Ross Family Blog

Toddler-ville

2012-01-21T13:08:00.000-08:00

Does this pic just scream SASSY?

Oh boy---we are FOR SURE in toddler land now! Our sweet little 18 month old has developed some sass, and a new head butting technique she uses on us when she doesn't like what we are asking her to do, are holding her too long, or when she gets really hyper (one resulting in me getting a fat lip right before I left for work!). Oh, and today she uttered "Mine do it" when I was trying to help her not spill her sippy cup. Yep, we have an independent toddler on our hands. However, that hasn't deterred us from seeing her as the most precious little girl on earth! Besides, those flare-ups of independent sassiness are part of learning and growing up---and, at times, they are still kinda cute (but don't tell Kendall that!). Don't get me wrong, most of the time she is GREAT and continues to amaze us with her sense of humor, imaginative play, sweet hugs, helpful nature, and ability to pick up on new words (and usually the correct meaning, too)!

Playing in the cat house...she wishes she was a cat some days as she LOVES them.

Looking like such a big girl!

And now for the jumbled list of Kendall stats and memories---that we just don't want to forget!

Kendall's favorite activities these days include putting her baby "nigh nigh," coloring, taking baths and singing. Her "Baby" takes about 874, thirty second naps throughout the day, and we are constantly hearing "shhh shhh shhh, nigh nigh" as she shoves the poor baby into her various napping spots. Then Kendall will instantly pick her back up and start the nap routines again. Many of her stuffed animals, as well as Aslan, have also partaken in a game of "nigh nigh." In addition to her baby doll, Kendall also received a Color Wonder set for Christmas and she asks to "kah-wa" all the time, but spends most of the time grunting to get the caps off or focusing to put them back on. Although color wonder is mess-free she does still need a bath from time to time. We're going to have to start spelling out B-A-T-H here soon, as Kendall gets over the top excited when she knows it's bath time. She loves to "swim" on her tummy and pour water over her own head. And the singing, oh the sweet, beautiful singing! We love it!!!! She sings when she wakes up and she sings when she's going to sleep, she sings while she plays, she sings about her food, and of course she sings to her baby. Although she has quite a song repertoire (Itsy bitsy spider, Twinkle Twinkle, I Love You (Barney style), Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, The Wheels on the Bus, and Jesus Love Me), she usually is singing in her own little language.

Climbing in to her baby's bed---so silly!

Kendall continues to be open to eating just about anything. Her favorite food right now is the small Satsuma oranges. She called them "greens" and we have no clue where that started---maybe she just knows she's being funny? She is pretty funny!

Sneaking a piece of candy cane!

She loves to play hide and seek with her cousins and now yells "Hide!" to let us know we need to come find her. She continues to thrive at her many different babysitters! Learning so much from her cousins and friends. We hear she loves the story lady and getting a stamp at the end.

running down the hall

One of the milestones "we've" experienced in the last 3 months is a set of molars, and the a new set starting to poke through---making for a rough night now and again. Usually Kendall is a great sleeper going down between 7:30 and 8:30 and waking up between 6:30 and 7. On weekends we try to give her a bottle and trick her into thinking it's still night time and get an extra hour out of her! When that doesn't work we let her snuggle with us in bed and watch a cartoon (Caillou is a favorite!)---we love our weekends!

first taste of snow.

At her 18 month doctors appointment she weighed in at 20 pounds 1oz (under 5% still) and 30.25 inches tall (10%). Still a little pipsqueak! She is currently wearing a mix of 12 and 18 month size clothes, and sometimes helps to choose her own outfit. She loves to request bows for her hair, too (although she doesn't usually keep them in for long). That's right, she has enough hair for bows!

Attempting to dress herself and needing "mo bow!"

We think we are getting closer to potty training season as she is very interested in the potty, announces when she is going, and recently learned how to take her pants off. We are also hoping to be done with binkies (which are just at bedtime now) and bottles here soon. We've been wanting to wean from the bottle for months now but due to her petite size didn't want to take away the only way she actually drinks milk.

A visit to Cat Tales to see the "Big Titty"

To Keith's delight, she loves to count! For a while if we ever said "how many" in any context we'd hear her shout out "2", now if we say 1 she'll keep counting (sort of!). Loves to repeat 3, and knows that 9 comes after 8. And after we say 10 she claps for herself. The rest are hit or miss right now but Keith is in heaven none-the-less.

Play date with some of her forever friends

of course still in love with the cats!

And there you have it! See you in a few months for the next Kendall update :) Oh, I've included a few videos at the bottom ...

A full and fun Christmas

2011-12-30T23:36:00.000-08:00

We have LOVED spending all these extra moments with Kendall over the break! She is at such a fun age and has been soaking in all that this season brings, and we have enjoyed watching through her eyes. She has taught us new dance moves to "Away in a Manger", all the characters in the manger scene are "babies," insists that the tree is lit, points to any and all "Dantas" (Santas), tells us that Santa says "Whoa Whoa Whoa," discovered a love of candy canes, and that anything white is "no" (snow). I know there is more that I can't think of right now...but, boy is she CUTE!

On to our break...(sorry,this is boring, but I have to write it down or I'll forget what we did year to year!)

The first few days of the break were spent cleaning and organizing the house and working on some craft projects so I could feel caught up on life a little bit. I even spent some time in my classroom getting organized there and ready for the next month (a teachers work is never done!). The goal was to get on top of it all so that Christmas could actually be relaxing.

We spent Christmas in Spokane this year. Christmas Eve day we laid low at home and watched it snow! Kendall kept going to the window announcing "no, no" (aka snow, snow). Although we didn't get enough to get out and play in, it did make it feel just a little more like Christmas. Keith's Mom, Grandma, and Aunt joined us at church for a peaceful service of singing Christmas carols and listening to the cutest little girls recite the Christmas story. There wasn't childcare so Kendall ran free in the back of church and Keith lovingly chased her around so I could relax and participate in the service. :)

Christmas morning was spent with our little family of 3 exchanging gifts and teaching Kendall how to open them (she's practically a master at it now!). She was genuinely excited about everything she received, especially her books which she carefully read before moving on to other gifts. Grandma and Papa had shipped over a new "bike" for Kendall which she enjoyed riding backwards (hasn't mastered how to move it forward yet!).

We ventured out to Keith's Mom's house for the rest of Christmas day where Santa had made a visit bringing Kendall her first real dolly (who she now gently kisses on the forehead!) and a stroller that plays music! We were all spoiled rotten by Bernie, whose love language is most certainly gift giving!!!

The day after Christmas was a reorganization day to make sure the toys don't take over the house. We also packed up for a trip to my parents. We then flew to Longview for round 2 of Christmas. Kendall's Great Grandpa Dave was also visiting during our stay and Kendall loved all the extra attention from him and her Papa and Grandma. Of course we all exchanged more gifts and some of us used our gifts to go shopping for new boots! Keith and I finished our stay with a date night, while the 3 grandparents took care of dinner and bed time---thank you! All in all it was a full and wonderful break. We head home tomorrow and have 2 days to fit in our relaxing :)

Watching Calliou on the iPod on our flight---it only kept her attention for 15 minutes!

Loves her new Color Wonder!

Flirting with Great Grandpa

Grunting as she tears into the gifts!

Kissing her baby

riding my childhood horse

I know you can't really tell by these pictures, we do actually dress our child in clothes other than pajamas! HA!

Santa Claus

2011-12-10T22:13:00.000-08:00

Kendall wasn't diggin' Santa this morning at the annual "Breakfast with Santa." We weren't surprised because she generally doesn't like strangers all that much. Although there was a glimmer of hope as she was pointing at him and saying "Danta," but the closer we got the tighter her grip on me was. There was no way she was letting us leave her with him so we have a family Santa picture this year. Here is a little video of her Santa encounter...notice she is very curious and looking for him as he pumped up the crowd.

And our little ham was all smiles again once we were home.

We are Thankful!

2011-11-27T10:29:00.000-08:00

Would you like to try our Pumpkin Spice Latte?

2011-11-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

We were all set to have a cute, plushy little pumpkin this Halloween. Until I had a last minute inspiration by way of a Starbucks apron (thanks to Trish). So, I printed off a few Sbux emblems, taped up a little coffee cup sleeve (paper bag) and a lid (foam paper) complete with the classic green Starbucks straw (toilet paper roll)---and, Wah Lah:

our little latte!!!!

Trick-or-Treat!

Brentwood Costume Parade with Monkey Liam

Welcome Addy! To a Halloween tradition :)

A very serious Halloween tradition.

Last year (7mo & 3mo)

Then it was time to go Trick-Or-Treating with the Strate and vanAnrooy boys.

Kendall doesn't know how to say "Trick-or-Treat" yet, but if you ask her what a ghost says she'll tell you! Despite this, Kendall scored candy at 2 houses (One being Trish and Johnny's---our costume inspiration!)...we don't have a picture of that though. We let her play with the candy and she figured out how to bite through the wrapper, which we discovered after we noticed green drool running down her chin---oops!

It was a fun and Happy Halloween for all of us!

It isn't Fall until you've been to Green Bluff

2011-11-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Family day at Hidden Acres Farm

Just your classic northwest Fall picture

Kendall viewing the huge pig. Her sweet little "oink" sounds nothing like what the real pig says!

Second trip to GB with the cousins

Kendall was screaming until Mimi joined the picture!

And she didn't want a picture with us holding her either, she wanted to stand all by herself---we've got an opinionated toddler now!

