tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83685448138996850412024-03-18T21:47:43.395-07:00Life with the RodgersKristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-63678940053423981992011-05-25T21:35:00.000-07:002011-07-06T20:44:11.427-07:00New Blog<div>Please visit my new blog at</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.lifewiththerodgers.com">www.lifewiththerodgers.com</a></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-23977742874359904602011-04-09T18:31:00.000-07:002011-04-09T19:19:18.903-07:00First Family Day TripAaron has been gone a lot with work lately. We have missed him SO much! It has been so amazing to be a family this weekend for the first time in a while. Yesterday, we went on our first family outing to Northwest Arkansas as a family of Four. When Korben was a baby, we have memories of taking him up there for the day. Most memories are good, some memories are bad, but we laugh about them all now!<br /><br />We woke up early yesterday (I had to WAKE up Klaire at 7:30 after sleeping ALL night-read previous post!), and headed to Fayetteville. We got there by 9:30 and did a little shopping at Old Navy, and then bought a wedding gift at Bed Bath and Beyond. Then we headed to Dillards to get Korben some shoes for Easter. We found the cutest little Sperry's that would look good with his dress pants for Easter but would also look cute with shorts all summer. After purchasing them and getting to the car, I started to change Klaire's diaper in the front seat, and Aaron put Korben and the stroller in the car. One of us (we honestly don't remember who...doesn't matter) put the Dillards sack on the ground and never put it in the car. This didn't dawn on us until 10:00 last night when we were unloading the car. We bough thought the other person put it in the car. That was the most sickening feeling to know that we just threw money down the drain! I really hoped that the mall security or Dillards would have it, but they didn't. I'm sure someone already returned them and used their store credit! Ughh, so sickening!<br /><br />Other than that, we had a FANTASTIC day yesterday. After doing some shopping that morning, we went to eat at Kosmos greek cafe. It was so delicious! Korben couldn't wait to go to the restaurant (he thinks restaurants are so cool!), and was just pumped about our "day trip" in general!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_XF1p88qSw_NBG3ji6uwW2Fwb5jnAjI08Yqez3cx6YMuN4GyykIJ4gC2cgom1deQxsK0gQSA8rhEr2fUj-oIK4WWegpOB5LwYe1uPRRDqcmh_YVnoLWTQTkn1R7OwUrnWkFf6XZKnLw/s1600/DSCN1910.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_XF1p88qSw_NBG3ji6uwW2Fwb5jnAjI08Yqez3cx6YMuN4GyykIJ4gC2cgom1deQxsK0gQSA8rhEr2fUj-oIK4WWegpOB5LwYe1uPRRDqcmh_YVnoLWTQTkn1R7OwUrnWkFf6XZKnLw/s400/DSCN1910.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593764263970044050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7rNggrxO09G4ImUGWpWlEFcMjmNuJbBiP4H1lEglJgN3PFe7GpW1Om9fKI5gLh8d-rF9nP3kXow8KRJwrtk0VljlNHY5pFYHayKdf6mWhjfVczwsWhSLwjH73dg_G8zC9Fe8dgkJk2I/s1600/DSCN1913.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7rNggrxO09G4ImUGWpWlEFcMjmNuJbBiP4H1lEglJgN3PFe7GpW1Om9fKI5gLh8d-rF9nP3kXow8KRJwrtk0VljlNHY5pFYHayKdf6mWhjfVczwsWhSLwjH73dg_G8zC9Fe8dgkJk2I/s400/DSCN1913.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593764758726724722" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Then I had a hair appointment. I had been greatly anticipating this because I was in despereate need of a change. I got a few inches off and some hilights and I feel so great. My hair is so bouncy and easy to fix right now. Definitely important to a busy mom of 2! Even though my hair appointment took almost 2 hours, it worked out great because it was nap time for the kids. Aaron just drove around and let the kiddos sleep in the car. He actually even drove to find the Duggar's house in Tonitown! Ha! When he came back to pick me up, we took Korben for a surprise at Bliss...a CUTE store of wonderful cupcakes! Korben's favorite things in the world! Fun, fun times!<br /><br />We decided to head up to the Promenade in Rogers. It was a gorgeous and warm day and we knew it would be a great day to shop up there since it wasn't a Saturday. We let Korben play on their playground, and Klaire was just as thrilled as she could be doing everything with us! Aaron and I split up a few times, each taking a kid, and I really liked it! This one-on-one ratio is totally working for us! I don't know how parents do it with 3+ kids! I'm not even going to think about that yet, and just enjoy our one-on-one time for now!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59pI5E-Y0T8jdRvYJ9LPHxgC54zTelELyPU7xGjszwIuxtLCFxigDSv8apN6aVlMH1ZMYqpP2XyYCX94QePoL7RSOQjEy0dFoifZaZj2kNFGlZTb6kl5ZiEp7GkhgsQuYhAWRtfJyAoI/s1600/DSCN1917.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59pI5E-Y0T8jdRvYJ9LPHxgC54zTelELyPU7xGjszwIuxtLCFxigDSv8apN6aVlMH1ZMYqpP2XyYCX94QePoL7RSOQjEy0dFoifZaZj2kNFGlZTb6kl5ZiEp7GkhgsQuYhAWRtfJyAoI/s400/DSCN1917.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593767083663475394" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_J1XRAkdwfyoMWeU1lIzGqStm3Nn_Yh3EgqZRz6aPP907MTiShoaT8MMlgKWQYa9HCL5RlEFTcKYp0lMjWZhqoOj9va8xMOBkQsiEga7MKFaYv3ltzirOEBMlZYsFtP3z7aX7XzSHbaw/s1600/DSCN1916.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_J1XRAkdwfyoMWeU1lIzGqStm3Nn_Yh3EgqZRz6aPP907MTiShoaT8MMlgKWQYa9HCL5RlEFTcKYp0lMjWZhqoOj9va8xMOBkQsiEga7MKFaYv3ltzirOEBMlZYsFtP3z7aX7XzSHbaw/s400/DSCN1916.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593768166696947362" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRq1lfG8QSMg_kThPlBGbZEiY6kv8BfkzXUlbJwM8Jzd4obCmIdGZbFaVNYgQ20LzRxYSlS1RyxjlCCdcyQYtBFxA7Cd7PsVcU0Y_WuT1KqR0o66Dtan2TrZcwDMYyrB24CB_cHDOGPs/s1600/DSCN1918.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRq1lfG8QSMg_kThPlBGbZEiY6kv8BfkzXUlbJwM8Jzd4obCmIdGZbFaVNYgQ20LzRxYSlS1RyxjlCCdcyQYtBFxA7Cd7PsVcU0Y_WuT1KqR0o66Dtan2TrZcwDMYyrB24CB_cHDOGPs/s400/DSCN1918.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593768932645020690" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXree7aVygB78G7H56Npfaa9IzWE8kd21nSK7AbiJkWf6qddoASFqSt6vgnozqVTU6kfjM2Dp897Rb5LSG3Ij8cd0qB_IWTFu98KanCLW7BtTZN-2HIjGrp4ARTb9K13owuBIWaU94fU/s1600/DSCN1919.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXree7aVygB78G7H56Npfaa9IzWE8kd21nSK7AbiJkWf6qddoASFqSt6vgnozqVTU6kfjM2Dp897Rb5LSG3Ij8cd0qB_IWTFu98KanCLW7BtTZN-2HIjGrp4ARTb9K13owuBIWaU94fU/s400/DSCN1919.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593769356923775234" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We really had a phenomenal day, but it wasn't over! It was Parent's Night Out at our church, so we drove back and dropped our kids off at 6:45, just in time for the 7:15 showing of "Limitless." VERY interesting movie. We liked it a LOT! Then we picked up our babies from church. Korben had a great time (and GREAT report from his teachers, which always makes me happy) and Klaire was more than ready to see her bed! Korben slept until 7:30 this morning and Klaire slept until 8:30! <br /><br />Our first family outing as 4 was a SUCCESS, and so good for this stay at home mommy's soul. (A stay at home mommy whose husband has been gone and has had a crying baby who has just happened to have recently gotten over a week's bout of rsv....Ha! Okay, to say I was grateful to get out for the day (and night with my husband) would be an understatement!Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-50662538885396363802011-04-09T18:03:00.001-07:002011-04-09T18:30:43.091-07:00SLEEPING BEAUTY!This has been a HUGE, MONUMENTAL, and FANTASTIC week at our house! Overnight, Klaire went from being a "Colicky" baby who cried and cried before every nap and especially before bed time...to the PERFECT baby who goes down for naps in her bed without a peep, happy as she can be while she is awake, and willingly ready to go down for an ENTIRE NIGHT'S sleep. Do you see the contrast here? I've made no bones about these last three months being very tough, and then all of a sudden, its like a switch was flipped and she is a new baby. <br /><br />Let me give you a play by play of my week.<br /><br />Monday morning: Scheduled an appt. for that day with our doctor because I was so worried about letting her "cry it out" any longer in her bed. She was crying so much that I was convinced she had an ear infection. Doctor examined her and confirmed that she was probably just spoiled from being held so much the previous week when she was sick. He encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing and not worry about letting her cry in her bed if I knew all her needs were met and she was tired.<br /><br />Tuesday: Posted as my facebook status "Dear Klaire, I know you really liked all the extra snuggling you got last week while you were sick, but you are all well now and you are going to have to sleep in your bed again. I wish I could hold you 24 hours a day, but it is just not possible. Please don't cry about it. It makes me cry too. I love you, Mom<br /><br /><br />Wednesday: She actually went down for naps in her bed without thinking the world was coming to an end! I still had to put her in the swing to get her to go to sleep that night because she was so fussy, but after her middle of the night feeding, she peacefully went back to sleep in her own bed for the rest of the night.<br /><br />Thursday: Wakes up the happiest baby I've ever seen in my life. Cooing up a storm. Goes down for THREE naps that day without shedding a single tear. Put her down to bed at 6:30 p.m., she goes down without a peep. I'm pretty much thinking this was the greatest miracle ever, until she started crying at 7:30. Turns out she just needed to burp and went RIGHT back to sleep. THEN....THEN....THEN....I didn't hear a PEEP from her until 7:30 the next morning when I WOKE her up. <br /><br />Friday (yesterday): First family "Day Trip." She was the Perfect BABY. Napped at all the right times, even though we were out and about. She was happy the entire day. As soon as we got home last night she went straight to bed and slept until 8:30 this morning.<br /><br />THANK. YOU. JESUS. <br /><br />You know, maybe it is worth having "hard" babies at the beginning because it sure makes it mean more when they get easier! She seems SO EASY right now! Who knows how long it will stay this way, and it could all change tonight...but I have to give credit where credit is due.<br /><br />Interesting theory. No doubt that Klaire and Korben were "colicky babies" in every sense of the word. A lot of doctors talk about the 3 month colic. I was really discouraged 2 weeks ago when we passed Klaire's 3 month birthday and she was still having such a hard time most nights. Colic is supposed to peak at 2 months and resolve itself mostly by 3 months. Well, Klaire's resolved at 3 months and 2 weeks. Theory is...Klaire was born two weeks early. Could it have taken Klaire 2 extra weeks for the "3 month colic" to resolve itself since she was 2 weeks early? Something to ponder...Ha!<br /><br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />A grateful mommyKristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-47874740850476610412011-04-04T21:22:00.000-07:002011-04-05T19:24:08.446-07:003 Month Birthday-March 26th<div style="text-align: left;">Look who is 3 months old! (I am keeping with my tradition of writing these posts 10 days late) I'm loving her St. Patrick's themed onesie for March. God bless Rudda Ward for these awesome monthly outfits! Wait until you see the 4 month one. It's adorable too!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jrBFK7vDr0Xbbud-fGoEQWwjEpLllzFekm01EAFJtaZ8ddUenc4pVQFfam6eEKxXzKMAaJAud-pEfNXMOOWUg0IqXf9Qbj6EXTxIczdZUsLSkU1YWWqWbXpPLTKIu4S7H5wwDTsqv-Q/s1600/DSCN1888.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jrBFK7vDr0Xbbud-fGoEQWwjEpLllzFekm01EAFJtaZ8ddUenc4pVQFfam6eEKxXzKMAaJAud-pEfNXMOOWUg0IqXf9Qbj6EXTxIczdZUsLSkU1YWWqWbXpPLTKIu4S7H5wwDTsqv-Q/s400/DSCN1888.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590451107467556722" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />(Everything you are about to read regarding her sleep, I wrote about 10 days ago...before she got sick last week and decided she didn't want to sleep in her bed anymore! I write more about this at the end of this post! Hoping we will be back to the sleep schedule I wrote about by her 4 month post. )<br />This has been a big month for her. About 3 weeks ago, after some encouragement from some friends and my favorite book, I allowed Klaire to "cry it out" for a little while in her bed at night to go to sleep. She was getting to where she wouldn't sleep unless I was holding her, and the habit had to be broken immediately. I was not getting any rest, and desperately needed some unattached time. I'm so glad I did that because it has made life so much better for me and for her too! She and I are much more rested, and I'm actually excited when I hear that she is awake because I'm eager to see her!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4G-Pqn14qdsJxZgsbe9VYs_IX6vkI1QI2iHyYKTgqMxQ3C2eJ_SDsDKvSEHuxEvfT-peRfhaeTjUzsoV58gbXOyBgugv7NubKKBMO_1sUFJmdBC26pYoZ3Jd6x7ZckXyQzsyMqjZ5xw/s1600/DSCN1886.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4G-Pqn14qdsJxZgsbe9VYs_IX6vkI1QI2iHyYKTgqMxQ3C2eJ_SDsDKvSEHuxEvfT-peRfhaeTjUzsoV58gbXOyBgugv7NubKKBMO_1sUFJmdBC26pYoZ3Jd6x7ZckXyQzsyMqjZ5xw/s400/DSCN1886.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590451951595550050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br />She has settled into a 3 naps a day schedule, with a fairly consistent bed time of around 7:30 or 8. She usually wakes up around 2:30 a.m. for a feeding an goes right back to sleep until morning. She only has small windows of happy/play time during the day before she gets tired. Right after I feed her, she usually has about 20 minutes of happy time before she starts to fuss. It basically goes: 20 minutes to feed a bottle, 20 minutes of playtime, and 20 minutes of winding down before she falls asleep for another nap (Give or take a few minutes on each). She is usually always back down for a nap within an hour and a half of waking up. Like I said, the windows of happy wakefulness are very small, but as we learned with Korben, they will get larger over time. I felt like all I was ever doing was putting Korben to sleep, but that was the key to having a happy baby for us, and once we got Korben's sleep rhythm down we were all happier. I feel like we are right on the brink of that with Klaire and it is so exciting. I'm honestly thrilled to have these past 3 months behind us. The best is what is going on right now, and what is yet to come.<br /><br /><br />Klaire weighed 14 lbs 15oz at her check up this month. (She weighed 14lbs. at her 2 month check up, so she basically gained 1 lb. this month). She is still in the 95th percentile for her weight, but what surprised me is that she was in the 95th percentie for her height! She had grown 1.75 inches in a month! Crazy! She was 25 and 3/4. Tall baby!<br /><br />She is in a size 3 diaper now and wears 6 and 9 month clothes.<br /><br />She has become so generous with her smiles! I seriously can't WAIT to look over her crib when you she wakes up and see a smile that lights up the whole room. I love to watch her smile at her Daddy and brother! Thrills my soul! However, I've yet to get a good picture of the smile I'm talking about. It ruins the moment for her when I pick up my phone or the camera. I'll catch it soon!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKlVgafoQfzWol0zMIS6wqGRu3hsug6gfsUAnDEAgbdNt1GQbGIZz9t_U47LQ9P8Sz9kYkVWikuTD0qymhnnelqns9n-xvX0WI6z-50-Veoaf7atd4jJkO2tllDaFeA45vyjBQJ6IWTo/s1600/DSCN1907.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 269px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKlVgafoQfzWol0zMIS6wqGRu3hsug6gfsUAnDEAgbdNt1GQbGIZz9t_U47LQ9P8Sz9kYkVWikuTD0qymhnnelqns9n-xvX0WI6z-50-Veoaf7atd4jJkO2tllDaFeA45vyjBQJ6IWTo/s400/DSCN1907.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590452285718415810" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />She LOVES to sit up in her bumbo seat and her rainforest jumperoo. She likes being able to see what is going on. She still likes her bouncy seat because she likes to look at the toys that hang over it, but she would much prefer to be in an upright position.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lbtGpf0Zbc8ad206qjEfiiLLV18JsMsLLeeerVVkGk1z0GTQHHr-IzC-IA5A9Ywut31tCX3wbA8paED75x5CBCNPoyA3zRxrLp6dN3X-y54T3M0t0otx8GXX0uy_4ANahCtnpzLJdVw/s1600/200155_547650318033_82200239_31948590_364463_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lbtGpf0Zbc8ad206qjEfiiLLV18JsMsLLeeerVVkGk1z0GTQHHr-IzC-IA5A9Ywut31tCX3wbA8paED75x5CBCNPoyA3zRxrLp6dN3X-y54T3M0t0otx8GXX0uy_4ANahCtnpzLJdVw/s400/200155_547650318033_82200239_31948590_364463_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590457406518133842" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Her eyelashes are getting long and dark! They make her look even girlier and I love it. I can't tell what color her eyes are going to be. Sometimes I am just sure that they are going to be brown, and somedays they look like a greyish blue.<br /><br /><br />She changes and learns so much every day. She is starting to focus in on everything and is attempting to pick up toys. It is the cutest thing ever to watch her grab at things. Sometimes she successfully gets it in her hand and sometimes she misses. She just shakes all over with excitement when she sees a toy she likes. She tries to hold her own bottle and every time Korben sees her he yells "BayKlaire is holding her bottle...isn't that SO CUTE?"<br /><br />Korben still calls her BayKlaire, but he has also picked up on her little nicknames we call her. I call her KlaireBear, Sister Bear, and Baby Girl the most and he calls her all of those things at random times too.<br /><br />She was sick for the first time last week and it was horrible. It was some sort of viral sickness that caused fever, congestion and terrible cough. The doctor said her cough sounded just like RSV when he listened to her. However, it only lasted 6 days and RSV usually lasts 1-2 weeks. Either way, it wasn't fun at all. She is just now getting back to normal as far as wanting to drink her bottles again, but sleeping...well, that's a different story. I held her constantly or she slept in the swing and now she does not want to sleep in her bed. Desperately wanting to get back to the somewhat-schedule we had before she got sick!<br /><br />I have no doubt that the sleeping thing will get better and better each day. What I can't emphasize enough about Month 3 is the joy that it has been to see her smile, begin to interact, and learn to play. It is just so fun that we can interact with her now, and we're starting to get to see her little personality come out. She is really the sweetest thing ever, and my heart is fluttering just typing about her. I could really just eat her up she is so sweet. I'm so in love. She is asleep right now in her swing, and I'm honestly excited about my middle of the night feeding because I look forward to seeing her! Although, I would be even MORE excited to see her if it was in the morning!