Hump Family

Summer Fun

2010-07-01T14:42:00.002-05:00

With maternity leave and Shaun taking leave after his 6 month TDY, we have been able to have some quality family time! Here are some fun pics! ;)

Oops!

2010-06-21T16:53:00.003-05:00

On the pictures.....
Jocelyn is on the top and Evelyn is on the bottom! :)

Oops!

2010-06-21T16:53:00.001-05:00

On the pictures.....
Jocelyn is on the top and Evelyn is on the bottom! :)

New family addition!

2010-06-21T16:41:00.004-05:00

Wow! I did not realize how long it had been since I blogged! I blame Facebook--it has made me lazy in posting pictures anywhere else!

Well, the purpose of this blog is to show off our latest addition: Miss Jocelyn Machele Humphrey!

She arrived on Saturday June 5th at 1:49pm weighing 7 lbs 2 oz and 20 inches long.

Big sister likes her most of the time, except when mommy is no longer at her beck and call! :)

People have been wondering if she looks anything like Evelyn. I think they have some similar features, but their coloring is going to be different. But you can see for yourself:

Jocelyn is on the right.......Evelyn is on the left! :)

Winter Storm 2010

2010-01-29T13:44:00.004-06:00

It sure does seem like we've seen a lot of snow this year! Since moving back to the States, this is our third big winter storm. Such a change from Okinawa!! Evelyn and I have been hiding in our warm house for the past 48 hours, so I thought we should venture out and experience the snow for a little bit this afternoon. There is a sheet of ice underneath all the snow, but luckily traction wasn't a problem with the soft, powdery snow that has been falling all morning. Since I am a novice winter weather driver, it is a bit of a pain to be locked up for a few days, but the scenery created by the snow really is beautiful. :)

14 months old!

2010-01-23T16:44:00.004-06:00

So, what do you do when your child decides to pick out her shoes? You put them on her and say how proud you are! :) Who cares if they don't match! This is what Evelyn decided to do this morning. Then, after getting geared up with one tennis shoe and one boot, she decided she needed to put on her heavy coat--keeping in mind that we had no plans of going outside! So, she then roamed around the house in her mismatched shoes and teddy bear coat! It was just too cute to pass up! ;)

Happy birthday to me! :) My early gift that I got to order is a new craft table! I'm amazed by how much more space our office has now that I took down the card table I had been using! Hopefully all this new organization will help me to be movitvated to have Evelyn's baby book all caught up by the arrival of #2! :)

Bad Blogger

2010-01-13T20:53:00.002-06:00

I realized it had been quite a while since I had put any thoughts out into cyberspace! I feel like the world is whirling around me and I'm just trying my best to keep up! I guess the biggest change in our lives is that Shaun left for a specialty school at Nellis AFB for 6 months. The good news is that he's still in the U.S. as opposed to being deployed overseas. We will actually be going out to visit him for a weekend in February. The bad news is he is going to be gone longer than if he HAD deployed! It's been 2 weeks since he left and Evelyn and I are still surviving! We are strong, independent women! :)

Evelyn amazes me daily! She has such a sweet personality (most of the time!) She now has a love of reading books. We go through her entire library at least three times a day! She loves being tickled and has discovered a love of bubble baths. It is hard not to hold her 24 hours a day since it's just the two of us, but I am trying to remind myself to help her become more independent so it won't be too shocking when mommy's arms are taken by another baby.

Baby #2 is well on it's way. I am 19 1/2 weeks, so almost half-way baked! :) I have been feeling the kicks and movements lately, which is my favorite part of pregnancy! We should be finding out the gender in another 2 weeks. If family history has any part of this, I am pretty sure we'll be welcoming another girl!

My two jobs are keeping me very busy. I still have my original job at Jones Eyecare three days a week, but now I also work for a pediatric ophthalmologist one day a week as well! I admit, Thursday has become my favorite day! I love seeing all the kids and it is allowing me to gain some invaluable experience.

Well, no pictures for today. Just putting my random thoughts out there! :)

Bathtubs are overrated!!

2009-12-03T20:09:00.002-06:00

The other day Evelyn got so much of her dinner ON her rather than IN her, I decided to just go ahead and clean her up right there in the kitchen!! It was such a change from the normal bathtub that she LOVED every minute of it! :)

Birthday Party

2009-12-02T21:29:00.003-06:00

Opening gifts with cousins and friends!
Nothing like running icing through your hair!!
Mmmmmmm.....cake!
Evelyn's pumpkin cake!
THE BIG ONE!!!

It's hard to believe 12 months have gone by since our little girl was born! We celebrated Evelyn's first birthday with family and friends at our house. We have been so blessed with this sweet little girl! At the party, Evelyn had a big announcement for everyone: She is going to be a BIG SISTER!! That's right! There's another sweet little baby on the way!! :)

No title!

2009-11-05T21:12:00.002-06:00

11 months old-----already??!!
At home with the flu. :( But luckily she continued to smile!
My Bible Study group had a Halloween get-together for all our kids! Since Evelyn was still recovering from the flu on actual Halloween day, this was her only chance to wear her costume. What a cute ladybug!! :)

Nothing much.....

2009-10-13T21:01:00.003-05:00

How many pacifiers can she have? One in the mouth and one for each hand!!

Not too much to write, but had some cute pics to put up! :) Today is Shaun's birthday--31 years old! (even though he's claiming he's 27-again!) My friend Amy came over to surprise Shaun by putting up some balloons and streamers in our house--it was very cute! Then Shaun had the brilliant idea to put Evelyn in a big suitcase with all the balloons---she LOVED it! It provided entertainment for at least 30 minutes, which is a long time to a 10 month old! She now has her two top teeth with the two side teeth coming in quickly. Pretty soon she'll be looking like a little toddler instead of my little baby!

Haircut!

2009-10-04T22:14:00.003-05:00

I put it off as long as I could, but it finally became apparent that Evelyn needed a haircut. Her bangs were constantly getting in her eyes, and she still had a duck-tail in the back. Since she was born with a full head of hair, but then managed to rub the sides off, she had very long darker hair on top with short blond hair in the sides!! The duck-tail was just a few remaining long hairs on the back of her head that somehow didn't get rubbed off! We went to a kids haircut place for the event. I think the part she disliked the most was the bomb that the stylist used---perhaps this means she's going to be a little tender-headed like her mommy! But, she survived and has a very cute and symmetrical hairdo! :) She also looks even more blond since we cut most of the dark tips!

