Painting

I have been wanting to paint the remainder of our upstairs for awhile. So, Mattey made my day and got it finished on Monday. When we moved into our house, all the walls were white. We now have color on every wall upstairs. The color we picked is called sauteed mushroom. I think the names of paint colors are pretty funny. Anyway, it turned out awesome! I cannot believe what a difference it made. I feel like we have a new upstairs. Not only did we get a new look, but it also gave us a good reason to clean behind furniture that doesn't usually get moved and rethink some of our wall decorations. I guess this means I will need to do some shopping to redecorate :)

Before:




After:

Playing with Her Stroller

I couldn't resist taking this picture. Kelsey received a stroller for her birthday and is starting to catch on to how it works. It is so much lighter than her walker she plays with that she kept tipping it over at first. She also got a backpack that I put her on for the picture. It makes her look so big when she wears it.

Feeding the Ducks/Learning to Color

After Kelsey's pictures the other night, we met Grandma at Morehouse Park to feed the ducks. Usually this place is full of ducks and your loaf of bread goes rather quickly. However, there were hardly any ducks to be found, and the few we did see weren't too interested in eating. We will have to do this again because I am curious to see what kind of reaction Kelsey will have to the ducks getting so close to her. Kelsey and Grandma still got in some bonding time though. I love the pictures we got of them. The sun was at the perfect height to create such great light for these pics. After the ducks were a no-go, we walked to the park and let Kelsey swing. She loves this! I pretend I am going to get her and she just giggles away. Love it!


Kelsey attempted to use crayons for the first time. I guess my thought is it is never too early to try. She watched me very observantly as I showed her how to color on the paper. As she eyed my every move I thought that maybe she was really going to try it. However, in true Kelsey fashion, she attempted to eat the crayon, rather than color with it. I did notice that she wanted to hold the crayon in her right hand and not her left. Could this be a sign of her handedness? We will try again in the next few days and see if she realizes the crayons are more fun to color with than eat.

River Springs Waterpark

Yesterday my sister came down with Soren and Annika to spend the afternoon at the waterpark. We have not been there yet this year, so it was about time. Considering it is only about a mile from our house, it is kind of sad it took us this long to finally go. However, the weather has been very unseasonal this summer, so I will blame it on the fact that it has been too cold. Anyway, we met up with the Ginskeys and had a blast. It wasn't the warmest of days, but we made the most of it. Kelsey once again loved the water. She actually spends most of her time watching everyone and everything around her. I tried to get to her to look at just me a few times and it was not happening. She would keep moving her head to dodge me. She is a very observant little girl. They have a zero depth area which was perfect for Kelsey. I was able to sit her down and let her play. Matt was brave and attempted the waterslides while Kelsey and I watched safely from below. I wonder if Kelsey will be more of a scaredy cat like me or dare devil like Matt? We also enjoyed floating down the lazy river. Once Kelsey's lips started to turn blue from the weather getting colder, it was our sign to get bundled up and head home. We will have to make it back there another time this summer before school starts. (and when it is warmer!)

1 Year Check-Up

Kelsey had her 1 year check up this week. She weighs 20.5 pounds and is at the 30th percentile. She is 30 inches tall and is at the 85th percentile. Therefore, she continues to follow the tall and skinny pattern. The doctor said everything else looks great. She has met many of the developmentally appropriate milestones and is constantly learning new things each day. It is always a good feeling to hear the doctor give us the good report. She had to get more shots this visit. At her 9 month check-up she had a break from them. This time she got three pokes. I don't think it ever gets easier hearing that sad, pain-filled cry after the first shot goes in. Unfortunately, you know she still has more left. Plus, she also had to have blood drawn to check for anemia and lead levels. This didn't seem to bother her as much as the shots, which I thought was odd because the shots are over in a few seconds, but the blood draw takes a little bit because they pick her finger and then they rotate a small skinny tube on her finger to withdraw the blood. The last few times she had to get shots she did get a little fussy afterward and this time has been no different. She seems to get really clingy and acts like she doesn't know what she needs/wants, which made her 1 year pictures last night interesting. I guess I didn't time that out too well. She had her pictures taken at Mineral Springs Park and the day had absolutely perfect weather for it. We timed out naps and food so she would be all set for the pictures at 5:30, but she still was a little off. Normally she is such a smiley, easy going girl, but she was not having those pictures. The photographer said she did get some good shots so we will have to wait and see. This morning she still is not quite herself, but we are hoping it passes sooner than later. Those darn shots!

Birthday Scrapbook

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Happy 1st Birthday, Kelsey!

Kelsey celebrated her 1st "golden" birthday on Saturday. Here she is dreaming about becoming a big one year old the night before.

To celebrate the big day, we had another party for her, but this time with the Skala side. When Kelsey woke up that morning, she thought the streamers hanging from the doorway were pretty funny. She would laugh each time we walked through them.

We were lucky enough to have Grandma and Grandpa, Great-Grandpa and Uncle Steve, the Ginkseys, and Nate and Diane join us. For being August 1, the weather sure didn't feel like it. Everyone had on sweatshirts to help keep warm as we ate outside. After lunch, the kids had a gold hunt, followed by the adults. The kiddos all shared their findings, while the adults were much more competitive. It was quite entertaining to watch.
Next, Kelsey opened her presents. She again was showered with so many thoughtful gifts. Thank you everyone for being so generous!

It was finally time for cake. When we were in Pulaski, we fed her the cake and didn't let her dig in. However, there was no holding back this time. She went to town! Afterward, we put her right in the tub since she had cake in her hair, ears, and all over her face.


The party lasted well into the night with everyone playing with the kids, playing cards, and cranium. It was a wonderful day! Where did that year go?