Missing Scott

Kaelyn and I are missing Scott. He left yesterday morning for work in Illinois. He returns late tonight. My parents were kind enough to invite Kaelyn and I over to stay with them last night so we had some company....I'm so glad they did. It was nice to see them and also have help with Kaelyn. We had a great time! Now we're back home and anxious for Scott to get home. I'm sure we'll both be sleeping by the time he arrives, but at least he's getting back in time to spend the weekend with us!

Other than that our week was rather uneventful. It was nice out most days so Kaelyn and I got to spend a lot of time outdoors....we always love that!! Hopefully this weekend will be the same way! We're also busy getting ready for a garage sale that we're having in a couple of weeks...what a big job!

Change of Plans and a Great Weekend!

The Weekend: This weekend we were supposed to spend time in Cedar Falls so Scott could go golfing with my brothers and my Dad. He found out earlier in the week that he had committed to volunteering for his Grandpa's church...taking the youth out on the lake with his family's jet skis. He was a little bummed, but knew that he needed to stick with what he agreed to do. In the end, even after the bitter cold morning of jet skiing on the lake, our weekend was so great!! Friday we decided that we finally needed to get Kaelyn a climber of some sort. We headed out and came home with this one.




She absolutely loves it! We've been wanting to get her one for a while and finally decided to. I'm so glad we did...it's something she'd be happy playing with for hours at a time! Saturday Kaelyn and I hung out in the morning while Scott was volunteering. After her nap Scott got home and we took her outside to play on her new climber for a while. It was nice to have some time together as a family!!


Today we went to church, came home and after Kaelyn's nap...took her out to swim in her pool for a while. She loves to be in the water so this is something she really enjoyed. What she loved most was when Scott put her climber slide in the pool! It's so great to see such a big smile on her face all the time!! I just love it! :)





Potty Training: Well...we are officially saying Kaelyn is potty trained now! She is only wearing diapers when she sleeps (nap and bedtime), but other than that she is wearing little girl underwear all the time. We could have probably said she was potty trained a couple weeks ago, but weren't brave enough to take her out and about without a diaper on. This week we finally decided we had to...and whenever we went somewhere (including church today), we had her in underwear. She is SO good to tell us when she has to go and loves to go on the big potties in stores, etc. I'm glad she caught on to this whole potty thing so fast....we only started training about 4 weeks ago...so we're thrilled! She always wakes up dry from nap and 9 times out of 10 wakes up dry in the morning. We're happy that she is now potty trained well before the baby arrives.

The Pregnancy: Everything is going well! I'm feeling great and couldn't be enjoying pregnancy more. The second half of this second trimester has been so much better for me. I am enjoying it while I can...as I remember the discomfort of getting even bigger in the third trimester!! We are now 22 weeks and can't believe how fast the time is going! Here is the 22 week belly pic....:)

Family

We had a fantastic weekend! It was really nice to spend time with my family for a couple of days to celebrate my Dad's birthday. My brother Josh and his family have lived in Texas for the last 4 years, so having them back in Iowa is wonderful! We are all enjoying getting to spend time together as a family and seeing each other more than just once or twice a year!

Friday night Josh and the family, as well as my brother Jake headed up to Albert Lea to stay for the night. It was fun getting Kaelyn and Emry together again! Emry is all Kaelyn talks about now!! She loves her cousin. :) She was quite sad to see him leave on Sunday...I've never seen her so heartbroken. :( It was Forest City's town celebration weekend, so Saturday morning we headed there and met my parents at the parade. The kids LOVED it!! We spent the rest of Saturday playing games, watching the kids interact, grilling out, and of course watching fireworks! What a relaxing and fun day! Sunday we all went to church and then came home where the kids were able to swim in my parent's backyard for a while. I'm so glad Kaelyn has a cousin who lives so close now...they sure had a great time playing together!

Emry checking out Kaelyn's big girl bed before bedtime

At the parade

Fireworks

Swimming

The pregnancy is going great! I can't believe we're actually 21 weeks already! I know, I know...I say that every week...but it's crazy how fast it's going! A while back I said that I'd post an ultrasound pic of our little one...so here he/she is! We can't wait to meet Baby Gaskill! :)

Happy Birthday Dad!

I have such an amazing Dad and Mom and feel incredibly blessed to call them my parents. They are so special to me, and I appreciate them more than words can say!! :)

Today is my Dad's birthday!! He is the greatest, and the absolute best Dad in the world!! Not to mention a wonderful Grampa as well! Kaelyn adores him! :) He's such a loving and Godly man, and I feel so blessed to have him as my Dad!! I could go on and on...as he truly is someone I look up to and admire...and always will.

Happy Birthday Dad, We love you! :)

Another Busy One!

This past week has definitely been a busy one for us! Fun, but busy! Wednesday we had our 20 week ultrasound! It was GREAT! My mom came up to watch Kaelyn and Scott and I went to the appointment. It was wonderful to see our little one again. He/she seems to be growing like a weed and the Dr said everything looked great. She said she could tell right away what we were having, and even told us to look away for a moment if we didn't want to know because it was so obvious. It made us think "boy", but who knows...it could be a girl too. Guess we'll see in November! :) We were a little bummed because they only printed two pics off for us, and one didn't really turn out...the baby had moved as she was taking it and it was a bit blurry. It was nice to have a couple of them though. I'll try and post one here very soon....just have to scan them into my computer.

