I know I am a bad, VERY BAD blogger

Hi All,

For those of you tenacious souls that still check this blog on occasion even though it hasn't been updated in eon's, I am trying to get back in business here. We do have a few new rumblings in our home that have us on our toes!

- we have a baby boy due in 4 weeks..........krikies, that is going to be here in no time
- Brian started a new job downtown........the commute is a killer
- Zach and Trev started school......Zach is in high school......and has his driving permit (Lord help us all)
- we are adding a bedroom and bathroom in the basement for Zach, as the new baby will need to be upstairs near us..........and yes, we have managed to outgrow the house.


I recently took a photography class and will be uploading some new photos soon.

Love you all,
K

Bahama Mama's (and Dudes...but it obviously doesn't have the same ring to it)

Here are some pics from our Spring Break trip to Paradise Island. Sorry to be tardy but I'm caught up in planning Annalise's very first birthday party (can you believe it is here already?!!!!) and battling some nasty bug I caught from my stent in the giant germ tube (aka airplane) last week.

I'll be brief since there are lots of pictures attached to this post. In a nutshell we had a great time! Annalise did great on the airplane, lots of time was spent kicking back around the pool, we saw Jason Alexander in the pool and at the lobby Starbucks, ate lots of yummy food, and had to come back way too soon in everyone's opinion. Enjoy the pictures, and I'll be chatting again soon!

Here is the crew headed for our sandy, sunny retreat. Don't think us too fancy for the sweet ride - it was cheaper than parking two vehicles at the airport for the week. But it was pretty fun and
Annalise loved ditching her car seat!

Annalise had lots of fun poking her head over the seats and pulling Zach and Trev's hair!

The great flight crew made Annalise feel welcome on her very first airplane ride. She got to sit in the Captain's chair AND wear his hat......how cool is that?

If you have never seen a cockpit (which I hadn't) here is a peek.....it is a tight squeeze!

Here are the two divas ready to hit the pool. Annalise's watermelon bikini and sun hat were such a hit! We had total strangers stopping to talk so they could get a closer look :)

Annalise and daddy headed out for her very first swim! She is giving us her best Elvis impersonation...."thank you, thank you very much"

Here is our family taking Annalise on her very first swim. She absolutely loved it! She had serious prune skin and cried when we took her out.

I absolutely love this picture! Annalise posing on the beach with big brother Zach.....the camera could hardly handle the cuteness!

We will be signing autographs from 4-5pm only. Please respect our privacy at this time. Have you people no respect for celebs trying to get a little well-deserved R&R??!!

Annalise had some pretty tasty meals on this trip. She had an amazing appetite, maybe it was all the swimming. Here she is having lunch with daddy.

Annalise had so many exciting moments on this trip, but the event that took the cake for her was the aquarium. She was absolutely mesmerized! This is Annalise gazing at an ENORMOUS ray - you can't tell but the wing-span on this puppy was about 10 feet!!

This is my favorite Annalise shot from the trip. Isn't she too cute for words? She loved gazing at the "Shishies". Yes, I'm still waiting for her to say "mama"......but I'm NOT bitter!

We found Nemo. He obviously picked up some chic and settled down in a posh reef in the Caribbean.

I bet Nemo rode in on his white horse....I mean seahorse....and swept his chic off her fins. (I really crack myself up sometimes.......)

This was very cool but very creepy. The fam is traveling through a tube surrounded by sharks. When we looked up we realized we were so far under that we couldn't see the surface....YIKES!

This was immediately after exiting the shark tube. See how happy we all look!

Nana and Papa in front of the "predator lagoon". I love this picture. Thanks for coming with us and enhancing the joy of our trip! It was great to share this time with you!

Brian could add photographer to his resume. I took at least 50 pictures of the water lilies in front of the hotel lobby. Brian took one. Any guesses who took this one? (hint: it wasn't me)

Early Easter

Hi All! I am so sorry it has been so long since my last post. I know how much of a bummer it is when you check a blog over and over waiting for new info, only to be disappointed to learn that your loved one is falling down on their job.

