Rachel's Wedding - Part II | WEDDING, FAMILY, & CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER | EFFINGHAM, ILLINOIS

Henry thought I was pretty darn funny...I like people who think I'm funny!!

My own daughter does NOT think I'm funny. I can see this cynical look coming to haunt me during her teenage years. It screams, "Mom, what are you doing....geesh."....think of this said in a Napoleon Dynamite style of voice.

Henry - scoping out the situation with Grandma Gail.

Sophia taking a walk on the wild side.

We wonder if Colby is teething, but we dont' want to be 'that' parent who tells everyone that and then it's 3 more months before a tooth comes in. However, she ALWAYS has to be chewing on something....

...or sucking on her lips, which Grandma McCormick says her boys did when they were teething.

Me and Kim.

Me and Karen.

Uncle Randy, the newest Baby Hog in the family holding his granddaughter, Sophia.

Me and Kendall.

Colby was a trooper at the wedding. She loved being held and played with all afternoon. I look at this picture and wonder if she has ANY pigmentation at all??? Nick and I call her "Powder" sometimes.

Rachel's wedding | WEDDING, FAMILY, & CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER | CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS

Here are a few pictures from my cousin Rachel's wedding last weekend. I have a Part II coming with the rest of the pictures!!!

Me and my four sisters.

Kyle with one of his twins, Henry. Henry must have tasted good...or we were waiting too long for supper or something!

Me, my sisters, my mom, and my two aunts, Gail and Dana.

Yeah...me and my four sisters again. Two of them (Kim and Kendall on the outsides) live in MN and Kori (in the center) lives in IN; so, we're all five together not that often!...and especially not dressed up!

Kim's a dancer...here she is with Uncle Andy out on the dance floor.

Kyle, Christine, twins Sophia and Henry

When we started taking the family pictures, the sun was under clouds...unfortunately it came out and we didn't move; so, these aren't the best pictures! Grandma Budke with the grandkids and great-grandkids.

The Watson family with Grandma Budke.

Kim now dancing with Matt....who had never really swing-danced before, but got a quick lesson from Kim. Good thing she's good at leading!!! :)

New Toy

This past Saturday I bought Colby a 'new-to-her' ExerSaucer. I hesitated on buying it. I don't want to have every single baby accessory known to man in my living room. However, now that she has it I would feel really bad ever taking it away from her. She loves it! Her feet reach the ground and she spins around in the seat playing with all of the toys. It's like having an amusement park in our living room for her.

Here are a few pix of Colby discovering all of the perks of her new favorite toy.

Conversation with Nurse

I had a doctor's appointment today...endocrinologist. This is the depressing conversation I had with the nurse:

Nurse: I need you to step on the scale, Kelly.
Kelly: OK.
Nurse: Oh my gosh! You've lost 32 pounds since the last time you were here! Congratulations!
What's your secret?! How did you manage to do that?!
Kelly: I had a baby. (said in flat voice)
Nurse: Oh......well....um....congratulations.

I'm not really sure you can hear the disappointment in the nurse's voice as you read what I've typed, but let's just say that the nurse felt that having a baby was a total cop-out of a reason. She was imaging blood, sweat, and tears of a different kind.

I'm not going back to that doctor ever again.

Frivolous Worries

When I think about Colby, a whole bunch of worries come to my mind. I worry about if Colby will be a kind person, wild as a teenager, and if she won't take school seriously. There are less important things that occur to me nowadays that still worry me though! Like, I worry that she won't be 'a reader.' It drives me crazy when I recommend a book to my sister (Kim!) and she's like, "I'm sure it is good, Kelly, but you know I'm not a reader like you are." I have thought about that a lot...what if she doesn't enjoy curling up on the couch and reading on a rainy day like me?!!! That will kill me!!! So, at night before she goes to bed, we read books. She pays attention really well so far! Her favorite is "Barnyard Dance." Mine are "Sheep in a Jeep" and "The Monster at the End of This Book"...that silly Grover.

