Thursday, August 30, 2012

11 Months Old!


Kinley -
 
I know time flies with kids but I never would have guessed that it would have gone this fast!  It just doesn't seem possible that you're almost 1 year old.
I can't get you to sit and look at me for your pictures...
 
You were a crawling machine this month and into everything!  You love pulling up on tables, tv stands, couches, just about anything that's low enough for you to reach.  You're so interested in pushing buttons and turning knobs, a very detail oriented little monkey. 
 
You seem to be closer to walking but you just don't act that interested.  You'll hold our hands and walk but after a while you lunge forward and crawl away because you're much faster that way.  You walk around the coffee table and hold onto things with one hand and think you're big stuff.
 
You're obviously too big to just sit and smile:
Your sleep keeps improving and you sleep through the night from 8pm-6am for the most part.  You still have your occasional 5am wake up but we can usually get you to go back down for a while.
 
Your naps are all over the board.  Sometimes a morning nap, sometimes an afternoon, and other times just some snoozes in the car.  You definitely take the best naps if we're holding you...spoiled...but it melts my heart!
You babble all the time and still do your fake laugh and cough, it's hilarious!  We also get some major belly laughs out of you when we play peekaboo and sometimes you just crack yourself up!
 
You're still pretty shy around new people and take some time to warm up.  I'm not sure if this picture is your shy pose or if you're doing your newest trick - holding the phone up to your ear (b/c I was taking pictures with my phone).  You love "talking" on the phone!
You're new favorite song is the itsy-bitsy spider.  You are really good at mimicking our hand motions and love when we sing it over and over!
 
You're also such a little lover.  You give your babies lovies and have started giving them big drooly kisses, too!  Mommy & daddy just can't seem to get kisses yet, only hugs.
Here's lil mama, lovin' on her babydoll.  You have such a tender heart (but there's also a little temper in there, too). :)
Smooches for babydoll!
 
You're still an awesome eater and haven't refused to eat much of what we offer.  You love cheerios and a few new favorites include spaghetti, mandarin oranges, and waffles.  You would definitely eat fruit for every meal if you could - maybe that's mommy's sweet tooth?
 
Luckily, we haven't been to the doctor since your 9 month appointment so I don't have height or weight but I'm imagining just over 20 pounds and short, ha!  You still wear 9-12 and 12 month clothes and we've added in a few 18 month outfits with room to grow.  You wear size 3 diapers but have worn 4's, too, so we're almost ready to transition.

And I almost forgot to add that you have 6 teeth!  You have 2 on the bottom & all 4 on top are poking through.  We think you will look so different once your teeth actually come in all the way & I'm excited to see!
Your little personality gets cuter by the day with all of your squeals, grunts, giggles, and babbles!  You are such a blessing in our life and we can't wait to celebrate your 1st birthday with you in a few short weeks!
 
We love you SO much!!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Andy & Tabitha's Wedding

We continued our summer of traveling by heading to Minnesota for our friends' wedding.  They have a special place in our hearts because they lived with us a few years ago when Andy coached hockey in town.  They're like our 'kids.'  :)
 
We decided to leave Kinley with the grandparents since it was a 10 hour drive and she had just been such a trooper on our San Antonio trip.  It hurt my heart to leave her but I knew we needed some time to let loose and celebrate!
 
Can you imagine what I thought when we pulled up to Andy's sisters house for the rehearsal dinner??...
Kinley would have loved this!!  Kid heaven!
 
They had a nice backyard barbeque so we could relax and meet their friends and family.

Springfield picture

After dinner we moved the party inside and things got wild!
They have some really fun and welcoming friends & family!
The soon-to-be Mahers:
Bear was also our house guest in Springfield.  We had the music blasting in the car & Bear decided that was a good spot to nap.
Hula hoops even came out...

We were up bright and early the next morning to help decorate.  We stayed at Andy's moms house and the ceremony and reception were in her backyard so it worked out perfectly.
 I helped set up the picture aisle for the entrance.
The sweet flower girls..
Tabitha & her dad...and tears :)
The newlyweds!
Photo wall in the reception tent.
The ceremony table overlooking the lake.
 
Bear, the ring-bearer
Hockey guys - Joe, Andy, & Scott
Andy's toast, lots of smiles!
Me & Abby (notice the sweatshirts, 75-80 degrees was gorgeous during the day but it got chilly that night!)

Scott dancing with the beautiful bride.
Me and my "son"
Happy family after the reception!
 We had such a FUN time celebrating with these two!  They've already honeymooned and packed up and moved to California where Andy is now coaching.  Congrats and we can't wait to come visit!

Monday, August 27, 2012

Grandpa's 86th Birthday

We went up to Rock Island to celebrate Grandpa's 86th birthday at the end of July and Aunt Lisa & Uncle Dan hosted a nice cookout for everyone.
 This is Kinley's "pre-cry" face, but it looks like grandpa was getting a kick out of it, ha!
 I love these 2 pics of my sweet babydoll.
 Lisa bought this awesome baby accessory that's made out of fabric and a pool innertube.  Kinley was a little too big for it but it would be awesome for a little baby to help sit up and stay contained.  Do I have any volunteers who know how to sew to make me one for other babies?!
 
Eric, Amanda, & Evan arrived and Kinley loved looking at baby Evan!
 2 serious babies.
 They also had some great 'vintage' (from my youth) toys for Kinley to enjoy.  I think she definitely needs some instruments for her upcoming birthday!
Here's our best attempt at a baby photo:  Kinley, Jake, & Evan.
 And here's a fun outtake:
Look at these handsome boys!
 I figured out how to use the self-timer on my camera so we finally got an updated family picture (minus a few families).
Gathering to sing happy birthday to grandpa.
 Ashley & Tyler helping to blow out his candles.
Our little musician playing the xylaphone.
 
Present time!
Even though I always feel like there's not enough time to catch up, we still really enjoy making the trip up North to get together with our family.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Soccer Tournament

Kylie & Brayden played in a 3 v 3 soccer tournament at the end of July so Kinley & I went to cheer them on.
 
Here's K with her biggest fans, Zack & Brayden.
She also thought she was pretty big stuff when she got to sit in the golf cart with Sue's dad, Larry.
Daddy loved seeing this picture...future soccer star?!
Our "K" girls - Kinley & Kylie
Rob coaching Brayden's team.
B is such a tough little player!
Then we moved onto Kylie's game.
She's a great defender!
We only lasted through a few games before someone needed a nap but we loved watching them play!