The Kenisons

Moving, Baby shower and more!

2012-02-04T20:49:00.003-07:00

I cant believe it is February already! I am starting to feel the mix of anticipation and anxiety that comes in the last few weeks of pregnancy. I will be thrilled to not be pregnant and to see our little girl, but the unknown of having two instead of one is starting to freak me out. I suppose the best thing to do is just to keep busy and hope that when the time comes we can all handle the big life changes.

Even though I am anxious to be done with the aches and pains that come with pregnancy, I have to admit that I have enjoyed the experience much more the second time around. Maybe its because I am an old pro (the second time around makes you a pro, right?) but the last nine months have been a great experience. For one, despite having been much bigger than I was before I got pregnant the first time, I have really come to appreciate my body. It is amazing what it can do! I was also a lot more careful with how much I gained this time around, and I am hoping that the weight loss will come a little easier. For two, I think being a little older and a little wiser, allowed me to enjoy the small moments more. Knowing what to expect helped me focus in on the subtle changes in my body, and baby girls small milestones. I felt the flutters of her first movements at only 16 weeks and noticed the sensation of hiccups for the first time. The downside to being pregnant for the second time, and almost 5 years older, is that my physical state seems to be deteriorating much faster in the third trimester. Sleep is pretty much impossible for more than two hours at a time, and parts of my body I didnt even know I had seem to ache constantly. You would think that since our bodies are made to do this they wouldnt complain so much!

Anyway...January was a busy month for us. We moved to a three bedroom house and spent the following weeks trying to get settled again. Me being pregnant and Jake working 5-6 days a week made the process much slower than when we did it just six months ago. We also decided to paint a couple of rooms which only extended the time it took. In the end though we were glad we made the leap and are enjoying our new location immensly. Just outside our front door is a gated park, picnic tables, BBQs and a huge grassy field surrounded by a walking path. Hopefully that will be a big help in my grand post-baby fitness plans. All that is left is making our new house a home is putting the final touches on the nursery!

The first of February my awesome SD friends threw me an amazing baby shower. I got some very cute and thoughtful gifts from everybody that got me much closer to being baby ready. I feel super lucky to have such great friends after living here for such a short time. It makes having a baby so much more exciting to have so many people to share the fun with! Here are some photos of the girly bash:

Well that is all for now, but stay tuned for more baby news and pictures!

Love,
The Kenisons

Pictures!

2012-01-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

When writing my last post I realized that the tool bar had gone missing and there was no way to post pictures. Apparently I just needed to update my account and get their fancy new interface! So here are a couple of photos from the last few months, ENJOY!

The girls and I celebrating Kristen's 29th!

My 24th Birthday!

Rorie and I Christmas morning.

Nen and Rilyn at Village Inn for Free Pie Wednesday!

Rorie and Rilyn riding ponies in Levan.

Grandpa Kenison and Rorie

Rorie and her best friend Ava on Halloween

For some reason a few of my pictures loaded sideways and I couldn't figure out how to fix them. I guess I will have to play around with this new interface so that it will be easier next time!

Love,

The Kenisons

...And a Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T21:17:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe that it is officially 2012! Since my last post was in October (yikes!) there is a lot to catch up on. Sigh. I wish that I could be a better blogger, but I can never keep on top of it! Instead I have months between posts and I have to try and compress a million events into a somewhat short post so that I dont drive all of you crazy with a 12 page report. Will I ever learn? I suppose it is totally cliche to make a New Years Resolution to be a better blogger, but I am going to anyways! So if you happen to read this blog, there may be more for you to read this year.

Since my last post, pretty much every major holiday has come and gone. Halloween, my birthday (yes I do consider that major), Thanksgiving and Christmas. To make a very long story short, they were all great! We stayed in San Diego for all of them, which meant a lot of new traditions, and a lot more quality (immediate) family time. It made us feel truly blessed to have made such good friends in the last few months, so that we had loved ones to share this super fun and busy time with. Christmas was an especially wonderful experience for our family. I was dreading the reality of being so far away from my extended family and all of our many Christmas traditions. I was sure that a Christmas with just the three of us would be a let down when we were used to our large family shin digs. Instead it was one of my favorite Christmas experiences. Our day was mellow and calm, and we really got to enjoy each other, our presents, and soak in the fact that this was the FIRST and ONLY Christmas that Rorie would be the center of attention.

So that brings me to my next item, Baby Girl Kenison #2! This pregnancy has flown by for me, and I find myself wondering where the last few months went. With Rorie I was completely ready at this point, and anxiously counting down my final weeks. This time around, being an "experienced" mom has lulled me into a false sense of security. With nine weeks to go I find myself completely unprepared. I have no freshly washed stacks of baby clothes, no crib put together and no idea how I procrastinated to this point. Hopefully the upside to this is that my last few weeks will be spent in hurried preparation instead of impatient anticipation. For all those who have wondered, we DO have a name picked out. After several failed attempts to find a name we loved, and that everyone else at least approved of, we gave up. So now our name (that will most likely make some eyes roll) is top secret until our little bundle has arrived. We figure it is harder to hate a name once it is attached to a squishy pink face. Stay tuned for the big unveiling in March!

Even before we can get to the business of welcoming little sister, we have one giant hurdle to get past: moving. Yes I know that it is crazy to move when you have a husband who is always working, a three year old, and when you yourself are in the final leg of your pregnancy, but we are doing it anyways. In the Navy your housing is determined by your rank and the number of children you have. Of course we found out that we were expecting about two days after we signed a 6-month lease on a two bedroom. So now our lease is up and we are going to transfer to a three bedroom in hopes that this will be our LAST move for several years. Jake and I recently realized that this will be our 7th move in less than five years of marriage. Thats not even counting the two additional moves that Jake has had to make without us. I think we have done more than our share of moving, and could probably do without moving ever again. Luckily for us Jake's job will most likely never force another move on us (did you catch the subtle sarcasm?). Stay tuned for pics of the new place, as I am actually PAINTING! Once again I realize that I am a glutton for punishment, but I figure its now or never.

So there you have it. A very brief readers digest of 2011 and the begining of 2012. Hopefully this will be the last post that covers multiple months and big life events (knock on wood). We hope that everyone has a wonderful New Year!

Love

The Kenisons

Homecoming 2011 & Other Adventures!

2011-10-09T14:32:00.005-06:00

Since we have been in San Diego for three months now I thought I would try to catch everyone up on all of our many adventures here on the west coast. It has been a busy few months for us, but we are happy to report that San Diego is finally starting to feel like home! We have had a lot of fun and made some really good friends too!

Rorie & her friend Aiden playing in the rain.

