i used to be cool

God is good

2011-02-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

I confess that the first thing I tend to do when times are tough is pick up the latest book or get counsel from someone who is wise. Doesn't sound all bad right?

Why do I not go straight to my knees and His Word?

A few months ago Dan got home from Iraq again and we wanted to spend some time doing some marriage counseling. This wasn't because we had major problems, this is just something that we decided we wanted to do every year or 2 as a way to keep our relationship growing.

Strangely, the biggest blessing was that it didn't work out. We tried to get together with our pastor but stuff just kept happening.

Once again, I was trying to go to someone other than the Lord.

The last 6-8 mo have been tough.

The entire summer we were living in TX and KS, back and forth constantly.
I got pregnant in Aug (planned and rejoiced over!) and the first trimester was quite difficult.
The summer was filled with me struggling with the idea that I was "just a mom" now.
Pregnancies have been the hardest times Dan and I have had to face in our marriage.
Dan was discharged from the military in Oct. and the hunt for work began... still hunting.
During pregnancy my hormones are all out of whack and I have had serious bouts of depression.
Our little Izzie is no longer a baby and the need for true training in righteousness increases everyday.
We are really struggling with the decision of whether or not I should go back to work full time for a year or 2.
And baby no. 2 is ONLY 6 weeks away!!

The Lord has been so faithful!!

I didn't need counseling from anyone but Him.

I have been learning to praise Him for the struggles that force me to the only One who is sufficient.

So many blessings of the last few months!

Dan has been able to find jobs that have made ends meet.
The sickness only lasted the first trimester of this pregnancy.
I don't have to face another deployment- birthdays, anniversaries, holidays without Dan.
My Dr found a new medication that is helping tremendously with the depression.
Somehow our savings has lasted SO MUCH longer than it should have.
The Lord continues to show me what an honor it is to raise children.
We found out we're having a little BOY!
The water heater wasn't broken after all.
Izzie is not nearly headstrong as her Mommy and Daddy.
We have gotten through the winter so far without a single ear infection.
My dad gave me the best gift in the world- a remodeled bathroom with a TUB!!!!
And theres ONLY 6 weeks left till Levi gets here!!!

God is good.

So it begins...

2011-02-13T13:20:00.000-08:00

We have had our first official battle over what we would wear to church.

My mother in law has been warning me that this day would come. Apparently, Isabella's father began at 18mo a one year battle against overalls. He got a spanking everyday and still kept coming back for more.

Up until this point I was holding out hope that maybe Izzie had none of her Mommy or Daddy's personality... as we were both a little difficult to raise.

I'm losing hope!

This morning I tried a dress on Isabelle to see if it still fit.

As you can see, it's a little small.

Not too bad, so why would I make this one a battle??

Well... Izzie is becoming quite proficient in snaps and zippers and I was a little concerned that THIS is what would happen during church! Seeing as it's the first thing she did as soon as I put it on her.

We may end up getting the child we deserve, which I'm prepared for. But I'm really hoping to avoid raising the "church streaker!"

This is what she actually wore. After some tears (and a candy corn) she was finally proud to wear it. :)

Cabin Fever!

2011-02-10T20:09:00.001-08:00

The last couple have weeks have been nothing but stuck in the house! It's funny how after a few days Isabella is happy to see ANYONE but me. One day we went to Home Depot just to find the cat! Ok, so I picked up some paint too, but Izzie was just interested in the cat and I was perfectly fine wasting time walking around looking for him. :)

We also went and hung out with Ammaw and Papa and made BROWNIES! Isabelle is quite the cook... and bowl licker!

Jillian came over for a little bit one evening and I don't think either of them have ever been happier to see each other. They'd both been couped up and sick of their Mommies and Daddies!

No, I do not normally let my child drink bath water or soap. :)

Jillian thought Izzies hair looked dirty, she offered to help.

I love winter weather, but I have to say it is quite different with a child. Being couped up is so much worse when you have a little ankle-biter dying to go outside or get out of the house. And it's been even worse because all the cousins have all been sick at one point or another so we're trying to keep them apart as much as possible. I now know why mommies are always saying that they can't wait till spring. God continues to show me new ways that it was great that He moved us back to TX!!!

Rockin' Out

2011-02-01T16:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much to our buddies, Hendrix, Baden, and Remi for the playdate! It was fun to hang out in our jammies and play a little Rockband.

Yes, my kid is the one that wears random hats all the time. This happened to be the choice of the day. :)

Catching up on few pics

2011-01-31T15:54:00.000-08:00

Well, a FEW things have happened since my last post... to say the least!

Izzie turns 1!

She is such a "help" with the laundry.

Actually, she's learned lots of ways to help around the house and she loves it! This particular day she decided to watch some toons while I folded, but she picks up her toys, helps to unload the dishwasher and takes things to the trash. Boy does it take patience to teach your kids to work around the house. It also takes some altering of expectations! :)

Chillin' in a cardboard box with our favorite gal pal, Jillian.

Is there ever a happier child than one with a box?

Our little ballerina ready for trick-or-treating!

She was far more interested in filling her bucket with sticks and acorns off the sidewalk.

Checking out the pumpkins at the pumpkin patch.

"Loving" the snow! :)
She looks like the kid off of A Christmas Story.

Lets go sledding!

Keeping with the tradition of pregnant sledding I had to go just once. I went when I was 5 mo preg with Izzie and I was 6 mo with Levi. Isabella doesn't love sledding either. She did eventually grow accustomed to the snow and she loved being pulled behind Papa's golfcart for some "redneck sledding" as we Joneses like to call it. :)

A rare picture of Dan and me.

At the Mavs game with Kaci and Kyle. We are so blessed to be able to get out without kids once in a while. But I'm going to try to be better about taking pictures of Dan and me.

"i used to be cool" - a blog reborn

2011-01-24T11:42:00.001-08:00

"i used to be cool"

This is a bumper sticker that I recently saw on the back of one of the newest, "coolest" minivans on the market and it inspired a Kelso family blog redesign.

Dan and I- we used to be cool. We loved late night poker games, camping in sub-freezing weather, UFC fights, catching a no-name band at a pub, roadtrips to absolutely nowhere with absolutely no planning . . . or gear, going to the movies to catch the latest comedy. I loved shopping for clothes and decorating. Dan loved to fish and sit around talking with the guys about "man-stuff," whatever that is.

Yeah, we used to be cool... I think. At least we felt that way.

"They" say having children changes things and boy are they right! Whoever "they" are.

Cool is gone! The things we get excited about now...

getting to bed early
avoiding our turn to change the dirty diaper
getting through a meal at a restuarant without a complete and total meltdown
teaching Izzie to throw away her own diapers
hand-me-down kids clothes
the spit-up hitting the floor instead of our shirt... or face
GOING TO WALMART ALONE!
making it through a whole movie before falling asleep
getting out a few times a month just Dan and I

It sounds all bad, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Even though becoming parents has changed our lives tremendously, its definitely not for the worst. Sure at first glance it doesn't seem "cool" to have spit-up crusted hair or poop on your freshly washed bed sheets. But our definition of cool has been changing over the last couple of years, especially over the last few months.

I wont lie, just a few months ago I was struggling. I am big pregnant with stretch marks that make me look like I belong on Animal Planet. It seemed like everyday something new happened that made me think... "i used to be cool" and now I'm just a mommy. All day everyday. I hear that this is a common emotion for mothers, so I'm hoping that I'm not the only one. But the Lord has been doing some amazing work on my heart.

Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.

Psalm 127:3-4

What a joy to be chosen as a mother! To be given the responsibility of yeilding the arrows our children's lives. Sure, it's totally scary! But its totally cool! As Isabelle is getting older I am beginning to see the first fruits of raising your children up in the Lord. Why is my life wicked cool?

I get to see Izzie sing "Jesus Loves Me." Which pretty much consists of her saying "jeus" over and over.

She holds our hands to pray.

She runs to get the Bible to read with us at night.

Yeah, my definition of "cool" has changed.

Sexy Girl!

2010-02-01T19:54:00.000-08:00

Izzie had to try on her new bathing suit. Is this not the most precious thing in the whole world!? And yes, I know she's going to look back at this and throw a fit when she's 14 and I won't let her wear a string bikini. I'll just tell her it was because her Daddy wasn't here to say no. :)

Look at those sexy thighs!!!!

We cannot wait to hit the pool! We are gonna spend the whole summer in the water!

Just checking in!

2010-01-28T19:14:00.000-08:00

As you can all tell, I've been terrible at keeping everyone updated. I've been so overwhelmed trying to keep Dan updated that I've lost all motivation to keep up with the blog. But that's no excuse.

Isabella has learned TONS of new tricks since I last posted!!! She seems to change and grow everyday. She has 2 teeth, is crawling, pulling up, saying "Papa" and "bye-bye," and getting into mischief daily! One her favorite habits is pulling all the DVDs off the shelf.

Izzie absolutely LOVES bathtime!! She would play in there forever, even if the water gets cold. We can't wait until it warms up and we can hit the pool!
This is how she sits in the tub most of the time, with her feet propped up. My girl knows how to relax!

Look at those cute teeth!

A Beautiful Night

2009-12-22T21:43:00.000-08:00

God's timing is perfect! Today I received the best gift I've gotten in a very long time. After a rather long and loney couple of days with a very fussy, teething Izzie I was just about to have a meltdown. Just before I was going to ATTEMPT to put Izzie down for the night I got a knock on the door. We went to the door and were blessed beyond belief by the Hutchins family caroling and reading the Christmas story. It has not really seemed like Christmas this year with Dan gone, and I haven't even cared to try and celebrate much. But as I heard the Christmas story read and beautiful carols sung I was overwhelmed with the reminder that Christmas is not about me being alone again for another holiday or about my lack of sleep in the wake of a teething baby or about the stresses of the dealing with the daily grind of being a wife or mother- this is a time to celebrate our Savior. I am so glad it's not all about me. Hutchins Family- thank you for your willingness to spread the good news. And by the way, the cinnamon rolls were AMAZING! I shared some with my neighbors. :)

Merry Christmas to all!

Confessions of a bad blogger!

2009-12-21T11:10:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am still alive and I do still know how to use a computer. I have just taken a leave of absense from the world of blogging. This was not a scheduled leave of absense. Quite spontaneous actually. The last several months have been pretty busy with the sending Dan off to war, moving to a new home, and trying to get settled here. :) And I wasn't sure anyone actually read this thing anymore! So if you actually look at this you should post a comment. Then I'll know that I'm not just wasting my time.

As for me, I love stalking other people on their blogs. Even if I don't post anything, so for those of you who never comment- I get it. It's just so much fun hearing that the same crazy things are happening to other people too.

