Short Weekend

Between Heath being sick and Gracelynn and I making an impromptu visit to Waukon to visit while Daddy kept his cold to himself...it's been a rather short weekend. So far, Gracelynn has warded off this nasty virus going around and Heath seems to be on the mend, although I do believe that's probably the last time I leave him home alone "sick" to "rest" it off. Not only did he treat himself to Chinese for lunch, but corndogs for supper and McDonalds for breakfast the next morning. I guess there was nothing wrong with his appetite. :P

"Don't you think I look like my Daddy?"

Still, I should be glad he didn't "starve to death" in a kitchen full of food. :)
Below are some pictures from this weekend when Gracelynn and I went to visit. Her uncles have affectionately dubbed her "little g".

Great-Grandpa Snitker & Gracelynn

Great-Grandma Snitker & Gracelynn

Do I look like a Snitker?

Grandpa & Gracelynn relaxing

Uncle Benji and "little g"

Uncle Andrew and "little g" having a heart-to-heart

Don't mess with either of these two...

Great-Grandma Warnke

Sorry, Gracelynn is looking at me because she's still hungry...

This morning I'm singing/playing guitar again for church. I left around 7:00 for the first service and came home to a washed/clothed Gracelynn and a fine-looking husband...if I do say so myself! Heath is really getting into breakfasts because he made a stellar omelete for me this morning too...don't worry, he washed his hands. :)

Gracelynn has her 2mo checkup tomorrow. We're looking forward to seeing how she's grown...but I'm not sure about the shots. I'll probably cry right along with her. :(

Guess we'd better get going. I need to change again (thanks to Gracelynn) and we need to be early for the second service for a sound-check. Many blessings to you all!

love,
the kelleys

Sick Days

Well - it's been quite the week. Last Saturday, the three of us were able to celebrate Heath's grandparents' 50th anniversary and see all of the cousins. Of course - we were so excited to see everyone we neglected to take pictures, but my sisters-in-law were able to catch some good ones which I'll hopefully post soon. Heath is home sick from school and I am now on "nursing" duty for two people. :)

Gracelynn is of course, growing like a weed. She was 8 weeks old yesterday and has her 2mo appointment this Monday. After a weekend in disposable diapers due to the road trip, I am so glad to be back to the cloth. Heath and I have decided that Gracelynn is...explosive to say the least. Disposables just can't keep up with her. :S

Here are some pictures from this morning. :)

Good Morning!
(crazy bath hair - aka Mommy's hair)

All cleaned up!
(nice, orderly hair - aka Daddy's hair)

All Ready for the Day!

I guess that's all for now. Gracelynn is wiggling, squirming, and "grunt-crying" for her mid-morning snack. Dad, on the other hand, is waiting for pancakes. Better go!

Have a great day everyone!
love,
- the kelleys

Ode to Moms

"Ode to Moms"

Yes - it's true.

On any given day, we smell of spit-up and poo.

Vanity is a thing of the past,

just like a freshly changed diaper never lasts.

Our beauty sleep kicks into survival mode,

while in despair we stare at the piles of laundry to fold.

Self-time is almost non-existent,

and often times, we're stretched past the limit...

yet a mom loves every minute.

- Gracelynn's Mom

Hi Grandpa Snitker! I'm ready for work! Mom says I have to wear my overhauls because I'm growing out of my pants faster than she can keep up. :)

P.S. Anyone have a straw hat?

The Joys of Motherhood

as told by me

In the past few weeks, I've come to a startling realization - 

Spit-up is the new perfume

Evading chunks hurled at startling speeds is just a different form of dodge-ball

Explosions are commonplace

Snot is not as icky as it once was

And sticky kisses are the best!

All joking aside, I love being a mom - dirty diapers and all. :)

Quick, smile!

Yes! I was finally able to upload a video. Gracelynn and I had a great day yesterday. While I washed diapers in the basement, she coo'd and eventually fell asleep perched on the dryer in her little seat. (Sorry, no video of that...too graphic!) I did manage to catch some of her "talk" and smiles though. Enjoy!

I'm 7 Weeks Old Today

Hello Everyone!

I'm 7 weeks old today!

P.S. Mom/Dad got the heat working...and now I'm nice and toasty. :)

Brrr! It's Cold in Here!

In case you've forgotten:

a) We live in Iowa

b) Iowa is cold!

c) Iowa is really cold!

For the second time, our furnace decided to stop working and Gracelynn and I are spending our days cuddled on the couch, wrapped in multiple blankets, and soaking in as much heat as our little space heaters can kick out!

Perhaps it's a healthy reminder to thank the Lord for the provisions to even heat our home (normally :). Sometimes Heath and I can get so caught up in what we're doing that we forget that the only reason we're doing is because God is giving.

Sorry it's blurry - Gracelynn moves so fast these days!

Heath spent last night playing basketball with some men from our church. He came home sweaty, very smelly, and extremely pleased. :) Apparently he had a good time?

We're also excited for this weekend because we have finally, and we do mean finally, had an answer to our prayer for some godly friends our own age.

Believe it or not - DeWitt is full of young families...young families who have been married 17 years and have 3 kids, a mini van, and no mortgage! I've just recently been able to get to know a gal through my biblestudy. She's my age, has a 4mo old little girl, and lives 2 BLOCKS from us! Heath just met her husband last night and the two of them are really excited to get to know each other better. So - I think the census is homemade pizza and cards at the Kelley house on Friday.

Well - that's all for now! I'm waiting on a serviceman to check the furnace and hear how bad the damage is - again. :S Good thing the Olympics are on. It keeps me "glad" that our house is above freezing and I'm not sliding down a hill in nothing more than underarmor! Haha.

