Catching Up...a year has flown by!

I can not believe that it has almost been a full year since I have updated this blog. So sad that life has gotten so busy that I can't sit back and reflect. It's been a fun year with a lot of new and fun adventures. The kids are growing and growing and obviously time is flying by. Luckily pictures are worth a thousand words and we continue to document all the wonderful moments our little family has. All photos can be found here: Kelly Family Photos. Enjoy catching up for the past year.

A few key milestones since July of 2015:

Raegan started transitional kindergarten (TK) and has loved every minute of it. We had a rough start adjusting to the new schedule and new environment, but overall it's been a great experience. She's met a lot of friends that live very close by and we hope to watch them grow up together over the years. She's also picked up some great attitudes from the older kids she is surrounded by in the before/after school program. It's not our favorite part of this ordeal, but she's adjusted well and is doing great. It's hard to believe that the school year is just about complete and she'll be off to real kindergarten in just a few months! We also have continued with gymnastics and she loves it. She recently passed her level and is moving up. We hope this is something she'll continue and enjoy. We're starting her in soccer in August and are trying to finagle the system to get her on the same team as her friends. We hope that will encourage her to stick with it. Last go, she hated it! Our soccer dreams may lay with Greyson, but we shall see if she gets bitten by the soccer bug this year. Fingers crossed! 





Since the last post, Greyson switched to yet another daycare, but this one is the final one until he starts school. It's a bit out of our way, but he is with one of Raegan's old daycare providers and we are just so happy with his new surroundings. The daycare is smaller with fewer kids and she focuses on preschool activities. He is already counting, knows all his letters, shapes and colors and continues to surprise us with what he learns every day. We did enjoy some reprieve from his ear infections after the tubes were put in, but they continued for quite some time. As of late, they have slowed down so hopefully he has grown out of the ear infection problems. He continues to run us ragged with all the energy he has and we're enjoying watching his little personality blossom and grow. He is a bit slower in the talking department that Raegan was, but he is advancing every day. 


Overall, both kiddos are growing and keeping us on our toes every day. We're looking forward to a fun summer full of sun, swimming, trips and family! We'll do our best to continue to update and chronicle our adventures!

Keep up with us from all of our photos here:   

Kelly Family Photos

2015 Has Been Busy!

I think the year 2015 has gone by a bit too fast. So much so that I have completely neglected to update this blog or it could be that having two kids has taken up far more of my time than I imagined. I feel awful knowing that I captured a lot of Raegan's first years yet very little of Greyson's, but at least we have photos to document all of life's activities!

Since our last post a lot has happened! We finally settled down in Roseville, CA and purchased our first home! This was so very exciting and despite the long process, we really did land our dream home. And with the help of family and friends, it has become even better and the kids are loving every minute of their new home. 


Greyson continues to keep us on our toes and is just a busy little man. Since we moved a little further than our previous neighborhood, we placed him in yet another new daycare where he had a rough start, but has since grown to love it. And the best part is that it is right across the street where Miss Raegan will attend Transitional Kindergarten in August. She's quite excited and we are as well! There was some big decisions to be made, but we finally landed on it being the best option for her and she will flourish. We all can't wait for her first day!

Greyson has also been plagued with chronic ear infections for as long as we can remember. They were so persistent that for a while there he had one every other month. We finally got the clear to put tubes in his ears and it's like he's a new person! He instantly felt better and was full of even more energy! 

Raegan has been enjoying the past few months and the start of summer. Her swimming skills are improving every day and she's definitely a little fish. We also put her in gymnastics, at her request, and she loves it! She's definitely entertaining to watch as she appears to be super bored and uninterested, but then snaps into attention and does exactly as she's told. We're hoping to add another activity to the mix soon...once she tells us what she'd like to do. Soccer, unfortunately, is off the table for now. She's also finally riding a bike - still with training wheels - but we finally got her on a bike! This was a big feat as we purchased several different types for her to try in the past. She's a girl on her own schedule that is for sure. When she was ready, she was ready. 

