Krissy's Kids

5x7 Folded Card

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 23:56:00 +0000

Classic Without Edge 5x7 folded card

Tell them you love them with Shutterfly Valentines cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Chase Evan, 4 months old!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:49:00 +0000

So I've fallen WAY behind in my postings. 3 months have come and gone and I've been a bit overwhelmed with having 3 kids. Going from 1 to 2 was no big deal, but adding a third totally blew me out of the water for a little bit there! But the dust is settling (literally - I need to do some major cleaning!!) and we are having so much fun with my little #9 (so called since he was born on 9-9-09).

Chase's 4 month stats: He is in the 90th percentile for height and surprisingly only in the 50th percentile for weight! He is one chubby guy, so we were shocked to hear that!! Here are a few catch-up pics of him on his turtle rug, doing his monthly poses.

2 Months:

3 Months:

4 Months:
(he had a bad cold and didn't want to cooperate too much for this one)

And here are some of my favorites from his 4 month photo shoot:

And of course, one of Isabella:

Girls' Day Out

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:21:00 +0000

So apparently this post never posted! This was written back in the end of October. I was having all kinds of problems with blogspot...

Isabella has been feeling a little "needy" lately, wanting to be with Mommy way more than usual. She never has been one to want to snuggle or just climb up on my lap and want to sit with me...until a few weeks ago when her life changed due to a new little brother. So Kevin suggested I take her out for some much needed girl time together.

Last Saturday we went to the mall together and had a great time. We walked in and she immediately spotted the elevator which has glass on the back half that overlooks the rest of the mall. She thought it was soooo cool and so we took a ride. We got in, and of course she pressed the "up" button, and when we got to the top, the doors opened and people were standing there waiting for us to get off. I had to explain that we were just on there for a fun ride and were going back down :) She thought it was pretty fun. This girl must be too sheltered!!!

Back down on the first floor, we went in a few girly stores where she looked through the clothes racks. We even danced together to one upbeat song that was playing! In Gymboree, she wanted to watch the show that was playing on the tv, and of course thought that I, too, should sit in one of the little tiny chairs next to her and watch as well. So I did.

Our next stop was at Build-A-Bear. I always thought this place was frivolous, pricey, and somewhere I'd never go. But today was our special day together, so we went in and made an adorable bear for her to remember just how special she is. She chose a super soft pink cuddly bear. The process is actually really cool. You choose the "shell" of the bear/animal you want, and then you take it over and they put it on the machine which blows the stuffing into the arms, legs and body. Before they sew it up, you get to put a little red heart inside as well as a sound device if you choose. (I found out after they had sewed it up that I could record my own message and put it inside, so we ended up having them open the bear up to put it in. As they were opening it up, they ripped the poor bear, so she actually got to go through the process twice. Twice the fun!) I recorded "I love you, Isabella" on a sound device, so when she presses the bear's foot, that's what it plays. She liked it :) Then she got to give the bear an "air" bath. When you press the foot pedal, air blows out of the showerhead! Very cute!!

I let her pick out one accessory, which was very hard since there are SO VERY many things from which to choose. She ended up choosing a pink corduroy/tulle skirt. Then you can register and name your bear, creating a birth certificate for it. We both had lots of fun!

After we were done, we then went to Cheryl's Cookies for a snack. She picked out an M&M's chocolate chip cookie, and I had the same. We sat at one of the little bistro tables and had our snack together. She enjoyed picking off all of the M&M's to eat first, then devoured the rest of the cookie! She loves her chocolate!!! Then we walked back to the car, after another ride on the elevator. She loved carrying both her bear in his box and the drink all the way through the mall. Hot stuff! :)

1 Month Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:17:00 +0000

1 Month Old

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:29:00 +0000

Happy 1 month, Chase! This month has been lots of fun but very tiring. It doesn't seem possible that it's already October and that I've had a month of sleepless nights already! My days all seem to run together as there is no clear start or end to them. But it's all so worth it. He is so precious to us!

Travis and Isabella both still LOVE him. The newness definitely has not worn off, and Kevin and I have to fight Travis for any cuddle time with Chase. Isabella likes to give him hugs and kisses as well as give him his pacifier, whether he needs it or not!