Before
Animal crackers make happy customers...
well, sometimes!

All done with a pink bow to top it off!!

Our Family Stay-cation!

2009-09-19T21:57:00.005-05:00

After Shaun was away for 3 weeks for work, we decided to take a few days off work and have some family time! Unfortunately, for the first few days we were all sick with a stomach bug Evelyn brought home from daycare! :( But, after we recovered we decided to explore some of the local features of Oklahoma!

GW Exotic Animal Park:
Just south of the city, this is a safe-haven for exotic animals. All the animals in their possession have been rescued. They mainly have large cats (tigers, lions, cougars, etc) but also have some reptiles, monkeys, wolfs and birds. We went on a behind-the-scenes tour which allowed us to get even closer to the animals, including playing with a baby tiger cub!!

Evelyn had a chance to pet the baby tiger cub!

This Lion, named Elvis, was completely preoccupied with Evelyn's stroller!
They warned us that the cats could "spray" through the fence. We found out the hard way that it was true! A female tiger decided to aim towards us, but only got the roof of our stroller! Yuk!
Tigers are the only felines that enjoy water! This large cat was just soaking in his water bucket!
This lion was laying on his back just staring at us! Every once in a while he'd lick his chops---maybe we looked tasty!

Arbuckle Wilderness: Also south of the city, this park lets you drive through and feed the animals from your car! We learned very quickly that the animals have no fear of our 4-wheeled vehicles and that they will steal entire cups of animal food!!
isn't he cute?
The giraffes were our favorites! They had to lean WAY down to get the food! :)
Exhibit A: Zebra stealing the entire cup of food! I guess he has stripes for a reason--he's a criminal!
Evelyn learning pointers from the monkeys!!

Our little girl is growing up so fast!! 10 months old!
The view from the front seat---our little girl is tuckered out from all the fun!

Oklahoma City Science Museum: This is really designed for older children, but Shaun and I had a blast playing with all the displays! Evelyn was able to get in on a little bit of the action! We also took in a movie in the Dome theater! It made us all feel like we were in the ocean with the fish! :)

Our daily life

2009-09-08T21:17:00.002-05:00

I decided to take some pictures of our daily activities over the weekend. It seems like we often forget to appreciate some our routines because they just become habits. Evelyn is changing so quickly that I wanted to be able to look back at some "normal" days and remember what our life was like. :)

This is the adorable face that greets me in the mornings! Usually she's pretty happy, unless I've made her wait too long for the breakfast bottle!
Life behind bars!

I guess the crib tastes yummy!

This was just too cute to resist!

Our favorite new hobby! Taking all the cookbooks off the shelf! Yes, I could move them to another location, but I'd rather have to reorganize my cookbooks daily than for her to move on to the even bigger temptation in the kitchen: the dogfood! They seems to distract her for now, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time!

Which book should I read next?

Bathtime!

More Stuff!

2009-09-06T17:04:00.002-05:00

Today I decided to have a little outing to the park! I know how much she loves to swing and I was also hopign to get a couple cute pics in this outfit. Swinging went well, but when it came time for the photo shoot she was more interested in eating the grass!! I think I'll try again when my assistant (aka Daddy) is available to distract her! :)

We love hand-me-downs! :) We are blessed to have LOTS of girl cousins and even two girl neighbors! Kristi sent me some clothes last week including this very tiny bikini! I couldn't resist putting it on her right away! Even though it claims to be 6-12 months, it was rather big on her. It wouldn't surprise me if she could fit it next summer too!

It looks like she's practicing to water ski!

Future bikini model!

Evelyn's Latest tricks!

2009-09-06T16:51:00.003-05:00

She LOVES loves loves LOVES eating table food! I think this is what she was waiting for all along! She is now too good for her baby food and will rarely eat it now! So far the only food she hasn't liked too much is bananas--weird kid! :)

She likes to help unload the groceries!

This was her first attempt at getting onto her feet. I think since the shelf was low she was able to stand up a little easier. Now she's quite the pro and can pull herself up with just about anything! This was also her trying to help me organize the DVDs. She eventually was able to sit on the bottom shelf as if she was one of the DVDs! :)

Her BFF Sydnee loves to come over and play! Even though Sydnee can walk with ease, she doesn't like to make Evelyn feel left out, so she will crawl on the ground with her! They are too funny together! Whenever we walk to Sydnee's house Evelyn knows right away who lives there and gets VERY excited! I made the mistake of stopping once when they weren't home and she cried the whole way back! She wanted to play!!

Sydnee helping recover the missing ball!

2009-08-17T21:17:00.002-05:00

9 months have flown by! Our little Evelyn has just been growing like a weed! She has been crawling up a storm! She can also pull herself up to her knees. She still enjoys being able to play with all her friends at daycare as well as her best friend down the street, Sydnee! :) Every night she likes to take our puppies for a walk followed by bathtime!! We're still trying to get back on track to sleeping through the night--we had it for a while, but somehow lost that skill. Hopefully Dr. Ferber will help us regain that milestone again!

Little Red Wagon

2009-08-16T21:09:00.003-05:00

What is a childhood without a little, red wagon? Shaun (aka Daddy) decided that Evelyn should one of these classic toys! :) She loves riding in it, especially when the dogs trot along side!

Mobile Monster

2009-08-10T18:24:00.002-05:00

Yes! Evelyn is mobile now! :) She has learned how to move her knees and hands just right to get forward motion!! She's still a little slow at it, but it's official!

A few words from Evelyn....

2009-08-10T18:14:00.002-05:00

Ok, Ok! I know she doesn't know what she's saying, but you can't help but get a huge smile on your face when you hear her say "mama!" :)

Summer is flying by!

2009-07-30T21:45:00.005-05:00

I hadn't realized that it has been more than a month since my last posting!! Bad blogger! So here is just a sampling of what has been going on with our family! :)

Evelyn is 8 months old now--I can't believe it! She isn't crawling (yet) but gets closer everyday! She loves to get into crawling position and then just push herself back into the sitting position! She now has her two bottom teeth and I think more will be arriving soon! She is such a sweet baby....we are such lucky parents!

