Caskey Crew

Parenting 101

2011-10-21T15:27:00.003-06:00

Just kidding! I can't give any advice on parenting. But I have learned a lot about parenting (though not nearly enough!). Things like, 1) it's hard, and 2) you shouldn't judge that mom in the grocery store whose child has no shirt on outside in the middle of winter. Some children are just uncontrollable and they have to learn their lesson! (i.e. Kaelyn). Anyway, I have been thinking lately about one of the hard things about being a parent. One of those things is not laughing at inappropriate behavior. A couple of Kaelyn's latest ignoring-mom techniques can be interpreted as funny or naughty. Any time Kaelyn has done something she shouldn't and I ask her about it, or any time I ask her to do something (pick up her toys), she becomes mute. She pretends her lips are glued together and she's trying really hard to talk, with her cheeks puffed out and her hands in the air, but unable to help. An alternative to becoming mute is narcolepsy. The moment

she is to be reprimanded, she hits the floor and begins snoring. It's amazing. How did our parents do it?

Can you even imagine any sass from this face?

I want to hear some stories about your kids, because then I can laugh and not feel like its bad parenting. Thanks.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig!

2011-09-15T11:35:00.003-06:00

Kaelyn, Isaac and I just got back from visiting my family in Utah for a week and a half. I love being able to visit my family, but I also love coming back home. What I don't love is the 10 hour drive it takes to get there and back!

One thing I love about coming home is seeing how home has changed when I return! Brock loves to do some redecorating and surprise me when I get home. He had plenty of projects to work on while I was gone. This kind of behavior dates back to our courtship days. When I left school for a weekend for a vacation with my family, I came back to my apartment to find a fashionable homemade quilt on my bed and a completely redecorated and organized room. He does a good job. Here are some of the new additions I came home too.

This is just a fun "sign" he made from scrap pieces of wood and paint.

I saw these framed sayings up in a nursery online and begged Brock to make some for us. They look just like I wanted! These are hanging just outside Isaac's nursery and are some important words of wisdom for him to abide by.

Isaac's room. Completely changed. New-old metal framed crib that Brock painted, a refinished-retro dresser for a changing table, and a halved and painted night stand. Also, the "I" from a neon sign that serves as a nightlight. It's a good thing we have similar taste and I can just trust Brock to do these things without me!

Brock was looking for an old locker for a nightstand, but he didn't have any success while I was gone. He did find a matching nightstand at a local rescue mission and he cut it in half for a fun look.

He finally got new pedestals built for the laundry room. Hooray!

And he redecorated our bathrooms. My favorite part about this is he made all the wall decor.

And a new rug! We have rugs in almost every room in this house we are renting, mostly because the carpet is so stained. The rugs make a big difference.

And THIS was my favorite addition! We had talked a little bit about throwing in a big word somewhere in our house, but I was reluctant and unsure how we were going to do this. I think Brock did a perfect job, and I love the word he came up with.

And last, but not least, a new kitchen table and chairs. (Keep in mind that when I say "new" I only mean new to us. Most of the purchases were from either Craigslist or secondhand stores and repainted/reupholstered.) I love the pedestal and the fun details on the chair frames.

The table still needs to be painted, but I wanted to include it anyway. :)

I feel so lucky to be married to an awesome guy with great taste and ambition!

Latest Updo's

2011-08-11T10:30:00.001-06:00

Since I don't get to see most of my family and friends very often, I thought I would post a little bit of what our temporary home looks like right now. Just the decor, really. Most of this is Brock's handiwork, but I hate that all his hard work is usually just seen by me, unless we have some rare visitors. :)

This is the latest TV stand. We were finally able to find one that we could make work for the electronics and keep the kids out at the same time!

Brock built a few pieces of furniture using the same wood that was used to build his great grandparent's home. He's a sentimental guy, so I'm glad he was able to find a way to incorporate some of his sentiments in a trendy way. Haha!

This is the little stand he built. He also recovered these chairs.

We had originally kept some DVD's and our DVD player in this. It has faux drawers, but it's actually a door that swings out on a hinge, closing with a magnet. It only kept Kaelyn out for approximately 2 weeks.

And finally, here is the matching console table.

Brock likes to copy almost all things Pottery Barn. So he and I cut this tree out of cardboard, then he covered it in fabric. It's pretty cute.

And here's the one thing I've contributed! Thanks to Gail and Diane for the idea. Each of these is from an actual photo taken of Kaelyn. I love them because they show her personality and are a fun way to brighten her room!

And that's all folks!

First Laugh

2011-07-09T16:00:00.006-06:00

My mom has been requesting that I record Isaac because he's been laughing lately. Cute stuff. Anyway, The video isn't so great because I started filming before the camera focused, but you'll get the picture.