When we brought Chase home, he had skinny little legs, but now he is quite the chunker! He had his one month checkup today, and even though I could tell that he has chunked up and grown, I didn't realize just how much! He weighed in today at 11 lbs., 12 oz. - over a 4 lb. gain since he was in the hospital! (He was 8 lbs., 1 oz. at birth, but dropped down to 7.11 I believe.) He has also grown 2 inches - up to 23.5 inches long!! He's in the 75th percentile for weight, 90th percentile for height, but just the 25th percentile for his head circumference! He has a little grape :)

Another noteworthy occurence over the past month was Kevin and my 10th anniversary. The "big" kids spent the day at Grandma & Grandpa's, and Kevin and I just hung out and went out for lunch and dinner, then ended the evening by stopping at a few stores before picking up the kids. Not exactly what we had envisioned a year ago of how we would be celebrating, but as they say, a baby changes EVERYTHING!

You can see some more adorable pictures of Chase from the past 2 weeks by clicking here.

1 week old

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:49:00 +0000

Chase is already one week old! This past week has FLOWN and is a complete blur! Here are a few pics from our crazy week!

Monday he had his checkup at the pediatrician, and was almost back up to his birth weight at 5 days old. (He was 8lbs. even.) That was our only "outting" so far!

Chase Evan Yankovich

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:26:00 +0000

Chase Evan Yankovich was born on 9-9-9 at 4:03pm. He weighed 8 lbs., 1.3 oz., and was 21 1/2 inches long! He is a very healthy boy with a full head of very dark hair! You can view some first day pics by going here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=149928&id=637970375&l=fa92c61b9e

Boy, oh BOY! It's Mother's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Sun, 10 May 2009 02:08:00 +0000

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and this year I am celebrating being Mommy to two beautiful children as well as one that I've only seen in ultrasound pictures so far! I love being Mommy. It's the only "career" goal I've really ever had. It's the most precious gift that God has ever given to me. My family is my life. Travis & Isabella are so different, but both so special to me. I thank God for every day He has given me with them.

Last week, we were in for a big surprise as we found out we are having another BOY!! We were very shocked as both Kevin & I thought for sure we were going to have another girl. Another little baseball player. Another little set of muddy hands and feet after a long day playing with frogs and dirt :) Another little munchkin to snuggle with and give kisses to. I can't wait!

Here is a clip of what his "voice" sounds like right now. I will try to scan in the ultrasound pictures tomorrow.

Isabella's 2nd Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Sun, 03 May 2009 02:44:00 +0000

I can't believe that Isabella is already 2! Our little "Pumpkin Pie" is getting old! :) She is saying more and more words every day, repeating EVERYTHING and coming out with new phrases all the time. I remember thinking that 2 was that magical age when Travis started talking and really communicating, and she's living right up to that as well. There are still phrases that she will say and we will have a hard time figuring out what she is talking about, but she is really doing well. It's fun when they can do more than just cry when something is wrong or actually be able to tell you what is so exciting to them!

Isabella's interests at 2 years old: SHOES, SHOES and MORE SHOES!! She is constantly switching out which shoes she is wearing every half hour it seems. Her shoes are always scattered all around the house, as are mine, Kevin's, and Travis's, as she is always trying on whatever shoes look like fun at the moment, and then wearing them until she decides to go find another pair to try. She is definitely a girl and has her own ideas of what she should wear in the morning. If I pick out a shirt that she doesn't approve of, she will definitely let me know and reach down and find one that she DOES like! It's rather funny. She is still into her baby dolls as well and likes to put diapers on them and, yes, tries to put SHOES on them as well. :)

She also loves her big brother and mimics all of his antics on a regular basis. They get along really well for the most part. It's really fun to watch them play together. In the back yard, Travis will always help her out with whatever she is trying to do. For instance, we have 2 slides - one off of the treehouse, and one that you have to climb a ladder to get up. She can't quite make it up the one with the ladder, so Travis picks her up and totally helps her up. Then they both go down the slide together - with her on his lap! It's cute. He also helps her up onto the glider on the swingset and will brush her off if she falls and gets her hands dirty - which is something she hates (the getting the hands dirty, not the being brushed off)! Of course they have their moments, but don't we all :)

We had her birthday party here at the house and it was REALLY low-key. I did not have the energy to do much of anything, and planning even the food for the party was not done until last minute. I was still battling "morning" sickness, which was more afternoon/evening sickness for me, and energy was non-existent! BUT, the party turned out to be a really enjoyable evening with family. My parents were able to come out for the weekend and spend some time with us, which was a lot of fun and the kids LOVED having them here. Kevin's parents and sister (& her family) were able to be there for the party as well. Isabella was hilarious as she ripped through the gifts. She definitely has a very nice wardrobe for the summer now!

