We had a very busy weekend! The Christmas Cantata went so well! Kenley was a bit fussy the first night because I was trying to hold her like a baby (she hates that) but she was happy again once I handed her off to Rosa and then Rosa handed her off to Brian. She did great the second night though! Somehow she managed to squeal just before Gary said the line "an infant's cry" it was great. Yesterday after the morning service we got to have lunch with Jim, Jenny, and David who came up for the Cantata, which was a special treat!


I love my Pleasant Acres Family so much! I am really sad that we will be missing the Candlelight Service and Christmas with the Preacher!

I better go get everything packed up for our trip to Washington! Please pray for a safe flight and a happy baby! :)

4 Month Check-up 12-10-2009

For some reason the drive to the doctor makes Kenley spit up buckets full all over herself and the car seat. Kenley did great at her doctors appointment though. The Nurse Practitioner who we saw said that she wished every baby was as calm as Kenley. Kenley weighs in at 11lbs 12oz which is only in the 6th percentile for babies her age, they said it wasn't a big deal at this point but they will re-evaluate at the next appointment to make sure she is still growing okay. She is 24 inches long which puts her in the 27th percentile and her head circumference is just over 16 inches which puts her in the 39th percentile. So basically my baby is small :). I was told that we could start solids with her but I will probably wait until she is about 6 months old. She gave the corpsman a very dirty look when he gave her the shots, it was priceless I wish I could have captured it on camera! This time Mommy didn't pass out during the shots so that is an improvement!

Random Life

Sorry about the lack of posts. I could make up some excuse as to why I have been so boring but instead I will just say sorry and I will do better!

I had a great time yesterday with Rosa I will post about our adventure tomorrow so that you can see the photos :) Last night I went over to Rosa's and I made my Southwest Soup with Homemade Chips, they LOVED it! Squeal! I love when people love my food :)

Speaking of food, I started a recipe blog. It is nothing special yet but I wanted a place where I could keep track of how I make things because sometimes I will throw stuff together and it tastes great but then I try to make it again and I forgot how I made it. Check it out!

In Kenley news:
She has been super clingy today, the kind of clingy where if she cant see me at all times she screams her head off. I am wondering if she is upset because Brian has been gone and maybe she is worried that I might leave too? I realize she is only 4 months but I think babies can sense things.... can't they?

Oh yeah,
Brian is in Baltimore. He is loading up a ship or something like that. I am not exactly sure about the details :) Don't feel bad for him though, I hear the ship has a self serve soft serve ice cream machine. I think he will do just fine :) He will make it back just in time for our Church's Christmas Cantata!

Speaking of the Cantata...

You are cordially invited to...
December 12th and 13th
Pleasant Acres Church
New Bern, NC

Brian will be playing Cassius, I will be playing Mary, and Kenley will be playing baby Jesus. Pray for us! Hopefully Kenley will be her sweet content self :) Hopefully!!!

Really though, I am very excited about this years Cantata. We had a rehearsal tonight and some of the parts made me tear up! It gives us such a reminder of why we really celebrate Christmas! Please come and see it! I would love it and I think you will too!

Well I think that is enough randomness for one night :)

Kenley's Stats

This is the face Kenley makes all the time while she babbles. She loves to babble on and on and on.... I think she gets it from the Goodfellow and Payne girls :).

The Cherry Point Visiting Nurse was just here and Kenley weighed in at 11lbs 8oz. She is getting so big! There are 2 little boys at our church who were born exactly 2 weeks and 1 week before her and both of them already weigh over 14 lbs! I am glad that she isn't up to 14lbs yet though because the car seat is already getting too heavy to carry!

December Goals

November Goals Recap
I accomplished all but one of my goals for November! The only thing that I didn't get accomplished was my sweater project. Brian will be going on a trip to Baltimore soon though so I will have plenty of time to get those finished. We also painted our main living area! I love how the color turned out! I still have some Christmas decorations to put up and then I will post pictures of how it looks!

