Amber Waves of Grain

Kennedy has been sick for a week now so we haven't been leaving the house much except to get groceries and whatnot. I'm taking her back to the doctor today for her checkup. Anyway.... you all know what I love to do when we are stuck at home..... take more pictures!! :) Here are some snapshots from today & yesterday (Kennedy turned 2 months yesterday)! Enjoy! Kennedy smiling in her swing: Wearing a hoodie... trying to represent the eastsiiiiiide: Just chillin' on her boppy: Edited to Add : We just got home from our 2 month checkup. Kennedy is now up to 9lbs, 5oz an is 19 1/4" long. She continues to have a cold but because she's too little for antibiotics or anything, we just have to wait it out. Also, I totally forgot to wish TABITHA a happy birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to TABITHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are some photos from the weekend! On Saturday we hosted a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Deanna (and my brother, Jeff). Jeff is really into Transformers so I made them a Transformer onesie using an iron-on. Here is Deanna with the onesie. Here is my brother, Jeff. Here's another picture from the shower. We had several adults and our basement was also full of children (thanks for watching them, Nathan, Dad, & Jeff!). :) Then we just played around with the kids and later that evening my in-laws came over for dinner. Here is a picture of Kennedy with Nathan. She stares at him a lot and just loves her daddy! Here is Keegan with Nathan.... laughing and making 'monster faces'. Then this morning at church was Keegan's first time singing up front with the children's choir. Well, I use the term 'singing' loosely because he never actually opened his mouth. :) But, he did well following instructions, standing where he was supposed to, smiling, and shaking ...

For those of you who read " Blue Light Special " earliery today, here is Part 2. The story gets more amusing. So.... when I got home from K-Mart today (excuse me, "Big K") I ripped the tags off my 2 new cheapo jeans and threw them away along with the bag and receipt. They fit; who needs tags and receipts, right? Tonight I was excited to put on my new jeans that actually fit. One leg on. The next leg... ugghhh... not quite on..... only to realize that my new jeans didn't fit. Huh? It turned out that I was so flustered after my fitting room saga today that I bought the pile of jeans that DIDN'T fit instead of the ones that DID fit. Oops. You've got to be kidding me. Digging through the trash, I was able to find the tags and receipts under a rotten banana peel and some dirty tissues. I got two kids fed, changed, and buckled in and we went back to Big K tonight. Note: I don't live near KMart and it was completely random that I was even there today.... s...

So, I was at K-Mart today looking for some cheapo blue jeans to wear until I can fit into my prepartum pants again. Kennedy & I were finishing up in the dressing room when I realized that I was stuck . Not stuck in the jeans I was trying on (although that's happened before too). Rather, I was stuck in the fitting room. They had some super-sonic deadbolt lock on the handicap stall and I could NOT get it unlocked. Do I crawl under the door? Wait, no, Kennedy is with me and her carseat won't fit. "Hello?" (no answer) "Hello? Anyone out there?" (no answer) "I'm stuck in the fitting room. Anyone out there?" (no answer) Luckily I was near the exit of the fitting rooms and could peek through the crack to see out into the store. I waited and waited for a customer to walk by. It's not a busy store; there was no one. I waited longer. "Hello?" (louder) (no answer) "Hello??" (even louder) (no answer) (I start knocking on th...

As promised, here are some photos from Keegan's first real karate class tonight. Being in a class with other students was a lot different than his one-on-one session the other night during our orientation. He wasn't really sure what was going on tonight. We've decided to just do this free month and see if he catches on before signing him up now. I really liked the concepts that were being taught but I wonder if he's mature enough. We'll see! There were some funny moments tonight that you just had to be there for. I guess next time I'll have to take a video camera. Anyway, here are some photos. Keegan is the one in the gray sweatshirt. Punch! Punch! Punch! I like this photo because he was actually trying to do what they were doing!

