R-E-L-I-E-V-E... find out what it means to me...

About a week and a half ago I found a huge lump/mass on my left breast. I conduct my regular breast exams in the shower and came across a funny feeling mass in my breast. I thought at first it may have been a muscle tissue but when I didn't feel it in the other one, I got scared. All sorts of things were running through my mind- as it prob does for anyone who finds something that could be life threatening. I made an appt to see my gyno/obgyn right away, so I got in last Thurs- which was good because I needed to get my annual check up anyways. Dr. Rushing checked me out and he said he didn't think it was anything to worry about, but just to be sure he scheduled me an appt at the Breast Center. I went this morning- after many days of positive and negative thoughts- and lots of prayers- I have heard how painful a mammogram was and OMG- its soooo not painful. I was shocked when she was done- I said- that's it? So now I'm glad to know that I can handle those- no problem ;) Anyways, they did a mammogram and ultrasound. The whole situation was weird because there were two girls- prob younger than me- in the waiting room waiting on results- you just think of breast cancer or mammograms for OLDER women. So I felt a little more relieved that it wasn't uncommon for someone my age. The nurse came out and told me the great news that they couldn't find ANYTHING wrong- that it was just breast tissue :) WHEW!!! I texted my family to let them know the good news, then went to change clothes. I just couldn't imagine getting horrible news - esp before the Christmas holiday :( I cried (with JOY) in the room and thanked God for again blessing me. Our GOD is great!

Christmas Parties Galore...

The last couple of weeks there has been SO MUCH going on that I feel like I don't have time to relax anymore. We've had Jason Albert gigs, holiday parties, ornament parties, work, shopping, gymastics, etc.. Not that I'm complaining ;) cause I love to stay busy, but whew. I have had NO time to even step foot in a gym. Sad, huh? Oh well- 2009 is a new year and a fresh start for me.


One of the ornament parties I went to was at my girlfriend Natasha's house on December 6th- we had a fab time! This is her 2nd annual ornament party. She went all out (like any project she does) and did so many special things for each guest. She made each one of the guests an ornament with our initial on it- very cute idea- her and Stacey spent a few hours getting those all together- they turned out VERY cute. My girlfriend Stacey is a consultant for Upper case living- they sell some really really cute stuff. I need to get her my order- come to think of it ;). Anyways, we did our ornament exchange- with no hair pulling or name calling, so everyone was pleased with their ornament picks this year. lol. Stacey's sister, Summer, made an awesome and adorable cake for the party. She's so talented in that area. If you are looking for someone to make a personalized or theme cake, let me know, so I can pass her information to you. She is SOOOO good and creative. We each had little presents- given to us from Natasha. The gifts were anything from soaps, lotions, chocolates, to scented socks- that's what I got ;) I think they are super cool. Smell like watermelons- not sure how long that will last- hehe. Anyways, we had a great time eating, mingling, laughing, and exchanging ornaments. More pics from the party

After that party was over I had another ornament party to go to- it was another friend of mine- Cici's. I've gone to her parties the last couple of years and they are always a lot of fun too. It's great to be surrounded by friends and family this time of year! Oh what fun...

Thanksgiving Blog

Again- i'm sucking at getting these out on time, but at least I do ;) We had around 40+ for Thanksgiving dinner this year. Things were def more organized this year so we had a chance to do our "what we are thankful for circle". Its always nice to hear updates on family and what everyone had happen to them for that year. There were some funny moments, sad moments, and exciting moments. Congrats to Derrick and Liz on their news of being parents. Since they stayed at our house, Jason and I passed on a few words of advice being new parents. It was exciting to be there to hear the news in person.Claire and Uncle Paul will make WONDERFUL grandparents as well, I know they are all excited. Rebecca will be a fashion queen awesome aunt. We are very excited for them and know they will make wonderful parents. We had a bet this year on how long the "thank you" circle would take and my dad and Kelson won the pot. We gave the money- $40 to Derrick and Liz to go towards the baby :) Sweet aren't we ;) LOL. After that was all said and done we took some family portraits. We had dinner around 6- it was DELICIOUS!!! My brother and his fiance Renee joined us for Thanksgiving- it was great to see them- it had been way to long. They had assigned seats for everyone- with adorable cookies that Jeannette and her grandkids had made for everyone- cute touch to the holiday dinner. Kyle and Renee sat with Jason and I so we got some time to catch up. Kelson had an early dinner so she played while we all ate- what a girl ;)
My sister and her family weren't but an hour or so away from us- hanging with Keith's family in T-town- so we made a trip to go eat at Dreamland and hang out few an hour or so. It was way to quick, but it had been too long. I can't wait till they come at Christmas time- Corgan and Kelson are def at a fun age that they can play together at Grammy's house this year :)
Now that Kelson is a little older and running around she was able to have fun and play with her cousins much better than last year. Its so neat to see your child having fun with other kids. Brings a smile to your face.
Sadly, a lot of the kids were sick so eventually Kelson got sick too :( But we took her to the dr and got her some medicine for her ear infection and she is pretty much back to her fun and entertaining self.
Thank you to everyone who came this year and all your help in getting all this prepared. It was another great Thanksgiving at the Albert acres and we hope to keep the tradition going....

PS- Next year we plan to hire help to come do the dishes after Thanksgiving dinner- that part takes FOREVER- even with all the cousins in the kitchen in shifts ;)

Thanksgiving 2008 Pictures

Professional Bridal Consultant ;)

Well its official- I passed my class and received my Professional Bridal Consultant Diploma :) Now, whether I do anything with it or not, is unsure ;) But I really wanted to learn more about weddings and have that experience under my belt. It was a good class. I may be helping a girlfriend of mine plan her wedding next year, so that can give me some of the experience I need/want. My girlfriend Randi and I had talked about trying out the wedding planning route, but now is not a good time for either of us. Maybe a few years down the road. I'm also interested in being a planner for children's bday parties. I think that would be a lot of fun, not as stressful, and decent money in a short period of time. So now... what class do I want to take next (since Boeing is paying) ;) I'm thinking about the designing and sewing class- so I can make mine and Kelson's clothes ;) yee haw!

I can't keep up...