Selecting the perfect pumpkin

Our Fall babe---complete with "pretties"

a lot can change in 3 months time

2011-10-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

Oh my word---where did my baby go??? Kendall is a full blown toddler now! It seems as though in the past 3 months she has exploded with new tricks (especially this past month). First and foremost she can walk! She started cruising around 10 or 11 months, took her first few independent steps just after her first birthday, and took off walking around 14 months. For awhile she still preferred crawling as that got her to her destination a little faster. But now she pretty much walks to get around, can bend over to pick things up and stay standing, and occasionally "runs," which is hilarious!

Perhaps the next most exciting "trick" is that her hair has finally grown in enough to get a teeny tiny ponytail on top of her head! As long as we can distract her as soon as I put it in and ensure that nothing draws attention to it, it can stay in all day. Next step is adding bows...we need a little more hair for this next phase.

Kendall has always been a talker, but now she has about 30 real words that she uses in the correct context (mostly). A few of these words she's said for a while, but about 20 of them she just recently started (like in the last 2 weeks!). She can say: uh-oh, no, moow (meow), woo woo (woof woof), quack quack, titty (kitty), daw (dog), bebe (binky), ba ba (bottle), wa wa (water), cado (avocado), toes (toast), cheese, nana (banana), bberry (strawberry), baby, sue (shoe), gock (sock), ba (ball---or pumpkins), down, peas (please), take oo (thank you), mo (more), poop (when she is going!), ello (hello), bye bye, lights on, owie, Mama, Dada, Mimi (Keith's mom), Bama (my mom), Bapa (my dad), and today she started saying "ta-da!" She'll also repeat any word she hears us say (scary!).

She is a little jokester already and enjoys playing pretend. She loves to pretend to give you things then quickly pulls it away and giggles, she'll hide behind furniture and peek around and say "hi" or "bye." If we ask her to do something like sit down she'll fake it and giggle then finally do it the right way. She pretends to go "nigh nigh," tucks her baby into bed, gives her baby her binky, and the other day was using the snot sucker on her baby. She still enjoys "reading" books and cards and occasionally snacking on them, too. The gray kitty continues to be her favorite night time friend and we're getting to the point that if we ever lose it, it's going to be rough! Her other favorite toys include anything that isn't really a toy at all, such as tupperware, sippy cups, shoes, pieces of paper, empty food containers, pens, cell phones, electrical cords, etc. She also loves to sing, dance and clap whenever she hears music or her daddy singing. If you sing "itsy bitsy spider" she'll do all the moves and cheer for herself at the end of the song.

Our little peanut is weighing in at 18lbs and 4oz at her 15 month appointment this week, holding steady below the 5% for weight. She is 28 3/4in tall (10%), and has an 18in head (50%). She is still wearing most of her 12 month clothes, but is starting to get too tall for some pjs and pants, although she swims in 18 month clothes.

She pretty much eats everything we do these days. Her favorites include avocado, spinach, and cheese. We recently introduced her to Red Robin french fries and they may now top the chart as she was frantically signing "Please" to us for more! She also loves yogurt, toast and jam, peas, carrots, corn, squash, and tofu.

We've been so impressed with Kendall's flexibility with me going back to work full time. She spends time with family and friends throughout the week and has adjusted really well. She continues to be the happy playful baby we've come to know this past year. My favorite parts of my day are snuggling with her while she drinks her morning bottle, seeing her light up when I pick her up after work, and playing with her before dinner time. I even like it when she waves and tells me "bye bye" when I leave her in the morning, it's like she is telling me "I love you Mama, have a great day! I'm going to be just fine today!" and I usually need that reassurance. I'm so glad she still loves me, even though I feel that mommy guilt about going back to work. We are so grateful to have a pretty easy going kid (so far!). The one place she is not easy going is at the nursery at church...go figure, she is a pastor's grandkid!

Last, but not least, Kendall graduated to her big girl car seat! It's still rear facing, but much roomier than the carrier type---which she could have stayed in for a few more pounds but her feet were starting to get crammed in the car.

Even after documenting all this amazing growth of our sweet little Kendall, I'm still in shock that our baby isn't really a baby anymore! I know I've said this on every stats blog post, but this is my new favorite stage. I think Kendall is such a fun toddler, I just love being around her, playing with her, reading to her, and watching her learn new things. I know we're biased, but she's the best baby in the world! Here are a few pictures from the past few months.

Not quite ready for the bike

Kendall, where is your nose?

With her cousins at Stoneridge

She can't get enough, even when she is hissed at or scratched!

Being silly by climbing in her car seat and saying "bye bye"

Yogi and Alison's wedding

Kindergarten: a good place to start my real job

2011-10-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

My journey to kindergarten actually started in 2004 when I spent some time in a 2nd grade classroom and watched an amazing teacher teach all kids, beautifully. I felt right at home and this planted the seed. In 2006 I went back to school so I could pursue this thing called teaching. Right about then districts started cutting their budgets and hiring fewer and fewer teachers every year---good timing, right? I've been VERY fortunate to have a teaching job every year, and I feel incredibly blessed by that gift! The stressful thing about these jobs has been they were each for only one year, leaving me wondering what I'd be doing the following year (will I have a job? what grade? what school?). God knew the bigger picture. God has been using these years to refine me, not only as a person, but to be an even better teacher. So now, after many many interviews, a few different grade levels, millions of wonderful learning experiences, amazing relationships with teachers, parents and kids, I now have a REAL teaching job!!!!! Of course all this was not without some great disappointments, frustrations and sacrifices along the way...all character building experiences I'm sure! This year I started teaching as a substitute in a kindergarten class. I then went through the longest and most rigorous interview process I've EVER been a part of (including a teaching observation with a group of students I didn't know), to become a full time continuing teacher in my kindergarten class. As in, FOREVER. As in, next summer I will be setting up my classroom in July and not over Labor Day weekend (all while figuring out how to teach a new grade level). As in, I can move all my teacher belongings out of our basement and permanently into my classroom. As in, I can think about my career and what I might do next year or the year after that or in 10 years from now, and not just think about my job that will end in June. As in, I no longer need to feel like I'm on a daily job interview. As in, I can now watch my students grow up for the next 6 years. This list in my mind keeps getting longer as I think of all the ways my world just changed. I'm so honored to be in the teaching profession, it is not easy, but it is rewarding in so many ways. I am thrilled to help these new little learners start their educational journey. A huge weight has been lifted and I feel great sense of relief, and in some ways I feel free to teach my heart out like I never have before. Praise God!

Summer Highlights

2011-08-14T22:48:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it's August already... it always comes too soon! But this year it seemed faster than normal, maybe because it seems like it JUST warmed up enough to be real summer! To me, August means interviews and the anxiety of not knowing what God has in store for me as far as a teaching job....UGH! Needless to say July is my favorite summer month and it's long gone now. Luckily we've had a fun and relaxing summer so far, and it's not quite over yet. Here are a few of the things we've been up to in reverse order.

Last weekend we cheered for Marissa (and many other friends) during the Spokane to Sandpoint race

Enjoying some extra time with Daddy...we love him being home in the summer!

Gramma came back for a few more snuggles with Kendall before the summer is over

Enjoying being outside more and showing her "intense" look in the tent

Robyn & Maya came for a visit

Kendall has had some quality cousin time

And play dates galore
(Maya, Nathan, & Avlynne---just before Kendall pulled their hair! She's a little jealous that she is still bald!)

Morning walks with Emily and Finley

Crafternoons

Kendall's been helping around the house

I won my first blog contest...a whole box of craft supplies!

A day of "camping" with Keith's family

First taste of FroYo

Kendall thinks this signing thing is really coming in handy!

Deer lake with my family

plenty of naked time (for Kendall!)

and of course some pool time!

Kendall's Pink Lemonade

2011-07-24T00:18:00.000-07:00

During the early days with Kendall, and those long feeding sessions, I became hooked on crafting blogs! I came across the best idea for Kendall's party on Tip Junkie and have been planning it in my mind for months, it's perfectly girly and summery all in one! So, last weekend Kendall turned ONE, and we threw her a Pink Lemonade Party! Not only is it a classic summer drink, it also happens to be one of her Daddy's favorites...so what about the pink part? Well, Kendall made me eat strawberries every day throughout the pregnancy! So it just made sense! We think she had a blast spending the day with her favorite people, her family and friends, and oh boy, she is one loved little girl! Not only is she blessed to have all of you wonderful people in her life, but so are we. It's hard to imagine parenthood without all the support and love we've received along the way so far. We are truly grateful to have all these amazing people helping us love and raise our sweet little Kendall. THANK YOU EVERYONE! So here are the pictures of the big event!

Kendall and I had a little photo shoot a few weeks ahead of time to create a fun invitation.

Here is the birthday girl modeling her birthday outfit.

A special 1st birthday bow made by Mommy :)

Welcome to the Pink Lemonade Party!

The food table (part way through the party---that is why you don't see any food! A special thanks to Bernie and Keith for helping me cut and kabob the pink and yellow fruit). The banner read: Happy Birthday Kendall!

Kendall's applesauce cake, specially frosted and sprinkled by Auntie Riss.

A few of the details: Gerber daisies, strawberry lemonade cupcakes (thanks to Aunt Kelli for loaning me her cake tower), and Kendall's 1 year picture (thanks Eric Strate Photography!)

Lemon drops, pink salt water taffy, starburst, and specially made pink lemonade lolly pops made by Kendall's Mimi.

Cute pic of K & Daddy, and notice on the right you can kind of see the Lemonade drink station...forgot to get a pic. And the bubbles underneath the drink station were the party favors.

