Happy 1st Birthday Kelson!!!

Well today is officially my sweet baby girl's birthday. I still can't believe that she is already 1. Time really flies. Her daddy couldn't be here since he is on the road promoting Heartland and believe me he is VERY homesick. We miss him so much!We aren't planning anything too much for her tonight since he isn't here. Grammy bought her an ADORABLE Tinkerbell balloon that sings- its so cute and she LOVES balloons. Memere has made her a "1" year old cake to enjoy after dinner tonight. We are having family over to have dinner tonight and eat some cake. The big party will be Sunday. There's been TONS of preperations for this and I'm ready for it to get here :) Since Kelson loves the water, we decided to have a water party, so we are going to have tons of kiddie pools, water guns, and slip n slides. Its gonna be a big time. Let's just hope the weather is great - it seems like it will be perfect! FINGERS CROSSED! The theme is WONDER PETS- imagine that- hehe. We have some very cute ideas in store. Kelson did get a chance to dig into our MING MING and LINNY cupcakes. We attempted them and Ming Ming was AWESOME, but Linny- not so much- haha! It was a lot harder than we that. (See picture above). Aunt Weeza made the "Tuck" cupcake her own... hahaha.
A BIG thank you to Keri for all her help with everything. All is going to be great.

Things about Kelson: most of this has already been covered- just a recap :)
-Spoken words: Dada, uh oh, mama, ming ming, duck, and some other words I'm not sure about- haha
-Signed words: Milk, fan, light, more, food, thank you, please, fish, bathtime, naptime, water, love you, puppy, So smart, so big, bye bye, and signs 1 when you ask how old she is
-Has 8 teeth
-Responds in french when asked where our pretty girl is and to give kisses

-Does "little teapot"
-Sleeps 10+ hours at night (and has since she was 4 months old)- THANK YOU JESUS!
-Doesn't mind a bath
-Loves to entertain- wonder where she gets that- hehe
-Smiles when she first wakes up
-Loves to go swimming
-Loves to pet the dogs
-Thinks the vaccum is awesome- she must get that from her Memere
-Goes to sleep to disney or Jason's burned CD songs
-Loves to watch Wonder Pets, Dora, Mickey Mouse, and dada singing
-Roars when you ask what a lion says
-Loves books
-Points at EVERYTHING
-Sounds like she says "What's that"??

There are so many things that I can't think of, but I think I've covered most of them in the blogs below :) I can't wait to spend the next year learning from her. I myself have learned sign language, french, how to be more patient, and how to be a GREAT mom :) Thank you Kelson for being such a wonderful baby girl. I can't wait to see what the next year brings and what joys you will bring to us.
We love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Backburner

Well I've started another biggest loser competition- I am not the president this time ;)- its a friend of my sisters's that's doing it. The winner gets $500 :). They are going to base it on the % of weight loss- not a number. No body fat % is calculated into the winnings either. This week I've been trying to get motivated to go the gym- I did do the Body Attack class Monday night- so that was a plus, but trying to plan Kelson's bday party, working, and trying to get the house straightened up, AND working out has been a chore so far I know that I won't do well this week at the weight in on Sunday, but its ok- I have 9 more weeks to go. My sister and I are pretty at the same weight right now- that NEVER has happened- hehe- and we want to lose the same, so it would be awesome to lose all that weight with my sister. She seems really determined- along with the other contestants, so this time I believe I have to get my game on. Stacey has decided to join too, so that's a plus that I have someone here to motivate me too. So again, here we go again. What's another 20+ lbs-- hehe!

DRAMA in the night...

Lastnight I put Kelson down for bed and within 40 min or so she woke back up crying, so I went in there to soothe her and after I got her back to sleep I put her back in her crib and when I went to raise up the gate it came off the track, so here I am- half asleep- in the dark- trying not to wake up Kelson and fix the crib. I wasn't sure what to do cause it was completely off the track- a wide open space. Jason wasn't home so he couldn't come help me and I was afraid to leave her alone with that open space, so all these thoughts went through my mind (keeping in mind NOT to wake Kelson up). I thought about calling Lucy/Bob to come help (but it was almost 11pm), grabbing the pack and play and setting that up, or putting her in my bed (which I NEVER get sleep when we do that). So i decided with the pack and play so I RAN to the spare room- grabbed the pack and play- and ran back- course she didn't budge, so I had to put that together- by this time I turned on her light up moon so I could at least see. So I put that together- didn't mess with sheets- just laid a few blankets down and put her in. Happily she didn't wake up at all and slept till this morning. WHEW. That was not a fun experience.. But it worked out :)

Is it fate???

As I was researching some stuff for Kelson's bday party- Wonder Pet printoffs, etc... I came across their THIS MONTH'S CONTEST and guess what it is: August is Who is the biggest Wonder Pet Super Fan???on the Nick Jr website. How appropriate is that? I'm going to get the best picture from her bday and send it in. From the looks of the competition, we should have a good chance of winning something. I hope so anyways. We have so many cute ideas for the party. Lucy even went all out and got a chicken wire cage for Ming Ming, Tank for Tuck, and a Hamster Wheel Cage for Linny. Isn't that sooo sweet. Its gonna be a PERFECT 1st bday.

By the way- I do believe Kelson's 4th word is Ming Ming :) hehe. how cute!!! I have a little video from youtube (she is looking at pics of the wonder pet cupcakes we are going to attempt to make)

All over the place...

Lately when I'm changing my bandaids on my scrapped up leg-Thank you Softball- Well Kelson looks at it and says Uh Oh. It's really cute. I've been trying to get her to hold her finger to her mouth and point outwards (kinda like the ET movie)- and say "OUCH".. haha! Well see if she catches on, but I'm gonna guess YES ;)
The other night Kelson and I were in the tub and I was showing her how to blow bubbles and I would bring my head up and smile and she would laugh and push my head back down into the water. I was cracking up. She is so smart. So after I let out most of the water I let her lay in the tub and work on her bubble blowing- she did rather well. I think she will be swimming on her own in no time.
She has learned 3 more signs this past week and a half. I'm gonna write a summary on Kelson on her 1st bday blog. What a girl. All of our friends are VERY impressed with her signing. Most of them already have kids and didn't use this system, but wish they did. I think its GREAT and I love communicating with Kelson. Soon she'll be talking away, but for now- this makes her unique.
Charles- fiddle player in the band- was over the other day (the guys were getting ready to head to Nashville) and we were showing Kelson off (signing) and he said My Gosh you are so smart.. .and of course she did the sign for SO SMART- and we all just couldn't help but laugh... :) Makes a mommy and daddy proud.
Also, Jason and I went to get new phones at Verizon a few days ago and while we were waiting on the lady to transfer our numbers and stuff I had Kelson doing all her signing tricks and the people around us were amazed and one guy even said you oughta charge people to come see her :) How cute.
Nanny's bday was the other day and she was getting ready to blow out her bday candles, so since our little one has one coming up, I wanted to see if she could blow/spit/roll her lips to get the candle to blow out. We've been working on it, so well see if she can get it done on her bday :) She didn't master it yet, but we are working on it. I would love for her to do something funny and catch it on film and win $10K on America's Funniest Videos :)
Thank you Aunt Keri for the "birthday countdown candle"- if you guys have kids this is something awesome to have- its a birthday candle that you burn down each year your child turns another year older. My sister, brother, and I all had one of these growing up. Its a neat keepsake- if it doesn't melt in the attic ;) hehe. Even if your kids are 3 already you can still burn it to that point and start a new tradition for your family. Another KOLUMBUS tradition is the Happy Bday Mickey Mouse song version . I plan on playing it at Kelson's bday....