Well, I don't have any pictures with me, but I vow to post them sometime this week. I have quite a few for those of you who don't get on facebook. I love you all!

Stay classy America!
(and Iraq, Afghanistan, and Italy)

I'm 5 months old!

2009-10-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

Izzie is 5 months old! Actually she was 5 months old a week ago, but I just haven't gotten pictures posted. Same song, different verse! :)

And with each month that passes it gets harder and harder to capture a good picture. This time she was entirely too interested in the sign and she wanted to chew on her toes!

She has grown so much! This past month she has really become active. She babbles all the time and loves to chew on her toes. She's also started sitting up and trying to crawl. So far she can just go in a circle. :) And she's not too quick so I can pretty much leave her on a blanket and she stays there. Which is nice. More than likely when I post 6 month pictures she will be getting around some and I'll actually start baby proofing a little.

She also loves to look at herself in the mirror. She just talks to herself and tries to grab it. It's a wonderful babysitter when I need to get a little work done around the house! :) And the sweetest thing . . . she has started to raise her hands up to me when I reach down to get her. I can't help but want to pick her up!

Izzie, you are more fun than I ever could have imagined, and a wonderful buddy to get through this deployment with. I love you!

Update from the sandbox

2009-10-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

I finally got a short message from Dan. This deployment is not going to go quite like we thought it would. He was supposed to go to FOB Somerall and have it pretty easy. Instead, at the last minute they decided that just his platoon would be going to FOB Dagger instead. This FOB isn't quite as posh as Somerall. They have no phones or store for basic necessities. They can only have access to their $$ once a month and I think they will be able to go to another FOB to go to a store every once in a while. They do have internet access though. Praise the Lord!

It's been 2 weeks since I talked to Dan or gotten a message from him so it was really great to get a short note. It's going to take me a little time to adjust to not expecting phone calls. I was really looking forward to the next one. But that's ok, there are MANY more deployed soldiers who have it much, much harder!

Thank you so much for your prayers! If you are interested their needs have recently increased due to the lack of access to a store. They will now need us to send things like toiletries and basic needs.

I also got his address:

SPC Dan Kelso
HHC, 4-1 ID
3rd Platoon, D. Co
FOB Dagger
APO AE 09393

I can't wait to get a package together. I have been anxiously awaiting the address!!

Missing My Love

2009-09-19T23:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it's almost 2am and I just got off the phone with Dan. It was so awesome to hear from him. I hadn't talked to him in about a week and I was really starting to miss that voice. I cannot begin to describe how blessed I am to have him in my life, even if he's not in the same country. When I am completely spent and discouraged he knows how to lift me up. He encourages me and challenges me all at the same time, and often without ever realizing he's done it. He is an incredible leader of our family even from thousands of miles away.

So what's he up to? He just got to FOB Spyker in Iraq. This won't be his permanent spot in Iraq, just another pit stop. :) This deployment is so different from the first, praise the Lord! He's had it pretty easy so far. He's been watching movies, reading books, and sleeping in. He NEVER got to sleep in the last deployment. I would never last there! :) And when I talked to him, he had just finished watching the UFC fight.

So what have we been up to here? Nothing super special. Izzie had a doctors appointment on Monday and she seems to be doing great!

She's currently 24 1/2 " long and weighs 14lb 15oz. She's been talking more and more everyday and loves her feet. Most mornings when I get her out of bed her socks are wet because she's been chewing on them. And she loves to put anything and everything in her mouth. She's getting really close to sitting up, but still needs some steadying.

A couple of days ago Adelle spent the night with us. They had lots of fun girl time. Here they are watching a princess movie together. Can you tell that she didn't get a good morning nap! :)

Izzie loves her jumper. Notice only one foot touches the ground though! :) She might be short like her Mommy and Daddy.

The other day I was at Mom and Dad's and for her to sit up so we got out a laundry basket. She had more fun in there playing with toys! We have a super cool Bumbo and she's happier in a laundry basket. (And she's wearing an old shirt of Andrew's because she pooped on her clothes!)

Silly faces!

Does she not look exactly like her Daddy!?

Catching up

2009-09-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

We don't have the internet at our house in Greenville yet, so it's been tough keeping up with the blog. We should be getting it soon, so I'll get better.

I thought I'd leave a little update. Izzie and I have been in Greenville for over a week now and we haven't stopped yet. Life has been crazy! I have talked to Dan a couple of times and he sounds so great. He's still in Kuwait, but should be leaving for Iraq any day now. We are both so grateful for your prayers!! We cannot explain the joy and peace we've experienced the past couple of weeks, in spite of having to say goodbye again. God is so faithful to us!

I love my uncles!

2009-09-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

Izzie got to spend some quality time with her uncle Drew before he leaves for Afghanistan. She fell asleep in his arms. She likes her uncle Drew!

And look, we finally talked Ben into holding Izzie. And she didn't even throw up on him! :)
"Hi Daddy! I really miss you! I'm trying really hard to keep a happy face. See!!"

Bye Bye Daddy

2009-09-06T19:18:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures we took before we left to drop off Dan. It's about 5am so we are all a little tired.

Here we are dropping Dan off. It was tough saying goodbye, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Farewell Love

2009-09-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday morning Isabella and I said bye to Dan. We dropped him off at 6am and he expected to be leaving the country around noon that day. I can't post pictures right now because I don't have a card reader, but I just wanted to let everyone know that he left and we are officially TX residents. I will post pictures as soon as I can.

Dan should be in Kuwait by now and should be there for a week or two before he moves on to his duty station in Iraq. I haven't heard from him yet, so I have little to report.

I have to say thank you to everyone that has been praying for us. This week Dan and I have had the peace that passes all understanding that the Lord promises. We still have some adjusting to do; it's been awhile since I've been geographically single; but I know that He is faithful.

Love, if you're reading, we miss you so much! I can't wait to hear from you! And Izzie is trying really hard to be a good sport about this. :)

I'm 4 months old!

2009-09-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

Izzie's couldn't wait to get her hands on that paper. Paper is her favorite toy!

Daddy fishing out the paper she tried to eat.

"Wow Daddy! That doesn't taste as good as it looks!"

Isabelle your are 4 months old! You have changed so much this past month. You play with toys constantly and LOVE to put everything in your mouth. You also found your feet this month and love to grab your toes. You love to talk and babble more and more. And you started eating cereal this month. I can't believe how much you're growing. Right now you weigh 14lbs 7oz and those thunder thighs are beautiful! :) I love you!

Daddy gets his first kiss!

2009-08-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

"Daddy, did you know that you're my hero?"

"I love playing games with you."

"Peek-a-boo!!"

"Excuse me? What did you say? Daddy going where? For how long?"

"But what am I going to do without you?"

"Nevermind. I'll just go with you."

"Ok, ok. If I can't go then I'll send you off with a kiss. I love you Daddy!"

"And I can't wait to see you again!"

Dan's Departure

2009-08-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

We found out yesterday that Dan will be leaving Sept 2, a week from today. It's wonderful having a date to look forward to. And by "look forward to" I mean dread completely.

I'm so glad that we have this weekend to spend together. Who knows what we're going to do. There's not exactly a wealth of entertainment options here in Nowhere, KS! :) But we get to go back to our church one more week!! Yea! It's so hard leaving.

Thank you so much for your prayers this week. The last days seem to be so much harder than after he actually leaves.

Pelican Pete's

2009-08-25T13:12:00.001-07:00

For the last 3 years we have been driving by this old house with TONS of junk in the yard and a sign that said "Pelican Pete's - closed for the season." We thought it might be a snowcone stand, and seeing that we moved to KS in January it wasn't weird that it was closed. But the place has been closed the entire time we lived here, so we started to wonder what in the heck this place was.

Pelican Pete's is FINALLY open! After 3 years! And we got to go. Isabelle had a slumber party at Tana and Dean's (good friends of ours) so Dan and I went to dinner and then to get a long awaited snowcone at Pelican Pete's.

Dan had blueberry cheesecake and I had Funky Cold Medina (banana, cherry, and tangerine). I couldn't resist. After enjoying our frozen treat we went "cruising" in JC and listened to "Funky Co Medina." You can't eat a Funky Cold Medina and not listen to Funky Co Medina. :)

Me sitting on the world's largest porch swing!!! It didn't really swing (ripoff!).

Dan trying to steal some of my snowcone.

Thank you Tana and Dean!! It was so awesome to have a night with just the two of us!

Please pray for our family

2009-08-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

We are celebrating our last Monday! Who thought I'd ever celebrate a Monday!? We should find out tomorrow exactly what day Dan will be leaving and it should be sometime between this Friday to Monday.

Preparing for this deployment has been so different from our last experience. For those of you who didn't hear that story. Dan had been out of basic 2 weeks when we found out he would deploy for a 15 month tour 3 weeks later. Which means, there really wasn't time to mentally prepare. He was gone before we even realized it.

This experience has been different in many ways. We have known that this was coming for over a year and this time around Dan has to say goodbye to me and to his little girl. We have been surprisingly tough so far, bar a few weak moments, but now the tears have begun. Yesterday we went to our church for the last time and it ripped my heart out. I cried most of the service. Partly from the joy of being part of an amazing church family, and partly because I knew the next time I walked through the doors of a church I will have said goodbye to Dan.

It is very hard for me to admit that this is hard and that we need prayer, but I foresee this being a pretty tough week. Please pray for strength and joy as we cherish this time. And please also pray that I will not wallow in my own self pity, yet at the same time be able to admit that this isn't fun. This is a difficult balance for me.

Kelso family camping!

2009-08-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

If any of you have suffered through the story of one of our vacations then you know that Dan and I have yet to have an uneventful vacation- whether it be roadtripping, camping, or even church retreats. My motto when it comes to vacations- if at some point you don't think "What have I gotten myself into" then it's not a vacation. This camping trip kept with our theme.

2:00 pm - Packing to leave. "Man it is beautiful! It's going to feel great out there!" -Ashleigh
Izzie is very excited about her first camping trip!

3:30pm- We've been to Walmart for sunscreen and s'more stuff; stopped by the gas station for firewood; and finally decided on the least crappy camping spot.

3:32pm- Cleaning up poop off of Izzie, her shirt, legs, pants, and the carseat. (Notice how funny thinks this is!

"It's almost chilly in the shade." -Ashleigh (it's about 75 degrees out)

4:00pm- Popping the tent. "Why on earth are there 4 poles?" - Dan

"Wait, this can't be right. Check the picture again." -Dan4:30pm- Marveling at the biggest tent Dan and I have ever slept in!

