MOM ON A MISSION

Thank you, Jodee!!

2009-08-28T08:24:00.003-05:00

Well today is my birthday! I have neglected my blog for a long time!!! Since Jodee was so sweet to dedicate a post just to me for my birthday, I wanted to put up some new pictures!! Kelsey and I are keeping busy and have had a fun summer!! Hopefully I will be back to blogging soon! So a picture review of what we have been doing!

Boating at the lake with family and friends!

Farmer's Market several times and to the Capitol!
I did three organized runs (3 mile, 5 mile and 6.2 mile). I also signed Kelsey up for a 1 mile fun run! She did AWESOME and had fun doing it!

Kelsey had two swim parties this summer!

She did a lot of swimming!!!!!! She can now swim without floaties and can do flips in the water! She also learned how to snorkel!

We have a new niece, Sadie!!!

We made some trips to the zoo!

I am very excited to see what my next 30 years has in store!!!! Thanks again to Jodee for the sweet post!!

What a Difference a School Year Makes!!!

2009-05-19T14:56:00.003-05:00

I just had to post these two photos. The first one is of Kelsey on her first day of school! The other one is a picture of her on her last day of school!! Crazy how much of a difference a few months makes!!!! This is just proof of how fast they grow up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She did an awesome job during her first year of preschool!! Next year she will go three days a week!! I am so proud of her!

SHINE ON!!!

2009-04-01T09:29:00.002-05:00

Kelsey and I LOVE Rascal Flatts and "our song" has become Shine On! She loves singing it and knows all the words!!! I just had to share this video!!!!! We start just about every morning with a little jam session in the car singing Shine On. A couple weeks ago we were just messing around and I got the camera out! This is not a one time thing, she sings it this way EVERYTIME!!!! ENJOY!

Yikes! She is Four!!

2009-03-26T16:13:00.003-05:00

Yes it has been forever since I have posted! As most of you know, my life is CRAZY right now for several different reasons!! But Kelsey is still the little princess she has always been and I LOVE her to death!!! You said you wanted to see pictures of the FOUR year old! Here you go . . . . . . Birthday Party is this weekend and I hope to post some pictures of the fun!!!

Dance Clinic!

2009-01-19T13:27:00.004-06:00

Kelsey and Maddy participated in a dance clinic on Saturday at a local high school! They were so cute and had so much fun!!! I can't wait for next year! They had "practice" for three hours in the morning and then performed at halftime of the basketball game later that night! They looked so cute out there and I was so proud of them!

KELSEY AND MADDY AFTER THEIR PERFORMANCE! SO CUTE!

KELSEY WANTED TO GO AND CHEER WITH THE CHEERLEADERS!
PROUD MOMMY!
THE CUTE HAIR BOW! I AM PRETTY PROUD OF THE CREATION I MADE! NOT REALLY A CRAFTY PERSON BUT IT SURE TURNED OUT CUTE!

READY TO CHEER!

ELMO LIVE!

2009-01-12T10:16:00.004-06:00

Yes I have lots of cute Christmas pictures! But the holidays were all kind of a blur this year. Glad they are over and ready to start the new year!! On Saturday I took Kelsey and my nephew Eli to Elmo Live. The show was cute and both the kids really enjoyed it!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!!!

2008-12-17T09:06:00.005-06:00

We finally had a measurable snowfall earlier in the week!!! I was not very excited about it because I hate driving in it and I hate being cold!! However, Kelsey was so excited that she would finally be able to make a snow angel!! The cold didn't bother her at all as we ventured out!

Splish, Splash I was Taking a Bath!

2008-12-05T14:15:00.003-06:00

One thing that Kelsey LOVES aout our new house is the bathtub in the master bathroom! It is a very nice whirlpool tub. She doesn't necessarily like turning on the jets but she likes all the room to play and the little ledges! The other night I must have been feeling extra nice! I filled up the tub really full and turned on the jets! She would have stayed in there for hours if I would have let her! At least someone is getting some use out of the tub. I can't seem to find the time to take a nice relaxing bath! I must put that on the to do list!

Very Random!

2008-12-03T15:13:00.002-06:00

It has been awhile since I have posted! Things have been crazy lately! I did come across some pictures on my camera that I thought I would share!! To my surprise Kelsey discovered that she loves pumpkin pie!! I don't like it at all so I have never really even had her try it. Well her pumpkin pie eating started at daycare. They had a Thanksgiving meal and made a pie! Well Kelsey came home that night telling me how she had tried pumpkin pie and really liked it!! So when we went to my Grandma's for Thanksgiving she had to have some!! Apparently she forgot to mention to me that she doesn't like the crust!! She scraped off all the inside!!

Here is the princess drinking some chocolate milk. This is another thing that she never really liked or drank. However, my grandma had it in these little boxes that you get at school. Well apparently it tastes better that way! She drank two of them that day!

I also wanted to post a picture of my dogs! Meet Yoda and Chewy! Sometimes I feel that they don't get enough attention! They are both very good dogs and are very good with Kelsey!!! They really enjoy our new bay window and love just looking out the window!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT HER!

2008-11-25T13:22:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday!

2008-11-05T10:49:00.002-06:00

Halloween 2008!

2008-11-03T08:35:00.003-06:00

Well I am glad Halloween is over!! It was crazy this year!! Kelsey had so many Halloween activities! She had a party almost every night last week! We had a great time on Halloween. Isaac, Eli, Hailey and Luke all came over to go trick or treating with Kelsey!!! They all had a great time and just went like crazy!!!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T08:13:00.004-05:00

Wishing everyone a fun and safe Halloween!

Wordless Wednesday!

2008-10-29T12:51:00.001-05:00

Halloween Week!!

