the good life

As we sit here eating dinner, watching Harry Potter, with Brianna fast asleep in her crib, I can't help but think about how very lucky we are. I was giving Brianna her bath tonight, and actually letting her play in the tub, without hurrying through the whole process, because we needed to get ready to leave for somewhere or needing to hurry to get her ready for bed. As I sat back and watched her play, laughing and splashing and reaching for her tub toys, I realized that it was moments like this that make life so wonderful. Its strange that such a run-of-the-mill thing brought this on, and I guess not many 25 (OK, almost 26) year olds would find a night of baths, bedtime stories, and Harry Potter exciting, but to me, this was an absolutely perfect night. I guess maybe I've been working so much that I was thinking of these things as just things I needed to do, without really enjoying them. I don't mean to take these things for granted, but sometimes after 11 hour days, I just want to fall into bed at night. But then I see that little girl smile at me, and the stress of the day just melts away. I know these things all the time, but sometimes you just need a moment like the one I had tonight to stop and say "this is the good life".

Dawn, Jim & Baby~ You are in our thoughts and prayers, we love you so very much!

best buddies

OK, so I couldn't get the picture to post but in case you haven't seen the pictures on my sister's weblog, you should check them out in the March 2006 album. Brianna & Braden's pictures are adorable. (not that I'm biased or anything) :o) I hope you're all having a great week!

Welcome home Miss McKenna! We hope you're settling in to your new home, and we're sure your mommy and daddy are having the time of their lives with you at home! We love you all so very much and can't wait until we get to see you and finaly meet McKenna!

Miss Kelsey, you should tell your mommy that she needs to start a weblog too, so we can see pictures of you as you grow too. Tell her to get with the program! :0) We love you guys and hope you are doing well.

Night All!

(I got it to work this morning!)

on a roll...

Two posts in 4 days, wow...aren't you the lucky ones. :o) I've added a few new pictures into the March 2006 album. There hasn't been too much going on here, so I don't have a lot to report. I spent all day Saturday at the Spring Resale that Step By Step PTA organizes. It was absolute madness! I got there at 6:45 to work the resale which started at 7:15 and there were people lined up around the building. They do have lots of nice stuff, but it was insane!! Needless to say I was exhausted when I got home, was home for about 1/2 hour, then went to church. Bob played basketball on Saturday morning, then golf in the afternoon with his dad, as it was beautiful here, so Brianna got to spend the day with Grandma Nancy. We were all pretty exhausted from our respective days out, so I think we were all sleeping by about 8:30 last night. Haven't gotten a lot accomplished today, I did bring some work home, but haven't mustered the energy to actually do it! Maybe I'll start soon. ;o) Well, I guess thats about all. Hope you all had a great weekend, and are all ready to start a new week! Love to you all!

Miss McKenna is very close to coming home, keep praying that she'll be home very soon. Dale, Suzanne, & McKenna you are never far from our thoughts, we can't wait until you have that beautiful little girl home with you, we love all three of you!

Happy Birthday Mom! We hope you had a great day! We love you!

finally....a new post

I know...I know...its been a long time. What can I say, we've been busy! :o) Plus, there isn't a whole lot exciting going on here, I've been working like a crazy person, and we've been gone the last few weekends. The last weekend in February we went to Angie & Nick's for Braden's baptism. He has gotten so big! It was nice to spend some time with them. Although, the Thursday before we left we took Brianna to the doctor as she had been very wheezy and not sounding very well. She ended up having a double ear infection, which we wouldn't have known about had it not been for the fact that we decided her wheezing needed a doctors attention. She seemed perfectly fine and didn't do anything abnormal that would have caused us to believe she had ear infections. Anyway, she was put on an antibiotic for that and then 3 different meds for her wheezing. She wasn't a very happy camper the weekend of Braden's baptism, partly from the meds and partly from her schedule being all mixed up. She ended up having to be put on a different antibiotic for her ear infections as the first one didn't help at all. But she is doing much better now. She has 2 more days of the antibiotic left and a few more weeks of one of the meds for the wheezing. But like I said, she is doing much better now. We had the kids's (Brianna & Braden) picture taken together on Monday. They were so adorable, and the pictures turned out fabulously! We can't wait to get them back, you would swear they were twins, because they are the same size!! :o) Last weekend Brianna and I took a trip to Iowa. I met up with some friends from high school for the weekend and Brianna got to spend some quality time with Grandma Susan and Grandpa Lester. It was a great weekend, except for the awful weather that showed up just in time for our drive back to Illinois! Oh well, we made it safe and sound. Other than that, I guess there isn't too much going on. I've added some new pictures, click on the March 2006 link. I know they aren't all from March, but give me a break! :o) Next week is corporate tax deadline, so don't expect too much out of me before then. Sending you all lots of love!

