Gettin Crafty

So heres the deal.....I have so many creative, crafty friends that sometimes I get bummed that I dont have a single creative bone in my body. So what else is there to do but find someone who is crafty and copy one of their cool projects. WELL.....thats exactly what I did. I found this website of a woman who gives tutorials with her projects. This is perfect for me because I just never know where to start. So last weekend I went to Lowes, borrowed my father in laws power tools, gathered some odds and ends from my scrapbooking collection and went to town. I took pictures of the entire process becuase if I showed someone my finished project I am not sure they would believe I did it on my own. So here is the proof!

Yum Yum Food

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. Sadly. Although it was our first with a little baby! (Well not really a baby anymore). Thanksgiving this year was spread across 2 days for us. On Thursday we went to Joshs grandparents house and ate until we were STUFFED! It was a delicious dinner prepared by Joshs stepmom, aunt and grandpa.


On Friday we woke early to do a bit of shopping. Not Super early as in years past, but we did manage to leave the house around 7. We were in search of nothing in particular and found just that. We then came home to finish the rest of the dinner I had prepared and take it to my parents house. Everyone pitched in a brought some goodies. My brother cooked the most delicious ham. We celebrated again there and again at until we were STUFFED! Although to make myself feel better about all of this eating I did get up early and hit the gym with one of my gal pals.


All in all it was a great holiday with great family. Josh Kinsey and I got to spend some much needed family time together. It seems like that is few and far between these days with all of the hustle and bustle going on. My current project is planning Kinseys birthday party. Its year number one, and though she will not remember any of it, it MUST be a big blowout. I have the invites ordered and her outfit picked out. Other than that.....Im pretty much behind the ball. Oh well....the show will go on.
Have a great day everyone and enjoy a few Thanksgiving pics.

This cute shirt was made by a very creative friend!

This picture goes with the last post.

Happy 10 month Birthday!

I know I know....I say this every month.

I just cant believe how fast time has gone. I cant believe you are already 10 months! It seems like yesterday that you were a newborn and you felt so fragile to me. Your laughter is contagious and you are the happiest baby I have ever seen. You love to be cuddled and, for the most part, are an excellent sleeper. You love to use your walker to walk around the house. I imagine you will be walking unassisted within the month. You still have no teeth (I know, kinda weird) but love food. You are especially partial to cheerios, but eat pears, grapes, green beans, carrots, apple sauce and many other things on a regular basis. You love to say "dadda" all day every day. You reserve "momma" for when you are sick or really need something. You are a grandpas girl through and through. You are a social butterfly that loves it when others are around. You are wearing 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. You tolerate a sippy cup, though you much prefer a bottle. You love bath time and would sit in there for hours if we let you.
Kinsey Peyton you have changed our lives forever. I could never imagine being without you and there are not enough words to express how I love you. Daddy and I enjoy watching you learn and grow, although are saddened that it is going so fast. I am anxious to get to know the young girl and lady you become. You make being a parent almost seem easy and each day I am more and more in love with you. You will always be our little princess.

The Pumpkin Patch

The weekend before Halloween we headed out for the 3rd annual Peters Family Day at the Pumpkin Patch! This year was just a little different though......its our first year with a BABY. Kinsey was a real trooper. She sat for photos and was in awe of all the excitement going on around her. There is just something about getting out with the crowds and finding that perfect pumpkin that really confirms the fall season is here! I just love it!


We took the tractor hayrack ride out to the patch. There we could feed and pet the animals. Then the search started. Kinsey sat on the ground and played with the leaves while daddy went on the search for the perfect pumpkin! We ended up with two medium sized pumpkins and some great memories. I cant wait to continue this family tradition next year.

On the hayrack ride

checking out the scenery

Being a patient baby for pictures



Just one of those weeks

UGH!
Sometimes I just dont even know where to start. Overwhelmed perhaps?
Kinsey has been sicky off and on since last Wednesday. Some of the daycare kids came down with a 24 hour tummy bug and she surely got it. Josh stayed home with her on Thursday and she seemed to be doing much better. THEN....she passed the yuckies on to me on Friday, and Josh on Saturday. Despite feeling better, she has been a real crab the past few days. I thought to myself...Perhaps, maybe, just maybe....a TOOTH! 3 days later...nothing but a crabby baby. Today she woke up with a fever and just simply unconsolable. She was perfectly content laying on my chest all day. As we speak she has been asleep for an hour and a half! That is unheard of from my poor napper. SO... we have a Drs appmt at 3:00. Hopefully we will get some answers and my little gal will be back to her cheerful self in no time.