As for her 2-year stats, she kind of cheated on the weight portion. She had been sick for a good week before her appointment and had lost some weight as a result. She weighed in at 25 lbs, 8 oz (25th percentile); height: 35 1/2" tall (90th percentile); and her head was 19".

Below are a few pictures from the evening. The rest can be seen by clicking HERE.

New boots to match her raincoat!

New heels to tromp around the house!

Can you tell she was NOT into her photo shoot?!?! We need to re-try this again some day soon!

Of course Travis was easy...

Travis's First Hockey Game

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Sat, 02 May 2009 20:19:00 +0000

Back in March, Kevin took Travis to his first NHL game. Even though the Blue Jackets didn't score at all, they had a blast. It was free hat night, so they each got green Blue Jackets hats. Not sure why they were green, but it didn't seem to phase the guys! Here are a few more pics:

Before the game

Drinking the traditional Pepsi

I'm SURE he NEEDED this...

The BIG arch
Travis had to take a pic of Daddy after the game at home:

Stitches & Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 21:46:00 +0000

This week has been very busy to say the least! Sunday started off the week with Kevin's 33rd birthday. After church our small group had a potluck, and then we had an enjoyable relaxing afternoon and evening.

Travis's preschool class has been talking about community workers, so they went to the Central Ohio Fire Museum on Tuesday, and I drove 5 kids (including Travis & Isabella). The kids learned about fire safety and were showed the fire trucks from the olden days. They got to slide down a pole and play in the front of a staged fire truck! They also learned that matches are not toys and what to do if they find them laying around. What did I learn? That 5 rowdy kids with carseats/boosters do NOT fit easily in the back of an Explorer and make for a very tired driver by the end of the day!

On Thursday, Kevin went in to Travis's school to talk about police work. He had a great time and showed them his hat, handcuffs (put Travis in cuffs!), gave them police badge stickers and even was able to bring a police car for the kids to see. Travis thought it was sooo cool to have Daddy at his school. I can remember that feeling when I was young and my dad would bring his cruiser and talk to my class :)

When I picked Travis up at lunchtime, I asked him what his friends said about Daddy coming and talking to his class, and he said, "They said he was like 180 cool!" Now to give you a background to the comment, Travis rates everything these days by numbers, and 180 or 189 is the very biggest/best. For instance, he will tell you how much he loves you by saying, "I love you 189!" and rates how pretty I am (189) and how handsome Kevin is (1) - according to him! Hahaha. He knows how to make us laugh!

Kevin had a few funny comments from the kids while he was there. Of course there were the usual questions ("Did you ever shoot a bad guy?"), but after a little girl answered a question correctly and Kevin said, "Yes, that's right!", she said, "I know, I am the smartest one here!" Another comical comment was from one of Travis's friends. When Kevin, in his uniform, walked in with Travis, his friend said, "Wow, Travis, your Dad's a Police Officer?!?! Mine's just a lawyer." (poor kid! haha)

Friday night we were able to leave the kids at Grandma & Grandpa Y's and go out to the Cheesecake Factory with friends for a much-needed night out. We had a great time, and from the sounds of it, so did the kids. The food was great, and of course so was the friendship.

However, the most noteworthy event of the week occurred this morning (Saturday). We had just gotten to the church to help clean some of the rooms with our Small Group, and Travis was running down the hallway with a friend, tripped, and his head quickly met up with the corner of a wall. I was downstairs, and all I heard was Travis crying, saying "Mommy!!" and I knew it wasn't a good thing. Kevin was bringing him downstairs and just said to me, "Grab your stuff. We're going to the hospital. He split his head open." Travis was crying saying, "I don't want my head split open!!!" and "I don't want to go to the hospital - am I going to have to stay for a really long time???" I think the whole drama of it was more upsetting than the actual cut was hurting. I remember thinking when I was young that if you "split your head open" that your head was basically in 2 halves with your brain exposed. I'm sure something along those lines was going through his mind at the time.

