It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It's been a fun Christmas season here at the McKown household! Much more exciting with a toddler than an infant, I'd have to say! We decided to get our first "real" tree. I don't think I'll go back to artificial now. I'd forgotten how the smell of a fresh evergreen brings back childhood Christmas memories! Now about watering it all the time, that I could do without! We decided to get a tree at Home Depot instead of the Christmas tree farm. Why spend twice the amount when you can get one for $36! We will save that for when Kierstyn will remember going on the hunt for one :) We found the perfect one at the store that we agreed on in no more than 5 minutes. I was very impressed!

We decided to get new tree lights this year - LED's. Who can resist energy savings?! We got 200 warm white and 200 colored. Well, after we got them all on they were so neon we thought we'd need sunglasses. So we (mostly me!) decided to take back the colored ones and keep just the white ones. It's so cozy in here with the tree and our new "fake" fireplace, which is so fun! It was a late anniversary present/early christmas present to ourselves. Totally worth the money :) And we can't forget baby Keeks! She was such a good girl this year I decided to get her a tree of her own. Of course it is all girly and glam and she loves it! She loves when the lights are on but she knows not to touch. She'll even say "tree - no no no" while shaking her pointer finger. She makes me smile!

We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and is making good memories of your own!

So Thankful!

So thankful for my family and extended family this thanksgiving! We had a wonderful dinner at Adam's parents house and it was a treat to have my parents join us this year! Sad to not have Amy & her family or my Ackerman grandparents with us this year, but I hear Amy threw on a good spread for some good friends of theirs! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and hope you had a great time with family and friends!

Carter's a-comin'!

Kierstyn is starting to repeat things you ask her to say, and is also picking up things on her own. She is really excited for her cousin to come next week. She keeps saying "Car-Car" and is now doing Carter's signature noise....

Like Father, Like Daughter

Every time we clean out our drawers and closets, we run into this raunchy old coat that Adam had when he was a little kid. It was "custom made" for a truck club that he and his parents belonged to. Now that it is unwearable he wants to save it for Keeks - over my dead body! Well, he secretly put it on her and she came around the corner for me to see her. Best part that you don't see is when she tripped on the sleeve and fell over - and couldn't get up because she was bound in it like a little mummy, haha! Adam LOVES this coat, and swears he will never part with it...

First Piggies!

Here's a pic of Kierstyn checking out her first pigtails...aren't they C-U-T-E! I think they make her look way more like a toddler and less of a baby!

Banana Mohawk

Kierstyn ate some bananas the other morning, and did this to her hair with her sticky hands while I had my back turned....

Project a comin'!

I've been wanting some fabric to do something with that resembeled my sister's shower curtain. It had blue birdies on it and was from Target, and you can't find it anywhere! I even noticed when I googled it that there were many blogs, etc saying that a lot of people loved this shower curtain and it is not available anywhere! So another route I went. I just ordered 5 yards of this cool fabric to make some curtains for the guest room. I've had my eye on it for a long time - and it keeps getting sold out. Yesterday I noticed the website replenished their inventory - 240 yards - yahoo! I added it to my cart and saw there was a discount. 15% off if you order $40 or more, and free shipping over $35. Well it was $6.98/yd so I needed to add $0.10 for free shipping, but figured if I put $5.90 more in my cart I would get that extra item free and actually my total would come out to $34 - so why not! I found some cute trim to put on a pillow for Kierstyn - 1 1/2 yds was $5.97 - PERFECT! If you are interested in the coupon it is at www.fabric.com. Finished project to come in the weeks ahead!

My little gift

I feel so lucky to have this precious little baby. I've realized how quickly time goes by and that little babies sure enough grow up to be toddlers. There are days when you are at the gas station for 20 minutes because your child throws up all over themselves and the carseat, and the gas pump falls out of the car and gets gas all over your feet. Those are days you'd rather just forget about. But then there are other days when you realize your baby is growing up before your eyes...like the first time that your "baby" walks from the car in the driveway into the house all by herself because you have 2 handfulls of shopping bags. Then later in the bathtub puts all of her bath toys away when you ask her to, even without showing her what you just said to do, then claps for herself. These days are the days to cherish - the ones to blog about so you can look back and remember!

