Getting wild....well, kind of

Last night we met our friend's Liz and Brian in the cities for a Wild game. If you recall, we did this last year as well. It was a good time then and just as much fun this time. Kelsey got to stay over at Grandma and Grandpa's so we could go--thank you! It was her first sleepover, too!

Our ride there was quite entertaining because a semi overturned not far from home turning I35 into a parking lot. After sitting stalled on the highway for 30 minutes, we finally made our way there. Since we got there close to game time, we decided to skip our original meeting place and go right to the Xcel Center. Our tickets for the game were great and allowed us to eat at a cute little restaurant right by our seats called Headwaters. It was great catching up with the Seubert's! Plus, both Liz and I are pregnant so we were able to swap stories of what we have done so far, how we are feeling, cravings, go on potty breaks together, etc. Oh and both indulge in water and sprite--rebels, right?

The game was a good one! The Wild won 5-3! Although Liz and I spent most of the game gabbing away, we did manage to pay attention ;) To add to the night, I told my sister we were going to the game and she said to watch the jumbotron for something special. Apparently she knows the girl who runs the jumbotron and she added a message to it saying "Welcome, Matt and Kristin! From, Jolene" Pretty cool! We were definitely surprised.

By the third period, our ice cream craving kicked in and we just HAD to get some :) Here we are showing off our ice cream and our bellies!
What a fun night out! We had a great time and look forward to spending more time together once our new little ones arrive!

First Movie

On Monday we took Kelsey to her first movie at the movie theater. We debated a little on this as to whether or not she was truly old enough for this yet, would she sit still, would she be quiet....We decided we could answer yes to enough of those and took our chances. The movie we went to was Tangled.
It was SOOOOOO cute. Matt and I found ourselves laughing and for me, even shedding a few tears. Kelsey wasn't really sure what to expect because just talking about it ahead of time didn't really explain it. She got her own popcorn and a drink and settled into her chair which would hardly stay down because she is so stinkin' skinny. She absolutely loved it! She did want to change seats and sit by me for the second half of the movie. She also wanted her shoes off as if she were watching it at home. Matt and I caught eyes a few times during the movie and we both had this look of "our little girl is getting so big." The rest of the day was spent in the cities shopping. What a girl's dream day out :)

A Very Skala Christmas

It is hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone already. It sure was a great one for us. We finished the last few days of Chri-Skala-Mas to start. Kelsey opened a present for day 3 which was a My Little Pony Christmas book, Day 2 was bake with Mommy, and Day 1 was sing happy birthday to Jesus. Chri-Skala-Mas was a big hit and we hope to continue the tradition for years to come.


To get us started, Matt and I both finished school last week and officially began Christmas break. How exciting that we get a week together as a family!

Friday night we went to Matt's parents for Christmas Eve. We had appetizers and opened a few presents before heading to 10:00 mass. Kelsey got to open her pink guitar!!! She was so excited.







Saturday morning we found that Santa had visited our house! Kelsey must have been a good girl. She was cute when she saw the pile of gifts. "Mommy and Daddy, Santa came!" We spent the morning opening gifts and playing with her new toys.


Then, it was back to Dave and Vickie's. We opened more gifts, had a delicious meal, played Wii,(Just Dance 2 is a blast!) played board games and cards, watched a movie, and just hung out. It was so relaxing and fun. Plus, to top it off, we all spent the night. We started the tradition last year where we stay overnight. It is the one time we get to do this since we all live in town. It was fun!



This morning we had breakfast and then made our way home to put gifts away and again relax. It was such a nice Christmas weekend. We enjoyed being in town and taking it easy.

Third Trimester

We are starting our third trimester! It has certainly started with a little spunk, too. Last week I got a nasty chest cold and it is finally getting better. Then, I failed my initial glucose test, so today I got to do the 3 hour test. I had to drink the sugary drink and have my blood drawn 4 times within 3 hours. It was a small price to pay, but still not the most pleasant. Thankfully, I did get my results today that I passed :) Finally, I have had some major lower back pain the past two days. I think the baby must be pushing on a nerve or something. It was to the point where I felt like I couldn't stand up straight, but it is much better today. Maybe baby changed positions? Whatever the reason, I am just glad it is better. As for baby, he or she is about 2 1/2 pounds now and 15 inches long. The little peanut is growing like crazy! We are starting to see the doctor every other week as well. Over this Christmas break we are going to make our list of things to get done before baby arrives. We should be able to make a nice dent this week when we are off as well. We are so excited to meet our little one!

Chri-Skala-Mas Days 6-4

Day 6: Open a present
Kelsey opened a book called The Christmas Baby. At first she was not too excited about it. I was a little sad because it is the only book she has now that is about Jesus's birth and not just about Santa, snow, or presents. But after we read it, she took to it a little more. We have talked about how Christmas is Jesus's birthday, but I hope to get to the point where she realizes that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Day 5: Family Movie Night
Kelsey was pretty excited to put on her jammies, eat popcorn, cuddle in the snowman blanket, and watch a movie with Mommy and Daddy. We had just planned to watch one of the short 30 minute Christmas specials on TV, but instead saw that Beauty and the Beast Christmas was on. She loved it!