2008-10-27T09:55:00.004-05:00

We have several Halloween activities this week!!! Last night we went to Boo at the Zoo! It was cold but our zoo is pretty small so we got through there really fast!! We also carved a pumpkin yesterday! We had a princess carving set and Kelsey picked out Cinderella. I thought I did a pretty good job!! This week Kelsey has a Halloween party at gymnastics, a Halloween party at daycare, a friend's Halloween party and then Halloween!! I think she will get plenty of sugar!!! Here is a picture of our cute pumpkin!

Disney World!

2008-10-22T08:08:00.008-05:00

We are back from Disney! We had a fabulous time! Kelsey enjoyed every minute of it!!

Go Big Red!

2008-09-28T17:52:00.005-05:00

Thanks to a friend at work I was able to purchase tickets to the big Husker game this weekend! My brother and I went for the full experience and went early for a tailgate and also headed downtown for a drink. The seats were great, the weather was perfect and I enjoyed spending time with my brother. Even though the Huskers lost we still had a lot of fun. Had they played well from the start of the game we may have seen a different result!

We had our tickets. . .

We had our tickets to a tailgate . . .

Good company . . .

AND AN AWESOME ATMOSPHERE!! THE SEA OF RED!

Congratulations Dustin and Jen!

2008-09-21T15:18:00.004-05:00

It has been awhile since we have been to a wedding! Kelsey was very excited at the thought of dancing! I told her about the wedding on Thursday and she informed me she was going to "party like a rockstar"! That she did!!!! From the time she walked into the reception she was on the go! She loved dancing and making friends! At one point she became really upset. When I finally found out was wrong I couldn't help but laugh. She was mad because there were too many people dancing! She wanted to be the only one on the "stage"! Very funny!!! We stayed pretty late but she did great! She fell asleep at 10:45 while dancing with her dad! We had a great time and are very happy for Dustin and Jen!

This is a picture of me and my dad!

Kelsey dancing with my brother!
Kelsey stealing a dance from the groom!
Dustin even gave her a little "dip" at the end of their dance!Troy and Dustin are really good friends. Troy was very honored to be his Best Man. Troy did a great job at his toast as well!! Yay Troy!
I love my brother!
What post would be complete without a picture of Kelsey and I? Of course I took this one!
Kelsey instantly made friends and started dancing!

DISNEY ON ICE WAS FABULOUS!

2008-09-19T08:20:00.004-05:00

We had a great time last night at Disney on Ice!! Thanks again to Jodee for driving! The show was really good and I am even more excited for Disneyworld in 23 short days!!! This was a small preview of the fun we are going to have!!

Here Kelsey and I are just waiting for the show to start!

Maddy, Kelsey and Carson at intermission. Aren's they sweet?This is a picture of the pirates. We were on our way home and Kelsey kept wanting me to guess her favorite part. I kept guessing and guessing. I could not figure out what it would be. After about 10 minutes of her telling me to think harder about it she whispered that it was the Pirate part! They were really good but I thought for sure she would pick a princess!
Couldn't do a Disney post without Minne! This is how Kelsey sat the entire show! Can you say she was in awe?

Kelsey and Geoff at intermission.
AND NOW . . . HERE IS A SMALL SAMPLE FOR YOU OF THE FINALE!

We had a great time! I see another road trip in our future!

Babysitting Luke!

2008-09-15T14:39:00.003-05:00

Kelsey and I got to babysit Luke all day on Saturday! We had so much fun and were so happy to have him!! He is a very good baby and didn't cry at all!! I recently bought some Halloween clothes and Kelsey found the present I had for Luke. She just had to try it on him! I helped her get it over his head but she wanted to snap it! She is quite the little helper!

Luke is growing up so fast!!

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

2008-09-12T10:11:00.003-05:00

As evidenced by the lack of posting we have been VERY busy!!!! Kelsey started a new gymnastics class last week and absolutely loves it! She has that one night a week. This week she also started school!! Yes, school!!!! She is growing up way too fast!!!!!! She is very excited about being in school and had a great first day!!! When we went to open house she told me I could leave because she wanted to make friends!! I am already cramping her style! Yikes! Yesterday was her first day by herself and she did great!!! Only complaint she had was she didn't like the juice at snack. If that is all she complains about that is fine with me! I know some of you are ready for some more picture so here you go!!

Kelsey getting ready to walk into school!

Kelsey forgetting I was even standing there and heading to the rug for circle time.
Posing in her little gymnastics outfit! She LOVES the sports bra because she said she likes her tummy showing! OH NO!!! Not at this age already???

KELSEY LOVES THE FAIR!!

2008-09-03T14:10:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we found ourselves at the Nebraska State Fair. After how much fun Kelsey had at the fair in Grand Island we were not going to miss this fair!!! She just glows the whole time and doesn't have a fear of anything!!! She would ride the rides for hours, well I guess she did ride for hours!! I preferred the fair in Grand Island only because there were not as many options when it came to riding rides! She is pretty brave and wasn't scared of anything! Her little friend Logan was there as well and was able to join Kelsey on some of the rides! She had a GREAT time!! I also had a lot of fun as the whole family went. Geoff's mom was also in town and joined us!

Here is Kelsey and Logan on the car ride! It was probably one of the favorites! It made me very nervous as the cars just whipped around the corners!! However, she wasn't scared and would put her hands in the air for each corner and then just giggle after they sped around the corner!! It was so cute! I could have watcher her on this ride all day!!! She is riding with her friend Logan in this picture!

Isaac was nice enough to ride the roller coster with Kelsey! She liked this one so much she went a couple of times! Love the mega-pass bracelets!
Kelsey and Eli waiting in line for a ride! Aren't they adorable holding hands?!?

Guess who loved the swings?? Yep, Kelsey!
Can't go to a fair without riding the carousel! She didn't want me to ride it with her. When I said I had too she said that was fine but just to stand there! I was not allowed to touch her horse! Why is she growing up so fast? :(
This was the last ride of the night. They had a single ferris wheel that was all enclosed which she rode but as we were leaving she said she just wanted to ride this one!! Are you serious?? Geoff hates most rides, well he hates the fair why would he like the rides, so I had no choice but to take her! She loved this one as well! She kept saying how she could see so much of the city and how she liked the lights from the fair!
Overall the fair was a great experience!!! I am sure we will be back next year!!!