Other than the ultrasound, the pregnancy is going great! I'm feeling much better these days and am finally able to enjoy the pregnancy a bit more. I'm growing by the week and am beginning to finally feel pregnant now that I have a baby bump that people can see in the clothes I wear. It's great! I've been feeling the baby move for a few weeks now, and each day that passes he/she gets more and more busy!

Saturday Scott was in the LM parade for his job...so Kaelyn and I road with him in his truck. It was fun to watch Kaelyn as she waved to everyone and attempted to throw them candy! :) We had a lot of fun and all took naps when we got home. We decided after naps that we'd spend the afternoon at the pool. I'm so glad we did...it was extremely relaxing and fun to see Kaelyn making new friends and enjoying the water.

Yesterday we woke up early because we had early Nursery duty at church. It was our first time working in there and both Scott and I enjoyed watching Kaelyn interact with the other kids and babies. She's such a social butterfly! After church, lunch and naps again :), we got groceries and then headed to my parents house for supper. It's always great to spend time with them!!

I was thinking ahead to all that we have planned the rest of the summer and it seems like almost every weekend is packed! It's definitely going to make the summer go by very quickly, but also means that the pregnancy will hopefully continue to go by really fast as well! Can't wait for November!! Kaelyn and I have a pretty relaxing week and then head to my parents for the weekend to celebrate my Dad's birthday! Should be a lot of fun!

4th of July Weekend Update

Wow...it's been a while since I posted an update! We left early on Friday for Cedar Falls and got back home late Sunday. We had such a great time spending the holiday with family and helping Josh and Di move into their new place. They're going to love living in Cedar Falls again!! Kaelyn LOVED getting to spend time with her cousin Emry too. It will be nice to have them closer together so they can hopefully get to know each other better. We went to the fireworks Saturday night and it was Kaelyn's first time. I wasn't sure how she'd react, but it went great. She kept saying "wow"! It was fun to see her experience this for the first time. I know next year she'll probably enjoy it even more!

Playing on Cousin Emry's bed

Watching the fireworks and playing with her glow sticks

Tomorrow we have our 20 week ultrasound! Scott and I are both very excited to see our little one again. The ultrasound appointments are always our favorite. We're not going to find out if it's a boy or a girl...we'd like to be surprised like we were with Kaelyn....but it will still be fun to see our little baby again and watch him or her wiggle all around! I can't wait!! I will try and post a few of the pics we get by the end of the week.

Oh...and Friday before heading down to Cedar Falls we got Kaelyn's ears pierced! She did great and it looks adorable. She walks around pointing to her ears and says "ear cute". :) She still got called a boy in Walmart though...guess it's going to take getting some more hair before people stop doing that. haha I haven't got a good picture of her with earrings yet...she's too quick...but I will try to get some posted soon!

I hope everyone had a fantastic 4th of July!

Happy Wednesday!!

Kaelyn's first day/night in her big girl bed went GREAT! I wasn't going to start her in the bed until next week...but ever since we set it up...she's been showing so much interest that I decided we'd try. Naptime started out a little rough...she just wasn't too sure about it. She ended up going to sleep though and had the biggest smile when she woke up! She was SO proud to have slept in her big bed. Last night I thought it might be a little rough again, but she did amazing! We laid her down at 8:30 like we always do and didn't hear from her til almost 8 this morning!! She slept so well...and once again was SO happy to be waking up in her big bed. Whenever we walk in to get her...she always says...."sit" and pats the bed beside her. She just loves it! :) I'm so glad. This was a big transition that I was wondering how it would go.

Scott's sister Tami is in town for the week. She lives in Virginia and hasn't seen Kaelyn since she was just a few weeks old (besides last week when she saw her when she got into town). She was really wanting some bonding time with Kaelyn...so, she's going to babysit while Scott and I go see a movie! Another date!! This is great. :) Kaelyn will really enjoy it...she just loves spending time with her Aunts.

Aunt Tami with Kaelyn just a few weeks old

Aunt Tami with Kaelyn last week!

Since we'll be gone tonight, that means today and tomorrow I need to spend doing a little packing. We're headed to Cedar Falls for the weekend to spend the 4th of July with my family and to help my brother and his family move! It should be a really fun weekend. I'm looking forward to it. I always enjoy visiting Cedar Falls and of course seeing family!!

A Weekend At Home

We had plans to go to the pool again this weekend....however, the weather was not cooperating. It was either extremely windy or raining...hopefully another weekend! Having a weekend at home was nice too though. Saturday we got a lot done. We started setting up Kaelyn's new bed and bedroom. She is SO excited! We still don't have it all ready for her....but soon she'll be sleeping in there. Such a big girl! We're praying for a smooth transition.

Kaelyn and Daddy trying out her new big girl bed!