We jumped in the car and went to the Children's Close to Home Urgent Care. (For those who don't know, here in Ohio they have centers where you can go if it's not a life or death emergency so you don't have to go to the main hospital's emergency room during regular hours.) The lab portion was open when we got there, but the Urgent Care didn't open for another hour, so we watch The Little Mermaid while we waited. He was doing fine with very little bleeding, so I figured a few pictures wouldn't hurt :) (I still had my camera in my purse from all of the events of the week.)

When we went back to see the doctor, we ended up in the same room where he had gotten his cast almost 2 yrs. ago. Travis was SOOOO brave. They put numbing gel on first, and then when they did the stitches, he got to wear blue star-shaped sunglasses so the bright light wouldn't bother him. He layed on the table very still and wasn't the least bit scared - no crying or fussing at all! The nurse asked him if he was in 2nd grade? 3rd grade? 1st grade?? She couldn't believe it when he said he was in Preschool! He was the best/bravest little boy they'd seen in a LONG time. Everyone there was SO nice. They stitched and stitched and stitched, and finally 12 blue stitches later, they were done.

He will have to have them taken out in 5 days, and they do expect some scarring. Guess that's what little boys are all about. Thankfully it is up by his hairline, so I'm hoping it won't be too noticeable. They recommended (after it is healed over) to put sunscreen on it every morning and vitamin E on it every night to minimize the scar. I've also seen the commercials for the Mederma (which now has sunscreen in it), so I think we'll be stocking up on that as well. If anybody has any other tips, let us know!

We stopped at McDonald's on the way home for a treat and Travis got a pretty cool Spiderman toy, which he has been playing with all day. As good as this week was for taking pictures and blogging, I'm hoping for a less eventful week next week!

Additional pictures from the week (not all gross!) can be seen by clicking here.

Christmas 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:02:00 +0000

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Travis was sooo very excited - all month, and probably well before that, too! Every day he would ask, "How many more "naps" until Christmas??" (It's funny he still says "naps" because he hasn't taken a nap in well over a year. By "naps" he now means nights/periods of sleeping.) Isabella was excited just because Travis was excited - his enthusiasm was very contagious!

Christmas Eve was a blast. We made cookies for Santa and left them on a plate along with some milk and carrots for Rudolph. The "cookie-making" consisted of purchased dough spooned onto the cookie sheets, which was promptly eaten by Isabella!

After we finally got the kids in bed, it was a LONG time before Travis finally fell asleep - I'm gonna guess it was at least close to midnight, if not after. The gifts finally made their way under the tree, and it was a very late, but enjoyable, evening.
Christmas morning started just how we had hoped - with the kids sleeping until about 9:30am!! Kevin had worked that night and got home around 7AM, so we let him "sleep in" until 10ish, when Grandma & Grandpa came over and we got started opening gifts. You can see the excitement in the kiddos' eyes in this picture:
Isabella's favorite gifts were a new baby doll and a stroller, which she non-stop pushed round and round the house, only stopping to "feed" the baby plastic bingo chips, or to wrap her up in a blanket before continuing on the stroll. It was rather precious! :)

Travis's Christmas was very successful from his viewpoint, as he got a light saber, Incredible Hulk boxing gloves, 2 guns from Santa (which I keep getting ambushed with), a remote controlled space shuttle, and the Wii, just to name a few!! He hasn't been bored yet!

We ended the day by spending an enjoyable afternoon & evening at Stephanie's house (Kevin's sister) with family.

The rest of our December 2008 pics can be seen by clicking here. (Note, to view larger images of the pictures, click on the first picture, then click the "Next" link at the top to scroll through them.)

Santa

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:12:00 +0000

We went to see Santa at the mall this week. Travis was SO excited and couldn’t get to the front of the line fast enough. Isabella was excited, too, until she realized that I was going to try to put her on his lap. She clung to me like a koala bear. SO, we compromised and she sat on my knee in front of them with her dress covering my leg. Thank goodness for digital photography and the ability to crop! :)

When we asked Travis what he was going to tell Santa he wanted for Christmas, his response was, "A GUN!!" When I asked him why he wanted a gun, he said, "So I can shoot you! But just for pretend, Mommy." Phew. So there are 2 guns wrapped in my closet because you can't have a shootout with just one gun! I foresee a lot of gun fights in my future.

