Giggles

The video quality from my camera is horrible, but at least you can hear my little girl's laugh. I've been trying to get it on camera forever, but usually when she sees me recording she stops. Nobody can make her laugh like aunt Hannah though, and she barely noticed I was there.

Makes my heart happy.

We Call Him "The Crusher"

Tonight something happened that could have easily turned tragic, yet fortunately ended up humorous. Let me set the scene: we just got home from picking up Jacob at the Trax station, we dump the diaper bag, the laptop bag, the carseat and the groceries in their respective homes. Some of the groceries didn't fit on the table, so we put them on the floor until we had time to put them away. We're laughing and talking about our days, Eisley's squeaking happily as daddy gets her out of her carseat, and all is well.

Then, my ever-graceful husband, tries to stand up and walk from the couch to the dining room table. Big mistake. He does not notice his laptop bag propped carelessly against the foot of the couch, with its dangerous strap creeping into his path like a snake ready to pounce. It catches his foot in its grasp, and he starts to wobble. I see panic on his face as he tries to steady himself and keep from falling. Then I see defeat in his eyes as he trips and, holding as tightly as he can to our baby, he falls forward, straight onto the bags of groceries. The canned goods, to be precise. I was forced to watch and in those seconds wonder what I'd do if Eisley's head struck the corner of the table that was only inches from her as she fell with her dad.

Oddly enough, I didn't have to do anything. Somehow, Jacob kept her upright in his arm and caught himself on his elbow, keeping her safe from harm. The same can not be said for the chili can he landed on. See what I mean?

Eisley didn't seem to notice that she was in perilous danger. She didn't so much as breathe in sharply, so after making sure Jacob was okay (he has a slight cut on his knee, but we couldn't get a good picture of it) I held her close and rocked her in case she was scared, but not showing it.

Then I smelled something that affirmed to me, she had, in fact been scared. The fall had quite literally (and pardon the expression) scared the poop out of her. I should've made dad change the diaper that was a direct result of his clumsiness, but it wasn't his fault and no one was hurt, so instead we laughed and thanked our lucky stars nothing worse had happened. Just another night at the Kinney household. At least he didn't fall down the stairs...again.

Here are more shots of the damage:

The World is Safe Yet Again, Thanks to...

SUPER GIRL!

I have to admit, I hadn't been this excited for Halloween since I was little. The past couple years, it's kind of turned into an overlooked holiday for us. But this year, I found this costume for Eisley and I was stoked. Plus we had reasons to dress up. First was Danielle and Devanie's trailer trash party (different costumes than I have pictured, but it was fun), then we had our ward party, then Beckie hosted a big family Halloween Blowout all day Saturday. So We had Eisley all ready and I kept looking for superman and super woman costumes, but they were all expensive (yet looked really cheap) and I didn't like them.

So in a stroke of genius I thought "Lois and Clark!" Okay maybe not GENIUS, but I thought it was a pretty good idea. All we had to do was iron a big superman "S" onto one of Jacob's T-shirts and put it under a work outfit. For me, I just made a Press Pass to go around my neck and, again, wore a work outfit. It was really fun. I know Eisley probably didn't appreciate it as much as I did, but she will once she looks back.

Anyway, here are some pictures of us as a super family (even more so than usual. ;) )

Cutest Baby? Duh.

Okay so last weekend there was a Baby Expo that I went to with my sister Beckie and my boss / bff Bri (since she's expecting and Beckie and I both have kids). Well it was pretty cute. There were lots of headbands with HUGE flowers (not a fan. I think our kids are going to look back at pictures of themselves with flowers as big as their heads and say "what were you THINKING?") , lots of nursery stuff, and some photographers. Well one studio was having a cute baby contest with all these prizes for different age groups. You pay 10 bucks and you get a mini photo session, as well as entry into the contest. So we don't know the winners yet, but I wanted to share the link to Eisley's pictures. I think I want to order prints, but I'm not sure of which ones. Input would be appreciated!
To me, she's already won. But I'm sure every mom thinks that.
So here's the link:
http://studiocloud.org/1?a=14202&e=1255096800000
The gallery's only up for 2 weeks, so I need input quickly.
And as a sidenote, they did not pose her hands. That's just how she has them a lot of the time.
Thanks!

Dinner Conversation

Here's another video. Nevermind the dinner table in the background; we were just finishing dinner and Eisley had just finished her bottle and was talking so sweet to her aunt Rachael, that I had to record it. Wait till you hear her lungs at the end!