Favorite Photo Friday

2008-08-29T13:30:00.007-05:00

I am so behind! I just uploaded over 100 pictures from the last couple of weeks! So let's make today favorite photos Friday and I will try and work on a post over the weekend!

This is a picture of my nephew Eli and I! He is so cute! I took this picture as we were waiting for the bears to start spinning at the fair! He sat on my lap during the ride as it was spinning like crazy!

Here is my brother Troy and Kelsey in line at the fair for the Ferris Wheel. Of course they were being silly! My brother won't let me take many pictures of him in them so when I get one it is always a favorite!

Here is my Princess Kelsey before going out for my Birthday dinner last night! She made my birthday so special! She was so sweet and so excited to celebrate my birthday! She wanted to wear her "special" dress and mathcing headband. She probably told me Happy Birthday 100 times yesterday and made it extra special!

Favorite Photo Friday!

2008-08-22T12:38:00.002-05:00

I want to play! I have seen other blogs do Favorite Photo Friday and I want to play! Last Friday we spent the evening with my sister-in-law Meredith and my niece Luke. We had so much fun! This is not the best photo in terms of quality, I forgot my good camera! But the subjects sure are cute!! Kelsey just adores Luke and is so cute with him!!!!!

BATTER UP!

2008-08-15T09:46:00.004-05:00

It was beautiful outside last night! Kelsey wanted to play outside and that was fine with me! Last year for Christmas we bought her a tee ball set. She has taken a recent interest in it. Probably since we have spent about two nights a week this summer at the baseball field watching her dad play! However, the sport is also one of my favorites! I started playing fastpitch softball when I was just 8 years old! I played on a competitive traveling team for several years. I also played four years of college softball at Nebraska Wesleyan and surprisingly still have some records! I loved playing with Kelsey and teaching her all the mechanics! We have some work to do but she is off to a good start!!

Weekend Recap!

2008-08-11T08:18:00.010-05:00

Wow was it a busy weekend! My husband and I both took Friday off to enjoy a nice long weekend!! That it was!! Believe it or not we didn't do any water activities! Hard to believe that after last week being 110, this weekend it was chilly! It was weird being in jeans and a sweatshirt on Saturday!

Our weekend started with a trip to the zoo in Omaha. The weather was perfect. Kelsey loved the penguins!! She would have stayed and watched them all day!

THESE PICTURES ARE FUNNY! KELSEY LIKES ME TO TAKE PICTURES OF HER AND I NOW! WE WERE TAKING A LITTLE BREAK AT THE ZOO AND SHE DECIDED WE SHOULD MAKE DIFFERENT FACES. I THOUGHT THEY TURNED OUT KIND OF CUTE!
Saturday we headed to see my sister and her family. Their county fair was going on and she had invited us to join them!! Kelsey loves hanging out with Isaac and Eli and LOVED the idea of staying the night at their house. The fair opened at 1:00 and we were there! We spent our twenty bucks and got the kids bracelets for the rides!! They rode, and rode and rode just about every single ride about five times each! We definitely got our moneys worth! Kelsey was grinning from ear to ear the entire time!! We rode rides for 3 1/2 hours!!! In addition to the rides we headed to the barn to see all the animals!
That evening at the fair the performer for the Concert was Chicago. Well my uncle just happens to be head of maintenance at Fonner Park. So he had tickets and wanted to know if we wanted to go? Well I could think of a few songs I knew, sure why not! So Corissa and I took Kelsey and Isaac to the concert! Kelsey can now say that her first concert was Chicago! We got a few looks from people since I think they were the only kids in the building but we didn't care! We headed right up to the front and took our seats! I didn't know what Kelsey would think but she did great! They would clap, she would clap. It was funny! We stayed about an hour into the concert and then decided to leave. Although it was fun, we were a little out of place. Two kids in a crowd of mostly people over 55. They had sung the couple songs we were familiar with so we hit the road. Back to the carnival part of the fair. Earlier in the day we didn't let them play any games and who can leave a fair without a cheap nasty stuffed animal? It didn't take long and each of the kids had three to take home!
Now if you want to see something funny and need a good laugh I recommend going to Bingo!! Yesterday I went with my sister to Bingo and had so much fun!!! I think we were getting some nasty looks because I was laughing so hard!! My sister loves going to Bingo and I have went with her once before. However, that was an awful experience about 6 years ago. Not knowing much about it I thought we were going for single Bingo. They were calling numbers and I was just marking my tickets as fast as I could. I finally got a single Bingo so I yelled out "BINGO!" Yikes! I thought I was going to get beat down. Well joke was on me and the game was BLACKOUT!! They hadn't even called enough numbers to have a black out and all the old ladies there let me know!! My sister and her friend laughed forever about that one! To this day I still get crap about that! This time I made sure I knew exactly what I needed! Therefore, I never got to yell "BINGO!" I didn't win but I sure had a good time!!

Thanks, Corissa, Isaac and Eli for a great weekend!!

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!

2008-08-04T12:53:00.004-05:00

You will never believe what we did this weekend! We did water activities. How did you ever guess since just about every post is about us swimming or being in the water!! Well this weekend it was HOT! Like 100 degrees and above HOT! So Saturday we were in the pool ---- A LOT! Then on Sunday we headed back to the lake! We invited some friends to go with us and my sister and nephew Isaac went as well. Because there were so many of us we took turns on the boat. Kelsey didn't want a turn on the boat. She was fascinated with the "beach"! She loved that she could walk in the water and be able to touch. She also loved playing in the sand. Once again we had a great time at the lake!! I am paying for it today as I decided I should make sure I could still water ski! No problem at all! Got right up! Today getting up was another problem! I am sore! We will take it easy this week to recover. Geoff is out of town on a work trip so it is just Kelsey and I! Early to bed all week is the plan!