Kelson's Bday Presents...

Many of you have e-mailed me to ask "What does Kelson want/need for her bday" :) So I'm gonna go ahead and post some of the things on here. She's really into The Wonder Pets, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, loves lions- likes to roar at them :), books, and more

We already have:
Wonder Pets Save the Beetles DVD
Wonder Pets Nursery Rhymes DVD
Nick Jr Sleepy Time DVD
Ty Wonder Pets
Mickey Mouse stuffed animal
Pluto stuffed animal
Link a do's
Stack cups

She needs:
Any clothes :) 18 months please
Nightgowns
Hair bows- haha- not really, but I love em so more is fine with me
Babies R Us gift card towards her FORWARD-FACING car seat
Any new DVDs with the wonder pets- I think they have WP save the Reindeer, but I haven't seen it in stores
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse dvds
Any toys- 12mo+
Bath toys- she LOVES bathtime
Johnson's body wash- any kind (big bottle)
Disney princesses- she slowly getting into this
Cute sippy cups 12mo+
Cute plates/bowls
The Wonder Pets 18inch plush at Toys R Us- but check with Lucy or Linda if you wanna buy these- they may be getting them!!??
Keri- she LOVES that princess lego set thing you got for her- she plays with that a lot
Bathing suit for next summer- 24 months

I guess that's about it ;) I wasn't sure if I was gonna be able to think of anything. Hehe! I still can't believe she's gonna be 1 next week... holy cow!

As the World Turns...

So much is going on right now... Jason just left this morning (won't return till the day of Kelson's 1st bday party) :( August 17th. Heartland's recording another song this morning before heading on the road. They have three live shows this weekend, then Jason, Keith, Mike, and Charles are all doing some radio stuff next week. So let's hope we can get things rolling again. The guys haven't given up! The next few months should be pretty cruical as to whether or not the guys are going to continue down this road, so let's give them our support and request songs, etc..

Just wanted to say Happy Bday to Nikki- I'm not sure how old she is, so well just say 21 again ;) !!! Happy Birthday Honey- hope you have a great day!

My sister's friend, Nikki, not the same Nikki as above ;) has decided to do a Biggest Loser Competition, but the money stakes are higher- $50/pp. So I guess I'm going to compete in that one and either not have one here or starts ours later on. Her competition is 8 weeks long- the only thing I'm unsure about is she is having men compete too and I don't think that's a fair advantage since they have higher metabolisms and they can lose 5lbs in 2 days! :( So I'm still checking to see if they are going to keep it co-ed! But I wouldn't mind losing 15-20 more lbs and get back to Pre-Kelson weight! It could happen :)

Kelson is gonna be 1 in a week- I still can't believe it! She is such a sweet mess. I can't wait to turn her around and actually get to use the DVD player in our Santa Fe :) Time sure has flown! We've already started planning the WONDER PETS bday party and the invitations have been sent ;) I can't wait!!!!

Why can't money grow on trees???

We have been asked/invited to do SO many wonderful things in the next year and we just can't afford to do it all :( Ex's: Chris Hipp's bday in Sept in Vegas, Staying at the Christmas Inn in G'burg with the Mathis family in October, NY during Christmas time, Europe cruise next year for my 30th bday, Disney cruise in 2010, etc.. There is SO much we want to do, but know that we cannot afford to do it. I wish each tax paying person was given a LARGE amount of money- like $10K- to do whatever they wished with it- whether it be go on a trip, pay off bills, donate to charity, or whatever else one would want to do with it. I believe that this would help boost our self-confidence and self-esteem as a country.
I know they sent out stimulus checks (WHICH WE STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN!!) I'm sooo upset about that. We really could use that money right now, and the gov is taking their sweet time sending ours out and I can't find a status online. I guess I'm gonna have to call to see what happened to ours. Each day I hope to open up that check! We should have recieved ours back in May. SS's 01 and 04. When they want their money they get to charge fees and give you a bad credit report, but when we are ready for our money from them- we just have to be patient :( Poopie!!! Anyways, I'm done venting now. hehe. I just wish we could win the lottery (cliche) so we could do whatever we wanted- now that would be the life :) Don't worry I would share the wealth ;) Whats more fun that having friends/family to celebrate it with!!!

I still got it!!!!

I went and played a game of co-ed softball yesterday with the people from Crestwood. They needed an extra girl and asked me if I could do it. Of course it being 95 degrees and a while since I had played I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it. Luckily I was in OK shape to play, but I knew it would still be odd since it had been a while. Well we lost- haha, but I was 4 for 4, did a face dive back to second to avoid being tagged out, caught an outfield fly, and slide into 3rd. So needless to say... I still got it!!! After all that non-stop running and going back and forth- now I remember why I was in such good shape in high school and college :) It was a lot of fun- I'm glad that I got the chance to play.

ALTHOUGH... my leg is pretty scrapped up from sliding... no cute dresses or skirts for a while :) I'm remembering how bad those hurt too! hehe.

Heartland- Where are they now???

Heartland members Jason, Keith, and Charles made a trip down to FL this past week to promote their new single "Slow Down" to some of the reporting radio stations. The first stop was to Bradenton Hooters - poor guys had to play at a Hooters- I feel no pity for them- ;) Uncle Paul, Aunt Claire, Cousin Becca, Derrick, Liz, and some other folks made it out to see the guys. Here is a few pics from the event on the radio station's website. 106.5 CTQ. Jason said the show was a lot of fun and went over really well. (In the pictures it starts to look like Keith, Jason, and Charles are cut outs cause they really don't move with each one) haha! Oddly enough they didn't get pics with any of the hooters girls- what's up with that!?? Or did they ;)

Next stop was to Tampa, FL to visit radio stations WQYK & WFUS.

Their last stop was to Jacksonville, FL to visit Gator Country- 99.9 Radio Station Pics from Jacksonville. They played at the Gas Knob Pub for a great crowd. Again some of the family came up for that- Keri, Nicholas, Benjamin, Keli(with baby Miles in the womb), Caleb, Kori, and Bailee (newest member). As you can tell from the pics the boys had a great time. Caleb even wore his famous "Caleb and Jason" Heartland shirt- it was so cute! From what I can tell everyone had a great time! Jason has such a HUGE family I think they could have at least one member at every show! :)

Today the guys are meeting up at the cave with some of the label promoters to talk biz, so they should have more of a timeline for things after today. So I'll keep you all informed. Currently the single is at #58, but has been for a week or two, so well see if we get some improvement within the next few weeks. Keep your fingers crossed- we are definitely not ready for this ride to be over.

Jason, Mike, Chopper, and Todd are playing at Ruggby's tonight if anyone is looking for a fun time!

There you are...

I finally captured two different pictures that I think resembles Jason and one resembles me!!! Its neat to finally start to see ourselves in Kelson.
Jason

Kelly

What do you guys think???