Miss Kierstyn can moo, can you?

Kierstyn says a bounty of animal noises, so I thought I'd capture them on video while she's still a little tot and it's super cute! Enjoy!

A Milestone!

Today was a very special day! It was considered Kierstyn's first "official" day that she has walked. Sure, she has taken a few steps here and there, but nothing that we considered actual walking! We have thought she would be walking "any day now" ever since she turned 8 months. Well, today is the day! We are so proud of her and excited for this milestone! Enjoy the video below!

The Birthday Celebrations

Saturday July 3rd we went out with my parents to celebrate our 3 birthdays. One of our favorite restaurants is Kelsey's steakhouse. Our parents treated us so it was extra special. One time we went out (before having a kid) we saw a family at Kelsey's celebrating their kid's birthday. He was only probably 5 years old. I said "what kid requests a steakhouse and not chucky cheese? You KNOW the parents picked the place!!!" Well, here it was, on Kierstyn's first birthday and where did we go, the steakhouse! But she didn't eat so it was technically just for me and Adam's birthday dinners, hehe :)

Sunday July 4th we had Kierstyn's 1st birthday party:

JULY 3 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIERSTYN!!!

One year ago was one of the hardest but best days of my entire life. After 30 LONG hours of labor I delivered the most beautiful baby girl who is the pride and joy of me and Adam's life! Kierstyn Emmaleigh was well worth the 9 long months of waiting. I prayed for this baby for so long and feel like I have been blessed beyond what I ever could've asked for! She is such a wonderfully sweet and pleasant baby. I cannot believe that she is already a year old! Parents of children tell you how fast time flies by and to cherish every moment with your kids. I now believe what they say is very true. We are so excited to watch Kierstyn grow up and see what is in the days to come! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIERSTYN ~ We love you SOOOO much!

Another finishing touch

Last week I was {pleasantly} awakened two mornings to look out my window and see this...
Yep, that's right, heavy machinery! We finally made the decision to get our driveway paved and oh boy is it great. No more gravel on the carmats everytime you get in the car. No more struggling to pull the trash can down a really long driveway. And yes to smooth sailing for Kierstyn when she starts riding on her toys! Adam is thrilled to death, can you guess why? Oh yes, he can now officially snowblow his driveway with his John Deere snowblower attachment (couldn't do that with gravel)....oh boy :)

Here is the finished product:

Cousin Time!

Mid-June we were happy to have Amy, Brian, Rylie and Carter come to Chicago to visit us! Kierstyn had been long-awaiting her cousins to come. She had been waving to "Car-Car's" picture up on grammy's bookshelf for months, so she was thrilled to finally see him in person again! Boy did the kids have a great time together. Kierstyn just screamed because she was so excited...it made Carter a little uncomfortable at first but then he got used to her. The babies also kept trying to attack Rylie and whatever she was playing with. We kept joking and called it "attack of the babies" :)

We all spent some fun time together that week. Adam, Brian and my dad went to a Cubs game, we all went to the Shedd Aquarium (minus Adam since he had to be at work) and just spent some time hanging out. We sure miss having them around - it would be great if they could be closer one day!

A FRESH new look!!!

I am SOOO excited that I am able to finally do this post - meaning that the project of redoing my kitchen cabinets is FINALLY complete!!! I joke and call this "project de-schwankify" - meaning that our builder (Schwanke), bless his heart, is a little old school in design, and too bad the house was complete before we found it and I had any chance to pick out the finishing touches. The kitchen cabinets, including all the doors and trim, are what some describe as honey oak, but I refer to as "butterscotch pudding oak". I am SOOOO thankful that we were able to purchase a brand new home but I am also thankful that I am able to do some much needed updates :)

I, by miracle, was able to complete this project in one week, well lets make it two. All of the work was done in a week but I had to wait a bit to put the hardware on so it didn't stick too badly, you know, in case I change my mind in a few years - haha!!!!

Steps to lose the oak:

1. Remove doors and all hardware

2. Wipe cabinet frames and both sides of doors with Liquid Sandpaper (found at Lowes)

3. Prime everything - I used "bulldog all purpose primer" found at Benjamin Moore. I don't think I would've picked this but our "paint master" at BM said it was the most highly recommended from his customers. Primer dries fairly quickly (1-2 hours) but I let each side of everything dry for a whole day.

