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!!

Character names...

Kelson has been adding a few words to her vocabulary :) This week she started saying "Tink Tink" for Tinkerbell. She's attempting to say Dora, but not quite there yet. I think its funny that she her last few words have been character names and not the normal - cat, dog, etc.. She is still continuing to learn signing, but hasn't said any of the words she signs. The other night we were in the bathtub and Jason had turned on a Disney movie and you could hear the intro (the beginning of all Disney movies is Tinkerbell flying around) and Kelson immediately looked up at me and said Tink Tink (I was shocked- esp since she couldn't even see the TV- just heard the magic bell sound). I also think Grammy's balloon she gave Kelson for her bday (that played the chiming sound) helped her put that together. What a smart girl!!! Kelson's nursery is done in Peter Pan, so she sees Tink Tink and Peter Pan everyday :)

Tink Tink being one of Kelson's first words doesn't surprise me- esp because of her big Disney fan parents :) We are sooooooo excited about going back down to see Mickey and all his friends again. Not sure when- but hopefully soon.

Kelson's been giving BIG hugs lately- she loves to hug her dolls and whatever else she thinks needs hugging- her flashcards, her plate, etc.. ;) So lately she's been giving us BIG hugs- and that is one of the sweetest feelings in the world :)

At 12 & 1/2 months old
Kelson's signs: fan, light, milk, nighttime, bathtime, please, thank you, help, fish, puppy, holds up a "1" for how old she is, touchdown, food, water, so smart, waves hi/bye, blows kisses, and love you.
Working on: elephant and tree
*I plan to capture all of these on video and post them on here. Just gotta play around with it!

Kelson's words: dada, mama, uh oh, duck, ming ming, linny, what's that, and tink tink

The turtle...

Well if I was in a race against the hare I would be losing. This week has not been a good movitation/workout week for me. I haven't been one time since Sat. I believe when Jason is home I don't want to leave, so although I LOVE having him home, I seem to work out much more when he is gone. I am gonna have to get strict and go no matter what and set a schedule. I have a few friends that are hitting the gym, so if I can get on their schedule I will make myself go. The first step is them asking me when to go :) Oh well- I know I'll get back on it. Bad thing is: Friday we are leaving for Mexico City Beach- I think we are ok as far as hurricanes are concerned. Joan, the lady we are going to stay with said that the weather has been great, so we are gonna take our chances and head that way. Course we will check the weather channel a few times before leaving on that 6+ hour road trip. After we return I plan on getting back into my workout routine and not turning back :) I've just had a "lazy and roid week" so I havent' felt like doing much but hanging out with the family. I have been doing laundry and house work so a few calories are getting burned ;)

WANTED: Female Doctor

After having some "female" issues since having Kelson I've decided that I want to try and find a local female doctor. I've had both genders and I just prefer a woman. My current doctor is over 55 and a male and is 20 minutes away. We have so many new doctors around our area- due to the new hospital bldgs they have put up, so I'm looking in that area. I've found three woman, but I don't anything about any of them. I'm not sure how to research and find out more- except by going and meeting all of them. I really don't have time to do this, so I was wondering if you guys either had someone local you could recommend (and close to Madison) or help me research on these dr's. I found Dr. Deborah Kolb, Dr. Suzanne Graham-Hooker, or Dr. Janice Lewis-Thomas. I LOVED Dr. Rushing- my male pregnancy doctor, but he can't be my Family Practioner. So... I need some help or advice.

Never thought about that one...

I was updating my work out lastnight on the traineo website when I noticed you can enter multiple workouts for one day and one of them included "sexual activity". haha! The hardest part about entering that information would be- knowing that everyone knew I had sex that day and them knowing if it was easy, medium, hard, or very hard!!! hahahaha.

They even have vaccuming on that one... I guess I'm burning more than I thought ;) Every little bit counts- I love that.

"Whats That..?"

If you are hanging around our house at all you will hear this phrase at least a thousand times a day from Kelson. She says this ALL THE TIME!!! She'll be in a screaming frenzy then stop and points and asks "Whats That?" I guess she got it from us asking her whats that over the year and she's finally asking us now :)

Fun Facts:
The other day while I was at work, Aunt Theana (aka Aunt Toodles) was trying like heck to put Kelson down for a nap- rocking her, changed her, etc... but Kelson was not having it, so Toodles finally put her down in her bed and left the room. Kelson started screaming her head off- big crocodile tears and everything, so Lucy went in there to see what her deal was and she completely stopped crying, smiled, and pointed and said What's that??" She's so funny sometimes.