Nathan & I have recently been watching a show called "Man v. Food" on the travel channel. I thought the show deserved its' own blog post today. (By the way, does its' need that apostrophe?) Man v. Food ( http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_v_Food ) is about a man named Adam Richman who travels the country and takes on 'food challenges' at restaurants. Last night he ate a 12 egg omelet loaded with chili. He also tried to eat a burger that had 10 hamburger patties, 20 slices of cheese, and 20 slices of bacon on it..... along with an order of 5 lbs of french fries (which he didn't finish). He's even eaten a 13 lb pizza in Atlanta. While we're not advocating gluttony, we do find joy in watching the food at these restaurants and seeing what these people can eat. Can you imagine this guy's digestive issues after the show though? I would NOT want to be in a car with this man! :) Be sure to check out this show when you get a chance. And, tru...

We are home sick today so I thought I'd blog. Keegan is sick. Kennedy is sick. Nathan is sick. My new BFF is Lysol.... enough said. So, you all have a pantry full of peanut butter that you're afraid to eat now with all the recalls. What to do with it? Here are some alternative uses for peanut butter (stolen from the internet). 1. Give jars of it to astronauts so they can play with it in zero gravity 2. Spread it on your left hand. Let it dry. Rub your hands together until you have little clumps and rolls of dried peanut butter. Spread them around on your test paper to make it look like you erased a lot. 3. Fill a room with it knee-deep and have a massive wrestling match with your friends 4. Use it as "heavy" ammo for your Super Soaker 1000 5. Plug up the nursery's electric outlets to protect little fingers. 6. Keep a jar in your car because it rhymes. 7. Spread it on the dog's back to watch him go crazy. 8. Use it to stick up posters signs and photographs in ...

Last night was Keegan's introduction to karate. We signed him up for a free trial month where he can go to the karate school two times a week for their " Little Dragons " class (ages 3-5). Last night Nathan and I did the orientation and then Keegan had a one-on-one with the instructor to see what Keegan was capable of. I was amazed at how well he did. I was also very impressed with the instructor and how well he worked with Keegan. I was also surprised at how well the exercises they did were really teaching things like focus and discipline; I could tell right away. We plan to sign him up to attend classes after his free trial is up. It's a big committment (2x per week for 6 months) but we were so impressed we think it will be worth it. You never know; he might just become mama's little black belt!! I'll try to take my camera for his next class and sneak some photos to share with you!

One of the most popular questions I get is, "Does Kennedy look like Keegan did when he was a baby?". I don't know. Honestly, all babies sort of look alike to some degree. I thought I'd post some comparsion pictures though. So, you decide! Keegan- about 10 or 11 days old, on Daddy's chest (above) Kennedy (below) Keegan (in blue), Kennedy (in white) - approx 6 weeks

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. This year will be my 9 th Valentines Day with Nathan . I remember our first Vtines Day when we were dating . Nathan got me roses and chocolates and took me to Bravos for dinner. It's funny how things change over the years. This year, Nathan will be on a ski trip with the church youth group and I'm spending the day with my good friends. But, no matter how we celebrate, he is still my valentine! So, in honor of Cupid's little holiday, I want to tell readers 50 things I love about Nathan. 1. He is an optimist. He always sees the glass more than half full. 2. When I am grumpy, he still shows me love and makes an effort to cheer me up 3. He gives me a daily one-minute back rub (which he's promised to do until we die) 4. He uses a little piece of toilet paper to wipe the toilet off after he pees (and some men don't even put the seat down!) 5. He shaved his goatee off just for me 6. He compliments my cooking, even on nigh...

Each year, Oprah has a show where she shares her favorite things. These are products or things that she feels her audience would enjoy or things that are just fun and noteworthy. So, to copy Oprah... here is a little blog post called Amber's Favorite Things . For those of you who like to include gifts with your fan mail to me, feel free to use items or ideas from this list when applicable. In no particular order..... 1. Etsy ! Etsy is a website where you can buy and/or sell homemade things. Lots of jewelry, paper products, purses, hair accessories, wall decor, gifts, you name it. http://www.etsy.com/ I recently ordered this owl pacifier clip from there for Kennedy. 2. Chocolate orange . It's chocolate. It's orange. It's chocolate orange! I love chocolate that has citrus/orange in it. 3. Anthropologie . This is a store that I had never heard of until Jennifer B. introduced me to it in Chicago. Now there is one here in this city. I love their home stuff the best (especi...