GEOFF AND KELSEY BUILDING A SAND CASTLE

SWIMMING IN THE LAKE! SHE COULD TOUCH!

Look Who Has a New Bike!!!

2008-08-01T08:26:00.005-05:00

Well last night Kelsey and I were just killing some time. We were in Toys R Us and she was trying out the bikes. Geoff and I had already talked about it and we had planned on buying her a bike for Christmas. Well I caved. I bought her a new bike last night! We have been spending a lot of evenings outside. She currently has a little bike but it is just getting too small!! There is a lot of time left before the winter months so I decided it would get plenty of use!! Mommy's treat! She didn't understand why it wasn't just together when we got home! She was pretty good at being patient why it was being put together. She loves her new bike and it is just the right size for her. She said she wants to practice for two days with training wheels before she takes them off! I told her we will wait and see. Although I would love for her to pick the task of riding a back up that fast, she is only three! I don't have any plans of taking the training wheels off before next year!

THIS IS THE NEW BIKE!

GRANDPA AND DADDY PUTTING IT TOGETHER
PATIENTLY WAITING FOR THE LAST FEW ADJUSTMENTS!
AND SHE'S OFF . . .

Camping, Swimming and Boating!!

2008-07-29T11:21:00.003-05:00

We had a great weekend! We didn't have anything scheduled and actually thought it would be pretty quiet! That all changed Friday afternoon. My aunt and uncle were going to be camping nearby and wanted us to go out to the campsite for dinner! They camp the only way I would ever camp! They have a camper that is pretty much a house on wheels! Complete with a bathroom, kitchen, bedrooms and a shower! My aunt and uncle were bringing their families with them. It was great because Halle is about a year older than Kelsey and they play very well together! The girls had a great time and Kelsey just sobbed when it was time to head home. Thank you, Jolene and Dave for a great dinner and fun time!!!

On Saturday it was hot outside!! The guys were heading out to golf so we decided lunch at Grisanti's was in order followed by time in the pool! Halle likes to swim just as much as Kelsey. They were in the pool for a good two hours hanging with their Grandma Peg and Grandma Jolene! Once again, when Halle was leaving Kelsey just sobbed and didn't want her to leave!Finally on Sunday my brother, Geoff and I were all sitting around trying to decide what to do. It was going to be about 100 and we didn't have anything planned for the day. The idea was brought up that we should take the boat and head to the lake! We had to act quickly as my dad wasn't home and he usually gets crabby and thinks it is too much work to take the boat out. So we packed the cooler and took off without my dad! My parents have a boat that dates back to 1977! It is old but runs like a champ!! This was the first trip the boat has taken without my dad! I think he will trust us now as we didn't have any problems and it ran great! I didn't know how Kelsey would feel about riding in the boat or swimming in the lake! I thought she would love it or hate it! Well she LOVED IT! She kept wanting to get in the water and thought riding in the boat was the coolest thing ever! I see more trips to the lake in our future!

It ended up being a very tiring weekend! Kelsey just crashed at the end of each day! I actually gave her a bath after swimming on Saturday. By the time I took a shower this is how I found her curled up in my bed!

Fun With Isaac and Eli!

2008-07-20T18:01:00.006-05:00

Isaac and Eli are here to stay with and Grandma and Grandpa for a few days! We are having lots of fun!! Kelsey loves spending time with her cousins! We went to the zoo on Saturday and have spent a lot of time in the pool!! It has been so hot the last couple of days!! It is great that my parents have a pool so we can just get in and out as often as want.

We are so glad they are here and glad that we get to spend a lot of time with them!!

Day at the Zoo!

2008-07-14T19:56:00.003-05:00

On Saturday night Geoff and I went out with some friends for a birthday party. Because we don't go out very often together, without her, this was VERY difficult on her! I always feel guilty anytime I do anything where Kelsey can't go. Even if she is with her dad when I am out all I can think about is how fast I can get home! When we left on Saturday we were on the driveway and she was just screaming for me! It was tough! I know after we were gone about five minutes she was fine and had a good time with Grandpa and Grandma but the last image we had was of her screaming. So on Sunday I made it all about her. She didn't leave my side! We went to the zoo right when they opened, went to the grocery store, swam, took a nap together and then swam again! We had a great day!!

Fabulous Fourth!

2008-07-05T18:36:00.010-05:00

We had a wonderful fourth of July weekend!!! We did a lot of swimming, eating, drinking, fireworks and fun!!

This first night started with cupcakes. My sister let the kids frost and decorate cupcakes!! The kids enjoyed licking the frosting.

Isaac and Kelsey with all their cupcakes! Eli wouldn't sit still for the picture!

Kelsey and Eli were LOVING the corn on the cob!

Then it was time to swim! This is my dad and his fish hat!

It was time for fireworks!! Isaac and my brother were in charge of lighting everything!

This was a funny story! We were telling Isaac that if the cops showed up we had to hide because some of our fireworks were illegal. Well sure enough a cop pulls around the corner and Isaac took off running. He didn't know what to think. We all knew that Uncle Matt would be stopping by because he was working in our neighborhood! We all thought it was funny! After Isaac realized that he knew the cop the kids wanted to take a picture by his car.
Everyone getting ready for the fireworks show!
We had a wonderful fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July!!

2008-07-02T21:42:00.003-05:00

It is going to be a busy weekend and I wanted to make sure and share Kelsey's cute Fourth of July pictures. Thanks to Taryn I was able to create these cards! She gave me a wonderful idea to us Smilebox! As you can see Kelsey has a lot of Fourth of July clothes! Even thought it is only one day, I think Kelsey has at least four outfits, a swimming suit and pajamas! I love shopping for Fourth of July apparel! I hope everyone has a fun and safe Fourth of July!!

Take Me Out To the Ball Game . . .