We've been spending some time at our community pool! Seen here with her BFF Sydnee! :)

We went down to Wichita Falls for cousin Jenny's wedding--she was a beautiful bride!!

At the reception Shaun and Pops got a little crazy!

4th of July!! Our little sparkler!

Evelyn and I traveled down to Florida to visit the Rawleys! Evelyn loved playing with her cousins Emma and Kate!

Hungry, hungry hippo....

2009-06-24T13:46:00.003-05:00

What is inside the hippo in our backyard?

As we move down the side of the hippo it becomes very apparent.....

The large, blue hippo has swallowed our little Evelyn, but she doesn't seem to mind! :)

Our Day at the Botanical Garden

2009-06-15T21:10:00.005-05:00

We decided to take advantage of a beautiful Saturday afternoon by visiting the Oklahoma City Botanical Gardens. I had visited the park before, but neither of us had been inside their "Crystal Bridge." The Bridge is basically a very large greenhouse in the middle of the park going over a pond. We were able to take some pictures of some very beautiful flowers as well as our cute little girl! :)

Evelyn's New Trick

2009-06-15T21:03:00.002-05:00

Our little girl continues change in front of our very eyes every day. This past week she amazed us by sitting up all by herself!! She can now sit up and play with toys on the floor without our help! She can still lose her balance every once in a while, but it is definitely a big milestone! :)

She has also discovered how to make a clicking sound with her tongue and how to smoosh her face and breathe through her nose! It's all just too cute to discribe! She is still an amazing, wonderful, happy, little girl!

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-25T22:32:00.002-05:00

Evelyn got a chance to swing all by herself! She never put her foot down, so it's in quite a few pictures! :) I don't mind....I love those little toes!

Daddy helped her go down the slide!!

Before having dinner with our friends the Alexanders and the Harkreaders, we dipped in the pool. This was Evelyn's first time in the swimming pool and she loved it! Her little legs we kicking and she loved splashing with her hands. I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot of time in the water this summer!

Here it is: the much requested Faux-hawk. Daddy was able to fashion this 'do while applying sunscreen!

1/2 birthday

2009-05-17T17:59:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it! Our little girl is officially 1/2 a year old! Six months have flown by and we have an adorable little girl to prove it! :) She's not sitting up on her own yet, but she likes to be sitting up with the help of anything. Her laugh just melts my heart and her blue eyes are just stunning! Here are some amateur photos taken by yours truly to mark the big day!

Trip to Texas

2009-05-15T21:31:00.004-05:00

Happy Mother's Day!! All the mommies gather for a picture!
We had a Mother's Day lunch at my parent's house. Grandma and Papa made the drive up from Burnet to spend the afternoon with their great-grandchildren.

My sweet baby girl was full of smiles all weekend!

Gram and Heydad giving Evelyn some love! :)

Our happy family!
How can you not love this face?!?
Gram entertaining Evelyn in the kitchen.
Shaun cooked us all some eggs in the morning!

Gram doing some more entertaining!!

Weekend in Wichita Falls

2009-05-04T12:58:00.005-05:00

Humpa and Evelyn both have crazy hair!
Pops holding Evelyn
Aunt Lulu giving Evelyn some attention.
Evelyn sleeping during the party.
Scott and Jenny opening up their gifts.
Pops had fun at the margarita machine!
The host of the party, JJ, loved our Evelyn
Russ, Kendall, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Reggie at the party
Shaun and Pops being goofy!

This weekend we traveled down to Humpa and Yaya's house to attend a wedding shower. The shower was in honor of Shaun's cousin, Jenny, who will be getting married this June. Even though the skies were cloudy, it turned out to be a fun party! :)

Best friends

2009-04-14T14:24:00.003-05:00

Evelyn's BFF Sydnee came over for a visit the other day and for the first time, Evelyn actually noticed the presence of her friend! Since Sydnee is walking these days she was all over the place and poor Evelyn remained stationary, but I think their friendship will continue to bloom as they continue to grow and change everyday!

2009-04-14T13:45:00.003-05:00

Ready to see the animals!!

Sweet baby girl!

Checking out the gorilla!
Helping daddy with the map! :)

Our day at the zoo!! Since we knew there was definite rain coming on Easter Sunday, we decided to take advantage to the sunshine on Saturday. This was our first visit to the OKC zoo--and Evelyn's first zoo ever! :) Once we arrived we realized that our baby would probably be needing some sunscreen and a hat......thank goodness for gift shops!

All tuckered out!

Home again

2009-03-28T19:28:00.002-05:00

It felt so good to finally be home after our trip to Ireland with mom and dad. (I promise to make an Ireland post.) We all needed a nice weekend at home to rest and recover. I have been amazed at how Evelyn has been changing lately. It seems like during our trip she suddenly became stronger and more alert! She now can support her head all by herself, can roll over and now likes to grab for toys. She is still such a joy---we're so lucky to have her! :)

Laundry?

2009-03-04T21:11:00.001-06:00

This evening Shaun and I were folding laundry and I decided that this was not a very eventful task. So, what makes anything a little more exciting? Throw a baby in there!! :) Evelyn loved laying in the pile of clothes and kicking her feet around! It provided some entertainment and a small delay in having to finish our chore.

Which goes faster........

2009-02-18T20:24:00.003-06:00

30 years or 3 months?

4 Generations! GG, Gram, Courtney & Evelyn

GG and Papa

Evelyn is 3 months old!

Shaun and I going on a date for my 30th birthday!

A couple things happened this past week. I turned 30 years old and Evelyn turned 3 months. Looking back I don't know which seemed to have occurred at a faster pace. Thirty years seems like such a long time, but I feel there is so much I haven't yet accomplished. There's still so much of this country and other countries I'd like to see! But, on the other hand, I do have a wonderful husband, an adorable daughter and a great job. So, I'd say that the past 30 years have been a success! Bring on the next 30!! :)

Evelyn reached the milestone of 3 months! She is getting stronger and stronger by the day! My favorite part of watching her grow is her communications skills! Her coo-ing and babbling constantly bring smiles to our faces! She is such a joy!

Evelyn's first bath in the big tub!!

