Fun in the Sun

A couple weeks ago we had one of those super-duper hot weekends.  We've been wanting to take Ava to the City Park Pool in Fort Collins . . . until I looked up the prices for it.  Yikes!  It would cost $20.00 for the three of us to get in for a day!  I know they have a nice waterslide and all that . . . but we're not going to do that with a 2 year old.  We just wanted to play in the little kid area.  Anyway, we said "forget that" and took her to Fossil Creek Park instead.  It has a nice little splash area with sprinklers to run through . . . and it's FREE.  Needless to say, she LOVED it.  When we first got there there were only two other little boys there with their dad.  A bit of a crowd showed up later, but there was still plenty of room.  Here are a couple videos of her running around in the water.

Introducing . . . June Kay!

In case you didn't already know (but hopefully you did), we have a new member of our family!  Our beautiful daughter, June Kay, joined our family on Friday, July 6th.  It was a little bit of a shock as she came 11 days early and oh so quickly!  We are so blessed to have her in our family, and we all have loved her dearly since the beginning.

It all started early in the morning on that Friday.  It had been a not-so-great night.  All of us had struggled to go to sleep (when does Ava not struggle with that?) due to the heat and who knows what else.  I don't think Ava was asleep before 10pm (although she had gone to bed at 8, as usual), and it was even later than that before Tim and I got to sleep.  Anything after 10pm is LATE for us early risers.  :)  On top of that I just wasn't sleeping well in those late stages of pregnancy.  For some reason Ava woke up around 3:30am.  I don't know why; she didn't cry or anything, I could just hear her up.  Of course, Tim kept on sleeping.  Finally at a little after 4am I went upstairs to try to get Ava back to sleep.  She was sitting on her floor reading books.  She laid back down quite easily and I tucked her in and left.  I think it still took her another 20 minutes or so to fall back asleep.  I went back to bed and laid there awake . . . and then I started having some contractions.  At first I assumed they were no big deal, Braxton-Hicks and all that.  After a couple contractions I thought I might as well time them, since I was awake anyway.  I half-heartedly watched the clock and saw that they were about 7 minutes apart.  I finally got up a little before 5am, unable to sleep, and came out to pace around in the kitchen and living room, timing the contractions with my Baby Bump iPhone app (such an amazing tool, by the way!).  The contractions were now around 5 minutes apart, getting stronger and lasting longer.  Tim got up a little after 5am to go to work and came out to see what I was up to.  He figured it wasn't a big deal and went to take a shower.  I sat down to see if the contractions would go away with rest . . . instead they just got stronger and closer together.  Tim came back out and we decided we probably should at least go in to the doctor's office.  Tim encouraged me to take a shower (I didn't get to take one before Ava was born and felt gross all day!) and I thought that maybe that would help relax me.  Quite the opposite--by the time I got out of the shower I could hardly stand through the contractions!  I did my best to put a little make-up on, put in my contacts and get dressed, but it took me FOREVER.  Meanwhile Tim was starting to sense the urgency and went and got Ava up and gave her some breakfast.  He tried to call Grandpa--our plan for who was going to watch Ava--but had to leave a message.  He then sprinted around the house packing up our clothes, my cosmetics and all of Ava's stuff to keep her occupied and--somewhere in there--got Ava dressed.  We called the doctor and were told to go to the hospital.  At this point I was in a LOT of pain and not a very happy camper.  It had become quite apparent to me that our little baby was coming.

We got to the hospital at about 7:15am and Tim and Ava (we had no choice but to take her to the hospital with us) dropped me off at the ER.  I was wheeled up to the birthing floor and taken to a room.  Both the nurse and doctor did an exam to check my progress shortly after we got to the room, and discovered that I was already at 10cm (!), although my water hadn't broken yet.  I was hoping for an epidural . . . but this meant that there wasn't much point.  I could have had one, but we would have had to wait for them to come administer it and wait for it to take effect, or I could just have the baby.  I opted to start pushing and have the baby.  The nurse hurried to get my IV in and get me somewhat admitted and then--just like that--it was time to push.  Right about then Grandpa and Gigi arrived and took Ava out of the room (She was such a trooper! Reading her books and eating her goldfish quietly in the hospital chair while Daddy tried to keep an eye on her AND help Mama.  They both were amazing).  About a half hour later, at 9:05am, June Kay was born!  Grandpa, Gigi and Big Sister Ava got to come in and meet her right away, before heading back to Commerce City.