Sunday afternoon our church was hosting a Petting Zoo. Knowing how much Kaelyn LOVES animals...we knew she'd think this was pretty neat. We went and had a wonderful time! Right as we got there, she walked right over the goats and said "Hi Sheep" in the loudest and cutest voice! :) It was adorable. We tried explaining that they were goats, but "sheep" is what they looked like to her....too cute! She also loved the little pigs, the dog and the bunny! It makes me excited to take her to the zoo again this year....she'll enjoy that a lot too.

Kaelyn getting licked by the dog! :)

It was a great weekend and one that was rather productive. That was probably a good thing considering we will be away next weekend in Cedar Falls helping my brother and his family move!

New Milestones

As I've shared in recent posts, over the past few months Kaelyn has started to show signs that she is ready for potty training. Scott and I wanted to take it slow and and let her tell us when she was ready. She often will tell us "potty" just after she goes, or just before. When she does this, we take her to sit on her potty where she'll sometimes go and sometimes won't. Lately though....she's been telling us before she goes a lot...and runs for her potty. Starting this month she would tell us when she had to go and would go almost every time! Then this week... she's been going EVERY time she tells us she needs to and we've had less and less wet diapers. We're still taking it slow, but I feel are making a lot of progress. Today she has gone in the potty every time so far...no wet diapers!! She goes over to the potty by herself, goes, then gets up and says "look" so proudly and of course after that says "mm" (m & m) which is what she gets when she goes! I'm so proud of her for letting us know that she's ready and really trying at this!! We haven't had to do much but encourage her...it's come so naturally to her which is nice too. It would be nice to have her out of diapers and trained by the time the baby gets here in November....let's hope so!! That would be GREAT!

As always, Kaelyn has been talking up a storm....saying new words and sentences that have Scott and I looking at eachother wondering where she learned that. Like the other day when I walked out the room she said "Mama where going? Wait!" Or yesterday when she said "I don't know" and "cute" :). It's just fun to see her learning every day! It's nice because between her signing and her multitude of words we know exactly what she needs/wants and she knows what we're saying too. The Baby Signing Time was the best thing we ever did. Introducing that to Kaelyn at 3 months old significantly increased her vocabulary and I believe helped to encourage her to start talking earlier. It's definitely something we will do with our next baby as well!

I can't believe I'm saying this (it doesn't seem possible)...but in just a matter of days my baby will be 20 months old already! Where has the time gone?!? She's such a joy and makes us smile each and every day! Like last night as I was standing by the stove making supper, she walked over, stood there by my legs and gave me a hug...then pushed up my shirt a little and kissed my belly as she said "baby"....what a sweetie...makes my heart melt! Children are such a blessing!

This week we got Kaelyn's new bedding for her "big girl bed" and also the bed rails. We are planning on setting up her new room this weekend and hopefully start the transition to a big girl bed. She's been a fantastic sleeper since the day she was born, so we're thinking that it will go fairly smoothly. We were hoping to be in a new house by the time we made the transition...oh well. We've decided that we'll move her to the other bedroom we have on the main level and will keep the nursery set up for when the baby arrives. If we move before then, then I guess we move...but we want to plan as though we'll be here just in case. So anyways...it will be a big change for her. I'll keep you all posted on how it goes.....

Father's Day Weekend

What a fun weekend!! We took Kaelyn to the pool here in town again...she loved it even more than the first time! It was beautiful out with lots of sun! What a fun time to spend together as a family. I love summer!

Sunday we spent Father's Day with both of our Dads. Scott LOVES to golf and hadn't had the opportunity to get out and golf yet this summer. So...I thought for Father's Day it would be fun for him, my Dad and my brother to all go spend the day golfing together. They did, and had a blast! The weather was a little dreary....but they made the best of it and ended up golfing 3 rounds! While they were out, my mom, Kaelyn and I all went to visit my Grandparents and had lunch. It was great to see them! Yesterday afternoon we headed to Scott's Dad's and had supper with them. Kaelyn had the chance to meet her very first baby pig! Grandpa Gaskill has such a fun farm for her play on...and the animals there are so cute! Now all Kaelyn talks about is going outside to see the pigs. :)




I hope all of you had a wonderful Father's Day as well! Wish it wouldn't have gone by so quickly...

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Scott!! You are the greatest husband and Daddy in the world!! We are so blessed to have you in our lives and love you so much!

I also wanted to say Happy Father's Day to my Dad! You are the best!! Love you!

Today Is Our 4th Wedding Anniversary

Today Scott and I are celebrating our 4th Wedding Anniversary! I say this every year that goes by, but I can't believe it's been 4 years already! We were married June 18, 2005...and everyday since then I thank the Lord for bringing him into my life! He is the love of my life and the perfect man for me! I am the luckiest girl in the world!

The last 4 years have been filled with many blessings....two of which are the greatest is the birth of our daughter, Kaelyn Sue on November 1, 2007, and the exciting news that we're expecting our second baby in November of this year! We couldn't be happier with where our lives have headed in the past 4 years....God is SO good!

It's exciting to think about what the next 4 years will hold... :)

Happy Anniversary Scott!! I love you so much and am truly blessed to have you as my husband!