Kendall from birth to now in pictures, plus her "coming home" outfit. This really shows how much Kendall has grown this year!

Pompoms and balloons (al a Martha Stewart!)

Daddy

Mommy

(and an "intense" Kendall)

I love these pictures because it shows how much she loves her cards...she's been playing with them, nibbling on them, sorting them, and "reading" them all week!

A dainty little bite to start out...

She's great at sharing

A family pic

Eventually she started to dig in a little, but she actually doesn't really like to get super messy when she eats (she takes after her dad I think).

The cousins

Aunt Kelli

Mimi

Auntie Riss

(Kendall was singing "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to....")

It was such a fun day! I loved working on every little detail, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. In fact, I'm tempted to start planning next years party already...I love to craft! Thanks again to everyone who came to celebrate on this special day, but more importantly in this journey that we've been on for Kendall's first year in our lives. We seriously feel so blessed!

Happy birthday Kendall! We love you so much!

Sweet, Silly, & Social: Our ONE year old!

2011-07-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

One year old dolly picture

Kendall's very first dolly picture at the hospital!

On July 15th, 2010 I decided I should buy a parenting book...I thought I had a little over a week to read up. Little did I know that the very next day we would actually BE parents! That day literally feels like YESTERDAY. Keith and I are in SHOCK by just how fast a year has gone by. But wow, it has been seriously AMAZING! The past couple days we've had a great time "reliving" all the special moments and surprises leading up to Kendall's birth. Those memories are all still so fresh, and I hope they always feel that way. We are truly blessed by Kendall; every single day she brings us so much joy and laughter. As I've documented our feelings and milestones over the past year I know I've said over and over that each new stage has been our favorite, and as we enter the toddler world the feeling is the same. We are LOVING every minute of Kendall these days. It seems like she is absorbing so much lately, every day she has a new trick or understands something new that we say or do. It feels like she has recently turned that corner from baby to toddler. Even though her size sometimes is deceiving (she's about 17lbs and on her birthday a lady at the grocery store asked me if I was sure she was old enough to be sitting in the front part of the cart!). Here is some of the latest with Kendall...
*We think she has quite the sense of humor for a one year old. Actually, she is a riot! She knows how to ham it up and loves an audience. Her crowd favorite right now is the "intense" face with clenched fists---the more laughter she gets the more she does it! We hope she doesn't pop a blood vessel or something!
*Her all time favorite food is avocados! She screams and pounds on her high chair if she sees me with one and can literally eat an entire avocado in one sitting (too bad they are stinkin' expensive right now)! Generally she'll eat anything we give her, and so far she has no allergies. We've also made the switch from formula to whole milk and she has done pretty well, although we still need to get her to take it cold from a sippy cup.
*She is a little love bug! She has always been cuddly, but recently she learned what it means to hug and she will hug us as well as all her favorite toys. On her birthday she was hugging all her new dolls that were still in the packages! If you ask for a kiss you will probably get a slobbery, open mouth, bitting style of kiss. And she can give hi-5's and blows kisses, too.
*Kendall knows how to bust a move! She has the cutest little booty shake and anytime there is any sort of a beat she is groovin'!
*Anything can be a toy for Kendall. She likes to pull all the kleenex out of the box and rip it into tiny pieces. And she also loves to put things inside of containers or take things out. Her other favorite activities include playing with her kitty cats (she has 3 now!), and "reading" all her books. This is how we usually find her when she wakes up, reading to her kitties and binkies (she is still a great sleeper and usually wakes up super happy---unless she is teething (3 teeth in and one is almost through))! She also loves to share the things she is using (including food).
*She is on the move! She hasn't yet taken independent steps, but she is getting really brave with her cruising and loves it when we help her walk. We think she's pretty close to walking alone! She also is very quick going up and down stairs and can safely get herself off of the couches. We think we'll have a climber---but luckily she isn't tall enough to do too much of that yet!
*Our favorite thing that Kendall does is talk...and boy does she love to talk! NON STOP! She sounds like she really has something to say, but still doesn't really have any actual words beyond Mama and Dada and uh-oh. Occasionally we think she is saying Kitty, or bye-bye but it's pretty hit or miss.

A blueberry muffin birthday tradition

Hugging her dolly

She doesn't stay still for long!

Well, there you have it! Our little love is one year old. We can't wait to see what she has in store for us on this adventure of parenthood.

Independence day!

2011-07-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

Great Grandpa is 98!

2011-07-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

So it's time for another trip to California!

Kendall was helping us pack!

First we went to San Francisco's deYoung art museum. Kendall slept through most of it but was up in time to enjoy the view from the top!

Next we had a family BBQ to celebrate Great Grandpa Dave turning 98 years old.

Kendall with her second cousin Molly. They had a lot of fun together!

Kendall with Daddy before the photo shoots.

Grandpa and his kids,

his grandkids,

and his great grand kids!

The Williams'

With Papa John

Great Grandpa enjoying a birthday muffin.

We celebrated Kendall's 1st bday a little early. She wasn't so sure about that candle.

Or the singing, clapping & laughing!

And we celebrated Colin's birthday, too! Our family likes summer birthdays...(14 between me and Keith's families!)

We spent a good amount of time at the pool (after Kendall got over her ear infection).

Gramma and Kendall splashing away!

Swimmer

2011-06-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

Kendall and 3 of her buddies are taking swim lessons at the YMCA...they finish up tomorrow and they are all ready to graduate and become mini lifeguards now! At this age swim lessons consists of jumping of the edge into Mommy's arms, "swimming" after floating toys, dunking heads under the water, singing songs and splashing. Kendall has really enjoyed the water, and I've really enjoyed how it wears her out and she takes super long afternoon naps!

The swim team :)

Pink Eye

2011-06-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

After the 2.5 hr Urgent Care visit, an eye drop prescription & 24 hours of staying home...she was all cleared up in no time! It didn't slow her down one bit! I just wish I had taken a picture sooner---this was after it started to get better. Another illness to add to our "firsts" list!

Father's Day

2011-06-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late on this one, but Keith is a GREAT DAD EVERYDAY so we can celebrate it on the blog on June 29th :) Kendall was just getting over Pink Eye on the real Father's Day so we laid low at home for most of the day and then went out for a family dinner at Twigs. Keith, I have LOVED watching you be a father to Kendall, the way she lights up when you come home or even just walk in the room, is priceless! You are a great provider for her in every way and you've developed with her such a playful relationship. I appreciate you and I'm so glad that Kendall is blessed to have you as her DaDa!

Kendall's first set of clubs!

an 11 month old with a lot to say!

2011-06-18T03:25:00.000-07:00

My calculations just aren't adding up right...suddenly, according to the calendar, my newborn baby girl is 11 months old! Sheesh! 11 months old feels awfully close to 12 months old (aka ONE YEAR OLD---yikes!!!). I do LOVE this new stage, being Kendall's mom just keeps getting better! But I feel like I was JUST pregnant with her; the memories are still SO fresh. Alas, the time continues to pass quickly, and we have a talkative, mobile, silly, and incredibly sweet 11 month old. Kendall has many new tricks up her sleeve, but crawling, pulling up, cruising, and moving in general, seem to be her favorites. She likes to play "chase" and thinks it's so silly to take things out of drawers, or boxes (not so great at putting them back in just yet). We are enjoying her special language (that we have yet to decode), and how she clearly understands so much of what we are saying. It's fun to quiz her on things she knows, like where her head is or to put her binky in or wave "bye bye," and watch her confidently show us. She loves to dance, and sing, and TALK. So this month she is going to tell you everything you need to know about her right now. Enjoy! (sorry it's pretty long, but I just couldn't cut any of it out!)

I think what she is telling us is that she love's her Daddy!

And that she eats just about anything we give her (as well as things we don't feed her, like cat food and books), and loves to feed herself. She sleeps from about 7:30-6:30 and usually takes 2 naps a day. She just saw her Doctor and he said she is right on track with everything! She weighs 16 lbs 10oz and is 27.5 inches long. Here are her 11 month dolly pictures:

and she's up

and she is off!

Evidence of book eating!

2 months until ONE!

2011-05-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

We have a really fun 10 month old. We laugh a lot; at the silly things she is doing these days, and together at the cats, or books, or just about anything! Kendall is such a delight.
Here are some of the new tricks she has...

*Waves "bye bye" and occasionally says "b-b-b" at or around the same time (usually right after the person is completely out of sight)

*Throws food off her high chair and says the "oh" of "uh-oh"

*Occasionally signs "more"

*CRAWLS FAST (in constant pursuit of the cats)

*Takes every single book off every single shelf

*Pulls herself up to a standing position (the rubbermaid bin is no longer a great play pen!)

*Wrestles Aslan

*"Swims" in the bathtub

*Tries to mimic all sounds (including dogs barking and dad burping)

*Makes an adorable scrunched up nose

*Discovered grass (enjoys eating it)

*Grew a second tooth
*Makes her Mommy and Daddy smile

Master Keith

2011-05-14T23:24:00.000-07:00

Daddy graduated today!

We are super proud of you Keith :)

He is now a MASTER.

Waiting for Daddy to graduate!

She was loudly calling out "DA DA DA" in the auditorium... So we spent some time outside, keeping her distracted and happy was a chore since we skipped the morning nap (notice she was not willing to smile in any picture).

This was the best picture I got of him. I think I need a faster camera.

The Covell's were there celebrating Stephanie.

Krista also graduated today! It was a big day for so many of our friends.

YAY! To all our favorite graduates---we love you and are proud of your big accomplishments!

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

It is such a gift to be a Mother!

The girl who made me one,

and made my Mom a Grandmother!

