Kinsey 6-Months Old

It is so hard to believe that Kinsey is already 6-months old! Time really does go by so fast.

Stats: Weight is 17 lbs 12.5 oz (75-90%), Height is 27 3/4" (+95%) and Head is 17" (50-75%)...Since I didn't start this blog until Beck was older, I'd like to note his size at 6 months as a comparison. Beck's Stats at 6-months: Weight - 20 lbs and Height - 28 1/2".

Eating: She is now using a level three nipple and drinking 8 ounces of breastmilk/formula every 4 hours. (She is strictly bottle fed now.) We are trying to get her to eat oatmeal/rice cereal but she still has not grasped the concept of swallowing what we put in her mouth.

Sleeping: I'm trying to get her on a 2-nap schedule but she still likes taking three naps. She loves sleeping on her belly! I'm writing this on January 2nd and at this point she is sleeping through the night. However, she almost always wakes up some where around midnight - 2am and I always get her and changer her diaper because it is SO full. Then, I sleep with her until 7:00 or 8:00am. She loves a snuggle buddy! I know I'm creating a terrible habit but there will be a day when she will not want to sleep with mommy so I'm enjoying every minute of her being a baby.

Things she can do: She can lift her head up while laying on her back as if she wants to try and sit up. She can get around when she wants something...roll over, twist, turn and scoot. When we unwrapped Christmas gifts, she laid on the floor tossing tissue paper back and forth with her right arm. That was a lot of fun for her! And, she loves to spit! I need to capture this on video because it is really funny to watch her in action.

Special Note: After Ashlyn quit coming to Bishop Playhouse (her last day was December 7th), my mornings were free since Abraham and Marcus get here around lunch time. I feel comfortable leaving Kinsey on the floor with Beck until this happened...One morning I left Kinsey on the floor while Beck was playing and I had to use the potty. While I was in the bathroom, I could hear Beck saying, "I got Kinsey" which of course made me wonder what was going on in the living room. Needless to say, I quickly checked on them to find Beck carrying Kinsey with her back against his chest and his arms wrapped around her chest. My immediate reaction was to get her but in hind sight I wish I had taken a picture of them because the sight of him carrying her was pretty impressive!

Kinsey's Blessing

The same weekend as Krueger Christmas, we went to Pops and Kiki's church for Kinsey's blessing. My timing was way off on this particular morning and ended up pumping while Brent got both kids dressed. Service was at 1:00pm which is when Beck takes his nap so he had a total meltdown while Pops gave Kinsey her blessing (I didn't hear any of it!) and he fell asleep!

It was the perfect weekend for her blessing since everybody was in town.

Henderson Christmas Tour

Neena and Stephen's house was part of the Henderson Christmas Tour of Homes the same weekend as the Krueger Christmas. I wanted to see her house so I took the kids to her house early Saturday morning. I wanted to be able to visit with her as much as possible since we didn't get to spend Thanksgiving together.

She decorated her home with a Victorian style since this is a historical house. Below are pictures of her Victorian Christmas tree, the mantle, the arrangements she made for her lamps, the wreath on the front door, the registration table on her front porch (she made the flower arrangement and gave it to me when she came to my house) and the walkway. So pretty! I wanted to walk thru the other homes on the tour but the owners were not home. They estimated almost 400 people toured their home and they raised over $4,000 which is the most they have raised. All proceeds go towards the museum in Henderson.

While we were there, Neena gave Beck a Christmas gift which had Mickey Mouse pj's which he wanted to wear since he loves wearing pj's all day! And, Stephen got him a John Deere metal bank and Beck had so much fun filling it up with "stuff"! He had a marble, some coins and a small tool.

Krueger Christmas

Kathleen and her two brothers, Bill and Kerry, carry the tradition of getting the entire Krueger family together for what is known as Krueger Christmas. This year, Krueger Christmas was held at Wes and Kath's house in Gilmer, Texas.

The house was packed and there were SO many little ones running around that it was impossible to take any pictures. I only have one picture to mark this occasion...Kinsey in her reindeer outfit that Katherine took.

We brought Beck's bounce house and it was a hit!!! All of the kids had a blast jumping on it and going down the slide.

After a delicious meal, we played the white elephant game. Brent ended up getting Monkey Butt Anti Itch powder and I got photo coasters. Krysti Krueger King picked a giant sack that had a nutcracker and a baby doll in it. The baby doll had a shirt that read, "Coming in June 2011" and that's when everybody started guessing who's pregnant. We all found out that Brian and Katherine will be having another baby. Such a cute and clever way to announce the birth of a baby!

Since we had the youngest baby, we slept at Nanny's house which was nice because it was quiet and both kids needed the rest. Beck played non-stop the entire weekend! Plus, I was able to nurse Kinsey in the middle of the night.

Kathleen and Wes did a great job hosting this event and the house was decorated so beautifully! We can't wait to see everybody again next year!

Christmas Family Pictures (continued)

This is the family picture that Kiki and Pops used for their Christmas card...

This is Jeff, Jill and Marcus...

This is the Mask family (Jody, Jennifer and Noah)...

A big special thanks to Katherine for taking these beautiful pictures!!! Unfortunately, we did not get a family picture of them but here are Brian and Katherine's girls (Ava and Lola)...

I love this picture of the kids in their pj's!

Here they are lined up in the hallway which is what Kathleen would do with the kids Christmas morning before they could go in the living room to see what Santa brought.

Christmas Family Pictures

On December 3rd, Bishop Playhouse closed early so that we could beat the rush hour traffic while traveling to East Texas. Plus, we wanted Beck to have lots of play time with his cousins.

Kiki bought all of the grandkids Christmas outfits and they also received their Christmas pj's. On Friday night, we took advantage of everybody being in town and took lots of family pictures! We also got a picture of Nanny with the kids which is very special. She is 86 years old and just got a pace maker to help her heart pump. She also lives at the Wesley House because she needs some extra attention. Before moving to the Wesley House, she fell a couple of times and it became very apparent that she should not stay at her house by herself.

While we waited for Jeff, Jill and Marcus to arrive, the kids watched Nemo. Beck made himself comfy on the all-time favorite stuffed tiger.

It was close to 10pm by the time we got the kids dressed and the camera set up on the tripod which was WAY passed Kinsey's bedtime! Needless to say, she was not a happy baby at this point. But in the end, it was worth it to capture these special memories!

Gaylord Texan

The Gaylord Texan is a great place to visit especially if you need to take family pictures in front of beautifully decorated Christmas trees which we might consider doing next year. Here are a few facts about the breathtaking holiday decor...

• 1.5 million twinkling lights


• 30 seven-foot-tall ornaments strung from the top of the glass roof
  
• a 50-foot tall rotating Christmas tree


• multiple train sets


• life-size gingerbread house


• 2,600 feet of garland
  
• 4,000 feet of rope lights


• 30 wreaths


• 10,000 ornaments

Charlie Brown ICE! (continued)

We took so many pictures...here's more to enjoy!