MORE!
We close on our new house Friday at 3:00 and have a bunch of friends helping us move on Saturday! Sounds great and wonderful, and dont get me wrong, I am more than excited to be moving! BUT.....what I thought was a lot that we had packed...the more I look around the more discouraged I become at how far behind we are. I work Wed and Thurs and that gives us those two evenings to get things packed and then Fri morning. WOW...this is just too much. As much as I am complaining, I am sure in the end things will work out and it wont be a big deal at all. Its just that as the days get closer I am more and more unprepared for the BIG MOVE!


DEEP BREATH.....ahh its nothing a glass of wine and a few friends wont fix. I sure do have the best friends and would be lost without them. Now that I have vented about all of the chaos going on...I am headed out to enjoy this BEAUTIFUL weather God has given us.

Are You Ready For Some FOOTBALL?

For Josh and I the answer is YES!

Not only are our Saturdays filled with following the Jayhawks.....but we have joined a Fantasy Football League. The league is filled with people from my work and its pretty intense. There is a website that you check in to weekly to set your roster and follow the scores, and believe me there is plenty of trash talking going on.

Im not really a football buff of any sort, but its something for Josh and I to be involved in together and I am learning more and more about each team and players along the way.

So on Saturdays and Sundays you can expect us to be glued to the TV and often times Josh yelling! But hey, in the end we may leave with a little extra cash! ( Yay shopping money for me!!)

GO Hawks!!

8 months

Kinsey Bear is officially 8 months old!!! It definitely makes it a little easier on me because her birthday is on the 1st of every month. The changes that our little precious girl has gone through in the last month are amazing. I feel so lucky that I have a work schedule that allows me to be home so much.

In only a few months we will be celebrating the big One year! When I think back I feel like I cant remember a time when she was not in our lives. But at the same time I feel like time has flown since she has been born.

Here are some of her accomplishments!
* Crawling (very quickly) throughout the house
* Is showing interest in pulling up on things but is not quite there.
* Eats anything an old man can gum :)
* Has yet to get a tooth
* Can say "dadda" And likes to over and over
* Sleeps from 8 to 7 or 8
* Can ride in a shopping cart (This was a big one for momma more so than her)
* Wears 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers
* She is a very content baby and play very well on her own or with others
* And last but not least, Makes mommy and daddy SO SO very happy.

Once again Kinsey, I could never imagine that I would love something as much as I do you. I feel so blessed to have you and am very proud to call you my daughter.
Mommy and Daddy love you so very much.

8 months old.

Birthday Boy

Joshs birthday was yesterday. He is officially 28 years old! He told me the other day that he is a little sad that he is closer to 30 than 25! Sadly, I will have the same feeling in a short 6 months. Because his birthday was on a Monday he decided he wanted to gather some friends and go to his favorite restaurant, Texas Roadhouse. Some of our good friends joined us and we could not have had a better time.

Getting older, I realize that we value the friendships we have more than ever. Josh had a great time just talking and spending time with them.

Joshua: I love you more than anything and I so happy I got to spend another birthday with you. You are the glue that keeps this family together and each day I am so grateful for you. You work so hard to provide for us and at the end of the day you come home so happy to see us. Kinsey is so lucky to have you as a father. We love you so much babe!