OMG- my little Kelson doll has been saying so many words that I can't keep up anymore. She amazes me each day with saying a new word and then remembering a few days later. I think we have a genuis on our hands- she gets that from her Aunt Keri most definitly cause Jason and I are just average ;) or so I think ;) I mean she's only 15 months and already on a 2 year old level- makes a mommy and daddy proud!! :)

Words to date: (that I can remember) up, what's that, whose that, milk, mama, dada, memere, papa, santa, nanny, elliot, eers, grammy (almost- she's got about half), cookie, cracker, down, all done, bath, bob, ming ming, linny, bird, cheese (when taking a picture), Mickey, tigger, pooh, bye bye, hi, alright, bubble, tink tink, and book. I may be missing a few, but that's all I can remember right now.

Holy cow- 32 words and around 30 signs at 15 months!! Way to go Kelson! I see that the average 2 year old knows around 50 words and can say a few sentences, so it looks like we are head of the game.

Signs- same as before but adding in Bear. I can sign to her now (without saying the word) and she will point the item out.

She recognizes/signs/does sounds for so many animals now.
She will sing on command now- its precious!!!!
She's showing lots of affection!!! I love that.

You have to see to believe all the stuff she can do.. its so cool.

Happy Birthday Jason

Today is Jason's 35th Bday! Time sure does fly. I met him when I was 17 and he was just 23. I guess time does fly when you are having fun. We are planning on going to PF Chang's for dinner- Jason's new fav place- and then back to his mom's for cake and presents. I'm sure he is lounging around today with Kelson- wish I was there :( Happy Bday honey. We love you very much!

Another good bill of health...

Kelson had her 15 month checkup and shots :( Jason wasn't going to go, but he decided to go ahead and come along. Both Kelson and Jason did very well. I held Kelson this time during the shots it was NOT fun. She had to get the flu shot too and they said that's the one that hurts the most. Luckily Jason was prepared and as soon as the shots were over he had a sucker in hand ready to give to Kelson- that seemed to ease the pain a little more- way to go daddy ;) Other than the shots Kelson did really well and was showing off her personality. She weighs 22lbs and 9 oz- which isn't much since her last appt. They actually asked if she was eating enough- its not like TOO SKINNY runs in our family ;) But I told her that she was walking like crazy and we are taking a gymnastics class together on Monday nights, so that must be it ;) hehe. Either way they said that she is perfectly fine and in the 45 percentile for weight. She is up to 31 1/2 inches in height- up to 85 percentile in that. She was only in the 70% range last appt too. What a jump. She was asking about her speaking, walking, etc.. She noticed that Kelson was already saying phrases and sometimes sentences, so she said that Kelson's development is already in the 2 yr age group. We knew that she was ahead of her peers in signing/speaking, so that made us very proud to hear just how far ahead she is. Makes a mommy and daddy very proud ;)
After her appt we went to Wal-Mart for a few hours. We bought her a bag full of suckers- she's been getting these after her gym class on Monday nights- so she was excited to get more than one in a day. We went by the toy section- big mistake- she wanted all the toys- and she was not in the mood to walk away without em. It was bad-she kept blowing kisses like the Elmo doll she wants with a tear in her eye- it was the most pitiful thing Jason and I had ever seen. After a few suckers she had forgotten about the toys ;) Also, Jason and I got ourselves the Wii for Christmas, so we wanted to go ahead and get one since they are hard to find these days. SSSSHHH-don't tell Santa.

Albert Christmas Fencing... an additional biz opportunity for Jason

While Jason has been off the road for a while, we've been trying to come up with a good side job for him- besides his music career- and after he built and painted our AWESOME Christmas fence we knew that he was on to something. I did a little research and noticed that NO ONE - online or on ebay has anything like the Christmas fence that Jason made. They have rinky dinky ugly fences that no one would want in their house. Its such a unique christmas item and its wonderful for keeping the little kids out of the tree. He hand painted each and every one of the soldiers with a theme in mind for each. It took him about 40+ hours to create this fence. He also made AU and WV soldiers. That got me thinking about another possible item to sell- collegiate toy soldiers- for either outside or on a stand by your tree. I mean there are SOOOOOO many die hard college football fans that would love to add that to their house for Christmas time. So, Jason is currently working on some new items for us to sell- whether it be a Christmas fence or a collegiate toy soldier- he can do both! He is going to make a snowman christmas fence too and possibly personalized christmas welcome signs. If you are interested and would like to purchase either any of these items, please let me know. It will take a few days to a week- depending on what you want. Our christmas tree fence soldiers were customed made, whereas Jason can do the same soldier for the whole tree for a cheaper price. It would make a wonderful present for anyone.

A "custom painted" toy soldier fence is going to be $30/foot. Ex: Our fence is 12 ft long, so it would be $360 for our fence.
An "all the same painted" toy soldier fence is going to be $20/foot


The collegiate toy soldier (he can do any team) would be $45


This is something that will last forever, made of real wood, and is hand painted. Jason also made the fence with hinges so you can fold it flat for easy storage.

So, who wants one before we start posting them on ebay??? ;) I really think we may be on to something here...

Christmas in Dixie.... ALREADY :)

It's Christmas time at the Albert house- yes already. We try to put up our tree on Nov 1st- whether it be at midnight Oct 31st or early Nov 1st. This year we were unable to do that, due to the fundraiser, so we are a few days behind, but its perfectly ok. As long as we have a good reason. We normally have a race to see who can put up their tree the soonest on Nov 1st, so this year- Theana and Speedo win- only cause they were at his house and didn't attend the fundraiser with us ;) But kudos to them for doing it. We got our tree up on Nov 4th- not too bad :) We love to enjoy our Christmas decor for several months instead of just for a few weeks like most people- its too much work and we have too much cool stuff to resort to waiting.

Nanny update- she had a mild stroke last week and a UTI, so she went to the dr and they are taking great care of her and getting her back to good. She is in physical re-hab and should be back home today!! :) YEA! Please keep her in your prayers. We sure do miss her.

We have a new president- first time ever- a black president- Barack Obama/ VP-Joe Biden he got voted in Nov 4th. The majority of America voted democrate- we didn't- but oh well- let's see what he can do for us!! I'm willing to give him a chance.