I hope I can be the kind of Mother to Kendall as my Mom has been to me.

Mother's Day 2011

Poor baby!

2011-05-02T22:06:00.000-07:00

"Poor baby" is a phrase we've uttered a million times to, or about, Kendall this past week. She was the sickest we've ever seen her and it was miserable for everyone, but particularly her. It all started on Monday night when she threw up in the middle of the night, it seemed so random! The next day she was fine (or so we thought). I had been fighting off a cold so perhaps she caught it and the extra phlegm caused her to gag or something? Well, as it turns out, she did seem to catch that cold, along with a nasty stomach bug! Poor baby! Her little body was fighting off TWO bugs :(

This was on Wednesday when she started off the day with two big throw ups --- on me, of course! Then she started to get stuffy and super whiny. And turns out it's exhausting trying to entertain and distract her all day (otherwise she was fussing). I couldn't go too far from her before she was sobbing "mama, mama." Little did we know what was around the corner.

If you look close you can see that this picture is of a cool snot bubble she made!

Going with the bubble theme, I pulled out these as one of my entertaining techniques.

Aslan helped out with the entertaining. Kendall sorta lost it though when he decided he was done. Hard to explain to a sick 9 month old that cats just like to do their own thing!

I could only keep her happy for so long before she just wanted to snuggle or sleep. I have to admit, I did enjoy this part at first. Who doesn't love a snuggle bug and some down time to catch up on Oprah and Ellen?

Still so cute even as a sicky!

By Wednesday night she had thrown up again and had a high enough fever that we were concerned and took her to urgent care. They couldn't identify exactly what she was fighting off, but recommended we just do our best to keep her fever down and little body hydrated. Only problem is the she hates pedialyte and threw up formula each time we tried. It felt a little defeating.

poor baby.

When Keith got home each day I was happy to pass her off and try to accomplish something, ANYTHING! Or just get out of the house.

By Thursday diarrhea joined the party---fun for all (especially Keith the first time she went on his lap)! She was a lump all day, wouldn't play or even SMILE, and if you know Kendall, you know that is unheard of.

We learned that it's so stressful not knowing what is wrong, what to do to help, how long it will last, and when she might explode on you in some form! We felt terrible for Kendall and so badly wanted to take it away for her. On Friday Keith took a sick day to stay home with her so I could go to work. She seemed to be feeling a little better in the afternoon after spending some time with her Mimi and cousins, but later that night her fever was back and she was refusing all liquids again.

By Saturday a cloud lifted (literally---we had sun (the warmish kind) for the first time in ages)! But Kendall's sick cloud seemed to lift a little, too. I took her out for a walk, hopeful that some fresh air would help us both.

I think it did help! She wasn't 100% yet, but I was starting to see glimpses of the real Kendall again. Plus she no longer had a fever and hadn't thrown up since Thursday night.

On Sunday she was still sleepy most of the day, but I was no longer worried about her fluid intake, and she was starting to eat a little food, too. That night she was incredibly fussy again and I wasn't sure what was wrong because nothing seemed to help her. I thought "OH DEAR, when will it end? "

Today (no picture evidence) she is totally herself again! PLUS a new tooth seems to be emerging! WOO HOO! She was playing, crawling, cruising, dancing, eating, drinking, smiling and laughing!

Poor baby!

She had a cold, a flu, and was teething.

I'm looking forward to another normal day tomorrow. With some neurotic disinfecting of every inch of our home!

First Easter

2011-04-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

Although this is Kendall's first Easter it sorta feels like her second because I have such vivid memories from last Easter. The pregnancy was feeling very real at that point and we were already imagining what Easter might be like with our little baby Ross.

We were happy the sun decided to finally show itself just in time for several Easter egg hunts. First, Kendall and I went to the home of a former student of mine & his sister who is a current student and golfer for Keith. They have a perfect backyard for an egg hunt. But Kendall wasn't very interested in the eggs, she was crazy about the grass! At first she was tentatively touching the grass, but once she figured out how to pull it out and put it in her mouth she was having a blast! That afternoon Keith and I took Kendall to the park to enjoy the sunshine. EVERYONE was at the park enjoying the sunshine!

On Sunday we helped it the church nursery---it was a packed house in there! We did get to hear snippets of the sermon, too. After church there was an Easter egg hunt for all the kids, once again Kendall couldn't care less about the eggs, instead she was eating pine needles. Later on Sunday we went to Keith's mom's neighborhood Easter egg hunt. Then Easter dinner with his family. It was a great weekend!

Liam, Rachel & Kendall (2010 Brentwood babies)

Eating grass---yum!

My teaching partner, Heather.

eating pine needles at church

Accessorize!

More grass to eat!

Easter chick cupcakes

Wet raspberry contest with Jeter!

Name Sake

2011-04-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Marissa Marin, Kendall's Auntie Riss.

9 months: mobility and opinions

2011-04-16T15:43:00.000-07:00

Our smiley girl is 9 months old today!

It's strange to me how 9 months of pregnancy seemed like an eternity, but 9 months of baby continues to move faster than the speed of light! I bumped in to an old Starbucks friend at JoAnn Fabric last night, who I hadn't seen in 9 months. She reminded me that the last time we spoke (other than Facebook) was also at JoAnn's and it was the day before I had Kendall. It felt like just yesterday.

Kendall's personality continues to crack us up! She is so interactive. She loves to play peek-a-boo and she'll even initiate a game when we aren't around to play. She thinks it funny to mimic the faces and sounds we make and then totally bust up laughing. This month we began to see another side to her personality as she started to really assert her opinions. Foods she loves or hates seem to completely switch daily. One day she'll eat an entire banana and the next gag at the sight of it. For a few days she chose to not eat a thing (then she got her tooth). Rice puffs are a favorite. If we want her to eat anything else we can't offer puffs until the end, because when given the choice she pushes all carrots, apples, peas, you name it, off her tray, gathers up the puffs and starts shoveling them in her mouth. When she decides she is done eating or doesn't want something she scrunches up her nose and mouth and shakes her head "no." She's also developed some preferences with toys, too. She likes having a small soft blanky to hold while she falls asleep, and gravitates toward her stacking cups and books while she plays by herself on the floor. Her favorite book is Touch and Feel Kittens. She'll flap her arms wildly when she discovers it and flips right to her two favorite pages (the fur and the straw basket). Every book we read that has realistic pictures in it she grabs and pets hoping they will be textured. She is getting seriously mobile! She actually started crawling forward this week (YIKES!). Her biggest motivators are electric cords and magazines (really, why do we buy toys for kids!?). In fact, magazines has become a favorite of hers in general. She likes to take them all off the shelf and push/slide them around. Then she'll flip through the pages before she decided which one to rip out and eat! With her mobility comes additional vacuuming and more vigilant parenting (soon enough we'll be chasing her!).

It's been a fun month with many big milestones and notables.
*First tooth (it's actually visible now)
*Slow army crawl FORWARD (on occasion)
*Standing (aka dancing) without help, and even taking a few cruising steps.
*Clapping (in her own unique way---I'll post a video)
*She is still sleeping through the night consistently (7pm-7am most nights)
*Saying "Mama" (at everything, but often in her high chair---not sure what that means!)
*Several time's she's reached for the puffs container and said "mo" (similar, yet distinctly different than her "mama."
* Pointing (in general) and inspecting things with just one finger.
* Meeting baby Ian on our trip to Utah (not taking a nap the entire 5 hours of traveling!)
*Sitting like a big girl in the shopping cart (kicks her legs and squeals with delight the whole time!).
*First bruise from a face plant (hazards of moving around)

Kendall and I participated in the first annual YL fun run this morning. Hence the track suit in pictures below! She had her running shoes on earlier, too.

Dolly pictures!

Can you see my tooth now?

Here I am brushing it!

My first bruise :(

I love standing!

My Daddy and Mommy are so silly!

Sometimes I read my favorite book while I wait for Mommy or Daddy to get me up from my nap.

Practicing my Yoga.

9 months in and 9 months out!

We love the Hooglands!

2011-04-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

Kendall and I made a little Spring Break trip to the beautiful state of Utah (almost as warm and tropical as Hawaii...almost), to visit my best friend Leah. It seems like we get together almost every year and it's become a special tradition that we spend some time crafting. This trip was no exception! In fact, we did some crazy crafting --- our backs were aching from hunching over sewing machines, ribbons, beads, and hot glue guns! I think next year we need to include a spa day or massage on the last day.

Right off the bat we were warmly greeted by 3 adorable Hoogland kids on Friday afternoon. Leah and I immediately began scheming what projects needed to happen. Rylan wanted in on our project/craft extravaganza and was really excited to help (he wanted to make his mom and teacher something special---very cute!). On Saturday, Leah took us to the Women's Expo where we squeezed our two strollers through ridiculous crowds, spent too much money, and were inspired to add in about 238 new ideas! Next stop: JoAnn Fabrics. Sunday afternoon (er...night) through Monday, brought the real crafting. Bows, flowers, skirts, tutus, watch bands, bow ties, and a pirate ship. The babies spent a good amount of time entertaining themselves (or being entertained by Maddy & Rylan). Scott was a trooper, too. Our only regret from the weekend was we never had a dance party! And I hear that Rylan has some sweet new break dancing moves.

It was a successful weekend all around! I love spending quality time reconnecting with Leah. It always feels like we just pick up where we left off; talking and laughing and sharing stories and reminicsing the good ol' days. Getting together is refreshing and good for my soul. Thanks Leah, for taking care of us, I am SO blessed by your friendship!