I would like to say that I will keep this up more regularly, but who really knows. For now, enjoy the past few months of photos and videos. These little ones are growing fast and keeping us busy. Enjoy!

View Photos and Videos here...

 

Great start to the new year!

We're so excited to start 2015! The year definitely started with a bang and has continued on a whirlwind path. Of course we started the year off right by celebrating the little man Greyson's birthday and enjoyed all the festivities. We also started Raegan off in soccer without great success, unfortunately. She was a bit overwhelmed by the whole experience and refused to go back again. This was tough for both of us, but we figure she's too young to force her into the sport if she's not interested. Fingers crossed she comes around!



Greyson has blossomed into a full on big boy. Gone are the baby days, this boy is on a mission to explore the world at a rapid pace. He is definitely keeping us on our toes. We took him to the zoo for the first time and he had a blast seeing all of the animals.

The kiddos are enjoying the new year so far and surprisingly get along so well. They absolutely love each other and it's the sweetest thing ever to watch. Raegan is so patient and loving and Greyson just adores her - daily hugs and kisses are the norm. There are times where Raegan has told us "having a little brother is so hard," but overall she loves being a big sister!

Lastly, so far we have continued to search for a new home and will soon be purchasing one! It's very exciting to explore new neighborhoods and hunt for the perfect place to call home. 

Enjoy the first few months of photos and videos!

View Photos and Videos Here

Happy 1st Birthday Greyson!

It's here, Greyson is 1!!! What a year that was and we're so happy to have this little guy in our lives. His birthday was a fantastic weekend full of family and fun. It was so wonderful having all of the family here to celebrate and to have his cousins here to play with him for the whole weekend - definitely a treat! And he certainly didn't let us down with his cake eating skills! He was not quite sure what to do with the cake at first, but once he had that little taste, it was all over! 

Greyson definitely gave us a run for our money in his first year and challenged us in so many ways. He is a ball of energy and in non-stop motion - keeping us on our toes and very active. He loves his big sister more than anything and lights up when he sees her. I'd say his favorite thing is the mornings when she comes in the room! He still loves outdoors and is becoming more and more interested in sports - he can already dribble a soccer ball! But we will say we think he's more interested in baseball at this point, but that can all change!

I'd say this year was a blast and we can't wait for all the new adventures with our lil man! Enjoy the photos and videos of his birthday bash!

View photos and videos here.

 

Pictures say more than words

Since I cannot find the time to dive into our family adventures from the last post in September, I figured pictures could do more! The end of 2014 was a great one filled with lots of fun and excitement as our little ones grew. Enjoy the photos and videos!

September & October

November & December

11 months!

Wow, 11 months already? We can't believe a year is just around the corner. Greyson continues to be on the move and this month was no exception. He has advanced from just walking to almost running, he continues to obsess over the remote control and he finally got his two front teeth! 

This month was a rough one for the little guy - two ear infections, a respiratory virus and cutting his two front teeth. We all survived and he is back to his happy, active self again. Greyson is also proving to be quite an independent one and is preferring to feed himself, making for very messy meal times. He has also been refusing to be fed a bottle (except at bedtime), choosing rather to graze and drink on his time frame. Luckily though, his sleep schedule is improving and he's giving us a bit of reprieve every now and then. 

As another month passes, we enjoy all the fun he brings to our lives. Raegan absolutely adores him and they are having a lot of fun growing up together so far! 

9 & 10 Months

Our little man is not so little any more and is on the fast track to big boy status quickly! In just a few short weeks he went from crawling to pretty much running and has yet to stop. This little boy is full of energy and spunk and is so fun to watch.  

His 9th month was full of development and he finally cut his bottom two teeth. Unfortunately, this little man takes forever to get his teeth and has quite a rough time with them, so it was a small celebration when they finally came through!

 



His 10th month was full of activity! He went from cruising around furniture, to using a walker toy to full on walking in just a few short weeks. He wasted no time to get moving! He also learned how to stand up on his own without holding onto anything. 