Rorie & her friend Ily at Ily's fairy party

Jake left for deployment the beginning of August. He was supposed to leave several weeks earlier, so the added time was a great blessing for us. The one downside to his late departure is that Rorie and I had to leave for Michigan several days before he flew out. We were sad to miss his farewell, but we were excited to be a part of the pre-wedding activities for Aunt Ashley's wedding. Ashley & Joe's wedding was a wonderful and exciting event for our whole family. My moms entire family came to Marquette, some of them for the very first time, to be able to witness the occasion. It was also an opportunity for us to meet a small number of Joe's extended family. Because large part of his family still lives in Iran, only a handful were able to be in attendance. It was so much fun to see the long awaited event finally come to pass and to see Ash and Joe finally become Mr&Mrs Towfighi!

Joe & His Adoring Fans!

Ashley & I

Rorie and Aunt Ashley

Jake came home ten weeks after he left as a seasoned world traveler. His many stops included:

London, Africa, Thailand, Hong Kong, Guam and Hawaii. All of their ports were pretty quick, but he was able to get a little taste of the culture in each country. To my great disappointment(and to be honest, disgust) Jake didn't even bother to sample the cuisine in Thailand, and

opted to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe. Where are these boys' sense of adventure?!

Although it was only 2 1/2 months, his homecoming was greatly anticipated. This was our fist military homecoming experience, and it was quite an event! There were hundreds of people, vendors and activities for the kids, and when the ship can into view the crowd went wild! We were so happy to have our sailor home!

In the days following his return we packed in a lot of fun activities. The most exciting of which was getting an ultra sound to determine if we were having a little brother or sister. To Rories great delight it turned out to be a little sister! It is exciting to be able to start to plan for our new pink addition!

On his first day off we got to spend the day at Sea World. We had been waiting for this and we were not disappointed! It was a fun day of rides, polar bears & penguins. After such a fun day we have put season passes on our list to send to Santa!

Until next time!

Love,

The Kenisons

A New Bambino!

2011-09-01T16:18:00.004-06:00

Yes that is right, baby number two is on its way! While most of you reading this have already been let in on the big news, I thought an official blogoshpere announcement was in order.

Official Baby/Pregnancy Info

1. I am almost 13 weeks, hello 2nd Trimester!

2. The baby is due March 10 2012. Rories due date was the 10th as well and she came on the 4th, somehow I think this one might be just as (if not more) early.

3. We have already had our first ultrasound (pictures to follow). Baby is healthy and VERY active!

4. We can find out the sex as early as October 7th. This will mostly depend on whether a certain sailor makes his return by then.

5. Rorie has decreed that this baby is a sister, not a brother. Heaven help us if that turns out not to be the case.

6. We already have a name picked out if it IS a brother (Charlie) but if it is a sister than we will have to put our thinking caps on. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

7. We are VERY happy about this new little addition, and we are already counting down the days!

Cheese!

This picture was very hard won. It seems that our ultrasound interrupted a rather ruckus dance party. The poor doctor was breaking a sweat trying to get the measurements. Rorie was with me and was amazed and excited by the sight of "her" baby. It made the whole thing a lot more real for both of us. The only downside was the absence of our daddy. Luckily this will hopefully be the only baby related even that he misses (fingers crossed, knock on wood).

So here is to a fast and uneventful pregnancy! We will keep you posted as the time gets closer, and of course once we know if it is a boy or a girl!

Love,

The Kenisons

Moving and moving....and some more moving.

2011-07-10T18:41:00.003-06:00

After four very long (and by long I mean LOOONNGG)days in the car Rorie, Jake and I finally made it to the Kenison homestead in Levan, Utah. Rorie spent the next few days running and playing in an attempt to use the enormous amount of energy she had bottled up during our cross country trek. The arrival of a dozen or more cousins made this endeavor much easier! The highlight of our time in Utah was Katie's (Jakes little sister) wedding. We finally were able to meet her fiance Tyler and get to know him a little in the days leading up to the wedding. It was so wonderful to see the two of them so happy together. Katie and Tyler were sealed at the Manti temple just like Jake and I and it was a great treat to be back in a place of such wonderful memories. Katie was a gorgeous bride, and I dont think either one of them stopped smiling all day!

Rorie posing in front of the happy couple on the Manti Temple steps

Rorie on the Mellor's "baby" 4-wheeler

With all nine of Jake's sisters in town for the big event, along with most of their kids, there was plenty of opportunity for fun. The cousins busied themselves playing with the dogs, riding ponies and even doing a little 4-wheeling thanks to Uncle Neldon. It was a great but hectic week and a half, and by the Monday after the wedding we were ready to make our way to San Diego.

Jake left mid day on Monday and arrived in San Diego Tuesday evening. Rorie and I stayed behind to allow Jake a couple of days to travel and sign the lease on our new house before we arrived. Since Rorie and I had a couple of days to kill we got the chance to spend a couple of days in Provo with my best friend Diana and her two kids. It was super fun for Diana and I to be able to catch up and to have a flash back to the good old days when we had sleep overs as kids. Wednesday afternoon Rorie and I said goodbye and made the ten hour trip to California. Never has any place looked so good! Thursday morning we got to see our place for the first time and we were immediately glad that we had excepted it sight-un-seen. It is a great two bedroom townhouse with 1.5 baths, a fenced in backyard and plenty of space. We went right to work bringing in furniture, hanging pictures and unpacking. By Saturday night we could officially call it home. It was an amazing feeling to finally have a place all our own after two years of living apart.

With all of the hard work behind us we made time this week to have a little fun and brought Rorie to the San Diego Zoo. Rorie had a blast and talked of nothing else for days. Here is a little sample of our fun at what Rorie refers to as the "zoom".

Me in a monkey mask

Rorie petting the goats at the petting zoo.

Peek-A-Boo!

All smiles on the big blue tour bus.

My favorite sight of the day: mama and baby hippo snuggling in the water! The baby hippo kept blowing bubbles, smiling and snuggling up closer...too cute!

Tomorrow Jake has his "flight briefing" and we be given more details on when he will be deploying. Either way he will be leaving us by the end of the week. Rorie and I will miss him like crazy but we will certainly have a lot of exciting things to keep us busy. We will write again soon to share more of our California adventures!

Love,

The Kenisons

Pictures!

2011-06-14T21:11:00.007-06:00

So after I posted last time I realized that I hadn't included ANY pictures. We had way too many pictures to not post at least some of them for your viewing pleasure. Sorry for the random ordering:

George Washingtons Mansion at Mount Vernon.

Saving the best for second...The White House! What is that red circle around you may ask? Why that is the President of the United States, his dog and his daughter. No biggie.

The Capitol Building

Some cousins came to see DC with us. RtoL: Abby, Bradley, Daniel and Rorie

Riley at Rories Party

A Sailor standing guard at a gathering at the Navy Memorial in DC.

Rorie and the Rayhorn cousins Easter Sunday.

Rorie at her party.

Jake and his mom at C-School graduation.

A New Year, A New Adventure.

2011-06-12T15:10:00.002-06:00

I know its June, but just for this post I am going to pretend that it is January and make a resolution. I want to be better about keeping everyone updated and informed about our little family. I figured with our family making a fresh start in California this summer, it would also be a good opportunity for a fresh start with my blog. In the spirit of fresh starts I would like to reintroduce ourselves and get everyone up to speed with our big events.