Aunt Theana is now called Aunt Toodles- for those of you who watch the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse will be familiar with this phrase. Those of you who don't- Toodles is the little gadget that brings the Disney characters any item that they may be needing at that time. Theana is the same way- she is ALWAYS right there to grab or fetch anything that you may need. We love her for being this way and she's such a HUGE help! Love you Aunt Toodles.

Kelson LOVES the vaccum cleaner these days. Anytime we walk into the room where it is- she of course points and says "Whats That?".. she laughs when I turn it on and vaccum- she even likes to push it. I thought the loud noise would scare her, but nope. She must get that "love of cleaning" gene from her Memere ;)

Keeping Kelson Happy Rule #1: After getting her diaper changed at Memere's house, she must kiss most or all of the ceramic disney characters up on her shelf. She looks forward to doing this each time and cries if you forget. Most of the time you asking her where her disney babies are- is what keeps her still on the table and not flipping over.
She is so particular. What a Drama Queen :) hehe!

Another cute thing Kelson's been doing lately- she will hug her baby dolls. Like give them HUGE kisses and hugs (rocking back and forth)- its so the sweetest thing. Then she passes them to whomever to do the same thing.

Kelson woke up during the night lastnight and Jason had a DRAMA IN THE NIGHTmoment. hahaha! I couldn't help but CRACK UP at him. I fixed it- even in the dark- yee haw. Go me!

-We are working on signing "help"- like I'm in need of help
-Still no walking on her own, but she's getting close
-Has had more bumps/bruises in the last month than in her year of being here

I'm back.....

Well i did it- I went to the gym lastnight- and Stacey didn't even come- BOO on her ;) but I did have two other friends show up that were there. I love that Body Combat class- I just have to "put on my shoes and go"- as Allison stated- thanks girl for the boost ;) I think going lastnight gave me that extra boost I've been waiting for. I have SEVERAL friends that work out there, so that will help when I'm not feeling into going- they can push me to go. I'm excited again! Yea! I weighed on the scale and it wasn't too bad either, so that was a HUGE plus for me. Its time to get serious- eating better- to the gym at least 4 days a week- and getting healthy.
I really thought about it lastnight and I think getting into a HOT halloween outfit this year will be my motivation. I have two more months, so that's a big incentive to keep pushing. A lot can happen in two months :)
My sister pushing herself so hard too- that is another motivator for me. I want to see her this Christmas and both of us look OH SO HOT ;)

Wish me luck and come join me at the gym if you feel up to it ;) hehe!

Nobody knows the trouble I see... Nobody knows my sorrow..

Lately I've had NOOOOO desire to get back to the gym. I hate that too because I really like working out and feeling better about myself. I love to try on an outfit and feel like I look good in it. I just haven't gotten that boost yet and I'm not sure when its gonna come. I recently won our "biggest loser" competition and that was a big help for me, but I just feel down about it all and don't care. I texted my workout partner lastnight and told her that I needed her to motivate me and push me (she's been slacking too, but only because she's been working a lot), so I think we are gonna try to get back on track TOGETHER. I just feel like I'm soooo tired all the time (mommyhood maybe?) and I know working out will help boost that feeling, so I want to get back into it. I've had a lot of things on my mind lately- and I'm sure that has reason to due with the NO desire emotion, so I pray that I will just forget all the stress and continue to a healthier me. Normally I have a "REASON TO GET FIT" but right now I don't feel like I have one. I am doing that "biggest loser" competition with Keri and her friends, but I feel like I have no chance since guys are competiting and they are already 2 weeks into it and they are SERIOUS competitors- which is awesome. The cash sure would be nice- and so would losing my desired weight, but I just can't seem to get into it. In the past I had a HUGE reason to get into shape- CMA and ACM award shows... how can you not- being amongst celebrities, etc.. Plus Jason was getting thinner and I couldn't have him doing that without me ;) So I just have to find that motivator again. I'm thinking it might be a "HOT HALLOWEEN COSTUME" this year... a few years back I was Batgirl and good lord- I want to have that body again- I was pretty hot! So anyways, I think the people who you are around make a huge difference and their desires to get fit fall on you.
Maybe I can convince Jason and Stacey to both step it up so we can all get FIT together, then I will follow along. I want to not only look good, but feel good too. Esp for my baby girl.