Signing Nemo...

This morning I was getting ready for work and Jason was playing with Kelson on the floor and asked me if she has signed "fish" yet and I told him no, but I show it to her all the time we read our toddler look and find book. So he says- well she just did it. I ran over there and said "Kelson, show mommy the fish", we turned to the Nemo page, and sure enough she signed fish!!!! What a girl!!! So that's another one to add to the list! Makes a mommy proud ;)

I put Kelson in the booster seat down in the livingroom (away from the tv) near the couch and I was doing laundry and some other things and came down to find Kelson like this in front of the tv. I actually looked around to see if someone had moved her. When I scooted her back I peeked back around and Kelson was moving back and forth to get closer to the tv. What a smart girl. hehe. Gotta keep an eye on that one! She LOVES her wonder pets!

Here are some random pics of my little girl over her 11 month old span :)
Kelson-11months

Happy Birthday Sister!!!

I already called my sister today to wish her a Happy 32nd Bday, but I thought I would blog about it too. We got her a Lowe's GC - she wants a rockin' rocking chair for their new porch ;) Its ok- she already opened that present :) We also got her some other stuff that is VERY Keri for her house, so I'm sure she will like it too. Her and Keith are going out to a sports bar with friends tonight so that should make for a fun/children free evening. Our cousin Olivia is in town from Cali and is babysitting- what a girl! Sunday Keri is having an 80's roller skating party! Man oh man do I wish I could be there for that. She is going all out and bringing back the NKOTB shirt. I know if I was going I would poof the hair, tight roll the jeans, wear the fringed shirt, and poofy socks. I told her to only slap the CUTE boys hands too- yall know what I'm talking about ;) oh and to shoot the duck (skating talk)!!

Well happy 32nd bday sister! Love you!!! Have fun!

AND THE BIGGEST LOSER BLOGGER WINNER IS....

Kelly Albert :) YEA!!! I ended up losing a total of 12.1lbs and 1.5% body fat :) So therefore my total weight loss was 13.6lbs!!!! I couldn't believe it. I was a nervous wreck all week prior to weigh in. It was very exciting to see that number drop down from last week :) I guess all the "being strict" and kick butt cardio classes really paid off. I did have witnesses there, so no one would think the "president" of the biggest loser blogger cheated ;) It was a close run for the winner spot. Stacey Smith came in second with a total loss of 10.2 lbs and Lucy Albert right behind her a total loss of 9.1.

Here are the remaining candidates scores (just so they are aware of where they ranked)
Kari Brake- total lost 8.2
Kate White- total lost 7.2
Sarah Brown- N/A
Claire Lesinkski- total lost 3.5
Evelyn Kilgore- total lost 4.0
Aline Childers- total lost 1.5
Louise Hipp- total lost .5
Theana Albert- gained 1.2

As a group we lost a total of 61.6 lbs and 59.25 inches!!! Way to go girls! Even those who didn't win were still "losers" ;) Congrats to all the contestants and I hope you continue to try to lose weight and get to a healthier you!!!!

Some of the girls are already talking about kicking it up a notch and adding more money to the next competition and starting it right away. I suggested that we give it a two week break, but then again, if I still plan on losing fropm here on out, I may as well account for it. So well see how many people actually wanna sign up. ONLY DETERMINED PEOPLE!!! We will prob start it soon and end it the week before Thanksgiving- to give the winner some extra Christmas shopping money :)

FINAL Biggest Loser Blogger Weigh In...

Well this is the final weigh in. For those of you who don't stop by today to weigh in at Lucy's, please e-mail me your final results- I need your current weight, total lbs lost, and current body fat %. Since it was really confusing to calculate the body fat percentage, we are going to do this: Every % you lose of body fat will equal 1lb of weight loss, so we will add it into your total lbs lost. I think this will be the most fair. Well girlies, for the last time, let's hear it :) PLEASE give me your information (above) by evening time tonight so I can get the scores tallied. Good luck everyone!!!
I plan to post the winner tomorrow morning!!!!

We talked about possibly having another competition - after a month or so break- so if you are interested please let me know. DEDICATED members only!!!

Pushing through...

Well the Biggest Loser Competition ends this Wed. I can't believe its finally here! I'm so nervous about the weigh in since my weight has fluctuated so much over the last few weeks. I REALLY want to win, but I guess well know Wed night. I will post the before and after pics (for those who approve) and announce the winner Thurs morning on my blog. I've been having a heck of time figuring out the formula for calculating the body fat %, so with Stacey's help I should get it figured out. I didn't do TOO bad this weekend, although I had a few falls, but overall I think I did ok. I haven't seen if I lost or gained, so that will tell the truth. Well here goes nothing- wish me luck :)

All is better...

Well yesterday Kelson seemed to be her old bubbly/drama queen self again, so I think she is finally getting over her sickness. YEA!!! I've been feeling better for a couple days now too- just stuffed up. So that's a plus too! Jason hasn't gotten it either- so that's another good thing- drinking up that Xango ;) Poor Memere (Lucy) has the crud though and is trying to kick it. We are talking about going to see Heartland's show in Knoxville tomorrow and then staying with the Mathis Family for the weekend, but with us getting over being sick, we have to see. They are taking Robbie- their eldest- to the Philadelphia hospital to see if they can fix what is wrong with him- he is still in pain. Poor thing! They wanted to have some time with us before he left to go. So we are prob gonna try to go!!! Just depends on how everyone is feeling! Don't want Robbie to get sicker. Please keep Robbie and the Mathis family in your prayers!!! We hope the hospital will be good for him and fix whatever the problem might be and give Robbie the chance to be a kid again!!!

Today is my girl Sharee's bday today!!! Happy Bday Honey!!!

Biggest Loser Blogger-- Weigh in- 2nd to LAST ONE!!!

Well girls this is the LAST weigh in before our final weigh in. I know that some of you have lost touch or haven't been posting, so its hard to say how you are doing but I hope all in all that everyone is losing- even if its a few lbs!!! I know its been a busy time for everyone, but I hope you will continue to push towards your goal weight. Some of the girls have talked about having another competition starting mid August, so well see if anyone wants to join. ONLY DEDICATED MEMBERS ONLY!!!

One more week to go... :) Good luck!!!
We plan to meet up at Lucy's house for the final weigh in next Wed, July 30th!!

Sicky Sicky

Well not only does Kelson have a cold but now I do. They said that more than likely the adults would get a head cold (due to the croup), and sure enough I got it. It really hasn't been that bad, but trying to take care of someone sick and being sick is NOT FUN. I took today off work to recover (since Jason is here to help us both), so Kelson is doing better today too. We had two nights of up and down (due to lots of snot in her nose). Its so hard to get all of it out since they can't blow :( She hates tissues and the nasal aspirator thingy. Those are not her fav things right now. She seems to be doing better today- although she still has a bad cough. Jason, Kelson, and I went to dinner lastnight at Mac Grille and she did VERY well- although I realized I couldn't taste a thing I was eating, so I just stopped- no need in wasting calories if you can't savor them. Speaking of being sick- I haven't been able to work out at all due to the sickness at the Albert house :( I wanted to really kick it up and lose about 5 more lbs before our competition ends, but I couldn't really control the past week's sickness. Jason came home late Sat night and so far isn't sick- so let's hope he doesn't!!!!! Anyways, just wanted to update everyone.