Stuff

2009-02-08T08:38:00.003-06:00

I love eating my hands

Our little girl is growing up! She can now make some giggles if provoked by her father making funny faces!:) She is also trying to roll over!! What happened to my sweet, little, non-mobile baby? Things are just changing too quickly!
This weekend I went to another craft show and found the cutest chair! It looks like an overstuffed arm chair that adults could use, but at 1/10th the size! Perfect for Evelyn to lounge and watch TV with daddy! :)

Growing up

2009-01-30T19:11:00.003-06:00

Evelyn's nursery is just about done! Just a couple more decorations for the barren walls! It's a sweet little cowgirl's room!

This week, after the snow and ice melted, we took Evelyn to her new daycare so she could experience it a little bit before we both have to return to work next week. Actually, it was more for us than her. On our first day we dropped her off and then I cried the whole way home. I just couldn't believe I was going to leave my little girl in the hands of some strangers. But, my wonderful husband kept me distracted with a special breakfast with friends and then some errands. Before we knew it, it was 2pm (our per-determined goal) and we ran to go pick her up. And wouldn't you know it, our little girl was still happy and didn't seem to be holding any grudges against us for leaving her there for the day! This morning went a little better and I managed to keep dry eyes all day. I know Monday morning is still going to be difficult, but this gives me a little more peace of mind knowing she is in good hands! :)

Monica has some major static cling!

Fun in the Snow

2009-01-27T17:52:00.005-06:00

How can anyone turn down the opportunity to go play in the snow? Well, these two southerners who have been deprived of winter weather for the past three years had to go out and appreciate the white wonderland of our front yard! Although it isn't really snow--it's actually tiny little sleet balls--it totally made up for all the Okinawa winters! :)

Chandler attacking Shaun's arm while he was making his snowangel.
My turn on the sled!

We had to borrow a sled the kids across the street! Chandler liked to chase Shaun and give kisses at the end of the ride! :)

Weekend at Humpa and Yaya's

2009-01-27T10:06:00.004-06:00

Humpa making Evelyn laugh!

Daddy and Daughter
Evelyn's first encounter with a horse!

This weekend we packed up the car and drove to Humpa and Yaya's house in Wichita Falls. This was the first visit since daddy's return home, so there was a lot of family who wanted to see him safe and sound. When we arrived on Friday the weather was actually fairly warm, so we did a little exploring in the outdoors so Evelyn could see all the pretty horses. But, as Texas winters go, by Saturday morning is was frigid again. Saturday afternoon was lunch and dominos at Nanny's house. The girls put up a good effort, but the men prevailed in winning the domino tournament.

Family recalling memories from their childhood--my favorite was learning Uncle Jay had to dress up as a girl to play with his sisters!
Nanny giving love to her great-grand-daughter!

We decided to head back to OKC on Monday morning--perhaps not the smartest idea. A winter storm was heading south as we were headed north. We met up in Lawton, OK. The street were just wet, but we had ice forming on the car and a nervous mother sitting in the passenger seat! Fortunately we made it all the way home and only had problems getting into our own driveway!! Shaun had to melt the ice on the driveway by pouring hot water on it to be able to drive the car into the garage!! This morning we awoke to a beautiful white winter day--such a change from Okinawa!!

Just-a-swingin'

2009-01-27T09:56:00.003-06:00

Over Christmas I discovered that our little girl loves motion! Of course this was discovery was made when the only thing that would soothe the little one was someone holding her and having to bounce and swing her in their arms non-stop! Then my wonderful sister mentioned that she had a swing in her garage that was passed down from our oldest sister that I could use and see if Miss Evelyn would like it. I was so excited to get home and put it together since she would certainly love the wonderful motion the swing could provide. And I was right! Evelyn instantly loved the rocking motion and would often fall asleep in the beloved new swing.

Well, right after Shaun's return from the desert our precious swing's motor went caput!! How could this be?! It's only 10 years old?! :) Knowing now that the swing was often the true "pacifier" of the house, Shaun and I instantly went on a quest to find a replacement. We ended up with the Fisher-Price Little Lamb swing and she loves this one just as much. It's a bit fancier than the original, but well worth it!!! Shaun has been quoted saying "I would pay off the national debt for this thing." Our swing is that much of a treasure to us!

2 months old!!

2009-01-20T20:06:00.004-06:00

Such a sweet, little angel!

Evelyn and Chandler taking naps side-by-side.

Hanging out on the floor with her BFF:Sydnee

Tummy Time!! Getting strong holding her head up!

Evelyn had her 2 month check-up today and we are happy to report that she is a happy, healthy baby! She weighs in at a whopping 9 lbs 7 ozs and was 22 3/4 inches long! While she is in the 60th percentile for length, she's only in the 14th percentile for weight. So, it looks like she's going to get the family genes of being tall and skinny!

What is our 2 month old up to? Well, she is smiling socially and will even sometimes give you a little squeal of delight. She is getting stronger and stronger with holding her head up and she has discovered her hands--which she now loves to chew on! :) She is growing and changing before our very eyes!

Big smiles!!!

Sticking her tongue out at daddy!

She LOVES her swing!

Daddy-Daughter time

2009-01-20T19:53:00.003-06:00

Shaun and Evelyn have been enjoying their time together! He has even watched her all by himself allowing me to escape the house to visit with friends, go the store and even go to a movie! Shaun loves sitting and "cooing" with Evelyn, but his favorite is making her smile! :)

Year in Review

2009-01-07T17:45:00.001-06:00

2009-01-07T17:08:00.000-06:00

Reunion

2009-01-06T15:19:00.003-06:00

After 4 long months, the government has finally returned Shaun back home to his anxiously awaiting family! It was a wonderful reunion and he was very happy to finally meet his baby girl!

All the families gathered in an auditorium located across from his squadron on Tinker AFB. Once the plane arrived, the families could get on a bus and meet the returning members on the airstrip. Since it was 30 degrees outside, I decided that we would wait and greet Shaun in the auditorium. But, what Shaun didn't know was that his parents had driven up for his homecoming as well. So, they went out to the airstrip to be his surprise greeting! :) When he finally made it to the auditorium, he ran over to meet his two girls! Evelyn did cry a bit, but daddy's jacket was very cold from being outside, plus it was loud and she was hungry. After she was fed and things settled down a bit, she was happy to be held by her proud daddy!

It has been nice to have Shaun back home! He is learning how to change diapers and had been able to give Evelyn a bottle too. I am learning how to let him take care of things again, so it's been an adjustment for us all! We are so happy to be a whole family!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-25T14:51:00.004-06:00

Making Christmas sugar cookies with Gram

Annual family PJ picture!

