Back to Reality

Well, we've been back from vacation for over a week and back to reality...ah...I love vacation! Let's see, mom and dad have moved everything to Frankfort and are pretty much settled. They are still unpacking boxes and getting things organized, but overall pretty cozy. It has been so wonderful having them so close.

Here are a few fun pics since we've been back home. The first two are at mom and dad's house. Mom gave Kelsey the light bright the other day. We were all impressed at her fine motor abilities. She doesn't like the black paper so she just puts the pegs in the holes. Of course, the light has to be on the entire time. But, she sits or lays on the floor for a good 20 minutes at a time just putting pegs in the holes.

Most kids like to lick the beaters about making icing, not Kelsey. She likes to lick them after mashing the potatoes! Yum.

Monday Rusty and I bought Kelsey her 1st set of wheels....a cute green golf cart. I'll get pictures up soon of us riding in it. The pic below is the one we bought. But, we are very excited about our new form of transportation between mom and dad's house and ours. We have already used it several times and Kelsey loves to ride on it.

Albany

Well, we made it to Albany and got to visit with friends today. We met Becky and Elwood for breakfast at IHOP and then drove out to see Lisa. Kelsey loved the Kyle's golf cart. She made all of us drive her around the yard.

Daytona Beach

Well, we headed to Daytona for a few days. Kelsey wasn't afraid of the ocean. She didn't mind going out and jumping waves, but really preferred to sit in the sand while the waves came up and rolled over her legs. She played in the sand most of the time we were there.

In the evening, we went down to the boardwalk and watched a magician. Kelsey was only mildly entertained. Then we went back to the hotel and took a late night stroll on the beach. She really preferred to be held, but we convinced her to walk for a little bit.

Now we are in Albany and are going to visit with some friends tomorrow. Then, we are going to head home on Sunday. This has been the 3rd hotel we've been stayed at in 2 weeks. Kelsey is getting used to running around a hotel room and checking things out. Not sure what she is going to think about being back home!! But, we still have a couple of busy weeks ahead of us.

Mom and Dad still have some things that need to be moved up and it is Rusty's birthday next week. So, we have a family dinner and a poker party planned for when we return. So, I may not get to update until after Rusty's birthday.

Swimming

Well, Kelsey is a water rat. She loves to go in the pool and cries to go in at least 2 or 3 times a day. Once she gets out there she sits on a raft or plays on the stairs.

Kelsey & Skylar sun bathing

Pool Time

Well Kelsey loved the pool slide. She had a good time running through the yard with Edward & Bailey. They provided unlimited entertainment for her the last few days!!

Video of Kelsey on the pool slide

Bailey, Kelsey, & Edward

Kelsey playing in the pool

We are now in Florida, got in about 5:20 a.m. Rusty is trying to get some rest since he drove all night. We are visiting with the family and Skylar is Kelsey's new entertainment. More updates to come as we will be making a trip to the beach in a few days. So, this may be my last post for a few days.

Imagine It!

Today we ventured to Atlanta's Children Museum: Imagine It! It was really neat. There were so many areas for the kids to play. There was a ball section, water table, sand table, painting wall, grocery store, kitchen, farming section, and much more. I would say Kelsey's favorite place was the kitchen area. She played in there for at least 40 minutes.

Curi, Nora, Edward, Bailey, Kim, & Kelsey

Edward, Kesley & Bailey waiting for the museum to open.

Kesley driving a fork lift.

Kelsey & Rusty fishing...of course!

Bird's Nest

Kelsey got to paint for the very first time today at the museum. She loved it. Here is a 10 sec. video.

Then, we walked a block down the street to Centennial Park. They had some really neat playground equipment.

The Atlanta Zoo

Today we ventured to the Atlanta Zoo. It was a perfect day to go. It wasn't over crowded and the weather was wonderful. We saw the pandas and a bird show...as well as many other animals. We also road the carousel and the train.

We are in Georgia!!

