Random Pics & Videos

I promise this blog won't turn into just pictures of my amazing child! But for now, until all my volunteering madness is over and I have more time, this will have to do.

 Her new friend, Mr. Lambie.

Cheering on the Steelers.

 

 Like brother, like sister...

We have been told many times that babies like looking at babies. In this video Aaron is showing Kinley some babies from a magazine. The audio is horrible (I need to quit taking videos with my iPhone!) but you can see her reaction when she sees a baby she enjoys! Better video to come, I promise!

Crazy Hair and Her Zebra

(Fun white boots compliments of her cousin, Delaney!)

To the North Pole or Bust...

For the past two weeks Kinley has had her Grandma Pearce around and I have gotten to spend time with my mom. We had a great time! We got to show her a lot of Alaska and it's wildlife. She got to see 15 moose. They were everywhere! We spotted 2 dall sheep on the way to Alyeska and about 30(+) caribou on the way home from Fairbanks. It was awesome!

Below are some pictures of our trip to Fairbanks and the North Pole. The temps didn't disappoint as it got to about -33 degrees. The only bummer of the trip was Santa was on vacation until May. Can you believe that guy?! We all know the elves do all the work! Anyway... 

 Proof we were really at the North Pole!

 Sitting in Santa's chair sans Santa. :( 

 hee hee...

 Sitting in the ice sleigh!

 Mom and Aaron went on a dog sled ride. I didn't go because I have already been on two. They had a blast! And Kinley and I had fun staying warm in the Hotel North Pole!

 On the ride...

The following pics are the ice museum at Chena Hot Springs:

 The boys and the naked lady.

 Kinley hanging out in her first igloo!

 The crew. We had a blast!

 Our little family. Kinley slept through the whole tour. No shocker there! But we took lots of pictures to document her journey.

 I loved this little fish.

 The ice bar.

 The knights jousting.

Back to random photos...

Hanging at the hotel.

Only a few of the 30(+) caribou we saw on our way home from Fairbanks. Denali National Park is filled with them!

Sunset on the way to Fairbanks at 3:30 PM.

The moon and mountains on our ride up.

Mt. McKinley on the way up.

 

One of the many moose we saw while my mom was here.

And finally...

Kinley and her Grandma Pearce. Thanks for coming to visit! We love you! 

We Wish You A Merry Christmas...

It was a great first Christmas with Kinley! She slept through most of it but I took enough pictures to show her someday. Here are a few:

 She was all partied out pretty quickly! Here she is sporting her 'My 1st Christmas' Santa hat from Grandma Pearsall. 

She didn't really care about the bow but it still didn't stay on long. 

 Under the tree with all her presents. It is a lot for a 6 week old baby! There were lots of books and blankets from family and friends.

 A close up of her under the tree. 

 And this isn't really a Christmas picture but it is one of my favorites! I have always thought my hubby was hot but something about him with her makes him even cuter! :)

I hope you all have a safe and happy new year!

Kinley's Movie Debut

5 Weeks

I have no idea where the time is going. It is almost the end of December and I have barely blinked the last five weeks. Kinley is growing strong! She is an amazing little person. I can't believe how in just a few short weeks she has become so aware of her surroundings. She is picking her head up more and more. She can stare us in the face when we lay her on our chest. It is a pretty funny sight!

She is sleeping well. She wakes up about every 2 -2 1/2 hours to eat. She has her fussy moments but  mostly only cries when she is hungry and even then her cry is pathetic. I know, I know, enjoy it while it lasts! I am loving being a mother but am already worried about her future. I am sure all moms go through it! I am trying not to worry the days away. We are taking lots of pics to document everything. I am sure you don't believe me since I have been so horrible about posting.

Everything has gone pretty well with the exception of  me having to go back into the hospital a week or so ago to have my gallbladder removed. I have learned from other ladies this is sort of common among pregnant women. I wish someone would have told me! The pain hit and within an hour I was on my knees unable to do anything! I called my neighbor and they came to my rescue and call the ambulance. My neighbor is an EMT, I was in good hands! They found Aaron out in the field because he was doing an exercise. He met me at the hospital and all the tests ensued.

They found out my gallbladder and pancreas were inflamed and irritated. I also had gall stones. Fun times. So they admitted me and so began Aaron's 3 days/nights of being a single dad to a new born. He was amazing! I never doubted it because he has been so super helpful from the get go. A real man doesn't shy away from poopy diapers! :)  I love that man!

After two days in the hospital, they took out my gallbladder and pumped me full of anti-biotics to fix the pancreas.  Never a dull moment around me I swear!  Oh, they also fixed a belly button hernia I got from being pregnant that I had no idea I had developed.

So I am home now and feeling much better! Hopefully that will be my last stay in the hospital for a long time. I hated being away from Aaron and Kinley. Although, the hospital was gracious enough to put me in my own room so he could bring her during the day to see me.

Sorry for the poor quality. I took these with my iPhone. I promise to get better pics up soon!

Isn't she sweet! Love her!

She's Here!

 Kinley Keating Pearsall born November 11, 2010 at 9:20 am. She weighed in at a whopping 5 lbs 8 ozs. People have been wondering about her name. Well, we picked Kinley because we thought it was a fun ode to AK with Mt. McKinley. Keating was the last name of a dear friend Aaron lost in Afghanistan during his first deployment. Ben Keating was an exceptional person and friend. We miss him dearly and thought it would be a great tribute to Ben and honor for our little girl to share his name!

 With daddy for her first meal. 

 Enjoying some bonding time with mommy!

 I love her so much already! I am so excited to get to be her mom!

 

After her first bath. Lots of hair! 

 

We still are not sure what Boone thinks of her. He wants to lick her all the time so I guess things could be worse. When she makes any kind of noise he comes over and stares at her. I guess time will tell! Little does he know, she is here to stay!

Almost Done...

We are almost done with the nursery! It's a very good thing because I am about 4 weeks (give or take) away from being done with this pregnancy!

Here is the latest of my creations:

I saw a much better version done for a living room in a photography book a few years ago. I thought it would be a nice touch to her room. Don't bother looking too close, there are no pictures of people you know in those frames.  I will fill them up sooner than later I am sure!

Just a shot to show you where I put it in the room.

Only one wall to go. I am thinking of just hanging some shelves I already have from a previous move. Now, I just have to convince my husband that hanging them will be great fun! Poor guy, he hates hanging thing but he has been so wonderful to do it without complaint anytime I ask. I guess he will have to get used to it.  I am sure this is just the beginning of putting things up/together for many years to come!

The Beauty of Alaska

Mt. McKinley is the mountain in the middle. It is the highest peak in North America. Sorry I couldn't make it any larger. I don't think Blogspot likes photo stitching. But if you click the photo, it will enlarge for you!

33 Weeks and Counting...

Still getting bigger...