Yesterday I discovered a new fear. In my inbox was the latest email from Amy Grant's website. Yes, in my old age, I can admit these truly dorky things and not care what people think...for the most part. But, seriously, what if Colby doesn't enjoy and obsess over the music trifecta of my childhood: Amy Grant, Marie Osmond, and Barbara Mandrell! Seriously, Nick tells me all the time "that I wasn't raised to be cool." I don't care at all. I was not only Country When it Wasn't Cool, but I was also A Little Bit Country and A Little Bit Rock-n-Roll...and none of it mattered because Angels Were Watching Over Me!

Yes, I know. Colby is not probably going to like these songs from my childhood....UNLESS, I made them songs from HER childhood; so, I've started singing my favorites to her...when Nick isn't around to remind me of how I'm a dork and making her into a dork!

Here are a few pictures from the last week! Have a great weekend!

Colby's first time in her high chair. Hmmm....not quite sure of it at first.

Now I like it! Colby's starting to reach for toys, and it's much easier for her to do it when in her high chair vs on the floor.

Grandma McCormick and her McCormick cousins. Ross was not happy about the photo op!

Hello, there, pretty girl! My, oh, my, that's quite a tummy you have on you!



This is one of my best friends from my childhood, Erin, and her family. Last weekend we were honored to be baptismal sponsors for my friend Erin's new daughter, Audrey. Nick and I were thrilled to be asked! Continuing the theme of this post, Nick and Erin's husband, Eric, made fun of me and Erin's childhood dorkiness most of the evening. When Erin and I would spend the night at each others' houses, we would lay around and read books all weekend. That was our idea of fun. Sometimes we would read the SAME book at once and race to see who could get a page read first. While it didn't contribute to our popularity, I'm sure it helped us on the reading comprehension portion of the ACT. Like that matters today.

Grandma Sandy with little Audrey.

Colby Pictures

Just a few pictures of Colby lately. Thanks for checking in!

A flying Colby. Despite the scared look on her face for this picture, she really does like it and can keep her legs straight out on her own.

Colby's "Old Yeller" picture. Is there a rabid racoon in my house, or what?

Two Saturdays ago Nick was at a tractor pull all day. Arlene and I were going to go eat at my favorite restaurant, the Firefly; however, of course Colby only took two 30-minute naps that day. I knew she had to take a nap in order for us to have a somewhat enjoyable evening; otherwise, we would have a meltdown on our hands. So, I put her in the crib and was going to let her cry it out while I was in the shower. When I got out of the shower, it was quiet, and I thought, "Yes! She's asleep!" When I peaked into her room, this is what I saw. She was studying and 'talking' to the characters on her sheets. Needless to say, we didn't make it to the Firefly that night.

Colby's first time in the Bumbo seat. She wasn't quite sure of it at first.

Starting to warm up to the Bumbo.

Yes, I like this! I love sitting and watching Mom do the dishes!!

Laughing

Tonight I was on the floor playing with Colby. An episode of "Friends" was playing in the background. It was the one where Phoebe and Joey put a plan together to get Ross and Rachel back together. Every time they talk about 'the plan' they use what Phoebe calls their "plan laugh"...which is basically a Dr. Evil style laugh. I started doing that to Colby and she thought that was hysterical. Here's a short video of it. And, no, I haven't bought a real video camera yet. This was taken with my cell phone, which was sitting nearby, but I did go and look at video cameras yesterday, and I picked one out! I just wanted read the reviews online before I actually made the purchase!

Colby's still a very good baby. She goes to bed between 7-8 pm and sleeps through until 6-6:30 am. She started rolling over this weekend from her back to her tummy...which is actually why my cell phone was close by tonight. I was hoping to get a video of her doing that while she played on the floor! She loves to stand or sit straight up. Today she sat in Grandma McCormick's high chair in the kitchen and was quite happy to be like everyone else around the table! She has also started scootching all over. You'll put her to bed at one end of the crib and by the next morning she'll be up in the corner with her arm hanging out the side. She's a nut!