Happy 15th Month old KELSON- Our little girl has been saying and doing so many fun things these day. I'm really suprised at how smart she really is. I think Kelson is advanced for her age. You can show you how to do something and she either does it right away or remembers how to do it later on. Her and I were at Wal-Mart the other day looking at the Elmo Live doll and he says he loves you and blows kisses, so now I ask Kelson what Elmo does and she blows kisses like he does. She picked that up on her own. Of course Kelson is asking Santa for Elmo Live for Christmas!! We went to the Christmas Place store this past weekend and Kelson LOVED the decor. I know our awesome christmas tree toy soldier fence will come in handy.

She says "cheese" when I act like I'm gonna take a picture- its precious. She saw a picture of my dad lastnight on the computer and she said Papa- very clearly- it was so cute.

She is saying all kinds of words now and signing like crazy too. I'm glad to see that she is doing both. People are still amazed at her skills :)

New Words: Bye Bye, Papa(very clearly), up, sings when we tell her to sing in french "chanter", cheese, attempting to say Mickey Mouse- almost has it

Sounds: Elephant, Pig, Cow, Duck, Cat, and Car

New signs: plane and tree

More fall pics

Talking up a storm

Lately Kelson has been talking like crazy. She repeats lots of words that we say- now is the time to start watching the language around the little one ;) Which is a good thing. Jason and I are big fans of Family guy and Quagmiere (sp) always says "All Right"- its hilarious- so I told Kelson to say it and she does- its precious. I love that she can say a few words together instead of just one. She is just so freaking smart. She points at santa now when you ask where he is- in french and english. I'm so amazed at the things she can do. We are all so excited about seeing everyone at Thanksgiving and Christmas time. Kelson is at such a fun age!!! I love it!!!

Another trip to G'burg and a fund raiser for a GREAT cause

We left Sat, Nov 1st, to head to Newport, Tn for a fundraiser for Jason's godson, Robbie Mathis. They finally diagnosed with him a pain syndrome/trigeminal neuralgia disorder. He is handling things VERY well. He only has to take 2 meds now instead of 6. He wears a mask to prevent catching any colds or sickness so his symptoms don't get any worse. He is in GREAT spirits and was very thanksful that we came up there for Jason and Mike to play at the benefit. Chuck- Rob's brother- wore his Heartland shirt and taped over the other guys's faces- it was hilarious. He wanted to be in the band - hehe. They had entertainment, bake sale, silent auction, a live auction, and lots of donation- food from Papa Johns, cotton candy, and popcorn. Overall they raised over $5K for their family. This money will go to medical bills- co-pays, expenses on their trips to the children's hospital, etc.. The Mathis' family is the sweetest family you will ever meet. They love eachother so much and you can see that in every way. Robbie's brother Ike and sister Izzy are so careful and loving to their brother. I know that God will heal him and allow him to be the normal 10 year old boy that he wants to be. They are home schooling him right now. Keep him and his family in your prayers. We are hoping for a successful and quick recovery!!!


After the benefit we went to G'burg to spend a few days with the Mathis family. Jason and Rob were best friends in high school and always have remained close. Now that we have Kelson its been an even funnier experience. Robbie, Issabelle, and Issac all LOVE to play with Kelson. They are so sweet with her. They are learning a few signs and french too :) I just wish they lived closer to us. Anyways, we stayed at the Christmas Inn Hotel- it was sooooo neat. It smelled and felt like Christmas in there. Since we were unable to put up our tree at home on Nov 1st, we were bummed, but this place definitly made up for it. The rooms were very nicely decorated. They had White Santa coffee for guests in the morning and hot apple cider in the lobby at nighttime. It was a very welcoming place. They had a place for you to write Santa a letter, so Kelson wrote one (of course I wrote it), but we stuck it in the mailbox for Santa. Santa is supposed to write us back too- I thought that was really cool. There was a HUGE clock in the lobby that rang on the hour and it would play a Christmas tune with giant bells and little elf statues would ring the hour bell. It was very cute. Kelson kept signing "more" after they were done. hehe. We did lots of shopping, eating, and watching Christmas movies. It was such a fun and relaxing time. Only downfall was Kelson caught a cold- I think from trick or treating Hallowen night- so she was a little sick and had a runny nose, that her daddy caught while we were there :( and I got a little wiff of it, but I doubled up on Xango and got rid of it quick :) Now we are all back home and feeling much better. We got to see Santa at the Christmas Place Store and Kelson got two pics with him- one of them looking at eachother and then just the norm Christmas picture. They are both adorable. I may use them for our Christmas cards so I'm not gonna post them here :) Overall we had a GREAT time hanging out with them and hope to do it again next year. We made good friends with the manager, so we are hoping to stay in the Presidental suite next year- and maybe have Jason sing a few Christmas tunes in return ;) We got some great video of our trip so I'm glad that we captured those moments.

The "REAL" Halloween

Kelson was Tinkerbell- and boy did she ever play the part. It was heck getting her dressed, putting the glitter and eye makeup on her--- she was being a little whiny "tinkerbell" ;) once we got the outfit together then she was fine. She saw Tink Tink on her costume so she was excited. She looked soooo adorable. I couldn't find the perfect shoes, so I bought some sparkly green bows from Party City and pinned them on her tennis shoes. Since we are all huge Peter Pan fans, Jason and I decided to dress up with her. I found a blue dress at the thrift store for $2.00 and bought some ribbon for my sash and hair bow, then got some black slippers from Wal-mart- all in all I only spent $15 on my costume- not bad. Jason was John, he made his hat from poster board, borrowed my dad's PJ shirt, and wore his Clark Kent glasses. He was a perfect John :) We put a cute bonnett on EERS and he was Nana. Our family picture turned out SOOOOO cute. I'm so happy that we decided to dress up with Kelson. BTW- I had Kelson's wings on upside down for a few pics, before Jason realized it :) OOPS.
Kelson and I didn't get a chance to carve our pumpkins this year :( But Jason did so that's good that we got one done. We even bought them a few weeks before Halloween.

We went to Aunt Weeza's and Chris's house to trick or treating (Kelson's first time) She LOVED it. She went door to door with Elliott (who was an adorable Thomas the Train) and they both got lots of candy. People were commenting on how cute they looked. We went to 10+ houses and then it was getting cold so we decided to quit. Aunt Jeannette made some DELISHISH food and we had some appetizers and taco soup for dinner. All in all it was a great Halloween!!!! We've decided that Aunt Weeza will take care of having the Halloween get together each year :)

Halloween Pictures

Halloween 2008..