Kendall was the "big kid" for once!

Baby Ian has way more hair than Kendall---she and I are both a little jealous and really wanted to put bows in it!

Flat Stanley came with us

Kendall got stuck under various pieces of furniture.

A fraction of the crafts!

The kids!

Maddy is a fast and feisty 2 year old, and Kendall couldn't take her eyes off of her! Everything Maddy did or said sent Kendall into giggles. And Maddy was heard saying "she likes this" about everything she gave to, or did for, Kendall. I was just as entertained by Maddy and loved that she calls food "bood," has an imaginary "goggy," and carries around her "coinies." She is a riot!

I couldn't get enough of this handsome little guy! He is cooing and smiling and smells so great! Snuggling with Ian made me miss this stage with Kendall---it feels like that was a million years ago.

We always forget to get a picture of US! So here we are on our way to the airport this morning.

Spending a few hours in the Boise airport.

Papa & Gramma Williams

2011-04-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

Kendall loved getting to spend a couple days with my parents, who came to visit last week. She did great with them and I think they were in Grandparent heaven watching all of Kendall's new accomplishments since Christmas.

The Tooth

2011-04-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

***update: upon further investigations it looks like just ONE tooth has actually poked through, although the area next door is looking white, so we expect another one to be popping up any day now. Also I added a few new pictures and a video documenting the afore mentioned investigations.

We have been anticipating the arrival of Kendall's teeth for about 5 months now. At 3 months she started drooling like a Saint Bernard. By 4 months old she was aggressively rubbing her gums on anything she could fit in her mouth. Around 6 months old she started waking up in the middle of the night in pain, only to be relieved with Ora-Gel on her gums. During her 7th month she went on a few different eating strikes (stressful!). This past month she started playing with her tongue on her gums (and I always freaked out thinking she had just put something small in her mouth and was on the verge of choking!---nope, always just her tongue.) And throughout this whole time every runny nose she got we thought "it's teething time." I'm pretty sure we went to bed saying "Oh my word, if she doesn't wake up with teeth we are CRAZY" every night! And every morning we would check for teeth, only to be disappointed to find out we were just crazy. Until today. Kendall has what we think are TWO teeth (or one really big one!) just poking through on the bottom. They are easier to feel than to see, especially since she sticks her tongue out to cover up her new little pearly whites. I'm probably a little more excited than I should be. HOORAY KENDALL! I wonder when the rest of her teeth with join the party? Tonight, to celebrate, we will be adding "teeth brushing" to our bedtime rituals.

If you look really hard you'll see the tooth is next to my thumb...wow, my hands are starting to look old!

First Swim

2011-03-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

A little unsure at first

"I think I like this giant bathtub!"

Friendships forming

2011-03-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

Kendall recently had a slumber party at her cousins house! I love this sequence of pictures because it really captures Quincy and Kendall's relationship right now. I can't wait for them to grow close over the years, being only 2 years apart I know they will be friends sooner than later, but right now it's pretty funny! Quincy adores Kendall and just wants to hold her and be a little mommy to her. Kendall, being a little bit of a touchy baby, isn't always so sure what to think.

We've also had the pleasure of watching our friend Avlynne for a few days. Kendall already looks up to her and wants to be able to do everything Av can do, and no matter what Avlynne does Kendall thinks she is the coolest EVER. She can steal a toy out of Kendall's hands and Kendall just sits there and smiles like "Wow, Avlynne just took my toy, I'm so lucky!" There has been some mutual eye poking and lip grabbing. The beginning of a great friendship.

I dressed Kendall to be matchy matchy one day---so cute!

Library date with Nathan Crawford.

Play date with Rachel Swenland.

Family night kid picture (Liam, Thijs, Aidan, Jackson, Kendall & AJ)

Does 8 months sound REALLY old to anyone else?

2011-03-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

Kendall is becoming such a little HAM! I pull out the camera and she pulls out the charm! I don't even have to make silly faces or sounds anymore to get her to smile. Pavlov's salivating dog experiment is becoming very real for us---it's a bit scary, actually! Anyway... we are LOVING our silly little girl.

Here are her 8 month dolly pictures.

She really likes to toss the dolly all over the place or suck on the tag, so I had a hard time getting a picture with the dolly sitting nicely. We think Kendall weighs a little over 15 pounds and is about 26 inches long.

Our days with cute bows are numbered!

Kendall recently figured out that they are there, and she can take them OFF! It's tragic. I had a cute panda hat on her the other day and when we reached our destination she had turned the hat around so that the ear flap was covering her face and she was playing peek-a-boo with me!

Kendall's had a few new and exciting accomplishments this month.

One is that she is scooting and rolling in every direction, except forward---very frustrating for her when she wants the toy just out of reach, but is slowly moving further away from it! But she is SO proud of herself when she moves to a new spot. She looks at us and giggles as if to say "Can you believe how far I got? This is awesome!"

From a sitting position Kendall loves to lunge forward onto all fours and rock back and forth. She smiles the whole time. She can't go anywhere just yet.

She can finally touch the floor when she is in the jumperoo and goes crazy in there! I swear she would be happy to jump all day long! She laughs and squeals and shakes her head with excitement.

She loves to bang her toys together, put toys in and out of the basket, find toys that are hiding under her blanket, and throw toys off her high chair to watch them fall to the ground.

She has added a few new sounds to her vocabulary: baba, wa, p-p-p-p, rrrah, ehh-ehh, and once she said MA! I teared up a little bit.

After about a month hiatus she is now back to sleeping through the night (most nights, knock on wood!!!). I think this is because she has figured out how to find and put her binky in her mouth in the middle of the night! WOO HOO! We've also weened her off needing the swaddle (sort of) so she now has a little more mobility and usually settles into a comfy side or tummy sleeping position.

She also decided she was done nursing. It's bittersweet for me as I loved being able to provide for her in that way, plus the bonding, not to mention the convenience factor. But I'm trying to embrace my new freedom.

Here are a few other pictures from that past month:

Our new play pen...

Kendall still enjoys petting the cats and they still are so patient and kind. I wonder how it will go when one of them decides "enough is enough"?

We had a fun little sunny moment the other day so I grabbed the camera and I caught her in the middle of a laugh and I LOVE this picture---this is SO Kendall! I love watching her personality develop.

Happy 8 months Kendall!

A baby's best friend

2011-02-22T14:49:00.000-08:00

Aslan and Kendall are a perfect match!

She loves to "pet" him (read: pull & poke)

He loves the extra attention and doesn't mind how "affectionate" Kendall is.

She couldn't be happier about Aslan coming to visit her!

Tipsy decided to check things out a few minutes later, but quickly escaped before Kendall could love on her, too (which was a good decision for both of them!).

Older, wiser, and faster!

2011-02-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

Our little one is officially 7 months old!!! I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone that she continues to be the BEST baby in the world :) We are so not biased! She cracks us up with her funny little personality, great sense of humor, and we are pretty sure she knows how to tease us, too (did we mention she's a child genius?)! Her most recent trick is rolling with ease (and frequency) in all directions. Our weekend project is to clean up and baby proof because we look away for a second and she's 5 feet from where we put her down! She is eating all sorts of yummy vegetables and fruit, but seems to prefer orange colored ones best. Our very precise calculations tell us she is about 14 pounds now. Kendall enjoys grabbing her feet and rubbing her toes across her gums, screaming out DADADADA, hitting and throwing toys aggressively, and finding the tags on all of her toys to chew on. As active as she is becoming she still loves to snuggle and quietly look at books too. She is taking two great day time naps, and an occasional evening cat nap. Then she usually goes down around 8pm and wakes up between 7 and 8am. Unfortunately for us, she usually wakes up at least once in the middle of the night---long gone are our glory days of having a baby who always sleeps well! Sometimes it's to eat and sometimes it seems that her gums are bothering her. We are hoping it's just a phase! But we love her none the less :) Happy 7 month birthday Kendall! You are amazing and we can't believe you're still really ours (well, God's, but He's letting us raise you and that is pretty incredible!)

Here she is sporting her Valentine's Day attire:

Playing with her balloon from Suzette---such a fun new toy!

Demonstrating her rolling abilities

Capturing the dolly picture is getting harder as she wants to play with her (or find her tag to eat!).

Reading her Micky Mouse colors book

Feeling a little crafty

2011-02-15T10:58:00.000-08:00

As a mostly stay at home mom I'm busy and bored at the same time! Sounds impossible, but it's true. I totally love that I'm able to stay home right now; I wouldn't miss a second of my time with Kendall, but I do find myself occasionally longing for the kind of busyness I had before Kendall. I've certainly learned a lot about myself with the additional down time, and one of those is I really need to have things to do (besides changing diapers and cleaning the house) to keep me from going crazy or just vegging out. Especially on rainy/snowy winter days, when it is less than appealing to go outside.

Therefore, I have become a little obsessed with craft blogs. I have several on my Blog List and every time a new craft pops up on the screen I feel the urge to try it! Some of these crafts were on my list of things to make for Christmas! As it turns out, Christmas is a very hectic time of year to try and also go crazy with crafts. So the next logical holiday is none other than Valentine's Day! I've never really been a big Valentine's Day hype kinda girl, but these crafts may have converted me. I also found all sorts of fun family traditions that I want to start when Kendall is a little older. So here are a few of the crafts I've been working on....

My friend Emilie coined the term "Crafternoon," and boy did we have one! I found the project idea at OurBestBites.com. Initially I thought it was a more involved project than I wanted to take on, but with the help of premade pie crust, my trusty Cricut, and Emilie, it was totally do-able! Emilie had the genius idea to add photo Valentine's cards of our cute kiddos.

