I have a Blog?!?!?!

Wow, 9 months since my last post. We've been b-u-s-y! I have missed getting to sit down and write out what's going on in our lives. It always gives me a good perspective to see it in writing :). Well, I guess since it's been 9 months I'd better start at the top and try to give you the condensed version...

We had a great Christmas, that I evidently did not take one picture of :). With Kyle being a teacher, we get lots of time off to spend with family and we always have a great time.

January brought the sad news that Kyle's grandmother had passed away. I am sad that the kids will not get to know her as they grow up, but eternally grateful for the legacy that she left with her children and grandchildren. Kyle's mom and uncles are stand up people, raised by one fantastic woman. Being around his family in Michigan is indescribably peaceful and energizing. I treasure any time we get to spend up there. Kyle attended the funeral while I stayed here and took care of the little ones. He loves getting to spend time with his extended family and was glad he was able to go.

February rolled around and we saw snow! The first the kids had seen in San Antonio, and extra bonus, Kyle got to stay home from school! Anytime it gets below freezing around here, the whole city shuts down. It's comical, but also something we really enjoy. The kiddos had a great time, they didn't care that it was just a dusting :)


Fast forward to April, and one of my favorite things about being a San Antonian - Fiesta! I LOVE Fiesta. Ok, well, really I love the food. I especially love the food when I'm 9 months pregnant like I was this time around. The kids had a good time, although you can't tell it in Kyle's favorite picture of Aubrey from the day:

I think she was sad because we told her she couldn't have more ice cream :)




And here's my little boy. This poor guys is wired just like his mama! He cannot stay away from the sweet stuff and he sure doesn't know when to say when.

Here's a shot of the action:

It can get pretty busy and crowded downtown so we always go early and leave when it starts getting too packed to be fun anymore.

Well, the best part about April wasn't Fiesta, it was this:


We got to meet our sweet baby girl, Mia. She was born right before Easter, so we couldn't resist this:


Ha! So precious!

Did I mention that we had our house on the market? I don't think I did. So, we bring sweet baby Mia home the day before Easter. Kyle goes back to work the day after Easter, which was new to me. See, Aubrey and Luke were born in the Summer when Kyle was able to be home with all of us for a month. This time, he was right back to work and so was I! Every morning we'd get up bright and early and Kyle would try to clean as much as he could so the house would be in the best shape possible for a showing. Then, I'd get a call and have to round all three kiddos up, pick up any toys, food, or clothes that had been drug out during the day and drive them somewhere for an hour while our house was shown. And I wasn't supposed to be driving, and man, did it hurt! We spent a lot of time at the park and going through automatic car washes. The kids look like this when the machines get going:

We used to love going through car washes when we were kids too, so this really makes me smile.

But, in the end all the running around was worth it, we sold our house when Mia was 3 weeks old. Then we were on the hunt for a new one. After a little searching, we found a house, made an offer and were all set to go on our 10 day trip to Michigan, when we went to the inspection. And guess what? The house had foundation problems. Boo! So, we left for Michigan without a house to move into. Our sweet families were kind enough to offer our whole brood a place to stay. We stayed with my Gramma for a little bit, travelled to Michigan and then stayed at Kyle's parents' house for a while. We finally found our house and it is perfect. Way beyond what we had hoped for and even better than the one that we had had the first contract on.

So, here are some of the pics from our summer trip to Michigan:

Ice Cream at "famous" L&J's. It's called "The Parlor" now in Jackson, MI. Kyle has always raved about this place and their enormous sizes. They didn't disappoint. Here was the 99c kiddie size:




Everything in Michigan was so green! Especially green to us because we've had such a bad drought this year in South Texas.

You can't beat the view from Uncle Leo & Aunt Mary's yard.

We also got to visit Kyle's cousin and her family. The kids all had a blast running around in this huge inflatable water slide/pool/climbing wall. They ran and ran and ran, and it was a great afternoon.

And we spent time up north at the cabin again, and again it rained the whole time we were there. Except, one afternoon when the kids were able to go out on the boat with Daddy. I love these shots. So, 1950s with no cell phones, not tvs or video games. Just Daddy and his kiddos out on a row boat. Peaceful & precious.