First Day of Preschool

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:36:00 +0000

Travis started Preschool. I could end the post right now and sit here and bawl. He's growing up SO fast. When he was a little baby, Lindsay used to tease me, "Soon he'll be starting school and walking around with a little Jansport backpack!" It's all her fault! She was right... he's growing up.

He started Aug. 26th, and he is absolutely LOVING it. That Tuesday was his first day, so we all went to drop him off. He was sooo excited! He couldn't wait to take his backpack! We had gotten him one back in the winter, but he hadn't really used it for anything, so to make it special for school, I appliqued a baseball on the front of it and embroidered his name. He LOVED it. Anything baseball these days is a huge hit with him, no pun intended!

He was a little apprehensive when we got there, and kind of hung around Kevin & I instead of going and playing with the other kids, but by the time we left him, he was very busy playing at the train table. I was a little sad that he had found his way and didn't need me anymore, but just as I turned to leave, he came running over and gave me a huge hug! He made my day. Then, when I went to pick him up, he again was gushing over his baseball on his backpack and said, "You're the BEST Mommy in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!" Again, he knows how to make Mommy feel better :) It's only 2 days a week this year, so I think I'll be able to handle it.

While he was at school, I had some much needed one-on-one time with Isabella. She totally ate it up. We rolled around together on the floor and I was tickling her, and she was having so much fun getting all the attention.

Here are a few first day pics... The rest can be viewed by clicking HERE.

Isabella's First Year video

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:43:00 +0000

Here is a video I had created for Isabella's first birthday. I compiled all our favorite pics and put them to music, burned it to DVD and had it repeatedly playing on the tv in the living room during her birthday party. It was really fun to do, and now to have all her first year photo memories in one video is priceless. It's very sentimental for us to watch and makes me tear up each time! I hope to include more "live movie" footage and sound in subsequent videos. Just thought I'd share for those who were interested!

4 Yr & 15 Month Stats

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 05:14:00 +0000

Travis & Isabella had their 4 year and 15 month checkups the other day. They both are very healthy & very active children! Here are their stats:

Travis

Height: 43" (95th percentile)

Weight: 38.5 lbs. (75th percentile)

Isabella

Height: 31" (70th percentile - slowed down some)

Weight: 21 lbs. 3 oz. (25th percentile)

Head circum.: 18 (50th percentile)

Vacation 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:45:00 +0000

Our summer was off to a great start as the kids and I flew out to PA to stay with my parents for a few days before we all headed down the shore. Kevin wasn't able to get the entire time off from work, so he flew out a few days later and met us at the beach. My whole family (us, my parents, my sisters and family) stayed in a house right on the beach. It was great as the kids were able to play out in the sand in front of the house while we were still in the house getting ready for the day or staying with sleeping babies. There were 5 kiddos ages 4 and under, with 2 true toddlers, so it was not the most relaxing trip at times, but definitely worth it! We all had so much fun, and Travis had a blast with his cousins. Below are a few select photos, but you can view more by clicking on these two links: PA Pics and Ocean City.

4 yrs old!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:54:00 +0000

On June 15th, my little boy turned 4 years old. How the time has flown. He's definitely no longer a little toddler but is now a young boy who loves to play baseball, ride his bike, play with Daddy & his friends, and, thankfully, still snuggle with Mommy. He's such a sweet little boy with a great smile! I wish I could keep him this age forever. I'm treasuring this summer as I know as he goes to Preschool in the Fall and then organized sports next Summer that things will start to get hectic and there won't be as much time together. Ok, enough sentimental-ness!

His birthday party was a lot of fun. Since his most favorite thing in all the world is to play baseball, we naturally had a baseball themed party. For the invitations, I made "tickets" that resembled a ticket to a real baseball game. I then got ambitious and made a cake decorated as the field, and then I put a huge baseball-shaped cake on top. It took entirely WAY too long to decorate! Next year I'll buy one :o)

We thought the day was going to be a wash-out, since it rained a TON Thursday, Friday, and into Saturday morning, (so much that the creek in our backyard spilled over into the bottom part by the swing set & treehouse) but it dried up and was a beautiful evening. He had a blast playing with all of his friends! There are a few more photos here.

Today we (Kevin) decided that it was time to change Travis's toddler bed into a "big boy" bed (full size). Travis was at his cousin's birthday party all day, so we went out and got everything we needed and had it put together by time he got home. He had gotten some baseball accessories for his birthday, so again, the theme is baseball! It helps that Mommy & Daddy love baseball as much as he does!! He was very surprised when he walked into his room and saw the huge bed!