Here's your sign

A short, but sweet blog...
Tonight at dinner at Casa Blanca- imagine that ;) Kelson was doing the "light" sign and looking up at a sign and I said No baby- that's a sign, BUT when I read that the sign said "Miller Lite" I figured out who was the smart one ;) My little girl knows how to read already- hehehe. Ok- its a coincidence, but still too cute not to share. I do have witnesses- huh, grammy??? ;)

What the CROUP???

Our poor baby girl has developed croup. Poor baby girl. They said its a summer virus. With all the kids she was around last week I guess she was bound to get sick :(
Kelson started breathing hard and funny lastnight in the bath, so I thought maybe she got too much water in her lungs or something. I was worried that it was from all the swimming we did a week or so ago. I didn't realize it was that bad till she got up caughing like an old smoker :( or a seal like they mentioned above -so we called the dr right when she got up this morning. It seemed to be worse. So we just got back and this is what she has. So its time to keep an eye on her and get rid of that crap aka croup- hehe. OF COURSE- I have her drinking some Xango too for the infection. I truely believe it has helped her stay well since she was born.
It breaks your heart to see your child be in pain like that. They had her do the breathing machine- which she didn't like- but she seems to be doing better already. About to start her on the prescribed steriods. We did found out that she weighs 20 lbs 4oz. That's my girl!!! :) Growing nicely.
WEIRD THING is lastnight lucy, jason, and I were just talking about how Kelson hasn't been sick at all since she was born and how rare that is. Then... we woke up with this, so I guess we jinxed ourselves. Poop!

Biggest Loser Blogger.. Week 11

Were getting to the end of the competition. So hard to believe. Hope everyone is having success. I have to say that EVERYONE is losing so to me- that is worth doing this contest no matter what! :) So let's hear how your doing!!!??? Good luck- its crunch time!

Signs Signs Everywhere a Sign

I just wanted to have a way to keep track of all of Kelson's signs that she knows now. She has already picked up a few more over the last week. I guess she knows her FIRST bday is coming up :) Jason grabbed the video camera lastnight and we got her doing most of these on tape- its hard to remember a lot of them, but she didn't miss a lick!

1)Fan
2)Light (her fav one)
3)Milk
4)Bed
5)Bathtime
6)Please
7)Merci (thank you)
8)So smart
9)So big
10)More
11)Food
12)Water (sorta)
13)Dog

Other cool things she does at 11 months old: holds up "1" when you ask her how old she is gonna be next month (got her to do it :)--- YEA!, pats herself when you ask her where our pretty girl is, gives kisses when asked for them in french, dances when you tell her to in french, shakes her head no when she doesn't want anymore- she is very adamant about this (haha), points at EVERYTHING, loves to look at pictures, roars when you show her a lion, can squeal a VERY high note (I call it the Mariah Carey note), does her own indian chant, loves Casa Blanca rice and chicken, is not a picky eater, loves to watch Wonder Pets, Dora, Little Bill, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and says: dada, mama (at times), and uh oh. She throws stuff down so she can say uh oh, crawls on her own, smiles in the morning when you get her up, laughs really hard when you do something stupid/funny or scare her, opens her mouth and sticks out her tongue when you ask if she has anything in her mouth, loves her bathtime/pooltime, recognizes Mickey Mouse, likes books, and loves to do "little teapot" and "itsy bitsy spider" and the "months macarena song", sleeps with a humidifier on and Disney music. HAS TONS OF CLOTHES!!!! I know there is more, but I'll cover them in a future blog :)

Happy 11th Month Old Kelson...

Today our baby girl is 11 months old!!! Wow- seems like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. She is really growing into a beautiful little girl. I love to see how much she changes from week to week. What a sweet angel we have.
Kelson is the best thing that has ever happened to us! We are really excited that she is going to be 1. Now that she is crawling on her own, she is really a handful- I'm sure the walking stage is right around the corner. These last 11 months have been so much fun and I have learned so much about being a mother. Even learned some sign language and french ;) Merci Kelson :) I can't wait to have another one- on 10/10/2010- haha! Doubt that will happen, but ya never know ;)

PS- I still absolutely LOVE her name!!! Since its so different and unique I wondered, but I wouldn't change it for anything. She will stand out!! That's my girl! Sometimes its hard to explain to people, but once they get the concept they get it. Also, I've heard a few comments back on how some couples tried to that but ended up with funny names ;) So at least people are trying it ;) Ours just happen to work out wonderful. Jaelly was not happening ;) hehe!

So the Crawling begins...

Well Kelson has officially started crawling as of two nights ago. She is a little shy of 11 months. I guess its time to keep a close eye on her and latching the cabinets and moving the fragile things out of reach. It seems like she has learned so much this past month. She is signing dog and food now. The new trick I'm working on is asking her how old she is gonna be next month and holding up my finger for 1. Well see if she can do it- I think so ;) I still can't believe how fast time has flown by. She has 4 teeth now. Her YOUNGER cousin Corgan already has 8- wowza. I've started planning her bday party for next month. Jason's Heartland schedule has really picked up so we have to have her party on the 17th. But at least we have a date and the theme will be Wonder Pets. Her most FAVORITE show. Grammy bought her the Ty beannie baby Wonder Pets- she LOVES them!!! She plays with them while she watches her show. For those of you who like kid shows and want a good laugh- watch this show on Nick Jr/Noggin. Its adorable. We have a couple of other shows we are slowy introducing her too- Dora, Little Bill, Mickey's Clubhouse, and some others. What are you guys watching with your kids??? I have TRIED to watch Yo Gabba Gabba, but that is WWWWWAAAAAYYYYY cheezy.

I bet it won't be long before Kelson will be walking on her own. She is standing up pretty well on her own, but I still don't want to let her go. She will learn it on her own- like the crawling. I see NO REASON to rush that stage. That's just more work for the parents. We are going to drop her crib down tonight- she is already trying to stand up in it and I don't want her falling out. We have her 1 year checkup next month. I can't wait to go- its been 6 months since her last checkup and I want to know her weight/height now. Course I'm dreading the shots :(

Heartland in Palm Bay, FL on July 4th

We had a great time at the show. Lots of friends and family showed up to support Heartland. Jason got Kelson up on stage to sing "I loved her first". The crowd loved this and AAAWWW'd. She was such a good girl and tried to grab the mic a few times- I think she's ready to start singing ;) haha! What a girl!! They did their new single "Slow Down" and it went over very well.
After the show, the "partiers" went out to Lous Blues- we had a freaking blast!!!