Well, we made it to the first leg of our marathon vacation...Marietta, Georgia. We left around 4.30 am and drove to Cleveland, TN where we stopped for breakfast. Kelsey got to get out and play at the McDonald's playplace and stretch her legs for a few minutes. Then we continued onto Calhoun's Prime Outlets. Of course I had to stop....and buy! :) Then, on to Curi's....9.5 hours later we finally arrived. We got to visit for a bit and then we got ready for dinner.

We were meeting my godparents at Williamsons BBQ for dinner. It was so nice to see them again, it has been a few years since our last meeting. Anyway, here are a few pics from our evening.

Kim, Kelsey, Peggy, Derrill

Kelsey, Peggy, Derrill

Kelsey & Peggy

Carriage Ride

Tonight Kelsey, Rusty, and I took a stroll through downtown Louisville in the back of a horse drawn carriage. Kelsey loved the horse, Ike.

Puzzle Fun Dome

Today Kelsey and I went to the Puzzle Fun Dome while Rusty was at his conference. It has an area for young children and a few inflatables. She loved it...of course. Here are a few pictures.

Fireworks...

Well, we had the 5th annual Howson Cookout at the Willhoite House yesterday. Not as many family members were in attendance this year...but we all still had a good time! Everyone got to see mom and dad's new house as well as help move a few pieces of furniture.

It was a little rainy during the fireworks, but a few of us made the trip down to see them.

Today we headed to Louisville for Rusty's conference. Kelsey loves the suite...she has plenty of room to run and play. There is an empty room/closet that we put all of her toys. So, she has been playing in there.

SORRY for the gap between postings...

Okay, here is the long awaited update. I know it has been over a month. But what can I say, summers are busy. For those out there that think teachers do nothing but sit by the pool, let me tell you....we do a lot more. Things are busier in the summer than they are during the school year because we put everything off until the summer. Enough about that...

Okay, so since the last update, school ended, mom and dad bought a house in Frankfort, we've had Father's Day, and a few play dates for Kelsey.


Let's start with the new house. Mom and dad will be living a street behind us. Kelsey will be able to walk through our backyard and cross the street to get to their house. It's going to be wonderful!! We are all very excited and can't wait for them to move. So, the move in date is 7/8!! They have finally got their house on the market in Corbin and have showed it a few times. No takers yet, but it's only been listed for a week or two. We are very optimistic and they are asking a very good price for the house, so we are hoping that will draw in more interest. So, here is a picture of the new house. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a kitchen/den, dining room, sitting room, 2 car garage, and a nice size yard. And, the yard is FLAT with a few small shade trees. No more forest surrounding the house and a driveway that looks more like a skate ramp.


EJ is back home and has been helping mom and dad get the house ready. He returned toward the end of May. He plans on going back to work soon to save money for his move to California. So, if you've been following his blog...you might as well quit. He will probably not update it again. Mom and I are trying to convince him to start it back up once he gets to CA. But we'll see.


Okay, so Rusty has been painting here and there for some extra cash. When he isn't doing that then he's fishing and hanging out with us. He had a great Father's Day, or so I think so. I fixed him and Kels breakfast in bed. Kelsey got him an ipod and he has used it quite a bit lately. Thanks to Aaron Mayes for helping him set it up and giving him some music to listen to. Here are a few cute pics from that day.


Let's see, Kelsey and I have been pretty busy. We have been back and forth between here and Corbin trying to help mom and dad out as well. We also had a huge yard sale with the Vaught's. So, here are some misc. pics of Kelsey over the past month. Oh yea, she had her 18 mth check up in June. She is in the 95th percentile for height and 65th in weight. She is really tall and she is slimming down and losing the baby fat. She is a BIG climber, it has only gotten worse. She is becoming or wanting to become independent. She must feed herself and she has regular temper tantrums. I hope it is the terrible 2's early and not an indication that the 2's will be harder than this! She has also become a photographer over the last month. She runs around with the camera and you never know what she'll snap a photo of. Some have been scary. So, I'll also put a few of her first photos on here.

some of Kelsey's first pictures.

Now, we are going to be out of town for a few weeks on vacation. We are hitting Louisville, Atlanta, Orlando, and Albany. So, I will have lots of new pics to put up soon. So, check back. I'm hoping to have another update by the 1st part of next week.