We are a family of three: Jake, Meghan (me) and Rorie. Jake and I have been married for four years this June. Rorie came 11 months later and we have been a happy threesome ever since. Jake joined the Navy two years ago, and has spent those first two years completing the training required for his job as a fire control-man in the fleet. Now that his schooling is complete we have been reassigned to San Diego California for the duration of his six year contract.

Other big events that should be noted:

1. I graduated this year from my two year cosmetology program at NMU. While there is a sense of accomplishment for finishing, it has left me anxious to complete my bachelors degree. I am hoping that the four years we spend in California will give me the time to work towards that goal.

2. Jake graduated from C-school. After a year and a half devoted to school, and separated from our family, Jake is finally done with the military mandated education and is ready to join the fleet. His training earned him a promotion to Petty Officer, and he will be able to continue to advance during the next four years.

3. Rorie turned 3 and Jake turned 27! Thirty years of wisdom between them!

4. As I mentioned earlier Jake received his first duty station in California which means an exciting cross country move for our family. It is fun to think of all the amazing things we will get to do and see during our four year station. On the flip side I find myself feeling a little sad to be leaving Marquette. While this is not the first time I have left home, there is a feeling of permanence with this move that wasnt there before. The idea that we will be starting out in a completely new place, without friends or family, means that we will really begin developing our own family unit. It is an exciting and scary prospect all at the same time.
The saddest part of the move is that Jake will be leaving on his first deployment within a week of arriving in CA. We are lucky in the fact that he is joining his ship mid-deployment and will only be gone for three months, but I think they will prove to be the most difficult three months thus far.

5. Two wedding and a baby. This summer Jake and I both have a sister getting married, and we are getting to meet our newest little niece Hailey Nadine Mellor. Its times like these that make it fun to be part of a large extended family.

Well thats about it for now. Wish us luck on our move (starting bright and early tomorrow morning) and we will be writing soon from the Golden Coast!

Love,
The Kenisons
Jake, Meg & Rorie

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-06T11:03:00.002-06:00

This years Halloween festivities were pretty low key. Besides the obvious excitement of getting a lot of candy, Rorie was pretty unimpressed with the whole affair. We got her a cheeseburger costume, which she LOVED...until she had to wear it. So the costume got very little use until we actually went out side to trick or treat, and she only gave in then because it was freezing and her costume was so warm. We went trick or treating with her cousins Anna and Ben around my parents neighborhood and the kids had a blast. Ben got a little nervous whenever we ran into "spooky" decorations/costumes, but he got a lot more comfortable when he realized he would be compensated with chocolate for his bravery.

Aunt Ashley joined the kids for trick-or-treating after work. They were required to dress up so she was sporting some cat ears and whiskers.

The three cousins (Rorie, Anna, Ben) posing on the porch before we headed out. Anna was a scary witch and Ben was a sweet little pumpkin.

All in all it was a fun day and we all got way more candy then we needed. Hopefully next year Rorie will enjoy dressing up too!

Happy Halloween!

Love,
The Kenisons

Falling For Fall

2010-10-10T19:51:00.004-06:00

It has been a busy few months and I just haven't had the time to update the blog. We made it back from Chicago and we are back in our fall/school schedule. Rorie is glad to be back home but misses having her dad around. We have been lucky enough to have a few visits with him, but we are looking forward to the holidays when he can be home for a couple of weeks. Our happiest news is that we are now living just around the corner from Angela and the kids (and occasionally Ethan). It has been wonderful to have the cousins together and it has made it easier for both Angela and I to have a lot of family around while our guys are away. We decided to have a photo shoot with my extremely talented friend Amber. The fall colors were amazing and we managed to get some great pictures despite the touchy weather. If any of you would like to see more of amber's work click here. I can not say enough good things about her and her work. I love the wonderful candid shots that she always gets, and she is fantastic with the kids!

I just have to add a little side note to this picture. We were trying to get the kids to smile by putting our fingers in the corners of our mouth...and of course they copied us. It was impossible to get a normal picture out of them after that. We especially love the ridiculous look on Ben's face because it is a classic Ethan expression. Just when we thought they couldn't look more alike!

Summer Time In The City!

2010-06-25T12:18:00.006-06:00

Well now that summer is in full swing I thought I would do an update to share some of our wonderful Chicago adventures. First of all I would like to say that it has been wonderful being together as a family again. It is easy to forget how important family is until you are apart. It has really made us appreciate each other more!

One of the fun things near the base is the Jelly Belly Factory. You get a free train ride tour of the warehouse, some free jelly bellies and access to their huge Jelly Belly store.

Dad and Rorie posing in front of a Jelly Belly display, wearing their official Jelly Belly hats.

Another favorite activity of ours is a place called Lambs Farm. It is a charity petting zoo in a neighboring community. We have gone several times and Rorie just LOVES it!

Riding the carousal at Lambs Farm

One of the main attractions for the kids is the goat pen. There are tons of sheep and goats that the kids get to brush and pet.

Our first visit was with the GLAM (Great Lakes Area Military) Wives Club. Here are all the kids taking a quick break on the swing.

Rorie and Goat. BFFs.

We were able to take Jake back to Marquette over Memorial Day weekend, which was a great treat for him. Marquette in the summer time= Beach time, and we took great advantage of the opportunity. Our beach outings were even showcased on the front page of the local paper, showing Rorie "buried" at the beach. It was a wonderful weekend.

Visiting a local favorite, Frosty Treats, to cool off after a day in the sun.

While not quite as exciting as downtown Chicago, our local area has a lot of family fun activities to chose from. Recently the fire department hosted a Fire Safety Expo at Gurnee Mills. Rorie loved all of the fire trucks, but was a little scared of the firemen. She was also made an honorary firewoman and was given an "official" fire helmet.

Getting a little tired by the end of the afternoon.

Rorie and Dad posing with Mr. Sparky

Fire Truck!

The huge flag they had hanging from one of the trucks.

On one of Jake's duty free weekends we decided to venture into the big city. We took the train, only to find out it was a 1 1/2 hour trip. Rorie was not thrilled. The trip in, plus the time it takes to get anywhere in Chicago by bus, meant that we only had time for one acivity. We opted for the Shedd Aquarium. It was fantastic! Rorie LOVED it and spent the entire time running from exhibit to exhibit. There was just about every kind of water animal imaginable from gold fish to Beluga whales.

Rorie watching to penguins swimming.

Rorie hugging the penguin display

Rorie and I infront of the beluga whale tank. Notice the white blur in the lower left corner.

Ok well this entry is starting to get a bit lengthy. So until next time, adieu!