Newest Caskey

2011-05-03T15:54:00.004-06:00

He's here! Isaac Nevin Caskey joined the family on April 25th and we're so happy to have him here. He is so sweet, and he reminds us a lot of Kaelyn. So far, he hasn't really cried, just whimpers when he's hungry. Kaelyn did the same thing, but of course now she's making up for that lost time with high-pitched squealing. Luckily it doesn't even phase Isaac! Also, he rolled over for his first time when he was 3 days old, and has continued to roll over since then. Kaelyn first rolled over at 10 days, so he has her beat.

7 lbs 4 oz - 20 inches

Isaac has been an angel, which definitely makes up for the labor experience! Here's how the story goes... (I tried to shorten it, but it's still really long!)

Because I had Kaelyn so fast, I was worried about how fast Isaac would come, and so was my doctor. With Kaelyn, I didn't head to the hospital until my contractions were unbearable and about 2 minutes apart, so I had her about 40 minutes after getting to the hospital. Just enough time to get an epidural and start pushing. Perfect! Anyway, my doctor had been warning me all along that I would go fast when the time came, and I did not want to have a baby in the car. Also, I did not want to have a baby without an epidural! I'm a wimp like that. So, the doctor advised to me head straight to the hospital as soon as my contractions got painful. At 4:30 on Monday morning, they started getting painful and were regular. I did the warm bath/Tylenol thing to see if the would slow or the pain would lessen, but they didn't. At this point they were about 6 minutes apart and not getting any closer together, so I waited until 6:30 to head to the hospital. An awesome ward member and friend came over to stay with Kaelyn while we were gone. At 6:45 I checked into the Billing Birthing Center. I felt little silly because I wasn't in a lot of pain, but I'd rather be there early than late! I got all checked in and found out I was dilated to a 5, which I had been for several days. While lying in the hospital bed with the contraction trackers, I checked out my nifty hospital wristband. This is what it read:

So they were a little off! Little did I know, though, that this minor error was going to be pretty telling of the rest of my day! The nurse, Jerry, (please request to not have Jerry if you are in Billings) quickly traded my bracelet for the correct one. After I had been there for a couple of hours, she checked me again only to discover I had not dilated any more even though the contraction had become more painful and had remained consistent. The doctor had told me the Friday before that I was dilated to a 5, as did the nurse I had before Jerry. Jerry told me that even though my physician and the previous nurse had said I was a five, I was only a 4 (Her fingers were quite large. I think that explains this.) The hospital kept me a little longer because they were concerned about my blood pressure being high. I was convinced they would keep me with the history of my last labor, but around 10:30 my nurse came back in the triage room and told me I would have to go home because there was no progression. I was devastated and so scared. The nurse was telling me to leave now that my contractions were 3 minutes apart and even more painful than before. If I was feeling this way now, at what point was I supposed to come back? The contractions were already very painful and scaring me! I told the nurse about my concerns, but that didn't change her mind. I told her there was a lot of pain, so she sent me home with some Percocet. Before we left, Brock tried to let her know how worried we were, that it would take 15 minutes to get back to the hospital and we didn't know if that would be enough time. The nurse acted offended and just repeated herself. So, we left as directed.

I puked the whole way home. I don't know if it was nerves, the Percocet, or the labor. By the time we got home I couldn't walk very well because the Percocet was doing it's job! Brock took me upstairs. I was told to lay down on my left side (because the baby was on my right. I'm not sure why I couldn't do that in the hospital though!). After about 30 minutes of laying down, the really painful contractions started. I only had 2 contractions before I asked Brock for a blessing. Right after, I called the nurse back to tell her that although my contractions were 10 minutes apart, they really were unbearable, even with the Percocet. She said to do whatever I felt comfortable with, even though they would probably send me back again. I knew that this pain was too much to be nothing, though.

By the time we got to the car and on the road (about 3 minutes after the phone call), my contractions were 1 minute part and I could feel that baby trying to get out! When we got to the hospital, I was cursing the nurses name, shaking uncontrollably and just trying to hold the baby in until I was on a hospital bed. We reached the hospital at 2:00, and I delivered Isaac after 1 push at 2:09. I asked after the delivery if I could still have an epidural, but they said no! Haha! See, I am a wimp! I endured the birth and still thought it hurt to be stitched up!

Part of me was very grateful for the way things went because I ended up having an excellent doctor, who I trusted more than my actual doc, deliver Isaac who just happened to be available. She came in handy later that day also.