Happy Birthday Mom on the 12th!

Congrats Audrey & Seth on your tiny little bundle of joy!
Kelsey Ann born 2/24/06 5lbs 3oz 18 inches
She is an absolute doll!!

more changes

Well, as you can see I (we've) made more changes. I think it will stay this way for a while. Especially since I've pretty much spent all weekend working on it! :o) I hope you enjoy the new colors and setup. The frogs on the top and sides are actually the border in Brianna's room. It of course isn't even close to perfect or professional looking, but I'm very happy with it and my first attempt at doing something like this. Let me know what you think and also let me know if there is anything you think I should change. I'm up for suggestions! Have a great Sunday all!

new milestones...

Well, I've heard that the background makes it slightly difficult to read the posts, but I haven't had time to change it again. I will keep looking for new backgrounds and hopefully will find one that works better. As for the milestone mentioned in the title, this morning I realized I hadn't checked to see if Brianna had cut any teeth in a while. Yes, I do this every so often, because people have been telling me for months that she was probably cutting teeth. Well, as I was checking out her mouth, I about cut my finger on two tiny little teeth! Yup, her front two bottom teeth have cut through. I can't believe I didn't know that they were coming through. She has been in a very good mood and hasn't been acting different at all. Anyway, thats the big news around here. I can't believe how big she is getting. I added this picture plus four more in the February 2006 album. Check them out. Have a great weekend all! Lots of love!

work in progress...

Well, I'm still not 100% happy with it, but at least the links are back up. Thankfully that was not hard to put back. It was trying to find a template that I liked that took me forever. And I'm still not really sure about this one, but it'll have to do for now. I wish I was somewhat knowledgeable in HTML coding, so that I could come up with something on my own...but I have only a few talents and that, my friends, is not one of them. I blame it all on Dale...if he wouldn't have changed their blog, I wouldn't have had the desire to change ours! :o) Thanks a lot Dale! :o) You know I'm just kidding, we just needed some change, too many dark colors. Anyway, since Bob and Brianna have both been sleeping for hours I guess I should either go to bed or figure out something else to do for a while. Let me know what you think about the new background. I promise you won't hurt my feelings, like I said...I'm a little iffy on it. Night all! Have a great weekend. OH...and if anyone can tell me how to get rid of all that space between the post and the blog name, I would really appreciate it, it is driving me crazy!!

PS. Notice the new counter...

some changes

Seeing Dale & Suzanne's blog has prompted me to make some changes in ours. The photo albums are a little out of control and in need of some restructuring. And to be quite honest...I tried to change the template to brighten things up (yes, I am a copy cat!) :o) and it removed all the links, etc. so now I have a definite reason to update things. Hopefully this will be done by the end of the weekend. Sorry for the mess! :o)

happy valentine's day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
We Love You!

concert & random other notes

Friday night I went to the Keith Urban concert with Amanda and her two sisters, Emily & Stephanie at the Allstate Arena. Amanda (& Ben) gave me the ticket for Christmas. It was an amazing concert. So much fun. And apparently Nicole Kidman was there as well, although we didn't see her. Anyway, we had a great time at the concert, that is about the only exciting thing that has happened in the last few days, so I guess I don't really have much to post about.

If anyone checks on little Miss McKenna, (I know there are alot of you!) she has reached the 5 lb mark. Yay!! We are all so excited for Dale, Suzanne, & McKenna. Pretty soon that adorable litte girl will be going home!