We have had a very hectic (but fun) couple of weeks. We took the kiddos to the Bahamas for Spring Break and the week before I spent in overdrive trying to get everything ready for the trip. It is AMAZING how much stuff you have to pack for a baby! The wonderful thing about it though was that I got off the hook for having the most luggage :)

I will post pics of the trip as soon as I get them all organized. We have them off of the camera(s) but I haven't yet sorted them, so stay tuned!

You are probably wondering why I haven't talked about "Early Easter" yet, since I titled this posting as such - know that you aren't confused I just ramble and talk WAY TOO much most of the time. So here goes. We did an abbreviated Easter (nice dress clothes for church and opened Easter baskets) the Sunday before Easter since we were going to be on a plane to the Bahamas on Easter Sunday. This was a tough thing for me. I am the type of person that buys into the "whole holiday package". I enjoy spending holidays surrounded by family and friends trying to pay homage to the spirit of that given holiday. I actually have no recollection of ever spending a holiday doing something other than celebrating the holiday. This being Annalise's first Easter added another layer of mixed feeling for me as I wanted to dress her up in an Easter bonnet and white gloves, watch her first Easter egg hunt, eat ham, dye Easter eggs...you get the picture. So when we discovered that the boys Spring Break began on Easter weekend and we would be traveling (we promised them a Spring Break trip last summer when we skipped summer vacation due to travel restrictions with Annalise's heart condition, so there was no turning back on the promise), a large lump developed in my throat. An Easter without church, no Resurrection sermon, no family gathered around the Easter brunch table - instead I'm going to be in sweat pants riding on an airplane and munching on the world's smallest bag of pretzels! EEEK!

I fully realize that there are gobs of people in this world that love the idea of Christmas on a cruise ship or a ski slope, eating Thanksgiving dinner in a restaurant or a condo somewhere far from home, that’s just not me. I am however, married to a wonderful man that enjoys the adventure-filled holidays and Zach and Trev are right there with him. They have all indulged my traditions and spent the holidays since I’ve been around in true Kristen fashion. It was definitely my turn to make a contribution to the melting pot of marriage and open up to different traditions. It did end up being a great trip, we had tons of fun, and created many terrific family memories. At the end of the day, varying my traditions to include the wishes of my family involved taking a vacation to the Bahamas – NOT too tough if you really think about it :)


Happy belated Easter everyone!


Annalise, Zach and Trev on Easter day, 2008. Aren't they precious?

Annalise with some treasures from her 1st Easter basket. Thank you Nana and Papa for the goodies, I love them!

I'm digging for some goodies!

If only Mommy would let me eat these jelly beans!!

Trev and Annalise are best buddies!

My moment with God!

Okay, as I sit down to create this entry I am filled with mixed emotions. Great excitement that this moment finally occurred in my life and some hesitation because my relationship with God is something I have viewed as personal (which I believe is completely wrong by the way) so I am a bit uncomfortable on my "new legs" as I talk about my God moment, especially in such a public forum. Isn't it funny how you can be a believer most of your life (as far back as I can remember) but be so stingy with the things God has done for you for fear of scaring people away with your religion? I confess this sad fact about myself and pray that God will teach me to fearlessly share Him with others.........that's really what we're here for anyway, right?

Anyway, back to my God moment story. My whole life I have heard people say things like "God told me to do ........" or while I was praying God said to me......." I must admit for several years I thought these people were just a bit off their rocker but as I grew older I became jealous that others had experienced such intimacies with God. It's not that I had never felt God's nudging or that He was leading me, I have several times in my life, but I have never actually heard Him say something to me and I really longed for that. Well, I'm happy to say it finally happened!