The rest of the evening went well. Brock was there with me, so that was very nice. That night was a different story though! At about 10 p.m. I had finished feeding Isaac and stood up to change his diaper. After standing for few minutes, I felt huge amount of blood rushing down my legs. Immediately there were pools of blood around both of my feet that were growing very fast. I pushed the button to call my nurse and figured I better leave Isaac on the bed in case I got dizzy. I won't go in to all the details, but basically there were such large clots still in my uterus that the nurse pushed as many as she could out by pushing on my lower abdomen. I was so bruised after that! Then they called the doctor back in who delivered Isaac to get the rest of the clots out by hand. I was so grateful that they put me on Fentanyl for that because I still felt like I was going to pass out from pain while in a euphoric state!! I can definitely see how someone would get addicted to that drug! The worst part of the whole experience was that I was at the hospital alone. I was scared and there were so many people in my room rushing around I got a little worried. I wasn't allowed to get back up for the rest of the night. It was a long, lonely night but I'm so glad that is over with! I should also add that the reason I had such large clots was because I didn't get to the hospital in time to have and IV with Pitocin. I did get an injection of Pit later, but apparently it didn't work as well!

Now, things are great and I'm so happy to be done with that hospital. One last thing, though, the next day a nurse came in and asked if I would switch rooms. I was quite surprised they were asking me this after what they'd put me through! Of course I couldn't say no, though, and I hated the room and bed they moved me to! They did make up for it somewhat, though, with a $50 gift card to Walmart for moving rooms. Brock thought it should be a gift card toward the next child, but we didn't end up so lucky!

We're so grateful for the little family that we have. We are SO blessed. I have several friends who are trying to get pregnant, and who are awesome parents. I always pray that they will soon be able to experience the joy of a newborn again. I sometimes hesitate to share the joy for that reason, but I'll just shout it out this once! Thanks to everyone for the support you've given us. We are happy and healthy and grateful. :-)

Kaelyn loves being a big sister. She is so sweet with Isaac and is always kissing him or putting her cheek softly against his or rubbing is soft head. So far they are the best of friends. We'll see how long that lasts ;)

Updates!

2011-01-14T09:16:00.005-07:00

So I figure updating about three times a year is good right? I'll try to get better. Well let's try to sum up the last 6 months of what's gone on at the Caskey's.

First, and most important, we're expecting a little boy due May 1st! We're so excited. Kaelyn is obsessed with babies too, so she's excited as well. I decided I'd break the news to my Mom by putting the announcement in Kaelyn's diaper. Grandma Lesli is such a quick diaper changer she didn't even notice the note!

Exhibit A

Kaelyn at the park. She loves the swings although she's fallen out on numerous occasions.

She has gotten to be quite the little rascal. Here she is watching The Grinch while I did the dishes. I knew something was wrong when things got a little too quiet. I'm pretty sure she got through this entire tube of lipstick in under 30 seconds. Not fun to clean out of the carpet, but I'm glad it came out!

Kaelyn and baby Jack! Kaelyn loves this little guy! Probably because he always has a smile plastered to his face and he's such a happy boy. We're going to miss him and his family while they are in Dominica.

Grandpa and baby Jack the night before heading out to the island.

Jack and Crew got Pillow Pets for the airplane ride. Lucky ducks!

Hugs goodbye :(

I'm going to miss this cuddly creature!

Christmas eve in the new jammies...

Christmas day. Kaelyn already acting like a grown up and rolling her eyes at the hard work she has to do.

Shopping cart!

Cute Crew. He is such a funny kid. I'm sure his singing will be missed by everyone!

Broc, Crystal, Crew and Jack headed out to Dominica at the end of December and Broc has since started medical school. He is attending Ross. It was sad to see them go, but the have so much to look forward to down there, and so many new things to try out! I'm a little (a lot) jealous, aside from the extra bugs! Good luck guys!

In other news, Brock got a promotion with Walmart and we are now living in Billings, MT. So far we really like it here. The people are very friendly and the weather is a bit warmer than Idaho Falls. Brock is liking his new position and the new store, but he's still getting know everyone there. The ward is awesome and everyone has been really welcoming. We miss our place in Idaho Falls but we're so happy that we like it here. I need to put up some pics of the new house but there are still a few boxes that need to be unpacked! We are renting a 6 bedroom home here, which means you are required to come visit. We live about a block from a nice lake and park, so I'm excited for the summer!

Kaelyn is 18 months old now, but I swear she's two. She's got the tantrums down to an art. I'm doing my best to combat them like I should (ignoring them), but any advice would be welcome!