Greyson is all boy and loves anything to do with soccer balls, baseballs, remotes, banging things and crashing things. It's hilarious watching him destroy things and stop whatever he is doing to grab the remote or a ball. 

Next up with hopefully be the two front teeth and some words! He enjoys making noise, but no actual words yet.

The Adventures Continue

Of course my time has been extremely limited and getting to this blog has seemed more challenging that I'd like, but something is better than nothing! So here is our catch up...

This summer has been full of adventures and fun for our little family. Not only is our little guy Greyson growing and growing and getting more active, but so is Raegan! She is blossoming into the best big sister we could ask for and enjoying all that her new preschool has to offer. We've had some challenging times and a bit of regression for a few weeks, but overall she has grown to accept her new role as big sister and the fact that Greyson is here to stay. We all have had to learn how to adjust to sharing our attention and giving each other the special time they need. And now that he is getting more active, Raegan is enjoying helping him and showing him the ropes!
 
In July we also welcomed another new addition to the family with baby Isabella June Miano! The kids are very excited to welcome another cousin and to have one close by. Although she's a bit tiny, we're  sure she'll grow up to run with the kids in no time...that is if Greyson doesn't eat her for lunch! He seems so huge next to her! 

A few other first these past few months were Greyson's first camping and boating trip to Lake Oroville. He did great and next year will be able to actually go on the boat! Raegan had a great time camping and enjoyed her time on the boat. And thanks to our cousins, we were able to enjoy camping in a trailer as opposed to a tent or cramming into my parents motor home. It was a great adventure overall!

Raegan had a new adventure as well when Grandma and Papa Kelly came to visit. We took a day trip out to the aquatic center and she finally got on the paddle board with Hayden! Hayden was so excited since he has tried time and time again to get her to go on. Granted she didn't last too long, but she did it and that's all that matters. Next year she'll surely want one of her own and we'll be chasing her down the river!  

The summer of course was full of more time in the pool and out in the sun. Both Raegan and Greyson love the water, so it's great to get them in the pool every weekend. The weather is slowly cooling down, so the pool time will be missed here soon!

And to wrap up the summer, Hayden took Miss Raegan out on a camping trip just the two of them! Well, with a group of friends, but without Mommy! Greyson has proven to be a bit of a challenge at night and since he's getting more and more mobile, camping just didn't seem like that much fun for me, so we opted to split the fam and Hayden and Raegan had a special weekend full of father-daughter time. Raegan is at the perfect age for this and they had a blast! They went in the lake, hiked up rocks, played in the dirt, and roasted marshmallows - all the staples when it comes to camping. They both came home dirty as all heck and smelling like dirt, but it was all worth it to see the smiles on their faces. And Greyson and I enjoyed our mommy-son time as well!

As usual, the months have been so fun watching these two little ones grow and entertain us. It doesn't get much better than these good times and all of the memories we're creating! Enjoy all the photos and videos!

View photos and videos here...

Whoa, he turned 6 months, 7 months and 8 months

Complete mommy fail! Our little man has turned not just 6 months old, but 7  months and now 8 months and I have yet to document his journey! Luckily, I did do his photos so we did document his growth!

These past few months have been full of excitement for our little guy and the family as a whole. Greyson continues to bless us with smiles day in and day out - he is just the happiest little man! And he is a busy one as well!

At 6 months he began his perpetual motion journey and was rolling all over the house. He just about mastered sitting up and started enjoying baby food. At his check up appointment he weighed in at 17 pounds and was 26 inches long - about 2 pounds in 2 months and about an inch in length. I think his weight would have jumped much higher, but at 6 months he caught a nasty stomach bug and couldn't keep much down. A nice stomach bug that he shared with many of us! But luckily he recovered and was fine.








 

At 7 months he had mastered sitting up and continued to roll all over the place! He also started his new trick of blowing bubbles, which was a super cute new trick. A big change for him was we moved daycare providers because he was just not happy and we didn't feel he was getting the attention he needed. His new daycare is an in-home where he is the only infant and he has definitely thrived! Not only did he finally get on a better sleeping schedule, but overall he seemed much happier. The only downside for his new daycare provider is he started teething pretty bad...with no teeth in sight! But overall, he and she seem to be enjoying each other and we are all much happier.

