Family Vacation

Last week we went on our family vacation to my uncle's lakehouse on Lake Limestone with the Perry clan. Our original vacation destination was Florida, but with the uncertainty of the oil spill and its effects, we decided to change our plans. It's either the beach or the lake with our family! We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the lakehouse together relaxing, skiing, coming up with new ski tricks, and sitting around the firepit at night. We ate a lot of good food (being at the lake makes us so hungry) and at odd times of the day. Kaelyn spent a lot of time in the boat because it was the safest spot when we were all down at the dock, so she learned how to drive the boat and loved it!

Kaelyn driving the boat

Kaelyn's first little pony tail (I love this picture)! 

Her hair is getting so long and blonde.

"Are you sure I should be in here?"

(cheap entertainment)

Pop and KK bought Kaelyn a pool that splashes water!

Kaelyn liked to sit on the slide and

check out the water spouts!

(the well water at the lakehouse was freezing,

so this is the only time she'd sit in it)

Hmmm...Do you think we're ready for football season?

(one of the new waterski tricks)

Kaelyn liked to sit on the boat platform

(We had to keep a hand on her because she wanted

to jump in without her life jacket)

A new toy, the handle of the rope

Loving on Mom

(really she'd do anything as long as she was driving the boat)

Our home away from home

(Thank you Karl and Marlene)

Driving the boat with Uncle Keeton

Playing patti-cake with Uncle Kylen

Daddy letting Kaelyn drive (AGAIN)

A beautiful sunset

Pop and Kaelyn

We got home on Wednesday evening and didn't want to spend the rest of Robbie's time off sitting around the house. The rest of the week we spent at the pool, the splash park, and doing some much needed house chores. Kaelyn and I have definitely enjoyed having Robbie home for an extended period of time. Robbie and I have laughed and laughed at Kaelyn's new gibberish and the funny faces she makes. It's been so great to catch up on family time.

Kaelyn loves to climb in the tupperware cabinet

(I thought it was a good idea to leave the locks off,

but now I'm regretting my decision after picking up

tupperware three times a day)

Kaelyn really wanted to get under the water-dumping

buckets, so Daddy showed her how they worked.

She took ownership of letting the

fountains get her in the face!

(Had we tried to coerce her, she would have thrown a fit!)

She loves her wagon so much, that when we

aren't taking her for a ride,

she gets in the small one (she can barely fit)

Bye, Bye Paci...Hello Baby!

We have successfully gotten rid of our paci! Kaelyn never ceases to amaze us on how quickly she adapts to everything. By Monday night (only the second bedtime), she went down after fussing for about 2 minutes. Yesterday, she went right down for her naps and for bed! She definitely loves her baby and cries if she "accidentally" throws her overboard (which she's been doing for a while now).

Here's a funny story to leave you with: Last week, Kaelyn and I had gotten upstairs without our baby for bedtime (even before doing away with paci), so we asked Daddy to meet us at the edge of the stairs and toss her up to us. Between the bad throws and the bad catching, we dropped baby twice (with Kaelyn watching). She screamed and was so traumatized (we had to laugh secretly) because she thought her baby was hurt. She focused her anger on Daddy (it was definitely all his fault) and we all had to show how much we loved baby before she would go to sleep! She is so nurturing and it gives us hope for any future siblings she might have.

Miss Independent

These past two weekends, Kaelyn got to spend a night without Mommy and Daddy. The weekend of our anniversary, Mimi and PawPaw came to stay with Kaelyn and this past weekend, KK kept her. The past few years, we've spent the actual day of our anniversary with family either on vacation, celebrating with our sweet new baby, or at a CD release party (actually, I'm not sure we've been by ourselves yet). Robbie took the day off on Friday and we had a mini-staycation just the three of us. We wanted to spend some quality family time doing some fun things around town.

We took Kaelyn to an indoor play place called "Going Bonkers" after her morning nap on Friday. It was a huge jungle gym and had a toddler play area just for kids Kaelyn's size. We played for a while, stopped to eat pizza (one of Kaelyn's favorite foods), and played some more. Now that she is an independent walker, she loved navigating herself around without us. As we were walking out, Robbie was holding Kaelyn and she gave him the biggest hug. It was like she knew that this day was all for her!

The slide, which Kaelyn kept going back to over and over again!