Two Year Portraits (Readers Digest Version)

2010-05-20T13:07:00.005-06:00

For Rories two year pictures we decided to step outside of the box a little. Instead of doing the traditional portraits I had my friend Amber (who is an amazing photographer) go with us to McCartys Cove to take some more candid shots. Here are a couple of the over two hundred shots (!) we ended up with. We had a ton of fun and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do! If you want the rest of them you can check out my facebook page.

I got a little creative with the editing of this one...I love it!

The water was freezing but Rorie could not get enough. All three of us were soaked by the end of the shoot.

A silly shot

I love Rories Suprised face!

Smile

The only slide shot that wasnt a grimace. I really think that Rorie is an adrenaline junkie. She is fearless!

A Little Taste of Chicago Life

2010-05-17T19:43:00.003-06:00

I am going to keep this short and sweet. I just wanted to let everyone know that we made it safe and sound to Chicago and are loving spending time with Jake. Hotel life has its drawbacks but on a whole it has been a great couple of weeks. Here are a couple of pictures:

Cookie Monster!

Handsome Boy!

Daddy is not feeling the love.

Rorie sliding at a park on base.

Swing!

Rorie Turns Two!

2010-05-11T06:59:00.007-06:00

As hard as it is to believe this month marked Rories 2nd birthday! Since the weekend before her birthday also happened to be our last weekend in Marquette before we left for Chicago, we decided to have a big party with all of Rories friends at a local park.

The party was fish themed to honor Rories love of all things aquatic. A couple of weeks before her party I found an adorable goldfish table cloth while shopping at Target (I just love that store!) and the whole party grew from there. We had fish placemats, plates and cupcakes. We even had a fish bowl cake!

The weather couldnt have been better...except for the gail strength winds that kicked up shortly after the party started. One particularly strong gust kidnapped all 48 hand decorated cupcakes and proceeded to smash them to bits on the ground. I was disapointed to say the least, but my dad saved the day by running to the store for replacements. Other than a few other minor wind related incidents, the party was a great success. Rorie had a fun evening at the park with her friends and she got some amazingly thoughtful gifts.

Here are a few pictures of the big day:

My sister Ashley with her boyfriend Joe

Rorie in her Birthday outfit opening a present from Sammy.

Rorie's friend Eliza and her Dad, enjoying some Pizza.

Logan was pretty serious about his pizza consumption!

Sammy supporting a frosting mustache.

SLIIIIDDE!

Rorie really wanted to climb with the big kids.

The sad cupcakes...if you look closely you can see the dirt on them.

A "before" picture of the cupcakes...so cute...sigh.

The fish bowl cake. I was pretty proud of myself. The top started to melt a little but overall I thought it was a pretty good. Teva thought it was pretty cool too (note the dog nose in the bottom left corner).

I am so lucky to have such an amazing daughter and it was a blast helping her celebrate her special day. I hope that all of her birthdays can be this much fun!

Spring Break

2010-03-07T12:28:00.006-07:00

This last week marked Spring Break for NMU. With a whole week and a half of freedom in front of us Rorie and I set out on an adventure. We drove the six hours to Great Lakes to spend our first weekend with Jake. We stayed at the base hotel that was only one building over from Jake's "ship". Because it was the weekend Jake had all day to spend with us during the weekend. He did however have a 9pm curfew. It was great to see him and to get our first taste of life on base. We visited the NEX (Navy Exchange) which is the on base grocery/department store. You can buy everything from Navy apparel, to diapers. We also visited the USO with its in house theatres and kids room, and attended Jake's ward on Sunday. My sister Ashley and her boyfriend Joe also went down to Chicago to visit friends that they had in the area. We met up with them in down town Chicago for a little bit of shopping and site seeing. The site seeing portion was cut out when it started snowing and when we realized it would cost us about 25 dollars to re-park our car. Next time we will have to remember to take the train!

After Church I had Jake and Rorie pose in their matching sailor outfits, SO CUTE!

Right about here it started snowing...if you look closely you can see the little white specs on Rorie and Jake.

After shopping down town we visited the malls super cool food court. When you go in you are actually seated at a table by a hostess and are then given plastic cards that serve as your money while you are there. You would simply charge all of your food to the card and then when you left you payed off the cards. We couldn't quite figure out the reason for it, but we guessed it was to encourage people to spend more. It is a lot easier to spend fake plastic money than the real thing. The picture is of Jake enjoying his yummy but very overpriced burger.

Before we left we had Ashley snap a picture of our little family. It is super cute of Rorie and I but Jake is sporting his "killer clown" face. It is very hard to get him to smile normally in pictures.

On Monday Rorie and I left Chicago and headed to Clio to spend a few days with my brother Ethan and his family. It was great to see them and the cousins were so excited to have Rorie to play with. Our first day there we went to Frankenmuth, a town about 10miles North of Clio. Frankenmuth is one of those crazy touristy towns were everything, right down to the local McDonalds is styled to look as though it is set in a different country. In this case the whole town is Bavarian themed and made to look like a small German town. Even the people who staff the various shops and restaurants where traditional Bavarian garb. Our first stop was at Brommers, which is by far the coolest store ever. Imagine a huge Super Walmart, and then imagine every inch filled to the brim with Christmas decorations. There are endless tree ornaments from the traditional (santa, angels)to the bizarre (African tribal flags and intricately frosted cupcakes). Rooms full of fake trees, Christmas villages and life size Reindeer. You could easily spend a full day in there and not see everything. We also visited a Cheese Haus (and no that is not a typo) and several toy shops.

That evening we headed to the local mall so that the grownups could do a little shopping, and the kids could play. Rorie had a great time running around and climbing over the various toy statues.

My Niece Anna patiently allowed me to snap a quick picture

Rorie and Ben taking a bath. The two cousins are exactly 1 month apart and we always have a blast getting them together.

Thursday afternoon Rorie and I left for Marquette and after 8 exhausting hours we were finally (and safely) home. It was a wonderful week, but it was great to finally sleep in our own beds! With Jake so far away I guess I should just get used to the long hours on the road...

Love,
The Kenisons

Navy Graduation

2010-02-18T10:13:00.004-07:00

After 2 whole months of anticipation Jake finally graduated from Basic Training. It was a wonderful weekend of catching up and hanging out, and it came to an end far too quickly. Here is a quick summary:

We drove down Thursday night and got into Chicago pretty late. After a short nights sleep we headed down the road to the Naval base. We arrived about an hour before the ceremony and the majority of that time was spent walking long distances in the freezing cold (at this point I was seriously regretting my choice of foot wear). When we finally got to the graduation hall we were surprised to find that there was almost NO seating. We were forced to separate, but Rorie and I found a seat directly in front of Jake's division. The ceremony was wonderful: quick & dignified. An impressive feat considering that there were almost 1500 recruits graduating. At the end of the ceremony the MC announced "Liberty Call!" and huge warehouse style doors behind the recruits opened up to the outside. It was instant chaos as family members swarmed onto the floor to find their recruits. We found Jake fairly quick and it was WONDERFUL to see him. Rorie was a little hesitant at first but she soon let him hold her. He was only allowed to give me a quick hug & kiss and then had to "escort" me to the car. He wasn't even allowed to hold my hand! They were very specific on PDA and what was appropriate for a sailor to do in public while in uniform (Jake had to remind me more than once during the weekend). To celebrate his accomplishment we took Jake to Outback for some "real" food, a.k.a a big fat steak. The whole day made me very proud to be a Navy Wife!