6 AND 7 MONTHS!!

7 MONTHS

6 MONTHS


Two whole months have flown by and I havent even updated on Kinseys progress.
Each day she does something new.  These past 2 months have really shown me how much she learns and observes each day. It seems that she has accomplished more in the last 2 months than in the last 7 combined.  Each day I watch with admiration at the little person she is becoming. I love her more than I could ever put into words and I feel so blessed to call her my daughter

Ok Ok now on to the good stuff. Currently Kinsey is:
Crawling if it is after something she really wants ie: the dogs. But mostly she does the inch worm: scoots herself from place to place on her belly
Can feed herself little snacks. (SOOO cute)
Has been introduced to the sippy cup. (Not too sure about it yet)
Is sleeping in her own bed all night. She goes to bed at 8:00 and wakes at 7:30.
Wears 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers
Eats a veggie and a fruit twice per day
Can say Da Da. (Sadly, no momma yet)
LOVES baby einsteins. (SO much so that she is in a trance throughout the whole movie)
Is a Daddys girl through and through. When he walks through the door her whole face lights up.
Is on all formula now. No more nursing! (Bitter sweet for me)

Squash, Green Beans, Bananas.....Oh my!!!

I tend to make Kinseys food only part of the time. I really should do it more. It is WAY more economical, however, time consuming. It really takes some planning to set aside an afternoon and just have a baby food making day. On my days off though I just cant get into the mood to do that. I really should be better about it.

Well the other day I decided bananas would be the food of choice. Turns out they are Super Easy and Quick.  

That is exactly what a working mom needs to hear.
Here are the results:

YUMMM!!!

Shoes Shoes Shoes

I know that most females enjoy Shoes!!! Well I am no different. I find myself trying to rub off my once greater than now, obsession of shoes on Kinsey. Its true that she has 5 different pairs of shoes. My  goodness...the girl is only 7 months old. In fact, I found myself more excited than a mom should be earlier this week because she could FINALLY into her gladiator sandals that grandma had bought her a while back. While she seems to tolerate me forcing these things on to her feet, I am not so sure that she loves it!! Oh well....give it a few years and I am sure I will have bitten off more than I can chew!
Ta Ta for now!!

What is up with this?

Ok so all of you parents who are reading this.....What is up with this face? Over the past few weeks Kinsey has been sucking in her bottom lip. I find that she makes this face ALL the time. I have had a few people tell me that their kids did this at her age. I just cant figure out why? I mean, to me she still looks absolutely adorable but it seems like the more we laugh and make fun of her for it, the more she does it. She is not teething yet. I have caught the candid pictures of "the face" and have plenty more. So everyone......leave me a message and tell me if your precious little one every made any of these funny faces!!!

Have a great weekend all!!

Back in the Saddle Again!!!

I am SO sorry I have not been on here in awhile to update.  For some reason I have felt overwhelmingly busy. Nothing new has been added to our already chaotic life, but I feel like I just cant get caught up. So much has happened recently I do not even know where to begin.


I Guess I will Start With the Most Important:

Kinsey celebrated her 5 month birthday at the beginning of the month. It is amazing how interactive she has become. In the last month she is now aware of her surroundings and the days of napping in her carseat or the middle of a busy restaurant are LONG gone. She tries so hard to sit up but ends up using her big belly to balance on. It is so cute to watch. She is still absolutely in love with Baby Einstein DVDs and sometimes I feel as if they are the only thing that lets me get any housework done. She is right in between size 2 and 3 diapers and is fitting into 6 month clothes. She sleeps in her crib in the beginning of the night but I usually wake up between midnight and 3 to bring her to our room. She is an overall happy baby and for the most part is quite content playing on her own. We do run into those days that the second I leave her side she starts crying. But it is those days that make me feel as if she still needs me despite her growing independence. Every day I love her more and I never thought it was possible to love something the was I love her. Mommy and daddy love you so much princess!

   

MONTHS 1-5

River Run, PBR and Mothers Day

RIVER RUN
I know this was over a week ago but it is definately blog-worthy. The Peters family participated in our annual River Run. This was actually Kinseys second year (I was pregnant with her last year). We woke up nice and early last Saturday and headed downtown. I just love all of the early morning hustle and bustle down at Douglas and Broadway. The streets were packed with athletic lookings folk, strollers, children and all sorts. We were very tardy in registering this year and had to do it the day of......Bad Peters family. We met Joshs dad and Step mom down there as the boys were going to walk with Kinsey and Debbie and I were going to run. We bid the boys farewell and headed to the front of the pack. We managed to do pretty well and finished. The cold air is pretty crisp on your lungs though. We waited and waited to see the boys. Well it turns as as the run was about to start Kinsey had her morning bowel movement and it exploded everywhere. I mean all over the car seat, out the diaper, all over her shirt and pants....and even got her socks. So needless to say the boys did not end up walking but instead cleaning up a poopy baby. Oh well. Megan suprised Debbie at the finish line with flowers for mothers day. We had been keeping in contact that morning and Megan knew when we were about to finish. You should have seen the look on Debbies face.....priceless. It was such a special moment.