<br /><br />I'm going to TRY to blog more. Ha! Too much is going on to just do this once a month.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-19798214585365916782011-04-04T20:51:00.000-07:002011-04-05T19:33:04.115-07:00Korben StoriesI'm so exhausted right now, and have no desire to blog...but for accountability purposes I'm going to write down a few things I want to make sure I don't forget to blog about. These things will jog my memory.<br /><br />1. Bullskie and Spooky Spice<br /><br />2. BayKlaire<br /><br />3. "Our God is Greater."<br /><br />These are three Korben stories. This boy is so special. I promise you, he could have his own reality show he is so funny. I could not be more proud of this little guy. Okay, Stories to come later...gotta go sleep while I can!Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-90257868791992722272011-03-14T11:00:00.000-07:002011-03-18T18:47:23.978-07:00Dear 3 year old,Dear Korben,<br /><br />I can not believe you are three. It seems like just yesterday that I found out I was pregnant with you, which was almost 4 years ago! Your daddy and I picked out your name years before you were born, when we were just dating. We dreamed about what "John Korben" would be like if God ever gave us a son, and I had dreamed of being a mommy since I was a little girl. I am so thankful that God gave you to us. You surpassed all dreams we could have had for what our son would be like. You have completely changed our lives in the best way. We love you with a kind of love we have never felt before, and you have caused us to be closer to God and to each other. You have helped teach me what really matters in this short life.<br /><br />I feel so privileged to get to spend every day with you. There was a time that I didn't think I was going to get to be a stay at home mom, and God made it possible. I can not imagine if you had spent these past 3 years in a day care. The memories you and I have made together are priceless. <br /><br />I have no idea how old you will be when you will read this, but I think you may find it interesting at some point in your life what you were like as a brand new 3 year old. So, I'm going to fill you in.<br /><br />One of the most exciting things I can say is that YOU ARE POTTY TRAINED! At 2.5 you starting going #2 on the potty, and all we have had to work on since is you telling me when you needed to go #1. You made up your mind about a month ago that you were completely ready to be in big boy underwear and you have hardly had an accident since. I'm just so proud of you! It is so nice to not have to buy you pull ups anymore and your big boy underwear are SO cute! <br /><br />You transitioned to a big boy bed last July and you are still a great sleeper. This is another HUGE thing to a mommy. Knowing that you are potty trained and you can sleep in your own bed so happily makes me feel like we have accomplished two of the greatest tasks parents have to face with a toddler! <br /><br />Your vocabulary is ridiculous. Even before you could walk, I felt like you could say any word. Now you speak in paragraphs. You wake up talking and you don't stop unless you are asleep. Every thought you have is vocalized and it is very loud! You want to talk to me about everything all day long. You want to be right by my side and ask every question you can think of. You are not that kid that run off to do your own thing, although you have learned a lot more independence since Klaire has arrived. You want to do what we are doing and join in our conversation about it. Most recently, you have watched us as we have watched the horrendous footage of the tsunami in Japan. You have asked questions about it and anytime we see any of the coverage on TV you talk about how sad it is that the people have lost their homes and cars in Japan. You also can articulate what you have learned in Sunday School at church. I loved hearing you tell me about Jonah and the Whale a few weeks ago, and about your lesson on giving. After receiving so many new toys for your birthday, your daddy asked you to pick out three old toys to give to kids who didn't have any toys. Then, you told me yesterday that your sunday school lesson was on giving and reminded me that you gave some of your toys to kids that don't have any toys. I'm so thankful that you were able to comprehend why we had you do that. This makes me so so proud.<br /><br />Speaking of sunday school, you LOVE to go to church. You go on wednesday nights, sunday mornings and sunday nights. You love all of your teachers and friends. However, I'm not the type of mom that thinks my child can do nothing wrong. Oh no. You get very excited sometimes, and struggle with hitting. Your teachers always tell me that it is rarely in a mean way, it is just an "overly excited, linebacker sort of way." You know it is wrong, and when you give me an account of your time away from me you always give me an honest review of everything you did...the good, the bad, and the ugly. You admit the wrong things you did to us even when you know that there will be consequences. I'm so grateful that you haven't learned to lie yet. I pray you will always be honest with us, and we can keep communication lines open. Hopefully one day you will get the big picture, and realize that we love you no matter what and we discipline you because we love you. At this point, spankings don't seem to have NEAR the affect on you as "taking something away." In fact, the greatest punishment for you is to be sent to your room, away from us. You can not STAND isolation from people, even if you are sent to a room full of toys. I find that so interesting! <br /><br />Your imagination is so wonderful. You still have Bullskie, your imaginary dog and talk about him all the time. There is not one prayer that you pray that Bullskie isn't prayed for. I would love to get inside your head and see what you are seeing sometime! You love to cook us imaginary food. Our coffee table is your "kitchen", and you could serve us for hours! Its so adorable!<br /><br />I haven't mentioned how sweet you are yet, but you really are the sweetest boy. You have so much love for others. You love to pray for all of those that you love, and you never seem to leave ANYONE out! You have a really great memory! You learn lyrics and words to books so easily. Your favorite song is "Our God" by Chris Tomlin (you call it "Our God is Greater"). You want to hear it every single time we get in the car, and of course, I always play it for you. The theology is on point, and I want those words to be written on your heart. Hearing you sing the lyrics is the greatest sound on earth. Worship in its purest form. Oh, how wonderful will that day be when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior...that will be the greatest decision of your whole life!<br /><br />Ever since I've had Klaire, I've noticed that you have become a BIG snuggler with me. Anytime I'm not holding her, you take every opportunity to be close to me, and I LOVE IT! You will often ask me while sitting next to me, "Mom, you got lipstick on?" And if I say no, you will just plant the biggest kiss on my lips!"<br /><br />Speaking of Klaire, you are a wonderful big brother. You usually refer to her as "your" baby most of the time, but sometimes you will call her "our" baby. Ha! I recently told you about a friend of mine that had a baby in her belly and I mentioned the name of the new baby. You said, "I just want OUR baby." You are very possessive of her, but also very proud. You want everyone to see her. You love for your "friends" to get to see her. I love how you say her name. You rarely call her Klaire, she is "Baby Klaire", but you say it so fast, it really sounds more like "BayKlaire." I will be sad one day when she is no longer "Bayklaire." You love to make her smile. She has just now started connecting with us and smiling. I can tell that you are going to be her favorite person in the world soon. How wonderful it will be to see her reciprocate all the love that you have been giving her for months.<br /><br />I think you are the most handsome boy I've ever seen in my life. Your red hair is still so beautiful, and your blue eyes melt my heart. When you were a baby, your daddy and I did everything but stand on our heads (well, we probably did that too) just to see you smile. Your smile still lights up our life. Anytime I'm away from you for any amount of time, seeing your smile from across the room is the greatest feeling in the world. I'm SO proud you are mine. Hear that, Korben. I'm SO PROUD that I get to call YOU, "MY SON." To say you are special is an understatement. There is NO ONE like you, and your daddy and I will love you unconditionally for the rest of our lives!<br /><br />Happy 3rd Birthday, sweet boy!<br /><br />I love you!<br /><br />MommyKristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-48639291922251279472011-03-11T18:20:00.000-08:002011-03-11T18:35:31.607-08:00Family PicsThe fabulous Leigh Ann Hasley took family pictures of us on February 26th. Klaire was fussy that day, but you would have never known it! Leigh Ann got some fabulous pictures of our babies and we are so grateful! I can't believe she has photographed Korben since he was 2 months old, and now he is 3 already! I like to have photo sessions with Leigh Ann just to get to hang out with her! The hardest part is just deciding what pictures to order. Here are a few of our favorites.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2oMBWwNf86QV1aWGNNrG0pRW5w33TkvHZiVRpOa-hTHZnITCWpUgSlx-BbiLOkKaH0O1wpLFfztgvWKBRPg9IHgepnICcsjQqdP-dCNLwmYqG0nA9LR0h6lx4ha4qnKSKAA9xgUad8Q/s1600/185804_10150406762880515_570595514_17538179_4269124_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2oMBWwNf86QV1aWGNNrG0pRW5w33TkvHZiVRpOa-hTHZnITCWpUgSlx-BbiLOkKaH0O1wpLFfztgvWKBRPg9IHgepnICcsjQqdP-dCNLwmYqG0nA9LR0h6lx4ha4qnKSKAA9xgUad8Q/s400/185804_10150406762880515_570595514_17538179_4269124_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583015207561838018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-q2VjrF6cqogUtE5BhiCWrMiG9lgP6g8EOVp550qQRxYw6C0TIT5-I2lgQtr3E9SRgDDO5_D9VCGpnVQvD7xkZ2MRrEfIQExgxVrbYdnisZ5nqtPwDTi9XUYm06Qf9wps968_UghAPSQ/s1600/189427_10150406762550515_570595514_17538173_1219511_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-q2VjrF6cqogUtE5BhiCWrMiG9lgP6g8EOVp550qQRxYw6C0TIT5-I2lgQtr3E9SRgDDO5_D9VCGpnVQvD7xkZ2MRrEfIQExgxVrbYdnisZ5nqtPwDTi9XUYm06Qf9wps968_UghAPSQ/s400/189427_10150406762550515_570595514_17538173_1219511_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583014660998484738" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPah-ZgDzyimjuNadX2GQ6sabrwjODbqMi_bDlTTuaxXJuxu1RSdK2YIVFFcczvcDH4-wuMZPClWtKIIWrEAvd1B3Uh1OaoUCoc5QqOUtR4oi2ilJW_A0kFPa0Q2s3FJZE8hOS6wfH_Gs/s1600/189724_10150406763240515_570595514_17538185_3645518_n-1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPah-ZgDzyimjuNadX2GQ6sabrwjODbqMi_bDlTTuaxXJuxu1RSdK2YIVFFcczvcDH4-wuMZPClWtKIIWrEAvd1B3Uh1OaoUCoc5QqOUtR4oi2ilJW_A0kFPa0Q2s3FJZE8hOS6wfH_Gs/s400/189724_10150406763240515_570595514_17538185_3645518_n-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583015018824650738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBcZZP2u7oY7WQscgu7Q4nzsEDPxhJC1ajFCBn0CjISEIcivv4E1UqMy5B9eDm1ac40Vs6FNDvtxi0xMyDTBvRqKPh0NBYVDEmO4A1pbSMNOcrbXDNjTEtQe2DaVGp99_WnoMKLYRghE/s1600/189394_10150406762790515_570595514_17538177_3771801_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBcZZP2u7oY7WQscgu7Q4nzsEDPxhJC1ajFCBn0CjISEIcivv4E1UqMy5B9eDm1ac40Vs6FNDvtxi0xMyDTBvRqKPh0NBYVDEmO4A1pbSMNOcrbXDNjTEtQe2DaVGp99_WnoMKLYRghE/s400/189394_10150406762790515_570595514_17538177_3771801_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583014548357671426" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSqc5MpUsqYFcDKnJA134eCjYe1bmnwsXzChjcboAh_0yH50zSr1Yw_Vp0sBt59P8GCSRUJjIcdDJowH9Loup_AgWEzJZ_I__Kvn2-5hBNp1YlFHvHxc-X0ar1yRMlOCb5UM4eApK5Xcw/s1600/188595_10150406763445515_570595514_17538191_6881362_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSqc5MpUsqYFcDKnJA134eCjYe1bmnwsXzChjcboAh_0yH50zSr1Yw_Vp0sBt59P8GCSRUJjIcdDJowH9Loup_AgWEzJZ_I__Kvn2-5hBNp1YlFHvHxc-X0ar1yRMlOCb5UM4eApK5Xcw/s400/188595_10150406763445515_570595514_17538191_6881362_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583014428785518674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbshKNdCxdbBr6sQZ9T0tV69pJFfpPX_XYsJ4SxnEG8ipum2wKAEkhK6prtat17Mzx4CSJab1eBOXoRPqutwsg4x3q2LkSU88zggw9foeSGht3NPl6UzjByEQGpTOmU76kH8ombgGqlk/s1600/188462_10150406762710515_570595514_17538176_4863807_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbshKNdCxdbBr6sQZ9T0tV69pJFfpPX_XYsJ4SxnEG8ipum2wKAEkhK6prtat17Mzx4CSJab1eBOXoRPqutwsg4x3q2LkSU88zggw9foeSGht3NPl6UzjByEQGpTOmU76kH8ombgGqlk/s400/188462_10150406762710515_570595514_17538176_4863807_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583014373947409906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6iHF0ZhOcJaUliwdp_9acu3i9C7qKdxgn2ALNvAKIBvvMPaad1uPamm-gBd6LZB0ffw2XuqPxlAUOYKGRgA6ITgwY8dl7bkT0PGPjANo9ahv_GJDT9WZcoxDieQqxyvk36FoPWXat1c/s1600/188318_10150406763030515_570595514_17538181_6087568_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6iHF0ZhOcJaUliwdp_9acu3i9C7qKdxgn2ALNvAKIBvvMPaad1uPamm-gBd6LZB0ffw2XuqPxlAUOYKGRgA6ITgwY8dl7bkT0PGPjANo9ahv_GJDT9WZcoxDieQqxyvk36FoPWXat1c/s400/188318_10150406763030515_570595514_17538181_6087568_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583014318698096978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vtOguE-R1-UkhXZ_irnEC2wzK39dWHUQ_bRT1uSNuihP7JpOs1_8RlVUxfYTnvfl-Fbn7Efufie-VrL1KUD5HZ9vRPP7I0m3UySq7qUDWyReiLdmPNu8js4jTTpMwtOikJSe-btaatE/s1600/184856_10150406763390515_570595514_17538188_3071799_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vtOguE-R1-UkhXZ_irnEC2wzK39dWHUQ_bRT1uSNuihP7JpOs1_8RlVUxfYTnvfl-Fbn7Efufie-VrL1KUD5HZ9vRPP7I0m3UySq7qUDWyReiLdmPNu8js4jTTpMwtOikJSe-btaatE/s400/184856_10150406763390515_570595514_17538188_3071799_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583014197767111394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mM6uL7hMkMTXLJVu9jBNPcIxg-sNhPilUzJhpG55w-6wMtved19fXQ4X1UC12TOSm1quzweKoe9vjeb0M7_KqyUvkEE6g3LDctooNy18DJLAti3ughBd9dmpfp0CXhB3r56FcoKmZh8/s1600/183351_10150406763315515_570595514_17538187_642802_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mM6uL7hMkMTXLJVu9jBNPcIxg-sNhPilUzJhpG55w-6wMtved19fXQ4X1UC12TOSm1quzweKoe9vjeb0M7_KqyUvkEE6g3LDctooNy18DJLAti3ughBd9dmpfp0CXhB3r56FcoKmZh8/s400/183351_10150406763315515_570595514_17538187_642802_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583014156828511858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNTqfQnkAsO9izJUtBlRJqQKf1cZxGXVAIuvGsfbdiZWy5gHqmWtsGo2V755XRNNrGd_1g4bf-xt-R5I2BAWUkQCA6Wuyvr3HZ9M-qK2Y_cFBZjCWdG6V1VV4eyvWfXwAldmZ7EN5H68/s1600/181720_10150406763160515_570595514_17538183_7118511_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNTqfQnkAsO9izJUtBlRJqQKf1cZxGXVAIuvGsfbdiZWy5gHqmWtsGo2V755XRNNrGd_1g4bf-xt-R5I2BAWUkQCA6Wuyvr3HZ9M-qK2Y_cFBZjCWdG6V1VV4eyvWfXwAldmZ7EN5H68/s400/181720_10150406763160515_570595514_17538183_7118511_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583014105892856882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIXgsyo1V244BTv5tiOueoVJ8ibMC1XMTh0bI6E7XIW3YkdATYsx3mH_6gTx6cMcNwfhuIGsP-PTYxQgysEv6jA95xUPPJ35OziFtXTpRS5ZrHSzYoS3X08YM1CQ2nMejkr4cs24RY3k/s1600/189152_10150406762955515_570595514_17538180_3751566_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIXgsyo1V244BTv5tiOueoVJ8ibMC1XMTh0bI6E7XIW3YkdATYsx3mH_6gTx6cMcNwfhuIGsP-PTYxQgysEv6jA95xUPPJ35OziFtXTpRS5ZrHSzYoS3X08YM1CQ2nMejkr4cs24RY3k/s400/189152_10150406762955515_570595514_17538180_3751566_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583014483000538482" border="0" /></a>Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-48208360183921274632011-03-09T11:24:00.000-08:002011-03-11T17:52:54.039-08:00Two Month Birthday-February 26thKlaire turned two months old on February 26th. I guess I am destined to write her "birthday" blogs at least 10 days late. Good thing I still remember what she was like during the second month of her life so I can blog about it!<br /><br />Month two was tough. She was diagnosed with reflux and was put on zantac...just like Korben at her age. She seemed to have a sensitivity to dairy through my breastmilk, just like Korben. We switched to formula, just like we did with Korben. And had countless fussy nights...just like Korben. It was a very discouraging time, and is already almost a blur. Survival was my key word. My key phrase was "it's just a season." However, by her two month birthday things seemed to get a little bit better and our first Sunday back at church was February 27th. I didn't think we would ever make it out the door that morning, but we did...and it helped restore my soul to be back with the Body. I LOVE my church, and I'm so grateful that there are people here love my babies. <br /><br />Here she is in the nursery for the first time with her personal bodyguard (or maybe she should be called the "Babyguard"), Linda Cain. We love you, Linda!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NiCCFWS34883RRhMqizjbVSawr_NWqMPDzPIToNrSnnJyKpCCsW0YqH9AfwmMy7kI6l97pcn63G-GbD_B3t8eHgNBgCif9TVhrdxuQc4PV-tQrax9-U5x0qUW7a5QaDh4eN0B8_3rCU/s1600/DSCN1704.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NiCCFWS34883RRhMqizjbVSawr_NWqMPDzPIToNrSnnJyKpCCsW0YqH9AfwmMy7kI6l97pcn63G-GbD_B3t8eHgNBgCif9TVhrdxuQc4PV-tQrax9-U5x0qUW7a5QaDh4eN0B8_3rCU/s400/DSCN1704.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583005155269593266" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The thing that made month two so rewarding was her beginning to SMILE. Maybe there is a reason that babies don't come straight from the womb smiling. Maybe God knows that after two months of sleepless nights and hearing a baby cry that your baby's smile will be the sweetest sight for tired eyes. It makes ALL the difference. I'm not talking about the smiles that newborns do that people say are from gas (which I don't believe at all...how can gas make babies cry and smile?). I'm talking about the kind of smile where you talk to them, and they lock eyes with you and smile like you are the greatest thing in the world. LIFE changing! <br /><br />I took her to the doctor just a couple days after she turned 2 months and she weighed 14 lbs. and measured 24 inches. That put her in the 95 percentile for weight and the 87th for height. Thriving baby girl. She completely graduated out of all of her 3 month clothes and wears nothing but 6 month clothes. She has also been in a size 2 diaper for at least the past 3 weeks, and I feel like she will be in a 3 in no time. I honestly don't feel like Klaire has ever been a tiny baby. I feel like I've been talking about how big she was since the day she was born. (Klaire, if you are reading this at 16 please don't think your Momma is calling you fat...you were just a BEAUTIFUL, healthy baby! Perfect in every way!)