New (homemade) Furniture

2010-08-11T09:50:00.004-06:00

Although Brock doesn't like me to put it this way, he's crafty. This last month he crafted a new bed for us! He did such a great job. He found some measurements for a pottery barn bed he liked and decided to build it. Sadly the measurements were wrong but he was able to figure it out. Anyway, it looks excellent and he's since made two nightstands. Next on his list, building a new closet to replace our chester drawers. Here's Brock at work:

Thanks for all your hard work Brock! You've done an awesome job :)

1

2010-07-27T10:41:00.008-06:00

Kaelyn's first birthday was a month ago, so I guess I've been a little slow, but I just wanted to post some of her one year pictures and say how much we love this little girl! (Forgive me, I had a hard time narrowing down pictures so there are MANY!!) Kaelyn has been such a fun girl and way too easy on us. I'm nervous to have another baby because I don't think I know the half of it! She's been such a good baby and she is always cracking us up. One thing she's been doing since she was about four months is dancing. She dances to any beat! Whether it's your tapping foot or some rock and roll, she really gets into it. Lately she's been pulling out some new moves that keep us laughing. Maybe I'll get a video on here someday :). Anyway, Kaelyn's still just cruising around and a little weary of walking without someone helping. She LOVES kitties (or didees) and pulling there tails. Luckily they're patient with her! Also, we've put up an inflatable pool in the back yard and if she see's it she's not backing down 'til she gets in! We love her so much and we're looking forward very much to this next year with her.

Thanks to David McClellan for taking such wonderful pictures!

June-July Happenings

2010-07-07T16:12:00.007-06:00

ONE YEAR!!

We can't believe it!

This is her party invitation Brock made:

The weekend of June 26^th was a pretty big one! It was Kaelyn’s first birthday and my best friend Amber’s wedding. We went down a little bit early so we could get Kaelyn’s one year pictures taken. I’ll post them when we get them! We celebrated Kaelyn’s birthday one day early, on Friday. We all went to Toy Story 3 at the Drive In. Great movie! Kaelyn (actually everyone BUT Kaelyn) opened her presents and we had some crumbly cake. It was hot, there was a bad experience with the rude owners of the drive in, and my cake didn’t turn out but we still had so much fun! Kaelyn pooped out about 10 minutes into the movie, which was probably a good thing!

Saturday was Amber’s wedding. I’m so glad we were able to be there. It was an awesome experience. I love going back to sealings because, let’s face it, most of us don’t remember much from our big day! Anyway, there were some great messages given and it was just so neat. Congratulations Amber! You looked beautiful.

Poor Kaelyn has some troubles with her BM’s, so Brock thought we should try putting her on the toilet while she’s at work. He thought maybe it would make it easier on her and potty train her at the same time. I just had to laugh at that! We gave it a try anyway. I think she was too distracted with her surroundings to try much. Especially that roll of toilet paper. I think babies are attracted to those! She’s unraveled one too many!

Idaho Falls puts on a really great show for the 4^th of July. Also, because it is funded by a Mormon (Frank Vandersloot, owner of Melaleuca) he requested the show be on the 3^rd this year. I think the majority of the state was okay with that! This show brings some pretty big crowds, so we decided to watch it from a dirt road out of the city. It actually ended up being a great spot. The music that goes with the show is broadcast over a local radio station, so it was just like we were there, except that we were in the warmth of our car and without the nuisance of mosquitoes! We were sad that we couldn’t be in Morgan for the big 4^th party, but we actually had a good little party of our own!

watching the fireworks

This is a typical day for Kaelyn and I. Especially since we don’t have AC, we need to get in the water to cool down (actually I just get my toes wet, but it helps!). Kaelyn usually plays in the water for approximately 30 seconds before she’s done. And that’s only her hands and toes getting wet. We’re working on that though! And look at Kaelyn! She is totally in her element when she’s dressed up all girly. You can just tell she loves it. So funny!

Escape from Walmart!!

2010-05-04T16:09:00.010-06:00

We finally got to take a little break and go on vacation. Brock's mom has a time share at Fairmont Hot Springs in Montana, the same place we honeymooned. So, it was fun revisiting the ol' hot springs. We were actually able to meet up with with our friends Jon and Ronae since it was about halfway between the both of us. And the best part was our babies got to play together again!

Look! No hands!

We were also able to see Paige and Christa's families while we were there.

Tan Uncle Doug holding Kaelyn.

Kaelyn was sneaking Liv's food when she wasn't watching.

Where'd they go?!

I love Liv's smooshy face!

Matchy matchy hats!

Sweet Liv :)

The babies getting ready for their first swim ever!!

Hiking! Thanks Diane for letting us borrow your back pack!!

Kaelyn and Liv loved being dunked in the water.

We went down to Morgan for the last part of Brock's vacation. We helped move Raegen back home from college for the summer and we were able to go out to dinner and celebrate Brock's THIRTIETH!!

