November Slideshow

Our Girl's

Ellie is starting to be a lot more interactive and fun. We love her laugh. Lexi got a new bike from Ambucks. So here are a couple of videos of them.

Brian and I went to Detroit this weekend and shared a hotel room with our friends. We went to the Temple the next day. While we were waiting for them to arrive, we went swimming. We thought that what Ellie did when she was in the pool was so fun we wanted to share it. I think we truly have ourselves a water baby. She is definitely Brian's daughter. I can't wait to get her in the ocean.
.

October Slide Show

I have been tagged.

Chole tagged me. I am not sure how we are linked. We are sisters in the Gospel, were in Battle Creek together in our youth, and I hung out with Robert at KCC.

1. I enjoy cutting finger and toe nails. Clean toes and fingers make me feel better.
2. I am still afraid of the dark. I run up the stairs from the basement because I feel that the boogey man will get me.
3. I enjoy reality t.v.
4. It is my goal to scare Brian really good because he gets me all of the time. I have had to be really creative.
5. I took an incomplete in a class and my instructor passed away.
6. I think that the older I get the more uptight I become. It will be interesting how I'll be when my girl's are older.
7. I like to pull on my eyebrows. No big deal they are huge!

I tag Emily, Jessica, Sonya, Jennifer, Tiffany, Renee, and Sam.

September Slideshow

Ellie's 3rd Month

Obama/Biden Rally in Battle Creek

I had a great time with 15,000 other supporters at the rally in Battle Creek for Barack Obama and Joe Biden. I was very excited they were coming to Battle Creek. Back in 1996 Bill Clinton came to Battle Creek when I was serving here as a missionary. He was here on preparation day so we could have gone, but my companion wouldn't go. I was really bummed to have missed an opportunity to see the President of the United States. When I heard Obama was coming to town, I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to see the guy who I hope will be the next President of the United States. And my vote will actually count this election since I'm living in one of the battleground states! Wahoo! Thanks to Leah who stayed home with the girls so I could go and stand for hours in the hot sun at C. O. Brown Stadium waiting for the cavalry to arrive. But it was worth the wait. I'm looking forward to voting Obama/Biden in November and hope that many of you will do the same.

Ellie's 2nd Month

Ellie's Two Month Check-up

Ellie went to the doctor yesterday and she is doing very well. She weighs 9lbs and 5ozs and she is 22 inches long. The doctor said that she is a little tall for her weight but we knew that. She is very strong. She is trying to sit up when she is in the car seat. She is blowing a lot of bubbles and loves to smile and laugh. She continues to be a joy and a blessing. We are excited to have Brian home for real on Saturday. Can't wait!


Isn't crazy how much she has changed in two months? I don't see it until I do a post like this.

We Miss Daddy

Brian is working in Hong Kong for a few weeks and we already really miss him!!! This is a video for him and everyone else of Ellie being cute and using her voice a little bit. She can make a lot more noises and a lot louder.

Ellie and Daddy's First Dance

Ellie and Brian enjoyed their first dance together at Conrad and Rebecca's reception on July 10th.

Ellie's Blessing

Elizabeth Anne was blessed on July 6, 2008. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of visitors. We are so grateful for all of those who traveled far to attend. Ellie was surrounded by great men of the Priesthood. We are so grateful for the gospel and the blessings that come from the Temple.

July 4th Weekend

Before and After

Here is Ellie at one month. It has been quite an exciting month. Grandma Kinghorn came and visited us from Hawaii and we all went down to see Nana and Poppy Rackham, Uncle Jordan, Aunt Jenna, and Great Grandma and Grandpa Doty in Iowa and go to Paul and Tiffany's wedding in Nauvoo. We left just in time to get across the bridge to Illinois before the floods closed everything. When we got back to Michigan we got to go to the Battle Creek Breakfast Table/Cereal Festival. That was a lot of fun and Dad and the Young Men from the ward helped clean up. Aunt Bunny drove up to see us from Washington DC, and she and Grandma Kinghorn went to NY to visit Ken and Donna and their family. Now Nana, Poppy, Jordan and Jenna are visiting for the 4th of July weekend and Ellie's baby blessing in church on Sunday.
Ellie is still tiny! When we tell people she is a month old they ask if she was a preemie. We've been with her every day so the transition has been gradual, but we were absolutely amazed when we put the two pictures below together. The first one is the day we brought her home from the hospital and the next one is on June 28th, her one month birthday. Enjoy the pictures from the last month in the slideshow below.

One month update

Ellie Rolling Over by Herself

Finally Some Pictures

Ellie's first week with us has been wonderful. She's so tiny, but very strong too. (She's already rolling over by herself.) She's been a very mild mannered baby. Lexi has taken well to her new baby sister, which is wonderful. So far we have a happy family and we're working on happily ever after. 8^) Below this post is a slide show with more pictures of Ellie's first week.