2008-07-01T07:59:00.005-05:00

We spend a lot of our nights out at the ball field. Geoff and I have both always been very into sports and hope Kelsey will be as well. This year Geoff is only playing on one baseball team (YAY!). This takes us to the ball field a couple times a week. Kelsey is usually very good at the games and I have learned that as long as we take plenty of snacks and a few toys, she will be just fine. This year we were lucky enough to have Geoff's friend Phil on the team! This meant another little boy for Kelsey to play with and someone for me to chat with as Phil's wife Christy and their little boy Logan are regulars at the games as well! Kelsey and Logan play VERY well together!! I made them some cute little matching shirts so everyone knows that they are cheering for the Bombers!!

Fun With The Leaders!!

2008-06-28T22:38:00.003-05:00

Today Kelsey and I went to Carson's birthday party! We had a great timeand the weather really cooperated. The kids all had a great time and Kelsey and I were glad that we could spend the afternoon with them!! Happy Birthday, Carson!

Kelsey's Last Night of Track!

2008-06-24T19:57:00.006-05:00

Tonight was Kelsey's last night of track!!! We are so proud of her!! She did a great job. I was very excited to sign her up for South Lincoln Track Club. When I was little that was something I always did!! The program has been around for a very long time and is still very successful!!! The director that was there when I participated is still there!! He has a real passion for this track club and it really shows!! Here are some pictures from Kelsey's last night. They did a parade of champions and each child was given a medal. After that she competed in the 50 yard dash. We are very proud of how well she did!!

THANKS TO MATT, MEREDITH, LUKE AND GRANDPA FOR COMING OUT AND WATCHING KELSEY RUN!!

NOW ARE YOU READY FOR A GOOD LAUGH????

HERE ARE SOME PICTURES MY MOM DUG UP OF ME WHEN I WAS IN LITTLE GREEN!! I AM NOT SURE WHO MADE ME PULL MY PANTS UP THAT HIGH! YIKES!! KELSEY LIKES LOOKING AT THESE PICTURES!!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T21:04:00.006-05:00

Today turned out to be a great day! When we woke up it was storming and raining!! Seems like that is all it does anymore! However, it didn't last long! The clouds went away and it turned out to be a beautiful day!! We started the day by taking Kelsey to see Kung Fu Panda. She liked it and it was a pretty good movie. Then we had Matt, Meredith and Luke over for swimming and grilling! We had a good time!! Even Luke went for a little swim and seemed to enjoy it!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO MY DAD!!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO MY HUSBAND!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO MY BROTHER-IN-LAW MATT!

AREN'T KELSEY AND LUKE CUTE?? KELSEY TOOK HIM FOR A RIDE IN HER BOAT!

HERE IS LUKE MAKING FACES AT ME! I LOVE THIS PICTURE!

COOL SHADES!!!

Happy Birthday, Geoff!

2008-06-07T07:00:00.002-05:00

Happy 30th Birthday to my dear husband!! I hope you have a wonderful day Geoff!!! Love you!

Weekend Fun!

2008-06-03T09:51:00.003-05:00

As usual the weekend went way too fast!! You can tell summer is here because we are really busy! It seems that we always have something going on! This past weekend my sister and the boys came down for a visit! The first task was Saturday morning! We had Jenny come and take the kids pictures! We always try and get a decent picture of three of them but it is a difficult task. Kelsey and Isaac didn't mind having their pictures taken but Eli was a different story! I am sure Jenny got some good pictures (she always does)!! We are VERY excited to see how they turned out!! We spent the rest of the afternoon outside! It was very sticky! We didn't think the pool was quite warm enough to swim but the kids had a different idea. We first put them on the trampoline and put the sprinkler underneath it. After doing that for awhile, they wanted in the pool!! So it was time for the first swim of the season!! None of the adults wanted in since the water temp was only 79!! But the kids didn't seem to mind!! They had a GREAT time!! By Sunday the temperature was up to about 82 and my brother and mom joined the kids in the pool!! Now if it would ever stop raining we could all enjoy some time in the pool!

Finally on Sunday Matt and Meredith brought Luke over! It was their anniversary and they were going out to lunch. We were more than happy to keep him!! He is getting so big!! Kelsey was very excited to spend Sunday afternoon with all her cousins! Life couldn't be any better!!

Let's Go Fishing!

2008-05-28T11:40:00.004-05:00

Over Memorial Day Weekend we took Kelsey fishing. It was a great day to be outside! I didn't know how Kelsey would feel about the fish but she did great!!! She was actually quite good at it!! She caught 5 different little fish! Each time she would reel them in, look at them and then was ready to try and catch another one!! She didn't want too touch them though! I can't blame her, I won't touch them either!! Next time we go I think we will take her out in the boat! She is our little fish and loves anything that involves water! I got some very cute pictures of our day at the lake!!

Autism Walk

2008-05-24T21:49:00.004-05:00

One of my good friends from High School asked us to join them in the autism walk today. Her nephew Quartez has been diagnosed with Autism. We were happy to join them and had a great time!! Thank you, Stacy for asking us to walk with you! What a great cause!

THIS IS QUARTEZ! ISN'T HE CUTE??

QUARTEZ'S CLIQUE . . . GETTING READY FOR THE WALK
KELSEY AFTER SHE CAME DOWN THE SLIDE
KELSEY'S FRIEND JAKE
KELSEY AND JAKE COMING DOWN THE SLIDE

Luke Came To Visit!!!

2008-05-23T09:17:00.006-05:00

Last night Meredith brought Luke over! Kelsey just adores him (as do I)! We were so excited to see him! He was probably so sick of us holding him and me taking pictures!! But we had a great time and he is growing up so fast!!!

ISN'T HE CUTE?

KELSEY WAS READING HIM A BOOK! ADORABLE!
As an added bonus, here are some track pictures from Track. They had another "Run For Ribbons" night! This time Uncle Troy came and watched! Thanks, Troy!

One Last Goodbye!