In retrospect the shower may not have been a good idea.  :)  We knew labor would probably be faster with the second one, but I never guessed it would only be 4.5 hours!  It was intense and very painful, but the Lord was merciful in making it fast.  June actually came out face up, which typically makes labor take longer and is the reason for all the back labor I was having.  Dr. Cloyd commented that if she had been face down, who knows what would have happened.  We might have had her in the car.  :)

I can only praise God for His timing.  I had hoped to go closer to full-term so that I could have a couple of weeks home with Ava before Baby came . . . until I started having all the trouble with the blood clot in my leg.  I had to go off Ibuprofen the day before June was born and didn't know what the pain would be like without it.  My doctor had mentioned they could induce me if I decided it was necessary because of the clot.  I didn't want to be induced . . . but was suffering with the clot.  God took care of all that.  Although the clot is still there and I will be having surgery on it (possibly two surgeries) in the next couple months, it is no longer painful.  His timing was also perfect in that we had just gotten our couch and bed for the basement delivered the day before I went into labor.  I had managed to get the bed made that day and cleaned the new bathroom to make it usable.  Otherwise Nana and Papa Ernie wouldn't have had anywhere to stay when they came that night!

Three weeks later I still sometimes can't believe that our little "surprise" baby is here.  :)  After 9 months of anticipation, it all happened so quickly.  But she is such a joy to the three of us.  So far she seems to have a sweet, quiet personality, and has been a very easy baby.  Ava has had some trouble adjusting to all of the recent changes in her life, but I think she does genuinely like June (it's Mom and Dad she doesn't always like!).  This week has been much better with Ava and I think we are turning a corner.  I look forward to the days when the girls will be playmates; although I wish neither of them would get bigger!  It all just happens too fast.  I am doing my best to enjoy each day with these two little blessings, no matter how challenging they might be sometimes.

And that is June's birth story, in a nutshell.  Here are some pictures of our sweet baby for you to enjoy.

Ava hanging out at the hospital

Just came home from the hospital in a torrential downpour

June and Nana.  Nana and Papa Ernie were able to come visit right away, which was so fun!

First trip to church!

Ava Turns Two!

On June 25th, we celebrated our little girl's 2nd birthday.  She's not so little anymore!  We didn't do anything very momentous.  On Sunday the 24th, Grandpa and Gigi came up and spent the afternoon with us.  They brought presents, including her first baby doll, equipped with all the accessories.  Tim and I had wanted for her to get a baby before our baby came along.  I thought it might be helpful for her to have a baby to take care of while Mama takes care of hers.  And believe it or not, the girl didn't have a baby yet!  We celebrated by opening presents and eating cupcakes and that was about it.  On Monday--her actual birthday--we had cupcakes and sang to her again after dinner.  Then we had a nice conversation with Nana and Papa Ernie via Skype.  Not a bad birthday for a two-year-old.  

Here are some pictures from it.  Ava really likes to look at her birthday pictures on the computer (she loves to watch Picasa slideshows - mostly just pictures of herself, though).  She likes to sing "Happy Birthday" while she watches.  "Happy birthday to youee, youee, youee . . . " is usually how it goes.  :)

Having a snack before opening presents.  Grandpa and Gigi came while she was napping, so she was a little surprised to see them when she woke up.

Reading her "Peekaboo Duck" card.  She still loves it.  :)

Sidewalk chalk?  Yes!

Reading one of her new books with Grandpa.

Opening her baby.  Ooh . . . what could it be?

The look on her face says, "What the heck IS this thing?"

Too bad all babies don't just come nicely wrapped in a box!

So many fun accessories!  It took forever to get them all out of the box.

Baby needs her pacifier.

On a walk with her baby and diaper bag.  As soon as she opened the baby and saw what it was, she was quiet for the next 15 minutes or so . . . so serious about playing with her new baby!

Coloring Outside!  So fun.

Coloring your feet is especially fun.

Attempting to eat a cupcake . . . 

THIS is how you eat a cupcake!

Such a good little mommy!

A New Era

So . . . obviously I haven't been on the blog in a while.  The last post I did was in January it tells me.  Whew!  That was a while ago.  I'm not surprised.  At some point, I think not long after I did that post, I came to a conclusion about blogs:  family blogs are for women who work part-time or are stay-at-home moms.  They are NOT for full-time working moms.  I do not mean that as any kind of criticism on either side of the spectrum.  I suppose there are full-time working moms who keep blogs, and I'm sure there are stay-at-home or part-timers who can't find the time.  For my life--I had to decide that it just wasn't enough of a priority for me to make it happen.  It's hard enough just keeping your head above water when you're a working mom!  Honestly, after the last two years, I have a whole new respect for my own mother and my sister.  Both have/had successful careers while raising two children.  I am amazed at their perseverance and dedication.  However, after much prayer and consideration, Tim and I have decided (with a lot of guidance from the Lord!) that the working-mom life is not for me/us.  At least not while our children are young.  Which brings me to my next point . . . 