The next couple of days were spent mostly at our hotel (plus a quick trip to Gurnee Mills), everyone just relaxing and enjoying being together. Rorie was THRILLED to have her dad around and I was relieved at how fast she warmed up to him. Almost every other word out of her mouth was "Daddy!" She had so much fun showing off for him and hogging his attention. It made me sad all over again to think how much she had been missing him.

Sunday morning we attended church with Jake on base. The ward was tiny, about 4o people, but the spirit was very strong. It was very apparent that for many of the recruits, church was the one thing that got them through the week. Jake was asked to give a talk last minute (about 5 mn before sacrament meeting started) and it was the highlight of my day. It was very sweet and very tender and for the first time I really realized how difficult the last 8 weeks had been for him. There were very few dry eyes by the time he was done speaking.

Shortly after church my parents and Rorie headed back to Marquette, leaving Jake and I to enjoy Valentines day together. Jake surprised me with a new digital camera to replace our very slow and fuzzy hand-me-down one that we got from my parents when we got married. I couldn't have been happier! We also got to spend half of the day together on Monday before I had to head home. I was so grateful for the time that we got to spend alone together. It had been far too long since we have had any one on one time. It was more than a little sad saying goodbye and leaving him alone on base. It was only bearable because our next visit was less than two weeks away.

Jake left Basic Training on Wednesday and was transferred across base to A School. I got a call from him last night letting me know that he had arrived safely and that he could have his cell phone as soon as I shipped it to him. What a relief! Just knowing that he will have a way to communicate more readily makes A School about a million times better than Basic Training.

Thanks to everyone who called Rorie and I, wrote Jake, and prayed for our family these last two months. It has meant the world to us and has made us feel very loved!

Love
The Kenisons

PS. Enjoy the pictures!

My absolute favorite picture: Rorie trying to salute like her dad.

At a super fancy McDonalds...just hanging with dad

Rorie picked on her poor dad all weekend.

Not the most flattering picture ever...

In case you didn't notice, there are no pictures of Jake is his dress blues (the outfit you probably think of when you imagine a sailor) or pictures of the actual graduation ceremony. This includes Rorie's adorable sailor dress or the new outfit that I carefully put together for the big day. This is because I forgot my camera at the hotel (enter your favorite blonde joke here). Luckily my new camera is nice and small and can fit into my purse. No more bulky ridiculous camera case to lug around with me, which hopefully means no more missed photo moments in our future. Luckily Jake will soon be receiving his Graduation DVD and cruise book (boot camp year book) any day now, so at least we will have some documentation of the big day.

Just a quick update...

2009-12-16T14:19:00.002-07:00

This last month has been super busy for us. M mom and I spent the 4th,5th and 6th in Clio,MI with my brother and sister in law. We were able to fit in a ton of Christmas shopping, great meals (I love cracker barrel!) and of course, time with Anna and Ben Ben. That Friday was also Jake's last day working at Whetstone, and he spent the weekend watching Rorie and finishing the wood floors at my parents (isn't he just the best?).
The next week was a blur of final exams (yuck) and last minute planning for Jake's departure. Sunday night at our weekly family dinner, we had an early Christmas celebration for Jake where he opened presents from his family and a stocking from me. It was a bitter sweet evening, but we were glad to be able to give him a little bit of Christmas.
First thing Monday morning I brought Jake to the recruiters. We were able to spend a few more minutes together while Jake filled out last minute paperwork and took his final drug test (such fun). It was horrible saying goodbye to him, but exciting to know that we were finally on the adventure we had been planning for almost a year.
Jake was able to call a few times to let us know how his trip was going. He arrived at Basic Training Tuesday afternoon, called to say a last goodbye, and then surrendered his phone. We will be receiving a letter sometime next week so that we have his mailing info. This will be our main form of communication for the next 9 weeks. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he will be able to call home on Christmas Day, but nothing is set in stone. We will let you all know his mailing address as soon as we get it, and pass on any information that we get.

We appreciate all of your love and prayers!

Love,
Meghan & Rorie

Utah Pics

2009-12-07T07:57:00.007-07:00

For some reason my computer wasn't letting me post pictures with my last blog. So here are all our Thanksgiving/Utah pics...ENJOY!

The Mellor boys impatiently humoring me

Dallin in his puffy jacket trying to get outside

Rorie on the 4 Wheeler

The Mellors at Thanksgiving Dinner

Bethany and Tory...the newlyweds :)

LtoR: Melissa Davis, me, Terren Pyeatte

LtoR: Peyton Pyeatte, Rorie, Lily Davis at our playgroup reunion

Nen, Ri & I

JT...SO cute!

I think this picture says it all

Rilyn was an expert equestrian!

Nen and JT trying to stay warm

Silly

Rorie the Cowgirl

Well until next time....

The Kenisons

Thanksgiving/Utah Madness!

2009-11-30T11:05:00.009-07:00

For Thanksgiving this year I (almost) surprised Jake with a trip home to Utah. We had a wonderful time, but the trip was a little hectic and way too short! We were there just long enough to realized that we needed a lot more time to do all of the things we wanted to do.

We left Marquette last Sunday at 6:30 (never again) and arrived in SLC by 1pm. Darrel was there to meet us and he drove us down to Springville to the Mellors. Unfortunantly Brenda happened to be flying in that evening from Seattle (she was visiting Jake's other sister Laura) and we missed her by just an hour or two. It was great to see Neldon (a little frazzled) and the boys and the nice warm dinner they had waiting for us was great too. That evening we went down to Payson for ice cream at Grandma's and got to see a majority of the extended Marvin family. It is amazing how much has changed in just 6mo! Rorie had a ton of fun playing with all of her cousins, but by 7:30 we were pretty much beat. By 8:30 we were all sound asleep at Jake's parents house in Levan

Monday was our one relaxing day. We spent all morning and afternoon in Levan, talking and catching up. That night we left Rorie for a little one on one time with Gma and Gpa and went to Nephi to see Jake's sisters Mia and Andrea in their school play. It was callled Once Upon A Mattress and it was a re-make of the story the Princess and the Pea. We were a little shocked at the slightly racy storyline, but it was a hoot to watch Andrea being chased across stage by a rowdy King.

Tuesday my best friend Nen and her two kids, Rilyn and JT came down to spend the day with me. Jake entertained Rorie and Rilyn with pony rides while Nen and I caught up and I enjoyed meeting JT for the first time. It was wonderful to see them and JT was a riot! Such a happy bubbly little baby.