2008-05-20T16:06:00.005-05:00

Last night we said goodbye to our dear friends Mike and Michelle and of course their puppy Mo. We spent the evening feeding the geese, playing at the park and then went and had ice cream. I didn't want the night to end! They will be missed!!!! We were so lucky to have so many memories with them! It was so hard telling them goodbye and wish they could stay here. However, we know that they will love being closer to their family and wish them nothing but the best of luck in their next adventure!!!

MIKE, MICHELLE AND MO . . . WE WILL MISS YOU!!

Mother's Day Song!

2008-05-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

I know this is a little late, but I still wanted to share!! Kelsey learned two very cute Mother's Day songs at daycare! She sang them both to me several times!! I only got one on tape but the other one is just as cute! She is such a sweetheart!!

THIS CHAPTER IS . . . .CLOSED!!

2008-05-16T08:32:00.000-05:00

Today someone else will be the proud owner of the first house we called home for just about five years! I hope she enjoys it just as much as we did! There were a lot of great memories in that home. It was our first house together, it was the house where we started our family, we had great neighbors and it will always hold a special place in our hearts. However, we are very excited at what lies ahead. Now begins the journey of looking for a new house!! We are very excited and have a good idea at just what we are looking for!! It is just a huge added bonus that it is a BUYER'S MARKET! Some things that top the list that we didn't have before, more bedrooms and more bathrooms!! We are going to enjoy every second of looking at houses and finding just the perfect house for our family. Thanks to Mom and Dad, Corissa, Troy, Mike and Michelle and Jeremy for helping us move!! We would still be trying to get things done if it weren't for you guys!!! We appreciate everything you have done for us!!!!

Everything went out one box at a time! I didn't realize how much stuff we have!This was Kelsey saying goodbye to her room. She was sad but she had also just pinched her finger! I have assured her that she will have a nice big room at our new house! She was okay with that.Daddy and Kelsey were closing the door for the last time!We are officially homeless! We will call storage unit 272 our home for now! I don't think anything else will fit in there!

First Dentist Appointment!!

2008-05-15T10:06:00.001-05:00

Well today Kelsey had her first dentist appointment. She was so good!! She did everything they told her to do and didn't fuss about anything. The dentist was VERY impressed with her teeth and said that she has perfect spacing!! Hopefully she will follow in my foot steps and have limited problems with her teeth! I have been really fortuante and aside from having braces my visits to the dentist are pretty much limited to my 6-month check-ups! I want to keep it that way!

HERE ARE SOME DENTIST PICTURES

RUN FOR RIBBONS!

2008-05-07T08:45:00.001-05:00

It was another great night at track! Tonight was the first "Run for Ribbons" night! There were lots of people there to cheer on all the kids. Kelsey was lucky enough to have Grandpa, Grandma, Corissa and Eli there to cheer her on! Eli also had a great time dancing and running around with Kelsey! Thanks everyone for coming!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

2008-05-04T21:28:00.001-05:00

Arent' their shirts cute?? My sister stayed up until wee hours in the morning making them for Kelsey and Eli! Thanks, Corissa!!

Well I did it! I set out to run the half-marathon and I did! I didn't walk once and I completed it in a decent time. I finished in 2 hours and 22 minutes!!! Thanks to everyone who came out to watch and support me! It really helped along the way seeing people who are cheering you on!! Thanks Geoff and Kelsey, Corissa and Eli, Mom and Dad, Trish, Patty and Jodee!! It was great seeing all of you!!! Also, Deb it was great seeing you! I always knew where you were because of the balloons!! Great idea!!!

Track - Week TWO!

2008-04-29T19:56:00.000-05:00

So a post of mostly pictures! Why - - - because she was so cute!! Track was a lot of fun! She had a great time again this week! I am so glad I signed her up!!

Let the Countdown Begin!

2008-04-28T14:08:00.000-05:00

Well here we are! The week of the half-marathon! Man time flies!! So I don't really know if I am ready or not! I have been running, and running and running! I don't expect to break any records! I just hope to finish! Preferably not LAST! I am very nervous about this. For some reason I am thinking that I will be judged if I don't run it fast enough! What is fast? I don't know. I guess it just depends who you are talking too. I am not setting my goals high. I hope to finish the race in under three hours! That is almost a 14 minute mile pace. To me that seems really slow. But it also seems realistic! Although I have been running at least 4 days a week since deciding I was going to do this, I have not always stuck to the training schedule. It is tough to stick to a schedule when you have other things you need to be doing! But I will try and I will finish!!

Enough of the rambling! Now for a couple of pictures!

Kelsey's First Night at Track!

2008-04-23T07:50:00.000-05:00

Oh the memories! Track started tonight!! This was something I did when I was little! It is a program that has been around for years. The same guy is still there!! It was very cute and Kelsey loved every minute of it! She also had a little friend from daycare who was also signed up! They stuck together the entire night and were so cute together!!

My parents also came out to watch all the fun! It was their anniversary yesterday! Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!!

What a Day!

2008-04-19T21:29:00.000-05:00

Wow today has been a productive but busy day!! The morning started with a 10K race!! This was a little tough! I don't know how I am going to make it through the half-marathon but I am still going to try!! I was so lucky to have Amy running with me today!! She kept me going!! THANKS, AMY!! If only she could run the half marathon with me! Today we had beautiful weather and we were able to run 9:56 minute miles! We finshed the 6.2 miles in one hour and one minute!

This was after the race! I was thinking thank god it is over! : )

After the run we went to lunch with Geoff and Adam. We had a nice time!! Then it was onto cleaning out the storage room, the closets and just the junk in general! We made a lot of progress and there is a light at the end of the tunnel! You don't realize how much you stuff you have until you start going through it!!

I just finished folding about five loads of laundry and I am ready for bed!! I hope tomorrow is more relaxing!! I need a little break!!

Lacking In Pictures!

