All Dressed Up to See Santa!

On Friday we took Keslin to the Lloyd Center for her first visit with Santa Clause. She looked so cute all dressed up in her little red christmas dress! In my family it was always a tradition to go and get our picture taken with Santa every year....I hated it back then, but now it is fun being able to look back at all of the pictures that are on display at my moms and grandmas house each year. I was pleasantly surprised at how well Keslin did, I thought she was going to scream for sure but she didn't cry for quite a while, she just sort of stared at him for about thirty seconds and then the tears started to flow!

time for an update!

It's been quite some time since I have updated our blog! Aaron has been using our laptop for work for the past couple of months and that is where I always download my pictures! Keslin is officially nine months old, can you believe it? I can't believe it's almost Christmas....only nine more days! Christmas is just so much more joyful when you have kids, it makes you remember the true spirit of Christmas when you are reminded of what it is like to view christmas through a childs eye. Obviously our little one isn't too intune with whats happeningas far as the holidays go, but I know on Christmas morning she is going to love all of the pretty packages and just "go for it" trying to rip all of the bows off...I'm sure that will be more intriguing than the actual gifts themselves. It is so amazing what babies are aware of at only at nine months of age, Keslin never ceases to amaze us each and every day! She loves books, if you put one in front of you she will just sit there and stare at the pictures for 20 minutes, it's a good time saver to get things done around the house:0) She is at that stage where everything goes in the mouth, including her foot! She has been sucking on her toes so much lately I swear they have started to temporarily wrinkle due to the excessive slobber, it's her best teether yet! Oh, and most of all, her favorite game is "patty cake", I find myself doing it over and over and over again....she has learned through repetition when to start clapping her hands on cue, it is sooooo cute! She is just so precious, we are enjoying each and every moment!!

First Trip To The Pumpkin Patch

It's officially Fall! This past Wednesday all of the cousins got together for a trip to the pumpkin patch! We couldn't have picked a more beautiful day to go, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. All of the kids had such a great time, Keslin loved all of the stimulation...there was so much to look at! She is one happy kiddo as long as she can be outside. Hopefully we will be making our yearly fall trip to the pumpkin patch for many more years to come.

Having Fun In The California Sun!!!

This past weekend we traveled down South for one of my college roommates weddings. It was a nice little extension of summer, we stayed in Santa Cruz right on the beach, it was beautiful...we got to enjoy three extra days of 80 degree weather. The wedding was at a beautiful vineyard in the silicon valley, it was absolutely gorgeous!! Keslin is a great traveler, she did great on the airplane ride. Too bad we had to come home so soon, it's the Pitt's to have to come back to the rain. Here are some pictures of our little weekend adventure!

Allie and Keslin Finally Meet!!

Keslin finally got to meet her cousin Allie this past week! My cousin Jennifer and her husband Geoff had their baby girl (Allie) on July 2nd, but since they live in California we hadn't gotten the chance to meet baby Allie until now. Allie, Jen, and Geoff came to Oregon for a visit with the family with their new arrival! Man is she a cutie!!! We hope the girls will be great friends just as Jen and I have been growing up. Check out how long Allie is....she is almost four months younger than Keslin, but just as tall, or taller! We had a great time visiting, can't wait to see the little baby doll again. There is nothing more precious than spending time with our sweet baby girls!

Look At Me!

Keslin sat up for the first time (without any support) just a couple of days ago, and boy is she proud of herself...it is so cute!!! She loves to just sit there and watch the dog (Ave) make circles around her. My goodness she is growing up sooo fast, every milestone I see her conquer reminds me of how precious this time is, they are only little for just a little while. What a blessing she is to Aaron and I, we are enjoying her so much!

Fun at The Beach!

On Thursday we took a day trip to Giribaldi on the Oregon Coast. Aaron's family goes camping every year down there, they have been going for well over twenty years now, it's a tradition! Everyone else had been down there for the week, but we were only able to make it down for the day! Keslin got to have her first beach experience, she loved looking at the ocean, it really intrigued her. Ave had a blast too! Here are some pictures of our trip!

Favorite Pictures of the Week!

"Rice Cereal and Sweet Potatoes, Oh My!"

Keslin had her first tast of some solid foods last night, and she just wasn't quite sure what she thought of it as you can see! I think we got a couple of swallows out of her but that was about it! Hopefully the rice cereal and veggies will grow on her, because that's all she can eat for now :0)

"Want to Play Fetch?"

We think that our dog "Ave" really believes that Keslin will play fetch with her! She is constantly bringing the ball up to the baby's face, dropping it, and then pushing it towards her waiting for her to do something with it, it's truly hilarious! She just started doing that when Keslin started rolling over and becoming a little more active, I think the dog just thinks at any moment Keslin is going to jump up and start playing with her. Keslin is fascinated with Ave as well, she just sits and stares at her for long periods of time tracking the dog wherever she goes! We think they are going to be great companions for each other! Ave just can't wait until Keslin can actually play with her! :o)

Our Day Trip to Clatskanie!

Today Keslin and I drove to Clatskanie to visit my good friend Sharrie and her little boys Mathew and Daniel. Daniel was born on the same day as Keslin almost exactly 12 hours apart! Sharrie and I hadn't seen each other since the babies were two weeks old, so it was definitely time for a visit. The babies were so cute together, hopefully they will be buddies as they continue to get older! Sharrie and I had a great day together and were finally able to catch up with one another...it's so hard to do that these days, even over the phone! Here are some pictures of the two little cutie pies, man they are getting big!!

Me and My Auntie Katie!

Katie is such a wonderful Aunt to Keslin, she spoils the heck out of her!! Keslin definitely knows who Auntie Katie is....she comes to visit at least three to four times throughout the week. Here are some cute pictures of the two of them :0)

Five Living Generations!

It's pretty miraculous that we have five living generations in my family, that just doesn't happen very often! It goes...my great grandma Beck, my grandpa Wayne, my mom Leisa, me, and then Keslin!! We all got together the other day to take a picture of the five of us! When I was a baby there were five living generations as well when my grandma Otley was alive! Pretty Cool...just thought I would share this with everyone!

Oh How I Love My Baby Bjorn!

Keslin absolutely loves her Baby Bjorn! Whenever she is fussy, I just stick her in the front pack and she is just peachy keen!! It's so funny how babies have a mind of their own and know exactly what they want....she is already her own little person with a spunky personality :0) Here is some classic snapshots of her falling asleep in her baby Bjorn, we call it her "mummy stance".

Fun In The Sun!

Since today was such a beautiful day, we decided we should take advantage of it and have some fun in the sun in my parent's pool! They are always hoping someone would come and use the pool seeing that they spend so much time maintaining it....so I decided to take them up on it! My sister in laws came over with the kids to take a dip in the pool, as well as my friend Lonna and the neighbor kids whom she is babysitting! It was a lot of fun, Keslin and I were the only ones who didn't take a dip, she screams even if I dip her feet in the water so I guess I wouldn't dare attempt a whole body submersion! It was a great time, all of the kids loved splashing around in the water...Even little "O" decided to take a swim! We will have to do it again soon :0)