On Monday afternoon, Annalise and I headed down to Trinidad to stay with my parents for a few days so that Annalise wouldn't be exposed to the sinus infection Trev is currently battling. Annalise was awake for the entire 2.5 hour drive and babbled or fussed most of the time. However, there was a moment when we were climbing the large hill to Colorado City that Annalise fell silent and all I could hear was my country radio blasting. I didn't hear a physically audible voice, but inside I heard a voice tell me to turn off my radio (those of you who know me well realize what a huge request this is since I don't enjoy quiet and ALWAYS have a radio or TV going to drown out the silence) and be quiet because God wanted a moment with me. (Yes, I know what some of you may be thinking because I have thought the same thing......she's out there, or she's a holy roller, or something along those lines.) So, I turned down my radio and awaited God's cue and sure enough, as I crested the hill I saw the most glorious sunset. It was God and He took the opportunity to show me something beautiful and let me know that He was right there with me. I can't accurately describe the experience with words but I knew God was there, He filled up my truck, I could feel His presence and it was incredible!

See, I have really been working on my relationship with God lately. Life has had more than its fair share of challenges for our family and I have naively tried to draw upon myself to find the solutions. I'm sure it won't surprise anyone when I say that I have failed miserably. Which is exactly what I needed to turn my stubborn head in the direction it should have been in the first place, up toward Him who loves me unconditionally and provides everything I will ever need. I have asked Him to be more obviously present in my life and to comfort me, I have asked the Holy Spirit to fill me and for God's hands to guide my steps in all areas of my life - wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, etc. Let me tell you, He is doing it and it is wonderful. I pray that anyone who reads this and thinks I'm wacky will have the same amazing experience someday and will realize just as I have that God is not a distant God, but is a God that is intimate and reveals Himself to us - we just have to remove the scales from our eyes so we can see Him.

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Psalm 103:2-5

Have a blessed day!

To Curl or not to Curl, that is the question!

It's surprising to me the things that occupy my thoughts now that I am a mommy - such as baby hairstyles. Being raised in Colorado where hair, makeup, and clothes are generally determined by ease and comfort, I really never imagined spending so much time trying to decide what to do with Annalise's hair. When she was born she had this baby mohawk thing going, which has been really cute but now the top is getting long and the bangs are in her eyes. I'm hesitant to cut it because the hair around her head really isn't growing so I want to keep what hair is there.....so what to do about the bangs in the eyes? Well, I had the bright idea of putting a cute little curl on top. The idea was good but the results are questionable at best. At least she was a good sport!

Not only were the rollers fun to play with, they were tasty too!

And they also kind of tickled :)

One day I'm going to be upset with my Mommy for posting this picture!

Daddy and I are composing a little blues tune about baby hair mishaps.

And the first word is (drumroll please).........

Coco. Yes the Chocolate Lab gets the honor of being the recepient of Annalise's first purposeful word....sigh. Annalise has babbled Mama, Dada, Nononono, and Nana for months now but we have never consistently gotten the impression that she KNEW what she was saying. Dada has been her favorite word (which has made Brian very proud); however, while Dada can be Brian, Annalise has also labeled things such as a flushing toilet, the dogs, Mommy, and to my total humiliation almost any random teenage boy "Dada".

Yesterday morning, I was feeding Annalise her bottle when Coco wandered up to the edge of the sofa to say good morning. I rubbed her head and said "Hi Coco", just like I do most mornings and Annalise spit out her bottle and said "Coco". I looked at Brian and said "did you hear that or am I imagining things?" He agreed that she said Coco but we kind of wrote it off to be one of the other words she babbles without association. However, the rest of the morning she followed Coco around the house calling her name, she'd point to Coco from across the house and say "Coco" and last night she walked up to Coco as she was trying to sleep on the couch, gently patted her (which is drastically different from the fur, tail and ear pulling that normally occurs), laid her head on Coco's side, and said "Coco". At that moment, I knew my months of preaching Mama and Dada in hopes that we would be the objects of her first purposeful word were in vain. Coco has the honors.

Well, in this I will count my blessings. I'm thankful the word wasn't "no" or "mine", and I will admit Coco has endured much baby induced torture over the past few months so this is a nice reward for her. I will however keep this story in mind for the first opportunity I have to dole out a Mommy guilt trip. I can hear myself now. "Right in the midst of your second week with the stomach flu, after poor Mommy had spent day after day changing 2 to 3 poopy diapers an hour, staying up with you at 2 in the morning, making you special food, rocking you when you were fussy, etc. you decided to say your first word. And it was Coco, not Mama, but Coco" (all true by the way, I didn't have to resort to concocting some story about how it was an uphill walk both on my way to school and back home). Wow, even as I wrote this I am shocked at how easily the words of my future guilt trip flow........this must be a new super power I somehow acquired during the birthing experience!