Miss Brianna is doing well, jabbering up a storm and she is now sitting up pretty well on her own. Other than that there isn't too much to report. I have added new pictures to the album, more from the concert and a few of Brianna sitting around and playing.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. Love to all!

brianna's sixth month checkup

I knew you all were anxiously awaiting Brianna's latest stats...so here they are. She is now a whopping 16lbs 9oz (75th percentile for weight) and 25 1/2 inches (45th percentile for height). It is hard to believe that at her 1 month appointment she was in the 10th percentile for weight!! Its hard to remember just how small she was! :o) We took her to get her 6th month pictures taken yesterday. They were running WAY behind, so we had to wait for about an hour and by that time, she was starting to get cranky...but we got a couple of good ones.

Speaking of this...I just have to vent a little. We take her to JC Penny's to get her pictures taken and are members of the portrait club, cause its a decent price, etc, etc. They schedule their appointments 10 minutes apart, which frankly is not long enough when you have a child that can't smile on command, so this immediately puts them behind schedule. Add to this that they now have a policy that the photographer has to stand there while you make your decisions about which pictures you purchase. They had 2 photographers there, so at many points during the day they are both helping people pick out pictures, which leaves the studio empty and customers piling up. I realize they are trying to make money, but if they allowed extra time between appointments, I would think they would be able to stay a little more on schedule and thus, having happier children, thus having better pictures, and happier parents that would spend more money. And let people pick out their own pictures for crying out loud...I don't need to feel hurried and pressured while I'm trying to figure out which pictures I want and who I'm going to give them to. It doesn't make me want to spend more money, it makes me want to spend none at all!! OK, enough with my ranting.

Needless to say, Bob and I weren't completely overjoyed, but there were a couple of good ones of Brianna, but thats just because she's so cute anyway! :o)

OK, gotta get the house picked up so we can get ready to go to Ben & Amanda's for the Super Bowl. Its a good thing we planned on going over there and not having people here, because the receiver for our dish went out on Friday (we lost all the movies we had recorded on our DVR) and they will be shipping us a new receiver in 3-5 days. Great timing huh? OH, well...there are definitely worse things...

Everyone have a great Sunday, and hopefully I'll post again soon!
Love to all!

its my 1/2 birthday!!

Yep...that's right...I'm six months old today! Since my little cousin McKenna gets to write on her mommy and daddy's blog, I told mommy that I wanted to write too, since I'm older! :o) Mommy and daddy say that I'm growing like a weed...I'm not sure what that means, but they sure think its funny. Mommy says that I am growing up too fast and she tells me to slow down, but I'm not sure how to do that, so I just smile at her and that seems to make her feel better. I've been going to a place that has lots of other kids while mommy and daddy go to work. Mommy used to take me to work with her, and that was fun for a while especially when the big, white, furry dog was there, but then it got boring, because she was busy and couldn't play with me all the time. I like the place with all the kids, but I miss mommy and daddy. Grandpa Bob and Grandma Nancy come and pick me up every now and then and play with me until mommy and daddy get home. Mommy has been working a lot because she has to do something called "taxes" it doesn't sound very fun....I wonder why she does it? Anyway, daddy has been busy at work too, but he comes and picks me up every day and I really like that. Mommy and daddy say we get to go visit Grandpa Lester, Grandma Susan, Aunt Angie, Uncle Nick, & cousin Braden soon and my Great-Grandmas Kramer & Felton too, that makes me very happy, I like playing with Cousin Braden! I heard mommy and daddy talking before and they said I have to go to the doctor tomorrow for my 6 month check-up. I don't like when they weigh me, and I think I have to get shots too...ouch! Good thing Mommy and Daddy are there to give me lots of hugs and kisses when its over. Well...I'm getting sleepy so I'd better say goodnight... This writing thing is tougher than it looks, so I think I'll leave this to mommy for a while. I'm sure she'll tell you all how much I've grown, she gets excited by the little things...she's silly. Goodnight everyone! Lots of love to you all from me!!

McKenna~ You're much better at this than me...maybe when you get to go home with your mommy and daddy we can have a play-date and you can teach me a few things about writing!