P.F. Chang's. Yummo!

Crew and Rae

Kaelyn in her cousin's cute dress we borrowed for church.

One last ride in the hiking pack! We need to get our own. She loved it!

LOTS of random pics!

2010-03-02T13:53:00.008-07:00

We haven't had a lot going on lately, but I feel bad not posting. So here are some pictures of us just hanging out. That's what we do best!

Consider yourself warned. There are many pictures!

As you can see, she loves having her picture taken.

Brock loves giving her goofy hair-do's!

...and throwing her in her basket of blankies

paparazzi won't leave her alone.

Grandpa Ernie and Grandma Leslie came up to Idaho Falls to take us to lunch for my birthday. Thanks! It was delish!

These two have so much fun together!

Not quite fitting into her peacoat but she had to wear it for valentine's!

No she's not crying. She's just very excited to have her picture taken!

Lincoln and Kaelyn. Still young enough to sit on the table. We'll have to break them soon, tho.

We spent a couple of days in Morgan to visit some family

While there, we went to Broc and Crystal's 'Gender Reveal Party.' We were supposed to wear the color of the sex we were guessing. Kaelyn chose blue, and she was totally right! I can't remember what Grandpa Ernie was guessing tho...

Just the Broc/k's hangin' out.

Watching Wall-e on the big screen!

7 months

2010-02-06T14:45:00.004-07:00

We got her pictures taken at a sort of random time, but 6 months just wasn't working out for getting her pictures taken! She had so much fun and the photographer did a great job. She's finally babbling some different sounds. She was stuck on guh-guh and yah-yah for a while! She is currently army-crawling, surprisingly fast, and her favorite thing to do is watch the kitties outside our back window. She screams with joy when she sees them!

Life is going great for Brock and I. Of course, Walmart is continuing to 'get old' for Brock, but he keeps on truckin'! He's doing a great job of providing. :-)

6+ months...

2010-01-05T17:47:00.004-07:00

Kaelyn had her 6 month check-up and vaccinations yesterday. She is now 16 lbs 1 oz and 26.5 inches! She is sitting up really well and talking our ears off. Well, screaming our ears off! I think she thinks of it as singing.

The recent holidays have given a lot of opportunity to see family! Luckily Brock had a few days off to celebrate Christmas. We had a great time, and so did Kaelyn! It was fun watching her open present and eat wrapping paper. It was not fun, though, when she was choking on it! But all is well. Now that the holidays are over we're all ready for some warmer weather. Well, Kaelyn and I are anyway!

Kaelyn and Grandma Lesli opening presents early.

Cousin Crew snuck up with grandma and grandpa to visit

Wartching Robin Hood with Grandpa Ernie

Kaelyn practicing her sitting!

Christmas in Choteau! Carter and Nick donated their Johnny Jump-up to Kaelyn! She loves it.

All the cousins on Christmas night!

Mmm... wrapping paper!

Vacation... oh yeah!

2009-11-17T12:15:00.004-07:00

We were finally able to make the trek up to Spokane! There always seemed to be so many things going on to keep us from visiting, but we were finally able to work things out, and we're so glad we got to go! We spent some time with our friends Jon and Ronae and there families, and ran into some old friends from college. It was great! Spokane is beautiful, I'd love to visit again! After Spokane we headed over to Choteau for Brock's mom's birthday and to say our goodbyes before she headed back for Kentucky. I'm always so grateful to make these trips so all the family can see Kaelyn, and especially so that she can see them!

Packing before leaving. I don't know how she manages it but she always ends up way below her blanket. It puzzles me! And we had to get more use of those Halloween socks!

She loves playing with her daddy! She thinks he's just the funniest!

We had just gotten her out of the car seat after the 7 1/2 hour drive so she was pretty happy!

Here's Liv putting up her dukes. Kaelyn never sees it coming.

And wham! Liv makes a right hook!

You can tell they are true friends. Even after that fight they're just happy to be together!

Kaelyn loves playing with her toes right now. It's my favorite!

Liv eating Kaelyn's sock. She can get pretty feisty!

Kaelyn and Carter bonding in Choteau...

Halloween '09

2009-11-03T14:44:00.004-07:00

I can't remember the last time I had such a fun Halloween. There was quite the dry spell from the time I was too old to get candy anymore, to now, where I have an awesome excuse to get some candy! It was fun coming up with ideas for Halloween, and what to do with Kaelyn. We found an awesome monkey outfit for a great deal, and we decided to be a wild monkey and the Crocodile Hunter (when he was living). Kaelyn was pooped out for most of the trick-or-treating. I think her costume was just exceptionally comfy. Luckily we had something for her to wear before the festivities began too! (thanks grandma Lesli!)