This little headband clip was inspired after we LOST the cute heart ribbon bow one of Keith's students gave to Kendall :( She obviously needed to have a cute Valentine headband!

A little heart garland was one of the crafts I wanted to do at Christmas time (I might still make one with Christmas paper and save it for next year---when I'll be too busy!). I got this idea from Linda McDonald---she had a cute one up for Fall and ever since I saw it I needed to make one.

Back in the Fall I bought an adorable bow from "Bitchin' Bows" at the Shadle Craft Fair and knew that I could figure out how to make a few more for Kendall. It just never happened until recently. I found a tutorial at Little Birdie Secrets and made a few headband clips, then putting the extra flowers into the mini milk jugs was a tip from OurBestBites (or perhaps TipJunkie? I forget!).

The final Valentine craft I made was this LOVE garland hanging in our living room. I made it using my Cricut (thanks Keith, that was a perfect Christmas gift!).

In addition to these holiday crafts I also whipped up several burp clothes recently in anticipation of several new babies on their way (some of which are already here!), a couple nursing covers, and a snuggley blanket and mini tag blanket for little Ian. I don't have pictures of all of these projects but if you check out the Hoogland or Tbyrd blogs you may get a glimpse :). Here is a picture of my remaining burp clothes and some felt headband clips I made.

Now it's time for me to start my next "Crafternoon" project :)

Dancing with Daddy

2011-01-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

Half of a year

2011-01-20T15:45:00.000-08:00

Here I go again, writing about how amazed we are by how fast time is flying (I mean, duh, this is how it always goes, right?), how quickly Kendall is growing and changing (that's what kids tend to do, you say), and how incredibly blessed we feel to get to be her parents...but I'm having a hard time thinking of anything else to write about! I'm not kidding you, we seriously think or say one of those things daily (or probably all of them!). Becoming parents has been the very best decision we EVER made! You see, going to college was important and necessary to have the jobs we hold and love, getting married was amazing (and key in getting us to the parent part), but having a child has been life altering in the best way possible.

It's EXHAUSTING. For example, we were up around 4:30 this morning---and that certainly never happened before Kendall, unless we had to catch a 6am flight!. Yet we don't think twice about getting up and changing that diaper or feeding or snuggling our sweet little one.

It's MONOTONOUS. I can NEVER remember which side I nursed her on last, because my days get a little blurry sometimes. Or if I really thought about how many times I've changed a diaper in the last 6 months---whoa. Each day feels a little like the one before, yet I don't ever want to miss a moment! I find myself just staring at her, getting lost in her baby world, while she takes in everything around her with excitement and wonder because it is not monotonous to her!

Most importantly though, it's LOVE! I love every bit of parenting, and so does Keith (the good, the bad, and the stinky), and we love that Kendall is entering an age where she can love back in a very tangible way. She is starting to raise her hands to us when she wants to be picked up----talk about a melting heart OH. MY. WORD. She gives little baby hugs when we are holding her, and likes to give little tickles too. We get endless drooly kisses (one actually resulted in me getting spit-up in my mouth---and as gross as that sounds, it didn't even phase me!), and my favorite is when she snuggles. Oh the snuggles....I hope they never end! We are so in love with our baby girl!

I've heard many people say how much they love the 6th month, and now I know why!
*We've sorta found our rhythm, I guess. It feels like we sorta have a little bit of a clue of what we are doing...maybe...sometimes...more than we have before anyway. We are getting better at reading our daughter, that is for sure!
*Kendall is still immobile (other than a one way roll, and an occasional scoot). This, we understand, is something to be grateful for! We still need to baby proof the house sooner than later because we know it's only a month or two away before our life significantly changes all over again.
*She isn't as needy as she was in the beginning. Yet she still needs us enough to make us feel useful, but not abused!
*And she is FULL of personality, making us laugh all the time with her silly faces and sounds.

Some of her new accomplishments include:
*Consistently rolling from tummy to back, and attempting to roll from back to tummy (she can get to her side, then loses motivation and goes back to her back).
*Very "wet raspberries", especially when she is excited about something, like the cats!
*Sitting up by herself for a few minutes at a time.
*Grabbing her own feet.
*Bouncing in her exersaucer. And bouncing anywhere and anytime someone gives her the chance!
*Traveling to visit Great Grandpa Dave's house again. And charming everyone on the plane on the way home!
*Eating rice cereal, oatmeal and even bananas, successfully!
*Loving peek-a-boo.
*She is mesmerized by the cats.
*She continues to be a fountain of drool, but no teeth to speak of.
*She usually sleeps through the night (8pm to 6 or 7am).
*One of the best accomplishments is that she is happy to be held by a variety of other people now (just in time for that "separation anxiety" stage to hit---HA!). This makes it oh so much easier to go to work and not worry if she is crying all day long, and I no longer feel as "stuck" while in the company of others.
*She weighed in at 13lbs at her 6th month appointment keeping her in the 5%, and she is 25 1/2 in. long moving up to the 50% for height!

Two weeks of family, friends, and fun!

2011-01-01T23:31:00.000-08:00

We can't believe how fast Christmas snuck up on us this year and how fast it went by! Kendall and I enjoyed having Keith home everyday (I even got to sleep in a couple of times), and we loved getting to spend quality time with both sides of our family. We are so blessed! Okay, so I can't seem to figure out how to arrange these pictures in any logical order but I still want to share some of our fun Christmas and New Years pictures!

We spent Christmas Eve with Kendall's adorable and sweet cousins! Here they all are in their new jammies from Mimi. Trying to get a picture was hilarious!

Today Kendall and I met up with our friends for a little play date. These cuties (Nathan, Kendall, & Avlynne) hung out back in October and man have them grown and changed!

The Mommies

The saddest part of Christmas was that just a day before Christmas we said goodbye to our tree. I really kept hoping it would start to take water and come back to life...it didn't. Everytime we left the house I was paranoid we'd come back with our home up in smoke. So I found a nice fake tree at an after Christmas sale and we were able to have a tree for our Williams family Christmas on the 27th. Here is the dead tree making our yard quite festive! You should see it now covered in snow.

A family picture on Christmas Eve.

By the end of the night the white part of Kendall's dress was practically transparent from all her drool! Teething can't be too far away.

Christmas morning with Auntie Riss

Christmas afternoon at Bernie's

The kids love Kendall and are so sweet to her!

Kendall trying on (err...eating) some of her gifts!

Happy girl for Christmas opening gifts with Daddy.

It seems as though whenever my parents visit we get a TON of snow! Keith was our trusty shoveler. Nice outfit...totally appropriate for the chore. Check out our new tree in the background :) We discovered that our living room is exactly 7.5 feet tall.

Playing Apples to Apples with Kendall

We graduated Kendall from her bouncey chair to her high chair for eating cereal. She looks so old sitting there!!! I think she likes sitting at the same level as us.

Papa and Gramma Williams

Kendall got a sled for Christmas! So we had to try it out. She loved it and was giggling as Keith ran her up and down the street. She has no fear! Uh oh!

Our little party animal on New Years (luckily she was sleeping at midnight!)

We sure hope you had a fabulous holiday with your family! Happy New year!!!

This time last year...

2010-12-16T16:48:00.000-08:00

This time last year I felt like barfing all day long, but hardly anyone knew. This time last year I was getting up 2 times a night just to pee. This time last year I took at least one nap a day. This time last year I couldn't eat enough strawberries (or preggy pops & ginger ale). This time last year I was sooooo ready for a break from work. This time last year I couldn't button my jeans (well, I guess that one hasn't really changed! HA!).

This year things have changed, because this time last year I did not have an adorable 5 month old!!!!

Who about a week ago weighed in at 11lbs and 9oz.

Who is super smiley and happy most of the time!

Who can take a bottle of formula when she needs to (and she even likes to help hold it!)

Who is working on a pretty sweet bald spot!

Who is sleeping about 9 or 10 hours a night and takes at least 2 great naps a day (which probably contribute to the smiley happy attitude!)!

Who loves her Mommy and Daddy and looks at them when they say her name.

Who has fun cousins who show her how to sit with Santa. And a Mimi who takes care of her on Friday's while Mommy and Daddy work.

Who helps Mommy around the house on all the other weekdays.

Who loves to look at the Christmas tree and is experiencing all the fun new sights of the holidays.

Who loves to play with all toys that are grabable and feel nice on her gums.

Who can now make "raspberries," roll over from tummy to back, and can sit great in the Bumbo chair.

Who is the joy of our life!!!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-11T13:31:00.000-08:00

Ever since I met Keith and his family we've been going to Breakfast with Santa. Last year was pretty exciting because we announced that we were pregnant to both of our families! We gave no announcements this year. But this year was the best one yet! Even though Kendall doesn't really "get it", we sure love introducing her to our family traditions and starting a few new ones of our very own. She survived her first encounter with Santa looking just a little stunned, but not totally freaked out (sadly, no signature Kendall smile either. Maybe next year----well, probably next year we'll get the tears!).

Merry Christmas everyone :)

Great Grandpa Dave & Thanksgiving

2010-12-01T17:34:00.000-08:00

In mid November my Mom invited Kendall and I to join her at Grandpa Dave's house in California. It was perfect weather in the Bay Area, which was perfect timing for us to get out of Spokane (before all the crazy snow!). Kendall LOVED seeing her Great Grandpa again!

We celebrated a mini Christmas, since we'll all be in Spokane this year, Grandpa will be with my Aunt's family. It will be one of my first Christmas' without him.