 



At 8 months the whirlwind of motion has hit and there is no slowing this boy down! It is incredible the difference in children and I'm not sure if it's boy vs. girl or just this particular kid, but he does not like to sit still! This month he is up on his knees and gearing up to crawl at any time...due to his rather large head he may just continue to army crawl around since it seems it's a big hard to keep that head up! This month he also picked up babbling and squealing as well as his love for standing up. The boy does not want to be sitting and enjoys all of his toys while standing. Up next will be "cruising" around the furniture. And because he is moving so much, the monthly sticker photos are getting harder and harder to capture!

It's truly incredible how fast this time is going. I suppose it's because life is just very busy, but I hope that it will slow down soon so we can enjoy our last little baby as long as possible.  

Summer is here!

Ah the joys of summer are here and going by so fast! I can't believe we've already finished up June! And what a fun month it has been for this Kelly Fam Bam. Of course this month has been full of pool time at the Miano Marriott and Raegan is getting better and better at swimming. We can't believe how well she is doing - pretty much swimming all on her own now! I think we'll do a few more lessons to make sure she keeps up with the right technique and knows how to breath, etc. But overall, just getting her exposed to the pool every weekend has been great for her.


 
Another big deal this month was Raegan's first haircut! Yep, it only took us 3 1/2 years to get it done! I was banking on a grandiose experience, but think I chose the wrong location. The hairdresser was not too animated and didn't think it was a big deal that it was her first haircut ever. I did my best to make it exciting and we had a whole mommy-daughter morning date. Luckily the lady did do her hair up pretty cute though - complete with a blow dry and style with ribbon and bows. Raegan enjoyed it and we had a great day!

This month was also Father's Day and now that Raegan and Greyson are at an official "school" there was a great Donuts with Dad event that Hayden attended. It was super cute and Raegan was excited to have her daddy go to her school for the morning. I tried to snap a photo without her seeing me, but it didn't do it justice of how happy she was. I know Hayden enjoyed it immensely as well!
 
Rounding out the month was a stomach bug from hell that we assume started at the daycare and attacked poor lil Greyson. He was sick for almost two weeks, throwing up and all. It was heartbreaking to see him go through all of that. We're hoping he will finally get back to normal and stop catching these sicknesses from daycare. Unfortunately, the bug spread to Hayden, Grammy and my cousins that were in town visiting. Luckily, we were able to keep me and Raegan from getting it and everyone recovered okay. Not a fun few weeks, but we made it through!

This month photo taking was a bit slow, but as usual we did capture some great shots of the kiddos!

Enjoy photos and videos here.

 

5 Months??!!

Okay, I'm seriously struggling this time around to keep up with this blog. Time and life is going by so incredibly fast! I guess with two kiddos you just blink and time flies by. Luckily, I am able to somewhat keep up and have a short update for our lil man Greyson's 5 months!

This month has been quite a month for Greyson with great advancements. He's rolling over from both his belly and his back and is just about sitting up on his own! He's much more into toys and can be entertained a bit more, which is great! We have him in his bouncer and he's loving it. 

We tried to introduce solid foods with hopes that it would fill him up and help him sleep longer at night, but he was not a big fan. The first attempt went well and he enjoyed it (which we caught on camera), but every other attempt has failed. Raegan was a bit the same and we weren't able to get her taking food until around 6 months, so maybe he will be the same. 

Overall, we've had another great month of watching our lil man grow! He's such a sweet little one and incredibly happy. He definitely loves his big sister and lights up whenever he sees her or hears her voice. It's a joy watching them together and we love every minute of it!

Full of Change in May

Whoa was May a doozy for the Kelly fam bam! It seems to be our M.O. to do everything at once and we didn’t hold back this month. From me going back to work, the kids going to a new daycare and Hayden bringing on an employee, we had a lot of new things going on. Fortunately, we all survived and are adjusting fairly well to all the newness.