Jason and I decided to be Supergirl and Clark Kent this year for our annual Halloween Party. Normally I try to come up with a cute & unique costume, but I just didn't feel it this year and plus I wanted something easy and already done. We still got lots of compliments on our costumes. It was a lot of fun. The hosts- Alberts, Satterfields, and the Wyttenbachs met up over at Rob and Jeannette's house Sat afternoon to get things ready for the party. Thanks to Jeannette for the OUTSTANDING food and to all our guests for contributing $10/pp, so we could have cool decorations and yummy food. There were so many awesome costumes. Believe it or not- we had a few duplicates- Clark Kents (Jason and Russ), Referee chicks (Michele and Shasta), and The Bounty Hunter and his wife Beth (Mike&Madeline and Phillip&Stacey). Overall there were great costumes. I'm just glad that everyone had a great time and played the part of their costumes. We hope to have another big one next year!!! :)

We are going to dress up with Kelson this Friday night- she is going to be Tinkerbell and I'm going to attempt to be Wendy and Jason little Michael (he just doesn't know it yet- hehe)Halloween Party Pics

Tumblebeez or not to bee ;)

Kelson and I are having a GREAT time at her gymnastics class each Monday night. Kelson's memere bought Kelson some adorable leg warmers, so we threw together some cute outfits for her to wear to class. She got tons of compliments on both outfits. Esp the one with the leotard. The owner even came and paid a compliment and showed her off to other classes ;) Proud momma moment ;)
Kelson has already started attempting a forward roll on her own- it was tough getting her to put her head towards her chest, but after a month she's got it. Just have to work on the pushing her over, but she understands totally what it is. What a smart and talented girl!

G'burg Trip with Friends...

WHEW... what a fun and crazy time we had. This is the first time we- as friends have all gone on a road trip together. We left Friday afternoon- after reassuring we had the MAIN nessessities- Mike's IPOD, the radio to support the IPOD, babysitters were watching our kids, money/purses, overnight bags, etc.. The girls rode in Stacey's car and the guys rode in Jason Miller's van. We had a GREAT time on the way up there gossiping and laughing- like girls do. We didn't too bad - as far as stopping to pee and stuff. We got to g'burg around 6 ish, but with the time change and the CRAZY traffic it took forever for us to get to our cabin. We finally arrived at the cabin around 9:15 - after stopping for some McD's and liquor and grocery shopping. The cabin was great. The rooms were perfect- all of us had our own room and bathroom- poor Stacey and Phillip had to sleep on the pullout couch, but they didn't complain :) Anyways, so we got there and it was like we didn't know what to do- haha. We had a hot tub, so some got in there, we started playing pool and I bought a drinking dice game that lasted about 5 min. Apparently it was too complicated and not very fun for everyone- haha. So anyways, we went downstairs to play pool. That was a lot of fun. We had the ipod turned up and the partying began. (A few years back we stayed in G'burg at some cabins and ended up getting kicked out because of the loud noise- the odd thing was- it was the freaking NEXT night the cops came and we weren't even there) It was BS- but anyways, we won't go there. So we had a great time- we kept the noise level to a minimum and didn't go outside much. Anyways- many drinks, songs played, clothes switched, hours later we went to bed around 4am ish. We went to G'burg the next day to go shopping and eat. We went to an AWESOME Italian restaurant- that I never even knew was there- delish- the pizza and calazones were out of this world and GINORMOUS. Anyways, so after lunch- all the boys, but Mike, went on the cabin to catch some Z's and to watch football. So we shopped some more- and had a blast. Stacey and I went into this kitchen store where they were sampling tons of different styles of dips and the guy would announce if anyone was caught double dipping they would have to wear the hat, so of course I called Stacey out- even though she didn't really do it- she had to convince the man she didn't really do it and turned so red- it was hilarious. So after lots of shopping and laughing it was time to head back to the cabin. We had planned on Sharee cooking dinner and Jason making breakfast for everyone, but NOPE that didn't happen. We just ate on the go. hehe. Sat night I figured would be an easy night since we partied it up Friday night, but boy was I wrong. We started all over again. We even did impersonations of eachother- that was sooooo funny. Went to bed around 4am ish again. Good times- good times. Got up around 9 to get the cabin back in order and showered and get the car packed. It def went by WWWWWAAAAAYYYY to fast, but the time we had together was lots of fun. Some of the memorable things for us- that only we will understand: Chocolate starfish with a side of harvest candy corn, hot pocket, bickem bickem bean and the boots with the fur- FLO RIDA- Song: Low, Fredrick's, Go get my purse Phillip- sorry Stacey- had to remember that one, Someone wanna play Jenga?, Jason trying on Sharee's high heels, Diet sunkist overload, suck n blow shots (thank you Sharee for showing me how to make JELL-O, hehe, and I'm sure there is lots more. Thanks gang- we vowed to try and do this every year- go somewhere different each time!!! :) Had a blast! Thank you Jason and Sharee for inviting all of us to come along.
More cabin pics

Disney on Ice...

Jason, Kelson, Myself, Bob, Lucy, Louise, and Elliott all went to see Disney on Ice this past Thurs night. We had a great time. We went and had dinner at Ruby Tuesday's then made our way to the VBCC. The seats were great, although I think Kelson wished she was on the ice with the characters. She enjoyed the show for the most part, but she really wanted to go hug on the characters- which of course- you can't. Elliott enjoyed the show very much too- he was in awe and didn't speak one word during the whole thing. Grammy and Papa bought Kelson a Peter Pan doll to take home and some cotton candy for me ;) that came with an adorable flounder hat. Good ole' grandparents. We didn't get a chance to get any pics with the characters, but that's ok cause after the show was over both kids were ready for bed. The show featured Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy. The movies that were featured were The Little Mermaid, Lilo and Stitch, The Lion King, and our favorite- Peter Pan. Kelson LOVED the crocodile and did the "tick tock" noise when he came out. It was priceless. Overall it was a great show and I'm so glad that we had that time together with our family.

My little republican...

GO MCCAIN/PALIN!!!!

buycostumes.com

Jason and I purchased our costumes from buycostumes.com this year and they sent me a 10% coupon that expires 10/31, so if anyone wants to use it- let me know and I'll send you the code to get the discount. We obviously don't need it since we already got our stuff. First come first serve.