Ellie's First Week

It's a GIRL!!!!

Elizabeth Anne Kinghorn was born today, May 28, 2008, at 11:12 AM. She was 5 lbs 15 oz and 19 inches long. Ellie, mommy and dad are all doing fine.

.

New Baby Update

We finally have an update! Last Wednesday we went into the hospital with a false alarm. Leah had been having contractions 7 minutes apart for over an hour so we went to the birthing center. We had a very friendly nurse, Tammy, who broke the bad news that Leah wasn't dilated at all. Our doctor wasn't on call and the other doctor had us walk around the birthing center for an hour before Leah was sent home. We went to the doctor the next day and Dr. Hoekstra said she was just dilated a fingertip and set up an appointment for the following Thursday. This weekend we've been walking a lot and doing whatever else we could do to get the baby to come.

Tuesday we walked to the store to get some hot fudge for sundaes and came home. We had some frozen pizzas for dinner and I went to the young men activity at the church. When I got home it didn't seem like anything was going to happen tonight. However, around 1 AM Leah started having some pretty intense contractions fairly close together. I started recording them at 1:35 and she had 10 of them in the next hour. She called Dr. Hoekstra who said we should probably come into the hospital to have her checked out.

So we got Lexi up and called Val and Jim to let them know we'd be bringing her over shortly. Leah had Lexi go potty and was helping her get dressed in the bathroom. As she was leaning over to tie Lexi's shoes, Leah's water broke. We got Lexi to her grandparents' house and hurried to the hospital. Tammy was here again tonight and she brought us into the triage room to double check everything. She confirmed that Leah's water had broken and that she was dilated to about 2 cm, so they admitted us.

Now we wait! More to come when the little one decides to to join the Kinghorn clan here in Cereal City.

Baby Update

Brian and I went to the doctor's on Friday morning. I gained one pound in one week. My blood pressure is really good. I have not dilated at all. We went over our birth plan. I think that is all. Now we just wait. My mom is coming to stay with us for a little while. I am hoping that the baby comes before her due date and before Memorial weekend. So that we can have some fun. The doctor says that I will know what it is like to go full term. Well...technically I am full term. So I am ready any day now. Brian says that the baby needs to wait until after Tuesday.

We are having a baby name guessing contest. We would like to see who can guess the name that we picked out. We have had it picked out for months and it has been hard to keep it a secret but it has been a fun game between Brian and me on almost catching each other saying it. So leave your guess and we will keep track. There is a prize for the winner.

Baby Showers

We had a great time on Saturday. We had two baby showers. The first was hosted by a few ladies at the church. We made scrapbook pages to get me started. It was a nice turn out. I had a lot of fun and it was very relaxing. The menu consisted of various breakfast casseroles, fruit, cookies and tres leche cake. It was very good. I was full and didn't eat anything from my second shower until it was over.

The second shower was hosted by my mom at our house. It got a little crowded. We played "guess how many q-tips in the bottle" game, the "poopy diaper" game and we set a timer when I was opening gifts and when the timer stopped the person of the gift that I was opening received a prize. I think the guests had a good time. Brian took pictures and visited with people. Alexis was very anxious to open the presents. She kept singing "Happy Birthday." She helped me open presents and she got a few gifts just for her as well. We got a lot of nice things. I haven't really organized things yet and hope to do so soon.

We are so thankful for all of the gifts and well wishes. We are also so grateful for all of those who traveled a distance to be with us. Gas is not cheap. So thank you very much for making the sacrifice. We are abundantly blessed and loved. For that we are so grateful!!! We miss our family that are far away from us, especially me. I have been getting emotional lately when I think of family and friends that aren't near us. I hope that we will be able to get together soon. I am excited to have this baby and have family close. We plan on having a busy summer and are very excited!

Thank you again for all of the love and support. We love you very much.

(The pictures below are labeled. All you have to do is rest your cursor over the picture and the label will appear.)

Good Friday... Not for the Kinghorn cars!!!

This has been the worst storm of the year for us, hands down. Even worse than the time the car was frozen shut and I couldn't get to school. It really snowed a lot so I decided against driving to Lansing. Instead we went to the store as a family. On the way home we were getting off of I194 onto Columbia Ave. in Battle Creek. It was pretty icy so I was going slowly. There was a longer line of cars in the right turn lane than the left turn lane at the light, but when I went to merge left into the left lane my car kept going forward. I managed to slow it down to a near stop, but the final force that stopped us was the bumper of the car in front of us. The impact wasn't too hard and the airbags didn't go off. We were also all fine (including the older couple in the car we hit) just a bit shaken up. We pulled off into a parking lot and waited nearly an hour for a police officer to come. Even though I was probably going less than 10 miles an hour when I hit the car, and the road was solid ice and wasn't salted, I got a ticket for going faster than the conditions would allow. I guess that is life. Even with the conditions if I had slowed down sooner it probably could have been avoided, but where I was supposed to be heading (the left turn lane) I still had another 150 feet or more till the next car. Leah and I were a bit shaken up, and Lexi was furious that we were not taking her to Grandma Val's house. Every time I got out of the car she would throw a fit because if I wasn't in the car I couldn't drive her to Grandma's house.