BTW- I meant to mention on the last post that after we returned from FL we watched the video of Kelson with the characters and she again was soooo excited and freaked out screaming at the TV- it was like re-living it all over again! So awesome!4th Pics

Epcot and Animal Kingdom- July 3rd

Heartland had a show booked in Palm Bay, FL, so we got a chance to go to FL again. Would we pass that up? Heck no. We figured while we are down there ;) well go to Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Thanks to our Cousin Patty we got in for free. It was me, Kelson, Jason, Rodney, Lucy, Cousin Patty, and Theana. Cousin Patty is a sweet friend thats a huge Heartland fan, so she hooks it up for us ;) Anyways, I will admit that I was not looking forward to the FL heat so I wasn't gun hoe on going, but when we got there it was overcast and not too crowded. YEA!!! This was Rodney's first time at Disney- poor guy- he has never been at all. We wanted to go to Magic Kingdom, but the free passes were only good for these two parks. Hey- you can't complain about free stuff. So anyways, we had a blast. Went on Soarin' and Kelson got a good nap in. We went to ride the Nemo ride. Kelson got pics with the fish. She liked those. Jason and Rodney wanted to ride the Mission to Mars ride (I have rode it before and almost vomited so I passed), so they went to get in line for that. While they did Kelson, Theana, Patty, and Lucy all went to stand in line to see the Disney characters. I wasn't sure how Kelson would do or how she would react. Well this was the BEST part of the whole trip. Kelson had a freaking blast. She got to see Mickey Mouse, Pluto (by far her favorite), Minnie Mouse, Chip n Dale, and Goofy. I think Pluto reminded her of Eers. She was so cute playing with him and he even got on the floor with her and danced- it was sooo cute. She cried when we had to leave him to go to the next character. As we were standing in line- Pluto came over to her again and started dancing and Kelson went nuts- it was the cutest site EVER. People that didn't even know us was taking pics of her. Pluto was showing her lots of attention and she loved that. I couldn't quit smiling! Sadly Jason missed it cause he was on a ride :( but good thing we got pics and video.
We went to see the Finding Nemo musical. Kelson was screaming- because she was excited and loved it, but then there was a part in the musical where there was a HUGE boom and she freaked out, so her Memere (lucy) took her out while we watched the rest. Next we went to get ice cream, and head to Animal Kingdom.
On the tram ride there they had some shiny gold poles for people to hang on to and I jokingly called Kelson my little pole dancer and so I had her hang on the poles- she was laughing while she was dancing on the poles- haha! Kidding of course, but it was funny to see her facial expressions.
By this time it was getting pretty hot. But still not nearly as bad as it could have been. We went and saw the birds, tree of life, and to ride the Mt Everest ride. This one is super cool. We went and rode the dinosaur ride- that is pretty cool too. The picture that the park took of us- me, theana, rodney, and Jason was hilarious. Theana had her head between her legs and I had my hand over my eyes- haha! Almost bought it but the prices are ridiculous. We had talked about going to see the fireworks, but after 12 hrs of park we were all pretty done. Kelson was GREAT and didn't fuss at all. What a girl! Just like her daddy at Disney :) I wanted to hit the safari, but we ran out of time :(
Overall we had a great time!!! The hotel/condo we stayed at was just ok- all the beds squeaked so that was annoying and they were very small. Oh well- the time at the park was fun.
Here are more pics of our FUN trip... Epcot and Animal Kingdom pics

Catching up... Hsv Air show-- June 27th

I'm a little behind on posting, but I've been really busy and wanted to wait till I had pictures posted. Anyways.
Two weekends ago we went to the Hsv Air Show- it was fabulous. It was me, Kelson, Jason, Aunt Weeza, Chris, Adrienne, Tim(her b/f), and Elliot. This is the first time Boeing allowed their employees to bring their families and watch the show from our airport site, so that was very cool. We tailgated in the Boeing parking lot and watched the blue angels. The kids REALLY enjoyed it. I was very impressed too. This is the first time I've got to one of these shows. It was pretty loud, but that didn't stop us. Kelson even enjoyed it and was pointing at all the planes as they flew by. Jason got AWESOME pics of the blue angels flying over us. Getting good with that camera. It was pretty hot, but we made the best of it. Anyways, check out the pics. It was very cool and we will go back again next time. Hsv Airshow pics

Biggest Loser Blogger.... Week 10

Another week gone- hope everyone had a wonderful and safe 4th of July!!! Now its time to get back on track. You have a few more weeks to still make a difference. I know its been hard to get back into it, but we have to push eachother!!!! So weigh in and let's work towards that SUMMER TIME body!!!!

Biggest Loser Blogger-- Week 9

Hope everyone gets a chance to weigh in before going on vacation ;) I'm sure everyone weight will be better today rather than after the 4th but its ok- we still have time to lose and still win the money. I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL and SAFE 4th of July. God bless America!!!!

Now- let's see how your doing...

Dinner two nights in a row AT the table???

Sunday night we had dinner- AT THE DINING ROOM TABLE- it was daddy (papa), Kelson, Jason, and I. That's the first time we have done that in months. Daddy came over to play with Kelson while Jason and I did our own things- me laundry and cleaning up- Jason video games ;) So Jason made Rosemary Chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and peas. Kelson got to sit at the table with us- in her high chair- and it was a nice time!

Lastnight I made dinner- I know- who would have thought- I gave Jason a break- i just made baked fish sandwhiches, mac n cheese, and corn. Kelson LOVED the mac n cheese (even though it wasn't homemade or Memere's) hehe. It was Velvetta- delish. It was nice to cook for a change. It was no EMERIL JASON dinner, but it was good. Anyways, we decided to eat at the table again -just us three. Jason and I both made a point to say that it was two nights in a row. It was nice to have some quality time with the family- with nothing on but music- we got to talk about our day and talk/play with Kelson. While we were eating she learned the "thank you" sign. Although I said Merci- she understands it- so I guess we can add another sign to our list :) She is so freaking smart and picks them up so fast. She also gives kisses when you ask for it in french/ or english. I can't wait to show the FL family!!!!

Do you make it a priority to eat dinner with your family at least a few times a night????? I think we will from now on. It was nice!!!

Kelson's signs: Fan, light, more, so smart, so big, merci/thank you, please, bathtime (working on that), bedtime/nap (working on that), and milk.
I'm doing what I can to learn more everyday!!! :)

Welcome Bailee Suzanne Busch

Kori and Todd Busch welcome their sweet baby girl. Although she was born 3 weeks early- all is GREAT. She was born at 9:46 am on Friday, June 20th weighing only 5lbs/12oz and 19 inches long. She is soooo pretty and has the bluest eyes (like her daddy). Mommy and baby are both doing fine and daddy is excited. Kori chose her daughter's middle name after her mom Susie, who recently passed due to cancer. I thought this was very sweet and appropriate since they were all so close. Bailee is the first granddaughter out of the 4 grandkids! Aww. Nothing like a little girl! Congratulations to them all. I know they will make the BEST parents!

Pics of Bailee's cousins holding her.. I love this picture!! :)

Keli (Kori's sister) and hubby Joe are expecting a baby boy soon too. Congrats!!!

Biggest Loser Blogger...Week 8

Another week towards the end. Hope everyone is doing good! I hope you get a chance to post. The last several weeks there hasn't been much bloggin, so I hope its because you were at the gym 24/7 and unable to get to a computer ;)!

Also, I've been asked by a couple of people to push out the competition to end July 30th- since I'm SURE no one has reached their goal weight and with the holiday it could be hard to get together and do good the week before weigh in. I hope everyone is ok with this!!! :) This gives us another month or so to lose more weight. I cashed the checks, so the $360 is waiting on THE BIGGEST LOSER!!!

Hope everyone is doing good! Love you all! Keep it up!