PRO BULL RIDING

Saturday May 8th we attended the Pro Bull Riding show at the Intrust Bank Arena. It was an absolute blast!! We were celebrating our friend Lukes birthday and 7 couples attended. It was so nice to spend the evening with our good friends. Kinsey ended up spending the night with grandma and grandpa so not only did we get to have a night out on the town but we got a GREAT nights sleep as well. Grandma and Grandpa are the BEST. We started the evening out having a BBQ at the Kunkels. Then one of the couples that came got a limo, so we got to cruise down to oldtown in style. I felt pretty darn special :) Well Luke was the special one as it was his bday. It is amazing how big those bulls are close up and I cant even imagine riding one. (Although it may be fun to try.....) Josh and I got home about 11:30 and slept the whole night through until 8:00. Absolute Bliss!!!

MOTHERS DAY

Josh and I woke up Sunday on Mothers Day and drove almost 70mph over to grandma and grandpas house to pick up Kinsey. Although the night of sleep was heavenly, I missed my gal like crazy. Grandma gave a good report and said that Kinsey slept in her pack in play all night and only woke up once to eat. WOW. Maybe she should quit sleeping in our bed and move to her crib.......ok maybe not! Kinsey and I spent the morning in the church nursery caring for the infants. Well actually just I did.....Kins slept in a swing the entire time. It was so nice to get to care for the other babies while their mommies went to the church service. Kinsey and I will be doing this every 2nd Sunday of the month. After church we headed to the Kunkels where Nichole made us Reubens. They were AMAZING. I just love you friend. Josh and Kinsey got me this beautiful bracet with a heart on it. I am going to get Kinseys name engraved on it. It is a braclet I will keep forever, knowing it was my first Mothers day gift. *tear* We took Debbie flowers. She is such an amazing mom!!! We just love her to death. My mom had to work that night so my brother and I took her some flowers before she had to go in. Thanks for teaching me to always do the right thing mom. Although I dont always do it, I am grateful for your love and consistency. I love you!

My brother walked into my house with a bouquet of flowers and wished me a happy mothers day.....more tears...Donald, Debbie and Megan got me a zoo pass!! What a perfect gift. Kinsey and I love the zoo and now can go whenever we want.

Thank you so much for making my first Mothers day the best everyone. I love all of you and cannot tell you how much those gifts meant to me.

Most of all.....Thank you Kinsey for making mothers day!!! I love you more than I will ever be able to tell you. "My whole world.....it begins and ends with you."

4 months!!!

Here we are again!!! Kinsey has finally made it to the big 4 months. Time has just flown by. I will post the pictures then give a brief summary of Kinseys big accomplishments.

                                                  1 month

                                                                           2 months

                                                                          3 months

4 months

Kinsey had her first tasting of rice cereal on her 4 month birthday. She really loved it. I had given her the spoon earlier in the day to play with and suck on so that when we did try to feed her the cereal she would already be familiar with the spoon. It seems that worked pretty well because she managed to swallow quite a bit of the cereal and make a pretty limited mess. She is able to get rolled over onto one side but not quite make it all the way over. She tries so had and gets pretty frustrated when she cant get all the way over. Kinsey also has taking a liking to her jumparoo. She doesnt quite have the jumping down but sure does love to look at and play with all of the toys that surround her.

Today we had her 4 month check up at the Drs. He gave us the go ahead to start trying some baby foods. I must say that does sadden me a bit. My little gal is just growing so fast. It is so wonderful to get to see and experience each new phase she goes through but it makes me really sad to think that she will never go back to the tiny baby she used to be. Ok Ok...I need to stop the tears.

Continuing on.....Kinsey also got her immunizations today. She cried for about 20 seconds and then was all smiles. I thought we had gotten through that pretty well until this afternoon. I am not sure whether it is the shots or a lack of napping, but she has been very grumpy. It took me nearly 2 hours to get her down for a nap and she just now fell asleep. *It is 5:00pm* Yikes.