The infamous drool! (more than famous...)

Decked out cousins!

A sneak peek of the monkey in her nesting ground.

I didn't even have to tranquilize her!

Pretty good last minute costumes. Biker dude and dudette.

Jovi and Buddy! Awesome homemade costumes!

Crew the dragon/monster/2 year old.

Such a stylish family! Crystal, Broc and Crew.

Joker Josh and Batwoman Liz!

Kaelyn got wet

2009-10-20T09:32:00.003-06:00

Kaelyn has been drooling all over the place and is constantly soaking herself! I had a great idea the other day though. I threw her in the dryer on the air fluff cycle for about ten minutes and she was dry again! And it did wonders on her hair. I think we'll continue this practice.

First Family Pictures!

2009-10-12T09:20:00.009-06:00

We were finally able to get some family pictures taken, Kaelyn being our excuse to finally get some done! We had a blast getting our pictures taken and lucked out with an awesome photographer, Caralee Case of Idaho Falls. I know there are tons of pictures, but it was hard enough for me to narrow it down to these! Check out more of Caralee's work at caraleephotography.blogspot.com!

Montana Visit

2009-10-09T08:53:00.000-06:00

Kaelyn had her first visit to Montana for Conference weekend. That week was a big week for her! Sadly, She had also experienced her first snowstorm! I introduced her to some of the snowflakes outside our home in Idaho, and she just got to see more in Choteau! It was nice to be able to go up, we haven't been up in so long! And it was so nice to see everyone.

Kaelyn is all bundled up and ready to head north on our 6 hour drive!

Nick was so sweet with Kaelyn. He kept saying 'I want to hold Gaelyn. I love Gaelyn!' He was such a cutie. Here he is giving her kisses and being so gentle!

Kaelyn is still always just so happy, unless of course she needs her tummy filled! She's so happy to be held by anyone. Hopefully that sticks! Here she is with her Uncle Doug.

Kaelyn finally got to meet her Grandma Dianna! Luckily she's been out to Montana visiting or who knows when we would have been able to see her!

One of Nick's many poses.

Just the girls.

Kaelyn is so good at making everyone happy and smiley! Thanks little one!

Right after Brock stole Kaelyn away from the aunties she spit up all over him. I think she wanted more time with the girls!

Kaelyn and Grandma Susan playing with toys! It's so fun to see her grabbing everything!

Thanks for letting us come up to visit and for coming out to Choteau to hand out with us Caskey family! We love you and hope to see you again soon!

Visit from Spokanites

2009-09-08T09:29:00.003-06:00

We were lucky enough to have our good ol' friends Jon and Ronae come down for a visit over Labor Day weekend. We hadn't had the chance yet to meet their 4 month old, Liv, and they had met Kaelyn, so it was really fun to finally get to do that! I can't believe Liv is practically the same size as Kaelyn still! She's just a little tyke. Anyway, Jon and Ronae were able to see some old friends from Rexburg and we just enjoyed our weekend hanging out and playing with the cute babies!

Liv is really enjoying chewing on anything she can get in her mouth. Kaelyn really didn't know what to think about that, and once she had given up her arm, there was no getting it back!

It was so fun to have these two together.

These two were cracking us up. They're so alike in so many ways!

And they're also close enough to share a blanket!

Cute, multi-tasking dads

I couldn't believe Liv's red hair! It's not so bright in this pic, but in the sunlight its flaming!

Fun Photo's

2009-08-14T16:20:00.000-06:00

These are just some recent pictures I've taken of the little one. Some are random, but I always feel like I need to capture how she looks every day because she just keeps getting cuter! She is 7 weeks today! I can't believe it.

We love the swirl on top!

Kaelyn loves books! Especially the little engine that could.

Our friends Jeff and Annie gave Kaelyn these little fairy wings! Although I like to think she looks more like an angel than a fairy! She was a little annoyed with me making her pose!

See? She's totally an angel.

I had to take pictures of this skirt because I LOVE it! I saw it in Gymboree a while ago and talked myself out of buying it... but I ended up getting it as a gift from Liz Durrant! Thanks Liz!

Jake Thomason. He's getting so big!

Little Beckam Thomason. He's about 2 months older than Kaelyn. I love this picture.

Lincoln Lloyd! Poor kid kept getting whacked by Kaelyn!

Kaelyn's Blessing

2009-08-14T15:54:00.000-06:00

It was so wonderful to be able to experience the blessing of Kaelyn! The blessing was very neat and it was so nice to have so much family present. We were able to spend some time together after the blessing with a brunch at our house. Everyone contributed some delicious food and everyone was a great help! Thanks for being there!