You've probably noticed that I have pictures of two wrecked cars above. Yup, the excitement wasn't over yet. We got everything taken care of with the Suzuki accident, called in our claim, dropped Lexi off at her grandparents' house and switched the Suzuki for the Jeep. We decided it would be best to take Leah into the hospital to have the baby checked out and make sure everything was ok. Better safe than sorry. Everything seemed fine but they were going to be keeping Leah for some observations for a few more hours so I left to take care of a few errands we had to finish today. I was driving towards home when a guy ran a red light right in front of me and I T-boned his car right on the passenger side. I'm not quite sure what happened next, but I ended up turned around a complete 180 degrees and back in the crosswalk I had driven through before I hit the guy. Newton's third law works. Thankfully no one was hurt too bad. The woman in the passenger seat I hit, hit her head on the window, but she was up walking around and talking to the officer. An ambulance and fire engine came to make sure we were all ok. The damage to both vehicles was pretty bad. It was also a blessing that a cop was at the intersection and saw the whole thing happen. The guy thought he had a green light and I know I had a green light, but without the cop there it would have been my word against his. Still, I think I totaled the Jeep. The front end is all smashed in and the radiator was busted and dripping coolant all over the place. Part of the fender is also rammed up against one of the front tires. Unfortunately the guy's insurance had lapsed, but the officer said that if he got it current in the next 10 days it should cover it. However, I'm assuming that the cost to fix the Jeep will be more than the vehicle is worth. We'll have to see.

I was so shaken up. What are the odds of getting in two accidents with two different cars in the same day? Even more odd was the fact that both of the cars I hit had recently been repaired from other accidents. I was even driving extremely carefully because of the bad road conditions. I managed to handle the first accident ok, but the second one really put me in shock. I am so thankful that Leah wasn't in the Jeep with me, because that accident really could have hurt her and/or the baby. I barely managed to drive the Jeep the two miles home and parked it in the back yard. Then Jim, Leah's ex father-in-law was nice enough to pick me up at home and go to the hospital to pick Leah up. Things happen for a reason. Maybe someday we'll know the reason for today's double mishap. We're just so thankful to Heavenly Father that we emerged safe and unscathed and that nobody else was hurt. We're now safe at home, shaken and carless, but ok.

Spring in Michigan

So it is the second day of Spring and this is what we get, a freshly snow covered car. I'm looking forward to my trip to Washington DC and Baltimore next weekend. Hopefully it will be more like spring there.

Domestication

Yesterday I felt very domesticated. I baked friendship bread and cupcakes. I cleaned the house. Then I made a birthday dinner for my girlfriends, Audrey and Angie. It was a delicious meal. I was most excited about the cupcakes. I tried my hand at frosting semi-professional. It was messy but fun. I am very excited at how they turned out. They tasted really good too.

Easter Bunny and Books

Last Monday we decided to take Alexis to the mall to see the Easter Bunny for (as Alexis says it) Homey Home Ebennin'. We got to the mall and there was no line so we went right in. Alexis sat down smiled for a quick picture and then left to go into the book store. She loves the book store. We looked at a lot of different books. She seems to be picking Cinderella a lot lately. She is a romantic like her Mommy. Enjoy the pics.

Doctor's Visit

Brian and I went to the Doctor's office today. Everything is good. My uterus measures 27 inches and I am 28 weeks. I have only gained five pounds so far (I am very excited about that. Escpecially since the baby is growing normaly too.). I think she said the baby's heart rate was around 140 beats, which is average and healthy. Our next visit is in a month and then we start going more often until it is time.

We talked to her about pain reflief options, orintation of the baby and various other topics. I feel really comfortable with our doctor. I don't remember to write down my questions so when I am there I don't remember anything. I need to be better about that. Next Tuesday is our last birthing class. So after that I guess Brian and I will practice breathing together. That is hard for me because he always makes me laugh. We are having fun picking out what music will be playing during labor.

The baby is moving like crazy while I am writing this. It is very distracting!

Getting Ready for Baby

Brian and I put together the crib today. I am so excited!!! Thank you Nana! It looks so good in the "Girl's Room." I love saying that. I know that we still have a few months but it feels really good getting things together and ready. I am so thankful for the ease of this pregnancy so far. I hope the delivery follows suit.

Swimming for Special Olympics

Alexis did a great job today during Special Olympics. It was funny, when it was her turn she really took her time going down her lane because she knew she was only swimming once and she wanted to enjoy the ride. Then when the race was over she didn't want to get out. We are so proud of her and her accomplishments.

Wedding