Oh Blessed Day

Last Sunday was nuts. But in the best way possible. It was a double blessing day in my family. My brother and sister-in-law blessed their newest baby Ryan (he was born in April, don't ask me what took so long) and we blessed little Eisley. So we went to Nate's ward at 12:45 for Ryan's blessing, got done at 2, and drove like demons back to my ward to bless Eisley at 2:45.

It was fun too, because the Olson's (our besties from Bozeman) drove all the way down here so Dave could be a part of the blessing circle. That was really special. Jacob was in Scarlett's blessing circle 2 years ago, so it was nice that he was able to join us for Eisley's. Also my cousin Alecia drove all the way down from Boise just to meet our little girl.

It was a nice day, and a nice blessing. My sister kept notes for me and wrote a letter to Eisley detailing what was said. It was so nice of her to do that, because it's hard to remember after the fact, and now every time I read it I cry. Here are some of my favorite, most comforting statements he made to Eisley:

-You will have the strength to go through life and be happy
-You will will be provided with opportunities to show your faithfulness, and know when it will be your turn to shine.
-You will have the ability to know the past and understand your family, and to grow from it.

It was a really special day and I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful husband who lives his life worthy of being able to bless our little girl, and for such an amazing supportive family who help me every day.

Here are some pictures of our little girl on her special day.

One Month Progress Report

Holy crap it's been a month since Eisley was born. Why does it feel like forever?
I've decided to not write the birth story on my blog. It's too graphic and too painful to relive. Everyone who told me childbirth was a breeze: you are now on my list. :) Okay not really, but it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. And don't get me started on the recovery!

Basically, this whole month has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. I didn't think I'd get the baby blues. I did. Hard. I had to hand her to Jacob several times and just walk away because I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't think I'd be hormonal. I was. I cried every day for the first week for no particular reason. Just cried. I thought I'd breastfeed for longer than a week. I didn't. I physically couldn't. Formula has saved my sanity and keeps my baby fed, and I won't feel bad about that. So this month has been full of surprises.

But I think the biggest surprise is how much I love this girl. I mean, I look at her face and my heart melts. It wasn't like that at first, I won't lie. But now, at a month old, I can't be anything but happy when I see my little girl. And she's really the BEST baby. She already smiles at me and her dad. She has an internal timeclock like I've never seen and knows when it's time to eat, time to play, and time to sleep. Thankfully, she's already skipping her first middle of the night feeding, so we can sleep from 9 or 10 to about 3 or 4 most nights. Hallelujah for that. Sleep = Sanity. And she's just an all around chilled out, calm, happy baby. One thing I will mention from her birthday is that right after she was born, they put her on my chest, and I kept asking what was wrong with her because she wasn't crying. She was just lying there, looking up at me, not making a sound. I thought for sure something was wrong with her lungs. Turns out, she's just calm. She was just soaking up life.

So a month later I'm feeling pretty good. I still worry about the little things. Why are her eyes goopy? Why hasn't she pooped? What did that squawk mean? But mostly, I'm enjoying her. And I took this video of our morning talk to show people how cute she is. This is our daily routine. I lie her down and put my head next to hers and she tells me about her day. I love it. I love her. And I'm learning to love this new thing called motherhood. Give me a break, it's only been a month! :)

Eisley Diana Kinney

I'm tired and the birth story is still too raw for me to recount, but here's a few pictures of the newest little Kinney. She's so calm, and so cute. We love her so much. I'll update more as I feel better, but for now Mom and Baby are doing well!

Ready or not...

Alright, this is a big week. I'm not due until August 2nd, but at my last few doctor's visits I've had slightly higher blood pressure than normal. Due to this, and the fear that it could turn into pre-eclampsia, I'm being induced on Thursday the 23rd.

There are a few reasons this is a felicitous date for my little girl to come. First of all, it's exactly 2 weeks before the Kentucky family flies out for their visit. That gives me 2 weeks to get her home, and get us used to having a newborn around before we have company. That is a HUGE relief to me. I was so afraid she'd come late and they'd miss her entirely. Second, and this is a bit superstitious, but it's the 23rd. That's totally my lucky number, and it totally follows suit with the last few babies that have been born in the family. My niece Elaina was born on the 13th of August, while her mom's birthday is the 13th of March. My nephew Ryan was born on the 7th of April, and his dad's birthday is the 7th of December. So Beckie predicted my baby would be born on the 23rd of July, as my birthday is the 23rd of March. Oddly enough, my doctor scheduled the induction date for the 23rd without me even asking. (Of course there's still a chance she'll be born on the 24th, depending on when I get in there on Thursday and how fast things progress, but I thought that was a cool little coincidence. )

At any rate, by this time next week I'll be a mom.

Weird.