Nothing like perspective, eh?

Blessings/Love

- the kelleys

heath, stephanie, gracelynn...and sam

Love Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

"One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all of the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple."

Psalm 27:4

Gracelynn Goes to School

I couldn't resist posting more pictures from yesterday!

Today's post is just that - pictures and commentary.

"Mom, I think this is too small..."

(Gracelynn at 4 days above)

(Gracelynn at 6 weeks below)

Dad loves it when his girls visit!

It's never too early to learn the importance of science...

It's a goodbye hug until 3:30!

"Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our days, in our time make them known."

Habakkuk 3:2

Gracelynn's Week at a Glance

It's hard to believe Gracelynn is 6 weeks old today.

Between our computer 'catching' a virus and our furnace blowing a circuit board...we've been a little too worn out to blog. But! It's a beautiful day out today and our backyard looks wonderful - all of Sam's toys (and other unmentionables) are covered in fluffy white snow. :D Well, it looks nice for now. By the end of the morning, Sam will have found all of his toys.

Since it's been a while since we've posted, we're just going to wrap an entire week into one single post. Gracelynn is taking a nap in her pink/grey sweatsuit right now and I wish I could put today's pictures  up...but there are so many good ones I'm posting already that I'll just have to save today's for later. :)

Grandpa & Gracelynn enjoying some  afternoon zzzz's  Superbowl weekend.

They really look tired!

We think it's  the Hawkeyes hat...but  Gracelynn kept giving Seth  the "evil eye"!

Look at that curled  lip...don't mess with Gracelynn, Uncle  Seth!

(She finally did start smiling at him by the end of the afternoon)

Proud Dad!

Grandpa & Gracelynn posing. :)

Gracelynn loves to sit up and look around. Today was her first "Jean Day". Most of her 3mo pants are getting too small, but I didn't want her to wear her jean outfits because they make her look so old! I finally gave in because I was running out of outfits. She was going to wear this one to visit Dad at school...but she was a bit gluttonous and had a massive spit-up. There was no saving the outfit...

Well...that's all I have time for right now. Gracelynn is ready to eat...which means I have only a few minutes before her hungry "grunts" turn into hungry "yells".

Sorry - no videos today. Our laptop is still "infected" with a virus so I'm using another computer. Hopefully I'll be able to upload them soon - we have some really fun videos for you to see!

Stay warm!

Blessings & Love,

- the kelleys

Oh My!

Gracelynn had her one-month check-up this past Monday - something Heath and I were really excited and curious about. Somewhere along the line, our daughter has grown feet first out of almost every single 3mo old outfit she has! (Even my favorite one on her which I keep stuffing her feet into...but Grandma declared time to pack away) On the flip side...she's not really "round" enough to fit into her 6mo pants! We call it the "frog" effect.
Round tummy + long legs.


Birth: 9lbs 7oz
21"

8 Days: 9lbs 13oz
22"

1mo: 11lbs 2oz
23 1/2"


Apparently, Gracelynn is in the 97th percentile for height and only 88th for weight...no wonder she's stretching out of her clothes!

Grandma stayed until Tuesday afternoon. In the meantime, she tackled her share of cloth diapers...until Monday night when MOM got POOPED ON! Gracelynn's wonderful newborn poo had escaped Grandma's diaper and the cover and onto my leg! Here is Grandma doing some damage control...


Of course - after I had cleaned my pants, it really was quite humorous. :D And after all the work (haha, Grandma's work) of cleaning up the aftermath, we decided it would be nice to walk to Subway and split a footlong.

Gracelynn really enjoys her walks.










It's been a busy week already. This afternoon after school, Gracelynn and I (and Heath!) are going to a baby shower hosted by the Middle School teachers. What fun! They are, of course, more interested in holding Gracelynn than anything else. :) It's only been warm enough to walk to the school for lunch with Heath once, so only a few teachers and the secretaries have even seen her.

Today is actually my brother's 19th birthday as well. Poor Grandma. She left one busy house for another. :) But! I don't think it was without its rewards. :) Well - I suppose I should enjoy my moments of quiet before the princess of the house wakes up. Blessings and love!

- the kelleys

"If you think I'm cute you should see my grandma!"

Grandma Saves the Day!

Nothing like a grandma to give parents a sweet time out on a date!

Mom came for a visit this weekend (she's still here holding Gracelynn...hence this blog is a lot easier!) and Heath and I have been able to truly relax for a few hours at a time. We love our girl - but there's really no relief from the cares of "parenting"...so having Grandma watch her long enough for us to enjoy a few buffalo wings and a conversation unbroken by hungry cries - well - let's just say it was a sweet afternoon. :)

We have tons of new pictures and videos for you! Gracelynn is just starting to smile on purpose when we stroke her cheek and "baadodedoda" at her. ;) And yes, it sounds just like it looks. Mom is having a blast holding her, but can't believe how much she's grown! She's truly a "mover and a shaker". She hates being anywhere outside of the action. Burping is about the only time she'll let us put her face on our shoulders (usually because she's focused on filling her diaper) and then she just bounces her head back and forth and wiggles!

She's also starting to "coo" in the mornings during her sponge baths...which Mom was able to enjoy giving for the first time. Just now, she bonked herself on the nose with her fist and Mom is between laughing and bouncing her. :D

(I'm not sure why our videos have been unavailable at times...but I'll try and figure that out. Meanwhile...enjoy!)

Gracelynn cooing at Grandma

Our little "elf" growing out of her (my) favorite 3mo sleeper!

"Ahhh!"

Grandma & Gracelynn

We hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we do taking them. :)
Have a great start to your week!

love,

- the kelleys