Joe Wheeler Park

We went driving around Sunday afternoon to check out some of the state parks. I wanted to take Kelson to the playground, so we went past Athens to Joe Wheeler State Park. I have to say it was pretty bad- VERY Redneck and the playground sucked. Jason made the comment- on the way back from the bathroom- that Jeff Foxworthy would have a hay day with that crowd of folks. Although the park wasn't that great it was nice to just ride around and go check out some different places. Jason did manage to capture a couple of cute pics of Kelson on the swings- with momma (since they didn't have baby swings), teeter totter (two cute boys asked her if she wanted to play with them), and just hanging in the pavilion.
We have a great playground about 5 min from the house that I plan to take Kelson to- Kid's Kingdom- I've been to many kids bday parties, but haven't been back since Kelson was born, so I'm anxious to take her- its awesome. They have a place called Pump it Up in Hsv now- Keri has been taking Belle to the one in FL for a while now and she LOVES it. Its pretty much like an inflatable playground. Kelson has to get a little bigger to play on it, so when the time comes I really look forward to taking her.

On another note- Lately Kelson has been making this hilarious face- she sticks out her tongue like she's gagging- at first I thought she was choking, but I think she started doing it because we are always on her about chewing her food- she seems to want to slurp it like a noodle- and I wanted to make sure she swallowed the other food so I ask to see inside her mouth. Now I'll ask her what's in her mouth and she opens it up and sticks out her tongue really far- its soooo funny. We tried to capture the look on camera but never got it. Pics from the park
AND... she has another tooth coming in on top- i think one more on top is about to break through next to it - for a total of 4 teeth :)

Here's your sign...

OMG- Kelson is so smart ;) She's now signing please and light (learned them within a few hours). She picks up on things so fast and doesn't forget it. I am amazed how quick she is learning signs lately. I'm learning french and sign language while she's learning- its pretty neat! I'm so impressed with my angel!! More to come...

Biggest Loser Blogger---- Week 7

How did everyone do this week!!! Did you step it up a notch since last week's weigh in?

Keep it up- we are getting close to the end!

Father's Day CelebraSHION....

For all you king of queens fans- you'll understand the CelebraSHION reference. We had a GREAT time. First of all I went shopping for the Father's Day presents on Sunday- a little late I know ;) but I wasn't feeling that great on Sat so I couldn't go then. Anyways it was nice to get some alone time and shop. I got to drive Lucy's new VW too- it was fun. Anyways, all the family came over- dad, louise, chris, elliott, adrienne, her friend Tim, Bob, Lucy, Theana, Jeannette, Rob, Jason, I, Kelson, Aline, George, Nanny, and Grand Memere. This is our usual crowd these days ;) with the exception of mom- she is in FL having a blast with her other grandbabies and helping my sister with her house stuff.
Papa, Kelson, Elliot, and I all got in the swimming pool that I bought for them (its gotten so much use already) and we had a great time in there. Kelson gave papa a WARM present in the pool- haha!

We had a delicious spread of yummy food for dinner. Grilled shrimp, scallops, and veggie kabobs, fettuccine alfredo, corn on the cob, and cakes and ice cream. It was really yummy. Kelson tried her first corn on the cob and LOVED it. She's such a big girl holding it all by herself. She had a lot of fun with it. She was each twisting it around to get a good bite- she was our entertainment. As usual. After dinner we had the Father's open their presents. Jason and I bought Rob, Chris, and George a little something- koozies, candy, and a man item - flashlight, etc.. ;) Kelson got both grandads and dad a shirt. Very cute- they loved em. Kelson got her daddy a Tinkerbell card- very cute and appropriate. Jason got a bunch of other stuff including- comedian cd, pluto walt disney dvd collection, cooking supplies, Rachel Ray cookbook, and a Movie soundtrack cd. He loved it all. Bob and Papa got some really cool stuff too from us too. Overall it was a great night. I missed not having my mom here, but you have to share ;)
Father's Day Pics

Happy Father's Day

Happy Fathers Day Daddy! Thanks for everything that you do! I love you with all my heart! You have always made me PROUD to call you my father. I have lots of jealous friends who wish their parents were as cool as mine ;) Thanks for never whooping me when you were supposed to and giving me money even though you didn't have it. I'll never forget your thoughtfulness and love! Your a wonderful father and a wonderful Papa to Kelson! Happy Father's Day Daddy!
Love your baby girl!


Happy Father's Day Daddy (Jason)! Thank you for helping mommy take care of me and always being there! I know I'm only 10 months old, but I KNOW that you are going to be the best daddy out there! Sorry that I've peed and pooped on you, but hey I'm a baby. Thanks for the songs you sing to me, picking me up when I'm crying, and giving me big kisses and hugs. I love you so much daddy!
Love your baby girl!

PS- Mommy says your the best too!

Happy 10 Month Kelson

Wow! I can't believe my little girl is ALREADY 10 months old! She is SOOOO much fun, does so many tricks, and we all ask ourselves all the time what we did before she was here ;) What a sweet and smart little girl we have.

She now signs: More, Fan, recongnizes a Light, water (sorta)

Says: Dada and Uh-oh (just started that one). I'm still waiting for Mama ;)

Points at her head when we say "So smart"
Holds her hands up (like the touchdown move) when we say "So big"
Points at herself when asked who is the pretty girl (in french)
Does the indian chant thing
Squeals VERY high pitched when excited
Gives kisses
LOVES bathtime (cries when you take her out)
Doing the commando crawl
Dances when you say "Danse" (french for dance)
Points to show you something
Drinks from her sippy cup all by herself
Loves to be in her bouncy and walker (she walks everywhere)
Will eat ANYTHING (not a picky eater)
Falls asleep on her own after put in her bed
Has two bottom teeth and one more poking through on top (maybe two)
Loves Eers
Doesn't like to keep hats or glasses on anymore :(
Has enough hair to put a bow in
Blonde hair and BABY BLUE eyes

What a bundle of joy! I can't wait to see what the future has in store! :)
Time to start planning her 1st bday party! WOW!!!

Lucy's new ride

A few weeks ago Lucy bought a VW beetle. Its a limited edition with Sirus radio, sunroof, heated seats, spoiler, the works. We always talked about having one to run around and shop in (I think it was a girly thing). With gas prices being so crazy, she wanted to get something more fuel efficient. Bob and Lucy still have the SUV for the family outings/shopping so that's a plus. I'm sure Bob is happy to have a car again. Brady took his truck to Minnesota, so we've been letting him drive our Explorer too. I drove the VW and was surprised at how much room there is. Its soooo cute.

All kids are so much fun!

I bought Kelson a Boeing onesie a few months ago from the company store and I finally got some cute pics of her in it. I even have her reading our monthly newsletter. I'm trying to find a contact that I can send that picture to. They may want to put it in next month's issue. She looked so cute!

We managed to capture a few of Kelson eating scrambled eggs that Memere made for her. As you can see- not much of it made it in her mouth. It was so cute. Even Gidgette jumped in to clean up the mess.