Evelyn's first smile!

Mommy and baby!

Merry Christmas to all......

This has been a very wonderful Christmas since it has been filled with children's laughter! All three Kensing girls with all the Kensing grandkids have gathered at my parent's house for a big family Christmas! This includes a 12 year old boy and 5 girls ranging from 5 weeks to 10 years old! We were missing two husbands, Chris and Shaun are both deployed overseas.

Evelyn and I also spent some time with Shaun's family! There were lots of relatives down from South Dakota and very happy to meet the new addition.

4 weeks

2008-12-17T10:49:00.000-06:00

Look! I am 4 weeks old!

Bright-eyed!

Chandler watching over Evelyn

I dunno

2008-12-14T18:11:00.003-06:00

My new pacifier that I actually take!! Wohoo!!!

Cute Christmas baby!

We made it through the weekend without any major events happening! :) We actually went to our first post-baby party! A friend of mine hosted a Christmas party on Saturday night and Evelyn and I decided to attend for as long as she would cooperate. She actually surprised me by staying awake, alert and happy the whole time we were there!! Once we got home, it took her a little while to get settled--too much excitement at the party--but then she slept for 5 hours!! I need to repeat that: Evelyn slept for 5 hours!! Wohoo!! I don't expect that to happen every night, but it's nice to know there's a possibility it could happen again in the future!

Today we went on a shopping adventure! I needed to get a pair of pants that fit without having an elastic waist band! Once again, Evelyn was very cooperative until she got hungry. I have discovered the back seat of our Explorer is very comfy and a great place for nursing! :) However, I have learned to always have a spare set of baby clothes on hand at all times! Evelyn poopy diaper decided to leak and so I needed to take her outfit off. But, I didn't pack anything for her to wear! Luckily, our shopping spree included a little outfit from Old Navy, so it got put ti use right away!! :)

My new Old Navy outfit

That's really all to report from our exciting lives. We have a countdown going for Shaun's return: 25 days!! The time really has gone by quickly and the holidays approaching make it seem to be going by even faster! We can't wait for our little family reunion!

Absent-minded Mommy

2008-12-08T12:04:00.003-06:00

Trying out our cool baby sling!! It's very comfy and holds her close! Now we might be able to take the dogs for their walks! :)

Well, I am proving to be a very absent-minded mommy when left all by myself!! On my first afternoon (not even a whole day alone) I managed to stub my pinky toe on a base board and break it! (my toe, not the base board) In my defense, I was just wanting to get to my crying baby as quickly as possible!

Then, while preparing to give Evelyn a bath this morning, I put the tub on the counter and started filling it with warm water. It wasn't until I had her undressed that I realized the stopper in the tub had been open the entire time!! I look at the other side of the counter and see water had gone EVERYWHERE!! Since I was holding a naked, unhappy baby I just put the stopper in and finished her bath. After she was clean, dry and dressed my kitchen floor got a good mopping! :) So clean baby and a clean floor!! Wohoo!!

2008-12-06T09:12:00.002-06:00

My little sleeping beauty!!

We're so lucky to be surrounded by lots of little babies! Evelyn is going to have plenty of friends to play with as she grows up! Our neighbor, Whitney, just had a little girl 4 days after Evelyn. And of course, Sydnee can't wait for Evelyn to get a little bigger so they can play all day! :)

Since we had our little umbilical incident, we can officially have a bath instead of just using the washcloth!! She still didn't like the bath part too much, but having her hair washed is one of her favorites!

Updates and Decorations!

2008-12-03T15:34:00.003-06:00

Well, on Monday our little Evelyn turned 2 weeks old! Seriously, I wish I could make time stop. She is just so sweet and little I want to keep her this way!

On Tuesday her umbilical cord decided it was time to let go. Since I hadn't taken a good belly picture, I wanted to hold on to the cord long enough to take a picture of it next to where it had been. I placed the "stump" on the bed and then carried on with changing Evelyn's diaper. When I turned around, the cord had mysteriously disappeared. However, Chandler was on the bed. It only took a second to realize that Chandler had consumed the cord and now he and Evelyn will forever share a rare bond. It made me want to laugh, cry and gag all at the same time. My mind immediately thought of my niece Emma who would go around telling people that their dog, Gabby, "ate my poop." Now Evelyn can share her gross story with strangers--when she starts talking! :)

Today was our 2 week well-baby check up and she passed with flying colors! She had not quite made it all the way back to her birth weight (just 2 ounces shy), but she has gained 12 ounces in 12 days--so the pediatrician says she's right on track! We don't have to return to the doctor again until her 2 month check up!

As for the rest of our time, mom and I have been busy getting the house Christmas-y! We even made a trip to Garden Ridge to get some wreaths for our outside shutters!! I plan on leaving everything up until Shaun returns so he can experience the Christmas spirit--and so he can help clean it up! :)Her very own ornament from Aunt Kiss

Some random pics!

2008-12-02T09:16:00.003-06:00

Talking to Daddy on the webcam!

My little Aggie girl--too bad it didn't help the score!

Thanksgiving at my house!

Aunt Dot holding her newest niece

Fresh and clean from a morning bath! :)

1 week already?!

2008-11-25T19:31:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it! My baby girl has already graced us with her presence for a week!! What do I know about her so far? She loves to eat!! She loves putting her hands up by her face. She likes to get a little fussy before doing a poo! She can sometimes smile a little in her sleep and it makes me fall in love with her a little more (which I didn't think was possible)! :)

Over the weekend Shaun's Nanny and Pops came down to meet the newest great-grandchild! They were amazed by her full head of hair and small size! She of course lovingly slept in Nanny's arms for a while! :)

Today Shaun's Dad (aka Humpa) came up to visit the wee one as well! It was love at first sight! He immediately said that he would be tagging along on Evelyn's first date to scare the poor boy!

Tomorrow I am being left by Yaya (Shaun's mom) since she must return back to her normal life. She has made my transition from the hospital to home with a new baby seem so natural. Her support is GREATLY appreciated, especially getting past the bili-lights and helping me with some of the latenight wake-ups!