A bit of a rewind

It is a bit difficult for me as a new mommy to just dive in with new info now that Annalise is 9 months old without rewinding a bit so I can catch some of you up (and show off pics of adorable moments leading up to now). I'll start by saying that she is the most beautiful, intelligent, curious, joyful baby ever to bless this planet with her presence (I'm positive no other mommies have ever felt this way :)). Annalise is an amazing little girl and in her short time on earth has been touched by God's hand and has proven to the masses that the Lord is so very present in our daily trials.

See, Annalise was born with two congenital heart defects - basically two holes in the middle of her heart. She was diagnosed at 2 weeks of age. One hole was fairly minor and would allow her to grow up and live a mostly normal life. The other hole was large and required open-heart surgery to repair. I had a total meltdown in the Cardiologist's office. We were told that there was a less than 1% chance that this sweet baby's heart could heal to where surgery wasn't necessary (because sometimes these defects will "heal themselves"). Because Annalise's heart was operating well enough that she was able to breathe and eat without too much difficulty, the doctor's decided to wait until she was 3 months of age to schedule her surgery. So home we went where I spent so many days angry, sad, worrying, optimistic....basically feeling every emotion out there. Finally I did what I should have done all along....given it to God. We had prayer groups literally all over the world praying for Annalise - from India (yes the country) to our own backyard. There were folks we had never met spending time with God asking for Him to heal her heart.

When Annalise was 3 months, we headed back to the Cardiologist for a status check. After listening to her heart, the doctor thought the holes "sounded smaller" (isn't it amazing that someone can hear a healing heart?!). We were told to return when she was 4 months old for a repeat ultrasound and her pre-op workup. Well, after hundreds of ultrasound pictures of her heart, the cardiologist could find no evidence of either hole and told us to go home and enjoy our baby!! Can you believe it! She's our little less than 1%. Thank God for healing her so that she would not have to endure that surgery.

She is a miracle in more ways than I can mention. Annalise is the happiest baby I have ever seen, even through the tougher spots in her first 3 months of life. She is so energetic (walking, yes walking, at 9 months), smart and loving - I never could have anticipated how great being her mommy would be.



Enjoy some of our memorable moments.....


Annalise's very 1st baby picture.....

Annalise with her big brother Trev, she loves him so much!

Annalise with big brother Zach. These boys make such a fuss over her and love on her like I never could have imagined......what a blessing!

Annalise indulging in a Mommy and Daddy sandwich kiss.

We love to have baby modeling sessions where we dress Annalise up and take lots of pictures. This is the face we get when she has lost patience with us!

Annalise with Uncle Greg and Aunt Madonna at her first Air Force football game. The Falcons beat the Army. The flyovers and the National Anthem were amazing!

Annalise, Mommy and Daddy at Children's Hospital right after hearing the amazing news that Annalise's heart was healed!!!

Brian was so excited about the World Series that he went out and got everyone something Rockies to wear..........this is Annalise's outfit.

Annalise posing with her Papa on her 1st Halloween. Isn't she the cutest ladybug ever?!!!

Annalise and Daddy at the park in Crested Butte, Colorado.

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The big family gathering for Nana and Papa Holderness' birthday celebrations.

Now that we have Thanksgiving out of the way, let's bring on Christmas....I love my Nana!

This one is for the Ohio Ault's, here is your little Christmas Buckeye!

Annalise's 1st Christmas picture with Papa and Nana Holderness.

Annalise's 1st Christmas morning, she was much more interested than any of us expected.

Blogging New-bee

Well here goes. I am so techie-challenged that I hope you all bear with me as I learn. I already am feeling a bit more young, and cool (is cool stil an "in" word.....how about "hip".....oh well). I am creating this post so I can share the life of our rapidly evolving and active family with family and friends. I hope you all enjoy and look forward to more frequent communications!