Texas Roadhouse blessing-eve with the Durrant's. We were able to squeeze 8.5 into a 6 seater!

We can never ALL fit at one table! We were close though!

The beautiful baby!

I was lucky enough to be able to use the dress I was blessed in for Kaelyn. Thanks Mom for holding onto it for 24 years!

Family Photo. Everyone has big smiles because Crystal knows how to make us laugh! ;-)

Cousins! Lily, Harrison, Kaelyn and Crew.

And more cousins!

I couldn't resist taking this picture! Cute little Harrison.

Pioneer Day in Utah!

2009-08-14T15:20:00.000-06:00

I know this isn't the most flattering picture, but doesn't it show our true colors?!

Uncle Broc. So sweet!

Uncle Josh. Kaelyn is feelin' the love!

I had to leave Rigby in order to eat potatoes from Rigby.

5 Guys Burgers and Fries in SLC.

So Precious

Yay! The Clevelanders are here!

I'm not sure how to explain this one... but harrison is cute!

She looks so tiny here. Just a burpin' away!

Abbey is so great with little ones. Kaelyn loved her!

I wonder what she's dreaming about... (I know this is randomly placed. Too bad.)

Would this be considered a tricycle?

Missed these two! What cuties.

Very into the parade...

Montanan's Visit!

2009-08-14T15:03:00.000-06:00

We we're lucky enough to have family help with the basement! Nathan installed our carpet for us and Doug started helping finish the bathroom.

Brock did a great job staining the basement floor.

The 'Auntie's' Paige and Christa, with the 'Dad'!

Bella and Carter were so sweet with Kaelyn!

Grandpa Nevin babysitting at the carpet store!

Nick and Uncle Brock

'Auntie' Christa!

2009-08-14T14:57:00.000-06:00

Kaelyn's first trip to Utah! She just had to meet Raegen!

She fell asleep after rolling over. It takes alot out of ya!

She loves her swing!

Getting so big!

2009-08-14T14:41:00.000-06:00

It's so fun getting Kaelyn all dressed up. I'm so happy she can finally wear her jellies!

We're so lucky Grandpa Nevin can stop in often.

Catching up... a little bit

2009-08-12T13:25:00.000-06:00

So it's been a month since I've posted! Kaelyn has grown and changed so much I can't believe it. But I've enjoyed it so much. I've taken SO many pictures to post but my laptop died and our temporary computer (Dell monitor, Mac mini computer) does not accept SDHC cards (high capacity). Sad story! So when I'm able to post pictures be prepared because there will be SO MANY!

Last weekend Kaelyn was blessed and we were lucky enough to have lots of family come out. It was such a great experience. It's so neat experiencing all these things first hand. You never really understand the joy that comes from it until it happening to you! We're so grateful for Kaelyn, she brings us so much joy and happiness!

Her personality hasn't really changed. She's still very hyper and active and curious and sweet. I'm starting to wonder if she's going to be a daddy's girl because she sure loves her dad! He can always calm her down or make her smile. So cute!

more pictures :-)

2009-07-09T19:42:00.000-06:00

I can't believe Kaelyn is almost two weeks old! She's already changed so much and it's been fun to see her become more coordinated and aware of her surroundings. She has such a funny personality. Whenever she's awake she's so squirmy and fidgety, its so cute! This last weekend Nevin and Susan were able to come down to spend some time with us. We spent a few days together and watched the Idaho Falls fireworks from our house! Since Kaelyn was born we were finally able to finish painting her nursery. It is yet to be finished though! We are still so grateful to have her here with us and love her so much. She brings so much joy to our family!

Grandma Lesli giving Kaelyn a bath. She loves getting clean!

Grandma Susan cuddling with Kaelyn

Grandpa Nevin. She looks so tiny here!

Her first 4th of July and her little patriotic outfit!

Brock really helped me to finish striping Kaelyn's room. I couldn't have finished without him. Thanks to Brock and Liz for your help!

It was so nice that Amber was able to come up and visit for a little while.

So for almost the last full week now Kaelyn has been rolling over onto her belly all by herself. I've never caught the whole thing on camera. This footage starts with her on her side and she ends up on her belly, but she started from being on her back. Whenever we lay her on the floor on her back she gets so hyper and excited and she rolls herself over. It's so cute!

She's here!

2009-06-29T13:55:00.000-06:00

We've had such a fun weekend! Our little Kaelyn Rae was born Friday, June 26 at 8:52 pm. She's healthy and so happy and so cute! Brock and I have already had so much fun with her. I was very lucky and had a quick labor. We were only in the hospital for a couple of hours before she was born. It was so amazing. I'm glad I can finally understand all other mothers when they talk about having their children. Just the immense joy and happiness that seems to come instantly after seeing your little baby. We're so grateful for her and just can't get enough of her!