"Auntie" Amanda~ Hope you had a happy birthday yesterday, I'll see you on Sunday!

Oh...and mommy put some new pictures of me in the latest and greatest album (like there aren't enough pictures of me) she always has that stinkin' camera in my face.

OK, I'm really going to bed now...night...

nothing new...

I know, I know...I've been slacking lately. Things have been busy with work, but other than that, nothing much going on here. Brianna is still fighting her cold and cough, but seems to be in pretty good spirits otherwise. Bob has started his winter volleyball league, and I am making the office my home for the next few months. Gotta love tax season!! :o) I've added captions to the pictures that don't have them, so now you can all go back and look at the pictures again and read my witty comments! I hope all is well with everyone, and I'll try to get back on my once a week schedule to update this. Have a great night everyone!

Happy Anniversary Tomorrow (January 25) Alli & Steve!!

rollin', rollin', rollin...

I know I told you that Brianna rolled over from her back to her tummy quite awhile ago. And she did, but we think that was just a fluke, because she never did it again, until Saturday. Yep, she is on the move. She's becoming quite good at it too. Although, once she is on her tummy, she doesn't really know what to do and she doesn't really enjoy being on her tummy, so she just cries. But we're very excited about her new little milestone. Even as I'm writing this, she is rolling around! :o) I've added some more pictures, a few anyway. Sorry I've been really bad about the updates and the pictures, things have just been crazy! I know...its no excuse... I'll try to do better! Love to all!

sorry to disappoint...

Nope...no new pictures! :o( Sorry, things have been hectic. I know thats no excuse, but to be quite honest, I haven't even taken any new pictures since Christmas. 1....2....3...4...now that you've had time to pick yourself up off the floor, from the shock that has just knocked you off of your chair, I'll continue. Today was Brianna's first day of daycare. And no, I didn't cry, I actually transitioned very well. I think Bob having her at home for the last 3 weeks definitely helped with that! When Bob picked her up tonight they told him they wish they had 12 (thats as many as they can have in the nursery) just like her. :o) The only thing that really stinks (besides actually haveing to pay for daycare!)is that I have to get up about an hour earlier than I did when she was coming to work with me. But I'm sure I'll get used to it quickly! She is finally starting to feel better and act more like herself, so that is definitely good. Besides that, I'm busy with tax season...so if I don't post on a regular basis, that is why, but I'll try my best, and Bob is busy catching up at work. We are also busy trying to get organized at home, we're doing pretty well so far, we'll see how long it keeps up! I'll try to take some pictures soon! Love to all!

PS. Keep the prayers coming for Miss McKenna, she has reached the 3 lb mark!! Keep praying and she'll be at home with her mommy and daddy before we know it!! :o)

happy new year

Well, 2006 has arrived. Sorry I don't have new pictures to post, things have been a little hectic around here. Brianna has been sick and we're trying to get her healthy again before she starts daycare next week. She went to the doctor on Friday and just fyi she now weighs 15 lbs 9 oz. She was started on antibiotics on Friday and also nebulizer treatments. Hopefully they will help and we can go back to normal around here. Unfortunately, this has caused her to wake up at night and sleep a lot during the day. Also, unfortunately she has passed her cold onto me. So, we ended up having a quiet New Year's Eve at home having a 24 marathon. We watched the first season and now we're about 12 hours into the second. We had the Carroll (immediate) family Christmas yesterday, and also the Caruso family Christmas. It was great to see everyone, and of course Brianna was spoiled rotten! I think she has enough toys & clothes to last her a lifetime. I hope everyone has a happy and healthy new year, and we look forward to seeing/hearing from you all!! Lots of love to you all from the three of us!!

its over already???