At the end of June, our Aubrey Grace turned 4. 4. Wow. 4. (sigh). 4. Time goes by SO fast. I don't even want to think about it. This year, since we still hadn't closed on our house, we had her party at Chuck E. Cheese with just a couple friends. To quote her: "This is the best birthday ever!". She got to go into the "Ticket Blaster" with Daddy:


She got enough tickets to get anything she wanted at the counter. It is funny how that makes you swell with joy and excitement as a parent to say "Honey, you can have anything you want". So, what did she go for? A Chuck E. Cheese lunchbox. Then she gave the rest of her tickets to her little brother and friend so they could have swords.

Then we moved into our house. I don't have pictures of that, but someday I'll show you. It has 4 rooms, so each child has their own space. The closets are huge and the pantry is ginormous. It really is a great space and I like it more and more every day.

At the end of June Luke turned 3. We had family come over so they could see the new house and Luke was happy as a lark. He wanted a green dinosaur cake, so that's what mama made :)


He's getting so big. I selfishly want him to stay little. He's just so stinking cute! And he's cuddly. I am sad for the day to come with he doesn't or can't sneak into my lap anymore and nuzzle his little face into my shoulder.

After birthdays, being homeless and moving, we were onto enjoy the rest of our summer. So, what exactly do you do in San Antonio in the summer when it's 104 every day and there hasn't been rain in so long you can't remember? This:

It kind of looks abusive, but I promise, she really likes it! And, while she's having fun, daddy's having fun and the yard is getting a little water :)

Well, now I've caught you up on the last 9 months. I hope it's not another 9 months for the next post. But, I'm not promising anything :)

We love you!

Sweet Michigan

We were able to visit Michigan last month to see Kyle's grandmother. She was celebrating her 90th birthday, and she had never met Luke. It was a fantastic trip. Kyle's parents are both from Michigan and we have only gone up one other time since we've been married and it's a shame, because I'd love to be up there more often. Being around his family is energizing and encouraging; you couple that with the beautiful fall weather and scenery and I just never want to leave.

Kyle's grandmother has been in the hospital for a few months, has a hard time hearing and has a tracheotomy, but that doesn't stop her from lighting up the room. We were only able to take the kids in for a few minutes (like 3 minutes) and we had to wear protective gowns and the kids weren't allowed to touch her or sit with her. Couple that with her hard hearing and the fact that she cannot talk because of the tracheotomy and it didn't paint a good mental picture for how the visit with a 2 and 3 year old would go. God knocked my socks off when Grandma Harlow was smiling and blowing kisses to the kids and mouthing "I love you" to them. They mouthed "I love you" to her and blew kisses and told her "Happy Birthday" and it's a memory that I know I'll treasure and that I hope Aubrey will be able to keep with her. Luke is probably a little young to remember for long, but it brings me to tears just thinking about how incredibly glad I was that we took them up there to see her. She has been through some tough things in her life and not only made it through the tough times with grace, but is continuing to finish her life well and bring joy to anyone she's around.

We did not take the camera to the hospital, but we did get lots of shots of us staying at Aunt Mary & Uncle Leo's. Those two are fabulous! They were on the floor playing with the kids, reading books to them and took us on several walks to the beach (they live off Lake Eerie). I am very hopeful that we'll get to take a trip up there next Summer with the new little one, but until then, we have wonderful memories and these pictures:

Luke and Aunt Karen on the stairs at Leo and Mary's

Aunt Mary & Aubrey

Uncle Leo blowing bubbles with Luke and a little boy who lives 2 houses down.

Aunt Janeen and the kids on a backyard swing.

Luke and Kyle outside the hospital. Look at that gorgeous red tree!

What a beautiful family! This is Uncle Leo & Aunt Mary's backyard; not too shabby!



Luke And Aunt Mary having fun on the beach.

Aubrey walking in the water.

A Great Halloween!

Howdy to anyone who still looks in on us :). Sorry it's been so long. We have our house on the market, which means we've hidden the computer out of sight and it's a little bit of an ordeal to get it out. Kyle's school laptop won't let me blog, so I only have the chance to update this every now and then.