BTW- my sister is kicking butt in the competition- she's at the gym religiously and always doing diff workout routines. I'm soooo proud of her. Her gym sounds so awesome- a swimming pool, etc.. I want that, but good ole Riveria will have to do for now :)

Happy 1st Birthday C-Man

Kelson's 8 day younger cousin, Corgan (aka C-man, Charlie Brown, Uncle Fester), turned 1 today!! Since we couldn't be there to celebrate, I got a pic of Kelson holding Corgan's picture and showing off her cute Monkey with Corgan's birthday Zoo invitation. Have a wonderful bday my little nephew. We love you!!!

What an exciting month! I just can't believe that our babies are 1. Seems like yesterday my sis and I were pregnant together. Its been such a wonderful experience to have another baby around that was Kelson's age. Corgan looks so much like my brother did- and he turned out to be a VERY handsome man, so look out ladies :) Course my dad has VERY strong genes too so all our kids have a little bit of "Papa" in em. Keri and Belle made homemade cookies for Corgan lastnight- they turned out rather well for not using cookie cutters. Belle made an adorable sous chef. I hate that we can't be there to go to the Zoo to celebrate with them. I think they are moving his party to Monday since Miss Hurricane Fay didn't bring great weather. Tonight Keri and Keith are going to watch the Smashing Pumpkins at Hard Rock Live- (this is Keith's all time fav group). Hence, C-man's name originated from Billy Corgan (lead singer/guitar for the Pumpkins).

**The Summer Olympics '08 was the same month as both our babies bdays. Pretty cool.

Kelson's Wonder Pets 1st Bday Party

WOW is all I can say. Everything turned out WONDERFUL!!! All of the ideas that I had came to life and her bday party was just as I'd imagined it would be. I can't say THANK YOU enough to all of you who helped in making this day special for our little girl. It really meant a lot!!! Every little detail made it that much better. We had a great turnout. We felt very blessed to have all those kids there to celebrate our baby girl's first bday!! Its so exciting to have a little girl that can go to bday partys now and one that we can plan parties for... yea!!!All the kids pretty much stayed in the pools the whole time- except to grab some grub occasionally- so i'm so happy they all enjoyed it. Kelson had a GREAT time she couldn't stop smiling and splashing.. it was adorable. We don't get much of a chance to bring all of ours kids together often, so I'm glad that we were able to do this.
We had 5 blow up pools for the kids to play in and one Dora slip n slide (the froggy slide pool was a HUGE hit and Kelson and Lola loved the Dora slip n slide- well the part that you run into- it was a good height for them to splash and not worry about drowning. Papa stayed right by their side the whole time- what a guy :) Jason called this Pool area a "Redneck Wet and Wild"- hehe. We had beach balls and other water toys for the kids to play with. We had coloring books set up for those who didn't want to swim or was tired from swimming. We had ring pops and little blow toys for the kids to pick up where Kelson's presents were.
Now the Wonder Pets details: Wonder Pet iron ons on the tablecloths, WP pics on the walls, WP ty babies in their cages (with celery and Kelson's invitation), WP banner celebrating Kelson's bday (we included pics of Kelson over the last year), WP goodie bags (with fun treats inside)WP cupcakes, and a WP cake (Thank you Memere- it turned out GREAT). We gave a CD of all of Kelson's fav songs on it to the kids- this was a huge hit! Its very unique and something they can cherish and will remind them of her first bday party :)
We had a NACHO bar - which was a GREAT idea- thank you me ;) - all the kids loved it and so did the adults. Kelson played for an hour or so and then I went and changed her into her ADORABLE bday princess outfit.

She had a great time opening her presents- she got some great things- thank you everyone for your thoughtful presents. She kept wondering why we would show them to her then put them away- she didn't like that concept, but then we had her something new, she she caught on ;)

Then it was time for cake..

We all sang happy bday to her and then some of the girls helped her blow out the candles. Lucy made her her own little cake to devour. She was a little hesitant at first to dig into the cake, but I stuck her fingers in and the rest is history. She seemed to have a WONDERFUL time.
I think she really enjoyed sharing the cake with everyone- as you will tell from the pics. Lola (Stacey's little girl) and her really had a great time bonding at the party- hehe.