Day 4: Look at Christmas Lights
We loaded up in the truck and drove around town looking at lights and listening to Christmas music. We would talk about which houses we liked the best. Kelsey was more concerned about the music selections than the lights this year. She wanted specific Christmas songs. She did see a few houses that went all out and would comment that they were pretty. It was a fun way to explore our town as well as spend time as a family during this holiday season.

We are almost done with Chri-Skala-Mas! We will see what the last three days bring us :)

Daycare Christmas Party

We had Mary's annual daycare Christmas party on Sunday. Mary is so good to Kelsey and we are very happy with the care she receives. The party is always a great way to get in the Christmas spirit and Mary spoils the kids! We made crafts first when we got there. Day #7 of Chri-Skala-Mas was to make a Christmas craft. Geez, someone sure planned these days out well ;) So we checked that off the list.

Next up, Santa arrived! Kelsey did a great job again and sat right on his lap. When asked what she wanted, she replied, "a pink guitar." She never waivers. She has said a pink guitar from the first time we asked her. Once all the kids got a turn with the big guy, they all sang Jingle Bells together which was right up Kelsey's alley. She sang along and belted out the words.

Mary then served us all dinner. Mary is a great cook, so it is always a treat.

Finally, the kids exchanged gifts. It was cute to see her around her friends and how she interacts with them.

Smith Christmas

The holidays are here, and we got together to celebrate with my family this weekend. This year Dad and Chris came to the kids in Minnesota. Thank you for traveling :) Sometimes I still think it is pretty crazy how that all worked out with my brother, sister and I all marrying people from Minnesota and living within an hour from each other and my dad living in Pulaski. Anyway, we started the festivities by going to Lauryn and Miranda's dance recital. Kelsey of course loved it! She was dancing in the bleachers and trying to mimic the dancers. She also enjoyed watching Korinne's facial expressions during the music. Here is Kelsey and Miranda after the girls performed.


We went back to Brian and Molly's and had dinner next.




The kids were all pretty patient and waited until everyone was done eating before we dove into gift opening. We also snuck in family photos before gift opening as an incentive. "If you smile for the picture, you can open your presents." And hey, it seemed to work.

The Skalas


The White's


The Smith's


Grandma and Grandpa with all 7 grandkids--soon to be 8 :)


Brian and Molly's living room floor looked like a wrapping paper explosion when the kids were given the green light to dig in.



We rounded out the night by singing Christmas carols as a family. It just so happened that Day #8 of Chri-Skala-Mas was to sing Christmas carols. Good timing ;)
Kelsey's favorite Christmas carols are Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. She knows almost every word to Jingle Bells, has the Fa La La La La part down in Deck the Halls and knows the chorus of We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

Once all the kids went to bed, the adults stayed up and played Squabble Scene-It. It was a great day filled with family, laughter, and fun.

Days 11-9

Chri-Skala-Mas is in full swing!
Day 11:
Kelsey made Christmas cards.


Day 10:
Family Game Night
We let Kelsey open her Chutes and Ladders game.

Day 9:
Open a present
Kelsey got to open her Snow White book.

Chri-Skala-Mas

We have started a new tradition that we hope to carry on for many years to come. Welcome to Chri-Skala-Mas! For the next 12 days, we will have one activity each day to prepare for and get excited for Christmas. We made a countdown chart that Kelsey gets to tear off one paper from each day. Today was Day #12. Day #1 will be Christmas Day. We tried to mix up the activities with things that we have to do together as a family, traditional Christmas activities, and of course a present here and there ;) As our kids get older, the 12 days of activities will change and hopefully get to the point where it is more about giving than receiving.

The countdown chart


Tearing off the first number sheet

Day #12 activity


Opening her first present


Kelsey really likes the movie The Princess and The Frog, so she got a pair of Princess Tiana socks.

Kelsey's First Dance Recital

Kelsey had her very first dance recital tonight. It was a Christmas recital hosted at the studio. Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Stacey, Aunt Diane and Daddy all came to watch. We would have had all the boys come too, but we were supposed to limit our guests to 3-4. Good thing for video taping :) We have been practicing our Christmas dances for the past three weeks and Kelsey caught on pretty quickly. We would practice at home now and then too, just to be sure she remembered all the parts. She danced to three songs: Santa Claus is Coming, Christmas Morning, and Jingle Bells. She definitely made us all proud because she did GREAT! She was not intimidated at all by all the people. In fact, she seemed to even ham it up more. She did all the dance moves and knew every part. Quite the little dancer we have on our hands.