"Wow, we could have like 3 kids in a tent this big!" - Ashleigh (We've slept in a child's tent since we've been married.)

5:00pm- Dan's buddies, Dave and John, show up to join the fun.

5:30pm- Dave and John attempt to pop their tents.

7:00pm- Boys attempt to start a fire. Izzie and I leave them be and we go to the car for her to eat.

7:30pm- Boys go "fishing." Which means, they walked to the water, through in their line, stood there for half and hour, and then walked back empty handed.

Izzie has already had too much fun and is pooped out.

8:00pm- Hanging out by the fire. Cooking hot dogs and having a blast.

"It might be a little chilly when the sun goes down." - Ashleigh

8:15pm- Finding that the battery on the car is dead. Maybe we didn't need to have the radio on.

8:30pm- It's starting to get a little cold. Dave decided to get his sweatshirt. Why didn't we think of that?
11:00pm- Izzie is all wrapped up and sleeping in my arms while we sit by the fire. This is the life!

"I bet it's going to be a little chilly in our tent." - Ashleigh (It's about 60 degrees)

12:00am- "Snuggling" up in the tent. Which means we're trying to find a position in which we try to make sure Izzie is snuggled and warm, and we fight over blankets that are way too small.

"Ok, it is straight up cold out here!" - Dan

"I really should have gone to the bathroom before I laid down."- Ashleigh

1:00am-3:00am - Dan snores, I check on Izzie every 12 minutes.

3:00am- I check the weather on my phone. It's a whopping 50 degrees outside.

"Scoot over, you're pushing me into the side of the tent" - Dan

"I'm freezing!!! Snuggle Izzie, I'm going to the bathroom." - Ashleigh

3:00am-6:00am- Dan snores, but claims he didn't sleep! :) I check on Izzie every 10 minutes.

6:04am- "Dan, it is time to go home now." -Ashleigh

We finally got up around 7am and jumped the car off. Izzie and I went straight to the car and turned on the heat. Notice there are no pictures from the next morning. :)

7:15am- "I don't care, just throw the crap in the car." - Ashleigh

Isabella's first cereal

2009-08-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

This past week Isabella had her first cereal. And yes, that is Dan sitting on the kitchen floor feeding her. We are still in KS with no furniture, so the kitchen floor seemed like the best place!

She actually did pretty good. It was so runny, so it was a bit difficult to keep it on the spoon . . . or in her mouth. But she didn't hate it.

"This isn't too bad. Maybe next time you could add a little flavor, huh??"

"What's wrong Daddy? You don't think it tastes good?"

"My favorite part? Chewing on the towel!"

I can't believe she's already eating solids. Time is going by way too fast. I'm trying so hard to cherish every moment, but they just go too fast! :)

Catching up

2009-08-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

It's been so long since I've blogged that I've got some catching up to do. This past weekend we visited TX for the last time before Dan's departure. And, no, we still don't have his departure date. It's still supposed to be sometime between Aug 26- Sept 1, but we don't have an exact date yet.

It was so fun to visit TX again. We got to spend lots of time with family and friends, and also got a bit more settled into our home there. Here are lots of pictures we took this weekend and a few we've taken since we've been back.

Our living room- the cutie on the floor is my favorite accessory. What do you think of the shades? I'm so excited. They are my first time making roman shades and by some crazy miracle they worked! Now I only have 9 more to make!!! (can't get blinds to fit these size windows unless they are custom which = $$$)

Izzies' room is the only one in the house that is pretty much finished. I absolutely love it!

Pictures from the first party in our new house! We had lots of fun and were so glad so many people happened to be in town. We had about 25 people over for cards and charades!

Isabella's first picture with Papa and the firetruck. For those of you who don't know my dad, he's a fireman and has been since I was born. Izzie has lots of superheros in her life!

Adelle helping bathe Izzie. It was so cute! Isabelle had so much fun playing in the water and Adelle did such a good job helping.

The newest member of our family!

This is Ace and is a member of our family for the next year. He belongs to one of Dan's buddies and we are keeping him during this deployment. Ace and Mattie get along really well. I may never have to buy another dog toy. The really entertain each other. Now we're just hoping for puppies before the year is over!

This is a picture of Izzie from about a week ago. It was so sad. She was swinging while I was sewing and I looked up to find this. Isn't it so sad? Asleep with her face in the tray. I took her straight to her bed!

Here's a cute picture from after Izzie's bath the other day. She LOVES her baths and HATES to get out. She cries after I get her out almost every night. So sad.

Welcome home Daddy! Izzie getting kisses after Daddy got home from work the other day.

Videos

2009-08-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

Look I figured out how to put videos on my blog!! - Thanks to my good friend Kelly. I'm so excited. Or you can search Isabella Kelso on YouTube, or subscribe to our channel-kelsoshenanigns.

What!? Are you serious!?

2009-08-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

Sweet and unsuspecting little Izzie . . .

She doesn't even know what kind of suprise I have for her.

"Mom, why are you waking me up?"

"Wait! What did you say!? I'm getting another cousin!?"

"That is AWESOME!"

"Think of all the fun things we can do together!"

That's right! There's another Jones family cousin on the way. Kaci and Kyle are expecting a munchkin and we are so excited for them! Izzie is already scheming. :)

Laundry Day is Exhausting

2009-08-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

We have been having to do the laundry at the laundrymat since we moved the W/D to TX. Yesterday Izzie just couldn't take it anymore! Laundry day is just too exhausting!

Izzies on YouTube

2009-08-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

My video camera videos are in a format that I can't put on my blog right now, but I can put them on YouTube. Check this one out. It's pretty cute!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndD7gNqKrMY

I'm working really hard on figuring out how to get the videos on here, I'm just not there yet. I'm not exactly a huge computer buff.

Top Ten

2009-08-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

You might be a Mommy if . . .

10. You now plan your day in increments of 3 hours.

9. Your beloved pet becomes Daddy's problem.

8. You find yourself reading more picture books than novels.

7. You have learned to do almost any household task with one hand.

6. You have used more stain remover in the last few months than you have in your entire life.

5. You no longer buy clothes for yourself, you just keep walking right past that section.

4. You're at the grocery store, alone for the first time in awhile; and run your fingers through your hair, only to find it crusted with spitup.

3. Sleeping in until 8am is a rare treat!

2. You snuggle up next to your hubby in bed only to find LinkADoo's in the sheets.

1. While walking through Walmart you find a pacifier in your shirt, nestled neatly in your clevage. That's where that stupid thing went!!!

I have only been a mom for 3 months, but I have already enjoyed all of these "little joys."

This is the life for me!

4 Amazing Years!

2009-07-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

Our Superhero!

Happy Anniversary Love! It's been 4 years. I cannot begin to describe what it's like being married to a superhero. I have adored you for 5 years (4 married) and fall more in love with you everyday! I still feel like newlyweds. I don't look at my life and just take for granted that you're part of it. It is a priviledge and honor to be on your arm. It's like I stole the best man in the world and still haven't been caught. HAHA World! The jokes on you! :)

Some of my favorite things:

You are forgiving, strong, seek the Lord and His will, put our family first, kiss me as soon as you walk in the door, patient- especially when I'm being an irrational woman, wash the car, pose for pictures (though I have precious few of just the two of us lately), courageous, work hard for our family, do laundry, change icky diapers without being asked, watch the news and keep me updated, you pray over your girls every night before bed, stand up for what's right, incredible leader, let me pick the "velocity red" Mazda even though you knew I'd get tired of red, don't get mad when I steal the covers, encourage me when no one else can, watch Izzie so I can nap, then come wake me up because you're so bored without me :), gracious, let me pick the movie even when you know it's going to be terrible, knowledge of Scripture, cool and calm even in stressful situations, watch UFC with me, brush my hair, pick up heavy stuff for me, wanted to marry me even though it meant living in student housing, don't get frustrated when I want to rearrange the furniture. . .again, speak with passion no matter what you're talking about, willing to serve us even when you're exhausted, and you love the Lord!

These is such a small list of the things that I love about being married to you. I can't believe I still have a lifetime to spend with you! And now I not only get to enjoy as a husband, but also as a Father. Thank you for being our SUPERHERO!

3 months!

2009-07-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

Isabella is 3 months old!

Izzie is already 3 months old! Time is flying by! She is growing so fast and we are falling more in love with her everyday. Izzie weighs 12 lbs 3oz and is 23 in long. Just recently she has really started laughing and talking. She's been working on it for about a month, but has just really gotten good at it. Actually, when we were taking these pictures she was laughing so hard and I got a video of it. I tried to put it on the blog, but it's in the wrong format. I'll try to fix it so that I can post it b/c it's priceless.

So what else has changed . . .? Izzie is really great at holding her head up. When she's on her tummy she lifts herself up and holds her head straight for quite awhile. Iz loves to read books. And after we're done reading she likes to go back and look at the pictures. She is also sucking her thumb more. It's so precious. I haven't had the camera close most of the time but I did get one picture. It's just not very good.
Izzie has also now had her first piggy-back ride. I was cooking dinner the other night and Dan came in so proud to be giving Isabelle her first piggyback ride. She was grabbing on to his ears really tight, it was so cute! :)

Back in KS

2009-07-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

We made it back to KS after our trip to TX and I think we've recovered. We were so busy that I forgot to take many pictures, but here's a few from our adventures.

Moving into our first house

3814 Stuart St

Mom was so awesome to come help us pack! We would have never gotten it all done without her. We a HUGE thanks to all the boys who helped unload the truck when we arrived in Greenville! We are SO excited about our first home and hopefully this will be the last move for awhile.

July 4th

Happy Birthday America!

Here we are walking in the Park St Parade for the first time. Dan pulled a wagon with Izzie and I followed. Isabelle wanted everyone to know that Daddy is her hero. She slept for the whole parade.

Andrew, Adelle, and Izzie after the parade. Adelle always "loves" taking pictures!

Isabelle hanging out in her new home

A new look
Dan worked on our home like crazy!! It had been sitting empty for about a year, so there's quite a bit to do. And there is still so much work to go! Here is what the house looked like when we left. Click here and check out what it looked like before! And we didn't get a pic of the backyard, but it has changed drastically also. The pool is out and the deck has been rebuilt and is almost finished. I'll have to post some "before and afters" later.

Just checking in!

2009-07-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

We are in TX right now and life is flying by! Just thought I'd drop a line to say hi. I have lots of fun pictures to share later, but I'll probably have to wait until we're back in KS to post them. I hope everyone had an awesome 4th of July!

Isabella is 2 months old!

2009-06-29T18:02:00.000-07:00

Isabella has survived 2 whole months with Dan and I as parents! She's on a role! :)

So what is she up to these days?