<br /><br />Her monthly pictures REALLY showed how much she grew this month. Compare the difference yourself!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhli5GkdI_g_7ujp4jyXV1oIv-avyF4wA9Nyqlfn4B1z_dMr16dvpgZjKDPRlxoRBr0CSFqVecfmIMW6XmvZQUg4TdQ-HrrtJk2BR3xxotldp8PdDCLC_duFTehQjD-9dNn08zT7BmKbqQ/s1600/DSCN1695.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhli5GkdI_g_7ujp4jyXV1oIv-avyF4wA9Nyqlfn4B1z_dMr16dvpgZjKDPRlxoRBr0CSFqVecfmIMW6XmvZQUg4TdQ-HrrtJk2BR3xxotldp8PdDCLC_duFTehQjD-9dNn08zT7BmKbqQ/s400/DSCN1695.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582165981614681794" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWikApTFSvkVj8gCy9xs_t-XYlR7GbM4PADD1QCZ7s1DwlJcfgsDGbyAPZd_vlsaI149T9Z6f_yu4-8i9KhMWF3mpEavkz_X2Lc70rTtGIZzu214NUZRzFtZV8INt6gIVT4HfdjOghiE/s1600/DSCN1600.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWikApTFSvkVj8gCy9xs_t-XYlR7GbM4PADD1QCZ7s1DwlJcfgsDGbyAPZd_vlsaI149T9Z6f_yu4-8i9KhMWF3mpEavkz_X2Lc70rTtGIZzu214NUZRzFtZV8INt6gIVT4HfdjOghiE/s400/DSCN1600.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582166372936929218" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Other than her apparent growth, one of the biggest differences to me was the skin color change. She has almost completely lost her jaundice skin color. On the day I took her pictures, all I got was a grin, but it still completely melts my heart!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMEeFqmUKxS-V6OnymBHYKKqD9HFy6hVVp2XYK167lV-nDi_HnfVQR444DjxRSrq5pwWSkyP9Pe6wmlxx0Bkb_AUtFXxAOMpyeHLcxVee2yce_K6j6pwEWxOQnxrSj1NRcpCZbdW8KG8/s1600/DSCN1691.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMEeFqmUKxS-V6OnymBHYKKqD9HFy6hVVp2XYK167lV-nDi_HnfVQR444DjxRSrq5pwWSkyP9Pe6wmlxx0Bkb_AUtFXxAOMpyeHLcxVee2yce_K6j6pwEWxOQnxrSj1NRcpCZbdW8KG8/s400/DSCN1691.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583001772522901746" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDK5M49igPUTHAB7Bv-VOjKugZxsLQNTpbmIFqD_v-pE8TDKtRZAhUDTbInOh1T7fe1q6NkxXZ2dm8HViDIENUN5vRrVIs1bqDAU3WJKCdMkKOn2kWpKquG-eufEoLQs9bvStjtrlaUd8/s1600/DSCN1701.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDK5M49igPUTHAB7Bv-VOjKugZxsLQNTpbmIFqD_v-pE8TDKtRZAhUDTbInOh1T7fe1q6NkxXZ2dm8HViDIENUN5vRrVIs1bqDAU3WJKCdMkKOn2kWpKquG-eufEoLQs9bvStjtrlaUd8/s400/DSCN1701.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583002375941110370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNd8RX5l0gHQCfitDuu2AZvlA_BWAPA6OCNUuCc3uWlOpEyG2sl5nys02hAqKyky8wkllYyoQJJrSC5tb96SRz6RSWoYI_quoQxPQ5i-eYsclxNfVdFlAI5iyH59BSC9ragWll92QarA/s1600/DSCN1699.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNd8RX5l0gHQCfitDuu2AZvlA_BWAPA6OCNUuCc3uWlOpEyG2sl5nys02hAqKyky8wkllYyoQJJrSC5tb96SRz6RSWoYI_quoQxPQ5i-eYsclxNfVdFlAI5iyH59BSC9ragWll92QarA/s400/DSCN1699.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583002061838698370" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I'm already looking forward to writing my 3 month post because some exciting things have been happening lately! I'll give you a hint *more smiling, more sleeping, less crying* and *THE BUMBO SEAT!*Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-19505514947417064582011-02-10T11:36:00.000-08:002011-02-10T12:28:39.035-08:001 Month Birthday- January 26thI am over two weeks late on this post and so much has changed since Klaire's one month birthday. I'm going to try to remember everything I would have written if I would have actually written it on time!<br /><br />First of all, Happy 1 Month Birthday to my baby girl! My sweet friend from church, Rudda Ward, has offered to make Klaire a new onesie every month for her first year. Isn't that SWEET? I thought this one was adorable. I'm looking forward to seeing the one for February. I am making a commitment to take her picture on every one of her "month birthdays" and blog about her. This month, I even took her to the doctor for a weight check JUST so I could blog about it!<br /><br />On Klaire's one month birthday she weighed 11 lbs 3 oz and was 21 1/2 inches. The weeks before Klaire's one month birthday had gotten really hard. She was fussing after every feeding, and I could seem to do nothing to console her. Looking back, I can hardly remember those weeks because I was so stressed out. There are few things more stressful than hearing a baby cry (A LOT) and not being able to do anything about it. Everything was going through my head...is this colic? reflux? intolerance to breastmilk? is she not getting enough? is she getting too much? is she just really tired? is this gas pains? After talking this over with my mom, Linda Cain, and the nurse, I decided (on her one month birthday, exactly) to start pumping my breastmilk and bottle feeding her. I had come to the conclusion that she was having gas pains after her feedings and I thought that may have been because I had a really fast milk flow and she was gulping in too much air. I hoped that with a "slow flow" bottle we'd have more control over that issue and it may help her. It totally did! She was practically a new baby by the next day. I was so thankful I didn't have to switch her to formula and her fussiness could be cured by something so simple. <br /><br />The switch came at a great time because the next day we were planning to go home and visit family. I had been really stressed up until that point about going home because she had been so unhappy. I was imagining that no one would get to hold her and I would spend most of our time in another room nursing her or trying to calm her down. Not so at all! She was the sweetest baby. Everyone had a turn at bottle feeding her, and got to hold a calm, relaxed baby! I was so grateful that her tummy troubles seemed to be better! I said a hundred times while visiting with my family that this was the first time I felt like I could really ENJOY her. I really did enjoy her, and by the time I came back home a week later, she and I had a whole new bond. <br /><br />When I returned home, a week ago, I attempted to add dairy products to my diet. Up until this point, I had not eaten anything with dairy in fear that she would have the problems that Korben had. I'm not convinced by any means that she is "lactose intolerant" but I definitely noticed a difference with her fussiness level and she had some very nasty diapers that the nurse told me meant "dairy sensitivity." So, I am once again off of dairy products. This is not very easy, but worth it to keep her happy. Food is difficult for me right now. I'm back on Weight Watchers. My favorite foods when I lost so much weight with weight watchers last time were foods that involved dairy. Also, weight watchers is all about HIGH FIBER. That is fine with me, my stomach can handle high fiber. However, I can really tell after eating a lot of certain vegetables that Klaire's tummy can't handle it very well. I can't win for losing! I hate that the healthier the food, the harder it is probably going to be on her tummy! I desperately want to lose weight, but breast feeding makes me SO hungry and it is tough choosing the "right" foods without eating TOO much fiber. Difficult balance.<br /><br />The past few days have just been wonderful with her! She is starting to smile a little bit and even make some sweet cooing noises. I love that she will actually allow me to put her down for little periods of time (2 weeks ago, I couldn't put her down without her crying) so I can play with her. She will sit in her bouncy seat and fall asleep in the middle of our commotion sometimes, and I think she is even starting to like her swing. It is getting easier!<br /><br />She is beginning to like baths! The last bath I gave her she didn't cry at all, which I took to mean that SHE LOVED IT! <br /><br />She fits perfectly in all of her 3 month clothes. I know this means that 3-6 month clothes will be next. I can't believe that! She never even really fit in her newborn clothes! She still fits in a size 1 diaper. And speaking of diapers, I think we go through at least 15 a day. Praise the Lord for people who have given us diapers and wipes. <br /><br />Here are the pictures I took of her on her one month birthday. I don't feel like they are very good because I know how much cuter she is in real life. However, all of these were taken when she was still incredibly fussy when I put her down and I am choosing to post the only pictures I managed to take without her screaming her head off. I'm hoping we can get some better ones on her two month birthday! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZDRGOyeW1NV7frgPO8ZZ7Kr1uEQcPKOAZ_D24NavRL74CUp2HezpSj0ItK4GoIGDbDd7bK3An7gkxDysHjFQApjb0iAFzlnoojxTQ0A3NhRqU-Taa9XGxSwMU524rDjoPJSjnONaeBE/s1600/DSCN1600.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZDRGOyeW1NV7frgPO8ZZ7Kr1uEQcPKOAZ_D24NavRL74CUp2HezpSj0ItK4GoIGDbDd7bK3An7gkxDysHjFQApjb0iAFzlnoojxTQ0A3NhRqU-Taa9XGxSwMU524rDjoPJSjnONaeBE/s400/DSCN1600.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572150682579830338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2xwmsfjq8kS3gXrN-L5NmJ02u8kK1_sequymIc2Ye8ZrpV-IvFc8PiARONN7jw_kKCxMypewF94xuzr5St9IzfdZ73g1ST41Iaw5TXdJUgAJYrRMoQR6PUU-5C7xNkhuJGkzGs-xqzc/s1600/DSCN1610.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2xwmsfjq8kS3gXrN-L5NmJ02u8kK1_sequymIc2Ye8ZrpV-IvFc8PiARONN7jw_kKCxMypewF94xuzr5St9IzfdZ73g1ST41Iaw5TXdJUgAJYrRMoQR6PUU-5C7xNkhuJGkzGs-xqzc/s400/DSCN1610.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572150290721752210" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEnlpJUtj0W9cOUus6d38WBRwm_h7qvKVxLbfYfGBhmJq-UepQCQ5JsLWOnyh8jrsJQZr7uHTxCtdpUawbd8pIPZmfl5vIwXhJZs1sIpMmOWxznZEfNeMJuMFhFQBGthggPQHq-5s5q0/s1600/DSCN1611.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEnlpJUtj0W9cOUus6d38WBRwm_h7qvKVxLbfYfGBhmJq-UepQCQ5JsLWOnyh8jrsJQZr7uHTxCtdpUawbd8pIPZmfl5vIwXhJZs1sIpMmOWxznZEfNeMJuMFhFQBGthggPQHq-5s5q0/s400/DSCN1611.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572150024953601602" /></a>Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-47085979060958866282011-01-18T11:10:00.000-08:002011-01-18T11:29:26.598-08:00Kicked it up a notchThis time last week, Klaire had her two week check up with Dr. Beene. She weighed 9 lbs 9 ounces, and was 21 1/2 inches long. Dr. Beene said that she is usually happy to see a baby completely regain their birthweight by two weeks, and she had clearly surpassed her 8 lbs. 15 ounces! That was encouraging. And to think, she had grown an inch and a quarter too! That was a whole week ago, and as much eating as she has been doing, I would LOVE to know what she weighed and measured today!<br /><br />Klaire has "kicked it up a notch." One of my concerns I voiced with Dr. Beene last week was that Klaire seemed a little "too good." I had to wake her for almost every feeding because I didn't want her to go too long without eating (I only did this because I was still worried about the jaundice not being out of her system). She hardly ever even cried. Dr. Beene assured me that she was just fine, and she would eat when she was hungry. I backed off a little bit and by the weekend she was definitely letting me know when she was hungry. Now, a week later, she is waking up in the night every two hours to eat, and is actually very hard to soothe to get back to sleep. So, I would say that our easy baby has "livened up" a bit, but that is just fine! Now I know she is real! <br /><br />I think she may have her days and nights mixed up. Her longest stretches of sleep are currently in the day time. She is so peaceful and calm during the day. And starting around 8 at night, she gets gassy, fussy, and never really seems completely relaxed until around 5 or 6 the next morning. She does eventually go to sleep, but not for long stretches. I know this is just a season. I'm trying to enjoy every moment. She really is the sweetest little thing though. Her eyes are open so much more and I melt when I feel like she is really looking at me. I'm just so glad she is HERE! Can I just say how much I DON'T MISS BEING PREGNANT AT ALL? Give me sleepless nights with a crying baby, I don't care...I'm just glad to not have her inside me anymore! I'd much rather look at my baby's sweet little face any day. My favorite moments are seeing her smile after she is done eating. That gives me an energy rush even in the sleepiest of times!<br /><br />Speaking of heights and weights earlier, I happened to find the little card that was inside Korben's bed at the hospital with all of his birth measurements on it. I thought I would compare it with Klaire's.<br /><br />They were both born at 38 weeks:<br /><br />John "Korben" Rodgers<br />Birthday 3/10/08<br />Time 11:59 p.m.<br />Weight 8-3<br />Length 21 1/2<br />Head 13<br />Chest 13 1/2<br /><br />Adalyn "Klaire" Rodgers<br />Birthday 12/26/10<br />Time 9:04 a.m.<br />Weight 8-15<br />Length 20 1/4<br />Head 13 1/2<br />Chest 14 1/2<br /><br />So, other than length, Klaire was a little bigger than him in every way! Surprising to me! It will be interesting to compare their growth with each other at each month's birthday. It is so hard to believe that our girl will be one month old a week from tomorrow! I know that this first year of her life will FLY by. That is why I don't care that she has "kicked it up a notch." I treasure this time with my precious daughter. Korben has proven to me that our babies grow up too fast!Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-3977937625967782012011-01-13T18:05:00.000-08:002011-01-15T12:39:07.846-08:00My two childrenI've survived a week having two children at home with me. (Side note- I still can't believe the words "children" and "kids" apply to me. How can I be old enough to have KIDS?) To be honest, it has been nothing like I expected...it has been MUCH, MUCH better! I have to give credit to my two sweet kiddos. First of all, Korben is in love with her, and has blown me away with his maturity and patience. And Klaire, has been the easiest, most laid-back baby ever. I know that any of these things could change in an instant, but for now, I'm just grateful. <br /><br />After Klaire was admitted to the hospital for her jaundice, Korben went back home with my mom for 3 nights. Aaron met my mom in Clarksville on Tuesday afternoon and brought him back home so we could finally be a family of four! I was so excited and yet so nervous for him to get home. I will never forget what he said when he walked in the house. I greeted him at the garage door. He hugged and kissed me, then quickly asked where Baby Klaire was. I told him she was in the living room in her bouncy seat. He walked right up to her and said "Hey Baby Klaire!" "Mom, her jammies are SO ADORABLE!" and put his hands over his mouth and giggled! We have had countless more moments like this. He says that her outfits are "gorgeous", and mimics everything I ever say to her. Such as "Hey, pretty girl" or "Klaire Bear". I was warned of him being jealous of her, but I genuinely feel like Korben and I are on the same team and we are bonded through equal love for her! He even wants to help me change every diaper. Honestly, he has been a GREAT help to me. He goes and gets diapers and wipes, throws things away for me, gets pacifiers and blankets, and even throws dirty things in the washer. He is my right hand man, and I can't wait to tell Klaire one day what a fabulous big brother she has (Well, she will probably already know that!). <br /><br />A wise friend of mine with three children gave me some great advice. She told me that she has taught her kids that when she is in her chair in her bedroom nursing the baby that the two older children can come in there, but they can't bring toys in there or play. We taught Korben that rule the very first day I was home alone with them all day, and it has been monumental to us! When the door is open to my bedroom, from my chair I can practically see everything in the house. When I'm feeding Klaire, Korben knows he can come in and talk to me, but he completely understands that toys have to be dropped at the door. This has been such a simple blessing to not have to monitor or worry about spider man flying at my daughter's head.<br /><br />When Aaron left for work one morning last week, Klaire starting crying shortly after because it was time for a feeding. Korben said "She wants her daddy." I thought it was so sweet! To be completely accurate, he said "He wants his daddy in reference to Klaire. He still calls her a He most of the time, although he knows she is a girl! He is working on getting the right pronouns! <br /><br />One thing that has blown my mind about Korben is that when we told him we were going to have a baby back in May, he didn't understand anything. He was two years and two months at the time. As the pregnancy progressed, he understood a little more, and REALLY seemed to understand at the end of my pregnancy. Now he is two months away from being three, and I feel like there is nothing he doesn't understand. He is so smart. I feel like I'm talking to a six or seven year old most of the time. I can't imagine how I'm going to feel when he actually is six or seven! Ahhh...when did my baby grow up? I could cry thinking about how big Korben is. Everything about him looks huge to me now. When I hug him (I can hardly pick him up by the way...40 lbs,I think!), all I can think of is how "solid" he feels! When I look at his eyes, I seriously think "His eyes are so big." And his eyelashes are SO LONG! And don't get me started on how big his bottom looks when I change his pull-up! Holy Moly! All of these thoughts I have after only 3 weeks of tiny Klaire in my life. Wow, did she ever put things in perspective.<br /><br /><br />I love when he takes her hand and makes her wave. He most always says "Hey Big Brother" for her. I can't wait until she can reciprocate the love that he is constantly giving to her. <br /><br />I apologize if this is poorly written. I am grateful for any spare moment I have to jot down memories and I don't have time to proofread. I also don't have time to attach pictures. Terrible, I know. I will do that soon. Just glad to get these random little stories typed out so they don't escape my brain.Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-854700494669434222010-12-28T10:36:00.000-08:002011-01-13T18:04:52.735-08:00Klaire is HERE! (Birth Story)We celebrated a fabulous Christmas Day at our house with Don, Julie and Dustin. I went to bed around 10 p.m. while they were still playing a game in the living room. I eventually ended up on the couch around 1 or 2 in the morning (A nightly routine for me!). I woke up at 3:30 and it felt like the blanket beneath me was wet. I thought, surely I didn't just "wet myself." I got up, went to the toilet, and a huge clot of blood fell in the toilet. I yelled to Aaron, "AARON, IT'S TIME!" At that point, I wasn't sure what had just happened, but I knew we needed to go to the hospital. Was this the Mucus Plug I had heard about? Surely I was about to go into labor, right? So, we excitedly flipped on the lights and started getting ready. I jumped in the shower, and he called his parents at the hotel to come over and stay with Korben. I was so excited. I just kept saying "GOD is SO GOOD. I'm not stressed at all! My bag is packed! Your parents are here! This is so great!" Aaron was just as excited, but a little stunned at the same time. While I was trying to put my clothes on, he stopped me, held my hands and prayed over us and Klaire. I could hardly wait for Don and Julie to get there so we could hop in the car to go to the hospital. When they arrived they had big smiles on their faces, greeted us with hugs, and Don was video taping the whole experience! Since they would need our car with the car seat for Korben, they kept their warm car running in the driveway for us to take to the hospital. Aaron excitedly rolled our suitcase right over one of our new landscaping lights in our flower bed and ripped it right up on the sidewalk. It was one of those "moments" I'll never forget! <br /><br />We arrived at the hospital a little after 4. I kept thinking to myself. "Was that a contraction?" Although, I didn't really think I was having any. A nurse came in and checked me and to my MAJOR surprise said that my cervix was completely closed. I said, "like, a ZERO?" She said "yes." This shocked me since Dr. Torres had told me two weeks ago that I was already dilated to a 1. She said my water had not broken. The blood MAY or MAY not have been my mucus plug, but either way, that didn't mean I was going into labor. I was SO bummed! Even though it was only 5 days before my scheduled c-section, just the hope for a few minutes of getting to meet her early thrilled my soul. I mean, there we were with a suitcase full of every necessity, and my Boppy nursing pillow! The nurses watched to see if I was having any contractions on a monitor for an hour, and although they said I wasn't having any contractions, they wanted me to wait and see Dr. Torres when he came at 7:30. It was around 5 a.m. at this time, and that seemed like a long time to wait. Considering, he was probably just going to say the same thing the nurses said and send me home until Friday, right? So, I drift off to sleep and start thinking of all I need to do at home in preparation for my sister and mom arriving on Tuesday. Apparently I was taking a really great nap because when Dr. Torres flipped on the light at 7:30, it took my eyes a while to adjust. In fact, he had already checked me and told me that he wanted to go ahead and take the baby before my eyes had been able to adjust to the light. Did you hear that? He wanted to go ahead and do the C-section...like NOW! It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. I had been on such a roller coaster that night. Here I was convinced I was going into labor, then convinced that I was going to have to go home, and then my doctor CONFIRMED that I was going to have this bay...NOW. He did not think that the bleeding was from my mucus plug, and couldn't explain why I was having the bleeding at all. He said that he would not be able to sleep if he sent me home with bleeding. I guess I will never know what caused that bleeding, but I'm just so thankful I was as far along as I was, and we had the option to be able to just go ahead with the c-section. <br /><br />So, let me tell you the story of the easiest c-section of all time. Other than the fact that I was VERY dehydrated (thanks to the stomach virus 4 days prior) and it took 4 people, 5 sticks, and lots of blood all over the floor before they found a vein for my IV...it was the best experience ever. The nurse anesthetist was absolutely phenomenal. She was the one who not only found my vein, but the one I give the credit to for making my c-section so pleasant. Aaron and I walked to the operating room. They asked what type of music I liked for them to set on Pandora Radio. First I said Christian and then I said Christmas. Then I said, well, they're practically the same thing! I remember hearing Mariah Carey singing "Hark the Herald Angels sing, Glory to the Newborn King" as they were prepping me for surgery! There were candles lit, there was pretty art on the ceiling, and a room full of friendly nurses. The spinal block was not bad at all, and worked instantly. I kept saying my favorite thing about my legs going numb is that my feet were no longer cold. I was very cold, but my nurse anesthetist let me have my own heater that I got to put under the arms of my gown. It was so wonderful! She stayed right above my head and told me everything that was going on and medically explained every weird feeling that I felt. I'm a nerd for medical information, so I loved it. I think we were quoting Christmas favorite Christmas movies around the time I interjected and told the staff that there was a lot of money on the table based on whether Klaire would have red hair or not. Aaron and I both said we didn't think she would have red hair. It was hardly a minute later that Dr. Torres said that the hair was dark and there was a lot of it. They had to use some sort of suction cups to get her head out. Her head was very far into the birth canal, which was very evident once we saw her cone shaped head. They had a very hard time getting the suction cups on her head because of her head full of hair! Then the next thing I remember is Dr. Torres saying, "She is a CHUNK...I didn't think she would be this big!" Then I heard nurses echoing, "She ISSS a Chunk." Haha! They pulled the sheet down so we could see them pull her out. I couldn't believe how big she was either! I even heard a nurse say "She's a beast!" when they were cleaning her up. They were taking bets on how much she would weigh and their guesses ranged from 8 and a half to 9 lbs. Turns out, she weighed one ounce away from 9 pounds! She was 8 lbs. 15 oz, and 20.25 inches...TWO weeks early! I guess I'm just meant to have my big babies two weeks early. Can't imagine carrying Korben or Klaire full term! <br /><br />They cleaned her up a little bit and put her on my chest. I was in love. She was absolutely beautiful. I just remember her staring right into my eyes. Her chubby face melted my heart, and the first thing I told Aaron was that her chin reminded me of my dad. He totally agreed.<br /><br />Aaron was able to carry her to the nursery. Of course, not without seeing Linda Cain on the way (For the record, Linda Cain made it so quickly that I saw her as I was walking TO surgery). Everything happened so fast that our family wasn't even there yet. Mom was on her way, and Don and Julie had taken Korben to the hotel with them to get ready.<br /><br />I was in recovery for an hour and a half or so. I had a hard time resting in there. My face ITCHED terribly from the spinal block. They gave me medicine for it, but nothing seemed to make it stop! Even after two doses of benadryl, I couldn't sleep and my face still itched!<br /><br />It wasn't long until I was in my room. And I hardly had to wait long at all before the brought in my BEAUTIFUL little girl. I will never forget that swaddled up baby with the bright open eyes, and beautiful spiky dark hair. She didn't look at all like I imagined, but I couldn't even remember what I HAD imagined once I saw her. Just perfection. I nursed her for the first time, and although I don't remember it at all, I remember that she was a natural! <br /><br />I tried to make a huge effort to never forget what Korben said to Klaire for the first time. I also tried to make a huge effort to give Korben a lot of attention when he came in. I couldn't stand for him to think I was neglecting him for my new baby. I had him come get in bed with me and I hugged and kissed him a lot! He said, "Hi Baby Klaire" and "Baby Klaire's not in your tummy anymore!" . Then he pointed out that the duckies on her blanket were yellow and blue, just like his shirt! It was so funny. He also had a BIG TIME telling all the nurses what he got for Christmas. When anyone asked, he said he got a BIG BLACK DOG named BULLSKIE! Of all the awesome things Korben actually did get for Christmas, and he still went with his imaginary dog!<br /><br />The rest of my hospital stay had its ups and downs. The ups were seeing our family and so many sweet friends. The downs were the lack of rest! I seriously had to be discharged before I got any sleep! My adrenaline was so high the day I had her, I got no rest. My first night in the hospital I was either feeding her, being awoken by LPN's to check vitals, or my favorite interruption...my 2 a.m. shower! That is right...they woke me up at 2 a.m. to walk for the first time and have my shower for the day. I am the type of person that can't JUST take a shower and go back to bed. A shower means: Shower, dry hair, straighten hair, put on clothes, and make up. So that is what I did. By 3:30 a.m. I was dressed for the day and back in bed...JUST in time for a feeding! Awesome. Aaron played my guard dog that day, and I was able to get good naps in between feedings. That night got a little stressful for me. Klaire, who had been perfectly happy and content, became very fussy. She would cry everytimee I fed her and seemed very restless. I had an incredible nurse named Gina who helped me tremendously. She was wise enough to know that Klaire was just getting hungry because my milk had not come in yet. She just encouraged me to keep nursing her because that would only make my milk come in faster. She also taught me several tricks to help soothe her. Gina was a life-saver to me on Monday night and Tuesday night. By FAR the best nurse I had. <br /><br />We left to go home on Wednesday. The Pediatrician came in and said that her Billirubin (Jaundice) levels were at a 14, but he thought they had reached their peak and would only come down. I had a gut instinct that he was wrong because of our experience with Korben. Korben's billirubin didn't peak until his 6th day of life, and we had already gone home from the hospital with him too. So again in this instance, we happily went home. But,I should have known we would end up back in the hospital for 2 nights.<br /><br />My milk had come in by Wednesday and Klaire was a new baby. Content and happy! I woke her every 3 hours for a feeding. Our first night home from the hospital was a total breeze with Klaire. I woke her up, she ate, and peacefully went back to sleep. Piece of cake. However, around 3 a.m. I noticed that I had started to break out in hives and the back of my throat was itching. It was obvious I was having an allergic reaction, and the only thing I could attribute it to was my pain medicine, Oxycodone. At the same time I was dealing with that reaction, I was also dealing with night sweats, chills, TERRIBLE stomach cramps from taking laxitives, combined with the pain of a c-section incision. This was a MISERABLE night, to say the least. Then, I only had one more normal night before my mom, Kim, Joyce and Guyndal came to Fort Smith to celebrate Christmas (Although, it wasn't really Christmas...it was New Years Eve, the day I was supposed to have Klaire!) Oh, most importantly, Mom and Kim were returning KORBEN! He had been at my mom's house all week, and it worked out so great that Kim was there too because they bonded tremendously. I'm so grateful for the great care and attention Korben received as I was recovering. I didn't worry about him at all while he was there. We even got to have several Skype dates with him while I was in the hospital! SO COOL! He loved seeing baby Klaire over the computer. He didn't like seeing her with a pacifier in her mouth. He would say, "Take that out of her mouth, I want to talk to her!" He thought she wasn't responding to him because I had her mouth plugged. Ha!<br /><br />Like I said previously, My family came on Friday afternoon, New Years Eve, to celebrate Christmas. We were so happy to be reunited with Korben, although I probably wasn't as recovered as I thought I was. I got a little overwhelmed with trying to feed Klaire and trying to be there everytime Korben called. I felt guilty not doing whatever Korben wanted to do, even if I couldn't physically do it at the moment. I was determined for him to not feel like I had forgotten about him for the new baby.<br /><br />The inevitable moment came where Korben was in my room and saw me nursing for the first time. I have been dreading this moment for months now. Conversation went like this.<br /><br />Korben: Mom, She's drinking you!<br />Me: I'm feeding her some milk.<br />Korben: I want some.<br />Me: This is milk just for babies. You're not a baby you're a big boy<br />Korben: I'll go get her milk from the refrigerator. I drink blue (2%) she drinks pink (skim).<br />Me: No, Korben...Klaire only drinks her milk from my....Bbbb...bbb....BOTTLES. (Yes, I said bottles. I couldn't utter a proper term to save my life.)<br /><br />When I put Korben to bed that night, after prayer time he asked me, "Is CC going to feed Baby Klaire from her Bottles?" Wow. I'm sure I'll have many more "bottle" stories to post in the future. It seemed to be the best explanation, and he hasn't asked anymore questions since!<br /><br />The next morning, Klaire was incredibly lethargic. So lethargic that we physically couldn't wake her up for a feeding. We tried EVERYTHING. We knew her jaundice levels must have risen. After our doctor confirmed we needed to take her to the ER (New Years Day), so we quickily packed our bags and called mom to come over as fast as she could from the hotel (what a blessing, once again, to have family in town when we needed to get to the hopsital quickly.) Mom was there in a flash. We had a terribly long wait in the ER room. Klaire barely woke up even when they drew blood from her tiny hand. Her billirubin had gone up to 19. Of course, they admitted us to put her under lights. We were there for a full 48 hours. It turned out to be SUCH a blessing. First, because Klaire got so much better while she was there. But secondly, I was finally able to rest. It was a tiny room on the pediatric floor, and all I had to do was take care of her and sleep. Since I was no longer on the labor and delivery floor, it was no longer about me, therefore, they left me alone! The nurses hardly even came in, and it was great! Even though I was up all through the night for feedings, for some reason, it was still a restful experience.<br /><br />We had saved Korben's gifts from the family for him to open that morning. Unfortunately we were in the ER so we didn't get to watch him open his presents. Thanks to my sweet family, we have tons of pictures and video footage to help us feel like we were actually a part of it! They took him right back home with him (after only being in fort smith for less than 24 hours). <br /><br />He officially returned to us on Tuesday, and by that point, I felt like a brand new mom. Those extra nights of recovery were just what I needed to feel like I could be what Korben and Klaire needed. By Wednesday I was home all by myself with my two children for the first time. Mission Accomplished!Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-69093705562274178102010-12-06T11:58:00.000-08:002010-12-06T12:27:30.598-08:00Adalyn Klaire's Room!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2epqkdsB6HebvA93cLof7i8r16vBCEkTnNprGmzs9wVmNQa2Hia6huJfDpFgG_ItkcUIzysHKa4Mn7kzZfSZUQhpZtLlxxYf6h_YxqfcDRhjvGczyju95-tcR7lzXVJG7uVswcgO1ICI/s1600/like1.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2epqkdsB6HebvA93cLof7i8r16vBCEkTnNprGmzs9wVmNQa2Hia6huJfDpFgG_ItkcUIzysHKa4Mn7kzZfSZUQhpZtLlxxYf6h_YxqfcDRhjvGczyju95-tcR7lzXVJG7uVswcgO1ICI/s400/like1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547661590491213106" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKejg39Tv-UrIYCCbJ7JaOBsEHNHxc0qnAIjsBcficmWhP2LOxzgAR5lW3nr7rOX5JOX4X7naSJRhnOG3cMDD8BY80HSU52MEu2dxbWYJycHVlcYEvug5cmO9jmm7jmiuH8yUS8eIGaeY/s1600/like2.JPG"><img style="float:left; 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margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-ULZ5VibyU6DoZrVyV28_K5s_f7h2h2YkDwGtYrIg-e09UFzJLZG4PB066BdPtijTlFYL5czidh1JosuEdV2ugI0jBM8b_eRjspf0pnUp00qfyFFzxl7XGUxgKQ7wUyYnUeSw7FRfQo/s400/DSCN1319.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547667731615765858" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhna39M31lVaCACYBV9XcZmkK2WTdDI_Oc7nCIzjqiFnpC2TYIwMQfo19BbQcVBWGErtDSHlpctC3B2SCVmVgvAmaYKces8QJwZS8OScIPhVNg0yqpBp3pK1t5JBcWTLD4z53pcqCB9r8I/s1600/DSCN1330.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhna39M31lVaCACYBV9XcZmkK2WTdDI_Oc7nCIzjqiFnpC2TYIwMQfo19BbQcVBWGErtDSHlpctC3B2SCVmVgvAmaYKces8QJwZS8OScIPhVNg0yqpBp3pK1t5JBcWTLD4z53pcqCB9r8I/s400/DSCN1330.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547668163432438610" /></a>Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-43250132705370422482010-10-16T18:38:00.000-07:002010-10-17T04:29:45.874-07:00What a week!On Monday, I took Korben to the doctor for a cough that has been lingering for over 6 weeks. It hasn't been terrible that whole time, but its never really gone away. Last weekend it got really bad again, and by Monday it was awful. Dr. Beene prescribed an inhaler, and said the cough was allergy related. I totally agreed. It doesn't sound anything like asthma. It is a very wet, productive sounding cough as opposed to a dry, wheezy cough. I was really expecting something to show up on the chest x-ray, and get a prescription for antibiotics. But to my surprise, the chest x-ray was clear. Sooooo, that means, the cough is the result of post-nasal drip. Which explains why it was the worst when he was sleeping. After two days of the inhaler, he was getting worse and not better. On Wednesday she prescribed a steroid to reduce the allergic reaction happening in his lungs. We are on day 4 of 5 of the steroid and he is just NOW better! She had me under the impression that he would be better by day 1 or 2, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. The steroid took my already hyper child and turned him into a circus act. He has been literally climbing the walls ever since he started the pills. He was already not sleeping well at night or napping before the steroid, so my exhaustion level was already sky high. Then, the steroids came and I thought I wasn't going to make it through the week. Not being able to leave the house is hard with a very, very energized 2 year old boy. He begged to go outside everyday, but since allergies are the culprit of this cough, that wasn't an option. Some days I thought that Korben felt like equivalent of 6 children. I used to say I wanted a dozen kids (It was those "cheaper by the dozen movies" Ha!), but now I'm thinking that if Klaire has anywhere near the energy of Korben, maybe two kids will just FEEL like 12 kids! <br /><br />I was on the verge of breaking down yesterday afternoon. I hadn't left the house since Tuesday morning (I realize that is only 3.5 days, but these weren't normal days), and the lack of sleep was about to do me in. Thankfully, Aaron picked up on my desperation when he came home yesterday afternoon and swept Korben away for an afternoon/evening of indoor fun...chick fil a, the halloween store, the mall, and a movie! Not only was this a great time of rest for me, it was great memories for them! Aaron is officially the best husband and dad ever. Good thing he isn't anyone else's husband because I would covet him...Ha! <br /><br />My morning was officially made this morning when Korben came in our room at 6:50 a.m.! I never would have dreamed I would be so thrilled to get up before 7 on a Saturday, but in context of our sleepless week, I was SO HAPPY to see that time on the clock! He was proud of himself too...He said "Its light outside! I feel all better! Go outside and play today?" That made my morning. Of course, we still shouldn't go outside, but he had a better day! <br /><br />Aaron went to an early morning men's breakfast at church, then I went to a really fun baby shower luncheon (great fellowship for my soul...needed that!), then Aaron attended a funeral, and late in the afternoon we watched the Razorback game (recorded, so we could zip through the commercials)!