Random Thoughts!

Just have a few quiet minutes to think about a few things right now since Ray isn't home yet and Kenley is napping.  It's kinda wierd and I don't really know what to do with myself!  Usually during a time like this I would be cleaning like a madwoman!  I will be the first to admit that I am a neat freak.  I can not stand it when my house is not clean and everything is in its place.  I realize I will have to get over this as Kenley gets older and all her toys start invading the house, but right now I think I'm doing a pretty good job about keeping things neat.  So, back to my point-the reason I am not cleaning right now is because I am having a cleaning lady come next week!  I am so beyond excited about this that it is kind of sick.

I've had a few hard weeks at work and have cried several times over being away from my baby.  I'm sure every working mom understands.  I think these few weeks have been especially difficult because I have a few students that are driving me nuts that make it harder to go to work.  Plus, Kenley has been so tired a few days that she has been going to bed before 7:00!  I hate it because then it is like I only get to see her for 2 hours a day.  I'll keep wishing to win the lottery....(guess I better start playing!)

Halloween is on Monday and I'm excited to dress Kenley up.  She's going to be a pink elephant.  I'm sure I'll take lots of pictures, if we can get her to keep the costume on for a few minutes.  We're just going to take her to a few of the neighbor's houses, and then Ray and I will eat the candy :)  It's pretty crazy that this is basically the start to the holidays.  It gets me pretty excited to start thinking about decorating the house and buying gifts!  I'm hoping our house will be even more festive than it was last year because I have been accumulating decorations over the past year.  I'm sure Ray will be thrilled when he realizes everything he has to help me put up!  I think I get this from my mom because she always went all out for Christmas.  Growing up, we even had Christmas decorations in the bathrooms! 

SO looking forward to the weekend! 

October

The past few weeks have gone by so fast, I haven't even have time to blog at all.  I had to look at my last post to see what was going on then and realized it has been almost a month!  Today Kenley is officially 10 months old!  She is really cruising around now crawling everywhere and getting into everything!  She also got another tooth, so she is up to 5 now.  Part of the reason I haven't blogged is because for a few weeks we have all been passing around a cold!  I had kind of a bad week and between being sick, and the cold dreary weather I was just kinda cranky all week. Unfortunately, I ended up being sick on my birthday.  Kenley had been sick a few days before and Ray and I took off the day of my birthday planning to do something fun, but then I got sick.  Now, two weeks later Kenley seemed unable to get rid of it so I finally took her to the doctor and found out she had an ear and sinus infection. It didn't seem to bother her too much, and for the most part she has been her happy, playful self.  She's already getting a lot better from being on medicine the past few days. 
On a positive note, this week has been much better.  I am so excited to enjoy this beautiful weather and even more excited that I have a 3 day weekend! I took Kenley out in the jogging stroller and could have stayed out there all day.  I know I better enjoy these warm days because it could be snowing in a few weeks. My parents are going to babysit Kenley tonight so that I can go get a massage, and then Ray and I are going out for a date night.  We are also getting new carpeting put in our lower level right now.  It seems like the weekend is off to a great start!

Hanging on to summer

The last few weeks have been pretty busy with  being back at work and trying to settle back into the routine of things.  We've been lucky that the weather has been pretty decent, even though there has already been a few chilly days.  Last weekend, we went  to Wisconsin with Jake, Ray's co-worker, and his wife Sarah and their baby girl Sydney.  Their friends were also up there with their 18 month old daughter.  It was a really relaxing time and we stayed at a really large house right on the lake.  Jake took us out on his boat on Saturday morning and it was so quiet and peaceful.  We had a great time and it was so much fun to see Kenley interacting with the other girls.  It was especially fun to see Kenley with Sydney since they are only 2 weeks apart.  Kenley had a very exciting week and within just a few days she learned how to crawl, pulled herself to a standing position, and her top 2 teeth started coming in. We can't believe what a BIG girl she is really turning into. 
Kenley turned 9months old last week and she went to the doctor for her check up.  29 inches long, and 20 lbs!  She is still in the 95% for her height, and down to the 75% for weight.  Everything looks great, and my only concern that I talked to the doctor about was that she is still not sleeping throught the night.  So, the past three nights, we have let her "cry it out."  It has been hard, especially the first night when she cried for over an hour around midnight, but already it has gotten to be less and less each night.  We're hoping within a few days she will be sleeping through the night without having a bottle.  We know we need to do it, and we're hoping for the best!
Today we went out to lunch with Joan and Mike to celebrate Joan's 30th Birthday!  We were sorry we missed her party last weekend, so it was good to catch up with them.  Wow, we are all getting old!  Next week will be my 29th, so I have to enjoy my last year of my 20's!!