We have bets as to whether or not he'll still come into "my" room in the middle of the night and sneak into bed with "me." To clarify for those who are wondering ... I say "my" and "me" because Kevin works 3rd shift, so I get the whole king-size bed to myself, until Travis sneaks in ... but I never know he's there until the morning! He has learned the art of getting in quietly and laying very still, so I don't mind. Again, he just keeps getting older and soon he won't want to anymore, so I cherish his "little-ness" while it lasts!

Happy Birthday, Travis!

Walking!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Tue, 27 May 2008 02:41:00 +0000

I'm a little behind in my posts, but Isabella started walking on April 28th - just over 13 months old!! Here are a few videos of her trying out her new skills the first few days...

April 28th

April 28th, take 2!

May 5th - getting better!

She also likes to hang out in the sink while I'm doing my hair & makeup in the morning. She likes to try to put on the makeup, too :o)

While Isabella's been busy learning to walk, Travis has been learning to climb trees, specifically the one in our front yard. Here is a shot of him hanging out in the tree. He's such a BOY!!!

First Baseball Game

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Mon, 26 May 2008 02:47:00 +0000

We took Travis to his first professional baseball game about a month ago. There's a minor league team here in Columbus - the Columbus Clippers - currently the Triple-A team for the Washington Nationals. He LOVED it. He sat there and watched and asked all kinds of questions. His favorite part of the game was when someone hit a home run. I can't remember which team it was, but it didn't matter... the fact that the guy hit the ball over the fence was AWESOME to him.

Travis got $5 in the mail from his great grandmother a few days before we went, so we let him take it and spend it however he wanted. He chose to get his very own great big PEPSI! He was so proud sitting there drinking it!

Travis's ambitions

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:25:00 +0000

Apparently Travis has been thinking about what he wants to do when he grows up. The other day, he went with me when I took Isabella to the doctor for her one year checkup, and he was so impressed with our Pediatrician that he decided he wanted to be a doctor when he was older. During the visit, Isabella had to have her one year shots, so of course I held and comforted her. On the way home, Travis was thinking hard and finally said to me, "Mommy, I want to be a 'Mommy' when I'm bigger." I asked him why, and his response was, "So that I can hold and kiss and hug and cuddle with the baby." I explained to him that he would be the Daddy, and that Daddy's can do those things as well.

A couple of nights later, he again told me he wanted to be a doctor when he was "big like Daddy," but then he had a very concerned look on his face and said, "But I want to be a Daddy, too!" not understanding that he could be both. It was really cute! It's so funny how kids process all the information that we take for granted that is common to us!

By the way, we're still holding out hope for him to become a Major League Baseball player :o)

Isabella's 1st birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:27:00 +0000

This past year has absolutely flown. It's so hard for me to believe that my little girl is already ONE! We celebrated Isabella's first birthday with friends and family on her actual birthday, since it happened to fall on a Saturday. Here is a picture of her at her party.

It was wonderful to have my parents out here for her party. They were such a big help, and of course it was fun to spend time with them. Travis especially loved having them here and keeps asking to go see them! My mom was given the task of decorating all 3 cakes, and she did a great job. The main cake was a huge cupcake-shaped cake. Then we also had a butterfly-shaped pull-apart cake for the kids. And lastly, we created a 3-tiered mini cake for Isabella's "smash" cake.

We did the cake last in the evening, and she was already worn out from all of her birthday fun, so she didn't make a huge mess with the icing like I was hoping for - for picture's sake! Kevin put her hands in it, and she played in it just a little. But then it was back to thumb sucking and hair twirling - yes, with the icing ending up in her hair. Still not the all-out, icing-all-over-the-face picture I was hoping for, but cute none-the-less.

We ended up spoon-feeding her some cake and ice cream, a decision that haunted us that night. Since she is not used to sugar, she was up ALL night. We only got 2-3 hrs of sleep, and of course the next morning was Easter! We all look a little tired in our family Easter photo.

Here's Grammy & PopPop with the kiddos.

Isabella's One Year Stats
Weight: 19 lbs, 8 oz. (25th percentile) She's only gained 10 lbs, 7 ounces since birth (9 lbs, 1 oz)!!