It was so nice that my parents could make it Friday night since they're only a few hours away. Kaelyn loves all her family and loves being held! She's excited to see more of you!

We've only taken a few pictures so far but I think she is so beautiful so I want to share them! We had her first bath today and she loved it. We can't wait to keep spending time with her!

Pretending I feel no pain... haha!

First pic out of the womb! She was so wide-eyed and didn't make a noise.

Brock thought it was funny with her limp little legs hanging out!

Grandpa Durrant is always the baby hog!

First bath!

Look at that happy dad!

She had to have a bow since she's wearing blue :-)

Raeg's Graduation

2009-06-14T11:37:00.000-06:00

Last week was Raegen's graduation. I headed down to Utah for the ceremony, but sadly Brock had to stay behind to fix our flooded home! The washing machine just had an issue and decided to leak everywhere. Anyway, the ceremony was great and Raeg looked so cute! I can't believe she's graduated from high school. That happened way too fast!

Congrats Raeg!

Now it's off to the U of U for landscaping!

The twins looked so pretty too! I can't believe they're all grown up!

We've moved!

2009-06-04T14:44:00.000-06:00

We finally moved in to the new home we've been looking at for quite a while. It's so nice to finally be in, and have a little more space! We had lots of help, luckily, from Ernie, Lesli and Beau, as well as friends Ben and Diana Hull and Quinn and Amanda Anderson. We were able to pack everything up into a friend's snowmobile trailor and unpack it all into the house in one night! We had lots of heavy stuff so we're glad we had some rugged men to do the heavy lifting! I have a few pics of the home, but the inside pics are of before we moved in because right now its still quite unorganized! And we should have our basement floor finished soon so feel free to come visit and stay for a bit! We're so happy we'll have things ready for when our baby arrives!

Monday Nevin and Susan drove down with many housewarming gifts! Luckily they had an extra lawn mower, weed wacker, and washer and dryer for us to borrow. Talk about life savers! It was good to spend some time with them too.

(PS... these pictures are in a very random order! Sorry!)

Guest bathroom

Was their office, will be the nursery.

Master bedroom

Living room

Hall/wall

Kitchen. Cookies not included.

Upstairs living room.

View from the front porch. Lotsa farm land!

Back yard

And the house! And the Sable to the right...

2009-05-29T14:36:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted, but there isn't alot going on around here! I still have my little bun in the oven, and she's just growing away! A couple of weeks ago my Mom and sisters, including Crystal, threw me a baby shower. They did such a great job! Crystal put a lot of her creativity into it! Of course I forgot my camera but she took pictures! They can be seen on her blog. Anyway, I was so grateful for all the people who came to the shower on their busy weekend! It was a lot of fun!

Tomorrow is moving day for us. I haven't wanted to post pictures of our new house yet because I don't want my hopes getting too high and have things end up falling through! We are moving in a little before closing so we're still a little nervous. We're so SO excited though! We got a really great deal with the way the market is going right now. And we've spent the last week packing and cleaning to get ready to move! I'm glad Brock is such an organized packer, I don't know what the place would look like if I were in charge! Haha! Anyway, Mom and Dad Durrant are coming up to help us move so we're pretty lucky!

So organized! Our neighbor actually thought this was our food storage! As much as I love it, that would be way to much cereal for the two of us!

2009-05-04T07:35:00.000-06:00

We spent this past weekend with Zach and Chelsea Randall. On Thursday they had a fun Tongan themed reception, and Friday they were married in the Salt Lake Temple. They seem like a very happy couple and we wish them the best!

2009-05-04T07:32:00.000-06:00

Ok so I wasn't super thrilled and excited to be posting pictures of myself, but people are saying I need to be keeping track of what I look like during the pregnancy! So here's 7 months. Can't wait to get bigger! (haha)

2009-04-23T20:27:00.000-06:00

Our little girl! I can already tell she's a beauty!

Beautiful baby!

2009-04-23T20:09:00.001-06:00

This picture was taken a while ago, but I love it so much I wanted to share! Everything is going great with the pregnancy, I feel so lucky. There's not much to report right now. We're just anxiously awaiting our child and hoping to be in a house soon! Someday I'll take some pictures and then post them so that should be exciting!

Ok, I'll do it...

2009-04-17T18:50:00.000-06:00

The time has come to start blogging, I guess! I always told myself I wouldn't do it until I really had something worthwhile for people to look at, but some things are coming up! For instance, a little girl, and also a new house! We're so excited about the big changes ahead, but they are big decisions so wish us the best!