This is a GREAT place to buy your costume- its worth the price and its not that expensive for a well made costume. Just make sure you read the reviews on the costumes - I read that my costume ran large so I got a M and I was scared that it wouldn't fit, but I tried it on lastnight and its perfect, so make sure you read what people say about it.

Let me know.... Happy Shopping...

Also, just an update on my working out- I've done it three days in a row ;) Plan on going again today before my hair appt with Stacey at 1!!! We have Disney on Ice tonight too- SOOOO excited and can't wait to see Kelson's reaction. Tinkerbell is supposed to be there too :)

Kelly Albert Graham-Bell

Being a new mommy- I came up with two new inventions that I think they should create or I myself will get a patent for- hehe! I think they are pretty clever. No one steal my idea :)

I've been analyzing this first one since I saw the episode on Oprah where a mom left her baby in the car seat while at work- the baby was sleeping and the mom was in a rush and forgot she was in the car- so unfortunatly the baby died. I could NEVER imagine having to go through something like this. So I came up with the idea of having a sensor type thing installed in your car or already installed with newer vehicles that beeps when you get out of the car to let you know that there is WEIGHT in the car seat. I know somehow this can be done- in my Santa Fe if no one is sitting in the passenger side the air bags know not to deploy- there is a weight sensor in the seat, so I think the same thing could happen for a child car seat. The only concern I had was the weight of the car seat alone- how that could tell a difference in whether a child was in the seat or not. But then again- if your car beeped everytime you got out- even if your child wasn't in the car, wouldn't it get you in the habit to look for them!!!! :) I know if anything beeps when I get out- I look to see what the problem is.

My second invention I came up with lastnight. Kelson started crying during the night- she usually wakes up during the night if she's either lost her pacifier or wants to be rocked, so I went in her room- unable to see much of anything- searching for her pacifier in her crib, but couldn't see, so I had to turn on her mobile for light. So once I found it I rocked her and thought of this next invention. A pacifier that blinks red when a baby cries. This would be most beneficial at night when you can't see and you don't want to turn the lights on to wake the baby. Also, this will teach the babies to find their own pacifier at night and eliminate one step for the sleeping moms.

I'm pretty excited about my two ideas!!! Maybe I'll take it on the Next American Inventor show ;)

Kelson- 14 Months Old Today!!!

I can't believe our little girl is already 14 months old. Dang does time fly by! It seems like yesterday we were bringing her home. She is at such a fun age. She is into everything, learning so much, snuggling, reaching for her momma and daddy, knows her momma and dada, its endless...
I just wish that she could remember this time right now, but I know she won't. But what is cool is that she will read this when she gets older and re-live it. Jason and I will ALWAYS remember everything about her so that in itself is cherishable. I've learned to be more patient- although its still hard sometimes- but she has taught me so much too as a mom. I LOVE LOVE LOVE going to her gymnasitics class with her- she loves to interact with other kids. She is so much fun to see first thing in the morning and its the sweetest sight to see her fall asleep at bedtime. Kelson has changed my life forever and I thank God everyday for her health and happiness. She has sooo many people in her lives that love her and take such good care of her when she's around. I'm happy to discovered two new languages (signing and french) because of her and I know the things I will learn are just beginning for the both of us.

27 Signs to date: milk, light, fish, more, tree, book, water, bathtime, please, thank you, love you, puppy, fan, so smart, touchdown, music, all done, bedtime, yummy, hot, sheep face, bye, hi, elephant, food, fan, and bird

19 Words to date: Ming Ming, Linny, Mama, Dada, Memere, Papa, Grammy (almost got it), bubble, cookie, tink tink, hi, what's that, whose that, up, down, go, kitty cat, & quack quack, meow


Kelson LOVES:
to have a book read to her
go to sleep with a nightlight, pacifier, and music
to give her baby doll/stuffed animal hugs
to give kisses
play with other kids
feed herself
yogurt melts, baby cheetos, honey smacks, and ice cream
brush her teeth (she still only has 8)
Wonder Pets
Mickey Mouse and the other characters
Tink Tink
Music
to sing
her family
bathtime
pool time
gymnastics class
getting dressed up - well I think so anyways ;)
being scared
to suck up noodles
to watch her daddy perform on stage
french
signing for everyone
Elmo and cookie monster
play with her belly button
to moan "mmmm" when she eats something good
her puppy Eers
to play in Eers's dog food and give him a cookie treat
to sip from a straw- she started doing that at 13 months

Happy Birthday Aunt Weeza...

Today is Aunt Weeza (Louise's) bday! Kelson will call her Weeza- her funny and smart ass attitude ;) reminds me of Weeza from Steel Magnolias. haha. We love her anyways! We hope you have a WONDERFUL bday. We are celebrating her and Aunt Nin's (Oct 20th) bdays on Sat night. Another fun celebration with the clan! It's never boring around the Albert house these days. Something is ALWAYS going on.

My bad... blonde moment...

Well as many of you know- I was po'd cause the government still hadn't sent us our Stimulus money- which I'm sure they are kicking themselves for giving away that money to the US taxpayers- seeing as the situation we are now in with our economy. ANYWAYS, I called the IRS for a second time and this time the guy was very helpful and basically told me that they received my payment and voucher, but didn't get my actual tax return?!? In the past I've always filed electronically so I guess I assumed that my accountant did that again, but since we owed this year, he didn't. It was an oversight on my part and I'm glad that I realized what the problem was now. So needless to say- I'm now sending in my return- so the IRS contact said once they receive it, that after two weeks well get our stimulus check. Good lord. Just imagine if I hadn't of paid them- boy those interest fees would have been a bitch. They would have just kept the stimulus money. Geesh. Live and you learn!!!

2nd night at Tumblebeez...

