that we do."

"When all is said and done, the most important thing about you and your testimony is that you base your beliefs on what Jesus Christ taught, and you try to follow Him by living your life in a way acceptable to our Heavenly Father and to the Lord."

"This is your foundation.
Please remember you do not need to feel like you must justify your beliefs; you simply need to explain them in the spirit of love and kindness. The truth always prevails when true doctrine is taught."

Kenzie and Dad are starting a band

This a little older, about a month old but we were reminiscing and saw this one and had to put it on. Mackenzie can be doing anything and once I start playing she gives herself whiplash as she turns and before I know it I have got a fan.

Who dunnit?

The EvidenceThe CulpritCurrently, this squinty-eyed look is her favorite, she thinks she's SO funny every time she does it.

A View Of Our Backyard

As you can see, we really lucked out with the location of our apartment. I love opening the blinds and seeing a park everyday. I actually took this picture when we got here but it's just as green because of all the rain we've been getting. A lot of flooding has occurred in Louisville and has affected the main campus here which luckily is a couple miles from the Health Science buildings where Keith attends classes.
The thunderstorms here are crazy! I think I tremble with as much awe as I do fear when one comes rolling through. The lightening is bright enough to light our darkened apartment for several seconds at a time and the thunder has managed to rumble the ground beneath us and cause our windows to shake. Can't wait until tornado season...