Back to school

This is my second week back to work, but only my first full week of having students.  It's been a very busy start to the school year, and I'm already exhausted!  I had a rough start to last week when I went back to work and was informed that all of my electronic files from the last 7 years had been deleted!  Needless to say I was livid and pretty much had a breakdown for a few hours.  Once I picked up Kenley and got home I decided that I wasn't going to dwell on it, and I just had to get over it.  Somehow, late on Friday, one of our tech guys came to me and told me that most of my files were able to be recovered!  Thank God.  It saved me a lot of time and stress. 
It has been very difficult to leave Kenley every day and I'd be lying if I said there were no tears...mine though, not hers.  She has been happy and smiling every time I drop her off and pick her up.  It is so cute to see her interacting with the other two boys that go to the babysitters.  They are very sweet with her and bring her toys and make sure she has her pacifier.  I am really greatful to already have a 3day weekend to get to be home with my baby girl, and of course my husband :)

Cruising

It was bittersweet coming home from vacation.  Sad that summer is almost over and that the vacation we looked forward to for so long was over, but happy to come back home to Kenley.  We had an amazing vacation!  We spent the first two nights in Miami and stayed at Fountaine Bleu hotel which was awesome.  It had more pools than any hotel I have ever been to.  We got so lucky with the weather our entire trip.  It rained a little bit a few days, but it was always later in the afternoon so it never affected our plans.  In Miami we enjoyed being right on the beach, and swimming in the pools late at night.  We also spent some time on Lincoln Ave. which was a big strip of shops, bars, and resturaunts.  It was a great start to the vacation before the cruise.  Our ship, Majesty of the Seas, was really nice.  It was very similar to the ship we had been on before, but maybe a bit smaller.  The first day we went to Nassau and went to the Atlantis resort.  We spent most of the day in the pools, going on the waterslides, and in the awesome lazy river.  We also checked out the aqarium which was pretty cool.  The second day we were at Coco Caye and we enjoyed the beach.  Melissa and I rented floating beach mats and could have layed on them all day long.  We didn't realize how far out the waves were taking us a few times!  Then, the last day we were in Key West.  We shopped around and then did a jet ski tour.  It was probably the highlight of our trip.  We rode 30 miles around the entire island.  The guys finally gave in and let me and Melissa drive, of course, just as a brief storm came in, so we were driving in these crazy waves out in the middle of the ocean.  Every night on the cruise ship was a lot of fun.  We had really nice dinners, went to the casino, and participated in a lot of the events.  The last night we all did karaoke and played the adult game show, which ended up being hilarious.
Of course every day we talked about the babies and what they were doing, and we called home almost every day to check on her.  It sounded like Kenley had as much fun as we did spending time with both sides of the family.  When we first got back, it took her a few minutes to warm up to me, but by the next day she was fine again.  These are my last few days before I go back to work, so I have been taking full advantage of every minute.  Today I took Kenley to the farmer's market, and to the park.  It was such a nice day out.  I'm hoping it is just as nice this weekend so that we can spend some more time outside.  Hopefully the next few days go by slowly because I think I am in denial about starting school on Monday!

Stay away Emily!!

We're leaving tomorrow morning to head out to Miami!  Right now I'm just praying that we don't run into the tropical storm Emily that has been travelling toward Florida the past few days.  It looks like it is supposed to die down a bit, and then head farther north up the coast, so hopefully we will get out on our cruise okay.  I have had mixed emotions about going on vacation, but I am excited.  This week has been really nice and I finally got to take Kenley to Orland Pool.  We went with Cheryl, and Kenley was even able to go in the lazy river for a little while even though she didn't really like the life vest she had to wear.  She has progressed even more this week, and is getting up on her knees and rocking back and forth, so I know crawling is right around the corner.  I hope I don't miss her first time crawling!  The past few days she has been saying "mama" and "baba".  I know that she doesn't know what these words mean yet, but of course I was happy to hear her say mama, and surprised that it was her first word.  I was sure she would say "dada" first like most babies, but I guess being with me every day she hears me say it a million times :)  I know that Grandma Kruse and Grandma and Grandpa Voight are VERY excited to each have a few days with Kenley.  I know she will have a lot of fun and get lots of attention.  I'll miss my baby girl, but in a few days I will be on the beach with a pina colada in my hand!!

                                                              My little Beach Babe!!

Mr. and Mrs. Cooney

Last weekend was my sister and Greg's wedding.  It was so beautiful and everything was awesome.  I know they had an amazing day and everyone had so much fun.  In the morning we got our hair done at the salon, and then went to my mom's house to finish getting ready.  We ended up getting pretty lucky with the weather.  Even though it was raining a little bit on our way to the church, the sun came out the rest of the day, so they were able to get some outdoor pictures.  The ceremony was very nice (and short!)  Katie looked so beautiful and Greg looked awesome.  They both had big smiles on their faces the whole day. Kenley was so cute and well-behaved during the ceremony. She stole the show for a few seconds when she was wheeled down the aisle.  Then, we all went in the limo to cruise around a little bit before the reception.  It was a big wedding, so it was really nice to see all of our family and friends.  It was especially nice to see some of my cousins who had come in from out of town. Everything was great- the food, the drinks, the music, the chocolate fountain.  I think everyone had a good time. Katie and Greg are on their honeymoon in St. Lucia and I hope they're having a great time!
My parents also left for vacation this week to go on a cruise to Nova Scotia.  It has been wierd, especially since the weeks leading up to the wedding we were all calling and seeing each other a lot, to not have any contact with them and Katie and Greg.  But, I am looking forward to our vacation starting at the end of next week.  We are heading to Miami and then going on a cruise to the Bahamas.  We're going with our friends, Jim and Melissa Rose.  It will be very hard for both of us to leave our babies behind, but I know they will be in great company with their grandparents. I hope I don't get too sad, and that I am able to fully enjoy the vacation.  I am really looking forward to the excursion to the Atlantis resort.  I have always wanted to go there, and we will be able to use all of their ammenities the entire day.  I'm also lookng forward to Ray and I having some time together away from home.  It has been such an amazing, crazy, busy year and it will be great for us to be able to relax together. 