Height: 30 1/4" tall (83%)

Head circumference: 17 3/4 (50%)

7 teeth

Words: MaMa, DaDa, WOW!, Ut-oh, Thank You

She took her first official step at her party (not on purpose) when another kid took the toy she was leaning on from her, but she is not walking yet, and that's just FINE with me!

I took a ton more pictures at the party, and you can view them all here.

Snow much fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:33:00 +0000

A few weekends ago, we had 20 inches of snow! It was so pretty (looking at it through the window)! I was glad I didn't have to go to work in it, although Kevin did. Everything was closed, and even church was cancelled. Travis had a blast shoveling the snow from the grass back onto the driveway that Kevin cleared. I got to go out with Travis for a few minutes while Isabella was sleeping. It was great packing snow, so Travis & Kevin built a snowman a day or two later, and we all had a snowball fight. Unfortunately, the snowman melted pretty quickly! It was definitely the best snow we've had in a long time!

Everyday Life

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:02:00 +0000

It seems life doesn't ever slow down. I keep thinking to myself, "after such-and-such is over, I'll have some time to do 'whatever.'" But it never seems to work out that way. I keep thinking, man, I really need to do my blog... well I guess tonight's as good a time as any to start. I also think, well there's really nothing overly exciting to blog about... but as I look back over the past year, SO much has happened, from the birth of Isabella, to the little everyday things like her learning to wave and give sweet kisses... things that I never want to forget. So here I am, wishing I had started and kept up with this long ago.

I'll give you a run-down on where we are right now. Isabella is crawling ALL over, and has been for quite a while. She will walk if you hold her hands, but is still unsteady and doesn't quite have enough strength. Travis started taking steps a few days before his first birthday, but that is only 2 1/2 weeks away for her, so I think it will be a little after that. But that's ok... I'm in no hurry for her to be running away from me quite yet :o) She and Travis are best of friends. He loves her so much, a little TOO much sometimes, and wants to hold her and pick her up and play with her all the time. She gets a little tired of being pulled and yanked though!

Travis is so funny. He's figuring out how to try to be funny on purpose, too! Like when we're in the car, he used to fall asleep from time to time, and we'd lament over the fact that he'd never get to sleep that night. So now he pretends to have fallen asleep, and he's really good at it! Then he'll start giggling his little giggle and get one of his huge smiles on his face. Cute.

I got an embroidery machine for Christmas from Kevin, so we set up a "play" area for me in the basement with an L-shaped desk (that used to be in our office when it was upstairs), so I've been spending a few "free" moments down there playing. I've had fun making some cute holiday-themed pants for Isabella, and have sold a few on eBay. Just a side hobby.

Kevin spends most of his free time these days playing "wrestlin'-basketball" with Travis. It's kinda like tackle-basketball in the basement. Travis is relentless, constantly asking him to play that or hockey. It's fun to watch...Travis says that Daddy is his best friend. Once the weather warms up, we'll all be back outside to watch Travis hit the ball over the fence. He went out by himself the other day when it was 68 degrees here and was hitting the ball off the tee. First one - over the fence. We need a bigger yard!

Kevin is also starting "Phase 2" of the kitchen, so he tries to work on that - when Travis allows! We're just adding some cabinetry above the fridge to hide the junk that always ends up there, like the bread, extra juice bottles, etc. He's also making another "display cabinet" for above the pantry. AND if I'm a really good girl, he might even make some wasted space between 2 cabinets into an area where I can put my baking sheets and long/tall items like that. We'll see :o)

WELL, that's enough for now. If I don't start posting regularly, please prod me to do so! Life goes by way too fast, and I don't want to forget a moment.

"Trust me friend, 100 years goes faster than you think, so don't blink."

Quick Catch Up

noreply@blogger.com (Kristen) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:51:00 +0000

Welcome to our world! We wanted to start a blog so that we can stay connected to all of our friends and family even though we are not near most! This way we can post pictures and our happenings and stay in touch.

Here's a very brief overview of our lives up until now to catch everyone up. Kevin & I were married in September 1999, and we now have a 3 year old son, Travis, who is all boy, and an adorable 4 month old daughter, Isabella. You'll be sure to see lots of pics of them in the posts to come.

That's all for now! I'm off to take a quick walk with Isabella before her bedtime, and Kevin and Travis are outside riding bikes, Travis's very most favorite thing to do these days!