1. Wash and Box up Maternity Clothes
2. Wash and Box up Brian's Desert Cammies
3. Paint my toes for the Ball
4. Make Sweater Project
5. Get Kenley's room under control
6. Wash couches
7. Make Ornament Wreath
8. Get Office under control
9. Make Chalkboard paint project
10. List stuff on Craigslist
11. Clean out Fridge

December Goals
I am going to go easy on the goals this month since we will only be home for a short time. I will post about the presents after they have been given to their recipients.

1. Finish Sweater Project
2. Pack Early
3. Clean out fridge again before trip
4. Paint Ceiling
5. Make presents for family members
6. Make appointment to get Sadie groomed
7. Clean house before trip
8. Buy filters for my Roomba
9. Send out Christmas Cards

Jillian Michaels just kicked my booty

I am a huge fan of The Biggest Loser. I remember back when they used to show the actual nutrition aspect of what the contestants were going through rather than just being one big advertisement for Jennie-O, Extra, Ziploc, and Brita Filters. Nonetheless I love watching, what can I say, I will always love a good before & after. If I were to go on the show I would definitely want Jillian Michaels as my trainer, I like Bob but I think I need the Jillian no nonsense kind of training. {Speaking of Bob, is anyone else waiting for him and Amanda to just kiss already? :)}
For Christmas this year I asked Brian to get me the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. He did! I know because I accidentally found the receipt so he gave it to me early! We tried it out tonight and let me tell you Jillian kicked my butt (Brian's too)! My arms feel like jello! I am scared to go to bed because I know that I am going to wake up sore!

I really DID NOT want to workout with Brian. For some reason the thought of working out with him is totally intimidating. Maybe because he is a Marine and all I did the past year was be pregnant and then have a baby. Honestly not much exercise has happened since high school. I am glad that I did it with him though because Jillian had Brian sweating too! So hopefully this is a start and maybe now I will go running with him like he wants me too.... Maybe....

Kenley is 4 months today!

Kenley is growing up so fast! On Saturday she started laughing! Before when she would laugh it was really more of a high pitched squealing noise but now it actually sounds like laughing!

One year ago today was one of the best days of my life.

One year ago today I took a pregnancy test. I was sure that I wasn't pregnant but I did it anyway. When I saw that the test was positive I was in shock, the kind of shock where you black out and can't even remember your own name :). I called Brian in to the bathroom to see it. He didn't know I had taken it yet so he thought I was calling him in there to kill a bug. :) Then he saw it. He was shocked too. I never could have imagined how much having this sweet baby girl would change our lives or how much love I would have for her.

Since it was a Sunday morning and I was so excited that I could barely keep it in, I told all of the babies in the nursery.

Thankful

I have SO much to be thankful for not just today being Thanksgiving but everyday! God has blessed me far beyond what I deserve. I deserve Hell. I am so thankful that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and for yours. Above all I am thankful for my salvation.

Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our LORD.
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 10:13
For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.
Romans 10:9-10
That if you confess with your mouth the LORD Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

I am thankful for a loving and Godly Husband.I am thankful to God for blessing us with Kenley. She is such a blessing to our lives. I am convinced that she is the best baby ever :) {Thanks for the onesie Auntie Kimbe!}

I am thankful for our Church. Our Church family has become our family. I love the people at Pleasant Acres so much. I want to pack them all up and move them with us wherever we go.
I am thankful for our parents and siblings.

I am thankful for the Marine Corps. God has blessed our family through the Marine Corps. I know the day will come when Brian and I will be separated by a deployment, and that will be hard, but God's Will and God's timing are always perfect.


Do you like the new paint color? We are still painting! I am so thankful for this long weekend that my hubby can be home so that we can finish!

Happy 1st Thanksgiving Kenley!

Movin on Up!