I'm having trouble thinking of new blog topics lately. It's blog brain freeze, I guess. So, I asked Keegan to help me with today's blog. I decided to interview him with random questions. I figured that's what Barbara Walters does, why can't I? So, here's our interview. Remember, he just turned 3!: What do you want to be when you grow up?: "A giant" What does Daddy do for work?: "Um. Um. At the computer." What is your favorite food?: "Um. Apples" What is your favorite TV show?: "Lions" (Between the Lions) What is your favorite movie?: "Monsters" (Monsters Inc) What do you think of Barack Obama?: "He's a president" Where do you want to live when you grow up?: "A pink house" Who is God?: "Jesus" What are some animals that God made?: "Elephants. All those animals. All my animals. God made all of my animals." What else did God make?: "Giraffes. And frogs. And, um, clown...

I don't have much to blog about but I wanted to share a couple of pictures from today! Here's Kennedy. She's starting to smile now which is so precious. I haven't caught her with a 'big' smile yet for the camera, but this is sort of a half, mini-smile. Plus, I love her owl shirt so I had to take a picture. Here is Dapper Daddy with Keegan & Kennedy. I love moments like this.

Making the best of yet another snow day yesterday, Keegan decided to throw a party with several of his good 'friends' (aka lots of his toys). I knew it was time for me to step in and help with the party when I overheard Keegan talking to his guests about "Rock Bama" (Barack Obama). That's right; we have a 3 year old that talks politics at his parties. He is definitely Nathan's son! :) The party sounded a little lame to me. I thought I would help. Amber: "Keegan, what are we doing at your party?" Keegan: "Just standing here." Amber: "Should we dance?" Keegan: "No. Don't dance." Amber: (offended that he wouldn't want to see me cutting the rug) "Should we sing?" Keegan: "No" (and slightly annoyed now) Amber: "Should we play games?" (worried that the guests will be bored) Keegan: "No. Just stand here." Amber: "Is this like mingling?" (thinking "Really, let's ...

I just realized that today marked my 100th blog!!!!!!! So........... Welcome to my 101st blog!! For those of you who have stuck with me during my blogs, we have made it into the triple digits! Wow. That's a lot of blogs! Let's say it takes you about 3 minutes per blog to read... and you've read 100.... you've 'wasted' 300 minutes; that's 5 hours of your life, gone on my blogs! :) LOL. Really though, I'm flattered. I looked up the traditional gift for 100th annivesaries, and it said a 10K diamond. If anyone needs my ring size to send a gift, just let me know. I look forward to our next hundred blogs together. As always, I love and appreciate when you leave comments. And, feel free to send me your topic ideas. I can't promise I'll use all of them but ya' never know. I'll give you credit and it might just make you famous. Also, I couldn't have a blog without blog readers and stalkers. Thanks to each and every one of you. A big shout ou...

Some of you have been asking for updates on the kids, especially Kennedy. So, here is an *official* update. Kennedy ..... -Turns 6 weeks old today -Is still a happy , layed back, quiet baby -Had her one month checkup last week and weighed 8lbs 5oz (she was 6lbs 3 oz at birth). She went from the 10th percentile in weight (at birth) to the 25th percentile. -Has some reflux . I just picked up a prescription for her today (Zantac) and hope it works. It will not reduce the spitting up but it should make her feel better so she can eat normal (she's been grazing a lot) -Has some thrush too (white yeast infection on the tongue). It's not bad enough to medicate yet per the doctor so we're just keeping our eye on it. -Started to smile this past weekend and it's so precious! (of course, I haven't caught it on camera yet!) -Has a very sweet and easy going personality Keegan ...... - Turned 3 in December - Loves Kennedy and often wants to touch her, hug her, hold her, and...