Evelyn Update

2008-11-21T15:50:00.004-06:00

Yaya giving Evelyn her sponge bath

Evelyn in her disco bed! I like how you can see her little toes pressing against the cover! :)

Hi everyone! Well, since our baby was so active and hungry we needed to give her a little formula to feed her until mother nature could bring me my supply (which fortunately arrived today). She is also getting some UV therapy in her special "disco bed" to help with her jaundice. After only 14 hours of treatment her levels were almost where we needed them to be, so we're hoping tomorrow everything will be back to normal and we can say good-bye to the disco bed!

She also had the pleasure of receiving her first sponge bath from her Yaya! She didn't like it too much, but it went very quickly and then she was all wrapped up and warm again! :)

I will keep y'all updated on any changes!!

EVELYN IS HERE!!!

2008-11-20T11:15:00.004-06:00

One little baby and one big fur baby

So happy to be home!

A cute face during her hearing screening

Mommy and baby

Sweet little girl

Our beautiful baby girl has arrived!! She was delivered on Monday November 17th and 5:32pm. She weighed in at 6 pounds 13 ounces and was 19 and 1/2 inches long! I am happy to have her home now and she's doing very well! She loves to eat and be cuddled, which I am happy to oblige! :)

Chandler and Monica are having to adjust to their new house guest. They have been a little sad that they cannot jump all over me or her, but Yaya (aka Shelley) has made their transition easier by giving them plenty of attention.

Proud papa has seen lots of pictures and was able to see her on the webcam just a couple hours after she was born! As if he didn't want to come home already, this has made him long for his homecoming even more! I can't wait to see his face when he comes home and gets to hold her.

Countdown continues......

2008-11-14T17:49:00.002-06:00

Monica ready to pounce on her toy

Chandler being a mama's boy

LAST DAY OF WORK!! Also, 39 weeks!

Well, the countdown continues! And it seems as if the countdown is going to go past the due date. Our little girl is already proving to be strong-willed and determined to stary in her cozy cocoon until she's good and ready! The good news is that I'm now officially on maternity leave!! Wohoo!! I have received the advice to rest up while I can, but I also want to take advantage of this free time to get things done! So, I will work on my projects with plenty of rest in between! :) What I think is funny is when I see pictures of myself I can't believe how big I look! I swear I don't look like that when I look in the mirror! Must be some sort of optical illusion on the camera because there's NO WAY that I actually am that big! Anyway, I promise to keep everyone updated if there are any changes!!

Title unknown

2008-11-05T20:20:00.004-06:00

Ugh!! 38 weeks and starting to get to the uncomfortable point! The good news is she's pointed south, but not quite ready to make her appearance yet. I keep trying to tell her that I AM ready, but I guess we have to wait on her!!

This afternoon was a little crazy. They were forecasting some yukky weather as this cool front came through, but I usually never believe them. But, just in case I took the puppies for a nice long walk in the park early in the day. Sure enough, around 5pm today it really started raining and then HAILING! Yuk! Thank goodness for 2-car garages!

Oh! And it just started up again while I'm writing this! Good grief! Well, at least it's supposed to be sunny again tomorrow!!

Random

2008-11-02T18:22:00.003-06:00

Well, even though it's a totally unflattering picture, I thought I'd post another of my ever-growing belly! I'm 371/2 weeks--officially full-term! :)

My life is pretty uneventful these days--I work, come home, hang out with the puppies and sleep. But, I am now officially only a part-time employee!! Wohoo! I will work for two more weeks and then begin maternity leave--assuming the little one doesn't arrive early.

Halloween was fun this year--we had a lot of trick-or-treaters come by the house. Not as many as Okinawa (I didn't have to buy 20 bags of candy), but enough to keep me running to the door every couple minutes! My friend Amy brought her baby over to take some pictures----isn't she cute?!

She's the future BFF of our Evelyn! :)

Family Reunion

2008-10-09T06:43:00.000-05:00

Uncle Kent enjoyed a birthday surprise!!
Marci shows off a catfish
Marci and Kate enjoy watching the younger kids swimming in the pool
My future house being built on the lake! (I wish)

Papa relaxing by the water
Brock's friend, Tyler, showing off his mighty catch!
Emma, Bryce and Kylie enjoying their boat ride
Emma doing tricks in the pool
Havanna playing with HeyDad in the shade!

This past weekend we had a gathering down on Lake LBJ of all my mom's family. It was a great weekend with perfect temperatures, yummy food, 5-star cabins and lots of catching-up! The little ones had a good time jumping in the frigid swimming pool, but us older kids opted to just observe! There was lots of fishing, but not too many bites. Most of the fishermen caught at least one fish--but they were returned to their home due to their small stature. :) There were plenty of babies to hold: Marley, Sloane and Taylor all enjoyed being passed around to various family members.

BABY SHOWER

2008-09-29T07:52:00.000-05:00

32 weeks!
Yirah Bible Study Girls
Cute diaper cake!!
Okinawa Friends
Family Picture!

This weekend I had a baby shower hosted by six wonderful friends! It was held at my friend Amy's house, conveniently located just around the corner! It was a great party and I was so happy to have some family from Texas come up for the festivities! Shaun's Mom, Nanny, Aunt Stacy and Cousin Jenny drove up from Wichita Falls and my mom, sister and neices came up from Fort Worth! :) I now feel a little more prepared for the little one to arrive. Or maybe I should say I now have the supplies which should make me feel prepared!

Our week in review

2008-09-01T17:45:00.000-05:00

This past week we had a visit from Shaun's mom, Shelley, aka YaYa! She helped Shaun get the house a little more organized, especially the nursery! We now have it completely cleaned out with baby clothes hanging in the closet! We also made a little time to introduce YaYa to the Wii!! We had her try out a few games on the Wii Fit! But we all had some laughs while we took turns!

Saturday morning we hosted a garage sale to let others share in our priceless crap....er treasures. Fortunately, we sold most of the stuff we had out, except for that pesky husband...just seems no one wanted to give a good home. Guess we'll have to keep him around until the next big sale.

Puppy Love

2008-09-01T17:40:00.000-05:00

The other day Chandler was wanting to give me some love and attention, but in order to reach me, he had to stretch up and put his paws on my growing belly! We just thought it was too cute! He has noticed that there is something changing around the house, but not quite sure what it is. He has become my permanent shadow--never wanting to leave my side!

my growing belly

2008-08-12T22:14:00.001-05:00

23 weeks

25 weeks (and I'm just holding the beer for the picture)

My Summer Vacation

2008-08-12T21:20:00.000-05:00

While I didn't actually have a summer vacation, we've both been very busy with various activities, as well as still getting settled in our house.