Izzie holds her head up well and enjoys a little tummy time each day. She has been smiling a lot and has just started cooing and laughing. She's also started grabbing the bottom of her shirt or dress and pulling it up. It's kinda cute watching her play with her clothes, but I'm sure it won't be in a couple of years. :) Izzie still loves to cuddle. She is most content curled up on our chest. She still doesn't cry really loudly. Not that she doesn't get really worked up, it's just not very loud. That is one thing she did not get from her parents. :)

Daddy helping with bathtime

2009-06-25T14:17:00.001-07:00

Isabelle loves her baths! She has loved them ever since her very first one. She may look just like her Daddy, but she loves bathtime like her Mommy! Is there anything more relaxing!? Here's a few pics from the first time Dan helped with bathtime. He's a natural!

. . . all snuggled up and ready for bed. Thanks Daddy!

Baby Dedication

2009-06-22T15:07:00.001-07:00

Father's Day seemed like a wonderful opportunity to make a public committment to raise our little girl in a way that honors the Lord. And it was such a joy to dedicate our little one on the same day our good friends, the Shafers, dedicated their little guy- Isaac.

Isaac and Isabella after their dedication.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-22T12:41:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy in the world! Dan you are amazing! I cannot begin to express how much Izzie and I love and respect you. You have been such an amazing husband and father.

For those of you who haven't really seen Dan be a Daddy yet, he's incredible! He is completely smitten with his baby girl and can't get enough of her. He helps feed, change and bathe her (I'll post the pics of Daddy's first time bathing her later) and he does so much more to help me around the house. We're going to miss him so much when he has to leave!!!

Izzie waking up her Daddy on Father's Day.

Izzie brought Daddy a clue to his present. . .

. . . a Japanese Maple tree.

"Read your card Daddy!" - she signed it with her hand print

We love you Babe! We hope you had an awesome Father's Day!

So what are we up to?

2009-06-16T16:06:00.001-07:00

It has been so great being home with Dan! I can't believe he's already been home a week. Time flies when Dan's home. Izzie has been so great and Dan is soaking her up. Here are a few things we've been doing.

Izzie loves her swing. . .

and she absolutely loves playing XBox with Daddy!
This Saturday we were able to take our friends, the Shafers (Marc, Kelly, and their little guy- Isaac), to their first rodeo. They got their first taste of that "great" rodeo smell! We had so much fun! It was the Kansas Highschool State Finals. Those cowboys and cowgirls were so young! Now we're trying to talk them into coming to TX for a real rodeo in Mesquite.

Izzie wore her longhorns outfit in celebration of her first rodeo.

Around the world in 30 days

2009-06-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin! Dan left for NTC and Izzie and I set out to see the "world." After 2 trips to Greenville, one trip to Austin, and a trip to Florida; Izzie and I have been in the car about 70 hours in the last 3 weeks. It has been a blast, but we are a little tired.

The trip to Florida was really last minute! We decided on Wednesday to leave on Thursday with the family. We were sad that Dan couldn't come with us, but we had so much fun.

Arriving on the beach that first night

Izzie and Uncle Lanny a little road weary.

Andrew can't wait to hit the water!

We miss you Daddy!

The boys working hard on their sandcastle.

Mommy and Izzie catching some rays!

(Just kidding! Izzie spent all of her time in the shade.)

Isabelle and I hitting the open seas.

We all took a "dolphin" cruise. We paid entirely too, much to ride on a boat to see A dolphin! Yes, that's right, we saw one dolphin! As you can tell, Isabelle was really excited about it.

Here we are! 14 of us- just missing Dan. We all wished he could have been there with us.

2009-05-31T20:51:00.000-07:00

So why haven't I been blogging? Life has been crazy! Dan left for CA May 16 and we drove straight to TX . . . and haven't stopped since! Last weekend we went to Austin to see Cool Aunt Grace graduate from UT. We are so proud of her!! Izzie had the cutest longhorns outfit, but I don't have that picture right now so I'll have to post it later.

Izzie meeting her Cool Aunt Grace!

While in Austin Isabelle and I stayed with Tommy, Emily, Claire, and Ava. They were so sweet to have us and we had so much fun.

The girls!

It was great hanging out in the backyard chatting. Izzie loved chillin' in the shade.

Eating lunch at Freddies.
It was also great to see Aunt Kathy!! I didn't think we'd get to see her anytime soon. I just wish Dan could have been with us. But that's ok. Aunt Kathy we may try to and come visit while Dan is deployed or after he gets back.

2009-05-28T23:34:00.000-07:00

Off to NTC

Dan is scheduled to deploy back to Iraq in late August or early September and almost all units spend a month at NTC (National Training Center) in CA to train before deploying. Dan's unit left a couple of weeks ago and is scheduled to return during the second week of June.

Dan was able to be home for the first 2 1/2 weeks of Isabella's life and it was so awesome to have him there. He is so amazing with her! He helps change and dress her, and of course he dotes on her constantly! It was such a blessing for him to have time to bond with her before he left.

Dan saying bye to his little sweetheart.

Izzie likes to look at this painting on the wall by her changing table at our house, so I put up the picture of her and her Daddy and she loves it.

I know she misses him as much as I do. They spent a many an hour rocking and no one has been able to do it quite as well, even me.

One Month!

2009-05-28T23:21:00.000-07:00

I'm ONE MONTH OLD!

Well, a Izzie is one month old. I can't believe how fast this time has passed. So what has happened in the last month? Izzie has grown some, but I'm not exactly sure how much she weighs right now. She has been smiling more and more. She is a great eater and sleeps really well. Many nights she will sleep 5-6 hours before waking to eat.

I cannot begin to describe how much joy she has brought Dan and I. Isabella is such a good baby and we couldn't love her more!

Making Memories

2009-05-12T14:36:00.000-07:00

Daddy sleeping with his little angel!

Her first bottle! She didn't like the first one very much, but has done great since.

Izzie's pretty new belly button! She's ready to go swimming now!

Playing dress up

2009-05-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

Dellie and Izzie played dress up with their tutus. Aren't they precious!?

Adelle- always the performer!

Family Portraits

2009-05-09T12:41:00.001-07:00

Getting pictures taken was so much fun! And Isabella did great. Although, she did have an accident. Sorry about that Mark! :)

Adventures with the Family

2009-05-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

It was such a blessing to have family here for Isabella's arrival. We had so much more family than we expected- Susan, Mom, Dad, Lanny, Ali, Kaci, Heidi, Andrew and Adelle! Not everyone got to stay for a long time, but it was still so much fun.

Mom, Kaci, Heidi and the kids stayed for 4 days and we had lots of adventures keeping the munchkins entertained!

Isabella meeting her cousins for the first time.

Izzie's first trip to the park.

Looking a little rough here! :)

Off to the zoo!

Me, Izzie, and the pink "mingos" (as Adelle used to call them).

Adelle pushed Carebear ALL over the zoo! On the way in we told her she had to pay for Carebear and she grabbed him by the neck and very flabbergasted she asked "I have to pay for Carebear!??" It was hilarious!

This chimp was playing with Andrew and it was crazy to watch. Everytime Andrew would run up to the glass the chimp would slap it. And when we moved down he followed us and wanted to keep playing.

Isn't she FABULOUS!

Andrew and Adelle were so sweet with Isabella! Andrew wanted to hold her and Adelle wanted to read to her.

It was such a fun trip for us! We can't wait to come to TX to hang out with family again!

Izzie's first bath!

2009-05-09T11:04:00.001-07:00

Don't worry, Izzie's first bath was over a week ago. :) I just haven't gotten pictures posted. She really loves baths. And for anyone having a little one, these bath seats rule! (Walmart)

Isabella's Hero

2009-05-01T12:43:00.001-07:00

Her Daddy!

First Mommy Accomplishment

2009-05-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about my first big Mommy accomplishment. Today we had a well baby checkup for Izzie at 8am and I had a dentist appointment at 11am. Now I am rarely on time as it is and I had no idea how long it really takes to get Mommy and baby ready to go. But I did it!! Me and Isabelle were dressed, Dan dressed himself, and we got to both appointments on time! Actually, I went to the dentist by myself and Dan watched Izzie. That was a big Daddy moment for him. Being on time to an appointment may not seem like much to you, but I was quite proud.

Coming Home from the Hospital

2009-04-30T12:03:00.001-07:00

At Fort Riley new moms have to stay at the hospital for 48 hrs, so we didn't get to leave until Wednesday. I cannot describe how exciting it was to be able to take her with us. And so far I haven't hit the "Holy smokes, I have to raise her" moment. :) I'm sure it's just right around the corner.

It was so much fun dressing her up to go home! She doesn't really like to change clothes.

Gotta have the matching pink pacifier! :)

Her Daddy is already smitten.

Doesn't she look worried about her first trip in a car.

Isabella in her bed at home for the first time. Snuggling with her Sweet Pea baby that Daddy bought her for Christmas.

Hospital pictures

2009-04-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Isabella Leigh Kelso

Here are a "few" more pictures from the hospital. I know, I know. . . it's like watching someone else's home videos, but it's hard to pick and choose. :)

Dan and I arriving at the hospital at 3:30am, looking a bit tired already. Who knew I was dilated 7cm already!!

Daddy had a long day, so he was grabbing some ZZZ's. Then after Isabella arrived they decided to watch some football.

It was so cool having family there for the birth.

Angela and Shawn (great friends here at Ft. Riley) were also able to come by.

Our nurse midwife, Kyana, who delivered Izzie. She was amazing!

I'm looking a little rough here. This was the morning we left.
Dr. Boyett and Dan in their Texas Longhorn hats. Dr. Boyett came in to assist at the end.

I don't know if you can read her shirt, but I thought this was hilarious!

"Irwin Army Hospital

Fort Riley Kansas

Theft of Government

Linen is a Crime

Under Federal Law"

Izzie tried to sneak out with it, but thankfully we caught her! :)

(Another day in the Army!)

Isabella Leigh

2009-04-27T18:47:00.001-07:00

Hey Folks!

So this is not Ashleigh... this is actually Lanny Jones (the beloved brother and PROUD uncle!) . I'm filling in as substitute blogger while Ashleigh and Dan are in the hospital lacking the usual comfort of an internet connection. I've never touched a blog but I'll do my best!

Here are a few great pictures of my STINKIN cute little niece!

Expect changes and all the fun details as soon as the proud mother can get her hands on the blog.

Enjoy!