4. Paint everything. I used the color "Primitive White" by Dutch Boy. The color goes well with white appliances if you are unsure of that issue. If I had stainless steel appliances I wouldn't hesitate to go with a darker cream color but this is nice with the white. The paint was an issue. I ALWAYS use Sherwin Williams. I love it. It always rolls nice and covers well. I should've had the paint matched at SW but I was already at Menards and in a hurry to get the project going. You know how that goes. Anyways, Dutch Boy paint wasn't recommended for cabinets, since I didn't want a semi-gloss or glossy cabinets. They say that so you can wipe them off or whatever, but that's gross. I got a satin finish in the Grand Distinction paint & primer combo brand of paint. It's Menard's paint. I hated it, it was bubbly and didn't cover that swell. I don't recommend it! Someone elses blog mentioned they loved Home Depot Behr paint & primer in one. I may give that a try for another project but just take my advice on the Menards brand!

5. After everything is done and dry you can put the hinges on and put the doors back on the cabinet frames. Make sure you buy those small clear little plastic round sticker bumper things - sorry, don't know the official name! They will allow a barrier when you close the doors so they will not stick to the frame. This is manditory! :)

6. Wait a few days - or maybe not - and put on your updated hardware. We chose oil-rubbed bronze knobs and cup pulls. I got them off of Ebay for like 1.50 and 1.80 each. I thought it was a deal. ESPECIALLY compared to the home improvement stores. Please don't pay $4-$7 per piece of hardware!

Violia! You are done and have a beautiful new kitchen. PS did I mention that I did both bathroom vanities as well? The paint brushes, rollers, etc were all out so what's adding another 4 doors and 4 drawers to the mix? Uh, yeah. Your house will be a guaranteed disaster for a week, lets say two! But the end result is worth it! PPS if you have a mother or mother in law in the area, convince them they need to pick up your child and take them to their house for the day. If you can get 2 saturdays in a row like I did - EVEN BETTER! It won't take anything to convice them, they will be joyous for the opportunity!!! :) HAPPY PAINTING!

Before:

After:

Baby Dedication

On Mother's Day each year, our church has a tradition of doing baby dedications. We believe that instead of doing infant baptism that the child be "dedicated" to Christ until they reach an age that they fully understand the gospel of Christ and that he came to earth to die for our sins, raising again to heaven after 3 days in the tomb. Obviously a baby cannot understand this process, which is what getting baptised is all about - an outward committment of the inner decision to follow and commit to Christ and live a life that reflects this. The baby dedication is when the parents stand before the church with their kids and make a committment to all that they will raise their children up in knowledge and truth, teaching thier kids about Jesus, and setting a good example of Christ. I think it's a great committment to make and Adam and I hope that we will be a wonderful example to Kierstyn - and hope one day Kierstyn comes to know Jesus Christ as her personal savior. We want Christ to be the center of our home - not ourselves or the "busy-ness of life" or anything else for that matter. We love you baby girl!!

A little past 11 months!

So hopefully my blogging habits are in no relation to being a good mom by keeping people updated each month! I'll admit I'm a little excited that the first year is coming to a close, only for the fact that I won't have to update the baby book and blog every 30 days, haha :) Kierstyn's 11 month bday came and went, I thought of getting that special picture and posting but what I was busy with will be in another blog post...redoing my kitchen cabinets! I have some adorable pictures from mother's day, and that was just a few days past her 11 month mark.

Kierstyn is advancing every day. At 11 months she was 24 lbs and 29" so she packed on some pounds but not in height this month. She has MASTERED waving. She waves to everyone, I am not kidding. I think she looks forward to going to the store so she can get so much attention. She waves to passersby and they ooh and aah over how cute she is and that she made their day by giving them a wave! She isn't walking yet but we keep saying how close she is. We were hoping she'd be on the move by her first birthday, but that isn't too far away so we'll see. She is getting closer to saying real things too. Bless her heart she tries the hardest to say "kitty" but it still just comes out as "kkk.....ttt" It's still cute just the same :) Well I won't go crazy because I'll be updating this in a few weeks with her one year milestone. Just thought I'd get this on the page before it was too late!