At the bottom of the slide, Kaelyn relaxed for a bit.

"No, Daddy. I can do it all by myself!"

This is the face she wore all day! So delighted!

Testing out the teacups!

Sliding with Mommy.

Down with Daddy!

On Friday evening, we took Kaelyn to Babe's for her birthday dinner and then decided to venture over to Allen for the watershow (thank you Kristen Aune). We arrived early before the 9 p.m. show and weren't sure what to expect. Needless to say, before the show starts, it's a big splash park for kids to run around in. We were ill-prepared for it (without Kaelyn's swim suit), so we stripped her down to her diaper and let her run around in the fountains. If only I'd had my camera because she loved it! She took complete ownership in getting splashed in the face by the various fountains because she refused to hold our hands while she walked around. She couldn't get enough of it, so we played until they cleared the area for the water show. We got a drink and dessert and watched the show. The fountains were coordinated with music and Kaelyn enjoyed watching them go so high. Friday was definitely filled with lots of fun and Kaelyn was worn out by the end of the day. She crashed as soon as we got back to the hotel.

On Saturday morning, we got up and ate breakfast at the hotel and then went to the mall to enjoy the kiddie play area. Around lunchtime, we passed her off to my mom and got to enjoy the afternoon and evening just the two of us. Robbie took me to dinner at The Cadillac Ranch in Las Colinas where we got to hear live music after dinner. One of the best parts was getting to sleep past 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, but we definitely missed Kaelyn. Kaelyn loved her time with both sets of grandparents. She didn't even act like she missed us.

On Sunday evening, after everything was back to normal, we sad goodbye to our friend, "Paci." Now that we have a toddler in the house, it was time to bid farewell to all things baby. Recently Kaelyn has transferred her love to her baby dolls, so we knew she was ready for the transition. Robbie and I anticipated that last night would be rough thinking that she would cry for maybe 30 minutes. Boy, were we wrong! After an hour and a half of crying, she finally went to sleep. My friends have told me that it usually takes 3-4 days, and we've just begun! But, we will be thankful for it once it's all said and done! Goodbye "Paci!" You've been our crutch when we've needed you the most. You've stood by us in times of pain (our vaccinations), and you've comforted us during times of rest! We love you and will always remember you!

Kaelyn and her baby

6 Blissful Years!

Six years ago yesterday, I married the man I had always dreamed about as a little girl. The Lord has been SO good to us over these past six years.

We spent the evening in Houston watching Robbie's cousin, Jordan's band play their CD Release party. It was our first night away from Kaelyn. We missed her dearly, but enjoyed a night out together along with friends and family.

Dear Robbie,
From the time we met in the 8th grade, I knew you were somebody very special, but didn't realize that God planned you for me! I feel so loved and blessed to be your wife each and every day! I love you for who you are and for who you are becoming!  Watching you this past year as you've become a father has been so memorable and I look forward to this next year as we continue our journey of life together as a family. You are my best friend, my soulmate, and my partner in crime! I love you so very much!

The Party of the Year

This week (Kaelyn's birthday week) has been so special! I've shed a few tears this week as I finished nursing our sweet baby for the last time, and Robbie and I have been elated (and a little sad) to watch Kaelyn take her first steps! She started walking on Tuesday (on her actual birthday) and has taken more and more steps each day. We officially have a walker, and it's so fun to watch her grow from our baby to our toddler. (see below for the video)

On Saturday we celebrated Kaelyn's 1st birthday with all of our wonderful friends and family at our house. The flower garden party was a big success! Thankfully the rain held off for a little while, so we could enjoy the back yard (even with the sweltering heat). We want to thank all of our friends and family for helping make this day so special for Kaelyn, Robbie and me. Thank you to everyone who made the trip in from out of town, and for those of you who took time out of your weekend to celebrate with us the first year of Kaelyn's life! We love you all and are so thankful to get to experience life with you!

Kaelyn got so many great new toys, books, and clothes and we've spent the rest of the weekend playing with all of them. She has been one tired little girl (a little over-stimulated), but we can't keep her from playing her heart out.

Kaelyn wasn't quite sure what to think of all the colorful packages!

Boy, was she in for a treat!

Some of the party decorations (the cake table)

Kaelyn's first birthday cake

This cake turned out much better than I expected!