But we're as ready as I think we can be. We took a labor and delivery class, we took 2 parenting classes, the bags are packed, the nursery's ready, and now all we have to do is wait. We're so excited to welcome our little girl into the world and I'm still praying every night for her to be happy and healthy. Of course for as much as she kicks the crap out of me every day, I'm not too worried about her physical state. But you never know.

Stay tuned for pictures of the little bundle of joy!

Baby Shower

The room we had it in at Noah's. It was so perfect I could vomit. (In a good way).

Okay So I don't have very many pictures of WHO was at my baby shower, but I did get some pictures of what it looked like. And I have to give props to Bri, my former/current boss/friend. :) She planned the thing and I only helped a little. It was based on my decor for E's room (Will post those too later) and it was so elegant! I'm not big into the baby-ish decor.

But enough about what it looked like, you can obviously see that. Now about who was there. I felt SO BLESSED to have so many good friends drive from far away places to be there. My group of college roommates (minus 2) came from Boise, Idaho Falls, and Vegas. My cousins came from Boise. My childhood friend came from Pocatello! I was just so touched that so many people would sacrifice part of their weekend to be there. And it was so fun to see them all! So thank you to all of you who can read this! I loved seeing you and I love you all!!

So here are the pictures I have. Hopefully I'll get more later, I'm waiting for other people to email them to me. You know, because I'm an idiot and didn't take any myself. Oh well. But it was so fun and I feel more ready than ever for this little girl to come! 5 more weeks (feel free to join me in praying for her to come a couple weeks early. I'm so ready to be done)! :)

Me in all my pregnant glory. (Meaning hugeness.)

One of the cookies Bri made. That's right...made. She's freaking amazing. Everyone got one.

You can kind of see some of the people in this one. At least their backs. Sigh.

These were in front of my "super-special princess seat" as Bri dubbed it.

Kind of a dark picture, but this was the gift table. Bri and I both did the chandeliers above the table. Foam core and spray paint can work wonders.

Don't worry, we had a sign-in book. :)

The DELICIOUS and beautiful cake my sister Beckie made. It was a huge hit and I really appreciated it. I loved it!

You can tell I have a sweet tooth with this baby. We had cake, AND trifle, AND...

...a candy buffet. Mmmmm.

And last but not least, my mom's chicken salad. So good!

Thanksgiving in May?

Yesterday was our three-year wedding anniversary, and those of you who know me, know that our anniversaries thus far have been FAR from ideal. The first one we were so broke we went to wal-mart and set a $5 limit for our gifts. I got Jacob a ninja turtle (which might have been the best gift ever, he sits on Jacob's desk like a mascot). Our second anniversary was the day we moved from Montana to Utah. AKA, Jacob in the truck for 8 hours, me in the car following behind him, and crashing at my brother and sister-in-laws that night. Fun.

But this year we FINALLY had a chance to do something fun. Jacob had arranged to work an extra day last week so he could take Tuesday off without using a sick day (we need all of those when the baby comes). So we decided no gifts, we just wanted to find something fun to do. Jacob's suggestion? Dinner and a movie. Bless him, he tries. Not to be outdone, I jumped online and found the website for Thanksgiving Point. DING!

We drove down to Lehi to visit the gardens at Thanksgiving Point and it was BEAUTIFUL! The tulips were blooming (which was appropriate for the anniversary since those were our wedding flowers), the sun was shining, the breeze was blowing; it was the perfect day. We walked around the gardens, went to the top of the waterfalls, ate lunch at their little outdoor cafe, and just sat on a bench under a big shady tree for half an hour while Jacob made me laugh at nothing, which he usually does. It was an excellent day.

Here are some examples of how pretty this place is. We didn't even make it through the whole thing, my back hurt too bad to keep walking for too long. But we definitely have plans to go back.
I highly recommend it to anyone who's in the area but has never been.

This is my new desktop background. It makes me so happy!

My shirt matched the flowers, so we took a belly shot.

Jacob. Need I say more?

This picture is terrible but it makes me laugh so hard. We were facing the sun, and Jacob couldn't take it. (Not posed, btw.)

Okay, okay

Since I keep getting the "Where's a picture of your baby bump?" question, here it is. I don't feel cute, but I guess it's for posterity right?
So here I am at almost 23 weeks. :)

Time Flies

Jacob, on the very day I met him, 2001

March 30th, 2009. I woke up, got ready, worked on my computer, helped my co-worker with CAD, and finally went to my design meeting. At the meeting I wrote down the date on my notepad: 3-30-09. Suddenly I realized what that day meant: 8 years ago on March 30th is when Jacob and I started dating! EIGHT YEARS AGO!