This past Monday night was SOOOO much fun. Its fall break this week so it was a lot less crowded and there were two other girls around Kelson's age- their names were Emma and Stella. Stella wore a onesie with leggins- it was ADORABLE. She looked like a future "dancer"- hehe. Kelson was the youngest of the three but she was the biggest- as far as build and height. The mom's were very sweet- I actually didn't talk much to Stella's mom- but Emma's mom was named Kelly too and so was the fill in instructor. We had a GREAT time! The time flew by. Kelson crawled through a tunnel- she was a little intimidated, but then Kelly (the teacher) went to the other side to guide her through and Kelson went right in. It was very cute. She even did better on her forward roll. I came up with the idea to put one of the inclined pads into the styrofom squares so the kids could slide in. They loved it ;) GO ME! hehe. Kelson loved to climb the stairs too- that girl is not scared of ANYTHING! All the kids recieve a sucker after the class and Kelson was VERY happy about her sucker this time. She sucked the whole thing by herself- with lots of supervision- of course.
Aunt Toodles came with us and watched Kelson's class. She seemed to enjoy watching her. Grammy mentioned she wants to come one day too.
I felt a lot more comfortable this time and had a great time myself. I still may try to go to an occasional morning class- if my work schedule allows it- but I like the other moms and girls in her class. It's defintily worth it!

Mommy its HOT in Herre!!!

Lately Kelson has been doing this heaving breathing and opening her mouth like breathing on food if its hot when she comes into contact with a lightbulb or any hot food. Its hilarious. Its like she's telling us its hot and we need to blow on it. What a smart girl!!!

She's still doing the sheep face- its one of our favorites now. Its sooo cute and funny too.

Lucy is teaching Kelson to identify things on her face in french. Its super cool. She asks Kelson in french where her grandmother's nose is and Kelson points to it.

Tumblebeez... first class

Kelson and I went to our first class this Monday night. It was fun, but a little chaotic. Being an evening class, I think that's why it was sooo loud and crazy. Along with our class at 5:30 there were TWO squads (40+ girls) doing cheers, stunts, and tumbling. A level 1 and level 2 class and various girls tumbling everywhere. It was a little nuts and hard to hear at times. Kelson was more into the cheerleaders and kept trying to watch them and clap when they did- it was adorable. The parents n tot class was pretty basic. The teacher- Miss Penny- set up some wedges and things for the kids to play on and crawl over, etc. Miss Penny helped Kelson with a few forward rolls- and Kelson loved that.
Next we went to the trampoline and that was fun. Kelson couldn't really jump, so I got on there with her and jumped- she seemed to like it. The other two girls in class (who were 3) were having a ball so Kelson liked to watch them jump. The gym had a huge styrophom pit that they use for tumbling. It supports their fall if they are trying a new tumbling pass. I was grabbing Kelson saying Ready- and she said Go then twisting her and falling backward into the pit. She thought this was a lot of fun. At that age all you pretty much do is go and play with them on SAFE stuff for 45min 4 times a month. I'm ok with that ;) I signed Kelson up until May, so we are locked in. They do have a place where parents or friends can watch their kids through the huge window pane.I have several other friends who I'm trying to convince to sign up so we can all go together. one of the girls I actually cheered with, so that would be kinda cool. I have to admit too- seeing the BJHS squad in there made me miss my cheerleading days!!! Overall it was fun and I think the more we go- the more we will like it!!! Tumblebeez

Big Spring Jam... partying like celebrities :)

We didn't go to the jam at all this weekend, except for Sunday night to see Jason's buddies Blake Shelton and his bass player Rob. They were both SSSSSOOOO super cool and sweet. Sometimes celebrities can let things go to their head, but def not him. He was very down to earth and a sweet heart. Dan and Dingo were there (country station's DJ's) and had Jason come up and mentioned that he was from Heartland and that this was the first time they hadn't played in a 5+ years and of course made mention that it didn't get rained out. Heartland ALWAYS got rained out, so it was kinda funny that the weather was perfect this year. Oh well. Last year we got drenched.
We were backstage at the country stage the whole time- we were bummed we never got a chance to go get a gyro, but we ran out of time. Even my dad made it backstage to meet Blake- imagine that- hehe. Blake's bus was really nice- of course- he bought it from his g/f Miranda Lambert. After the show, we went on the bus and had a few drinks and got a few pics. People were picking and singing so- OF COURSE- I had to join in and sing too. They all seemed pretty shock that I could sing- it was a lot of fun. I was telling Blake to sing backup for me- hahaha. Only me, right? haha. A few girls that were hanging out on the bus too were Nashville songwriters and we ended up exchanging phone numbers/email addresses- how fun!!!!! They wrote Blake's new single. We are gonna try to meet him and Miranda up in Nashville one weekend. I would flip out.
I told Jason the next morning that no matter what he had to stay famous cause hanging out with the celebrities is a lot of fun :) hehe.

Jason and Mike are playing a benefit for Robby Mathis and his family in November (to help with medical expenses, travel to the Philadelphia children hospital, etc...) so Jason got Blake to sign a picture so we can auction it off :)

More BSJ Pics

West by God Virigina/Auburn football

Have to show off Kelson's WV cheerleader outfit (that she got from Jason and Sharee Miller before she was born). It's too big, but it was too cute not to go ahead and put it on her. I guess the outfit worked because West Virigina won their game against Marshall :) I even had a blue/gold shirt for EERS since he is from West by God Virigina and all. I have an Auburn cheerleading outfit too, but since the games were on at the same time I didn't want to have to switch back and forth (like we did on the tv) so the AU cheerleading outfit is next week. Esp since it will fit her.

Both our teams won and AL did VERY well so it was a great College Football Saturday!!!