Around 4 we headed up to Springville to have Rorie's 18mo portraits taken with her cousin Dallin. We met at the studio and I finally got to see Brenda! She looked great with her little baby bump, if not a little frazzled toting all three of her boys. The pictures went ok, but we were a little let down. Rorie and Dallin have taken wonderful pictures in the past, and these ones were just not up to par. They were both cranky and didn't want to cooperate, but we still managed to get a few cute pics (I will get them up as soon as I can).

Wednesday was our busiest day by far. We started the morning with Sterling Marvins funeral. It was a very sad day but the speakers were wonderful and the over all spirit was uplifting. It is always hard to bury someone who should have had so much life left, but it seemed that the family was relieved to know that he was home and in a much better place. After the funeral Jake left with Bethany for some equestrian therapy will Brenda and I headed out for some retail therapy. We came home at three to relieve the babysitter and then Rorie and I headed out to meet up with our old play group. Melissa Davis, Terren Pyeatte and I met when I first moved to Springville. We were all first time mothers with young infants and we became fast friends. Our play group and their friendship really made Springville feel like home to me. It was great to see them and to get our babies together again. We got to catch up while the babies fought (I mean played) with each other. At 5 we left the kids with their dads and headed out to dinner. It was a wonderful evening! My last stop that night was at Nen and Tommy's new apartment. It was nice to have a little more time with Nen and to get to see Tommy as well. We talked a lot about his first semester of law school and their transition from a house to a student apartment as well as from one kid to two. They certainly have had a very busy 6mo!

Thursday we headed back to Levan for Thanksgiving dinner. It was held at the Levan chapel. We had so many people that the cultural hall was the only place that could accomodate us! It is times like those that really point out the vast differences between Jake's family and mine. Dinner was delicious and filling and by the time we got back to Jake's parents house I was ready for a nap. Jake's cousins all came down from trap shooting and four wheeler rides, and the kids got to work off their turkey and mashed potatoes on the trampoline. By the time everyone left we were all ready for bed, but we stayed up to savor our last few hours with the Kenison's.

Friday morning we set out for the airport at 5:30 (seriously WHO made these reservations?!) and we were a little worried that Rorie and Jake were coming down with the flu. We had to stop 4 times (two times on the side of the freeway) so that they could throw up. Luckily they both seemed better by the time we got to the airport and we just chalked it up to too much food and too little sleep.

Our trip home was long to say the least, but after only a few minor glitches (thank you very much American Airlines) we made it back to Marquette safe and sound.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy the rest of your Holiday Season!

Love,

The Kenison

One of these days...

2009-10-28T07:33:00.002-06:00

One of these days I may get on top of my blog posting but in the mean time here is another catch up post:

Our summer just seemed to fly by. We had so much fun being in Marquette and enjoying all that the UP has to offer during its "warm" months. Now that fall is here Jake is starting to get a little nervous about his first Northern Michigan winter, especially when we had our first snow fall the second week of October. Luckily for him he only has about a month and a half left to endure before he gets to escape.

My first semester back at school has been a busy one. I really do enjoy the program and I am learning a lot. It is also fun for me to have a little bit of the true college experience, even if it is only for a few hours a day. The one major draw back is missing out on days with Rorie. It has been a hard adjustment for me but Rorie is having the time of her life. Spending all week being spoiled rotten by Grandma and Grandpa is heaven for her. I knew we were in trouble when Grandpa told me he had cooled down her oatmeal in the morning by putting a scoop of peach ice cream in it. We had to have a little conversation about proper diet after that one but on a whole they have been amazing with her. It is such a blessing to have such willing and generous parents near by.

Jake is still excited about his upcoming adventure this December, but with his departure so close we have begun to get anxious about the unknown. No matter how good the reasons are for it, seperation from your family is always a hard thing to deal with. We are so thankful to have one more holiday together before he leaves. We will have to make sure it is a great one.
Rorie is growing in leaps and bounds. Rorie has had the same three teeth for months, but just the other day we found not one, not two, but 5 NEW TEETH coming in. She has also grown about three inches in the last few weeks and she is officially too tall for 12mo clothes (although her waist is still too small for most 12mo pants) and we have had to scramble to replace her wardrobe. She is talking more and more everyday and we are loving watching her learn to express herself.

This week is halloween and we are so excited for Rorie's first real trick-or-treating experience. We will make sure to take lots of pictures so that we can share them all with you!

Until next time,

The Kenisons

Baby Rorie

2009-10-26T13:48:00.001-06:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Greetings from the UP

2009-07-20T11:27:00.006-06:00

It has been way too long since I updated this thing. Since my last post our little family has moved cross country, have a new house, new jobs and also a new ward. It has been a very busy couple of months but we are having a wonderful time! Being back in Marquette (my hometown) has been so fun for me. I have loved seeing old friends and favorite hang outs and most importantly getting to be near my family. Rorie is enjoying being the center of attention and is enjoying the summer weather even more. It has been a very mild summer here but we have still managed to spend a lot of time in the great outdoors. Here are some great beach pics:

This June was our 2 year anniversary. Since we were a little tight on cash after the move we made it a pretty low key night. We went out to dinner without Rorie and then spent the rest of the evening at Presque Isle ( a local scenic destination) enjoying the beautiful scenery. It is so hard to believe that it has already been two year! Hopefully the next two years will be just as great!

The last bit of exitement since our move was the 4th of July. Jake got to be in the local parade with the rest of the local armed forces. Rorie fell asleep shortly before the parade started and I was working, but the rest of my family was there to cheer him on. That afternoon we all headed down to Marquette's annual Food Fest. The festival is a super fun tradition where all the local vendors bring their food (both local and foreign cuisine) to sell for charity. We had a great time walking, eating and visiting. That night after Rorie fell asleep Jake and I headed down to south beach to watch the fireworks display. It was pretty cold by then but we managed to keep warm :) All together it was a wonderful day! here are some cute (and patriotic) pics of Rorie enjoying the festivities:

We hope you are all having a great summer and we will post more later.

Love

The Kenisons

My New Obsession

2009-07-09T12:53:00.005-06:00

When I found out that Jake and I were having a baby, I started scrapbooking to record all of Rorie's special moments. When we moved to Marquette just a couple of months ago I was introduced to a new form of scrapbooking: Digital Scrapbooking. My friend Hailey and her husband are professional photographers and she started doing this to keep up with all of their amazing photos. Since she showed me the ropes I have been going non stop ! I never thought that I would love it more than the traditional paper method, but it is a million times better! Here is why:

1. DS is ten times faster than paper
2. Because it is all on the computer it is easy to pick it up when you have an extra 10 minutes, without having to set up a million supplies.
3. It is possible to fix mistakes with the click of mouse which means no wasted supplies!
4. It is all saved on your computer so if the hard copies are damaged/destroyed you just print a new one.
5. You have the option of publishing your work to a web site (like blogspot) or having them professionaly bound and printed.
6. Even including the initial software costs and printing costs it is SO much cheaper than paper!