This realization put me in a very sappy, nostalgic mood, so be warned. If you don't want to hear gushy stories of young love, skip this post. But I wanted to write it down for me. We're starting a family now and I felt like looking back at how it all started.

We met when we were 16 at my friend's birthday party. It was one of those movie moments when someone walks into the room, your eyes meet, and you know they're going to be a part of your life. A lot of people don't believe in love at first sight, I can't believe in anything but. He flirted shamelessly, and I felt like he'd been my friend for years.

A week or so later, that same friend (Kim, if you're reading this, yes we know we owe you eternally), gave him my phone number. He called me every day for a week, and I was never ever home. He said he got to know the rest of my family very well during that week. Finally, on Sunday he called one more time. My mom has this rule, where on Sunday's we can't talk on the phone with friends, because it's a family day. I don't know what inspired her to let me break the rule that one time, but we ended up talking for like 4 hours. Again, I felt like I'd known him for years.

The next Tuesday at our youth activity, Kim told me that the boy's rifle team was having practice that very minute at their school which was 5 minutes away. We left the activity early, ran to the gym and I immediately spotted Jacob marching in the line with all the other members of the rifle team. He saw me and broke out the biggest smile I'd ever seen, but bless him, he didn't break formation. We had to leave, but it was reassuring to see him again and have it reaffirmed to me that he wasn't a figment of my imagination.

Our first date was exactly one week after I turned 17, on March 30th, 2001. He picked me up from a tennis match in his mom's Ford Explorer. I was sweaty and red-faced, but he was sweet and told me I looked cute. He took me home, I changed, and we sat in my room talking. And before I knew what was happening, he kissed me. This is only the third time we've seen each other in person, mind you. I pulled away from him, being the innocent, naive girl that I was at the time and said "Well this isn't what I was planning on doing tonight." And with a look that was genuine surprise, and sheer misunderstanding he said, "It isn't?" Like there was no other purpose for us meeting that evening. I couldn't help but laugh. He did officially ask me to be his girlfriend later that night, and he's been the best part of my life ever since.

In these 8 years we've shared countless experiences. He was baptized as a member of the church, we went to prom(s), we graduated high school, I left for college, he went on a mission, we became best friends through our weekly emails, he gave me relationship advice, he came back and proposed, we got married, we've moved 4 times, we've bought new cars, built a life together, and now we're starting a family. 8 years later.

I'm so excited to see where life takes us from here. I'm so grateful to know that no matter what happens, he's there for me. Anyone who knows me, knows I worry about everything. But with him, I never worry. I know we're in this together. And if he hasn't given up on me by now, I don't think he's planning on it.

So thanks for sharing my stroll down memory lane. Here are some pictures of us through the years. Again, this is mostly for me, but enjoy. Laugh at how young we look. And sometime, take a look back at how you got where you are today. It's good to remember the past, when the future's coming at you like a freight train.

Jake and me at my Senior Prom, 2002

Meeting me at the airport after my trip to Florida with Ashley, 2001

At his high school graduation, 2002


One of our engagement pictures, 2005


On our wedding day, 05-05-06

Pink!

Jacob and I went to my 18 week ultrasound today and it was reaffirmed to me what I've felt all along; we're having a little girl! I'm so excited and relieved that my instincts weren't completely off. I had 4 dreams when I first got pregnant that I was holding my little girl. Anyone who knows me knows that my baby dreams are like 95% accurate. I had a dream my mom had a girl before we even knew she was pregnant with Hannah. I had a dream my sister had a girl before I even knew SHE was pregnant. So I thought "If I have THIS many dreams that it's a girl, and it's a boy, my whole psyche will be thrown off." Luckily that didn't happen, and little E. is on her way. (I don't want to tell her name to the world until she's born, but we'll just say I've got a name selected!) The doc said she looks just right size-wise and all her major organs are functioning as they should be, which is always good to hear. And her heartbeat was 160bpm, which they said was right on track.

I just have to say, that it's one of the most amazing things to see your baby in an ultrasound. She kept covering her face with her hands, and squirming around so we didn't really get a good profile shot, but I had tears in my eyes when we saw her little arms and legs moving, and her little heart beating. I'm so happy that the Lord has blessed us with this little girl, and I already love her more than I ever thought possible. Here's to the next 5 months! (We'll see how much I love her when she's kicking me in the ribs and I can FEEL it. :) )

Big News!

Jacob and I are expecting our first child!!! That's right, after way too many months of trying to get pregnant, it finally happened! I'm officially in my second trimester and due August 2nd. We're so excited and can't wait to find out what we're having! We feel very humbled and blessed by this coming change, and summer can't come soon enough!