Yesterday Kenley moved up to the next size of pacifier and today I bought size 2 diapers! They are a little big on her but I have been using our cloth diapers more now so this box should last us a while. My baby is getting so big. I already need to start packing up all the clothes that are too small for her. It amazes me how fast she is growing up!

{This photo is from a while ago, but this is pretty much all she did today because we drove up to Raleigh with our friend Jamie and her son Jordan}

Family Pictures 11-21-2009

Rosa took family pictures for us on Saturday! It sure was cold out by the water but I love how they turned out! There were way to many pictures to post on here so the rest of my pictures are on my facebook page!

The Infirmary

The Ronk Infirmary is open for business. Yesterday, poor Kenley had a runny nose and when she would cry her little voice sounded so hoarse. It was pitiful. Later in the day Brian's voice started to flee and he felt like he was catching the cold too. This morning I woke up with a really sore throat. Hopefully this bug passes through our house soon! Right now I am loading up on some Vitamin C, hopefully that will help Kenley too!

This was the first year that I have ever gotten a flu shot and I have gotten sick so much more this year than any other year.

Even with a sore throat, I will not miss the midnight showing of New Moon tonight :)

Maple Bacon Chickpeas

I have a new BFF, its name is Bacon Salt.

Don't worry Mom, its fat and calorie free so it wont make my feet look small. :) It is also Vegetarian so you and Kimbe can make this too!

These chickpeas taste just like BBQ Potato Chips! If Brian doesn't get home soon I will probably eat the whole batch!
Maple Bacon Chickpeas
1 Can Chickpeas (drained, rinsed, and patted dry)
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 Tsp Canola Oil
1 Tsp Bacon Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
Spread chickpeas onto sheet.
Bake for 35 minutes.
Stir every five minutes to ensure that they get crispy on all sides. Enjoy!

Dare to be thankful

This weeks dare was "Dare to...be Thankful"

I was a bit stumped on what to do for this dare since Thanksgiving has never really been a huge holiday for me. One tradition that Kimberly and I always did with my mom was we would make bread dough turkeys (since ya know we didn't eat the real thing). I want to carry that tradition on with Kenley and any other kiddos we may have (just not the not eating turkey thing). :)

They are super easy to make, I just took some Rhodes frozen dinner rolls and let them thaw and then once they had risen I shaped the rolls into the turkey. I used cloves for the eyes and this time I topped the rolls with melted butter, rosemary, and sea salt but when we were little we used to top them with butter and cinnamon sugar.

Marine Corps Ball 2009

We had a great time at the ball! The guest of honor was a Christian and basically the main theme of his message was that in the Marine Corps they always say God, Country, Corps and we need to get back to having God be first. It was really refreshing to hear about God at a Marine Corps function! The hotel we stayed at was sooo nice with a huge king sized bed it was awesome! I missed my Kenley so much though!

Here we are with Anthony and Jamie. They are new to our church and we are all becoming fast friends!

Its Ball Day!

Our Marine Corps Ball is tonight! I am really excited because this year it is in Greenville and we are staying at a hotel! Kenley will be having another sleepover at the Goodfellows.

Right now I am rushing trying to get everything ready for us to leave because last night instead of getting everything ready I finished one ornament wreath while we finished watching the first season of Lost.

Lost wrinkles my brain! :)

Check out the big girl!!

Look at her sitting in the Bumbo! She is getting so big! She still isn't good enough at holding her head up to really sit in there for any length of time without me holding her head up but it is so fun letting her try new things!

Guess what we are doing!

November Goals So Far

The goals are going pretty well. I think that I will make posting them a monthly thing because it has definitely kicked my rear into gear.

Here is what I have crossed off so far

1. Wash and Box up Maternity Clothes
2. Wash and Box up Brian's Desert Cammies
3. Paint my toes for the Ball
4. Make Sweater Project
5. Get Kenley's room under control
6. Wash couches
7. Make Ornament Wreath
8. Get Office under control
9. Make Chalkboard paint project
10. List stuff on Craigslist
11. Clean out Fridge

The Ornament Wreath is totally turning out to be harder than I expected. Its like a giant circular puzzle and I now need to go back and buy more ornaments because I bought all one size and it definitely doesn't work with all one size.