If anyone is interested in starting I definantly recomend buying Adobe Photoshop Elements 7, it is the most amazing program ever :)

So now that I am done ranting, here are a couple of my favorite pages from Rorie's baby book:

Obviously this page is of Rorie's Blessing Day. For some reason none of the pictures from that day turned out very well. They were grainy and had a weird color to them. The creative solution? SEPIA! It makes the slightly grainy look appear vintage and since the dress Rorie is wearing was originally my grandmothers (and my mom and I's) christening dress, it compliments it perfectly.

This is one of my favorites because both of these pictures show a slightly sillier side of Rorie. The one with Rorie bent over looks like a yoga pose....Downward Dog :)

This kit (the digital combination of papers, elements and fonts) is one of my all time favorites! It is so colorful and happy with so many element options. I could have made ten more pages with this kit without repeating anything.

Well I hope you enjoyed the pages and I hope I encouraged some of you out there to get creative!

Love,

Meg

Rorie and Dallin Birthday Portraits

2009-04-27T20:27:00.004-06:00

So we are in the final countdown to the big move! We will be leaving first thing Thursday morning and heading for Marquette. So as you can Imagine we are super busy, but I just could not resist a quick post to show off Rorie and her cousin Dallin's one year portraits....SO ADORALBLE!

So these two above were their formal outfits that they had for Easter. Dallin is too cute in his little shirt and tie!

We absolutely love this pic, but it sort of looks like they are a little married couple :) :)

So it is not quite as obvious from these Pics but Dallin is HUGE...he is 11lbs bigger than Rorie...our little football stud.

Im one!

This pic was spur of the moment when we realized their casual outfits matched too...so glad we did it! This one really captures their silly personalities, especially when they are together.

We had to get a standing shot because that is the most noticeable physical change..she is only a pound and a half bigger than she was 6 months ago!

This is my absolute favorite of Rorie...you get a good tooth shot. All though these images dont have it...all of the printed pics have a sort of vintage overlay so it sort of has a sepia tone to it and they are just beautiful!

McCall Road Trip

2009-03-24T09:45:00.025-06:00

This weekend Rorie and I went on an all girls road trip, first to Boise, ID then to McCall to visit my Grandmother. We left early on Thursday and spent the majority of the day driving. It was a long day with Rorie in the car and I have never been more relieved to arrive somewhere in my entire life! It was great to see both Grandma (or Granny to Rorie) and my Uncle Bill. We spent that evening just hanging out and visiting. My Grandma has two dogs, Tigger and Angus. Angus and Rorie were immediate pals, but Tigger was a lot harder to convince. Rorie's tendency to grab anything within her immediate vicinity, i.e. tails, ears, face, did little to create any goodwill between them.

This is Tigger, hiding on the couch just out of reach of Rorie's grabby hands. The entire time we were there Rorie never gave up on trying to play with Tig. It didnt help much that Tig no longer has a barker...so that all of the natural warning signs she was giving off (barking/snarling) came out as very innefectual coughing sounds.

Friday morning Grandma, Rorie and I headed up towards McCall. It was a nice clear day and the drive was SO BEAUTIFUL! I had forgotten how much I love the area. We arrived at the cabin in the late afternoon. I wasn't feeling well so we kept the rest of the day pretty low key, grocery shopping at the local store and just enjoying the cabin atmosphere. Rories favorite feature of the cabin as well as the most dangerous, were the stairs to the upper floor. The rest of the weekend was mostly spent keeping her away from them or diligently following her up and down them.

Here is a nice little action sequence for you:

Poor Rorie was almost constantly in a state of un-dress. She just cant quite manage to keep her pants on!

We spent the rest of the weekend exploring McCall and enjoying our quality time together. We just had so much fun and I can't wait to go up there again. Here are a few more random pics from the trip:
Rorie and Granny having bath time in the kitchen sink

Prior to her bath Rorie helped Granny unload the dishwasher...naked of course.

In Boise we had to get a little creative when it came to a high chair for Rorie. Necessity IS the mother of invention...
McCall cabin Sunday morning after we got a little fresh snow

Packing up Sunday morning we had to make sure that Lilly got home with us, so Rorie volunteered to let her go piggy back.

Lilly's Bday Party

2009-03-18T17:53:00.006-06:00

Today Rorie went to her very first Birthday party! Her friend Lilly from our play group turned one today and all of her little friends from the ward came over to help her celebrate. Her mom Melissa went all out with the decorations. She had streamers, balloons and party hats!(which the babies barely tolerated) All of the kids seemed to be a little confused by the commotion and picture taking but they managed to enjoy themselves in spite of us. After the party each of the kids received a kid friendly party favor: Chinese takeout boxes filled with gold fish and cheerios.

Lilly the Birthday Girl!

Rorie was just obsessed with this balloon. She spent almost the entire party chasing it around the room.

This is a picture of the "Happy Birthday" Banner and streamers that Melissa put up. The room looked great!

This is a pic of Lilly with her birthday balloon boquet... a present from her grandma

Lilly really didn't like her birthday hat

Rorie was so good! She kept her hat on the whole time...so cute!

It was such a fun day for both Rorie and I and I just can't wait for it to be Rorie's turn (just a month and a half to go!).

Dec to Present ( the Readers Digest edition)

2009-03-05T14:07:00.004-07:00

Well once again it is time for blogging catch-up. The last few months have just flown by! We got to spend the Holidays in Marquette which meant lots of Rayhorn-style excitment. Rorie and I came about a week before Christmas which meant we were flying solo. While it was well worth it to see my family it is not an experience that I have any desire to repeat (although it seems inevitable) It was so fun to be able to catch up with everybody and to visit all of my favorite Marquette places. Christmas morning was pretty low key with all of us enjoying watching Ben Ben and Rorie opening presents (despite the fact that they could have cared less). We were back in Utah in time for New Years day which we spent down in Levan with Jakes family. His sister Carrie and her husband were in from California and it was a lot of fun to catch up with them and their two boys. We also got to spend some more time with Jakes sister Bethany and her new Fiance Tori. It is so much fun to watch another couple in that "twitterpation" phase and to see how much fun the two are having together.
Our biggest news of the New Year is that Jake has joined the US Navy. It was a decision that took a lot of thought and research but in the end it seemed like the best thing for our family. This will allow Jake to pay for the rest of school (plus they are paying for my schooling too!) and most importantly will provide the health coverage that is such a neccesity for our family. Jake has chosen a job in the Advanced Electrical/Computer Field (AECF) and has an official ship date of December 15th. However Jake is in line for the next available seat as soon as he is done with school so we may be leaving as soon as May! We are just so excited for this next step!
Rorie is an ever changing source of entertainment for both Jake and I. While she is just as small as ever (only 15lbs) her personality is always growing. She has recently started to say both "mama" and "dada" which she mainly uses to whine, but it is still a lot of fun to hear. She is going through a rather trying phase of wanting to be held constantly and has also developed an aversion to strange men (which unfortunantly includes her Grandpa Kenison) but she is still as friendly as ever with everyone else. Just this last week she got her very first tooth (finally!) and her now toothy smile is cuter than ever. While she isnt quite walking yet she is slowly making the transition. She loves to walk around the room (as long as she can hold your hand) and will stand all by herself for a few seconds (as long as she doesn't realize you are no longer holding her up) and she seems fascinated by her friends that are taking their first steps. We are torn between our anticipation for this new phase and our dread knowing that it will be just that much harder to keep tabs on her.