<br /><br />Aaron went for a run tonight and when he came back in he brought the mail. I guess the time has come in our lives again that we will receive TOY CATALOGS before Christmas! It was very nostalgic for Aaron and I to look through the toy catalogs with Korben. Is it just instinct for children to get how all this works? HOW MANY TIMES tonight did I hear "I need this one", "I like THIS one best", "Dad, get this for me?" Yes, he actually said "get this for me." Ahhh, the time has come ALREADY!<br />When it came time to read a book before bed, you'll never guess which "book" he requested...Oh yes, the "toy book!"<br /><br />I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel! Korben is sleeping again, and his cough seems to be subsiding. However, we have got to get on a new allergy regimen. I'm pretty sure his body is immune to Zyrtec after a year of taking it. I'm praying for the right answers, even if that means we need to see an Allergist.<br /><br />Everything with my little Klaire seems to be going well! Some days I feel more pregnant than others! Some days I feel like I could take on the world and tackle every errand and household chore, and some days I have aches and pains everywhere and feel like I am days away from labor! She kicks more and more all the time! It is hard to believe how big she is! From what I've read, she is probably already 15 inches long and 3 pounds. I just wish I could see her little face! I am DYING to meet her! Every day I try to picture what life is going to be like with her here. Sometimes it makes me really nervous and overwhelmed, and sometimes it makes me squeal because I'm so excited. The things I am most nervous about are: Being exhausted due to all night feedings, nursing (in general) with no help in that department, and most of all...not being the mom I want to be to Korben due to the first two things I've listed. In hindsight, the REALLY tough times with Korben didn't really last that long. By 4-6 months old he was on a GREAT schedule, and sleeping through the night. I will try to keep that in mind with Klaire, knowing that it won't last forever. My goal is to enjoy our middle of the night snuggle times, and realize this is just a short phase of her life. I pray God will give me the ability to thrive on even the littlest sleep, and still be a fun mommy to Korben.<br /><br />Just for record keeping purposes, I must record here about my dream this past week. I dreamed that Klaire was kicking me very high and very hard, which is totally normal. And all of a sudden, her little toe nails came right out of my skin under my ribcage! The weirdest thing about this dream is that it wasn't weird at all! It was a charming, "aww, Klaire" moment. Now that makes it weird!Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-11610712485995768032010-10-14T18:24:00.000-07:002010-10-14T18:37:40.775-07:00Random Korben StoriesI've gotten really bad about blogging and really good about writing down a couple sentences a day on facebook when I have a funny story to tell. Here are a few things I've put on facebook lately about Korben.<br /><br />Conversation between Korben and me:<br /><br />Korben: Hey Mom, How are you?<br />Me: I'm Sleepy!<br />Korben: Don't be sad, be awesome like me!<br /><br />Korben really loves to ask ANYONE "How are you?" these days! When they return the question, sometimes he says "I'm good!...but most of the he says,"I'm AWESOME!"<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />He woke up from his nap this past sunday and said "Hey Mom, Korben slept for two whole days!" I'm thinking, that was hardly an hour, and it felt like 2 whole minutes!<br /><br />He still speaks 60% of the time in 3rd person! He is slowly, but steadily venturing into the world of saying "I." We are so used to it, but everyone who hears him talk thinks it is so funny.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The other day he was really struggling with staying in his bed for his nap. I said "Korben if you get up again, I'm going to spank you." Well, three minutes later he comes zooming out of his room with a "helicopter" he just made from his legos. I said, "Korben, now I'm going to have to spank you." He says "Okay...do it GENTLE, just pat my bottom like this" (*Motions a gentle tap-tap on his bottom*)<br /><br />I could have died laughing.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />There are multiple funny stories a day around here...I've got to start blogging more!Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-851348858712383072010-10-14T17:52:00.000-07:002010-10-14T18:16:52.448-07:00BullskieI've been meaning to write a Korben post for...OH...7 months or so. Today is the day. Something pretty monumental happened this week, and I figured I better type it out, or I may possibly forget it! <br /><br />The Korben I wrote about back in March said lots of words. I would have ventured to say that my two year old Korben said every word! I've always thought he had a great vocabulary for his age. However, it is amazing what 7 months can do. Now he speaks sentences and can have a full-blown conversation with anyone. This makes life super fun!<br /><br />One of my favorite things to do on our way home from church (whether that be sunday morning, sunday night, wednesday night, or MOPS meetings) is ask Korben what he learned, who he played with, etc. Well, the past few weeks on Sunday morning he has been telling me about a Diggity Dog movie that he watches at church. "Diggity Dog" is a character who teaches them Bible Stories on a video. Well, Around the same time he started watching Diggity Dog, he also started talking about someone/something named "Bullskie." I just figured Bullskie was another character from that video. He began to tell me often how funny Bullskie was. So, this past Tuesday, I saw our Preschool Minister while I was at our MOPS meeting, and asked her if there was another character on the Diggity Dog videos named Bullskie. I told her that Korben had been talking about him a whole lot! She had no idea what I was talking about, but she said she would look into it. Well, on the way home, I thought I would ask some deeper questions about this Bullskie character. Our conversation went something like this:<br /><br />Me: Hey Korben...Tell me about Bullskie<br />Korben: Bullskie is SOOOO FUNNY!!!<br />Me: Really? Thats great! Where IS Bullskie?<br />Korben: In our backyard<br />Me: OH, Korben! You're talking about our neighbor's little white dog that we call "Bolt", right?<br />Korben: NO...Bulskie! He's a black dog!<br />Me: (A little freaked out) Can you show me Bullskie when we get home?<br />Korben: YES!!! Bullskie is SO FUNNY!<br /><br />We get home, and I can not walk to the back door fast enough.<br /><br />Me: Do you see him?<br />Korben: YES, THERE HE IS!<br /><br />I'm REALLY freaking out at this point. There is NO dog to be found! Korben walks to the middle of the backyard and says<br /><br />Korben: Bullskie, where are you? (pats his legs) Bullskie is not here anymore.<br /><br /><br />It hit me right then and there that Korben has an imaginary dog. Wow, I thought the day might come that Korben would have an imaginary friend, but I sure never pictured an imaginary dog at the age of two and a half!<br /><br />I have tried to not "dig" about the Bullskie issue, as much as I would like to. I just let him tell me things when he wants to. In the past two days he has told me that he was building a Bullskie with his legos, and that Bullskie is a black dog, with white dots (i love that...dots, not spots), and has a long tail! But most of all, He just tells me how funny Bullskie is and dies laughing!<br /><br />I couldn't wait to call Aaron and both of the Grandmas that day and tell them about this!Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-11645382428301888612010-09-17T10:57:00.000-07:002010-09-17T12:20:48.584-07:00Playing catch up- The story of KlaireWow, I can't believe I haven't blogged in over 6 months. To say "so much has happened" would be such an understatement! I'm going to do my best to do a "catch-up" blog on one BIG aspect of our life.<br /><br />The big news is that we found out we were pregnant with baby #2 on May 2nd (The night before my 26th birthday)! We were absolutely thrilled! Aaron had just given me my birthday present (A new camera! How appropriate with a new baby on the way!), and then I decided to take a pregnancy test. It was a digital test that just said "YES." It was the greatest feeling in the world, and that made for a birthday celebration I will never forget. We didn't get pregnant with baby #2 right off the bat, and I was nervous it may take us a long time. I am so grateful that God didn't make us wait too long. I guess he knew the suspense could have killed me! Ha! Even though in the grand scheme of things, it didn't take us very long to get pregnant, that time really taught me a lot about what my friends who deal with infertility face. I can see how easily it could captivate your every thought. I have a new compassion for my friends who struggle with infertility, while, I would never say I fully understand how hard it is. <br /><br />On my birthday, many of my friends and family called me. It was SO HARD to hold in my exciting secret. We wanted to wait to be able to tell our families in person. The evening of my birthday I had stayed home from a church event because I was having really bad allergy problems. I went to the bathroom and noticed a lot of bleeding. I was devastated. I'd had 24 hours to believe I was pregnant, and now I was convinced I wasn't anymore. I thought I was having a miscarriage, and called Aaron in the middle of the church program to please come home. I talked to a doctor, talked with a few special prayer warrior friends, and prayed with Aaron. We tried to just leave it up to God. The next day I went in for blood work, and the doctor said the numbers still showed that I was pregnant. Two days later I went in for more blood work, and the numbers had almost tripled. That was a GREAT sign! I ended up having several more terrifying episodes of bleeding during my first trimester, and there was never a valid explanation from a doctor on why it was happening. Every time it happened though, I got to see my sweet little baby's heart beating on the ultrasound, and it was the greatest feeling in the world to know that God was still allowing that baby's heart to beat. <br /><br />I am now 24...almost 25 weeks along, and I'm here to tell you that we have a growing, wonderful, healthy little GIRL! She will continue to be a miracle baby to me. All babies are miracles, but there were so many times I was convinced I was losing this baby and I begged God to save her. I know God is the reason for her every heart beat. I am so grateful.<br /><br />We found out when I was 20 weeks pregnant that we were having a girl! It was SO hard to wait that long! We told our families that we were going for our big ultrasound on Monday, August 23rd, but we secretly moved up our appointment until Friday, August 20th. We wanted to be able to catch them off guard with the big news! <br /><br />I was 99.9% sure we were going to have another boy. The funny thing about that is that the only name I felt like God had laid on my heart was for a girl. We knew we wanted to call her Klaire, and we probably wanted Klaire to be her middle name, just like Korben's. We never had a peace about a boy name. So we spent that entire week searching boy names so we could have a name picked out for him by the time of our ultrasound. We found a hand full of names that we liked that started with "N" and we shared them with Korben. Names like Noah, Noble, and Nolan. Korben instantly said "Korben likes Noble." No matter what name we told him after that he would just say over and over, "Korben likes Noble." We thought that was so cute...little did we know how much it would play into our God-story.<br /><br />We took Korben with us for the ultrasound. Thankfully our ultrasound tech was kind enough to try to tell us the sex of the baby first. She seemed to search for what seemed like 5 full minutes, and after a lot of silence, she said "Well, I can't say that I am 100% sure if you are having a girl or not, but I don't see ANY boy parts." And I said, "I DON'T EITHER!" And Aaron said, "I DON'T EITHER." We had all just sat there in silence until that moment and then we all exploded in disbelief that this could possibly be a GIRL. Then we went through a 40 minute extensive ultrasound making sure everything about the baby looked healthy. Praise the Lord, everything looked great. That whole time, I was scared to get my mind set that it was a girl since she never was able to get a perfect look. Finally, right before we left, the baby had settled down a little and she got several clear shots. She said "I'm 100% sure now, you can buy pink!" My very favorite part of the ultrasound was when the tech was able to zoom in on her face. We got the clearest view of her little nose and big lips! She was beautiful! Aaron told me later on in the car that he had 100% peace after seeing her face that her name needed to be "Klaire." I wish we had a picture of the face we were able to see that day, but in 3 months we will get to see it in person! We do actually have a very short video clip of her clapping her hands! Is that not amazing? What a blessing to have a clip of her clapping her hands in the womb!<br /><br />As soon as we got home we let Korben call all of the grandparents and tell them over the phone. Of course, they were completely caught off guard because they didn't think we were actually going for the ultrasound for 3 more days! He got on the phone and kept saying "Little Sister" over and over. They eventually got it! <br /><br />Then, that night, we got to searching for a first name for little Klaire! After seriously considering about 10 names we found the name "Adalyn" on a list online. I read it to Aaron and said, "What do you think about Adalyn Klaire." He said that he loved it. He asked me what it meant, so I looked down at the meaning and about fell off the couch. The meaning of the name Adalyn is NOBLE. All I could hear was "Korben likes Noble, Korben likes Noble" in my head. We had total peace that God had helped us decide our daughter's first name with the help of our little boy! We also thought, what better thing to wish upon our daughter than to be noble and wise! Oh, how we need more noble women in this world! I would honestly pray for wisdom upon my daughter over any other quality. It was set. We called all our family members again the next day to announce the name! Then we shared our good news with our Grand Family at church the next day! What an exciting weekend!<br /><br />As for now, I'm enjoying being pregnant! The first trimester I was really sick. I definitely felt worse this time around, but I feel great now. We have a scheduled c-section for December 31st (new years eve), bright and early in the morning. But who knows, Klaire could make her debut before that. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out...especially with the Christmas just the week before!<br /><br />We are all so excited about this little girl! We just put her crib together this weekend. Her bedding is on it, and her curtains are hung. There is so much left to do in the room, but it definitely feels like a little girl's room when you walk in. Korben loves to go in there and say "It's SOOOO pretty." It melts my heart. When people ask Korben what he is going to do with Baby Klaire he says "Be nice and play toys." He also has deemed ANYTHING that he finds that is the color pink to be Baby Klaire's. For instance, one day he brought me the heavy gallon jug of skim milk and told me it was Baby Klaire's milk (just because the cap on it was pink)! If he sees a shape that is pink on a game, It is "Baby Klaire's rectangle, triangle, etc." He is just so sweet. I know he will be the best big brother.<br /><br /><br />Here are a few pictures leading up to this point:<br /><br />The night we found out! We re-enacted our pictures from the night we found out we were pregnant with Korben!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeq6mYJ8_cFX5jtjADqhMKV0L1dD7R7XzxGn6fWc8ChLg-m3bd9l8ef03FhAEbN3xS7nWcKVPnyJNfe1hQ6cuwmfK1MwuJ3WNVEyAYoxU4EQb7mJqUZ7iIe8pGomMG9XeGkT0IkViurQ/s1600/DSCN0008.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeq6mYJ8_cFX5jtjADqhMKV0L1dD7R7XzxGn6fWc8ChLg-m3bd9l8ef03FhAEbN3xS7nWcKVPnyJNfe1hQ6cuwmfK1MwuJ3WNVEyAYoxU4EQb7mJqUZ7iIe8pGomMG9XeGkT0IkViurQ/s400/DSCN0008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517960156091516850" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDkGrH6nXLUpnVcZjn3Nk5zr50K31DsMA_oTcU0bkYlX3Khyxb5nZn8ADPwr4Z7GzB59O75TngKxy3dwjxdkwsvdEozpOQq0BhwHdD0FqKPVM_09h5_KRzLWqyVwvcj6d3c2slSxyOCs/s1600/DSCN0010.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDkGrH6nXLUpnVcZjn3Nk5zr50K31DsMA_oTcU0bkYlX3Khyxb5nZn8ADPwr4Z7GzB59O75TngKxy3dwjxdkwsvdEozpOQq0BhwHdD0FqKPVM_09h5_KRzLWqyVwvcj6d3c2slSxyOCs/s400/DSCN0010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517959960239397170" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We told our mom's on Mother's day! All we had to do was get Korben out of the car with his "I'm a big brother" t-shirt on!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAD07lpj-C_blT2IYI1TmcNXSt-xxeP3GMsc2E1w56SuiC3VVsmoRjZLYuKV7lovdGW1yokOOHW2ZdZhC0TNcdrKzqHesqTDLFzGm7g4MpwjyiJfQI7HUGQw67LB_JYJBkyDKy_2dTZs/s1600/DSCN0173.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAD07lpj-C_blT2IYI1TmcNXSt-xxeP3GMsc2E1w56SuiC3VVsmoRjZLYuKV7lovdGW1yokOOHW2ZdZhC0TNcdrKzqHesqTDLFzGm7g4MpwjyiJfQI7HUGQw67LB_JYJBkyDKy_2dTZs/s400/DSCN0173.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517959505124787362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPE1zF2WIxLy97EFauxyCAwuSi1HSlSWEAnMpO0seteWOM9BfTAEJC2F4BN-6mijU_w5qB9iuz-oOJGTccrv-PCxwf-zZtqGIq9g_hsXjPNXUP6ugEQi-AdM6mn2KOUlszZ5M3xMtBh8A/s1600/DSCN0178.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPE1zF2WIxLy97EFauxyCAwuSi1HSlSWEAnMpO0seteWOM9BfTAEJC2F4BN-6mijU_w5qB9iuz-oOJGTccrv-PCxwf-zZtqGIq9g_hsXjPNXUP6ugEQi-AdM6mn2KOUlszZ5M3xMtBh8A/s400/DSCN0178.