Raegan surprisingly transitioned to her new daycare pretty well. I was most nervous about her and how she would adjust, but she LOVES her new school and comes home with more energy than ever. She is a bit overwhelmed with how many more kids she interacts with and is having trouble remembering everyone’s names, but she has connected with 1-2 little girls and is making new friends every day. Her teachers have given great feedback and said she is a very polite little lady. It’s fun to see her handle change so well and to be in a new environment that she is comfortable in. But boy was it an adjustment for me to be thrown into the “school” world with activities and responsibilities. Week one was Spirit Week and each day had a new theme we had to prepare for! Needless to say, Raegan had some makeshift attire for a few of the days because mom was not prepared! Good thing she had no clue.

Greyson on the other hand had a much harder time adjusting to his new daycare. As expected, he did not warm up to his teachers and the new place very well. He is a high maintenance little man and requires a lot of attention, which I am sure he didn’t get much of with so many other little ones requiring just as much attention. The teachers are all wonderful though and reassured me every day that it will, and can, only get better! But of course, week 2 ended with a cold and he was home almost the entire 3^rd week. He is still recovering from his cold, but luckily he is warming up to the ladies and starting to get a bit more comfortable with everything. Fingers crossed he is building strong immunities and the colds will not plague us!

The best part about this month as been the weather and the pool time! We are getting to see little Miss Raegan turn into a big swimmer! The swim lessons surely have paid off and she is a little fish. It’s both a blessing and a curse because she never wants to get out, but that just means more practice, practice, practice! Greyson is a pool baby too and has so far enjoyed lounging in his floaty also. So far, we’ve had a few great pool days and are sure Raegan will be a full blown swimmer by the end of the summer.

Despite Raegan taking to her new school well and enjoying it, she has had a few rough days of acting out and testing me and Hayden to our limits. I think she was bit overwhelmed with all the new things happening and she has finally snapped, realizing um little Greyson isn’t going anywhere and I’m expected to grow up here?! It’s been a rough few tantrum-filled evenings, but we’ve since introduced a reward chart and hope that by giving her positive reinforcement for her good behavior, she’ll start behaving a lot better. Fingers crossed! I do imagine that this is just the beginning of her testing limits, so we’re getting good practice! I just hope Greyson takes a different approach when he reaches 3..HA wishful thinking!

As with most families when the 2^nd kid comes along the photos get less and less. Fortunately, we have iPhones to capture some key moments, there definitely is not as many as with Raegan. But there are still some great pictures and videos to enjoy!

View photos and videos here.

4 months of growth

Well since Greyson’s last check up at 2 months old he has put up some big numbers! He is now 15 pounds 15 ounces and 25.5 inches long – that’s  an increase of 3 pounds and 2 inches. I guess all that eating has paid off! It’s fun to see how much bigger he is than Raegan, but somehow we expected him to be…especially coming out as big as he did!

This month he is giggling and getting close to rolling from his back to his belly – he goes about half way and gets stuck. He is also showing much more interest in toys and activities. It’s fun to break out the old toys and bouncers Raegan had and put them to use again. It paid to hang onto everything that is for sure!

He also started his new daycare this month and it’s proven to be a challenge for him. Like most babies I’m sure, it’s been an adjustment for him. He is a bit of a high maintenance kid and does not like to be alone, so I imagine sharing his daycare provider’s attention is rough on him. Plus all the new stimuli and environment is surely hard to adjust to. But, it can only get better from here! Luckily all of the changes have not affected his sleep patterns and he’s still giving us some good stretches at night. Hopefully when he starts solid foods here soon they’ll get even longer! Wishful thinking? I sure hope not!

We’re looking forward to watching him continue to grow and thrive. Surely next month he’ll be a completely new kid, challenging us in new ways, but we’re up for it!