Run Kierstyn, Run!

10 months old and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Time has flown by so fast recently that I forgot to post a 9 month picture & post...whoops! Today Kierstyn is 10 months old. She is up to 20 1/2 pounds and 29 inches. She eats absolutely anything I give to her. Her latest favorite is gerber baby yogurt. She cries when the cup is empty. I have to give her some extra cheerios or puffs to make her happy :) She eats all kinds of fruits and veggies and has meats added to the diet as well - chicken, turkey, beef and ham. She has 6 teeth now, 4 on bottom and the top 2. Wow, is she on the move or what. She is crawling super fast, walking along tables and couches and should be walking on her own pretty soon here. She likes to get into whatever she can and one of her favorite new things is going through the newspaper with me. I give her my "trash pile" and she goes through every ad, first taking a peek at the colorful things on sale then tearing the papers...she loves it! I'm sure she'll be a good bargain shopper like her mom :)

Today is also an extra special day because it is CARTER'S 1st BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday little car-car! Hope you enjoy that first bite of birthday cake :) Wish we were there to celebrate at your birthday party. We're planning a mini combo family birthday party for the kids when they come up to Chicago in June so we'll just look forward to then.

8 Months Old!

Kierstyn turned 8 months old this past wednesday! So many changes since last month. She is now doing the "scoot", mostly backwards, but she is going from a sitting position to leaning over on her hands and knees and rockin' away. Any day now she's going to be on the move. Another big step...drum roll...she is now eating food, yay! She ate cereal for quite some time and refused to eat anything else but now she pretty much eats everything we feed her. We thought green beans were her favorite, as seen below after DADDY fed her haha, but really she says "mmm" after most bites of anything :)

She also is eating puffs and cheerios and has taken an interest in a sippy cup. However, she still needs help to actually hold the cup high enough to get a drink :) What a big girl!

Sophie Turns Four!

7 Months old!

I think this is my favorite picture yet :) Kierstyn is already 7 months. Just weighed her, she is 19.4 lbs and 27". She doesn't go back for another check-up until she is 12 months old so I decided that I will need to weigh and measure her myself! She just took her first official vacation - plane and all...she did great! We went to Phoenix to see her Aunt Amy, Uncle Brian and cousins Carter and Rylie. Kierstyn had such a great time playing and interacting with Carter, I think she really misses having him around! She also just got rid of her first cold, given to her by her cousin Carter. Oh well, atleast it's over and it was him that gave it to her! Look how cute these guys are!

6 (and 1/2) months old...and a new room!

So this month I am REALLY late on posting the monthly baby picture. But with the holidays and everything going on, we've been a little busy. Kierstyn has advanced SO much since 5 months and now has 2 teeth, is sitting up most of the day, and started eating cereal - rice and oatmeal. We've been trying stage 1 foods but that's not going so well. Oh well, maybe next month :)

Earlier this month, I was looking for something to do and thought, hey, why not flip the guest room and Kierstyn's room? The queen bed in the guest room seemed cramped ever since we switched rooms and set up the nursery in the bigger room. So to the paint store I went and after HOURS of deliberation (and you know this if you know me!), I picked out the perfect icy pink...or so I thought. I was painting over a deep gold color, loved it but I liked the brown room more and I didn't want 2 rooms the same color, ya know! As soon as I finished the 3rd coat, it was looking quite lavander to me so out to ACE I went, and again, after about an hour in the store, I picked out yet another pink. I went against the opinion of the paint guy, stuck to my gut, and used the lightest color on a scheme with a rusty barn red at the bottom. After all, that is the color of my dining room and kitchen so I wanted to stick to the same scheme. It turned out great!!! Then I thought it looked a bit plain in there and wanted to spruce it up. I looked at decals, but came to the conclusion those suckers are kind of expensive, I can do this myself! I found the perfect sillouhette, added some personal touches in photoshop elements, printed that puppy out on a transparency and borrowed a neighbors overhead projector from their church. Just outlined it with a pencil and slapped a couple of layers of paint on. Easy Schmeezy :)