Isabella Leigh Kelso

April 27th, 2009

3:40 pm

7 pounds 2 ounces

19 inches long

On the way to the hospital

2009-04-27T01:19:00.000-07:00

Well, it's 3 am and I'm supposed to be induced today, but it doesn't look like they'll need to. My water broke a little bit ago and we're headed to the hospital! It finally happened. She finally decided to make her appearance. The next time you hear from me I'll be a Mommy. :)

Happy "Supposed To Be" Birthday

2009-04-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the 21st, was supposed to be the day Isabella arrived so we made cupcakes and celebrated her "supposed to be" birthday! Just passing the time!!!

I think Dan was really excited about his cupake. :)

One of those "funny" moments at the OB

2009-04-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

For any of you ladies who have been to the OBGYN you know that they always have "graphic" art on the wall. Some of it is informative and some of it is "artistic." But when your husband joins you for these appointments you can't always anticipate what they are going to say.

Ok, most of you have probably heard of the belly cast. It's like a plaster casting of you breasts and belly and they are popular to do when you're pregnant. Personally, I took a pass on this memory maker! :)

At my OBGYN these belly casts are all over the place. Similar to the one below.

Some have on bikinis, some are just plain, but they are in almost every room. So after my appt. today Dan and I met the Dr. in her office to chat. Out of nowhere Dan says "Woa, those boobs are huge!"- referring the belly cast on the wall. I laughed so hard. I was like "Dan, those are her boobs!" The Dr. was sitting right there. She thought it was hilarious and was quite proud.

If he'd said that in any of the exam rooms it wouldn't have been weird b/c they don't belong to our Dr. But no, he had to say it about the one that was of her. He turned beet red! And we all got a good laugh out of it. Thank goodness our Dr. is young, laid back, and really funny. She said she couldn't wait to tell her husband.

I think Dan will now only make jokes when no one else is in the room. :)

Baby Update #4

2009-04-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

Obviously, stripping my membranes last week didn't work. I went back to the Dr. today and I'm now dilated 3cm. . . making some progress. She went ahead and stripped my membranes again today, but either way, she doesn't think it's going to be much longer. I'm due on Tues April 21 and if I haven't delivered by Mon the 27th they are going to induce.

She really doesn't think I'll make it to the 27th, but who really knows. This is God's little girl and when He's ready He'll bring her into this world. Maybe the next time I post it will be to say I'm on the way to the hospital! :)

Baby Update #3

2009-04-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

NOTHING! Absolutetly Nothing!

That's the report! :) This little girl is hanging on and, you know what, I'm ok with that. I do wish the Dr. had never said that she'd probably be here early. Otherwise I would have never expected it. It's really easy to be selfish about this kind of thing, but I'm praying for God's timing.

So what am I doing to pass the time?

Reading

Making hairbows. I found the adorable headbands that you can clip bows and flowers to. So last night Susan and I made a bunch of them. I think they're going to be adorable.

Napping - quite a bit

Watching HGTV

Today we're going to buy my rocking chair. Needless to say, I put that off. I was thinking we'd just have to go get it after she got here, but since still not here, we're going to go today.

And I need to be cleaning again. I got lazy and now the house isn't really ready anymore. O well, I may need more to do to pass more time. :)

A Spring Break Getaway!

2009-04-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

Spring Break was the last week that I was allowed to travel, so I really wanted to go do something with Dan, specifically outside. I've been sick most of the pregnancy and I was starting to feel better, so I really wanted to get outside! We decided to go to our fav spot at Beaver's Bend in OK. We have a spot that's about a 1 1/2 mi hike in and it's completely secluded at the top of this hill. I love it! We've been several times and it was really special to me to go one more time before Isabelle got here. I was completely psyched!!! Dan wouldn't let me carry my normal pack, so I had a his assault pack with a few more things attached- less than 20lbs, which was the rule.

On the way down we found out the Bosharts were going to be there too. As soon as we pulled in, about 7:30 pm we packed in really quickly, threw up camp, then hiked out in the dark to go hang out with them at their cabins. It was rainy and wet, but I was shocked at how well I was hiking. I haven't done anything physical in months!

We hung out with the Bosharts until 11:30pm and had so much fun. It was awesome sitting around the fire eating "real" food and s'mores! On the way back to our spot, Dan got really freaked out about me hiking in the wet and dark again. So after much discussion we ended up in the Broken Bow Inn (not the first time this has happened)! I was really sad, but I can't complain about taking a hot bath that night.

The next day we went back to hang with the Bosharts and then they all hiked up to our spot with us, because we still had all of our gear there. Even though the trip REALLY didn't go as planned, I had such a great time. It was awesome to sit by the fire with the Boshart family, spending some time in the Word and singing together. It turned out to be a really refreshing trip.

This picture is exactly like one we took at this very spot when we were dating. We had come with some friends and it was really need to take the picture again, but with Izzie and Mattie.

When we packed our stuff out Grant was so sweet to carry my pack, that's why I'm only carrying a camel back. For any of you that know how stubborn I am, it was really hard to let him carry my stuff, but I'm trying.

Dan and I by our tent at our fav camping spot. It was so nostalgic to go back. Next time we visit we won't be able to use this one man tent and we'll have diapers! :)
\

The Bosharts piling in to go on a hike to the campsite.

The campsite isn't quite as furnished as their cabins were, but it works. I'm so proud of all the little muchkins! They did great! No complaining!

Does this tree make me look fat?? :)

Baby Update #2

2009-04-11T09:39:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we went to the doctor and they ruptured my membrane. She said that if this works it should cause me to go into labor in 24-48 hrs. 24 hrs down, 24 to go. I had a lot of contractions yesterday and some today, but nothing painful enough yet. I'm just praying that these contractions start getting really regular and painful as soon as possible. I just might go crazy if she doesn't get here soon. Since they were supposed to rupture my membrane on Tuesday, I worked really hard to have everything ready by then. Now that she's still not here I'm going crazy doing every little project possible around the house. I'm going to run out of things to keep me busy pretty soon.

I've been doing a lot of walking and the other most common suggestion (wink, wink). If any of you have other ideas please post a comment and let me know! I'll do anything.

Baby Update

2009-04-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

I just got off the phone with the nurse. I was supposed to go in today to have my membranes stripped and hopefully induce labor, but we had to reschedule. The labor and delivery ward is busting at the seams today and my Dr is afraid that if I went into labor today they'd have to refer me to another facility. I guess it's the 4th brigade baby boom. There are always baby booms 9-12 months after large units come back from deployment . . . army life! :)

So they decided to do it Friday morning, so hopefully we will have a baby sometime this weekend. We'll keep ya' posted.

37 week doctors appointment

2009-04-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

Well, we got a crazy surprise yesterday. I had my 37 week appt and found out that I'm dilated 2cm and 75% effaced!! I was completely shocked! My doctor told me that I need to get my bags packed because it could be any day.

We also discussed the possibility of needing to do a C-section. I have had some female surgeries in the past and they are concerned that scar tissue may cause severe tearing. She consulted with another physician and called me last night. She said that we are going to go ahead with a natural birth, but we are going to hope for the smallest baby possible so as to reduce trauma. So if I haven't had her by Tuesday then they are going to strip my membranes. Since my body has already started the process this will probably work quickly.

So, I guess I need to get ready to have a baby! This hit me like a ton of bricks last night! I was thinking I had 3 weeks, and I was really preparing myself for 4 weeks in case she was late. So needless to say my house is not cleaned and my bags are not packed. I'm a little frazzled! If anyone remembers how I was when Dan was coming home from Iraq- that's exactly like I was last night!! And if you do remember you're probably laughing right now! :)

Here are probably my last pregnant pictures, except for the ones at the hospital.

Mattie- "Wait a minute, I'm not going to be the favorite anymore!?"

Officially Homeowners!

2009-03-31T16:02:00.000-07:00

Well, we are officially homeowners! Actually, there are 3 new homeowners in our family. We closed on our house this past week. Danny & Chelle and Heidi & Brent both close on houses this week! Heidi and Brent bought the house next door to ours, which is going to be so much FUN! And Danny and Chelle bought a really great place a few miles away.

Thank you so much to our faithful friend and real estate agent Amy Wade!Sorry, this is the only picture I could find. :) Amy, we all owe you a big thank you! Although, I will say Heidi and Brent owe you the most! :) They've been negotiating that deal for over a year! So collect from them first. HAHA!

I'll post pictures of Heidi & Brent's and Danny & Chelle's houses soon. They are both really great houses.

I posted a couple of pics of the front of the house, but I thought I'd post some before shots. We are planning on doing quite a bit of work before we move in in the fall.

They must not have tended to the yard in years! There is a driveway under all those leaves!

Our HUGE backyard! HAHA! The swimming pool is coming out and we're going to build a small deck.

Our kitchen and living room, with the dining room in the background. It's a foreclosure so they left a lot of junk in it. Needless to say, the kitchen will be a lot cleaner before we move in. We're also going to get rid of the wallpaper.

These are pictures of the master bedroom. The small double door in the second pic is to the master bath.

The picture on the left is of the master bath (it's really small, so it's hard to get it in one pictures) and the one on the right is of the front bath. They both have carpet! GROSS! Getting these bathrooms tiled before we move in is on the TOP of the list.

So there it is. . . our first house. Needs a little TLC, but we are so excited. I know this is probably like watching someone's home videos, but I wanted to post before pics and then I'll post after pics as all the projects get completed.

Baby Showers!

2009-03-31T15:51:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures from my baby showers. Of course, I'm late posting but I had so much fun and it was such a blessing that I had to share! It was really great seeing everyone in TX!

Adelle helped me open every package. She was such a great helper!

Me and the Girls!
Huge thanks to the hostesses- Libby, Beth, Katie, Cinda and

Sara and Judy who couldn't be there.

Here's pictures from my baby shower at work. It was so much fun! I was so shocked at all the goodies Isabella got!! Everyone was so thoughtful, especially the hostesses Kelly, Tana, and Nancy - a few of my BFFs from work. I wish I had a picture of them, but Kelly was behind the camera and Tana wasn't able to be there for most of it.

Here I am arriving quite excited!

These cookies were AMAZING!

Thanks to Christine and Nancy for helping me keep track of all the goodies!

And a huge thanks to everyone for all of your thoughtfulness! I cannot even express how blessed Dan and I are to have friends and family like all of you! All the help makes having our first child much less scary. :) Although, don't worry, we still have a healthy fear of what's to come! :)

Lots of girlie goodies

2009-03-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

I went to TX this weekend for my first baby shower!! It was so much fun and I can't believe how many goodies Isabella got. She got lots of precious little outfits, blankets, towels, toys, and a dainty little gold baby ring. She also got a tutu!! I've wanted a tutu since I knew it was a girl. I can't wait to take her picture in it.