Halloween was so great for us last night. Aubrey and Luke LOVED trick or treating and were pretty much pros at it. Here is our Cinderella and Dude (Squirt from "Finding Nemo")



I, being the graceful soul that I am, dropped the camera and broke it about 2 houses into our trick-or-treating. So, here's what the pics turned out like:


If you look hard you can see that the dogs in this house were dressed up. The kids got a hoot out of that. Aubrey was running from house to house and being very polite, helping Luke up stairs and down hills and patiently waiting for him when he lagged behind. By then end of our 30 minute trip around the block, we thought their poor little arms were going to be pulled out of socket their little pumpkins were so heavey. So, we called it a night and let them come home and check out the loot.


This should be enough candy to last at least a month. When Aubrey took her shoes off, they had rubbed about 3 huge blisters open per foot and she hadn't said a thing! That girl was having a blast getting candy!

Once we got home, Aubrey couldn't wait to hand out candy to the trick or treaters. We sat in our driveway and passed out candy to the rest of the kids and had a blast. Luke wasn't so thrilled about giving the candy away and was concerned enough to only give one piece per child. His big sister, on the other hand, gave away about 6 pieces per child, so they evened each other out.

Grandma & Grandpa Kellogg, Aunt Janeen and Cole, and G.G. Kellogg came over and got into the fun with us, which we were really greatful for. All in all, probably the most fun Halloween I've ever had and I can't wait for next year!

I have a ton more to post about the past two months, but I've got to get back to the little ones for now. We love you all dearly and hope to get to see you soon.

Love,

Jacqui

Turning 2 in the Kellogg House :)

Hey Guys!

I hope your July was great and that as the Summer winds down you are looking forward to Fall like we are :). We had a fun July that ended with Luke turning 2! When you turn 2 in our house a lot happens. The day before your party you go to Chuck E. Cheese with the family, you have your party, the day after your party you throw your pacifier away, then 2 weeks later you get intense potty training. That's a lot for both mommy and new two year old! So, what does all that look like, you ask? I'll show you :)

So, here we are the day before the party and for Luke this year in addition to Chuck E. Cheese, we got to go swimming at Aunt Janeen's community pool! Here are the pics:


And from there we were off to Chuck E. Cheese!
Air Hockey with Dad.

Gettin' some precious lovin' from Aunt Janeen.

Gathering the loot :)


Whew! What a day! Now for the BIG day - the party :)

I made a bunny cake from one of the Wilton cake pans. This was a lot, let me say that again, A LOT of work! Kyle's mom made them these kind of cakes routinely when Kyle and his sisters were young and all I can say is that is one patient woman! The likelyhood that you'll see another one of these cakes made by me is slim to none :)

Ready to open some presents.

A face I can't get enough of:

Second Cousins Kaylie and Kylie enjoying some couch time!

I LOVE this picture! Luke took the camera into his own hands and got this great shot of a Pa Paw who was a willing subject :)

Great Aunt Gina and second cousin Christina brought bubbles for all the kids to enjoy, and enjoy they did.

The favorite gift, two basketball hoops!


All the cousins jumping on the bed. One fell off and bumped his head... (couldn't resist :)

Still going long after the party has gone...

And where should we look for my precious girl when it gets a little quiet? Why at the watermelon of course!


The party was a great time to get to catch up with our family. We had the great joy this time of not only enjoying aunts, grandparents and great grandparents, but also a great aunt, a couple second cousins and even twin girls who are third cousins to the kids! It was really a fabulous time.

Now onto the next day; the day we toss the pacifier. I have to admit I was preparing myself emotionally for this all month. What we have had both Aubrey and Luke do is tell them that when they turn 2 they won't need their paci's anymore and we have them throw them away and in turn give them a big treat. I really thought we were in for hours of crying for countless nights and serious sleep deprivation as Luke worked out his emotions. I am SO thrilled to report that was not the case at all. He walked right over to the trash can and tossed his paci in and was all too delighted to trade it for a Super Blow Pop. We thought, well step one is done, let's see how the night goes@ He did cry, but only for 20 minutes, which was way less than I was expecting. He continued to cry for 20 minutes for the next nap and next bedtime, then it gradually decreased, to now, 2 weeks later, he might cry for one minute, sometimes not at all. We are so thankful!