You'd never know this guy is 97 years old the way he would get down on the floor to play with Kendall!

Kendall was able to meet her 2nd cousin, Aidan (my cousin Daniel's son), who isn't the baby in the family anymore!

She likes the bath so much, she gets pretty upset when we take her out.

We helped Grandpa do some yard work too. Can't you just feel the warm California sunshine---I'm trying to pretend I'm still there!

My mom was just as excited as Grandpa to see Kendall.

We came back and had just a couple of weeks until my parents came to Spokane for Thanksgiving.

Here Quincy is holding her "Baby Kennall"

The whole crew at dinner

The Williams Christmas card

(it only took 8 tries to get a decent one, and I was the main problem!)

First Snow

2010-11-18T09:19:00.001-08:00

4 months old---updated

2010-11-16T19:43:00.000-08:00

4 month stats:

10lbs 11.5oz (5%), 23 3/4in long (30%)

We've got to beef up our itty bitty! Hopefully she'll like a little formula with her breastmilk---wish us luck!

I can't believe how quickly time is moving. The other day, I met with a teacher friend of mine who was telling me about her up coming conferences---and I was like "WHAT? how can conferences be going on this week? School just started!" But, school didn't just start, I'm just WAY out of the loop, living in baby world where there are no conferences. Mainly just a lot of drooling. However, if I were to have a conference to discuss all the ways I've seen Kendall grow and learn so far in her life, she would pass with flying colors :) She is still sleeping through the night most nights, adding new sounds (and new volume) to her vocabulary, grabbing and actually playing with her toys, putting everything that comes near her in her mouth, sitting with assistance, attempting to roll from her tummy to back, flirting with friends (and strangers at the grocery store), giggling and smiling in anticipation of a kiss or a tickle, growling up a storm, standing with our help, and growing out of her clothes daily it seems! We are seriously loving each new phase (even the clingy fussy one she recently started while on a trip to visit her Great Grandpa).

Here are her 4 month dolly pictures. She wasn't very happy at first....

Letting her suck her thumb helped....

But letting her pretend she's a big girl in her crib did the trick! Did I mention she loves to stand up with our help? Standing might be tied with sucking her hands for her favorite thing in the world.

We love you Kendall, thanks for being the best baby in the world! Stats to come later this week...

Ella

2010-11-15T09:43:00.000-08:00

Some friends of our friends little baby, named Ella, needs our prayers!

http://ellalouisedordal.blogspot.com/

Growling Monster

2010-11-07T15:08:00.000-08:00

Kendall's new trick is growling. I don't know if she likes the sound, or the way it feels in her throat, but she does it ALL THE TIME! I think she learned from her friend Avlynne, who is a growling expert! The video is a little dark and a little long...but it's pretty cute :)

Halloween baby!

2010-11-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've never been a big fan of Halloween. Don't get me wrong, I love the candy, it's just the dressing up that has never been a joy of mine. However, now that we have a little one this holiday has just become really fun!I loved dressing Kendall up in all her costumes and seeing all my friends kids and old students. I think next year there will be a little more planning involved and Keith and I might even join in the fun.

I just couldn't decide which kitty picture I liked best. So in Erin Corry fashion, I have created a little collage!

On Friday she dressed up as a cat and headed down to the Brentwood Halloween parade!

On Saturday she was a plump little pumpkin!

And on Halloween she was a ferocious lion! Posing here with her cousins, and below with her friend Avlynne the cow.

The main problem Kendall had with Halloween was how she couldn't see a darn thing all weekend with all these too big hoods :)

Babies and pumpkins

2010-10-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

To celebrate our dear friend Robyn's 30th birthday her husband Phil organized a reunion of our college roommates, along with all our new babies (and one on the way)! It was a very special time because although we've all seen each other in the past year, we haven't all seen each other all together at the same time since Krista & KJ's wedding in 2006! We kicked off the weekend with a visit to Robyn's favorite coffee shop for her favorite cinnamon rolls. While we ate, drank, and visited, the babies rolled around on the floor and stole each others binkies.

Then we headed up to Greenbluff (of course, it's a sin not to when you are in Spokane in the fall!). You can imagine the laughter and squealing (by the parents mostly) as we posed our adorable children together in this fall scene.

mom blogs and facebook profile pics are littered with babies & pumpkin pictures right now, I'm just adding to that today----it's irresistible!

What's better than babies and pumpkins? Dinner at the Grandparents house! Thanks to Krista and Rebecca's parents, we were blessed to have both our group dinners hosted so that we could enjoy each others company and tend to the little ones. Of course, these Grandparents had ulterior motives of baby holding galore! Seemed like a good trade to me!

It was a fabulous weekend of catching up and baby lovin'. Thanks Robyn, for turning 30! And thanks Phil, for making Robyn's birthday wish come true for all of us!

We also had a surprise baby shower for Cora, but I don't have any great pictures of the event, so, more to come when I can snag a few cute pics from other peoples cameras :)

For Mom

2010-10-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a little video of Kendall on her play mat...she just realized that she is the one making the toys move when she hits them, so now she does it all the time and giggles at them when they move or make noise. Of course when I started to record her doing this she toned down her enthusiasm...but this gives you an idea.

3 months old

2010-10-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that 3 months have already gone by. Kendall continues to be such a fun baby! At 3 months old she weighs 9lbs and 12 oz. and just outgrew her newborn clothes. She comes up with cute new tricks to show me everyday (that I'm sure no other baby has ever done before!). I seriously can't believe how blessed we are. In the past month she has started to really giggle and react to us. She knows who her mommy and daddy are, and that warms our hearts! She has recently become very talkative--hmmm, no clue where that came from? She even likes to sing with her daddy! She can play by herself and be totally content for 30 or more minutes when surrounded by her favorite friends the penguin, turtle, caterpillar, and the mirror (I'm actually eating a breakfast now, and occasionally get a few chores in!)! But, she loves it even more when Keith or I get down and play with her. She is obsessed with putting her hands in her mouth, and even tries to put them in while she's eating. Tummy time is becoming more enjoyable now with some increased arm and neck strength. and occasionally she'll even roll to her side (very advanced, or lopsided). Oh, and she regularly sleeps 7 or 8 hours at night---she is the nicest baby ever!!! Here are a few pictures of our beautiful, joyful, amazing little girl!

a little unsure of the bumbo just yet

brings new meaning to double fistin'

really anything near her mouth goes in it!

loving the October sunshine!

Last day in D.C.

2010-10-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

Clark told us one of their favorite places in D.C. is the FREE zoo! Since we saw almost all the sights we could to see (including the Smithsonian American History Museum), and neither of us can remember the last time we went to a zoo, we decided that would be a cool place to check out. And it was!

after we took the long metro ride and walk to the zoo, we fueled up at the Starbucks across the street and headed inside!

Here are a few of the cool animals we saw:

Sloth Bear

Cheetah

Pandas on lease from China

red tailed panda---super cute!

Elephants

Gorillas

Lions

Apes

Turtles

Zebras

And quite possibly my favorite animal of the day: The Naked Mole Rats

(if you haven't read Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems you need to)

On our way back to our hotel we stopped at Iwo Jima (to nurse!)

View from Iwo Jima (very close to our hotel)

Walking back to the Metro to catch a train to the airport. Are you impressed with our minimal luggage? What you see is everything we brought and Keith carried it all the whole time!

Crying a little on the plane :( Sorry other passengers, 4 hours is too long of a plane ride for us!

Once she fell asleep she was amazing the whole trip back!

All in all it was a truly wonderful trip! The wedding was so fun, the sight seeing was superb, the weather was fantastic (75-80 degrees and sunny the whole time!), and Kendall surpassed all our expectations! Someday we'll return so Kendall can actually remember it :)

Jon & Jenna Hudlow

2010-10-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

In an adorable little chapel in Georgetown D.C. we witnessed the vows of Jenna and Jon!

Husband & Wife!

The reception was a dinner cruise around the city---Kendall was really excited about it :)

I did say "was" excited!

The beautiful bride!

It was a very special day to be a part of, Thanks Jenna for including us!

Travel trooper

2010-10-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

Turns out we like to celebrate Kendall's month birthdays with trips! We started out small, by driving about an hour north to Stoneridge for a week, right around her one month birthday. The next step up was a 7 hour drive to Longview and Portland, around her two month birthday. And just before her three month birthday, we took her to Washington D.C! I guess we need to consider crossing an ocean for her four month birthday! Boy, things are going to get really pricey at this rate!!!

The real reason for the D.C. trip was for a dear friend, and former Young Life girls, wedding---makes me feel super old that now two of my campaigner group girls are now married women! Sheesh! The funny thing is they are only a year younger than I was when I got married almost 5 years ago. The age gap is shrinking quickly.

After a few flights, a little crying through security, and a really long night, we arrived Friday afternoon and began our adventures in D.C. We figured we would not be able to do all the touristy things considering we had Kendall, however she proved to be an amazing traveler and we saw significantly more than we anticipated. We also decided to not rent a car and navigate the city via public transportation. And also thought this would be extra tricky with a little one, but it wasn't hard at all! Once we found and settled into our hotel we headed out to explore. Keith's friend Clark recently lived here and we called on him to tell us which things needed to be seen. He suggested the Lincoln Memorial and the WWII Memorial should be seen at night. Here is a picture capturing both, WOW!

We decided after this night time trek that the stroller wasn't necessary. Kendall preferred to be carried in the front pack and the stroller takes up too much space on the metro. However, no stroller = no car seat = no last minute cab rides = plan ahead!

here is the view of the opposite direction with the Washington Monument in the background. I sure wish my camera took better night pictures!