I haven't taken pictures of everything, but here are a few. This is the bedding that Sugie made (Dan's mom). I am absolutely in LOVE with it! She did such an amazing job!
If you click on the picture it gets bigger and is easier to see.
This is the tutu and bracelets that Aunt Heidi made! I think they are so precious!

Don't look directly at it! :)

2009-02-24T18:35:00.001-08:00

Well, last night I realized that I really hadn't taken pictures of my belly growing. I haven't been much in the "takin' pictures" mood! :) So last night, when I got home from work, I thought I'd take one. Don't look too closely, this is pretty rough!

I'm not sure, this is my first child, but I'm enormous! I can't even image that I still have 8 weeks to grow! I thought about making this a poll- am I too big to be only 32 weeks. But I was a little afraid that the results would confirm my fears, so I opted not to! :)

One amazing mother-in-law!

2009-02-20T16:37:00.001-08:00

This past week Susan came in to help me get some stuff ready for Isabella. I cannot give her a big enough shout-out! It was completely amazing! She was here a week, refinished 2 pieces of furniture, and painted Izzie's room! And that doesn't even include all the ring-around-the-furniture I put her and Dan through!! They must really love me.

Lanny had helped me build a hutch for the dresser. And Dan and I had refinished the dresser/hutch just before Susan got here. She was going to refinish the armoire we bought for the room. So Dan and I had stain custom matched to the crib, we finished the dresser/hutch, and moved it into the nursery the day Susan was supposed to be here. It looked TERRIBLE!! The stain color was horrible. So we were back to square one. We actually decided to try our chest of drawers and dresser to see if matched better. It was a miracle! It matched really well. So we painted the other dresser and armoire for our room and we're not even using the hutch right now.

Our kitchen has been a workshop for months!

Susan also painted Izzie's room!! Obviously the room isn't complete yet, but isn't it so cute!

Here's the dresser and armoire in our room. Susan did such a good job!

I figured I'd go ahead and include some other pics from around the house. Other pieces that Dan and I have refinished lately- the desk and the 2 shelving units in the office area. The only piece left to redo is the entertainment center. I cannot tell you have sick of refinishing I am!!! We have refinished about 80% of the furniture in our house!! What can I say, I'm a thrift store girl!

And here's Mattie looking out the window. She really can't wait to have a yard!

A visit from Lanny- really late posting

2009-02-20T15:58:00.001-08:00

Back before Christmas Lanny came and visited and we had so much fun! He helped me build a hutch for this dresser we were going to use on top of a dresser in the nursery. Now that was an experience!! It averaged about 10 degrees that week, so we did a lot of the work in the kitchen. Lets just say, Lanny really enjoys using to nail gun! Eventually the wood gave up and started rejecting the nails and we'd hear them bounce off the walls in the kitchen. A few days later I found one sticking out of the front of the fridge.

We also had an awesome snow that week. It was actually the best one we've had this year. I've been really disappointed b/c we have barely had any snow this year. So when this happened I made Lanny and Dan go buy a sled and we went sledding on this enormous hill in our neighborhood.

As you can see, I started out walking back up the enormous hill. Eventually, I gave up and crawled! :) It was so slick and this was the most I'd exerted myself in months (5 mo pregnant here). We had so much fun!

Here's a great shot of Lanny overshooting the sled. We were all soaked and freezing! I had snow frozen all the way around my shirt. Just like when I went snowboarding at Keystone, for those of you who remember that crazy day. I had a 3" ring of ice all the way around my shirt from spending more time in the snow than standing up on the board! :)

The baby and the boxer

2009-02-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

This is a precious video about a baby and a boxer. I can only hope that Mattie will be this sweet when Isabella gets here.

A little bored in Kansas!

2009-02-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

We have a boxer named Mattie and she's just a little high strung. We have had to find creative ways to exercise her without getting off the couch. One of her favorite things has been to chase a laser pointer. This week Susan came to visit to help get ready for Isabella and then Kent flew in on Saturday and flew home on Sunday. So this is Susan, Kent, Dan, and I getting a little bored. So we decided to see what would happen if we taped the laser pointer to her head. This entertained us for about 1/2 an hour! :)

January Sono Pics

2009-02-12T07:15:00.000-08:00

I had a sonogram back in January and everything went really well. The doctor said that all of her organs and skeleton looked really good. And she was moving a lot. It actually took the radiologist a long time to check everything she needed to because Isabelle was moving so much. Then by the time we were trying to verify that she was a girl Isabelle fell asleep and wouldn't move for anything. But we did get a chance to verify that before it was all over.

2 of the pictures are very similar. The first one and the last one are profiles. The first one she is asleep and the last one she is awake. I doesn't look like she's gonna have my lips and the radiologist said she didn't have my nose. I think she has Kaci's nose and Dan's lips. I really can't wait to see her in person and see who she looks like.

I think this is one of the coolest pictures. Her leg is completely straight and her head is by her feet, but you can't really see her head in this picture. I just think the picture of her leg is so cool. I never expected her to have her legs straight. She must be a little more flexible than I am. :)

Bad Blogger Award!

2009-02-11T12:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I officially get the Bad Blogger Award! I really can't believe I haven't blogged since before Christmas! Trips to TX are always crazy and it's been really hectic since we've been back.

There's been a lot going on the past 2 months and I have lots to share. We had another sonogram of Isabella and she's getting so big. I have some great pics but I haven't scanned them in yet. The doctor said she is doing really well and moving like crazy! I am currently 30 weeks and feel like a kid waiting for Christmas.

Some other big news is that we bought a house in Greenville, TX. We thought we'd bought it over Christmas, but the deal fell through. Then about 3 weeks ago we found out that it was back on the market and jumped on the deal. It's needs a lot of yard work and some paint, but other than that it's pretty much move-in ready.

I can't believe we will be TX residents again! We aren't planning on moving down until Dan deploys again, which should be sometime this summer. They are scheduled to deploy in September, but are fully expecting to go early. After he heads out Isabella and I will move down. It will be nice to be living near family during this deployment, especially since Izzie will be here.

Well, there's much more that I need to post, but I can't right now. I'll try to catch up over the next week or so, but no promises! :) Susan, my mother-in-law, is coming for a week so we're going to be pretty busy. She's helping make Isabella's bedding and get the nursery ready. I'm so excited! I can't believe we have a little girl on the way!

Completely hilarious!

2008-12-18T06:49:00.001-08:00

I found this on a friend's blog and thought it was completely hilarious! And so true!

Memed

2008-12-10T17:30:00.001-08:00

Ok, I'm not sure what Memed means, but I've officially been Memed by my good friend Daisie.

There are rules of course:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog. Done
2. Share 7 facts about yourself, some random, some weird. Done
3. Tag 7 people (if possible) at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. I don't have 7 blog friends, so I'll tag just one.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs. Done

Random facts about me:
1. I eat cereal twice a day, almost everyday.

2. I always play games on my phone or PDA after we turn out the lights at night. I've done this for years, long before I was married. I think it helps me wind down.

3. Since I've been pregnant I've been trying to carry on conversations with Dan in my sleep. It's usually when I fall asleep on the couch and he has to wake me up to go to bed. I usually wake up sitting up, a couple of minutes into the conversation, completely frustrated and angry that he has no idea what I'm talking about, and Dan is laughing hysterically trying to get me to keep talking. The first few times it happened I would wake up, realize I was talking in my sleep and just be embarrassed so I'd just walk to bed and not say anything. Now we have a good laugh over it.

4. I have a birthmark on my stomach that used to look like Tennessee when I was little, but as I've grown its changed and now it looks more like Kansas.

5. I'm pretty queasy when it comes to heights unless I'm repelling. For some reason I trust those ropes and I just enjoy the view.

6. I'm really glad Danny never went base jumping because I would have had to prove that I'd do it too and I really didn't want to!

7. I love roadtrips!! Going somewhere and staying there the whole vacation seems so boring. Unless it's NYC. I like to cover as much ground as possible when I'm on vacation. This is exhausting to Dan, especially when it involves sleeping at the foot of the Tetons in the snow. :)

I think I'll meme Kaci. I bet she has some good secrets.

Another Day in the Army

2008-12-10T17:06:00.000-08:00

Going along with the theme of not knowing what to expect, this week held a pleasant surprise for Dan. There is a hunting company (I don't know if that's what you call it) in west Kansas that donated a 3 day guided pheasant hunt for several soldiers. Dan looked up the company and the trip costs $1500 per person. Dan and about 6 other guys from his unit got the whole trip for free. They didn't even have to bring a weapon or ammo if they didn't want to. Dan was so excited!

So he left early on Tuesday and will be gone until sometime tomorrow. It's lonely here without him. And unfortunately, this is what I've been up to. My couch is under their somewhere.

I've been cleaning out closets all week so I've put off folding the laundry. I haven't even finished washing all of it yet! How depressing is that? O well, I know I'm not the only one this happens to.

I also have to wrap Christmas presents and take all of our Goodwill stuff to the car. O the "fun" never ends! :)

To TX for Thanksgiving

2008-12-06T16:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

An adorable Thanksgiving card from Aunt Kathy.

Of course I'm late posting, but better late than never I suppose. Actually, I've been working on this post for about a week and I just never finish it. I'm bound and determined to finish it tonight.

Here are lots of pictures from our trip to TX. We had so much fun and the trip didn't fly by too fast, which was great. Some of the big news from the trip. . . Heidi is having another baby (due sometime in July), we're having a girl, and Mom and Dad built the coolest playground area for all the grandkids (wish I had a picture).

Dan and I taking a traditional picture at the James' house.

We've taken one by the lake every year we've visited.

Dan and his dad playing with John's new toy- an AK47. John has been considering a handgun lately, but this is what he settled on! Between John and my dad we never know what to expect!

This is Pappy's (John's) first gift to baby Isabella. Ok, so he didn't know we were having a girl when he bought this, but I'm sure Izzie will love it! Izzie and I were both very excited!

Before I went to TX I bought these mittens for Dellie. They were only a dollar and I thought they were cute. Well, as you can see, she was enamored with them! She wouldn't take them off. Heidi said she even slept with them on. How precious!

Some of the fun moments from the May's family Thanksgiving!

Claire holding the puppy ransom

Grandma catching some ZZZZ's

Jack discovering bubbles!

We had so much fun!

These are all pictures of some of my favorite things about TX.

Sweeties donuts- we ate them for breakfast 3 days in a row
Sweet tea- one of my favorites and no one here drinks it

Tamolly's- Danny and Dellie waiting for a table. Always worth the wait!