In June I went to Mason, Texas to attend the annual Kensing reunion. It was nice to see family I hadn't seen since before I left for Japan. It was also some nice bonding time with my niece, Havanna!

In July, I was able to go to Florida to attend an optometry conference and also see Kristi and the rest of the Rawleys! While there, I participated in getting Kate's ears pierced as a gift for her 10th birthday!! It's hard to believe she could possibly be 10 years old already!!

It's a tough job going to classes while surrounded by the beautiful beaches of Naples, Florida---but somehow Jamie and I managed to get our needed education hours and still get a tan!! The Rawleys also came down to Naples and we had a good time searching for seashells!

In August we celebrated mom and dad's birthdays! Mom hit the big 6-0!! We had a birthday party in Waco with mom's twin brother, younger brother, Grandma and Papa, and lots of cousins! This trip also let me meet my newest niece, Marley!! She was soooo little and sweet! :)

It was a nice afternoon of family, food and a few games of washers!

Baby Hump Bump

2008-06-20T19:16:00.000-05:00

Well, today was my 18 week ultrasound and everything looked good with our Little Baby Hump! We were very pleased to find out that we are adding yet another girl to the Kensing family. There's just something with us Kensing girls!! Now we're going to kick it into high gear and get the nursery ready for our little sweetheart!! :)

Texas Bluebonnets

2008-06-01T11:01:00.000-05:00

I took these photos in David's front yard across from mom and dad's house! God Bless Texas!!

Lots of changes

2008-04-10T21:12:00.001-05:00

Well, we have made it safe and sound back to America. It seems like so much has changed in such a short period of time! We are very excited that we have made a deal on a new home in Oklahoma City (well, actually in Moore,OK) and we will be closing on it at the end of this month. We're also happy to announce that I am 8 weeks pregnant!! Our prayers have finally been answered and we'll be welcoming a baby Hump around November 21st! So, as soon as I have some pics of both developments (the house and the baby) I will be posting them! Until then, goodnight from a tired house-hunting baby-grower! :)

Fini-Flight

2008-03-19T23:14:00.000-05:00

Shaun had his final flight for the 961st today! So, the tradition is to spray the person with champagne, but for Shaun they thought it would be fitting to tie him to the stairs so there would be no escape! :)

P-O-Y

2008-03-06T07:58:00.000-06:00

POY Banquet, or Professional of the Year Banquet, is an evening to celebrate this year's best of the best! All of the squadrons from the Ops Group came to represent their candidates and show why we're the best squadron of all! What better way to show our support other than to wear the squadron colors--unfortunately our colors are orange and blue. We purchased orange flight suits and then tailored, decorated, and bedazzled until they were our own original pieces of fashion! Thanks to our lovely ensembles, festive table decorations and our loud cheers with noise makers---the 961st AACS went home with the coveted Squadron Spirit Award! I guess next year's spouses will have to defend the title! ;)

Our wonderful Shaun was up for Executive Officer of the Year, but unfortunately he didn't take home the trophy. We all think he was ROBBED!

Kim and I making orange look good!

Sparky and Shaun trying to look manly!
Kim, Me, Amy and Amy
Just to give you a taste of our orange pride! :)

Local Folklore

2008-03-06T07:46:00.000-06:00

Tucked away in a cave on a small island a short ferry ride from Okinawa lies the mystical fertility rock. This cave was used to hide during WWII and somehow this rock was discovered. If picked up, you will have baby soon. So, Kim and I set out to see the legendary rock!
At first we thought the gods were against us. On our first attempt, we missed the ferry by 4 minutes! On our second attempt, we made the ferry but then had the battery die in transit!!! Luckily, a posse of five friendly locals jumped the car and we were on our way to discover the wonders of Ie Island (pronounced Ee-ay)! Note the height difference between Kim and the locals.....think she gets noticed much?
Another portion of the legend has to do with the perceived weight of the rock. The gender of your future baby depends on whether you think the rock is heavy or light. Kim was the first to pick it up.
Then I had my chance. We both agreed--the rock was pretty darn heavy. So, will the rock work? Apparently a little magic rubbed off on Kim since she is now due in October!! :) Once we know the gender we'll know if the entire theory works!! :)
A picture of Okinawa seen from Ie Island.

5 weeks

2008-02-25T17:14:00.000-06:00

It's official! We are leaving Okinawa in 5 weeks. It is so crazy how time just sneeks away while you're distracted by other things. We will be leaving April 1st and should be arriving at DFW on either the 2nd or 3rd. We will give hugs and kisses to everyone, but then we need to rush off to Oklahoma to find a house. Shaun is leaving the 12th for school, so we're hoping to have the house picked out by then. After the house stuff is taken care of, I hope to come and spend some quality time with family and friends! :) We are very much looking forward to seeing everyone! Let the countdown begin!! :)

A couch landed on my dog

2008-02-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

No, it really didn't squish Monica! This is our precious 5-pound puppy attempting to squeeze under the couch to recover a beloved lost toy. She lays down and slides as far under the couch as she can get, but alas, the toy cannot be reached. So, Chandler came over to provide moral support. There was no rest until Dad came to the rescue, lifting the couch to allow toy retrieval! :) We have wierd dogs! :)

Sapporo Snow Fest!

2008-02-13T06:31:00.001-06:00

Well, I have made it back from the snowy mountains of Sapporo, Japan! I have to say that I highly recommend the Snow Festival! :) Being surrounded by snow and snow sculptures really brings out your inner-child. Especially if you weren't around much snow as a child!

So, I had to take a picture with the man wearing glasses. I know--I'm a nerd!

Glamour Girls! So, on our way to Sapporo, we discover in Glamour magazine that if you take a picture holding the magazine somewhere interesting, they might put your pic in the next month's issue. How many other Glamour readers could possibly be at this year's festival?! So, fingers crossed you'll see our faces in Glamour next month! :)

Amy and Allison enjoying the sculptures! There's no way to describe how big these are without getting a human in the picture as a reference!!