WV pics

Boeing's Company Picnic

Kelson, Grammy, and I went to Boeing's picnic this past Sat morning/afternoon- we had such a wonderful time. (Jason wanted to stay home and watch lots of college football). I have been to two previous picnic's (sang at one) and then didn't have my own kids, so it was kinda boring. Now having Kelson I wanted to try it out and boy was I glad I did. Kelson is walking so good now, so it was easy to let her roam and explore everything. We managed to do a lot in a few hours. They had hamburgers, hot dogs, and beans- very good- we ate first thing when we got there. Then we made our way to the bubble machine (this was Kelson's favorite thing). She even said Bubble. We talked about bubbles before in her bath tub and I read about bubbles to her in her "Water Water Everywhere" book, but I think she REALLY started to understand what they were. Grammy and Papa babysat Kelson the night before and played with their neighbor's little boy, Will, (who also had bubbles) so she got a double dosage. Its so cute to see her really pronounce the B in bubble. Sweetness. Anyways, so we continued our adventure and went to the HUGE blow-up obstacle course. I had to climb some walls (sweat) , then I would jump some with Kelson in one area, then pass to her mom (over the side) and climb to the next part (pass her over again) and etc... until we got to the slide and we went down that and she squeeled- she loved it. Course she signed more, but there was no way I could go through all that again just for the slide. haha. I was sweating (good workout)- I guess I could add that to my traineo website ;) hehe.
>Anyways, then we saw a few clowns- which they would have her touch their red noses and then push their noise honkers- she loved that and of course signed more more please :) She wasn't afraid of them at all- like her daddy was of Ronald McDonald :) Chi Chi the clown made her a cute poodle balloon. She swung on the swing set, went up and down the playground slides, climb a rock toy, got a squishy football for momma making two baskets on the basketball shooting game. Grammy played the basketball game and won a football keychain. They were playing music too so she would stop to dance and smiling from ear to ear. They had some face paiting and air brush tattoos, but the lines were long. There were lots of other kids there so Kelson loved that. She always wants to reach for them and pet em... and says belle. haha. She was started to get sleepy, so we were gonna leave and then remembered they had ice cream. Kelson is now a HUGE fan of the orange sherbet push pops. She had almost 2 by herself. It was everywhere. I'm so glad that we went and that Grammy got to join- she helped so much and we had lots of fun with her. As soon as we got her strapped in and headed home the angel had fallen asleep. She had such a GREAT time. We will definitely be going again next year.
Boeing Picnic Pics

Kelson update...13 months old

Kelson is signing, talking, and walking like crazy these days!!! Its sooo much fun to watch her pick up signing and talking so easily. The sponge days are near us. Lately she's been signing hi and saying it- in a VERY southern accent.

Signs: Milk, light, fan, fish, bedtime, elephant, music, please, thank you, love you, puppy, so smart, so big, touchdown, bird, duck, more, food, water, bath, book, hi, hugs, and more to grow on :)
* She still amazes people with her signing abilities!!!! :) Proud mom and dad!

Words: dada, ming ming, linny, go, mama, memere, papa, what's that?, whose that, kitty cat, hi, down, up, cookie (said that lastnight when I was showing her cookie monster),lalala,

Sounds/noises: meow, roar, elephant trumpet noise, sheep (below is her version-its hilarious)- she got this because we were making the BAAAA face and I guess she thought this is how we looked. haha!


A few cute things about her:
She wipes her mouth when given a napkin- thank you Bobfather
We say Ready......she says GO...
Has eaten eers's dog food several times
Loves to crawl on stools, stairs, and steps- doesn't mind hights
Loves to be scared
Loves her front facing car seat and the ability to watch her DVD's while in the car
Still uses a pacifier- but only at nap or bedtime
Walks all the time
Loves to kick and throw the ball and pretty darn good at it
She copies me when I sing "lalalala"
Still only has 8 teeth
Hugs things all the time
Washed her baby doll with a washcloth lastnight in the tub- that was precious



I really love to dress her up in the CUTEST outfits/accessories! It's so fun having a real life doll :) Thanks to cousin Belle for all the ADORABLE hand me downs too!!!

Sept 08 Pics

Signing up for classes...

After a talk with my hubby, we decided that we are going to join the gym together. Its called 24/7 - its open 24 hrs/7 days a week. It uses fingerprint security so after hours you can come and go as you wish. I'm super excited that he is going to do it with me. As you know- I'm already a member at Lady Riviera, but since Jason can't go there- FOR OBVIOUS REASONS ;)- we are going to sign up for this gym together. My girlfriend Stacey signed up there a few months ago and says its SUPER nice. Only downfall is they don't have a swimming pool, but it sounds like the other ammenities are great-sauna, cardio machines, weight room, women circuit, and more. She even mentioned they have a "pole dancing class"- which they call the "desperate housewives class"- haha- I'm excited about that, but waiting a while before attempting that. I don't mind paying for my two memberships at diff gyms- as long as I'm using it. Another good thing about 24/7 is they have kid care and tanning thats included in the membership fee. At Riviera you pay extra for it. I want to lose around 25 lbs and he wants to lose 40lbs, so wish us luck!!!

ALSO, I'm signing Kelson up for the Parent-n-tot class at Tumblebeez . I'm REALLY REALLY excited about that. Its only $35/mo and we go 4 times a month. I know how much she loves to climb, jump up and down, etc.. so I can't wait to do that and not worry about her safety. I LOVE the idea that I get to go with her too. My niece Annabelle goes to a similiar place and loves it, so I hope Kelson will feel the same way. Kelson is walking all over the place now, so little miss independent should really enjoy this class.

Happy 10th Bday EERS

Today is Eers bday. He is 70 yrs old (in dog yrs). So hard to believe we have had EERS for so many years. He has been a WONDERFUL dog. He is and will always be a part of our family. Eers was originally given to Bob- Jason's dad- back in 97- he was born in West Virigina- hence the name "eers" for WV Moutaineers. I fell in love with him the moment I saw him. I had a tendency to have a huge heart for animals- esp dogs. Huh Mom? ;)
I was told that I if I rent the front apt with Jason that I would be given Eers too- haha. Nothing like a little bribe- I got the best deal out of that situation ;)
He's a wonderful dog and been great with handling having Kelson around the house. Happy bday buddy. We love you.

Kelson is giving eers one of his bakery cookies for his bday!!! My sweet babies ;)

Ready, Set, Show off...

Kelson is catching on to signing SOOOO quickly now I just can't believe it. When we are trying to show her off, we can't remember all the ones that she knows, but I continue to teach her more everyday. It literally takes Kelson two times to learn a sign now-as long as you do it consistently.We've added tree, music, and elephant to our "signing" list.

I've started singing "La la la" and she copies me, well sorta, but she carries a tune- pretty good for a 13 month old. Also- I'm gonna get it on camera but Kelson does this insane grunting look when we ask her what a sheep does. I think its because if you try to say ba ba- you look kinda like your grunting, so that's her sheep impression. Its hilarious. I'll get it on video and upload it.

She is talking up a storm too. She knows lots of words. Some of them are hard to make out, so its hard to say exactly what she is saying to us.

OH- and did I mention that she is walking now?!? It started a week or so ago. What a girl!!

To be tan or not to be tan... that is the question!!??