After an awkward night time nursing session on a bench just outside the WWII memorial we walked along the reflection pool to the Lincoln memorial.

The Washington Monument view from the Lincoln Memorial

And this is how Kendall enjoyed these sights. Asleep in the pack!

the metro

Family picnic under the shade of the Washington monument

The White House

We were invited in to sign a bill even! Thanks Barack & Michelle :)

The future president

The Capitol Building

Korean War Memorial

Lincoln in the day time

oops

Vietnam War Memorial

Kendall continuing to enjoy all that D.C. had to offer!

Finally a little freedom from the pack!

Stats

2010-09-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

at 2 months (and one week) old Kendall is 9lbs 3oz (10th percentile), 22in long (45%), 15in head circumference (25%).

Long and lean (so far)---where one earth did she get that from???

Early morning play time

2010-09-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

Kendall is a super good baby pretty much all the time...but my favorite time with her is early in the morning after her first feeding. She is always alert and smiley and plays great, with or without me. It's exciting to "chat" with her or take advantage of a hands free moment and shower or eat (maybe I should add in exercise?)! I've never been a real morning person, but I love that she is; she might just be converting me! Here is a video I took today of her talking to herself in the mirror and to the penguin toy on her playmat.

2 months old!

2010-09-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

Here's our sweet little doll posing by her little doll to show you how big she is getting :)

Here she is in the same outfit I had her in last month by her doll to really show how she has filled out. I'm sad that this is probably the last time she'll be wearing it.

I'll post her 2 month stats in a few days after we see the doctor (if we survive the vaccines!).

Bathtime at Gramma's house!

Celebrating her 2 month birthday in her cute little birthday suit.

Some Longview Love

2010-09-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

Getting in some quality Gramma & Papa time on the west side!

Where's Waldo? I mean...where's Kendall? Does she look worried here?

Never too young to love reading

2010-09-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

Daddy's Girl

2010-09-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

I'm loving watching the sweet bond between Kendall and Keith grow! He is certainly wrapped around her finger. She lights up when she sees him, and he can calm her quicker than anyone. He's an amazing dad!

"They grow up so fast" SERIOUSLY!!!

2010-08-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

I'm reminded by people almost daily to not blink because "they grow up so fast." It's hard to believe that just over a month ago this little person was INSIDE of me! And now she can coo, and smile, and even suck her thumb. She eats like a champ and is even sleeping remarkably well for a newborn. We wrestle with being so excited for her to grow and change and yet wanting her to stay newborn forever! I suppose these mixed emotions will stick with us for the entire journey of parenthood. Here is a peek into what we've been doing with our ONE MONTH OLD!!!

Kendall's 1 month picture next to her first doll

"Hey Kendall, you're in my space (even though I sat down after you). If you keep "accidentally" hitting my tail with your arm, I will try to scratch you." And like a typical sister, Kendall went right ahead and hit Tipsy just one more time. Don't worry, I was there with the video camera to document it all...I mean, to protect my sweet daughter!

Kendall helped Marissa move into her new apartment! Riss, we all miss you terribly, but we are happy that you now have a place of your own where you can sleep without any middle of the night crying (from me, Kendall, or the cats!).

Thanks to Marissa's move, Kendall got to spend some quality time with her Papa John!

My coworker Suzy had her baby girl, Rachel, 3 weeks after Kendall arrived and they finally got to meet each other out of the wombs! I think Kendall is a little jealous of Rachel's long hair :)

Kendall loves a good swaddle, but when we check on her she has usually managed to wiggle out at least one hand, but often both arms! If we are lucky, she has successfully done this without waking herself up. However, when both hands are out they tend to start waving around without her permission and she is awake and annoyed.

Let's not forget about our cute cats!

Officially smiling (without gas!) She loves when her Daddy makes silly sounds and kisses her face with his tickley facial hair.

Sporting her cute "My Aunt is my BFF" onesie, while lovingly looking at her Auntie Riss!

Because I know "they grow up so fast" I'm fully enjoying all the snuggles I can squeeze in before I blink and she turns 18

Just love this fuzzy little head :)

"How old do you think babies have to be before they can go in a golf cart?" -Keith

Enjoying all the extra space this world outside the womb has to offer

Chillin' at Boulder Beach Silverwood

Play date with her due date buddies, Owen and Tobin (no babies actually arrived on the due date---go figure!)

The new mommies with babies looking at them adoringly

Snug as a bug in a rug---this is her bedtime get up!

Sometimes I have to take a break from eating to make this cute face while I toot!

I get so sleepy after I eat

Kendall can find her thumb and every once in a while can keep it in her mouth for a little while. Pretty cute, although I realize you can't take the thumb away like you can a binky, so we may be in trouble down the road.

It's pretty incredible that this is our child and we get to be her parents! We are enjoying each little moment...even while covered in spit up and poop at 3am :)

Great Grandpa Dave visits Kendall

2010-08-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

Love at first sight!!!

My 97 year old Grandpa made the trip up to Spokane to meet his 4th great grandchild. He is SMITTEN!

First things first...s'mores!

Trying to sleep while Kendall sleeps...it's hard when your baby is so darn cute and you don't want to miss a moment, even if she is just sleeping!

I can't stop taking pictures...

2010-08-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

Kendall loves her cousins!

Testing out some baby sunglasses

hangin' out with her bff Avlynne

We spend a lot of time having photo shoots...she loves them!

Milk Coma

10 year reunion

Finally we are all moms!

Best family ever!

we love our early morning hangout time :)

Our daughter is a model

2010-07-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Kendall's Big Surprise!

2010-07-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

On July 15th I was minding my own business when all of a sudden the baby inside me started to show signs that it was getting ready to make its big debut. Around 3am on July 16th we headed to the hospital. Here are the final belly shots taken just before we left the house! Starting to look just a little uncomfortable...

Marissa came along as our support team---at 3am!!! Here she is after running home to get all the things we had forgotten as well as some Mcdonalds breakfast for Keith. I'm just enjoying my clear liquids breakfast--YUM! She was my sister and my nurse and this day wouldn't have been the same without her, so thankful for you Marissa! I can't wait to return the favor :)

After experiencing real deal contractions it was quickly decided that everyone would be happier and have more energy if I got an epideral---thank goodness!

About 12 hours after we arrived, and about 5 hours after the epideral, our little early bird arrived! We were expecting a little boy to be joining us later this month, but what a wonderful surprise that our little GIRL, Kendall, came on July 16th instead! How's that for parental instinct? Keith is my hero, he did everything perfectly, and continues to leave me in awe of how well he takes care of us both. I LOVE love LOVE him more than ever and think parenting together is going to be our best adventure yet.

Kendall Marin Ross

6lbs 9oz 20in

Isn't she the most beautiful baby girl you have ever seen??? Okay, I'm biased of course, but oh man are we so in love!!! Can't imagine any other baby---this one is OURS! Like we actually get to keep her...forever! It's all very surreal.

This is Dr. Hardy who is the most wonderful, kind hearted, encouraging, and thoughtful Dr! I felt so blessed he was able to actually deliver Kendall. He even came back to check in on us later that day and the next day!

Oh how quickly little girls wrap their daddy's around their fingers! Keith is smitten to say the least!

We think she is just a dream! A perfect baby in every way possible!

On our way home from the hospital on July 17th! Sort of a whirlwind but I guess that is just life from here on out!

Darn car seat!

Stay tuned for more.....

July...the month we'll become parents

2010-07-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

With baby on the way we've had some extra motivation to finish up a few home projects since we know our life will just get crazier. Most of these projects have been inside (reorganizing EVERY nook and cranny, the big office overhaul, and of course the nursery---see below for pics). The biggest project has certainly been the back yard. The yard has actually been a continual project since we moved in 5 years ago. I wish I had a picture from when we first moved in, it was so messed up and gross, and one of each summer after. Each year we save up money to do something to make it look a little better. We feel confident that as far as aesthetics in the landscaping go we are finally DONE (except for a few fun extra plants or cute decorations! I won't be able to help myself!). Keith has worked SO HARD on our yard this summer, and I've been a great supervisor...he he he! I'm so proud of how it's turned out and so proud of Keith! Our next yard expense will most likely be a sprinkler system, but that may have to wait for another year so we can save up again. Either that or a swing set! We'll see how irritated Keith gets moving hoses around this summer, could move up that project date.

We have a place to sit and visit, a place to eat, a place to lounge in the sun, a place to play in the grass, and most importantly a place to roast marshmallows! Notice the little fire pit area in the far corner? We're glad it's finally getting warm so we can use it!

Other July pics:

A beautiful rainbow for Erik & Laura's wedding up at Schweitzer.

Early morning up at Deer Lake on the 4th of July.

The nursery is complete! I can't wait to put a baby in it!

The culminating nursery project:

As I was searching the web for the perfect nursery wall quote, I found some very fun wall art which inspired THIS cute little branch and birdie. I spoke with my friend Kara, who is a wall art goddess, she gave me a few tips and she loaned me her projector. I found a sticker that was just perfect, and simple enough that I felt confident I could actually paint it on the wall. I went to work---never mind the odd hours that this project just had to get done in or the panic in my voice when I was told it would have to wait! I"M NOT CRAZY, I"M JUST NESTING.

Last week Keith and Marissa were worried about what other crazy ideas might pop in my head that I just couldn't deny...there were quite a few, but I think the nesting has slowed down a little this week and they can rest easy I won't be recruiting them for any more heavy lifting, furniture building, or complete reorganizing

(at least not today).