My inner-child catching snowflakes on my tongue!
I just liked this one--I like elephants!
We took a little day-trip to Otura, a town about 40 minutes away. We were told it had a strong Russian-influence in it's architecture, but the only thing we found was the canal. Other than that, it looked like the rest of Japan! :) But, we enjoyed a pretty heavy snowfall, a nice cup of hot chocolate and purchased a few handmade glass items. Not too bad of an afternoon!
You have to enlarge this picture to really appreciate it. Along with the snow sculptures, there was a collection of ice sculptures. Great place to get ideas for those expensive weddings they show on WE. Anyway, this one shows a fisherman holding a REAL fishing pole trying to reel in the big catch! It was amazing to see in person! It was about 7 feet tall, but it's hard to take a picture of something that almost completely clear!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! I love y'all!!!!

A Day at the Park

2008-02-04T16:50:00.001-06:00

Since our time here is dwindling down, we've been trying to go to some of our favorite spots on the island. We love taking the dogs to Comprehensive Park. It's a huge park with lots of open spaces to play around with the puppies. We also had a chance to fly our kites, but only one of the two was able to get airborne.

The game of fetch. A game Chandler and Monica can play with no end. However, their style of playing are very different.
Chandler loves the chase! He will run after the ball and then play a mean game of keep-away from Monica. But, then Chandler's interest begins to fade and Monica eventually gets possesion of the ball and will return it to the owners. So, in short, our 5-pound dog is the better retriever!
Monica with the game-winning ball! :)

It's Official!

2007-12-25T17:47:00.000-06:00

We now know that we are definitely going to be heading to Oklahoma for our next duty station! We will be at Tinker AFB starting at the end of April! So, that means we'll be heading back to the States at the beginning of April. We can't wait to see everyone and be so close to family again! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and have a safe and Happy New Year!!! :)

More Pictures!

2007-12-10T07:07:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to add a few more pics from the China trip! :)

CHINA

2007-12-03T17:22:00.001-06:00

We are back from our adventures in China and I have managed to go through our first media disk! We got a little camera-happy and managed to take 1000+ pictures! Thank goodness they're digital--I don't know what we'd do with all that film!

Our first stop: Xi'an (pronounced She-ahn)

This is a very old city with a lot of emporer's tombs because it is an ancient capital of China. It is also the location of the famous Terra Cota Warriors which are statues of soldiers buried around an emporer's tomb to protect him in the after life. It is the only example where they made life-sized sculptures. A lot of other emporer's made soldiers but they were much smaller.

In the pit behind us you can see all the soldiers! There were over 8000!! Some are still buried because they are trying to preserve their color until new technology arrives.

Next stop: Beijing

There was a lot to see in Beijing! First was Tienamen's Square and the Forbidden City!

As you can tell, it was VERY cold!!

We needed some American food and what's more American than Hard Rock Cafe?! :)

Shaun and I at the Ming Tomb.

THE GREAT WALL!! Our favorite site of the trip!!

To Thaw or Not to Thaw....

2007-11-18T06:31:00.000-06:00

We had an early Thanksgiving with our closest friends since we would all be out of town on Thanksgiving Day. I volunteered to make the turkey--my first!! So, I went and picked out the perfect size bird for our small group of six, brought it home and began to let it thaw. This morning I went to the kitchen ready to prepare our feast--and that's when I saw it. Printed on the turkey packaging "KEEP FROZEN. DO NOT THAW." I was so confused! Every article I read about how to prepare a turkey always started with how to thaw the turkey! I studied the packaging some more to realize I had purchased a "pre-stuffed" turkey. I can only assume this is why I was not supposed to thaw the thing. So, unsure of what to do, I hustled back to the commissary and purchased another bird. This one was promptly seasoned and placed into the oven without thawing. I was very nervous, but it actually turned out to be a delicious bird! We also had mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and a couple desserts all brought by our friends. It was a delicious Thanksgiving meal! So, we are most thankful for making such good friends that can be our 'family' while away from our real families on the holidays!

Some cool pictures

2007-11-04T22:44:00.001-06:00

Believe it or not, this is NOT a picture of a hummingbird! I thought it was a real hummingbird when Shaun was photographing it, but after I got home and looked at the pictures, you can see antennae and it looks segmented like an insect. So, I did a little research and discovered the hummingbird moth! It looks like a tiny hummingbird, but doesn't scare away when you get close to it. A very interesting find--but apparently they are also in the States!

Also while at the aquarium, we saw the Dolphin Show! We were able to get some really cool pictures of the dolphins showing off their acrobatic skills! We couldn't understand anything the narrator was saying, but it was very cool to watch!

Okinawan Halloween

2007-10-31T18:36:00.000-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! I love Halloween living on base! There are so many kids that come trick-or-treating--a far cry from the 4 kids that lived in our neighborhood! All of the neighbors just come sit on their porches with a big bowl of candy to hand out to the parade of kids. They also allow some of the Japanese locals come on to trick-or-treat. They come in costume and know how to say "TRICK-OR-TREAT" and "Thank You!" If you try to ask them anything else, like "what is your costume?", they smiled and said "Trick-or-treat."

I know that someday I will dress up and parade around with my infant in a cute costume, but does a child with no teeth deserve candy? Something to think about.

Last year I ran out of candy in 1 hour, so this year I was determined to have plenty to last the whole 2 hours! I don't know how many bags of candy we went through, but I didn't run out!! But, now I still have a couple bags leftover. Oh well, they will feed my patients at the clinic! :)

Shaun and I didn't have an opportunity to dress up this year. That's probably a good thing since my Pregnant Britney Spears costume wouldn't be as funny as it was last year! Well, now it's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving, which for us, will be celebrated on a plane to China! I'll post more later! :)

1st blog

2007-10-29T01:47:00.000-05:00

Howdy! Thanks for coming to look at our new blog. Since my sister Marci started one, I thought it would be a good way to let people know what's going on in our lives! We're still living on Okinawa and enjoying our time overseas, but our time here has gone by very quickly. We now only have about 6 months left.

The pictures are from our adventure to Neo Park on Okinawa. It was sort of a glorified petting zoo. We got to feed flamingos, lemurs and tortoises, but I don't think we'll be returning back to this particular park. I think American standards for how animals should be kept is very high, and I think that 's a good thing!

So, since I am new to the blogging, I'm going to end this a little short. But I hope you enjoy the pictures and come back to see more!