I think I might have a second job as a cake decorator! (Just kidding)

Ready to dive in! She was really excited that everyone was singing to her!

Oh, our little danty girl!

We kept waiting on her to take a handful, but she was quite careful (at first).

Yum! Yum!

Thank goodness we stripped her down to her diaper because

we had cake in our hair, our ears, and more!

Some of the kids eating lunch in the backyard!

Ready, set, OPEN!

This gift was a very special treat created by our good friends, Laura and Angie!

I can't wait to hang it in her room! Thank you girls!

Having a blast with daddy!

I'm a little partial to this gift. These were my trainer skis when I was a young girl

and were passed down to my sister and brothers! Pop and KK (my parents) refinished and

painted them for Kaelyn (passing along to the next generation of skiers).

On the back of the skis, KK put the years we all learned to use them!

Kaelyn loves her Cozy Coupe car.

She likes to ride in it, push it, and stand next to it!

Mimi and PawPaw gave Kaelyn a Radio Flyer wagon (it's the cadillac of wagons).

Her passenger for this ride was her new friend, Elmo (thank you Grandad and Grandma).

The balls bouncer

This tunnel is taking up all the space in our gameroom! (Thank you Pop and KK)

It's a hit though and we look forward to watching Kaelyn figure her way in and out!

Late Saturday night, Kaelyn was winding down with the balloons and her cozy coupe!

After a good night's rest, Kaelyn tried out her skis on Sunday!

Looks like she's ready for the water! (coming soon)

After all our company had left, we took Kaelyn on a wagon ride!

She absolutely loves being pulled in her cadillac (oops I meant wagon).

Happy 1st Birthday

 

We celebrated Kaelyn's birthday a couple days early with our little family. Her birthday party isn't until this Saturday, but we couldn't let the day go by without celebrating the first year of our baby's life. She absolutely loved her Little Tikes Picnic and Playhouse and loved eating her first cupcake. She isn't too picky of an eater because she did try to eat the candle as well.

She wasn't a fan of Mom's homemade birthday hat!

First bite into the cupcake

Umm...Yum, Yum!

After she saw her new toy, we couldn't get her attention to

pose next to it...She was way too busy climbing the slide!

We spent the July 4th weekend at my aunt and uncle's lake house (Karl and Marlene) on Lake Limestone. With the Killian clan, there is always a lot of waterskiing and pyramid building going on. Kaelyn also got to ski for the first time with mommy and daddy. We think she might have beat the Perry record. She skied when she was 364 days old! Way to go Kaelyn!

Dear Kaelyn,
On July 6, 2009 at 3:41 p.m., our lives changed forever when we fell in love with you. From the beginning, you have been the sweetest little girl your daddy and I could ever ask for. You have the most bubbly personality and continue to be so easy and relaxed in any situation we put you in. When you smile, you smile with your whole body and light up the room. We can't believe how fast you are growing from a baby to a little girl. You never cease to make us laugh or to amaze us with how smart you are. We know that this is just the beginning of a lifetime of happiness because we are so proud to be your mommy and daddy. You have us wrapped around your little finger and we couldn't be happier! We love you with all of our hearts.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Growing "Up"

It is so hard to believe that in exacly one month, we will be celebrating Kaelyn's 1st birthday! At 11 months, Kaelyn is pulling up on everything and pushing her baby stroller as if she is running behind it. She finally said her first word, "up" (other than "da-da") but will only say it when she feels like it. When daddy is gone to work, I find Kaelyn looking for him and saying "da-da." She loves to play ball with daddy and swim with mommy. She is absolutely fascinated with Bama, our golden retriever. We can't get over how much she smiles when she's doing what she wants to be doing, and how she is starting to throw temper tantrums when she's tired or we tell her "no." She eats just about everything we put in front of her (she'll try anything at least once), but loves bananas, grapes, chicken spaghetti, water from her sippy cup, goldfish, and blueberries. Sometimes when mom isn't looking, she even gets a sweet treat from daddy. She is forming attachments to her toys, but we don't quite understand how she makes her selections. What an amazing 11 months we've had as a family!

11 month stats

Height: 28 inches (poor baby is going to be short)

Weight: 20 lbs. 14 oz.

Kaelyn used to hate the grass, but now likes to eat it!

Into everything...Emptied her wipes while Mom was cooking

Forming new attachments, our crazy yellow bath toy