2008-04-15T11:39:00.000-05:00

So I have been lacking in the picture department!! I didn't really even get any birthday pictures up! However, here are some cute pictures!! On Friday night we went to Kobe's Steakhouse! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE going there!! They have great food and it is always lots of fun!! We got to see some good friends that we have not seen in awhile!! Kelsey loved using chopsticks! They brought her out her own with "training wheels"! :) That is what I need for mine!

This picutre is from this morning!! Spring has arrived and it is supposed to be in the 70's today!! We are very excited about this! She got to wear capri pants, short sleeve shirt and flip flops!! I also found these adorable headwraps at Children's Place!! She looked so cute this morning! I will have to get a better headshot to see the cute headwrap!

One Less Thing to Be Stressed About!

2008-04-14T20:34:00.000-05:00

Well the house thing is a done deal! Finally all the inspections are done and all deals are worked out! I can now sleep at night and not have to worry about going back and forth!! Plus I KNOW we will be moving! Before I was worried something would not work out and we would go through all this again! I don't know if I could handle that!! Now I am very excited about looking for a new house. I went for a run tonight in my parents neighborhood and I loved seeing all the kids outside and cute houses! This will be fun now!!!

So about running!! Yeah I am still running! Tonight I went about five miles!! Just trying to get ready for that 10K on Saturday!! I know this one will be easy since I will be in the company of my dear friend Amy! Maybe I will get some pictures from this one!! However the countdown is on! The half-marathon is so close!! Only a couple weeks away!! I think I can . . . I think I can . . . I think I can . . . SAY IT WITH ME! I will need all the support I can get!!

I am Bad at This!

2008-04-11T21:48:00.000-05:00

So I thought I would have all this time to post and that I would update all the time! Then the whirl wind started! I am still training for the half marathon, trying to pack/move and trying to keep up at work! The days just FLY by!!!! Work, cook dinner, play with Kelsey, spend time with Geoff, workout, pick up the house, laundry, go to bed! I just feel that I have so much going on right now! I feel a lot of pressure right now to run this half-marathon! I want to do this! I just want it to be over! I have put a lot of time into training and I have worked hard! I can do it! I might pass out after I cross the finish line but I am determined to make it! It will be a nice accomplishment! So it is less than a month away! Next week is the 6 mile race!! I am VERY excited to have my dear friend Amy running that one with me! It will be nice to have her pushing me along the way!!! Thanks, Amy! You are such a GREAT friend!

Where Did the Weekend go!

2008-03-31T17:22:00.001-05:00

Here it is Monday already!! This weekend FLEW by!! It all started Friday when I left work at noon! It was non-stop until Sunday!! Friday we had company come to town for Kelsey's birthday and they were here all weekend! It was a great weekend for the most part! Saturday morning I did the run as most of you know! Well I ended up finishing 244 out of 448 runners so that is pretty good! My time was 30 minutes and 25 seconds. That isn't great but okay for my first race. I learned some things about running. Don't wear a fleece! It was cold but I got pretty hot with that on. Then I had to stop two different times to tie my shoes! Next time I will go with the double knots!! So the next race is in April and it is a 6.2 mile race! So I will keep working on that running!!

On top of the training I am having a lot more stress added to my plate! This is in my front yard . . . .

Yeah it is a sold sign!! Our house sold!! It is going to be nice to be on the buying side of this nasty market!! We are very excited at the idea of a new house but it is going to be a stressful time until this deal is wrapped up! Yikes! I can't believe this is happening!

Kelsey's birthday was wonderful!! It was nice having everyone here and she certainly enjoyed the attention! Aside from them not being able to find her princess cake the party was a success! She got a lot of nice gifts!

So I better sign off and start house hunting! I said I wouldn't start looking until our house sold! Well the sign is up and it is official!!! Let the search begin! At least there are plent to choose from!!

One Race Down, Two to go!

2008-03-29T10:41:00.000-05:00

Well I finished the 5K! This race just confirmed a little more that I don't like running! I would much rather be doing something else to exercise!! I did it in around 30 minutes. Official time will be in later but I am okay with my time! I just need to realize that I am not a runner and as long as I finish that I am okay with it! I will check in later! I have a lot of company and need to get ready for the princess party . . . and find time for a nap!

Remind Me Why I Am Doing This Again??

2008-03-26T08:10:00.000-05:00

Now that I am over half way into the training and only three days away from doing a five mile race . . . I wish it was all over! I don't know why I ever got this crazy idea that I would run the half-marathon! Once again let me tell you that I HATE running! I am doing it but I would rather be on the eliptical! I am hoping I can make it through all three of the races I am signed up for! In thinking about the 5K on Saturday I have two goals. First, I want to finish! Second I want to finish in 40 minutes or less!! To accomplish that I will have to be running an 8 minute mile! That is a little faster then I have been doing the treadmill. I just hope all the people running make me want to run faster. There are 1,252 people signed up for this week! It will be good for me to run with a bunch of people! So to finish and run it in 40 minutes . . . that is what I am shooting for! Yikes! Either way when it is all over on Saturday I have Kelsey's birthday party to look forward to! The little princess is 3 now and it is time to celebrate!!!!

Yay to Nice Weather!!

2008-03-20T19:35:00.000-05:00

The first day of Spring proved to be REALLY nice!!!! It wasn't very windy and it was almost 70 degrees. I had no excuses not to run outside!! So I set out on a nice little run outside! It was great! If the half-marathon was today I would of made it! I just kept running and running! It felt like I went a lot further then I did but I managed to run 4.5 miles.

So next Saturday I have to run a 5K! I think I can handle that! Let's just hope for nice weather because I am kind of fair weather fan! I don't mind running outside when it is nice but if it is cold I will not do well!!

Training this week has went well!! Hopefully it continues!! The half-marathon will be here soon!!!!!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2008-03-12T10:54:00.000-05:00

Well it has been awhile since I put up a post! Things have been really busy!! Work has been crazy! And then last week I had the flu AGAIN!!! Hopefully it will continue to be nice out and we can get rid of this nasty weather and all the nasty germs!!