I am now officially a "stay-at-home" mom.  My husband has given me the title of "Director of Household Operations" (at Kelleher Enterprises).  You can refer to me as the DHO or as a Domestic Goddess.  I will answer to either.  :)  All joking aside, this has been a BIG step for our family!  It was an incredibly hard decision in many ways.  It was very hard for me to leave the job and people that I loved so much (Will I ever find another job that I like as much?  Will I ever find another boss that is as supportive and with whom I will have such a GREAT relationship/friendship?).  It is also a hard decision for us financially.  Don't get me wrong; Tim is perfectly capable of providing well for our family, of which I am so very thankful.  Yet we have become accustom to a two-income lifestyle and it will take some lifestyle changes to make everything work on one income.  There are a few sacrifices that we are going to have to make.  We are perfectly willing to make them, but that doesn't mean it won't be an adjustment.  There is a learning curve here, and we are going to have to bend quite a bit here and there to make everything work.  You know what?  We're kind of excited about that.  We believe it will be good for our family to learn to make do with a little less.  What a great opportunity for growth!


I'm not going to lie . . . thinking about being home day after day and year after year terrifies me a little.  But it also excites me a lot.  I am so glad that Ava had the time that she did in childcare.  She loved it and I believe that it has played a huge part in the social skills that she has and her amazing verbal ability.  But . . . I am excited about being home with her so that I can be the one teaching and training her.  The Bible calls us as parents to train our children in the way they should go.  Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against childcare (obviously, I worked at the best one in Fort Collins for over 5 years!), but I do believe that being able to raise my children day in and day out is an amazing opportunity.  It is not easy . . . so far she has really been testing me (especially since June came home), but I am determined to win her heart and keep it.  That is my mission field, the work God has given me with the two beautiful children with which he has blessed me.


I'm finding it a little odd to have such a shift in my priorities.  It is also really difficult to re-train my brain.  What?  I don't have to try to cram every household task into my much-too-short weekend, making myself and my husband crazy??!!  Tim and are hopeful that this change will allow us to spend more quality time together as a family, having fun and making memories.  I know that sounds cheesy, but I don't really want my children to grow up with memories of their mom and dad always doing chores rather than spending time with them.  It has already been a huge blessing to us all, and especially to my husband.  One of the benefits of this situation that I am really excited about is how it will make life easier for Tim.  He deserves it!


All this being said, I am hopeful that I will now have more time to keep up with this blog!  Obviously it is not all fun and free-time, being home with two kids.  I am finding that out quickly (not that I expected it to be a walk in the park).  Praise God that June is such a content little baby and a good sleeper!  :)  But I do want to make this blog somewhat of a priority now.  We will see how well I do.  Today I have shared with you my heart in becoming a full-time mom.  My plan is to post pictures from Ava's second birthday soon!  Check back when you get a chance, and please leave me a comment if you can!

Hope These Make You Smile!

I'm home with a sick Ava today (poor little girl can't get a break!) so I thought I'd take the time to upload some new video. I am thankful to have a phone that takes pretty good pictures and videos when the moment calls for it (because we are awful about having the camera close by). Anyway, here is a video from a couple weeks ago that one of Ava's teachers took with her iPhone while they were on the playground, and then sent it to me. What a treat to get that text while working at my desk! I love her giggle in this video and it has quickly become Ava's favorite video of herself to watch (she LOVES to watch videos of herself). Enjoy!





And here is a video that Tim took just the other night of Ava performing her favorite dance move. She LOVES music and especially loves to dance to it. She calls music "gik" and demands it almost every night when they get home. The video is a little far away, but it's hard to get close because then she gets distracted by the camera. And please, please, PLEASE, ignore the dorky woman dancing and clapping with her.




By the way, she happens to be dancing to Led Zepplin. Papa Tony would be proud.

Ava's Christmas Program Performance

Ava participated in her second Christmas Program tonight, and here is a video for your viewing pleasure.




Unfortunately, she spotted Daddy and was slightly distracted, but it was still successful.

First Bike Ride!

All summer long we've been planning to buy a bike trailer so that we can go for bike rides with Ava . . . well, now that summer is nearly over we've finally gotten one! Hurray! We haven't actually gone for that first ride yet, but we plan to squeeze one in today. First there is cleaning and basement work to be done. Boo.

Here are some pictures of Ava exploring the new trailer and its accessories:

Hey, I kinda like this thing.

This picture pretty accurately portrays how she feels about her new Winnie the Pooh helmet!

Ooh, the camera . . .

Can I take this thing off yet?!

Wish us luck for our first ride! We're hoping she likes it!