Meeting Santa

It's been a few weeks since I last posted something. Matt and I were both bit by the flu bug last week and it seems like it took awhile to get back on track. Thankfully, Kelsey did not get sick. We would much rather have it be us than her. We are feeling better and are ready for Christmas. Last Sunday, we went to Kelsey's daycare Christmas party. Our daycare provider, Mary, made supper for all the families, as well as had crafts for the kids to make. Kelsey is obviously too small for crafts, but mommy and daddy did take the supplies to make them for her. Santa also made an appearance at the party. It was Kelsey's first time meeting Santa. She seemed to like him and gave her famous Kelsey smile. She did get a little startled when he rang his bells, but it didn't seem to phase her too much. The daycare kids exchanged presents and Mary also got the kids gifts. Kelsey got ladybug pajama pants and a glow worm. We feel very lucky to have Mary taking care of Kelsey because we can truly tell how much she is loved.
Tomorrow starts the first of a few Christmas festivities. We are looking forward to family time and sharing our first Christmas with Kelsey. We of course had to buy her an adorable Christmas outfit with all the accessories. Pictures will be posted soon! Until then, Merry Christmas!

Holiday Goodies

On Saturday, Stacey, Vickie and I got together for our annual holiday baking tradition. It is so nice that they invite me to be part of the festive day. We spent the day making cookies and candy. I actually can't take much credit because I get easily distracted by Kelsey and they ended up doing a lot more of the work than I did. If anything, I was a very good taste tester. Someone has to do that, right? For some reason, this day always makes me think of my mom. She loved Christmas and our house was always beautifully decorated with plenty of sweet treats to go around. It makes me sad that we never got to share in the tradition of having all the grandbabies over while we bake cookies all day. Yet, it makes me feel so fortunate to be part of a family that understands this and makes me feel so included. I am very blessed to have the Skala's in my life.


Over the weekend, Kelsey learned to stick out her tongue and make a rolling/spitting motion. It seems to be her favorite thing because she has been doing it all the time. Here she is all dressed up for church sticking out her tongue.


Be sure to stay warm this week since it is supposed to be freezing outside! Gotta love Minnesota in the winter--or not.

What's New with Kelsey?

Kelsey is our pride and joy. She is such a happy baby. She loves to smile and giggle. She is also working on her own little language lately. She will carry on a conversation with you with her gibberish. Her latest thing is rolling from her back to her front. You can barely get her down and she is rolling right over. We have been working with her to sit up on her own, but she is not quite ready for that yet. She opens her mouth really wide now when she gets excited. We can tell she recognizes Matt and I because the minute she sees us, she starts to smile. Finally, she is getting good at grabbing things, especially my hair! She loves to get a big handful and then yank. It is so amazing to watch her change. Everyone always says how children grow so quickly, but I never really realized it until I had Kelsey. She is 4 months old now and she has changed so much in that time. It is neat to watch her go through the stages. I am really looking forward to Christmas break so Matt and I can share a few quality weeks with her. We are so lucky to share a common profession where we have time off together. We feel very blessed for all the good things in our life.

Whatever Makes Daddy Happy

Last Sunday, my fears came true when Dave and Vickie bought Kelsey a Vikings shirt! It was a very sad moment for me. Sunday night the Vikings played the Bears, so Kelsey and Daddy got decked out in their purple. Kelsey looks so darn cute in everything that it was hard to be upset. She even smiled for the pictures for Daddy. But just because she wore it, doesn't mean she liked it. I guess this means that she needs more Packer gear for Christmas! And if the Vikings shirt just happens to get lost in laundry, I plead the fifth :)

Thanksgiving

It was our turn to be in Pulaski for Thanksgiving this year. Matt and Kelsey picked me up from Medford on Wednesday afternoon, and we were off. Kelsey did great in the car! The last time we went to Pulaski, she was about 8 weeks old and slept the whole way. This time was no different. She slept just about the entire way there. We had to stop and wake her up so we could feed her and change her. Once we got there, it was a very laid back, relaxing weekend. On Turkey Day, we watched football, played games, spent time with family and of course, ate way more than we needed to. Friday brought shopping and more time visiting with family and friends. We headed back for Owatonna on Saturday so we could have time to unwind and get caught up before we go back to work on Monday. It was a wonderful weekend! We have much to be thankful for this holiday season and time spent with family is at the top of the list! Happy Thanksgiving!