This weekend the River fest starts. I am one of those old school gals who absolutely loves it. Each year Josh and I would go walk for hours. We just love people watching  down there. We will be attending the Sundown parade on Friday as we do each year. On Saturday it is a good friends birthday and Kinsey will be spending the evening with grandma and grandpa. We are going to a bbq and the the pro bull riding event. We are so excited and will definately post pics.

Have a great week everyone!!!!

Continued.....

Back to our fun weekend! Last Sunday we visited the zoo. Kinsey has been a couple of times already, but the whole family went. Mommy, daddy, Kinsey, uncle Thomas and aunt Meagan. I pack a lunch in a cooler and it barely fit under the stroller. We just had such a lovely day looking at all the animals. Those of us in Wichita do not realize what a FANTASTIC zoo we really have. One of the best in the nation is what I have heard!!! Kinsey was a real trooper. She was awake for the majority of the trip. When she got tired we just pulled the shade on her stroller down and she would nap for a half hour or so. Needless to say we will be doing that again!!!

After the zoo we went to Savannahs dedication at her church. For those of you who dont know Savannah or what a dedication is I will fill you in. Savannah is our friend Mandies daughter. Mandie cares for Kinsey while I am at work. Kinsey and Savannah have become quite good friends as Savannah is 9 months old. We could not have gotten luckier and feel that Kinsey is in the best of care with Mandie. Ok....continuing on.....At Savannahs dedication her parents agree, in front of friends and family, that they will raise her in the likeness of Christ. What an absolutely wonderful gift. It was a powerful (short, because children were involved :)) ceremony. The Smiths are great parents and we just love their friendship!!

Also....today is my besties birthday!!! Happy birthday Kara!!! I just love you to death. I am so lucky to have the friends I do. Tonight we will be going to dinner and have a drink in celebration of Karas birthday. Pictures will soon follow.

Have a great week everyone!!!

What a busy weekend

We had such a fun weekend! I know it is already Wednesday and I should have already blogged about last weekend but I have a month old, forgive me. 
On Saturday Josh and I took Kinsey on a date to one our most favorite places, Old Mill Tasty Shop. I just love that place. Its an old fashioned soda place and they have the best milkshakes. We then went on a long walk around old town. Its quite different to see it during the day. In my old, childless days we would go to the bars there. Now things are much different. We walked for probably 2 hours. We then had a mini photo shoot in a really cool park down there.
Here are some pics:

Kinsey just woke up from her nap so I will continue about our Sunday Funday next:
Bye

This is how I feel!!!!

This picture just says it all!!!!!!

This time of year just makes me soo happy!! The sun is shining and there are so many things I want to do. Last week Kinsey and I went to the ZOO with some friends. The weather was absolutely perfect. Kinsey was a perfect angel. She was awake and enjoying all of the animals from her stroller. In the gorilla exhibit I took her out and held her up so she could see them. She just laughed and laughed. Apparently the gorillas were a big his with her. I am strongly considering getting a zoo pass. It is $50 and it is good for the whole year. It will also get someone in free with me. That definately beats $11 dollars a time.

This weather also makes me realize how much I want to landscape my yard. I mean, all in all we have an ok yard but I would just like to go over the top. Nice little shrubs, mulch gardens, colorful flowers, you name it..... Ok to be honest it probably wont happen but I sure would like it to. I have been wanting to get into gardening recently. But with our work, our small group, friends, family, church events,scrapbooking, book reading...Im not sure if I have the time to fit it in. Not to mention attempting to garden with a small child seems near impossible to me. Although we do have a good friend who does a great job with it. (You give me hope Mandie :))

So.....because it is such a perfect day out, I think Kinsey and I will take her stroller and go for a walk at the park. Then after that perhaps I will spread a blanket under a nice shade tree and read a book while she naps. You must understand that this is my ideal of what will happen today. In all actuality I am the mother of a 3 and a half month old and I am sure hungry cries, blowouts and fussiness will actually dictate what we do today!!!

Have a GREAT Tuesday all!!!