Oh and I painted my toes! It was super easy. I got a kit @ WalMart by Nailene and it is basically a paint pen and then 2 bottles of polish. The pen worked super well and now I have cute toes!

This month and next I will also be participating in

I am excited to get crafting!

Love

Can I just say how much I love my new blog header? I have had the idea of the boots and flip flops floating around in my brain for awhile now so I finally took the pictures today! My neighbor probably thinks I am crazy because he was outside when I took these pictures but ya know what, I think he is crazy because he is ALWAYS outside. :)

Do you have crazy neighbors too?

Big Booty Big Booty

Here are a few pictures of Kenley rockin the big cloth diaper booty. Honestly though I haven't been doing the cloth diaper thing very much because I have 2 Fuzzi Bunz, 4 Very Baby, and 24 Kissaluvs. I HATE the Kissaluvs! They are really wide and don't fit my skinny baby at all so I dont use them. I need to hurry up and sell them so that I can buy something that will work for her body type! Don't worry, its on my list :)



Daddy is excited for Kenley to sit on his shoulders..... I think it might be a little early though, especially since she cant sit up on her own yet :)

Her hair is starting to fall out :(
It seems to be growing back in super blond and in a different direction. You can kinda tell in the 2nd picture from the top. Its almost like she has bangs :)

My Name is Keri....

.... and I like bacon.

Sorry Mom. :)

I have seriously had bacon almost everyday this week. It all started with the bacon wrapped pineapple appetizers I made for the costume party. Yum. You MUST to try them, I want to make another batch but I would eat the entire thing so I wont. I had some green beans to use up last night so I tried to apply the same brown sugar flavors of the pineapple to the green beans. Brian said that these would make great Thanksgiving green beans and that he liked these better than green bean casserole.

{sorry for the sideways image blogger is being dumb again}

Bacon-y Green Beans
5 slices Bacon
2 cans Green Beans drained (or 1 bag frozen)
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Salt & Pepper

Chop up bacon and throw into a dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat. Fry bacon to crispy. Add green beans and brown sugar. Stir and let cook about 10 minutes or until green beans are limp and have a bit of carmelization on them.

November Goals

I have decided to write my goals for November down here so that yall can keep me accountable!

1. Wash and Box up Maternity Clothes (which means I have to stop wearing them, they look weird on me now but I just keep putting them on, it needs to stop!)
2. Wash and Box up Brian's Desert Cammies
3. Paint my toes for the Ball (Normal girls wouldn't need to write this down but I barely qualify as a girl so I need to write it down)
4. Make Sweater Project (I keep wearing the sweaters that I buy for the project so that is why its not done yet, what can I say, it is perfect weather right now for chunky sweaters!)
5. Get Kenley's room under control (It looks like a baby shower vomited all over her room, I haven't seen the recliner in months)
6. Wash couches
7. Make Ornament Wreath
8. Get Office under control (I haven't seen the desk in a week)
9. Make Chalkboard paint project
10. List stuff on Craigslist (Diapers, Bath Seat, Bathroom Set)
11. Clean out Fridge

I am off to get started!

A Dentist, The Tooth Fairy, And A Baby Tooth

Kenley's Costume is a little hard to see in these pictures so I might try to take some pictures of her in it tonight when Brian gets home because he has my Jeep which has the costume in it.

