Christmas Celebration

We celebrated Christmas with Craig's family this weekend. We spent time with family, went to the Christmas Eve service, and ate lots and lots of good food. We had a lot of fun, as you can see!

Grandma and Grandpa P

She wasn't too sure what to do at first, but she figured it out pretty quickly!

(Many but not all of these are her gifts, just so you know!)

"Driving" with cousin Stacy

Soft new jammies :)

Before we left home we got a couple of pictures in front of the tree

Hands and Knees and Cups and Drawers and...

Oh my, Kailey is everywhere all of a sudden! Her crawl has progressed from the "army crawl" using her arms and dragging herself around on her tummy, to a true crawl on her hands and knees. We were so excited, and we still are but it has truly changed our world! Let the real baby-proofing begin. I'm struggling with what to let her mess with, what to distract her from, and what to say a firm "no" to. I guess we'll figure it out! She has also mastered the sippy cup - yeah!

December Activities

Between the snow storms we've managed to get ready for Christmas. Our first celebration was last weekend, and it was a combination Christmas/Anniversary party. Craig's parents celebrated 35 years of marriage so we all surprised them with a little party in conjunction with a family Christmas party. We had a great time.

The guests of honor

Kailey experiencing her first gift exchange - she liked it!

We have a couple of signs of Christmas around our house. Kailey likes the Christmas tree but has only ventured "too close" a couple of times.

This is a singing toy, and she loves it :)

This was sweet - Kailey rarely sits as still and content as this particular time. Daddy's Girl!

Thanksgiving

I can't leave November with only one post, so here are a couple to catch up!


We spent Thanksgiving with each of our families. I didn't take as many pictures as I should have, but here are a few.

My niece loves to dance to the chicken song, played over and over by the cow you see on the left. It is super cute and Kailey loved watching her.


We had Thanksgiving Day lunch with family from Lindsay's side - over 40 people! Here is a younger second cousin Taya loving on Kailey.


We got some pictures with Aunt Jodi and Uncle Cody before they had to leave


This is one of my old toys! Is there music in Kailey's future?


Friday the "big" girls went shopping and the "little" girls stayed home with daddies and Grandpa; after the football loss they probably wish they had gone shopping, too


We headed to Craig's side of the family Friday night. Great aunt Julie and Stacy came for a visit while we were there


Kailey loved the toys! And she loves having Aunt Amy play too.


We visited Great Grandpa and Grandma R



We helped decorate the house a bit for Christmas. One of the empty boxes became a favorite place to play!


It was a very busy weekend but it is a true blessing to have time to spend with family. As we all get older and our families grow it is hard to find times where everyone can be together, so when it happens we are truly thankful.

Fun on the Farm...Fun at Home

A few weeks ago, Kailey finally got to visit the calves and cows on the farm. She looked at them with pretty wide eyes! She wasn't sure what to think - it was cute.

Kailey and Grandpa



I put Kailey down in her room to play, and shortly thereafter she wiggled her way to her favorite spot...



The first time in her snowsuit!

Happy Anniversary

We celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary last Thursday. Time sure flies - I guess that's a good thing. Last Saturday night we left Kailey for the first time overnight and went to Nebraska City. The weather was beautiful! Sunday we hiked around the property. We tried to get a good picture with the pretty leaves in the background, and finally Craig had the idea to lay down. It worked!

We enjoyed a nice dinner Saturday evening

The Mansion

Kailey had a fun time with Aunt Diane!

We were happy to all be together again Sunday afternoon. The weather was gorgeous so we went to Chalco for a bit to enjoy it before dark.

We weren't the only family of three out and about!

We tried to get to this pretty tree, but the sidewalk curved and I wasn't up for a trek through the tall prairie grass.

We were thankful for a fun weekend!

Halloween, Huskers, and Other Happenings

Kailey LOVED being a cow for Halloween! I wish I would have gotten a picture of her when the kids came to trick-or-treat. She could see them from half a block away and would scream and wave her arms and legs with excitement. When we pushed her tummy, her cow would moo and she was somewhat confused about why that was happening. So cute!

Last week we watched the Huskers vs. Texas. We were all excited for three quarters, but I stopped taking pictures in the fourth...

Grandma and Grandpa Paulsen came for a visit on Sunday. Kailey had fun showing off her tricks.

Monday night we had the Omaha Young Life Banquet. It was a big success, with over 300 in attendance. I took some pictures but they didn't turn out.

We had Kailey to the doctor yesterday for her 9 month checkup. Time sure flies, but it's hard to remember life before her. Craig said he appreciates me more now that he realizes how long I was really pregnant. :)

Kailey weighed 19 lbs. 3 oz. yesterday, which puts her at the 60th percentile. She was at the 50th for length and 60th for head circumference, so she is very proportionate!