Four Months

EC Visit

Last Saturday, Matt and I went to Eau Claire to visit two of my college roommates, Kristen and Liz. We try to get together every two months or so. The last time I saw them was when Kelsey was born, so we had lots to catch up on. Matt has probably heard all of our crazy college stories so many times that he can tell them by now! Liz and Kristen are such wonderful friends and I feel blessed to have them in my life. My dad once told that if in my life I can count five people as true friends, I am blessed. They are definitely amazing friends who hold two of those spots! I mean, when I can teach them Polish and how to polka, I know I found keepers :)

She's Rolling

Well, it is official. Kelsey can now roll over! Here is the video to prove it!

Mommy Got Her Way

On Sunday, Matt went to the Packers/Vikings game at the dome with his brother Nate. The last time the teams played, I dressed Kelsey in a Packer onesie and purple pants to make both of us happy. However, I told Matt that if he went to the game, I was no longer obligated to dress Kelsey in 1/2 purple. So as you can tell from the pictures, she is decked out in green and gold. She was so happy all day. Kelsey even asked me if she could only wear green and gold from now on for games because she liked it so much. How can I say no to that? Sorry Daddy, but I guess Mommy gets her way :) (Obviously Matt was not allowed to proofread this post before I put it up because I think he will be having some words with me later:) GO PACK!

Three Month Pictures

Here are the pictures I promised of Kelsey. Enjoy!

Work, work, work

It seems that Matt and I have been really busy with our masters programs this week. Matt is finishing up one of his classes, so he has a final project to turn in. He is developing a website for the ninth grade academy that he works in at school. It looks really good so far, and he will hopefully be able to post it so parents, teachers, and students can use it. I just started a new class, so I am trying to figure out what is expected of me and how I need to manage my time to get it all done. It is tough when all I really want to do is snuggle with Kelsey.
Kelsey is great! She weighs 12lbs now! Our daycare provider has told us that Kelsey is doing great with her and she loves her already. She hardly sleeps during the day I guess, but Mary said she just smiles and coos all day. I guess she doesn't want to miss anything. She still gets up twice a night, but goes to bed earlier then she did before.
Tonight I had class. Wednesdays are tough for me because I barely get to see Matt or Kelsey. I am always glad when I get home from class because I know the weekend is just around the corner and I am done with class for the week. We just got Kelsey's three month pictures back. I will try to post them on here soon.

Pictures

I bet I have taken at least 500 pictures of Kelsey since she has born. Not even kidding! Thankfully Kelsey seems to like the camera and smiles for us. Today we had her 3 month pictures taken. I will have to post them when we get them back! They turned out great! Except of course for the fact that her tights she wore were gigantic on her. They make tights size 0-9 months. There is only a little difference in size between those months?!?! Anyway, as if I don't have enough pictures on here, I am posting a few recent snapshots of our miracle. I have always been a picture fanatic, but since Kelsey arrived, I have taken it to a new level. What can I say, how can I resist snapping as many photos as I can of our little peanut! Enjoy!

Trick of Treat

Last week, we carved pumpkins with the Ginskey's to get geared up for Halloween. We were lucky enough to have Daddy do all the work as Kelsey and I looked on. Thanks, Daddy!
When Halloween arrived on Friday, I had mixed feelings because the school day is always crazy, but I was really looking forward to showing off our peanut in her costume. After surviving the chaotic school day, I was ready to get home and dress our ladybug up for trick or treating. We stopped by Great-Grandpa Skala's house, as well as Grandma and Grandpa Skala's. Kelsey was great with her costume! She didn't seem to mind that it was on and even posed for some smiley pictures. By the time we made the rounds with family and friends, we didn't even get to hand out the candy that we bought.Oh darn--I guess Matt and I will just have to eat it :) I am also including some pictures from last weekend when my dad was here for Kelsey's baptism. All the kiddos brought their costumes and Grandpa Smith did too! The kids had a costume parade while Grandpa handed out candy. Happy Halloween!

Back to Work and Baptism

I survived my first week back to school. It was very tough to be away from Kelsey, but school was so crazy that it helped the days to go by quickly. After all those days away from her, I was sure glad to have the weekend come. Friday night, Matt, Kelsey and I decided to stay in as a family and just relax. It is amazing how tired I was! I am still getting up about twice a night. Before I would nap with Kelsey during the day. However, I don't have that luxury anymore :(

Here is Kelsey on her first day of daycare!