Shooting guns- a favorite pasttime in TX

Well, that's a lot to read, but I couldn't leave anything out. We just had so much fun and did so much. This is why it has taken me a week to recover! :)

Isabella Leigh

2008-12-03T14:48:00.001-08:00

Of course, I am late posting, but here are the latest sonogram photos. Heidi and Angela did a sonogram on Thanksgiving day and it's a girl! We were so shocked. For some reason, Dan and I both were convinced we were having a boy. But we are so excited! Here name is Isabella Leigh, but we'll probably call her Izzie and Bella a lot of the time. I would show you the picture that showed she was a girl, but that didn't seem very lady-like. And I'd hate to start embarrassing her before she even arrived.

Isabella's sweet face! This is of her profile.

She is looking up and to the left. Hope you can see it.

The bottom of her little foot. Her toes are pointing up and to the left.

The sonogram was so amazing! She moves around like crazy! A fiesty, wiggly little thing. :) It's such a blessing to have a sis who can do sonos. We have been spoiled just watching her. The coolest part was seeing her mouth move. She did it several times and I don't know if she was swallowing or already trying to talk like her Mom. :) And I could see her whole body react after I poked my belly.

Another random day in the Army

2008-11-23T19:05:00.000-08:00

Army life = never knowing what to expect

Back story: This past June we had an F4 and F3 tornado in the same night. The F4 took out most of a nearby town called Chapman and the F3 did some serious damage in Manhattan. There were around 120 houses completely destroyed that night.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

The popular show with Ty Pennington recently came to Chapman, KS to rebuild one of the houses that were destroyed by the tornado. Dan and several other soldiers helped with security as the house was being built. The day Dan was on the detail was the day after the reveal when they were cleaning up all the equipment. I'm not sure when the episode is going to air, but I'll try to find out.

Dan in front of the newest house built by Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Dan's new little joys

2008-11-23T18:54:00.000-08:00

Dan used to have a UT hat that he wore for years and a friend's dog chewed it up. That was about 4 years ago. Ever since he's been looking for one like it and finally found one today. Yea! This may be the last time it looks nice and white. :)

He also hasn't owned a gaming system since we got married. When he was in Iraq I got a hand-me-down Xbox, but he hasn't really played it much. But today he bought the original Halo for $10 and is pretty excited about it.

Dan playing Halo in his new Texas hat!! Good times! (GTs)

The Winter Weather Is Here!

2008-11-21T08:39:00.000-08:00

We officially got our first snow. I didn't get to see it, but Dan said we had snow flurries yesterday!! Yea! And it's starting to be really cold at night. Actually, right now it's 27 degrees with a wind chill of 17 and it's 10:30 am, so I guess it's not just cold at night.

The ice scraping has begun and so has going out at the crack of dawn to start the car! I think we're supposed to get a good snow next week, but we'll probably miss it because we'll be in TX! Maybe it will snow in TX! HAHA! Hey, we had snow that one year... I think it was '91.

Another day in the Army!

2008-11-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

Well, this week has been a little reminder of Army life. Dan left Tuesday morning at 3:30 am for gunnery. Don't ask me what that is, but I think it's something about learning to shoot and blow stuff up. I think that this is more for the news guys out of basic. Either way, I haven't talked to Dan since Tuesday and as far as I know he will be back on Saturday. This is the longest we've been away from each other since Iraq and it's crazy how pathetic I've been. I've really, really missed him. But I've also easily fallen back into the routine of being alone. Actuallly today I had a heartstopping deployment moment.

You know the Yahoo yodel? Well, this was the "ringer" I had set on Yahoo Messenger every time Dan called from Iraq. Today I was standing in the office talking to some other teachers. There was a radio playing softly that I didn't even notice until it played the Yahoo yodel. I stopped in my tracks and almost lunged for the "computer" hoping that I'd get to it before he hung up. All this happened in a flash, and then like a wave of blessing I realized that he made it home. That I don't have to spend hours at the computer waiting to hear from him. I don't have to wonder if the doorbell will bring bad news. God is so good! He brought my Love home even though that was never a guarantee. I have so much to be thankful for!

A great weekend!

2008-11-11T10:23:00.000-08:00

This weekend was really great!! My BFF Mary came in to visit from TX and we had a blast! Saturday night I had to do this carnival for my school and Mary was such a good sport to come and help. I was a scary clown in the haunted house.

Mary helping me get ready.

Mary did my make-up. What do you think??

O the things we do for kids! The night went really well and the haunted house was extra freaky this year. This is me in my room of the haunted house. All the lights were out except a strobe light and I would jump out and grab kids and scream "Come play with me!" I got punched in the mouth and the arm and had one little boy slap at me like a little school girl screaming "Bang, Bang!" Why he was screaming bang, bang I have no idea because he was just slapping me. I was laughing so hard I couldn't stop! I just kept doing it to see how long he would do it. Finally his mom grabbed him and told him it was ok. You know, people that choose to work with kids must be out of their minds! :) HAHA!

Mary and I had also decided to put up my Christmas tree when she was in this weekend. Now, I've never put my tree up this early, but she was here and it already feels like winter here. It just felt right! We were going to do it Saturday. We went down to the storage room got out all the boxes, and right before we started we decided we needed something to drink. So we drove to the gas station and while there we decided we needed to go thrift shopping and out to lunch even though we were still in the sweats from that morning. By the time we were done with that we had to go to the carnival. So Sunday we started by putting up the tree. We got the lights and beads on but realized we needed hooks. So back to the store, which of course took about 2 1/2 hours as we tried on clothes and shopped for lots of things that weren't on the list. :) We did eventually get the tree done.

Dan was revolting against the early Christmas most of the weekend, but he did put on the star! What an awesome husband I have!

Ok, this looks random, but Mary was telling me that I really needed to post a picture of my belly. I've taken a few, but I always feel fat! Wonder why? :) It's hard to get one that looks OK. Well, after a few attempts we got this one that was decent. This is me at 16wks! Gettin' chunky! :)

4 months!

2008-11-06T16:05:00.001-08:00

Well, as you can tell, I am catching up on my blogging. The first 3 months of this pregnancy were quite miserable, but that seems to all be behind us!! Yea!! I am feeling much better and have so much more energy so I am trying to catch up on everything that I neglected, ie. blogging! :)

I'm Four Months!!

This is the most recent sonogram photo and it's from Sept 23! How late am I!? This sonogram was so cool! Dan got to go with me and it looked like a BABY!! They were moving a ton and their little hands were boxing around like a crazy. Maybe it's a little boxing boy like their Daddy?? That could mean lots of future fun for Daddy and Uncle Danny! :) It was just so amazing to see a BABY and not some unidentifiable blob. I could have watched it all day.

I know the picture isn't great, but you can see the profile of the face. I wish we'd been able to get a better pic. There were definitely better views while we were doing it. O well. We'll get to see their face in person pretty soon.

We are hoping to find out the sex of the baby over Thanksgiving. Heidi will be able to do a sonogram and I will be 19 wks. So as long as the baby cooperates then we should know then. I can't wait! And how cool is it that my sis may be the one to tell us!?

Happy Fall!

2008-11-06T15:32:00.000-08:00

My little tribute to my fellow Texans!

("Y'all isn't frequently used terminology here up "north." HAHA!)

One of my favorite times of the year is Fall and we have an amazing Fall in KS! I really wanted to get out and take some really good shots this year before all the leaves fell, but I never got around to it. So here are a few of my favorite sites on the way to work- what's left of it. Most of our trees have already lost their leaves due to gusting winds up to 40 mi/hr this past week. :-( \

WINTER HERE WE COME!!

We have talk of snow flurries next Tuesday!! Whoohoo! We have such great winters here! It has already gotten down into the 20's and 30's for a few weeks, but the past couple of weeks have been warmer. It's supposed to get cold again this weekend and we've already seen a touch of that. It barely hit 50 degrees today. I can't wait for the snow! It makes nasty slush, is hard on the car floor mats, and we have to shovel it, but I still love to wake up to white winter mornings!

A day in the life of the military

2008-11-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

I recently saw a fellow blogger begin "A day in the life of..." posts and thought it was a really creative idea. It didn't really dawn on me to do the same until this past week when Dan kept coming home with interesting tales of his day. Military life is often like no other and I constantly find myself thinking "Just another day in the military." Life is constantly changing and completely unpredictable! Here are a few of those moments from the past 2 weeks.

One of Dan's daily routines is PT (physical training), which he does everyday beginning sometime around 5:45am to about 8:00am. Most days they do pretty typical stuff- run, push-ups, sit-ups; but this past couple of weeks has been quite interesting. A couple of weeks ago when it was in the 20's in the mornings Dan's unit had to drag tires on ropes for miles! He said that despite the freezing temps the tires were smoking!! I think he said they ran about 7 miles with them. Just another day! :)

The most recent story was from Tuesday. Dan came home with these nasty places behind his ears. The picture below doesn't even do it justice! I took this yesterday, so most of the swelling was gone. These are from carrying telephone poles while running for PT!! I think he said they only carried those like 3-4 miles. But they kept bouncing off his head so he had these nasty places on both sides.

Another random military tale. . . So a man joins the infantry thinking of guns and the front lines. Sure, Dan has done that, but his current job is BUS DRIVING SCHOOL!! How funny is that!? The other day I to say, "We won't be able to come, Dan has bus driving school." I NEVER thought I'd be able to say that. This just seemed really funny to me.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T07:04:00.001-08:00

Our very first Jack-O-Lanterns!! Neither Dan or I had ever carved a pumpkin, so I decided that this was the year. It started because I told someone at school that I bet I could carve a tiny pumpkin. They didn't think I could so I had to prove them wrong. HAHA!

Here's the Kelso Family of Pumpkins!

I carved the 2 on the left and Dan carved the one on the right. I thought we did a pretty good job for our first pumpkins.

Baby Kelso!

We also passed out candy to trick-or-treaters this year! It was so much fun for us! We have an indoor entry to our apt. so we took lawn chairs and our bucket of candy out front. It was beautiful outside and it was so fun to see all the little kids dressed up trying to haul their heavy buckets of candy.

Website under construction

2008-10-14T07:24:00.001-07:00

Well, if you've checked the blog anytime this past week you can see that the background keeps changing. I was going to get creative and spice it up a bit, but I've had the hardest time finding templates that would work. So I'd download one to try it, then I wouldn't be able to find one I actually liked to work. Either way, I'm working on it! :)

The first day of the rest of my life!

2008-10-08T06:18:00.001-07:00

Today I am officially 12 wks! I hear that the being sick and tired all the time should be stopping really soon. So if not, I will hunt down every person that told me that! :) HAHA! Ok, so I don't expect it to change overnight, but hopefully it will start getting better soon.