Cousin Elliott (Louise's grandson) asked to feed Kelson her bottle, so of course we said yes and I got a few pics. He is very good with her. I think he's about the age I want Kelson to be when we have another baby. They are so helpful! So sweet too.
Louise told a story the other day that was so cute! Her and Elliott were laying in bed and she was asking about his day (he now attends day care at a local church) and he said that he learned the cheese song. She said- the cheese song- what is that? He started singing Jesus (pronounced Cheesus) loves me this I know... AW... kids say the darndest things! Also, he is the CURSE word police boy. If anyone says a bad word- he says HEY- don't say that bad word- he's so smart. I like that he does that cause it will keep the potty mouth's shut for when Kelson starts copying words. Way to go Elliott!

Misc Pics

Biggest Loser Blogger... Week 6

Today/tonight we are going to meet up at Lucy's house to weigh in. We are over halfway done already. So hard to believe! It seems as though EVERYONE has lost weight, so that's definitly a plus to doing this. Tonight we will find out who is in the lead and how well everyone is doing. I hope that everyone plans on attending, but I haven't heard from anyone. I mentioned that each person should bring a WW or low fat/cal dish and we are gonna play the Wii gaming system. Just something fun to do :) I hate that Claire doesn't live close so we can include her, but I hope she continues her progress too. Love ya Claire and keep up the good work!

If you are unable to attend tonight, please post your progress- like normal. Have a GREAT week!!!!

Heartland's New Release

Well yesterday Heartland's new single, Slow Down, was released to radio. They got 4 adds (which was a total bummer since they expected 10+), but I guess you have to take the good with the bad. Let's hope that next week the label and promoters get a big jump in adds to make up for it :) We think the song is going to do really well, but we need your help promoting it. I'm not sure which all big radio stations added the song, but please try to call your local country stations and ask to play the new Heartland song. If they don't have a copy, please contact me, kelly_Frog6@yahoo.com and well try to get them a copy. Some radio stations have rules and can only play top 40's. So anyways, give it a try and do what you can.

This morning, Jason, Keith, and Mike were on our local country station 93.3 The Wolf- it was a GREAT interview and the song went over very well. The DJ was hilarious and the guys even tied into a call with United Airlines lost luggage (since this past weekend- Heartland paid extra to have their guitars shipped and the airline never got the stuff to them until AFTER the show was already over), so the DJ had their personnel contact United. Mike gave her the luggage tag number and told her the flight information (all this was on the air). Then Mike told her that he was worried because his dog Spike was in the luggage too- haha! The DJ then asked the United lady if they had flights that went to Korea cause if so they wouldn't be seeing Spike anymore. She had no clue what was going on. They had many laughs from this and told the woman to have a good day. It was hilarious!

Anyways, you guys help push the new song. The guys are hoping to shoot a video if the song does well. I'll try to keep you up to date! Keep your fingers crossed!

She's got the beat

We recently busted out Kelson's BEE BOP BAND toy that Aunt Keri got for Kelson before she was born. Since both Jason and I love music, I guess she had a hinch that she would too ;) The suggested age is 18+ months, but I think Kelson is ready for it. Jason showed her a few times how to hold the sticks and beat on the drum. She did it so well and has so much fun dancing to music now. Here's a little video of her playing her bee bop band drum. The sound is screwed up for some reason, but you can still see her playing :)
Kelson on the drums
Lastnight she was watching TV and a song was on and she was dancing like crazy (I was holding her hands and she was just dancing away- I would stop and she would start crying- I held her up again and she was happy again and dancing). Stubborn and funny girl. Lately she's been playing the "suckin the thumb" game. She will act like she's gonna suck her thumb and give you a look to see if you are watching. Its really funny and we are definitely trying to break her from ever wanting to suck her thumb. I think its more a game to her. When she does it she smiles- its more like she's biting on it- and then we say No No Kelson and she just keeps smiling. What a girl! haha!

Biggest Loser Blogger..Weigh Ins...Week 5

We are halfway there ladies. Its time to show us how your doing. Time really seems to be flying by. We are going to meet up next Wed, June 11th, for an in person weigh in. Please mark it on your calendars to participate. If you guys wanna get together and have a pot luck or something fun- let me your ideas. I'm up for anything. We could play Sarah's Wii fitness game ;) I hope everyone continues to push to do their best. I know it gets hard, but keep it up and keep encouraging eachother.

Have a great rest of the week. Can't wait to see you all next week.

If you look at my blog below- you can tell that Theana is in the lead. Next week we will factor in body fat % too, so that may change! Keep it up!

Biggest Loser Blogger Winner- SO FAR

THEANA ALBERT with 9.2lbs lost. She hasn't lost the most weight but according to her total weight loss % she is in the lead. I'm not factoring in the body weight % just yet since not everyone is keeping track. When we all get together next week to weigh in we will factor that in.

Congrats to Theana! Just make a note that a few of the girls are RIGHT ON your tail. Girls- Keep it up. We are almost at the half way mark!!!

Just Say NO!!!

Well ladies and gentleman I did it- I went to Casa Blanca and DIDN'T order a margarita. Since they are LOADED with calories I knew it wouldn't be a wise choice. I just had to share my victory story!!!!

I did help myself to some cheese dip though ;)

Memorial Weekend

We had a great Memorial Weekend. I'm a little late (ya think) getting this out, but I had a busy week at work. Stacey and I met up at the gym Friday night to take the Moove and Groove class- at first we didn't like it, but then it got funner. So we will prob do that class again sometime. Plus you burn lots of calories. We talked about getting together that night to write some songs and play our guitars, so we did, but we didn't get too much accomplished, but we had a good time. Stacey wrote a song about 2 years ago that I thought was really good, so we revised it and ellaborated on it. We completed about 1/2 of the song. Da' Bob was in the cave, so he helped critique and stuff. It was funny. We ended up drinking and singing The Judds with the CD player- haha!

We had a last minute cookout on Sunday with family and friends. Jason got home around noon on Sunday. We ended up with 50+ people. It was a lot of fun! We showed the new National Treasure movie on the big screen outside. Lots of folks enjoyed that. We had some yummy food too. We played "catchphrase"- always a favorite. Overall it was a fun weekend. Poor Kelson hadn't been feeling good so she was inside most of the time and napping. It was AWFUL to see her like that. She's usually bubbly and happy, but not this day. Which was too bad cause she had lots of little friends wanting to play with her :( She got a good nights sleep and seem to feel better the next day.


Memorial Day- I bought Kelson a blowup pool from Wal-Mart, so I thought we would try it out. She LOVED it. Elliott- Louise's grandson- had a great time in it too. I got in with the kids too. It was a little bigger than our tub ;) It was fun watching her enjoying the pool- after the pool she took a 3 hour nap. We got dressed and went to see Uncle Jason and Aunt Sharee in Lacey Springs for dinner at their house. We had a really good time. It was nice getting a chance to spend some time with them and letting them play with Kelson. Plus Sharee is an AWESOME cook.


Dad and mom invited us over to eat before they took off to FL for a few weeks, so they made a yummy dinner for us. Kelson was eyeing the ribs so i let her knaw on it for a while and she was having lots of fun (and mess time) with it. Papa would lean in and act like he was gonna eat it and Kelson would laugh. It was cute. We had a great time with them before they left. We will miss em. Mom got some pics on her camera so I'm sure I'll post those later- those had more rib sauce. But I got some pics of Kelson eating papa's yummy ribs lastnight- good leftovers.