Now that we got him through that traumatic event, we started intense potty training today! We bought him big boy underwear and treats to get him into the whole potty and pooping on the toilet thing. Let me take a sidenote here: little boys underwear are some of the most adorable things I have ever seen. I have always wanted another little girl because I love the hairbows and dresses and pink, pink, pink. But, I have to tell you after seeing his tiny hiney running around the house all morning in his "Cars" underoos, another little boy would be just fine too :). So, he's been sans-diaper all morning and has had one accident and has gone on the toilet 5 times, so I'm calling the morning successful and about to lay him down for a nap. I can use all the prayers you have the inclination to give as we hash this new phase out for the next few weeks! :)

I hope you enjoyed reading, and have an August full of positive blessings. We love you guys.

What a June!

Hey Guys!

It was a busy, busy June and I loved every minute of it! Ok, if I am being honest, not every minute, but most of it :) We had a trip to Lubbock, swim lessons, a baby shower in Fort Worth, a birthday party and kicked of the start of July with a trip to the coast for the 4th!

We had so much fun on our trip to Lubbock. I loved getting to see all the nieces and nephew (Mason and Luke were two boys amidst 6 little girls!). We needed Jason's 3 boys in the mix to tip the scales a little. Madi, Gabi and Caden were p-r-e-c-i-o-u-s!!! I was so glad we got to see them face to face. Little Mason(4) was a super snuggler, Salem (1 1/2) had the kind of energy you want to bottle up and sell and McKenna was so good being patient with all the little ones. Her patience really shined when we tried to wrangle all 8 littles ones together to take a picture. Can you imagine 8 kids, 7 of them 4 and under trying to sit still for a picture? What you're picturing in your head is probably right on the money. It was hilarious. I heard some of the pictures turned out pretty good, I can't wait to see the end result, but I have to tell you the belly laughs I had in the process were worth it! Here are a couple shots from the trip:

Lubbock is windy. If you head 10 minutes outside Lubbock, it is WINDY. This is Aubrey on my mom's trampoline in the great West Texas wind :).

The kids really love feeding my mom's cows. And for some reason the pictures always turn out super clear on my mom's land.

Luke with his great-grandpa. This is a treasure to me.

A shot of only a portion of the kiddos sitting down to dinner.

And finally, look at these two old geesers hooked on their technology :) I love these guys.


Swim lessons went really well. I was curious to see how the kids would do and they did pretty good. Aubrey listened to her instructor really well and was completely comfortable in the water, even though she would not put her face in the water on her own. But, I was ok with that; I know it will come with time. Luke did not freak out in the water as I had feared, so that was a big blessing. He didn't love being dunked, but he only cried for an extensive time one day :). Here are a couple shots of the last day.

Luke liked the noodle the best.

Aubrey's little class. So cute!

I know this is not the best shot, but there was a big slide (maybe 2 1/2 stories?) and Aubrey went down with gusto the first day, then climbed right back up on the last day of class and then backed out. This is her little silouhette looking out from the top.


We headed to Fort Worth in the middle of the month for a baby shower for Mandy. It was a blast to see Amy, Mandy and Roni. I hope with all my heart that every one of you has friends like these. Even if we don't see each other for months, we come together without any pause or pretention and I treasure it. I did not get great shots of the shower, so I'll just post one of that and one of the kids.
Emma is too cute with her beautiful red hair!

Opening baby girl stuff!

The month ended with us celebrating Aubrey's 3rd birthday. It was perfect. We had family over and had a Cars theme. Aubrey and Luke were pretty glued to the movie playing in the background other than when presents and cake came out! Aubrey has got this birthday thing down now. She sat patiently and quietly while we sang "Happy Birthday", and promptly blew out her candles as the song came to a close. You know it's funny, because when she was 1, she kind of just stared at all of us singing to her and had to be fed each bite of cupcake. When she was two she was shy about everyone singing to her and wasn't really sure if she was supposed to chime in, or just sit back and take it all in. And when she knew what to do this year, it was just a visual for me to realize how much she's grown and changed in the past 3 years and just how fast all this goes. Somebody told me the other day that when you have preschoolers at home, "The days are long, but the years are short." Amen, sister. These years are going by so fast, even when the days are long and I am so glad that every now and then I am blessed enough to get to sit back and take it all in.

We love you guys and hope to get to see you soon.

Love,

Jacqui