Baby is doing really well. We went for a sono a couple of weeks ago and it was breath-taking! It was the first time it looked like a baby! The tiny thing had the hiccups and was boxing their little arms like crazy! I really could have watched it all day. I was so amazed with how tiny it was yet how much it was moving. I can't feel it yet, but I do think I'm growing a baby bump. I've lost about 10-15lbs over the last 3 months, but this bump at my belly-button keeps getting bigger.

I've been really lazy and haven't scanned in the new sono photo, but I will. It's really not very good, but you can see a profile of the babies face.

My own little miracle!

2008-09-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, first of all, this may sound really ridiculous to everyone else, but it's my own little miracle. When I was 13 years old I went to Jefferson, TX with my family and saw an antique wrought iron crib and fell in love. I said that day that that's what I wanted in my nursery one day. Every since then I've looked and looked, pricing every one that I came across. About 2 years ago I found one for $500 and that was the cheapest one I'd ever seen, so I sadly gave up.

When we found out we were going to have a baby I started doing some shopping for furniture. The more I shopped the more depressed I got. Do we buy stuff that will last forever, but costs a lot? Do we just buy a bunch of mismatched stuff? Do we buy inexpensive stuff that won't last very long? I was getting really frustrated. I really wanted the pieces to at least look nice together and not look like a bad thrift store.

Well, Friday after work Dan and I decided to get out and go thrift shopping for fun. We walked in one of my favorite places and found my dream. It was an old wrought iron crib for $100!!!! I haven't been this excited about a thrift store find in a LONG time!

Sooooo, right now you need a tetanus shot just looking at it, so it's going to take a little work. But I'm so freaking psyched! Isn't it precious! And the same day I found an old dresser that will work great for a changing table. Now all we're looking for is an old armoire. Canton, TX here I come!! :)

A bit behind

2008-09-16T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well, the couch and I have been working on our relationship lately :), so I'm quite late posting this. A couple of weekends ago we got to go to TX and had so much fun! We got to be at Drew and Trisha's wedding, CONGRATS guys! My family also had a family reunion and it was really fun seeing everyone! I wasn't feeling well so I didn't take pictures. Which really sucks because I love pictures!

On Saturday morning Dan, Heidi, and I got to go do a sonogram. It was really cool to have Heidi do a sonogram! And these are the only pics I got from the weekend. It was amazing to see the heart development. The week before I couldn't see it, but this time I could see the chambers in the heart beating like crazy. It was so amazing! Unfortunately this time it didn't look like a baby at all. It looked more like a bowl of spaghetti. If you look at the bottom pic the baby is between the 2 + marks. The part on the right is the yoke sack, which will be gone next week I think.

I will be 9 wks tomorrow and I think baby is doing well. It's definitely making me less miserable!! :) I'm really not that sick anymore, I just sleep quite a bit. And this week our little munchkin grew fingerprints. FINGERPRINTS! What a crazy miracle! It's smaller than my thumb and it has fingerprints. God really is amazing! We have another Dr. appt next week and there's a good chance we'll be able to hear the heartbeat.

Our Due Date

2008-09-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

Well, things here are going well. I can say that today b/c it's the first day I haven't been nauseous!! WHOOHOO! It's a "PRAISE JESUS" kinda day! Lately, I've been pretty pathetic! I'm so glad God gave me an amazing man b/c lately Dan has picked up all the slack. You know, I knew he was cool when I married him, but he gets so much cooler with every day that goes by! He's been doing the dishes and laundry and taking care of the dogs. I'm so blessed.

We're going on 8wks now, so the first trimester is over 1/2 gone. I forgot to add our due date on my last post. It's April 21. Which is perfect timing on God's part b/c that's the very end of the year. That seems like an eternity away, but that's ok. More time that I get to spend alone with Dan.

Have a great day!

Baby's First Picture

2008-08-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

Today Dan and I went for our first doctor's appt and had a sonogram. It was so great! We saw our little jelly bean and saw their flickering little heartbeat! Praise the Lord! The doctor said that chances of delivering go to about 95% after you see a heartbeat. Here's our little jelly bean!

It's the tiny little white spot at the bottom of the uterus. I think it looks like Dan! HAHA!

Fun news!

2008-08-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

Well, we are very excited to say that there is a little Kelso on the way! It's still really early, but I think I'm about 6-8 wks along, which means baby should arrive some time in April. Due to past miscarriages the doctor is doing a lot of testing to make sure things look good and so far they look great. Tomorrow Dan and I are going to our first doctor's appt and we're going to have a sonogram done. So we will probably be able to see the little jelly bean! :) I'm also really praying that we'll be able to hear a heartbeat.

I told my students at school and they are so excited! They wanted to help me name the baby. Some of their suggestions... name it after every one of them, Junior Kelso, Mellie, Lexi, and Beaner. Beaner was by far my favorite of the suggestions! :) What do you think!?

And We're Off!

2008-08-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

Well, the year has begun. We've officially been in school for 3 days and I'm wondering if it's May yet. :) HAHAHA! I'm totally kidding. I really love what I do, it's just so daunting to think of the year ahead. Will I ever get it all done!? My room is almost all together. Kristyn I'm sure you notice my blank bulletin board behind my desk. :) As you can tell, there's still so much to do!

I have a really great class, only 16! I don't have a picture with me or I'd show you their smiling faces.

Gettin' Ready

2008-08-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready for the year and thought I'd share some pics from my room. As you can see it's total chaos right now. Actually, today it was worse than when I took these, but it's coming together. School starts Thurs, Aug 14 so I don't have much longer.

Here's my desk. This is sobering, isn't it? It's starts now and I won't see the top of my desk until May!
A few fellow teachers hard at work.

Left to right, Deanne Smith (K), Shauna Chance (academic support), and Ashley Gilmore (K).

A Great Day at the Lake

2008-08-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

We went to the lake!! The little girl in this pic was in my class last year, Madison. Her parents are lots of fun and they invited Dan and I to come out to the lake with them. We had so much FUN!! We went to this great sandy beach, grilled out, went tubing, then went back to the camp and had some amazing smoked chicken.

This is Madison's dad, John, and her sister Izzie. (Kara I think she looks so much like Annie.)

Here's Dan and Maddie building sandcastles.
My first time tubing!! I feel muscles that I didn't know existed!
I couldn't help but add these pics. This is Dakota, Madison's dog. I thought the two of them looked hilarious just chillin' on the boat!

Thank you McDowalls for letting us crash your party!! We really had a great time!

Growing Like Crazy!!

2008-08-08T14:14:00.001-07:00

Well, I went back to work and was reminded that I haven't updated the blog in awhile or showed new pics of Sasha. So I took some yesterday. It's really hard to get 2 dogs to sit long enough to take pics. But I wanted to show how big Sasha is compared to Mattie. Sasha is growing like mad! I took her to the vet 2wks ago and she weighed 13lbs. I weighed her yesterday and she weighs 22lbs. She's gained 9lbs in 2wks!! It's crazy how fast she is growing! I hope she gets really big! I love big dogs.

I think this pic is funny. I kicked the dogs out of the kitchen while I was cooking and she just laid at the edge of the kitchen the whole time. How pathetic!!

Now for a stranger pet...

This is dad's new friend. I couldn't get them to get a puppy but a skunk they're fine with!! You never know what to expect. Of course, I'm not sure why. We weren't really an animal family but did have pets. We had the normal dogs, cats, hamsters, etc. But we also had a peacock named Petie, a hedgehog name Bob the mischievous, a pig named Benjamin Franklin, a half dead Shetland-Welsh pony we nicknamed "the stallion," and now it appears they are going to add a skunk to the list. Actually, they have now found 3 babies, so they are trying to decide what they are going to do. What a family!!

I have to say he's really cute! I wouldn't mind having one. And he's so tiny!

Goodbye summer!

2008-08-07T20:10:00.001-07:00

Well, I guess it's time to say goodbye to summer. Today was my first day back to work so I have to put my big girl panties on and get to work. This summer was so great! Even though I worked summer school in June I still felt like I got just the right amount of time off. Any longer and I'd have gotten way too lazy!

The last few weeks have been really great. About 2 weeks ago John and Donna came to visit (Dan's dad and step-mom for those who don't know them), and we had so much fun!! We showed them the post, visited some museums and one day Donna and I went and got pedicures and facials. That was awesome!! Here's Donna and I getting pedicures. I think this is the only picture I took the whole time they were here, which I totally hate! Shame on me!

Danny and Chelle also came to visit. We had a blast! We didn't do a whole lot besides grill out, play cards and play fusion frenzy. Here are some of the few pics I took while they were here. We went to this awesome dive pizza joint called Gumby's. We played a little pool and had great pizza! I already miss them!

Having family visit was the best way to end the summer! I really love hosting family and friends, so please come see us! :) And it's always nice to be able to spend quality time with people. When we come to TX our time is so divided.

Being Kids Again

2008-07-14T16:16:00.001-07:00

The day I flew back to KS Dan picked me up at the airport and we stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge that night. If you haven't heard of the Great Wolf Lodge, its the coolest place to take your munchkins. It's the perfect thing to do during the winter b/c they have this awesome indoor waterpark with a 4-story water fort, and tons of other fun stuff to do indoors- like arcades and the Cub Club (for little ones). There's also some water stuff outside too, but that's only open seasonally. The waterpark is included in your room price, and the rooms are so much fun. Some of them have forts and bunk beds. If you stay, you have to order room service one day. It's not too expensive and they bring it in a picnic basket with a blanket. It's so much fun! Anyway, there's my plug.

We had so much fun acting like kids again. We played in the water fort, went on all the waterslides, and rode the lazy river. And then we had our picture taken in front of the big bear. We had just gotten out of the pool, which is why I looked like a drowned rat.

The enormous waterfort!
The toddler area. (Sorry to whomever the rear-end belongs to- that was unintentional.)
The Cub Club

Visiting Becca

2008-07-14T15:26:00.001-07:00

This past week I got to go see my cuz, Becca. I got to hang out with the boys, see historical Abilene, and go to the drive-in; that was one of the favorite parts. I had never been to the drive-in before. We also played in the backyard. Becca, Jack, and Ty I had so much fun! Thank you for letting me come and play with you.

Is this not the cutest family? I wish Dad could have been there.

Jack playing on his new toys. Becca, you did such a good job picking these out! :)

Here are some videos of the boys. They were so much fun to play with! It was so fun to just sit and watch Jack play in the back yard. The video of Ty is really short. He had been giggling like crazy, but of course he stopped as soon as I started videoing.