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517959355443816002" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This is the sweet little boy I had to wake up from a nap on August 20th, because it was time to see whether he was going to have a little brother or a little sister!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcgm0r3aMig67QztNqUufucSXWTXAfLyWotEpqHdJstNFyrCmCs7o28gBiwDTireqOVKY0pW3Gc77m4Qht8MNVs15VTKALy2TGY5kxvifMM2EpMQxYUPnTyHB83h1JwX0ZvxXFFWf8dDs/s1600/FSCN0890.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcgm0r3aMig67QztNqUufucSXWTXAfLyWotEpqHdJstNFyrCmCs7o28gBiwDTireqOVKY0pW3Gc77m4Qht8MNVs15VTKALy2TGY5kxvifMM2EpMQxYUPnTyHB83h1JwX0ZvxXFFWf8dDs/s400/FSCN0890.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517958871098413442" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Here were are, in the waiting room before the ultrasound.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLltNRch76eRqfATMmCM5GdJm6bFP7b0gASJ4O8OJUYIk0sgDuRhAO0H68f_VHSD2yn9bkEj6epIZ5MXlBoNRQ2occBg5eZr2irn_z6DkXJsir0E0D70NkfZ-t9CKXeJGk0qjavP41rw/s1600/FSCN0896.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLltNRch76eRqfATMmCM5GdJm6bFP7b0gASJ4O8OJUYIk0sgDuRhAO0H68f_VHSD2yn9bkEj6epIZ5MXlBoNRQ2occBg5eZr2irn_z6DkXJsir0E0D70NkfZ-t9CKXeJGk0qjavP41rw/s400/FSCN0896.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517958591456172754" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This picture is almost 5 weeks old, but it was the first belly shot I did, which was at the midway point (20 weeks).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6eo_ZP2MJ9UrwEN647XgG_AV6cXkwvHeu5Gmv-_R1ZX6nSSlATuOpfrqRnJQuOXf847AfKA_T70XjlNbMF8xisI4Rnkj_42nwxGNJ9q4FIUTwwyLTQHwxoV6-6vYwGdZWY9z1U8Kh4cU/s1600/FSCN0900.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6eo_ZP2MJ9UrwEN647XgG_AV6cXkwvHeu5Gmv-_R1ZX6nSSlATuOpfrqRnJQuOXf847AfKA_T70XjlNbMF8xisI4Rnkj_42nwxGNJ9q4FIUTwwyLTQHwxoV6-6vYwGdZWY9z1U8Kh4cU/s400/FSCN0900.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517958300377000338" /></a>Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-71982034202552690362010-04-27T20:36:00.000-07:002010-04-27T20:37:30.253-07:00Dear Blog.Dear Blog,<br /><br />Please bear with me. I promise I will visit you soon. You are in my constant thoughts and prayers (okay, maybe not my prayers).<br /><br />Yours truly,<br /><br />KristenKristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-58227368310905418632010-03-13T12:09:00.000-08:002010-03-14T12:31:11.284-07:00Simply Youth Ministry Conference- ChicagoI had the opportunity to go with Aaron to his youth ministry conference this year. Aaron LOVES to soak in new information at these conferences, and always comes home from telling me all the fresh ideas he has learned. It was SUCH a joy to get to attend this conference with him, and talk about everything God was teaching us at the same time. Aaron and I went to some sessions together, but for some smaller sessions we went to different seminars that interested us. For instance, I went to a 2.5 hour seminar one day called "Raising your kids while in youth ministry." Oh my word, I was in a room with 100 women in my exact life situation. It was awesome. We had lots of small group discussions around our table, and it was so cool to see what all we had in common. We all had husbands in youth ministry and small children. We had SO much to talk about. I learned a WHOLE lot from some older women who were at my table. They will never know just how much they encouraged me! I really feel like God used them to speak some BIG words of truth to me that I needed to hear that week. I also went to a seminar on "Girls ministry and mentoring." I sometimes feel inadequate as a youth worker now that I'm so busy being a mom, but I was very encouraged through that seminar that even though I may be chasing Korben around at youth events, I can still mentor girls by taking advantage of every small moment to try to be a loving, godly influence on their lives. I could write a small book about everything God taught me and reminded me while at the Simply Youth Ministry conference in Chicago.<br /><br />It wasn't just the conference that was awesome. Just getting away with my man was awesome! It was truly QUALITY time together! The sight-seeing in Chicago wasn't so bad either! It is actually one of the coolest places I have ever been. I love all "downtown" areas, but I have never been in a downtown that was quite this enormous and busy as well as beautiful, clean, and safe! If you go, you have to have Giordano's pizza. Of course, Chicago is known for their deep dish pizza. We tried the three biggest competitors, but Giordano s was so good that we had it two more times. Best pizza I have ever had!<br /><br />We actually skipped out on our Sunday morning conference session and drove to visit Willow Creek church in Northern Chicago. Willow Creek is one of the largest churches in the nation, and it was educational in its own right to see how they operate there. We learned a lot from attending their worship service as well as the youth service that morning. Unforgettable experience.<br /><br />And some more added perks for me were going to the gym in the morning, having unlimited hot water, and maid service. These are all silly things that I would have never cared about a few years ago, but I consider them all luxuries now. Ah, seasons of life! <br /><br /><br />Here are a few pictures!<br /><br /><br /><br />Whether you agree with anything Oprah has to say or not, there is no denying that she is an American Icon. Her studio was in a convenient location, so I had to get a picture in front of the Harpo sign. Her show has been on the air as long as I've been alive. Crazy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPJzMuYaEU63uXOAljJesXXWZIZbmwSLeM78896T9qGrSZOhUNlDrcwHqrTLy_c-OdmTa0KKPRHSePkzI78Cq1iniZM4MUngBCbTWKBtvffH4UN22AFuMUhXbMPY9aEERTDKsT-229H4/s1600-h/022.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPJzMuYaEU63uXOAljJesXXWZIZbmwSLeM78896T9qGrSZOhUNlDrcwHqrTLy_c-OdmTa0KKPRHSePkzI78Cq1iniZM4MUngBCbTWKBtvffH4UN22AFuMUhXbMPY9aEERTDKsT-229H4/s400/022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448213663068691586" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3T5Eh8KbXfk5Mn8W6034B_9N6dqijdOBL_KtfTOKG4klstaUhFePWXd1cb8c28InXte9ZQpd0ieVoGTZtJCE8F-bFBeaPjS8ftOvafRNs-mu_g9bC8CHoSEAtWj6UIbIRCfo30oDQ-QA/s1600-h/024.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3T5Eh8KbXfk5Mn8W6034B_9N6dqijdOBL_KtfTOKG4klstaUhFePWXd1cb8c28InXte9ZQpd0ieVoGTZtJCE8F-bFBeaPjS8ftOvafRNs-mu_g9bC8CHoSEAtWj6UIbIRCfo30oDQ-QA/s400/024.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448213936460292722" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The "magnificent mile" at night. Truly magnificent. Endless stores that are several stories high. Christmas lights in the trees. Just magical!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjiqoPgYyHnaGKgtSzTIctiEeXReKYYMDLQv4SBhK9NbawbqbgG3sxtEffBlCm6d6svhQ9VuhEQykZyYi9UWSIcUfMiOR9AKwvJ4ZZK73QIZ-csfwfQ0Q4CbJvhhuIoqFePZ6uKE6tGI/s1600-h/042.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjiqoPgYyHnaGKgtSzTIctiEeXReKYYMDLQv4SBhK9NbawbqbgG3sxtEffBlCm6d6svhQ9VuhEQykZyYi9UWSIcUfMiOR9AKwvJ4ZZK73QIZ-csfwfQ0Q4CbJvhhuIoqFePZ6uKE6tGI/s400/042.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448214326871818722" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Yes, we did attend the conference! :) There just weren't very many things to take pictures of while we were there!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHI9Hc_sVqGXT78Ny3rbmu0_u1K-k3qFZX9mX1nsk-lpH2xUDRmqNC_JJ0eHPXiAetz9kNJxckbbcETVa4rQ4NwOKvm6v2U4acHCOdWsVHKPxKZw49XaFjUvjQSrIVpmmpM0ZaEvHu31A/s1600-h/047.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHI9Hc_sVqGXT78Ny3rbmu0_u1K-k3qFZX9mX1nsk-lpH2xUDRmqNC_JJ0eHPXiAetz9kNJxckbbcETVa4rQ4NwOKvm6v2U4acHCOdWsVHKPxKZw49XaFjUvjQSrIVpmmpM0ZaEvHu31A/s400/047.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448214949619182754" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_q917w1SCk1G9ACKRyD6hoQZj39xAjAit_lvkVKIQGVxck2s8EpyRljL3SyiNb416K9k_frCq6g4O2pSeTZQBAmX_JcE8MtMYFcByiiNxW1rDU26TuiwCc5wCrjl6t2x9cJ6r41emxcI/s1600-h/054.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_q917w1SCk1G9ACKRyD6hoQZj39xAjAit_lvkVKIQGVxck2s8EpyRljL3SyiNb416K9k_frCq6g4O2pSeTZQBAmX_JcE8MtMYFcByiiNxW1rDU26TuiwCc5wCrjl6t2x9cJ6r41emxcI/s400/054.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448215387315540354" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Gotta be careful!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdy8QnibiAs5fV2Wz7NcEmerxQ6FOJT7208oVn6RPQXqxug16Dd3Ns4WqzACIquqmESaYR8l8OL1GyCYa2dk2asAb_JNkmSDcpMoQ_04Qac-DlzqZ0b5YoqmHT9BVlhBA37dQ8fCN9krM/s1600-h/069.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdy8QnibiAs5fV2Wz7NcEmerxQ6FOJT7208oVn6RPQXqxug16Dd3Ns4WqzACIquqmESaYR8l8OL1GyCYa2dk2asAb_JNkmSDcpMoQ_04Qac-DlzqZ0b5YoqmHT9BVlhBA37dQ8fCN9krM/s400/069.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448216490439370162" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The coolest thing about downtown are the waterways that just go all through the middle of the city. I wish my pictures captured how beautiful all of this really was!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCsZ1lDb4Y05LyACJlx1PDJxUfPvIviEO3OPA1nz1Rm9Ob-yO69DEUU8iwYO6zfipI1LiuJ-H3TLumxUVFHYxdjo9V63fU_P6UZrl7ZNlGw95IWpjJ3XrhdInU6PflKRIq5Y23i67eO0/s1600-h/070.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCsZ1lDb4Y05LyACJlx1PDJxUfPvIviEO3OPA1nz1Rm9Ob-yO69DEUU8iwYO6zfipI1LiuJ-H3TLumxUVFHYxdjo9V63fU_P6UZrl7ZNlGw95IWpjJ3XrhdInU6PflKRIq5Y23i67eO0/s400/070.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448217008951976194" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In Millenium Park<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HaNR1ZeGQ0tjQgSTU_BfuYMs4-f1Req3lu5QxEHwHzrfis663ZmwYZiMKe55mUTazaQRv2DBUYKfHB9zIMm5rC7O5EELulwdCwxWSWbCY1Ty44Nm65D-x7IknovSJRpkam3j6yRbB7o/s1600-h/074.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HaNR1ZeGQ0tjQgSTU_BfuYMs4-f1Req3lu5QxEHwHzrfis663ZmwYZiMKe55mUTazaQRv2DBUYKfHB9zIMm5rC7O5EELulwdCwxWSWbCY1Ty44Nm65D-x7IknovSJRpkam3j6yRbB7o/s400/074.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448217492601525170" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This is called "the cloud gate." It is an amazing architectural structure that is basically a big mirror of the city. I think I could have walked around it and stared at it for hours...maybe if it wasn't ridiculously cold! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5zHiRmzTaO2jBm_tL6ymjnQTCsPoVHbTAsDGaEkJFMnjlQePqCVPx3nVz2xCBCoyZ2DpfNiZhIKfLHhTmkxSJL4XSR4sG7N-DOzxaTLhHrx4D02Kr8rbp736W-Gb07J-Lp3rDKb2DHas/s1600-h/082.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5zHiRmzTaO2jBm_tL6ymjnQTCsPoVHbTAsDGaEkJFMnjlQePqCVPx3nVz2xCBCoyZ2DpfNiZhIKfLHhTmkxSJL4XSR4sG7N-DOzxaTLhHrx4D02Kr8rbp736W-Gb07J-Lp3rDKb2DHas/s400/082.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448217967598941138" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Pretty little skating rink. Didn't skate. Too cold. Gotta keep on moving!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxnLHWWRgqCSSfYKRogxJ-VG4P2jlRJS4rkal-o_vwt8F4T-6X9bUMNowl5mSI1fKgIxJrhvyTIbAwVZsvV8FfqEGk-AkFPW37XNsKsxnjKdM0VcoIzcvx2xelhjfwCJdTSO4thN2aFY/s1600-h/084.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxnLHWWRgqCSSfYKRogxJ-VG4P2jlRJS4rkal-o_vwt8F4T-6X9bUMNowl5mSI1fKgIxJrhvyTIbAwVZsvV8FfqEGk-AkFPW37XNsKsxnjKdM0VcoIzcvx2xelhjfwCJdTSO4thN2aFY/s400/084.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448218611046685618" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Millenium Park Amphitheater. Obama gave his acceptance speech somewhere out here.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJvMIElIC-KhE8KCuyMGbes9fjUDPQVCuGF2IDzPuWVgYWyaYl9OMEMJHOFgVUD2QvqmWJEiPmDq-h69T4eprzpLnI0B0FDUK-2ShLvj_fWC35sVxQOCTSUIhxAaR6qu15pmjUlGzXeg/s1600-h/085.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJvMIElIC-KhE8KCuyMGbes9fjUDPQVCuGF2IDzPuWVgYWyaYl9OMEMJHOFgVUD2QvqmWJEiPmDq-h69T4eprzpLnI0B0FDUK-2ShLvj_fWC35sVxQOCTSUIhxAaR6qu15pmjUlGzXeg/s400/085.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448219680019766914" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6uiKD8MJ0rh6GWBh1lxPtoJMLJu95PvypVC_vlnqVJD4dUuSxT2RClyxDJcaUpmiUEZPkcjZTJ0oinNSe7g5exAIndnwg1hV5t-qVkcfF1DF8jSeC7cPqL0XT7hptwQtI3Mw_1AizDE/s1600-h/093.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6uiKD8MJ0rh6GWBh1lxPtoJMLJu95PvypVC_vlnqVJD4dUuSxT2RClyxDJcaUpmiUEZPkcjZTJ0oinNSe7g5exAIndnwg1hV5t-qVkcfF1DF8jSeC7cPqL0XT7hptwQtI3Mw_1AizDE/s400/093.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448220430185129090" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The Field Museum. I've been a dinosaur lover (nerd) since I was a kid. This is "Sue" the largest, most complete, T-Rex in the world!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdHmwvd1OOI-OAfyumoZQTwfzdy-sYOIcHu2_FLUfS9hrHP97Yd2OAvWs2OiDUzGgwJu8Vn5wObpWZGQHguKic6zPLrHUdYXZEWM-4qvuS5ZSizrcKP5Du5aV91uzrWGBkbIvDSlaXO8/s1600-h/100.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdHmwvd1OOI-OAfyumoZQTwfzdy-sYOIcHu2_FLUfS9hrHP97Yd2OAvWs2OiDUzGgwJu8Vn5wObpWZGQHguKic6zPLrHUdYXZEWM-4qvuS5ZSizrcKP5Du5aV91uzrWGBkbIvDSlaXO8/s400/100.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448220837032813650" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Me with my very favorite type of Dinosaur. The Brachiosaurus. They eat plants, not people! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi292T8jTgRMT_SXnOf0Ip98ZMKKOlzPg9B2jz_e_LrAiMXFW6ZQeVOlIEnRDJo_6LZ_pnymcgyYFh_CSSYpkdvJH2VMbqXKXQKOI5VbMWRG2iJJrRubjACKW4g8obvJmjS7QkNB5WDwK8/s1600-h/104.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi292T8jTgRMT_SXnOf0Ip98ZMKKOlzPg9B2jz_e_LrAiMXFW6ZQeVOlIEnRDJo_6LZ_pnymcgyYFh_CSSYpkdvJH2VMbqXKXQKOI5VbMWRG2iJJrRubjACKW4g8obvJmjS7QkNB5WDwK8/s400/104.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448222056016115122" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />On the steps of the Field Museum with part of the sky line behind us! So pretty!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSjBzfpeMa08SxhV_wdqkaoegE1BgleLkCu8JWpMBPqx85Zk88Xt-x-cRfVhlc8GJuls5SMglu9aLefL4RX4S9Aqzxu1Q_E5LbhR49H6GpZyZ6IzBQQhfElpKAHAyzsZQVxOumMpEtz8/s1600-h/116.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSjBzfpeMa08SxhV_wdqkaoegE1BgleLkCu8JWpMBPqx85Zk88Xt-x-cRfVhlc8GJuls5SMglu9aLefL4RX4S9Aqzxu1Q_E5LbhR49H6GpZyZ6IzBQQhfElpKAHAyzsZQVxOumMpEtz8/s400/116.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448222484637895922" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Aaron insisted on taking this picture outside after we saw the Diamond exhibit at the Field Museum. Y'all, this was a very cold moment. I have never been so excited to get in the car away from the cold wind!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlARB2SlAfAE-k5Tq6MheWAvIO242DdA6OMyOodzA1Nsy7QlIDEoUwDixiTjjNokYyQPGTf1Zv3CK5p3UbpMeAzr8LvuaxqgXwuqiwu7iS60sXOxp0kpEePdZKcDLx_xuvx0vPOPK08os/s1600-h/118.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlARB2SlAfAE-k5Tq6MheWAvIO242DdA6OMyOodzA1Nsy7QlIDEoUwDixiTjjNokYyQPGTf1Zv3CK5p3UbpMeAzr8LvuaxqgXwuqiwu7iS60sXOxp0kpEePdZKcDLx_xuvx0vPOPK08os/s400/118.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448222845064943154" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The trip was perfect. I got to enjoy being with the man God made for me, while enjoying His beautiful creation. In the meantime, the Lord taught us how to better minister to His people. Awesome.Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-89542921442809707272010-03-13T11:47:00.001-08:002010-03-14T13:24:35.891-07:00The Birthday Boy's Big Day!My baby boy turned 2 last Wednesday! I have a zillion new stories I need to share, but for now I only have time to post pictures of his very special day. I will also post pictures soon of the birthday party he had last weekend when I can, but these are just pictures of "A day in the life with the birthday boy."<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />8:00 a.m. Woke up and played the drums (from Poppy) until Mom got breakfast ready!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrRc0cpXotOs_LBW5qv78PwYlGyAx_qsEjPoCQko9CFgDrhmJmH4ZCW5-b15kebf6G7uQf0jFd3_wvjF-l-z6e1g2uvVg03vb7pZb56tkNSJhtaLpICzk095btUXDrFEtQxLupWmaGrA/s1600-h/136.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrRc0cpXotOs_LBW5qv78PwYlGyAx_qsEjPoCQko9CFgDrhmJmH4ZCW5-b15kebf6G7uQf0jFd3_wvjF-l-z6e1g2uvVg03vb7pZb56tkNSJhtaLpICzk095btUXDrFEtQxLupWmaGrA/s400/136.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448212358342713794" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOy58DhErI7dax8ipN0N9RLKvFnxSrD0TQeRL-8l4z_MseRyg-qzzxcUzJCih3q0TpYIIal5VsPVhkI0dujLxvIG_eum2WEgfTaQUnoUwmMQNoql5X0vfpHoZVG7KW7du7BpCmgUtmguE/s1600-h/137.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOy58DhErI7dax8ipN0N9RLKvFnxSrD0TQeRL-8l4z_MseRyg-qzzxcUzJCih3q0TpYIIal5VsPVhkI0dujLxvIG_eum2WEgfTaQUnoUwmMQNoql5X0vfpHoZVG7KW7du7BpCmgUtmguE/s400/137.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448212191239047410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpglhfrJzgatS_ajNM8XFKyN_vg6lQaPkbys_OuoAvx86hfkyAFLoMT2zlXt1hNKagkeuRkOWc4Zk46o8g7SNZOMzTFhZL-AOl9AT63U-eik1UINPuYqp-M0HCpYl0tBKMm_ngeUpJXnY/s1600-h/139.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpglhfrJzgatS_ajNM8XFKyN_vg6lQaPkbys_OuoAvx86hfkyAFLoMT2zlXt1hNKagkeuRkOWc4Zk46o8g7SNZOMzTFhZL-AOl9AT63U-eik1UINPuYqp-M0HCpYl0tBKMm_ngeUpJXnY/s400/139.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448211855347233874" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />8:30 Big breakfast and Birthday Cupcake #1<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />9:00 Played with tool set from Uncle Dustin and tent from Uncle John and Aunt Tommie Sue<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjS82HH8Xm9qEq344kRzkVwp3RKa0Ey001mxBygMV5KPK_k5g5SdNCs1EK5Blv2Gl_yPcpnKPDZNM3ww-nEZxr38kxWfCfGVVDV7U8bU-bED2GaUfpZfgTGFU6PmiNaqTnChRBNDkm_cg/s1600-h/142.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjS82HH8Xm9qEq344kRzkVwp3RKa0Ey001mxBygMV5KPK_k5g5SdNCs1EK5Blv2Gl_yPcpnKPDZNM3ww-nEZxr38kxWfCfGVVDV7U8bU-bED2GaUfpZfgTGFU6PmiNaqTnChRBNDkm_cg/s400/142.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448211696545448530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNZAGfQIQT9wA_PaDs6zJu3P-C4abjvIXSczwhNcGDU4wDtlnlRsIzvtlCtWW424nnrljs99v4LptOzFeR79UIc9hHpYBjijNGkbOaNnj0scdpA0tGJ3ReD8erybGXNGl36D45g2dS1I/s1600-h/143.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNZAGfQIQT9wA_PaDs6zJu3P-C4abjvIXSczwhNcGDU4wDtlnlRsIzvtlCtWW424nnrljs99v4LptOzFeR79UIc9hHpYBjijNGkbOaNnj0scdpA0tGJ3ReD8erybGXNGl36D45g2dS1I/s400/143.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448211492888120450" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />9:30 Outside in the gorgeous weather! Played in the swing, wagon, and then went on a 1 hour stroll to see the horses down the street!