Kelly's 1st Birthday

Look who is one!

So far we've celebrated with Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Kathy. Our lamb cake had a choice of two flavors: sweet or really sweet.

Shannon is obsessed with birthdays and LOVED that Kelly needed a helper to open her presents, blow out her candles and test out the new toys.

Kelly, on the other hand, simply LOVED cake.

Looking forward to continuing the celebration next week in Cleveland.

Poconos Vacation

We were thinking we'd be able to make it out to Colorado this year for a ski vacation. Those plans feel through and we were left itching to ski. So we decided to check out some local skiing in the Poconos.

Chris found us a deal at the Great Wolf Lodge... and it became the perfect early spring trip: a chance to say goodbye to winter with one last hurrah in the snow and start thinking about summer as we put on bathing suits and played at the huge indoor waterpark.

Outside, Chris and Shannon went snowtubing while Kelly and Mommy bounced around in empty tubes at the bottom.

Remember these people? After a 4 year hiatus, we were back on skis. And it sure felt good!

Where were the girls while we were on the slopes? Grandma and Grandpa joined us for part of the trip. Thanks again for watching them while we had fun!

Did somebody mention a waterpark?

Oh man, this place was fun. Both girls enjoyed splashing around in the little pools and fountains. Shannon was big enough to go on some of the water slides. Daddy taught her how to scream the whole way down. I hope she stays this adventurous and fun at amusement parks because watching her have so much fun made the trip.

Other highlights at the hotel were the ridiculous amounts of food they served up...

...and the nightly pajama story time. Shannon announced to every one she met in the l-o-n-g hallway and elevator down to the lobby that "I wearing my jammies and my Elmo slippers" and made sure to get a front row seat to listen to the book. (That's Wiley the Wolf on the left, BTW.)

On our way home, we stopped at the Crayola Factory. We learned about how crayons were made (anybody else remember that segment on Sesame Street?) which mesmerized Kelly,

colored and "project-ed" it up all over the place,

and saw the

And then we went home, were exhausted and felt like we needed a vacation. :) Luckily, we planned a restful weekend to just relax so it truly was the break we needed. And now we're ready for the next one!

Kelly: Eleven Months

I'm in total denial that Kelly is about to turn one. But try as I may to halt time (that's what this belated post is, BTW) the big day is coming. So here's what Kelly is like in her final days of "being x months old."

Kelly LOVES food. She was slower to warm up to eating than Shannon was but man, she chows with passion now. As you can see, blueberries and bananas are big favorites. Other foods you'll find on Kelly's tray these days... yogurt, chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, peaches (LOTS of peaches), rice, peas, pretzel rods, beans, and oranges. She is pretty much eating table food all of the time now and I've been giving her whole milk here and there. She's good at her sippy cup, better at stealing Shannon's.

Kelly loves water. "Two girls in a tub" is a favorite game these days. She's also been in the pool at the YMCA once (twice?) and loved it, but she's had a bunch of ear infections this winter, we've kept her out to be safe.

The girl has no fear. She loves being upside down and this is a favorite game with Daddy right now. She is a climber and I'm pretty sure she's heard, "No, Kelly. Get down" enough to know what it means.

She definitely can walk and can go 10-15 steps at a time. But she knows she's fastest by crawling or "knee walking." It's bizarre to come into a room and find her standing in the center of it.

She babbles a ton and we're pretty sure that she says (and means) mama, dada, naana (for Shannon) and boo (when playing peekaboo). We're signing with her and she's starting to use milk and all done.

And that grin is second only to the giggle. Love you, Kelly!