Spring Fun

March and April were fairly mellow for us, but of course was not without excitement.  After the winter months of cold and snow, we were excited for the Spring weather to arrive. Luckily, we started the season with a trip to beautiful San Diego! Everyone  thought I was a crazy person deciding to do a long road trip from Sacramento to San Diego with two kids by myself, but I of course thought nothing of it. I’ve done it a few times with Raegan and all has been well. I figured with a stop midway in Bakersfield and a “we’ll get there when we get there” attitude, we’d be fine. And we were…on the trip down! Everything went off without a hitch. We were able to reach Bakersfield in good time, spend time with the family there and have an uneventful trip overall. Once in Orange County, we met up with Hayden and visited some family there as well.

Overall, the visit with all of our family and friends couldn’t have been better. It was so fun to get to see everyone and introduce our little man. It’s just so hard and exhausting to see everyone that every time I go, I say we need to stay longer and not try to pack so much in. One day I’ll listen to myself! We enjoyed a nice family day at the beach, a family dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, a BBQ at our friend’s house (which as amazing because so many people came over to see us!!) and another beach visit to Ocean Beach. Our trip was packed full of fun!

Now as I said above, the road trip was smooth on the way down, but boy oh boy was it a different story on the way back home. Unfortunately, I did not time the travel time right and Greyson was not a happy camper. He didn’t sleep very much and did not appreciate being in the car as long as he was. It took us a good 6 or so hours to get to Bakersfield and he cried about 5 of those. It was tough to say the least and something I will think two or three times about before deciding to do again! Sadly, I believe this road trip has stuck in his mind and ever since he has disliked the car and screamed every time we have him in there. It’s very unfortunate.

After our trip to San Diego, my focus was on enjoying my last month of maternity leave and trying to relax and get little things done to prepare for my return to work. Luckily, this plan held true! We purchased a large trampoline for the kiddos from a friend of ours and Raegan absolutely loves it…as do we! It fits perfectly in the yard and has provided hours of fun for her so far. It has been fun watching her get more and more brave on it and actually starting to jump pretty high!

Easter was a lot of fun this year as well! Raegan was a bit more interested in the festivities of dyeing eggs, having Easter egg hunts, but most importantly getting a visit from the Easter bunny and receiving gifts. She was a bit confused and thought he was like Santa Claus and kept telling us she was going to ask for a Frozen castle when she saw him at the mall. I kept trying to inform her that he really only brings eggs and candy, but she still had to tell him. And we lucked out with a really get photo of the two kids without either freaking out or frowning! Very successful.

Greyson has wowed us with some big growth spurts and seems to be the size Raegan was when she was 6-7 months old! I’ve put him in some of her hand-me-down clothes that she wore way later in life and he is fitting in them…could be the amount this lil man eats!! He is a growing boy! He is also a little charmer, flashing his adorable smile at all times and working in a giggle here and there. We’re having lots of fun watching him grow and develop …and his big sister is enamored by him!  She is proving to be a very big help and enjoying making him play with her.

We wrapped up the month of April with swim lessons for Miss Raegan. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate too well the first week and it was a big struggle getting her to enjoy her lessons in the cold pool. She was not a happy camper. I had to really sit tight while watching her cry the entire lesson and then shiver endlessly after. I had to bribe with all things chocolate to make her keep going! Luckily, week two was much warmer and one of her little friends switched lesson times and went at the same time. This helped tremendously and she changed her tune about lessons instantly. She loved it and was getting more and more brave in the water every day. It was so fun to watch the progression! The only down side is she may be a bit too brave, but we’ll take it! Now she at least will put her head in the water and is not so afraid. It’s going to be a great summer watching her in the pool!

Unfortunately, the end of April brought the end of my maternity leave and I had to prep myself and the family for my return to work. And even worse, I had to move daycares. Raegan was super excited about her new “big girl” school, but once we went for the tour, she wasn’t too sure. She was super shy and not interacting at all. Hopefully she will be okay with the transition, but we’ll see! Greyson’s daycare tour went well and he seemed to take very well to the teachers there. Hopefully they both do great and it’s a seamless transition. We shall see. Stay tuned for updates next month!

Enjoy this month’s photos and videos!