Yesterday we reached 70 degrees! It was great! I took Kelsey on a run with me! We were set to go about 6 miles. However, the tire went flat on my stroller and we only made it 3.4 miles! I will have to save that long run for another day this week! I didn't realize what workout it would be to run and push the stroller at the same time!!

I am excited for the 5K race that is rapidly approaching! It will be nice to get out and do that run! I have not ran much outside because it has been so cold. I know it will be a lot different then the treadmill! That race is on the same day as Kelsey's Birthday party, March 29th! She is going to be 3 on Easter!! She is growing up so fast!!!

My husband is out of town this week for work but we have managed to keep busy! We are looking forward to tomorrow night and going out to dinner with some high school friends!

GRRRRR . . .

2008-03-03T15:25:00.001-06:00

I can't even wait to get to the gym! Who ever thought I would say that! I need it as stress relief these days!! Work is driving me crazy and so are some people! I just have a lot of things on my mind and bothering me. I was fine when I woke up and then things through out the day are just getting to me!

Today is just a strength and stretch day after running 5 miles yesterday but I still might do a couple of miles or do some time on the eliptical just to ease the stress!

At least at the end of the week I get to go see the Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood concert!!!! Something to look forward too!!! Yeah!

Here are a couple pictures of Kelsey. We each made individual pizzas last night for dinner. We had so much fun!

No Turning Back Now!

2008-02-28T09:06:00.000-06:00

Well I am all signed up!! I submitted my registration for the half-marathon! It kind of seems real now! Yikes!! Still hoping I can pull it off! I also signed up for two local races. One is a 5K on March 29th and the other is a 10K in April. I think that will help me realize what I am getting myself into! Training gets a little easier everyday! Getting on the treadmill doesn't seem like such a chore! I am hoping to run outside this weekend!! Saturday we are supposed to make it to 58! That is nice enough for me!

Finally . . .

2008-02-19T09:43:00.000-06:00

I am finally starting to feel better!! It has been a week since I came down with that nasty stuff!! Now I am just trying to fight off a cold. Once that is gone I will be a lot better!! We had a very busy weekend! We spent Saturday at the Children's Museum with my cousin and her little girl Halle. We had a great time! Here is a picture of Halle and Kelsey with their fire hats on.

On Saturday we also celebrated my nephew Isaac's 7th Birthday!! They grow up so fast!! We went to dinner at his favorite spot and then on Sunday went to Lost in Fun. I think he had a great birthday. Happy Birthday Isaac!

I made it back to the gym last night. It was supposed to be a stretch and strengthen day! However, since I had not been to the gym since last Sunday I decided I better jump right back into things. While watching the Millon Dollar Mission Deal or No Deal I was able to run a couple of miles! It felt pretty good but I could tell that I did not have the strength I did before the influenza hit me. Tonight I will go for three miles and see how it goes!!

Here is a picture of my other nephew Eli! He is so funny!! He eats and eats and eats!! He was so funny at Isaac's birthday dinner!!

MAJOR SETBACK . . .

2008-02-14T08:02:00.000-06:00

Well, Happy Valentine's Day!! We will be spending Valentine's day at home! On Tuesday Kelsey and I both tested positive for influenza. On Monday night I started feeling really sick. My dad came and picked up Kelsey since I was feeling so horrible and I went right to bed. I didn't sleep well at all! I tossed and turned all night. Tuesday morning as my dad was taking Kelsey to daycare she got sick! So we headed to the doctor for a positive influenza test. Because it is so contagious they gave us medication and my parents some medication. Unfortunately my brother who was only around us on Sunday for a short time has come down with the nasty stuff as well!! I don't wish this upon any one!!! We are finally on the mend but will spend today at home just to rest up and try and get some strength back!!

What does this do for my training?!?!? It SUCKS!! I will basically start from scratch! Because I have been so sick I have lost all my strength and I feel very weak and run down every time I do something! It will take a few days to get back to where I was. I will try and head back to the gym on Saturday and do a little work. Hopefully by next week I will be in full training again!!

Have a good day and Happy Valentine's Day from Kelsey and I!

Let the Fun Begin!

2008-02-11T10:11:00.000-06:00

At least they make the first day of training easy!! Stretch and strengthen! I can handle that!! I have all my clothes with me so I can just go and work out after work! It will be a tough week training! My husband is out of town on a work trip so I will have to take Kelsey to my parents and then work out, pick her up and then head home! I have also thought about re-doing Kelsey's room this week! I don't know if I can do my first week of training, keep the house clean AND paint her room!! I might give it a try though!!!

Tough Night at the Gym!

2008-02-08T08:56:00.000-06:00

Last night sucked! I had a hard time staying motivated to stay at the gym for longer than 10 minutes! Problem . . . the TV in front of me was NOT working!! When I am running I need something to keep my attention. I didn't take my iPod in because I wanted to watch TV. I took my headset to tune in the TV. Then it didn't work! So I tried to turn on a couple radio stations . . . they wouldn't come in either!!! Grrr . . . So needless to say it was tough! I did make it 20 minutes on the eliptical and 15 on the treadmill! Go me! Today I will take the day off! Happy Friday!

Yes, I am CRAZY!

2008-02-07T08:03:00.000-06:00

Well here it goes! Let me just tell you a little bit about myself! I have always been an athlete. Growing up I played softball, basketball and volleyball. I played four years of softball in college and have always been in pretty good shape! One thing though, I HATE running! I hate every second of it! But for some reason I have come up with this bright idea! How about I run the half marathon! I needed a reason to get back to the gym! I have been slacking. If I have something to work toward I have to make myself go. So here it goes! You can follow my journey through this training as I work towards this accomplishment. I know that no one thinks I will or can! That gives me even more motivation to do it! I have been working out the last three weeks to get ready for the training! Hold onto your hats! The official training starts on February 11th!! In the meantime, you can look at some cute pictures of Kelsey! Her dad took her sledding last night! I couldn't get him to take the camera with him so here are some pre-sledding pictures!