 

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears

 

Last weekend we went to Brookfield Zoo.  It was honestly one of my favorite days of the summer.  I had been looking forward to taking Kenley to the zoo for a while, and we just had a really fun time spending some family time together. It was a very warm day, but we stayed cool by going into some of the indoor exhibits, and eating italian ice.  One of the first things we did was go into the butterly garden.  This was one of my favorite parts and Kenley was looking all around.  She would really keep her eyes on the butterflies and where they were flying.  We also petted the stingrays, and even one of the little baby stingrays came over by me.  They were very soft and smooth. Kenley was a very good girl at the zoo, and like usual she didn't want to miss out on anything and stayed awake pretty much the whole time.  Of course, she only drifted off right before the dolphin show and then we had to wake her up because they didn't allow strollers in.  I tried to point out some of the dolphins right as they were jumping so she would look in that direction. 

This week has been very hot, so we have been getting full use of the baby pool!  Kenley could sit in there for hours and splash around.  I also took her to my Aunt Tammy's house to go swimming one day this week, and again she loved being in her floaty.    She is getting so strong and can now hold her body up into a full push-up posistion.  She uses this to help her scoot around.  It is so funny to see her like a little body builder holding all of her strength on ther arms and toes.  She seems pretty proud of herself and smiles and laughts when she accomplishes this.  I know it won't be long before she is crawling!  Only 2 days until Katie and Greg's wedding!  I am very excited and it's going to be very fun since we are all standing up.  I can't wait to see Kenley wheeled down the isle in her little wagon.  I know it is going to be an amazing day, and I am very happy for my sister and Greg who have waited a long time for this special day.

Happy 30th Birthday Ray!!

Thursday is Ray's 30th Birthday!  We celebrated this weekend by going to a White Sox game.  It was a lot of fun even though it was pretty hot out.  Kenley was very good and enjoyed her first Sox game.  Luckily, the grandparents all took turns keeping her in the shade.  It was a fun day, and they even won!  I gave Ray his birthday present, which was a Raymond Weil watch that he has been drooling over for a long time.  I think he was truly surprised to get it.  On Thursday Kenley and I are going to take him out to dinner.  Other than that, I have just been enjoying the summer.  We have been to a few pools, and have spent a lot of time outside.  This is probably why people tell me that Kenley has a tan!  She also loves that I take her in the jogging stroller almost every day.  Today we stopped at the park and she went in the swing.  We also saw a huge yellow butterfly that was flying around us and then landed and even let me touch it.  This is about my half-way mark of going back to school :( I try not to think about it, but I know the rest of the summer will go by so fast with Katie's wedding coming up, and us going on vacation.  I still have a few things that I want to do like get to Orland Park pool, stop by the farmer's market, take Kenley to the zoo, and go to the outlet mall.  I am hoping I will get a chance to do all of these things in the next few weeks.

                                            

Happy Birthday America!

This weekend was the 4th of July, and we had a very fun couple of days.  On Friday night, we had dinner with Joan and Mike.  It was really nice, and I think it was the first time the 4 of us have ever been able to get together!  Now that they live just a few miles away I am hoping we will get to see them more.  Saturday Ray went golfing in the morning at Cog Hill. He was looking forward to this since they only play this course once a year.  Later in the day Alison and Ken came over with Kyle and Jordan.  The kids had a great time playing around in the baby pool, and I was glad to finally use it.  On Sunday Jim and Melissa brought Caden over for a little bbq.  Then on Monday we wnt to the Cooney's for their annualy 4th of July party and spent some time in thier pool.  Kenley also experienced her first fire works!  She cried a little for a few that were really loud, so I took her inside to calm her down, but then we went back out and I covered her ears.  She was mesmerized looking up at the sky and her eyes got really big, but she didn't cry again.  I was really surprised because I even jumped for a few since they were only a few feet in front of us!  So, overall it was a really fun weekend and we got to see a lot of people.  It was so nice to be outside the majority of the weekend. We also just found out that my cousin Rob and Pam found out that they are expecting a baby boy!  I am so excited for them, and excited for Kenley to have a playmate at family get-togethers!