I'm not sure if I'm the only one who thinks that if you are tan, you look skinnier? Anyone else believe that? Or maybe its just that tan fat looks better than white fat ;) hehe!

THE BEACH..

We went to Mexico beach for a few days to visit Joan Rogers- Lucy's bf from way back when. She has a SWEET house on the beach in Mexico City, FL. We enjoyed it so much and she is such a gracious host. Having grandbabies she pretty much had anything I needed for Kelson- food, playyard, pool, monitor, diapers, wipes, etc.. The weather was perfect. We were worried with the hurricanes that it would rain, but we only had a few sprinkles and that was it!
It was Bob, Lucy, Jason, Kelson, myself, Jeannette, and Rob. Joan and Ronnie Hipp were already there waiting on us. Melissa, Clayton, and Alyssa all came over on Sunday - we had a GREAT time with them too. Missed Ken :( I managed to work a few days from the house, so that worked out great. We went to eat at Toucans- Oysters and Crab legs - yum yum. It was SOOOO freaking hot though. We are trying to get the Jason Albert Band to go down there next spring and play a gig so we can stay at Joan's again :) & book something at PCB too since its soooo much nicer than when I was spring breakin my senior year. They have a tootsie's and margaritaville now :)
Anyways, we had a great time laying out, eating, drinking fruity drinks, playing with Kelson at the beach, ATTEMPTING to surf on the tide (I wiped out), shopping, and just having fun. Joan made me a Mojito drink that was AWESOME. I'm hooked on those- but not too many at once because of all the calories, but it sure was good. When the "dipping" incident happened there was phospherous (sp?) in the water and it was unbelieveable. You would walk or wave your hand under the water and it would shine like gold was all around you- it was sooooo cool. At first I thought I had too many drinks- haha, but it was so neat and apparently the temp outside and the water temp have to align perfect for that to happen. How cool! The funniest thing was how the WHOLE trip (when we were watching the beach from at night) i mentioned that I would NEVER go into the beach at night (scared to death of sharks eating me)- thanks to Jason and his dang Jaws movies- but apparently there was NO FEAR that night for any of us who decided to go swim at night. hahaLast time we were at Joan's house Kelson was only 3 months old and did not care for the beach at all- as you can tell. This time she was pointing at the beach and wanting to go outside. In the picture above she looks like the Coppertone baby (just missing the dog pulling at her swimsuit) hehe. She's my little water baby. After beach time, she got in Joan's grandbaby's turtle pool and played in that to get the sand off and just to enjoy the clean water. She has a beautiful tan now (but I managed to keep lots of suntan lotion on her). Clayton, Alyssa, Kelson (nappin), and I all went walking on the beach and collected shells. That was very nice to hang out with the kids. We got some great shots of Kelson on the beach, the kids playing in the water, and the sunset.
*BTW- I did wear my bikini the whole time and announced that I KNEW I shouldn't be wearing that- due to my NEED TO TONE AND LOSE WEIGHT- but I wanted to get a good tan :) I even had a girl comment me on my cute bathing suit when we were walking down the beach ;)
Once I get my pics up you'll see how much fun we had. Kelson even managed to walk on her own a few times. What a girl! She's just growing up so fast.



I love this picture- I told Jason I wanted to get one of us walking away together on the beach- like we did in our wedding pic ;)- but this time with baby Kelson. The next step in our lives ;)

Thanks again to Joan for a great time, lots of laughs, and fun memories!!!!

BEACH PICS

Halloween Costumes...

Normally I am ALL OVER the halloween costume idea for Jason and I, but this year I haven't been at all. Even with having Kelson last year I was geered up and ready to find something. Since we are having our annual Halloween party on the 25th of Oct this year I don't need something where we all have to match. We've come up with a few ideas, but Jason doesn't like to get all crazy like I do ;) -- wearing makeup, masks, dressing crazy, etc.. so we may just do our own thing this year. I love to come up with unique ideas, so i either try to make my own, come up with something that doesn't even have a costume, or just be funny.

Some of my previous costumes have been: an Oompa Loompa, Where's Waldo, Batgirl with eers as batman, Wilma Flinestone, Ella Vader (Darth Vader's wife), and Olive Oil. I had a GREAT idea for a costume this year, but let's just say Jason's not thrilled about wearing a latex head to look bald. Oh well. I still don't want to look at costumes till I lose some more weight. They have SOOOOO many sexy costumes coming out this year- Playboy even has their own line of costumes. Goodness. haha!
I'm still trying to figure out a costume for Kelson too. She LOVES lions, so I was thinking about borrowing Annabelle's costume and going that route OR they have Wonder Pets costumes, so who knows- even one for EERS- hehe, she would make an adorable anything, so its just a matter of deciding which one.

What costumes are you guys thinking about?? For you or your kids!!

Also, we usually don't get to go to haunted houses, so maybe well try to do that this year with our friends.

Fallen off the wagon...

No I'm not a drunk ;) hehe. I just think the phrase fits my workout style for the last two weeks :) We were at the beach for a few days- so I did do some walking and sweating, so maybe that did help. Its always hard when your on vacation to get back in the groove of things. Plus my gym is closed on Saturdays now :( but is open on Sundays. New thing for them, so well see if it works for me. I liked having the Sat morning exercise time, but I guess I'll just have to either walk at home or go Sunday now. I don't feel bad about the way I look- i just know that i need to get toned up. If I can lose the 20+ lbs I want to lose I KNOW that I will feel much better. Jason is gonna be out of town most of the week again, so I can head to the gym after work. Gonna try to at least. I've pretty much given up on the competition thing, so its just a matter of pushing myself. I still got that Halloween costume to get into.

Happy Birthday Grammy/Mom

Happy Birthday Mom/Grammy!!! Its still so hard to believe that my parents are already in their 60's- mainly because they look and act like young whipper snappers ;) Kelson and I are planning on going to go eat with mom and dad for dinner tonight then coming back to my house for some C&P&M (cake, presents, and a movie). Jason's out of town :(, so he isn't able to join. We are really excited about having some one-on-one time with her for the night. Happy Birthday Grammy/Mom we are looking forward to our fun night!!!! Love you... Hope you have a great birthday- you deserve it!!!

Mom's been busting her butt getting her house UPDATED, so I can't wait to see the progress!!