I get really into things. So, I was super excited for The Steel's costume party! I think that costume parties should be held year round and I am going to try to plan a few in the future! Maybe I will make Kenley's first birthday be a themed costume party!
In this picture you can see all of "the dentist's" toothbrushes :)
Here is what my tiara looked like before:
And After: Those letters are actually pasta that I spray painted silver!
My version of the Tooth Fairy is very fancy so I made some teeth beads out of Sculpey Clay and then strung a necklace and bracelet with leftover pearl beads from our wedding! The party was really fun, I should have taken pictures but some of the costumes included Men in Black with Aliens, A Sweat'n to the 80's Family, The SNL Spartans and lots more! I made Bacon Wrapped Pineapple as an appetizer and it was a hit! It is definitely a keeper recipe that I will make when I need a yummy appetizer!

The Friedleins were here this weekend for our Church's Homecoming Service! It was so good to have them back, It was almost like they had never left! Except that David is talking so much more! I think I am going to need to have another baby so that they will come back for another visit. :)
Just so you know Jenny was wearing heels and I was wearing flip flops so that is why I look 2 feet tall compared to everyone else :)

Okay off to go give my house some cleaning love, my kitchen is practically crying for me to finish doing the mountain of dishes that accumulated over the crazy busy weekend.

3 Months Old!

Our sweet girl is 3 months old today! I can't believe it! I am not sure exactly what her stats are since we don't go back to the doctor until her 4 month appointment but I can tell that she is getting so much longer, she basically takes up my entire torso when I am holding her with her head at my shoulder. This morning when I went in to get her she wasn't crying she was just jibber jabbering away to herself. She is getting sillier by the day and is always ready to give us a smile. She has just discovered her feet and likes to grab onto them now. She also has sort of figured out how to put the paci back into her mouth after she spits it out. Basically she is just the best baby ever! :)

Mommy and Daddy love you Kenley June!

Some Guard Dog

I'm fairly sure that this is NOT how guard dogs are supposed to sleep.

Sorry!

I woke up yesterday morning with a sore throat. I went to bed yesterday night with a fever of 101.2, the chills, a pounding headache, and lots of throw up.

So I am really sorry to anyone who I came into contact with yesterday or Sunday. If you get sick I am really really sorry its not fun at all.

The good news is that right now my fever is only 100.6 so its going down and all of the other symptoms are getting alot better!

Poor Kenley has a blob for a Mom today :)

Red Robin, Airports, and Panda Bears

This is a long one you might want to take a bathroom break before you begin reading :)

Yesterday we headed over to Jacksonville to find some lace for my ball gown. I have this idea in my head for adding some lace on my ball gown to make it a little more modest. Apparently the lace in my head doesn't exist, at least not in the silvery gray color that I want. To try and make do, I bought some white lace and some fabric dye. I have never dyed any fabric before so this should be interesting! I am going to attempt it tomorrow!

We shopped around Jacksonville for awhile and then ate at Red Robin! I love that we finally have a Red Robin here! I always get their salad and Chicken Tortilla Soup! I need to figure out how to re-create that soup so that I can make it at home! Any ideas for me as to what is in it? Kenley fell asleep with her pinkies gripping the sides of her car seat while we were eating.Once we got home we decided to play a game of Monopoly. Brian killed it! In the beginning I had tons of property and was doing really well, but Brian bought all of the airports and it killed me! Most of the game all of my properties were mortgaged. Not very Dave Ramsey. :) After Brian won Monopoly I challenged him to Pinochle. I was leading 134 to 40 but then somehow he made a big come back and I lost at that too! We will be having a rematch very soon!
My side is the side without ANY money. :)
Here are some pictures for my cousin Nicole who sent Kenley this panda bear outfit! The hat that came with it was either really small or Kenley's head is really big because it didn't fit her at all. I think its the big head :) Thanks for the outfit Nicole! We love you!

I also got my bangs cut this weekend. Notice in the above picture how they are too short so they can't decide if they want to be side bangs or front bangs. I need to know how to fix this because I totally regret getting them cut! I just wanted my bangs to look as good as Kimbe's! I did get told at church today that I look just like my sister. :)

Here is a picture of my Grandpa, Kimbe, and my cousins Sean, Nicole, and Justin! See how cute her bangs are! I love you Kimbe!