>Memorial Weekend Pics
More Memorial Weekend Pics

The Biggest Loser Blogger... Weigh Ins... Week 4

Its time for weigh in again. I hope everyone still managed to do ok (even with the holiday). I myself did pretty well overall. I plan on weighing in tonight. I haven't been working out this week like I should, but plan on getting back on track tonight or tomorrow. Next week I hope to have our weigh in all together in person (except the out of towners). Hard to believe that we are almost half way there. I hope you girls have enjoyed this as much as I have. Once again, LET'S HEAR THOSE WEIGH INS. I didn't have a chance to see who was in first since not everyone inputted their progress for last week. So make sure you ALL do this week so we can get some sort of track of how everyone is doing!



This week's challenge:
Skip having that soda at lunch or dinner and replace it with water

Congrats to Kyle and Renee

Kyle "popped" the question to Renee this past weekend. They are both very excited and can't wait to start planning (well more Renee I'm sure)hehe. Congrats to you both- marriage is so much fun and a lot of hard work, but definitly worth it.
I had mention to Kyle about my "prof bridal consulting" class (that I'm HALFWAY through with) and that I would love to assist in helping Renee with wedding details. I've heard that they may want a destination wedding (FL or beach wedding somewhere), so it may be a hard task, but I'm up for it. Esp since my sister lives in FL and could help with details. On of the points they made clear is that you have to coordinate/consult a couple of weddings for FREE before charging to build up my experience and portfolio for future clients. So hard to believe my little brother is getting married! She is going to be a great addition to the family. We needed a girl to pass on the Kolumbus name ;)

Poor baby!!!

Poor Kelson has been running a low grade fever (well I didn't think it was low), but apparently when babies run a high temperature its ok until it gets to 104 or 105. I NEVER knew that before. Since Kelson's never had a fever when she was teething before I wasn't sure what it was. Anyways, she was up and down all weekend- mostly high temp- around 102-103, so I called the pediatrician and they said she's prob teething- which I did see a little white speck on her top gums. So if she got worse to call them. The thing is- she never ACTED like she had a fever until Sunday. Since Belle Belle was sick before we left FL- I was wondering if she caught whatever she had. I gave her a little bit of Xango in her juice to help if there was infection. We switched between giving her Tylenol and ibuprofen. I also put some baby Orajel on her gums- which seemed to help. She was still drinking and eating like normal, so I knew it wasn't too severe. Well yesterday and this morning Kelson is doing MUCH better and her fever seems to be gone. i didn't notice that she was drooling quite a bit. So i guess it was just a teething stage. I just can't stand to see my bubbly girl not feeling well. We had a Memorial Day cookout and she wasn't her normal self and it just killed my heart. She took a 3 hour nap yesterday, so i think it helped. But I'm happy to report that she is doing just fine now!

Working out is rough & What's Kelson's up to these days

Well I did the body attack class again last night- by myself ;)- and boy am I freaking sore. This time its my freaking Achilles tendon- weird huh? I think I pulled it somehow. I was trying to use more calf muscles since my arches really hurt when I exercise. I'm gonna buy some insoles and a calorie ticker watch (like Stacey's). I was sweating like a beast after the class and my face was SOOO red. I felt REALLY good to complete the class! I think tonight/today i'm just gonna do the elliptical- to give my arches, heel, and calves a rest ;) I really encourage all those gym Nazis out there to try out a few classes instead of just hitting the machines. It makes an hour go by so much quicker!

Cute picture of Kelson and her cousins in Florida!

Updates with Kelson- she is doing really well. Has been a real angel these past few weeks. No problems with her at all! I busted out the glow worm- found it in her toy box- and now I can just turn it on and let her play with it until she falls asleep in her bed- on her own. What a good girl. Kelson updates: (I think some of these are repeaters) When you say so big- she holds both arms up, Asking her (in french) where's our pretty girl is - and she points to herself, LOVES fruits, starting to sign fan- she understands what fan means- I'll ask her and she looks up at one- same with a light. She still says Dada, nana, and lala- no Mama yet, but I have a feeling it will be soon. She hasn't crawled or walked yet- she does this air swimming move- its cute. when we turn on The Wonder Pets show she claps. You tell her Danse (french for dance) and she starts moving around to the music, she moves her hand up and down on her mouth- like an Indian chant, no more teeth yet, she has her own set of pearl earrings in, when you hand her the Lilo and Stitch cell phone she holds it up to her ear, she spits (sometimes) when you are feeding her- its hilarious! She's trying to teach Aunt Theana how to blow/spit cause she can't do it. haha, she loves to look at herself in the mirror, likes to be read to, LOVES the beach and playground, loves bath time, smiles/laughs when Eers runs around in the house or in the yard, sleeps through the night (wakes up around 7:30am- pretty consistent), in a great mood after waking up, weighs around 16lbs - our guess- (not sure of her length) and last but not least-fights to fall asleep when being held (I think she's afraid she will miss something).

Her nicknames are: Minkey, boo boo, baby girl, daddy's/momma's girl, belle fille, and angel from above(that's what nanny calls her)

The other day Jason and I were showing Kelson off to some ladies at the dr office and I asked her where momma's pretty girl was and we all were listening and she let out a huge burp- it was hilarious- I was like- that's my girl- haha!

Btw.. here is the link to some pics from the cousins in FL! What a great time!
Pics of cousins in FL

Biggest Blogger Weigh Ins... 3rd Week...

It's that time again!!! Ok- girls let's hear the results for this week.
This week's challenge: Invite a friend to go work out with you or go walking!!!
(make sure that you post something in your comments about that week's challenge- whether you were able to follow it or not)

UPDATED Contestants
Kelly Albert
Theana Albert
Lucy Albert
Louise Hipp
Claire Lesinski
Aline Childers
Sarah Brown
Kari Brake
Kate White
Evelyn Kilgore
Stacey Smith

* After everyone inputs their weight loss total, I'll submit a "whose in the lead" blog, so make sure you get your status in ASAP!

Yo' Government- Where be our check? hahaha!

I've been getting concerned since our rebate check from the gov hasn't come in yet. Jason and I are DIRECT DEPOSIT people and the last digits of our ss#'s are really low, so I would have thought we would have gotten it by now, but no such luck. We had to pay this year, but I know several people that have and still got their money already. I'm always good about paying on time. With that money- I'm planning on paying off bills or saving for our Europe trip next year, I still like to know status on where our money is!? Has anyone else been waiting on their check that thinks they should have already gotten it?

Signed,
Frustrated US citizen (hehe)

Put that in your blender and make a sweat smoothie!!!

HAHA- this is Stacey and my's new saying after making it through the class at the gym lastnight. We ATTEMPTED to do the Body Attack class- we were sweating like crazy. It really did ATTACK us, but we managed to stick it out and finish the class. According to Stacey's calorie burner ticker we lost over 800 cal in that one hour of class. It was very high intensity. My dang calves are so sore today. At least I know it worked. I want to encourage the other bloggers out there to do classes at the gym- not just the treadmill or elliptical. It makes working out more exciting! I hope to attend classes 2-3 times a week from now on. I'm trying to convince some of the Biggest Loser Bloggers to join Riveria!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Stacey and I have some other plans after our POST weight loss- don't we Stacey? ;) hehe! Yall are gonna crack up at us, but we really think this is something we can do! Tell ya later ;)