Thank you again to everyone for a wonderful and memorable day for our baby girl!! It turned out better than we hoped for. (in the picture Kelson is showing everyone how old she is now). What a beautiful and smart one year old :)

Kelson's Bday Party Pics

A week behind ;) Happy Bday Papa...

We have so many things to celebrate in August. Nanny's bday, Kelson's bday, Papa's bday, Rob's bday, Mom and Dad's anniversary, and Bob and Lucy's anniversary.. whew! So much celebration to be had :) Well we went to Outback for Papa's bday dinner with the family- Louise, Elliott, Kelson, myself, (Jason was out of town), Grammy, Papa, Theana, Aline, George, Nanny, Bob, Lucy, and Rob (Jeannette was managing that night). We had a good meal and a good time! We went back to the Albert's house afterwards for cake and ice cream. Daddy opened up presents- he got a butt load of DVD's from the Albert clan/sisters- and we got him some Tim McGraw cologne. Mom/Keri/Kyle got dad some workout tennis shoes, socks, and shorts. Then it was time for the bday song and cake. This was some of the best cake I've ever had. Choc Covered Cherry Blizzard Cake. Good lord. Dairy Queen now makes Blizzard (any flavor) cakes... Delish! It was a fun bday and we love our Papa. Happy Bday Daddy/Papa!!! Sorry this is so late. I normally give my dad a funny card, but this time I found a very sweet and sentimental card that we both cried reading ;) Daughter to daddy thing. Way to go Hallmark ;)

Papas Bday Pics

1 yr checkup at the dr's office= A-OK

Kelson had her 1 yr old checkup yesterday and Dr. Zbell said she is PERFECTLY HEALTHY :) She is now 21 lbs 9 oz (60%),and 30" tall (75%)- could be 5'7.5 to 5'8. She still has a little cough from the leftover croop biz but she said it will go away on its own. We were showing the nurse how many signs Kelson knew and she was just showing them off one after another, so after she took her measurements, she brought in another nurse to show her- and again- she showed off :) That's my girl! They were both REALLY impressed. I was shocked that working in a pediatric office that they hadn't seen a baby do that before. She told me that I need to teach signing ;) Aww. Made me feel really good. I also talked french to her and she responded- they were in shock- hehe! Makes me feel good to know that my baby is so unique- just like her name :)

She had to get TWO more shots :( It killed Jason to stay in the room this time- he said no more- so looks like I'll be taking her to the dr's from now on. She didn't cry but for a minute or so. Jason teared up too. Poor guy. It is a sad experience, but you know its for their own good.

She told us that we can start giving her Vitamin D milk now and eliminate the formula. OMG- my baby girl IS growing up :( So I asked if we should give it to her in a sippy cup or bottle. She said sippy cup. I think before her bedtime I will still give her the Vit D milk in a bottle (warm). I don't want to give up that mommy-daughter moment yet. We can also turn her seat around now :) YEA!!! We are gonna go buy that this week- after Jason gets back from his acoustic show in Cali. I can't wait- we got some gift cards from Babies R Us for Kelson's bday so that will go towards the car seat. Speaking of Kelson's bday. OMG- we had a blast. I'm uploading pics, so once those are done, I'll write all about it. It turned out great!

Bang Bang...

OMG- I can't believe how much Kelson has fallen and hurt herself (nothing major) over these last two weeks. I realize that she is starting to get into things, but WOW. Yesterday I was working down in the livingroom- calking some baseboard- and I heard a loud boom and looked over and the kitchen chair had fallen on Kelson. She was trying to pull herself up and pulled it over on top of her. I ran up the stairs as fast as I could to grab the chair off of her and I leaned on her new baby gate that was just installed and ripped it out of the wall - haha. That was the funny part. I grabbed up Kelson as fast as I could and reassured her she was ok. She wasn't hurt- just scared- thank goodness. Gotta keep an eye on her for sure ;) She had a little bump, but its all better. Thank goodness too since she has to be SO CUTE for her bday pictures tomorrow :)

JASON COMES HOME IN THE MORNING!!! We are SOOOO excited. He has been gone for 10 days :( We sure have missed our dada/hubby!!!

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.