Here are some pics of the last few months, ENJOY!

" Look mom Grandpa gave me chocolate"

Downward Dog

Rorie enjoying some blackberries

Turkey Day!

2008-12-08T22:27:00.015-07:00

I love this time of year! Great food, great friends and great family. It was Rories very first Thanksgiving and we went down to Levan to spend the day with Jakes family. Jakes younger sister (the one just down in line from him) recently got engaged (YAY!) so her fiance and his entire family joined us for dinner. We had such a large group that the only place big enough for us was the church cultural hall (only in Utah...).

This is a picture of Tory (Beth's Fiance), and Jake's sisters Andrea and Katie

Since Jake and I wanted to enjoy our meal without Rories grabby hands, we decided to strip her down to a onesie, give her some potatoes, and just let her go nuts. By the end of it she was covered from head to toe, but the pictures were priceless!

With potatoe in every conceivable crevice the only thing we could do was strip her down and stick her in the sink. It was her first experiance haveing a real situp bath and she LOVED it! It took her a few minutes to figure out that if she put her hands down really fast she could splash water all over but when she did I, and the counter were soon soaked. My cries of protest only seemed to egg her on and by the end there was more water outside of the sink than in.

We went back home that night because Jake had to work a half day on Friday, and I had some Black Friday shopping to do. It was my first experiance with Black Friday and I can safely assume that it is my last. I have never seen such a downright brutal and disgusting display in all my life. By the time I left they had already called in the Police and an ambulance...CRAZY. That evening we got to go to our friends the Petersons. All of the kids were home for the weekend and we had a great time visiting with everyone.

We hope that everyone had a great Holiday and we are so excited to see all of our Marquette friends and Family in just a couple of weeks!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Well it has been a while.....

2008-11-08T12:21:00.006-07:00

Wow...6 whole months have passed since our last update and a LOT has changed. I feel guilty every time someone asks us about pictures or asks us why we dont blog like my sister in law (whos page really does put me to shame). In my defense though, we havent had a computer until just yesterday (happy 21st birthday to me!), and blogging on a public computer is a little too complicated. So here is a little six month recap:

Jake is now working for a different electrical company. He was laid off shortly after Rorie was born and it put both of us into a little bit of a panic. Luckily for us we were living rent free at the time and I was currently working a few hours a week as a nurse aid for our elderly landlords. We didnt have to worry too long because Jake found his current job within 24 hours of losing his old one! This unexpected turn of events has turned out to be a wonderful blessing for our family. Not only is this company based out of Orem ( a 10 min commute as opposed to and hour long commute) but his new employer has also promised him a company truck by the end of this year.

This year also marks the begining of Jakes last year of school ( for now anyways). He will graduate this May and will be able to take his journeymans next fall. After that we are still undecided, but Jake is considering pursuing another degree in either electrical engineering or in business.

Rorie is already six months old! It is hard to believe that so much time has passed, but the evidence is pretty undeniable. Rorie now weighs a hefty 15lbs and has grown to 26 in. She has mastered the roll from back to front and from front to back. She is already on solid foods and is just days away from crawling. Not having mastered that last skill is her greatest frustration these days. She is pretty skilled at scooting for short bursts if she REALLY wants to get something, but crawling in one fluid motion is just beyond her reach.

The almost black hair that she was born with has lightened considerably to a lighter shade of brown, and her muddy eyes have settled on a deep chocolate ( o how I hope they stay this color!), making her the spitting image of her Aunt Mia and her dad.

While she is quick to smile and laugh at home (especially when her dad is around) she is somber around anyone who she doesnt know. However; it seems to be because she is too busy taking it all, rather than because she is shy.

I am still loving being a mom, although I know that my days of relative relaxation are numbered with her inches away from crawling. We are in a new apartment in Springville and our landlords have been great about letting us repaint and redecorate which has been great for me. Our new ward has been a pleasent surprise, with several other couples our age moving in at the same time as us. A few of the other young moms and I have set up a baby play group that is really more for us than them, but they seem to enjoy the interaction as well. My last bit of news is that I turned 21 on the third. It was a great birthday and as my mom put it my last birthday before I just start getting old. We had a vegas themed party with a texas hold-em tournament and mocktails for everyone, it was great fun!

Here are some quick pictures of Rorie, she is sooo big! :

The First Two Weeks

2008-05-19T12:50:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe that she is already two weeks old! It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks coping with being new parents as well as trying to move. Last Wednesday Rorie had her pictures taken and she loved it! They were done by the same woman who photographed our wedding and they turned out beautiful. Rorie did so well for such a tiny baby. After a little bit of a rocky start she got right into the groove of things. She was wide awake and posing her little heart out. She even seemed to enjoy the flashing lights of the camera. (Hopefully I will soon have a link for everyone to check out the pics.)
Today was her two week check up and we were suprised to see that she had not only regained her birth weight but was almost a full pound heavier! She has also gained an inch and a half since her hospital stay. It was a good laugh for us when the doctor said that she was tall and skinny for her age...no one has ever accused Jake or I of being tall OR skinny :)
It has been such an amazing experiance to watch Rorie learn and grow each day and we are so excited to see more of her personality as she gets older. Hopefully she will continue to be a sweet little girl.

Rorie is Here!

2008-05-12T12:25:00.000-06:00

We finally had our baby! Rorie Elizabeth Kenison was born May 4th, 2008 at 1:15pm. I started into labor Saturday morning ( a whole week early) and by Sunday morning it was apparent that she wasnt going to wait even one more day. After only (and I say this with ALOT of sarcasm) 2 1/2 hours of pushing she was here. She weighed 6lbs. 14oz. (such a perfect size!) and measured in at 20in.

She has been so much fun to have around and every day she amazes us with how much she has changed and grown. Her best feature is her little rose bud mouth that is constantly (even while shes dead asleep) making cute and funny faces. She absolutely loves her dad and seems to be completely fascinated with him...almost as fascinated as he appears to be with her.

My mom arrived late in the afternoon on Monday just as the three of us arrived home from the hospital. It has been such a help to have her here helping with everything from feeding and changing diapers to cooking meals and doing laundry. I dont know what I would do without her!

We are just so blown away by how wonderful and precious Rorie is and we are so excited to have this new little addition to our family. We want to thank everybody for all the love, support, time and gifts that you have given over the last 9 months. We are truly grateful!