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgrzr95Gh-l1_zaVlOsFEcQAVOmpgLRHLaNdstiMGMxdlYjVlOzGjvrNVkhH2ArYZ2NvyrwZZchbfZFo8pc_SF4yWvsiHevEFlAnduSJ0tlyZvn5RvXbXZ18mMlyhdbF26aEye8YHPng/s1600-h/151.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgrzr95Gh-l1_zaVlOsFEcQAVOmpgLRHLaNdstiMGMxdlYjVlOzGjvrNVkhH2ArYZ2NvyrwZZchbfZFo8pc_SF4yWvsiHevEFlAnduSJ0tlyZvn5RvXbXZ18mMlyhdbF26aEye8YHPng/s400/151.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448211344300265314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmnFHXa7c0NKuSndKyIOvWTmUe3WdOLNvOEvhVGi-GpAT8C4kqtkBhJU-fHE2dyB9kitRGnFrjxNXvbPAamsOWTykzPaynuUXgV1srSJBfwOwS0dQdzdmYq20536g58KJaiiH3orL5Ug/s1600-h/153.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmnFHXa7c0NKuSndKyIOvWTmUe3WdOLNvOEvhVGi-GpAT8C4kqtkBhJU-fHE2dyB9kitRGnFrjxNXvbPAamsOWTykzPaynuUXgV1srSJBfwOwS0dQdzdmYq20536g58KJaiiH3orL5Ug/s400/153.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448211188501926546" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KMy1z3yuZn48_2fD0-bEp-SXyjRWIRemDpUvlX5YR1pbQdAUjR01T4H8Zoigj6DT4GMTuRUcr_grpsY5exwsXNQulLmJtTCsF3LTWinun0nO3_hU8TiGm6atXN638ILVznVmUKs-aKk/s1600-h/157.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KMy1z3yuZn48_2fD0-bEp-SXyjRWIRemDpUvlX5YR1pbQdAUjR01T4H8Zoigj6DT4GMTuRUcr_grpsY5exwsXNQulLmJtTCsF3LTWinun0nO3_hU8TiGm6atXN638ILVznVmUKs-aKk/s400/157.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448210821785248290" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Compare the next two pictures! The first was taken on Korben's birthday last year when his friend Brayden came over. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UHsjt9H5lhXhHPmD2SCN1hwGJ3BECw8jvDzFmtaxYN7HwD9792LM9NLh_gY2O9hD9XvTcQmxhrc3C_tPJlhZrkvpkgt1St5Z_0UBbkq5eI-jfNBM5AEIWR1W3_oP85vWPGKQe8vvzFM/s1600-h/lastyear.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UHsjt9H5lhXhHPmD2SCN1hwGJ3BECw8jvDzFmtaxYN7HwD9792LM9NLh_gY2O9hD9XvTcQmxhrc3C_tPJlhZrkvpkgt1St5Z_0UBbkq5eI-jfNBM5AEIWR1W3_oP85vWPGKQe8vvzFM/s400/lastyear.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448585790181061842" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg938me11xt0Xopv3llm9R3dM26q5ibHL7v5-_WObrlVkSTQG3b4TK1kSx3K0Q-7nP85Wxy_F1pF4aJiQcvrpkcfxvlQkyc8soCz7iWpvp1z0L8mifC1XPreDEJD3id9BPId51A2Os2N5U/s1600-h/157.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg938me11xt0Xopv3llm9R3dM26q5ibHL7v5-_WObrlVkSTQG3b4TK1kSx3K0Q-7nP85Wxy_F1pF4aJiQcvrpkcfxvlQkyc8soCz7iWpvp1z0L8mifC1XPreDEJD3id9BPId51A2Os2N5U/s400/157.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="<br />alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448223455969566210" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_G42sL7UAkd8HNBS-s0SZCdtIzb0M2tYIRq_AnUmuNN1jnCnwh9VXwBmvB7OSeDWjCdSkf98IbIovj8S2R0K5oIP2yjUGLBJTZ3NX0giM5szRscFqvRiBT8r51Xl8WmfrSOYZvJGalxk/s1600-h/158.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_G42sL7UAkd8HNBS-s0SZCdtIzb0M2tYIRq_AnUmuNN1jnCnwh9VXwBmvB7OSeDWjCdSkf98IbIovj8S2R0K5oIP2yjUGLBJTZ3NX0giM5szRscFqvRiBT8r51Xl8WmfrSOYZvJGalxk/s400/158.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448210492786511474" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB7y6GuHrOebgtKhNwrcQACKU5Os0q3A7yozEJgoX22rLDFcgln_Rev05pSgn84OLh28xV8ZSnQT0bmZRuj6rwpqalnj9R_ee5GdGnHBbWG3JCDOgaRDhjKs4ovIYszV0YAcZiPPRzq4/s1600-h/159.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB7y6GuHrOebgtKhNwrcQACKU5Os0q3A7yozEJgoX22rLDFcgln_Rev05pSgn84OLh28xV8ZSnQT0bmZRuj6rwpqalnj9R_ee5GdGnHBbWG3JCDOgaRDhjKs4ovIYszV0YAcZiPPRzq4/s400/159.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448210275619667154" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemhIG6rqgAd2xgdXPvMkakfQONXqC4rtmT8jkQLpXdCTvz5v28f1MpjahN2HDtfMH9X2PVq9lianRAC35-W1NHgAMgTER3OxRAlP9uqRN6WdsarcKKP4iPWEKIFtxY66VJLzDIsHSBak/s1600-h/163.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemhIG6rqgAd2xgdXPvMkakfQONXqC4rtmT8jkQLpXdCTvz5v28f1MpjahN2HDtfMH9X2PVq9lianRAC35-W1NHgAMgTER3OxRAlP9uqRN6WdsarcKKP4iPWEKIFtxY66VJLzDIsHSBak/s400/163.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448209897786817266" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamFZSzrVyHxynPSJziyj0z7xuR3cGcVjec69swVCZjaYgO1miZ-J28844X50iINRHKCzczitgGz57mq3wwxFEG67whnYxHXtusgC8XsiUZJR04aeLBPtYcCDyG_vc-U6npeopa3T9SHw/s1600-h/166.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamFZSzrVyHxynPSJziyj0z7xuR3cGcVjec69swVCZjaYgO1miZ-J28844X50iINRHKCzczitgGz57mq3wwxFEG67whnYxHXtusgC8XsiUZJR04aeLBPtYcCDyG_vc-U6npeopa3T9SHw/s400/166.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448209677762554754" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />12:30 Completed lunch and Birthday Cupcake #2<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fwBB5GwSsnW7mRdCz1BXgCA1j1UWiVbEn04_0Zt_TbYtd6Mh1szM6NPLIdiFyAwHT34gJ5ufJFf8IsVc_Fr7mtP3Gjw5ncLYk9E35MppgOLLByU2frEXZF169dn6gYGgx7NWsEU3v7I/s1600-h/168.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fwBB5GwSsnW7mRdCz1BXgCA1j1UWiVbEn04_0Zt_TbYtd6Mh1szM6NPLIdiFyAwHT34gJ5ufJFf8IsVc_Fr7mtP3Gjw5ncLYk9E35MppgOLLByU2frEXZF169dn6gYGgx7NWsEU3v7I/s400/168.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448209446636331426" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJQ4i11p6d5MjZu1aibqNZUn_BELtMDfqqVqUMfq_lv2-twkMXotDpwQqIuRpntQMzqwKgETrA6Yxg_kRt_3cuf3TsksbZpHCQiYjO7C9Z09RQ2Fk2vtrR54tCLt9lD0aCZxhcpJxaio/s1600-h/170.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJQ4i11p6d5MjZu1aibqNZUn_BELtMDfqqVqUMfq_lv2-twkMXotDpwQqIuRpntQMzqwKgETrA6Yxg_kRt_3cuf3TsksbZpHCQiYjO7C9Z09RQ2Fk2vtrR54tCLt9lD0aCZxhcpJxaio/s400/170.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448209251834340626" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />5:00 After a 3 hour nap (must be a myth that sugar keeps you from sleeping), had dinner and the FINAL birthday cupcake!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />5:30- All ready for church. Have to get our yearly (okay, well, I've only done it twice) picture with Geoffrey. Compare with the picture below. I don't know why the picture below is so small, but you can still tell just how much he has grown since his last birthday!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6tWfeaKpA3UdW3ip5NJu9y4SDY6dQXFx197-XMF7JYgOG3YCu4u68lE6lzG8yVmnK2wVG7yE-5FVfwEgpR_E7uF2x_U0vn3jEoaR-9whHubooRlR1mEJ2v-kOdScpoceWBgT_eW8F5o/s1600-h/181.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6tWfeaKpA3UdW3ip5NJu9y4SDY6dQXFx197-XMF7JYgOG3YCu4u68lE6lzG8yVmnK2wVG7yE-5FVfwEgpR_E7uF2x_U0vn3jEoaR-9whHubooRlR1mEJ2v-kOdScpoceWBgT_eW8F5o/s400/181.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448587568533068578" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnmZnEB_5gdcmh85LaamuKBBs0ag5XYXz1FAa-jgj-yrCpAPHipWU8d750s3SztHnoD9qZat6kF19GTLdtjeBms5_6rB48HAm5aTRU9V7sjgPvCbORiiMwZ4G01_tGBtr52QEI-eTbDs/s1600-h/1wgeoffrey.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnmZnEB_5gdcmh85LaamuKBBs0ag5XYXz1FAa-jgj-yrCpAPHipWU8d750s3SztHnoD9qZat6kF19GTLdtjeBms5_6rB48HAm5aTRU9V7sjgPvCbORiiMwZ4G01_tGBtr52QEI-eTbDs/s400/1wgeoffrey.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448225176481741346" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Check out Korben's awesome shirt from Mopppy. SO him!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqxi0XpCFE1NosVVxU0nXk1c6n93uRcfBsWMlj9mMhOwIEbbI0eD8zF2WQzMDyqvOHyyTzai4gWakehudeu-77wpcyJMsdSqOLaE82UobeqJbv2xTMXO7aCR2x6OAnqvWiRCPX_m9HpY/s1600-h/186.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqxi0XpCFE1NosVVxU0nXk1c6n93uRcfBsWMlj9mMhOwIEbbI0eD8zF2WQzMDyqvOHyyTzai4gWakehudeu-77wpcyJMsdSqOLaE82UobeqJbv2xTMXO7aCR2x6OAnqvWiRCPX_m9HpY/s400/186.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448208897390559250" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />He had the special privilege of practicing the drums with Adam at church! SO much fun for him!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfngFN5xoxdwzNLs3QUBRWZXfwGiKmOhNktvFTFbraBPYVt9GE-qmM9YPEuAexrbU9EsXqDKXvY9o_7rtt4N-0qzcvgwPWr4OtoMHla-2M1_NwOs3FsCOI8UHJx9kTXNG02y9aWIaYdI/s1600-h/187.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfngFN5xoxdwzNLs3QUBRWZXfwGiKmOhNktvFTFbraBPYVt9GE-qmM9YPEuAexrbU9EsXqDKXvY9o_7rtt4N-0qzcvgwPWr4OtoMHla-2M1_NwOs3FsCOI8UHJx9kTXNG02y9aWIaYdI/s400/187.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448208389658361138" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Korben with "Binda" (Linda Cain), one of his favorite people in the whole world. She might as well be family!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzgv53fKtJuEAy3Re5xfH2eFb_zC4K5N3g1TC51IjQS2GrBDXLkuHmL9JKmVNqVcq-S94pHPBkrTT-q9dUiat7czxfpkFIV2dnlS3ttgVD_6QwfpiHvk4dk500G76lRHS3NB3uoTfu2Y/s1600-h/190.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzgv53fKtJuEAy3Re5xfH2eFb_zC4K5N3g1TC51IjQS2GrBDXLkuHmL9JKmVNqVcq-S94pHPBkrTT-q9dUiat7czxfpkFIV2dnlS3ttgVD_6QwfpiHvk4dk500G76lRHS3NB3uoTfu2Y/s400/190.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448208154983322850" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Since he turned 2 that day, he promoted to the "play room" at church, and happily kissed "the baby room" good bye! You can see what a ball he had in there!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaiS5yKIkQCf8pQVHVHx1eaV7pJAnGxiEGHSMS7hxrAylU-svK6xZdtqSG-ghEoTcDSybh2ETv2pU1iRDpRHnwfXSMpzJMkx1vlPU6fd4HwJ2IJIRF8RFKlu-cOONjrwthkQJ3Hq7Wu4/s1600-h/193.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaiS5yKIkQCf8pQVHVHx1eaV7pJAnGxiEGHSMS7hxrAylU-svK6xZdtqSG-ghEoTcDSybh2ETv2pU1iRDpRHnwfXSMpzJMkx1vlPU6fd4HwJ2IJIRF8RFKlu-cOONjrwthkQJ3Hq7Wu4/s400/193.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448207997645950226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKF5f_kTmfaYj0g95gllYOAXxSDUwW5nQ-w6cFKrt4i6enwnyZHDWZjuqbBg16O_yMt6OX0O1FvqalZsupLqKL15QImJfUnaYDFK8NaD1dFJ3jZBNe-rANgX6QGPRWAXQxei6JMFB1fs/s1600-h/194.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKF5f_kTmfaYj0g95gllYOAXxSDUwW5nQ-w6cFKrt4i6enwnyZHDWZjuqbBg16O_yMt6OX0O1FvqalZsupLqKL15QImJfUnaYDFK8NaD1dFJ3jZBNe-rANgX6QGPRWAXQxei6JMFB1fs/s400/194.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448207813736270130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjra_8fVve-aRj-lhJphQmL51XBZi4GyehdiUT5vK5v26mh7ntqcHNFUKJ36Da-Vo3awsZ2bzZJWapMln1D6c3v-k9yK4NFb4oUVjsDxjHuIuAqzOXx0TFvjwc_E0-4I5b5ym20d5DjTNY/s1600-h/195.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjra_8fVve-aRj-lhJphQmL51XBZi4GyehdiUT5vK5v26mh7ntqcHNFUKJ36Da-Vo3awsZ2bzZJWapMln1D6c3v-k9yK4NFb4oUVjsDxjHuIuAqzOXx0TFvjwc_E0-4I5b5ym20d5DjTNY/s400/195.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448207688698127602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19ChfjNJL0zrtHdnz6UKOqPi0B6Acr6BHfixoqRaBBo7f-Hyyd7s2r7AMupl7xPWqkgjr8JmGvpVULCw1NdEdBtUV7BR1nSoM_A9z-jl_L0XL_vw0wfcNVVx9edxuqO26FsZGvV39KRE/s1600-h/197.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19ChfjNJL0zrtHdnz6UKOqPi0B6Acr6BHfixoqRaBBo7f-Hyyd7s2r7AMupl7xPWqkgjr8JmGvpVULCw1NdEdBtUV7BR1nSoM_A9z-jl_L0XL_vw0wfcNVVx9edxuqO26FsZGvV39KRE/s400/197.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448207565461158386" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />So, that concludes a day in the life of a 2 year old! Pictures from his birthday party to come!Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-16471995085663178562010-02-22T18:20:00.000-08:002010-02-22T19:15:32.577-08:00Rambling facts and memories(Disclaimer: I am really sleepy, and I typed this without proofreading. Please have grace on my typos. I happened to be in the mood to "document" some things, so I though I better jump on it!)<br /><br />Korben is just getting over a coughing/fever virus that resulted in double ear infections. This virus required two doctors visits, antibiotics and ear drops. We know everyone at cooper clinic all to well! <br /><br />Just a week and a half before that Korben had strep throat. Of course, we all ended up catching it. This required doctors visits for Koben and me, as well as antibiotics for the whole family. Aaron's didn't get very bad because he caught it quickly with antibiotics. Mine was pretty ugly. Wish I could have taken a picture of the back of my throat. It could have been in a medical textbook<br /><br />Of course 1-2 weeks before that we all had the stomach bug.<br /><br />And a few weeks before that, Korben was on an antibiotic for a respiratory infection right after the new year.<br /><br /><br />To say the least, my little one still catches everything. It is always "whatever is going around." His doctors are not worried. They say it is normal for toddlers to be sick a lot when they play with other kids. They promise me his immunity will be exceptional by Kindergarten. I am praying that is true!<br /><br /><br />Somewhere in the middle of all this, I've had another gallbladder attack (I think) and frequent "pains." I have seen a GI doctor now, and agrees that it sounds like my gallbladder although none of my tests have shown that I have stones. He says that not all stones show up on ultrasounds and I may have stones that are the size of grans of sand. They do not go away on their own and will eventually form into bigger stones. There is a whole lot more I could say on this issue, but for some reason it is just not fun to talk about my gallbladder. I would much rather talk about Korben. Basically, I'm having a scope done on the 9th to rule-out anything bad going on in my stomach (Doctor doesn't think so, he just wants to cover his bases), and then I'm meeting with a surgeon on the 12th to talk about my gallbladder. Fun times. <br /> <br /><br />So, what is Korben up to? Well, It is like night and day around here when Korben goes from being sick to well. He has been sick so much lately that I was starting to forget just how much fun he is when he is well. Korben is officially back, in all of his high-energy. If he is not dancing, he is drumming or playing his guitar. Everything is a drum to him. Even if I am buying groceries, each item I put in the cart is just another "drum" and he has to beat it to see how it sounds. And he talks...constantly. And repetitively. If the thinks you didn't hear him the first time, don't worry, you will hear it again, and again, and again. <br /><br />He is not making much progress on learning his colors. It is almost humorous to hear him call four different colored crayons all "yellow." However, he is really exceptional with his shapes. He points out every heart, star, square, circle, or triangle he sees anywhere! This brings me to a story. On Saturday night I was putting Korben to bed and reading him a story. He has certain books that we read EVERY night. One is the farm book, which is an oversized hard back book with enormous pictures of everything relating to the farm. He was flipping the pages naming everything, as normal. He named the "pumpkin" and "scarecrow", then he started yelling "RANGLE!, RANGLE!" I was like, "What?" He continued to yell that and point at the scarecrow (which he had already named correctly). Then, out of frustration, he walked over and got his red triangle puzzle piece from his shapes puzzle and plopped it down on the scarecrow's nose, which I NOW noticed was a red triangle. Then he said "RANGLE" again, and it hit me..."Oh, TRIANGLE!!" AWESOME! I was so proud I almost cried. Bless his heart, all that time he was just trying to tell me that the scarecrow had a triangle for a nose. I thought it was brilliant that he was able to "think out of the box" and go get the puzzle piece for me to understand him. He knew I was so proud, and he was so proud of himself. He just smiled and hugged me over and over once he realized we were on the same page. So sweet!<br /><br />This past weekend was our TWEEKEND event with the youth. Korben really liked going to hear the music. We stayed in the balcony and worshiped while the band played, but as soon as Daddy came on stage we had to leave. Korben doesn't understand that he can't yell at his Daddy every time he sees him on stage. I tried to cover his mouth one time when he yelled out and then he yelled "NOOOOO" even louder. I guess we will just be participating during worship for now!<br /><br />Korben has so many FAVORITE people at church. Linda, June, Doris, Paul, Josh, and Scott! Korben adores our worship leader, Scott. Scott's wife Brittany is Aaron's secretary. He loves Brittany (who he calls "Omni"), but ADORES Scott (who he calls "Scotts"). We have a CD that Scott recorded in our car, and we hardly ever get past the first song because Korben wants to hear "Scotts, AGAIN! Scotts Guitar, Again!" Scott has NOOOOO idea how much he is talked about at our house (and in our car) by Korben! If I turn down the music for any reason, he immediately reminds me to turn it back up! Such. A. Mess. <br /><br />We had Korben's two year old pictures done with Leigh Ann today. Seems like yesterday that we did his one year pictures! He was a little clingy/shy at first, but it didn't take long for him to be his ultimate "ham" self. I had been telling him all day that Leigh Ann was going to take his picture. I also told him that Leigh Ann had candy. For some reason, he decided he would call her "Lamp", so all the way there, he said "Lamp...Candy!" We slipped her some smarties candy to bribe him with and that was all it took! Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures on here in the next few days...stay tuned!<br /><br />I posted this on my facebook the other day, but my blog is my baby book so I better write some of these stats on here. Korben is a little over 30 pounds, and really tall (not sure how many inches). He is wearing 3T jeans now! The length is perfect, and thanks the the adjustable waist, they are a perfect fit! I bought him his first pair of size 9 shoes and they also fit PERFECTLY. I don't know why I'm surprised his feet are so big with me wearing a size 10 and Aaron wearing a 15. There is no way he can get around big feet with our genes! He is in a size six diaper. He is not very into eating these days, but from what I hear from all my toddler mom friends, that is normal for this age. Oh well, I'm never going to stop offering. I hear that boys eventually like to eat! He seems to be doing better on the lactose intolerance issues. We have switched him from soy milk to lactose free milk. The lactose free milk has more calories and fat, which is a good thing for his age. He eats yogurt and butter on things regularly and never has a problem. He has even eaten several thing with cheese on it lately (even multiple bags of whole grain cheddar goldfish), and had no problems. Maybe he is growing out of it? Only time will tell!<br /><br />Aaron and I are attending the "Simply Youth Ministry" conference in Chicago at the end of this week. I am so excited for a hundred reasons! When we get back it will be just a few short days until Korben's birthday party. We are having a "farm" themed party at CC's farm. It is going to be so much fun!<br /><br />God is ridiculously good to us, and I'm so grateful for all he is doing in our lives. We are having a blast.Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-46752030596549007942010-01-30T14:25:00.001-08:002010-01-30T14:43:24.626-08:00Snowman and curly hair!Aaron made Korben his very own snowman! Korben and I watched his every move from the window. Korben would clap and say "awesome!", "man-man" (snowman), and "Yay, Daddy!" Aaron is so talented. He is so creative, and anything he ever does he does exceptionally well. I think his snowman is awesome! Especially for making it all by himself!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gv2B_CSUWqlRoTRpOmxDTbpHKy3vtS-3yaUr_6fYigrIO4YdfgGR0Ju1kp56Jehd_pTjGe9gP69E2Kk7rzSzfbrFk8SAGlLQ4d-5ImoQayk9pOZ5854WKNPl_a-cPZ5QwO8kNdZcwS0/s1600-h/044.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gv2B_CSUWqlRoTRpOmxDTbpHKy3vtS-3yaUr_6fYigrIO4YdfgGR0Ju1kp56Jehd_pTjGe9gP69E2Kk7rzSzfbrFk8SAGlLQ4d-5ImoQayk9pOZ5854WKNPl_a-cPZ5QwO8kNdZcwS0/s400/044.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432667128625865890" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOKt70h1v41lOQr-oCg2zJA83yFdM3g6Kbb57ACryKAMsSRe_esfIx4eTlvUVINbjOKobpIZ1od-TEVvT8-SlzCd7iX_Gxhxy9yfH9vO_o6ifaNyX4C41RxQnRuq-6Wq8zfrmCR5Hylk/s1600-h/045.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOKt70h1v41lOQr-oCg2zJA83yFdM3g6Kbb57ACryKAMsSRe_esfIx4eTlvUVINbjOKobpIZ1od-TEVvT8-SlzCd7iX_Gxhxy9yfH9vO_o6ifaNyX4C41RxQnRuq-6Wq8zfrmCR5Hylk/s400/045.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="<br />alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432664293295197826" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Just had to share these pics of my curly headed little guy! It is not always this curly, but sometimes when he wakes up from his naps it is out of control like this! A lot of people said that after we got the first hair cut, Korben would lose his curls. Now that his hair is getting long again, I guess we are seeing that isn't true! I'm so glad! I love his curls! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKDZTN1pEWXrSCidAZTJirjGnZ7mTgPWB8BsKYRZ-YxCZDZ4Ov3lPse0ljMKS5EKR3pYlBcpZ5XPPKBHm2ATto_ePrVrdp8mg62kWoTXITUNt_J1SxntddIYOL8lgF66PR4CmxYDRqEE/s1600-h/042.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKDZTN1pEWXrSCidAZTJirjGnZ7mTgPWB8BsKYRZ-YxCZDZ4Ov3lPse0ljMKS5EKR3pYlBcpZ5XPPKBHm2ATto_ePrVrdp8mg62kWoTXITUNt_J1SxntddIYOL8lgF66PR4CmxYDRqEE/s400/042.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432663591795855202" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vMs8zF88nyejOfEsVlEtAYgUzZbbWm8Zu1sY2kq5R-bfzZqIfXCsnRQP2amBI-eeFATa7xRQhRmCi7eCKKq6818-GFBAbKMGomTJzm5_uOHiDfnU3ldFCCEOJ6rDjvcyUI7H9IEcbRU/s1600-h/034.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vMs8zF88nyejOfEsVlEtAYgUzZbbWm8Zu1sY2kq5R-bfzZqIfXCsnRQP2amBI-eeFATa7xRQhRmCi7eCKKq6818-GFBAbKMGomTJzm5_uOHiDfnU3ldFCCEOJ6rDjvcyUI7H9IEcbRU/s400/034.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432662990772557458" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSZEexMvZpLZo-U2K33QrN2Tz9mMsV-piGXV9RDFxtQLU1pN5z5lfgv7tVhngioEWptnJgGbZdDsS865fgI08MXQWIjad-bgHG-fUpxI4xJg6OpWkU58rEH4p-hq9oig5LvZH3fVmm-4/s1600-h/031.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSZEexMvZpLZo-U2K33QrN2Tz9mMsV-piGXV9RDFxtQLU1pN5z5lfgv7tVhngioEWptnJgGbZdDsS865fgI08MXQWIjad-bgHG-fUpxI4xJg6OpWkU58rEH4p-hq9oig5LvZH3fVmm-4/s400/031.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432662677288908034" /></a>Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-37959654415473070782010-01-30T11:47:00.000-08:002010-01-30T12:26:10.547-08:00Korben's First Snow Experience!Fort Smith was lucky enough to get SIX gorgeous inches of snow (or at least, that is what we measured in our back yard!) It snowed all yesterday afternoon and all night. I seriously felt like we were living inside a snow globe. It was so beautiful! It had stopped snowing this morning, so it was time for Korben to experience it for the first time! Even though we have told him it is called "snow" , he continues to call it "man-man" which is his word for snowman. He got that word down pat at Christmas time after looking at so many snowman christmas decorations just a few months ago. When we finished playing in the snow today, without prompting, said "Bye Bye, Man-man." it was so cute. I guess we should have built him a snowman. The day is not over! :) <br /><br />Soon, I will put up the video Aaron took with his camera of Korben actually walking out into the snow for the first time. It is on facebook, if you haven't already seen it. It was so hilarious because he didn't like it at all. Especially the fact that it was getting all over his shoes. He just kept saying "Shoes, Shoes." <br /><br />We convinced him to stand in it long enough for me to shoot a little video of him in the snow. He thought it was funny when Aaron threw a snowball at me. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QDJrdbsmmgc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QDJrdbsmmgc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br />Here he is telling his Daddy to, "ZIP IT!" His coat, that is. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjydBUItJ154G4F8FiWHwsofY7Kf91hThvTrFofA10R9DGRiPEWqXzrEgw9Zq9HTvHDx5FHZPtnoiMmfkDtrnsDJuEdh7GaJ6-4RTu162T5BQXJRSVMCsdLAli4QcSDJrok2-nae047g/s1600-h/014.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjydBUItJ154G4F8FiWHwsofY7Kf91hThvTrFofA10R9DGRiPEWqXzrEgw9Zq9HTvHDx5FHZPtnoiMmfkDtrnsDJuEdh7GaJ6-4RTu162T5BQXJRSVMCsdLAli4QcSDJrok2-nae047g/s400/014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432622202357695810" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />"Cheese!"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFtBOOKSYZ2iW2L-1wcoxMLL0DXF0r6SE1GjyEiX63TOmhjsligoHWyJaJYuy_8t2dxHDujNYqGnP6WpJFZ6YsVT7IW9urTqd_A_GTmDhkJYBvMR13FnFqq2Fs9Sf7Uj42gSFTE_KcyU/s1600-h/015.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFtBOOKSYZ2iW2L-1wcoxMLL0DXF0r6SE1GjyEiX63TOmhjsligoHWyJaJYuy_8t2dxHDujNYqGnP6WpJFZ6YsVT7IW9urTqd_A_GTmDhkJYBvMR13FnFqq2Fs9Sf7Uj42gSFTE_KcyU/s400/015.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432622301604010322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyStHGk4O8jzaAcfccsKSvpWIVYrBIPxV19lJw7q3uoMD6QlYD6iEC2FHFrwzfyHDx-MtRfzxGZgpKmPLAQw0lRpoobHwtW-1rFX2nJjNz4-UyL54Dl7Cph0SXT-3n-gte63mLm-jMs-E/s1600-h/017.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyStHGk4O8jzaAcfccsKSvpWIVYrBIPxV19lJw7q3uoMD6QlYD6iEC2FHFrwzfyHDx-MtRfzxGZgpKmPLAQw0lRpoobHwtW-1rFX2nJjNz4-UyL54Dl7Cph0SXT-3n-gte63mLm-jMs-E/s400/017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432622559664502914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArRk3hmNhQSA_-khmwu8-4kRrsBY9DUr_9eSbiT1TrnOUAts-PCF1nYo4ezAKReOytArmH6jAQF_y0o0Cm1UxVKIiqZlIVhGSPMOOBNgX-O4aou3IKltjIzYHoBQZF7WzNcN_fWxnvGY/s1600-h/019.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArRk3hmNhQSA_-khmwu8-4kRrsBY9DUr_9eSbiT1TrnOUAts-PCF1nYo4ezAKReOytArmH6jAQF_y0o0Cm1UxVKIiqZlIVhGSPMOOBNgX-O4aou3IKltjIzYHoBQZF7WzNcN_fWxnvGY/s400/019.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432622724855855218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnkG_mSFp7_7_705uDpl3Z3V5csGbtRa-CDedJHEr0Mi19M-hi-KXTtIu5dmUGzQu45TJXxM5ntIisNDT6L9wHkXdxN-KhTJ0nAjigJUAJshYYUx3FVWKD7LWIEoUN-kTOOj5dugSnG8/s1600-h/021.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnkG_mSFp7_7_705uDpl3Z3V5csGbtRa-CDedJHEr0Mi19M-hi-KXTtIu5dmUGzQu45TJXxM5ntIisNDT6L9wHkXdxN-KhTJ0nAjigJUAJshYYUx3FVWKD7LWIEoUN-kTOOj5dugSnG8/s400/021.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432623193793556914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RwuQEh6W135iYRi_noA34QujFicr6uR8075AiVCrTM2FjZ_kJquqXH4Vorxz7hIWxWyH3mBbBkzJDy1ab8tjZXtHiNOpUbTCAv46KggziLnRksEyy9ZUCI-Tqlyl1gN6arnM6Ug-4Qw/s1600-h/024.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RwuQEh6W135iYRi_noA34QujFicr6uR8075AiVCrTM2FjZ_kJquqXH4Vorxz7hIWxWyH3mBbBkzJDy1ab8tjZXtHiNOpUbTCAv46KggziLnRksEyy9ZUCI-Tqlyl1gN6arnM6Ug-4Qw/s400/024.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432623485252750802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2LT1mnFuaB1XDmg-4gvfS2ZVpnKswqffUVJUC2f4fGE4zoL3KGo6N3dX7bRqddn4ey_XkFijnzq_9ExZAwtUIMFgYxVj-9X6D8IAF-e8ttZ6BgxVVKpkuEIcYiaxPT7a683B15G8yOU/s1600-h/028.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2LT1mnFuaB1XDmg-4gvfS2ZVpnKswqffUVJUC2f4fGE4zoL3KGo6N3dX7bRqddn4ey_XkFijnzq_9ExZAwtUIMFgYxVj-9X6D8IAF-e8ttZ6BgxVVKpkuEIcYiaxPT7a683B15G8yOU/s400/028.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432623775909191698" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This picture sort of looks like Korben is sitting in the snow, but he is just hanging in the air in an "L" shaped position. This is the position he would lock himself in if we would try to put him down. He did NOT want to get back int he snow! It was absolutely hilarious. The abdominal strength it took him to hold this position was astounding. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8pOETpogqO7Mxr4XKZqmOszKtgtuQaxgPms4IhljcaC2oIYXf175O5Ukqnh96kMXH6ycPVsby-KKtVo3oL4tBvuFfv8ytWP4q9WVv5lpjBwC29DFG_or-fCXa_TzT6oJu2l8YIgKnNo/s1600-h/030.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8pOETpogqO7Mxr4XKZqmOszKtgtuQaxgPms4IhljcaC2oIYXf175O5Ukqnh96kMXH6ycPVsby-KKtVo3oL4tBvuFfv8ytWP4q9WVv5lpjBwC29DFG_or-fCXa_TzT6oJu2l8YIgKnNo/s400/030.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432624074679505506" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It has been an incredibly fun weekend! The past couple nights Aaron and I have enjoyed watching the entire first season of the TV show "Friday Night Lights." We found that the first three seasons are available to watch free through our "live stream" netflix that we can watch through Aaron's X-box. If that sentence didn't make any sense, it doesn't make any sense to me either. Anyway, we have fallen in love with this TV show that started in 2006 on NBC about a high school football team in Dillon, TX. It is SO addicting! We only have to watch about 30 more episodes to be caught up to the year 2010. I am currently drinking my homemade french onion soup out of a mug as I finish up my blog, Aaron is playing a video game, Korben is napping...the house is quiet. I'm staring at the gorgeous snow through the window. These are precious memories I will never forget. What wonderful weekend this has been for our family.Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-68519924361539731572010-01-30T11:29:00.000-08:002010-01-30T12:26:32.690-08:00Taller than Daddy?There is a "guessing" formula that some doctors use to predict how tall boys will be when they are fully grown. At 2.5 years old they double their height, and use that to predict how tall they will be when they are full grown.<br /><br />Korben is currently at least 36 inches (haven't measured in a while). If we doubled that now, he would be 6 feet tall when he is full grown. However, the formula says to double it when they are 2.5. That is almost 8 months away! I predict my little boy is going to grow to be taller than his daddy who is 6'2"!<br /><br />This all became very real to me last week when we were all sick with the stomach bug. Aaron and Korben were still feeling pretty weak, and Korben was resting on his daddy. It is very rare to catch Korben lounging in someone's lap because he is ALWAYS on the move. After taking these pictures I realized just how tall he actually is! He definitely took up "half" of his daddy's length! CRAZY!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBFizfJD93NxPPOvYVKEeGdurBKThd6FpK7cbjJurDRmaD6Lolnef_ikGu1r5BJmVLSdLEz0EtskJWd7-4DpROAQHuwpMGAyVoVCGuQ9b6cx-aMCYowMsVNklgmd-auOrDQ82toEn2BQ/s1600-h/007.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBFizfJD93NxPPOvYVKEeGdurBKThd6FpK7cbjJurDRmaD6Lolnef_ikGu1r5BJmVLSdLEz0EtskJWd7-4DpROAQHuwpMGAyVoVCGuQ9b6cx-aMCYowMsVNklgmd-auOrDQ82toEn2BQ/s400/007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432620093963596530" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-d3b6qCsUn7xkdrBB9W2F8l5tc55LPV1bLmNLdjh14LmGaV9H5-IwU_sGfvEzLgarsWC1C8F6_s8z0PdYL0sV9zW_7bkUhH-ib3gZJFNDnjqrfPkHmjepIVgVKa9OllG-XaP4sWYfwSM/s1600-h/003.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-d3b6qCsUn7xkdrBB9W2F8l5tc55LPV1bLmNLdjh14LmGaV9H5-IwU_sGfvEzLgarsWC1C8F6_s8z0PdYL0sV9zW_7bkUhH-ib3gZJFNDnjqrfPkHmjepIVgVKa9OllG-XaP4sWYfwSM/s400/003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432620379930232626" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Poor Korben has had a run of bad luck with his health lately. He caught the stomach bug last week. Then, this week he has been running a fever of around 102. We took him to the doctor yesterday, just minutes before our snow storm hit, and he turned out to have pink eye in BOTH eyes. How did I miss this? As well as a REALLY red throat. I was so glad to hear that his ears looked good though. I'm always afraid to hear that he is going to have ear infections, even if he does have tubes! Dr. Beene gave him an oral antibiotic to kill the pink eye, and she said it could possibly help with his throat if he happens to have strep throat. His strep throat test was negative, but it is not 100% accurate. It is probably something viral though. That is what we do around here...we catch viruses. Professionally.Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368544813899685041.post-65554524924587067832010-01-21T21:13:00.000-08:002010-01-21T21:46:51.666-08:00Cupid, guitars, 4-wheeling, and baby pics!He doesn't look sick, does he? My poor little guy caught the stomach bug I had, and woke up this morning throwing up. He only wanted to drink water and a little bit of juice today, and his entire diet today consisted of 5 crackers. So far, I have to say, this has been the easiest stomach virus he has ever had. He has had 5 or 6 stomach viruses in his little life, and most of the time they are terrible. He went back and forth from really energetic, and then he would want me to hold him. I snapped these pictures during an energetic time this afternoon while I was tickling him.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXe_wO0UTirtcJx4MMAQfhyphenhyphenG-qdh3yzOxU6VYoe7paVhogheGYGU5awkTxfVaAs5yVCKgRNdnIqejXrP0FS-ysfZqUB1WePNO6VlQ1oF55ODNGRVdmxlp-IEAIylHIzkorURhjkaU4dg/s1600-h/016.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXe_wO0UTirtcJx4MMAQfhyphenhyphenG-qdh3yzOxU6VYoe7paVhogheGYGU5awkTxfVaAs5yVCKgRNdnIqejXrP0FS-ysfZqUB1WePNO6VlQ1oF55ODNGRVdmxlp-IEAIylHIzkorURhjkaU4dg/s400/016.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429429216033255026" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjOdl1Mm7T_Y2tQFgcLGVFijeF4B_NxQFcN9wRHSABkx2AY_JvchoTX7tadkGZvxlTRR-t3UhMiRcDggTZ6uh4M_q84q29F7Qyah4NU-jwPsPhqcPBEWtZfZLaxMq9gLz5QHm25dpjG8/s1600-h/017.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjOdl1Mm7T_Y2tQFgcLGVFijeF4B_NxQFcN9wRHSABkx2AY_JvchoTX7tadkGZvxlTRR-t3UhMiRcDggTZ6uh4M_q84q29F7Qyah4NU-jwPsPhqcPBEWtZfZLaxMq9gLz5QHm25dpjG8/s400/017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429429104523926834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDaUXWl3WVqttuDCxahUuXKuMGtQrFne98GuE-T2dZTbCkfh4IVVEW4HXeXV7v-d_tUZETS4y1DdG9f2R8wQb57HWkiGUUjm08jLdtq4VvLTxfMhizRjKvy9mXh0JlYWyycCQpfqq0vk/s1600-h/018.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDaUXWl3WVqttuDCxahUuXKuMGtQrFne98GuE-T2dZTbCkfh4IVVEW4HXeXV7v-d_tUZETS4y1DdG9f2R8wQb57HWkiGUUjm08jLdtq4VvLTxfMhizRjKvy9mXh0JlYWyycCQpfqq0vk/s400/018.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429429009610312130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMLoTMgft7Xh6GRe7JiU-ctwzJ-gkFtUrmCklPKrShJVdeBXSRjQZM5VtT7v1yX9djK3vnZivZ3sKbOZ-3iVT5muzRWOfUhYQRW42D7C6ZV6XljAclYUTZl_VYSYCgFctL2UohZ_4CXU/s1600-h/015.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMLoTMgft7Xh6GRe7JiU-ctwzJ-gkFtUrmCklPKrShJVdeBXSRjQZM5VtT7v1yX9djK3vnZivZ3sKbOZ-3iVT5muzRWOfUhYQRW42D7C6ZV6XljAclYUTZl_VYSYCgFctL2UohZ_4CXU/s400/015.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429428810564875282" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I snapped these before we left for church on Wednesday night. Here is my personal "guitar hero" jamming out before going to hear the Refuge Band lead worship.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBug4IdvloA-iWHP6wbG3cboDpJaidOCmEzy4heavmZFazWsMpLGAXEMNqmsGs7AhMsnEyY1p-gM740u5zPP2_0e8Rv8KICPuVI365eFKQ57tqozEWpo2VsPhNOhWeZ5bLXI8wAdENDuo/s1600-h/004.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBug4IdvloA-iWHP6wbG3cboDpJaidOCmEzy4heavmZFazWsMpLGAXEMNqmsGs7AhMsnEyY1p-gM740u5zPP2_0e8Rv8KICPuVI365eFKQ57tqozEWpo2VsPhNOhWeZ5bLXI8wAdENDuo/s400/004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429428599044584290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixn5dMw1Bglhv3xalqmHuOtWPnfJh6jfNBU7bPoXttJGSl4Fx0YDgVJec1_6xGLkzgqPZ50nKL0y3b3PNGi_sbn7s_mrt4UJM0rgVb1_NNiaBFC9p7ETPwHJPb2P9hLjJGFe2lXsbPU9Y/s1600-h/002.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixn5dMw1Bglhv3xalqmHuOtWPnfJh6jfNBU7bPoXttJGSl4Fx0YDgVJec1_6xGLkzgqPZ50nKL0y3b3PNGi_sbn7s_mrt4UJM0rgVb1_NNiaBFC9p7ETPwHJPb2P9hLjJGFe2lXsbPU9Y/s400/002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429428406145842690" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />He tried to speed out of town on his 4-wheeler the other night before I could get him in the bath tub. Luckily, I caught him before he got too far (after I took the picture of course)!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3yx7SwuAFCMuxKNr4vzocBUu-sz_oW2P9i82UuCpWzxVoNp4HQvZUat0wTSHvTo_BUmhcf91HCTuO3GF0jl-f461YlSHHRPq7d0T2sqKknpNSuPIyH-nd8BWxcWakkH7AEvWafFNlBQ/s1600-h/001.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3yx7SwuAFCMuxKNr4vzocBUu-sz_oW2P9i82UuCpWzxVoNp4HQvZUat0wTSHvTo_BUmhcf91HCTuO3GF0jl-f461YlSHHRPq7d0T2sqKknpNSuPIyH-nd8BWxcWakkH7AEvWafFNlBQ/s400/001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429428266609863122" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I just had to compare a picture I took of Korben today, with a picture I took of him at 2 months old. The picture I took today brought back so many memories of almost every picture I took of him when he was a baby because he would always hold his hands in that same position. Are these not the sweetest shots? Well, I guess I am a little biased!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVdo5n23jIIjS06kBV0E0Y27yVkQ3Mjl2awPup7B0UMVvkECNqZA5CBrEUturYDGhHbl5SBVZd1h7D7vYYD-NMUKWbQZl5v_7w-ayZI_0lXDbAGSkYePihGNmIpF6TxDwZMvXV__HQHs/s1600-h/first+smile.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVdo5n23jIIjS06kBV0E0Y27yVkQ3Mjl2awPup7B0UMVvkECNqZA5CBrEUturYDGhHbl5SBVZd1h7D7vYYD-NMUKWbQZl5v_7w-ayZI_0lXDbAGSkYePihGNmIpF6TxDwZMvXV__HQHs/s400/first+smile.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429428134178976370" <br />/></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDiSFrWf9dWiNzu5SfpOxpcIsYoYBKxA0tChcgQT5Brq5lUSyo7WVKELOGI1iXhyphenhyphen_ZMilBuhXK1VWwkSSNdDEg22LL91F_sq6Hh_CT7ANKzOScBuKw2iSvRMeFXuwlSI3KhqkY06waEC0/s1600-h/020.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDiSFrWf9dWiNzu5SfpOxpcIsYoYBKxA0tChcgQT5Brq5lUSyo7WVKELOGI1iXhyphenhyphen_ZMilBuhXK1VWwkSSNdDEg22LL91F_sq6Hh_CT7ANKzOScBuKw2iSvRMeFXuwlSI3KhqkY06waEC0/s400/020.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429429611550057378" /></a>Kristen Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811704384093890421noreply@blogger.com0