I can't believe its the 26th (well, actually almost the 27th) already! The weekend went way too fast. We had a wonderful Christmas in Iowa though. Santa was very nice to Brianna this year, but I guess you can't get into too much trouble when you're only 4 1/2 months old! Grandpa Lester & Grandma Susan spoiled Brianna and Braden rotten, but they loved every minute of it!! It was so nice to see the Kramer side of the family. (I promise that we will attend some Felton family function sometime in the near future!!) My brain is still a little sluggish after a weekend of doing nothing, so this won't be too long. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and we hope you have a happy & healthy New Year. We love you all. Check out ALL the Christmas pictures (there are a ton of them!!) and also pictures from Joey's baptism on the 23rd. The pictures will have captions sometime in the near future! Keep in touch!

only 6 shopping days left...

I can't believe Christmas is next Sunday. I had every intention of being way more prepared than I am! I don't have any cookies or candy made yet, although I see that as a positive, they'll be really fresh! But I did get the wrapping all done today, so I guess that is good. And as you can see the tree is finally all decorated, and there is a very special present under it, can you tell what it is??

We went to a holiday party on Thursday night, and Brianna got to see Santa (check out the Christmas 2005 photos.) Friday was Brianna's last day at work with me :'o( Bob isn't going back to work until January 9th, and that day Brianna is starting daycare. Its been great having her at work with me, even if it is a little stressful. Other than that I guess there isn't too much going on here.

I've rearraged some suff on the left side of the page, I figured most of you would rather have easy access to the pictures instead of my archived ramblings. Don't worry, I'm sure there will be a big addition to the albums next week. :o)

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year! If you are traveling, be safe. Keep in touch and we hope to see you all in 2006! We love you all!!

the whirlwind continues...

Hi again...well, here we are, Sunday night again, and time for the weekly update! Man, the time has been going so fast, I can't belive Christmas will be here in two weeks! It was another busy weekend here. Friday night we went to dinner with Ben, Amanda, and some friends from Knox who were visiting, after dinner we went back to Ben & Amanda's, where they (not I) proceeded to play poker until 4:15am. I fell asleep on the couch with Brianna, so we got home about 5am yesterday morning! Brianna was up raring to go about 8:30 or so, so we decided to go Christmas shopping, and Brianna spent the day at Grandma & Grandpa Carroll's. She had a good time of course, and I'm sure they didn't spoil her at all, at least that is what they tell us! ;o) Today I had every intention of getting the rest of the house picked up and decorated for Christmas, along with the presents wrapped, but of course, none of the above got finished! Oh well, I played with Brianna, and spent a little time with Bob, when I could drag him away from the football games, or the computer checking on his fantasy football team! Holly, I agree, I can't wait for fantasy football to be over, lets hope they don't decide to do some other fantasy game! :o) This will be Brianna's last week at work with me :o( Bob is off starting next week through the 8th of January, and on the 9th she will start daycare. :o( I'm sure its going to be a sad day, but I know she is going to enjoy herself. Other than that, I guess there isn't much else going on, just time passing too quickly. I'm still amazed everyday how much Brianna grows and how she grows more curious everyday. She has completely turned our lives upside down, and our house has never been messier, but it also has never been filled with so much love, smiles, and laughter. Its almost bath & bedtime....so I guess the mess will have to wait! :o) Love to all.

4 months old

I know you have all been anxiously awaiting my post all week, and I know I usually post on Sunday nights, but we were home approximately 10 minutes all weekend, and last night the site was beeing funky, so this is the first chance I've gotten to write anything. We spent the weekend in WI visiting some friends (hence the not being home all weekend). It was a wonderful and relaxing weekend and it was so great to see Jonas & Jen.

Besides that, as you can tell from the title of this post, Miss Brianna turned 4 months old on Friday. She had her checkup on Friday as well. Bob ended up taking her by himself, as I was swamped at work. She now is weighing in at a whopping 14lbs 6oz and and giagantic 24 inches long! She also had to get 4 shots again...boo :o( The doctor told us to start feeding her rice cereal, but as you can see from the pictures, I'm not real sure she likes it! I can't believe how much she has grown and actually that she is 4 months old. It doesn't seem like she's been around that long already! Other than that we don't have anything exciting going on, just trying to find enough time to get the tree up and decorated, as well as the house and get our Christmas shopping done, and cards out. So, I guess with all that to do, I should stop writing these posts and get to it! By the way...there are some new pictures up, you know what to do, just click on the link!