On Saturday, my family came to Owatonna for Kelsey's baptism. We were lucky enough to be able to go to Matt's home playoff game at night. A few people stayed in with the kiddos because it was a bit too chilly for them to be outside. Stacey graciously had them all over so all the kids could play. Unfortunately, the Huskies lost. It was a good game, but we just came up short. Football season is officially over now. Sunday was Kelsey's baptism. We were very blessed to have all of our family there to celebrate with us. The mass went well and Kelsey did not make a peep. Even when the water went in her eyes, she stayed calm. What a good girl! After church, we had everyone over to our house for lunch. (Special thanks to Vickie, Dave and Stacey for the help with food, chairs, prep, and clean-up! Also, Stacey for making Kelsey's cake!) We feel very fortunate that everyone could make it. Thanks for helping to make it a great weekend! It is always so good to have a house full.

All Smiles...and Tears

I am officially headed back to work tomorrow :( I have loved every minute of maternity leave. Nothing compares to being home with your baby. I am sure once I get into my classroom and meet my class, things will get into a routine and it won't seem so bad. At least that is what I keep telling myself. Kelsey has developed so many facial expressions these days! It is so fun to just sit by her and watch her smile. She also loves to coo. She and I have some very in depth conversations :) It makes me sad to think that I will miss that during the day. You can be sure I will be leaving work to pick her up tomorrow promptly at 3:30! Many mothers have gone through this before, so I know I will be ok. For today, I plan to just snuggle and play with her all day. Hoepfully she doesn't see my tears.

Big Nine Champs!

Last night, the big game lived up to the hype as Owatonna beat Mankato West to capture the Big Nine Conference Title! The final score was 17-10. Matt's cousin, Sheridan, plays on the team and had an awesome game! He had an interception that led to a touchdown, and also had to step in as quarterback when the starter got injured. Way to go Sheridan! Here is the link to the newspaper article about the game : http://www.owatonna.com/news.php?viewStory=30043
I was lucky enough to be able to go watch because Grandma Skala stayed home with Kelsey. It was quite chilly out and not a good place for Kelsey since we all had to sit packed together due to the huge crowd. Thank you Grandma for babysitting!
Owatonna will face Rochester Century on Tuesday night at 7:00 at home. Due to our win last night, the Huskies have home field advantage next week. You can listen to the game at www.krforadio.com
I am so proud of Matt for all of his hard work this season! He spends so many hours at practice, at games, and watching film. It is a huge commitment that requires a lot of time. Although Kelsey and I miss him a lot when he is gone, we could not be prouder of our coach! Go Huskies!

Sign In

I saw a feature on another blog and thought I would try it out as well. The followers feature allows you to sign in below to show that you follow and read our blog. It would be neat for me to see who is reading up on us! Feel free to sign in by clicking on the link that is on the bottom left side of the page. Thanks!

Big Game Wednesday Night!

This Wednesday night, the Owatonna Huskies play Mankato West. It is sure to be quite the game since both teams are undefeated in conference play. The game is in Owatonna at 7:00pm. Come out and support Matt if you are able! If you can't make it, you can listen to Matt on the radio during the halftime show on www.krforadio.com He is usually on around 7:45-8:00 depending on the speed of the game. To listen, click on KRFO, then live sports. You will have to scroll down to find the Owatonna game. GO HUSKIES!

Fun Fall Weekend

We had another great weekend! On Friday, Matt, Kelsey and I, Nate, and Stacey and the boys went to the homecoming parade. It was a beautiful fall day! The parade is very well put together and everyone had a good time.

That evening, we all went to cheer on the Huskies. Our cheering must have worked because Owatonna won the game! Kelsey has been such a trooper with going to Daddy's football games. I just bundle her up, and she seems to do fine.

On Saturday, Matt's cousin Shalena got married. It was great to see the Skala clan.

Finally, on Sunday, we watched the Vikings game with Dave and Nate. In the afternoon, a dear high school friend of mine, Katy, came to visit. We had not seen each other in quite some time, but were able to catch up and talk about the good ol' days at Pulaski High School. It was a very nice visit.

This is my last week of maternity leave :( I have already started to shed a few tears over going back to work. Wish Matt luck as I am sure he is going to have to put up with one emotional wife this week! I am still looking for any takers who would like to donate to the Kristin Stays Home Fund--just let me know if you would like to contribute :)