More Baby Photos

Here is my wonderful doctor who delivered Isaac.



Here is Sam acting silly wearing Mr. Potato Head's glasses.



And here are a couple more photos of big brother admiring little brother.




All and all everything has continued to go well here at the Kellen household. I can't complain really...other than a little sleep deprived (and I suppose not by much) I am doing well. I am almost completely sore free, and luckily my tummy has shrunk back to a tolerable size. :-) Spring time is just around the corner and I couldn't be more thrilled to get out and about in the nice weather to lose the added weight I have gained through 2 pregnancies. Samuel is testing the waters as he nears the 2 year marker and he definitely has his daddy's stubborn side in him. Hopefully that will go away! He continues to enjoy his big boy bed and continues to go down without a fight! I thought that transition would be much harder, but apparently he was ready to sleep in a big boy bed. All the generous gifts of clothes and food have helped us with the transition of having a new born again and all is appreciated! For now that is all I have to report on. More later!

7 Days & Beautiful

Already a week has gone by and I'm still getting used to Isaac being all mine. He has been the best baby so far; nights have been a breeze, considering he'll sleep for 5 hours at a time when we lay down at midnight. Overall he is so happy. Eating and sleeping consists of his days with a bath thrown in the mix. Samuel is showing how proud he is by giving his little brother kisses on his head and grinning from ear to ear. I thought that it would be harder with two boys, but for the most part Sam still has a lot of playing to do that doesn't involve bothering his little brother. He is most concerned if he hears him crying or when I'm feeding him, but for the most part he is still happy in his own little world of imagination and play. Once Isaac is older things are bound to get interesting, and I'm sure we'll enjoy ride no matter how frustrating it may become.

Isaac James Kellen 01/14/08

The doctor came in and broke my water at 8:20 a.m. on the 14th of January, and shortly there after contractions had already begun. I couldn't believe that I would soon be holding my little bundle of love. The oversized jacuzzi tub and birthing ball all helped me advance through each contraction, up until the very end that is. Finally the time came to push. YIKES! Going through birth without an epidural is much different than going through a birth with one. I can't begin to describe the intense pain I was going through. The burning and stretching sensation was more than I ever thought it would be; and like most women who try to go without an epidural, I hit the wall and asked for one. However I knew I had asked too late and my doctor nicely told me, "Honey, we are way past the point of getting an epidural." Guess I had no other option at this point but to grit my teeth and get the job done...and I did. At 6:54 p.m. Isaac James Kellen was brought into this world. He is so beautiful! Unlike his big brother Isaac has a good head of brown hair, very long fingers, and long feet. Isaac weighed in at 6 lbs 14 oz and is 20 1/2 inches long. What a wonderful miracle God lets us experience.




Here is mommy and my two boys.



And here is the proud big brother loving on his little brother for the very first time. Samuel enjoys pointing out all of Isaac's facial features to include his nose, ears, hair, eyes, and chin. Samuel also thinks that his little brother's hands are funny and how they move. Looks like they'll be best buds, at least for now.

A Few New Pictures

It has obviously been a while since my last post, but I have had a lot of things on my mind. We got through the holidays and are thankful for everything we received, but the thoughts that I have been feeding my mind lately are all about Sam and the new baby. I'm trying to grasp how different things will be with a new born plus a very active 19 month old at home, and how I can be a good mommy so that I give the right needed attention to both of my boys.

To help Sam feel like he is going to be the big boy of the house Joel and I bought him a big boy bed. Daddy got a little crazy and decided that he wanted Samuel to have a full size bed to grow into and Samuel loves it so far. There hasn't been any sleeping in it yet because I am determined to keep him in his crib for as long as I can while he isn't fighting me on the subject. So for now we play on the bed and sit on the bed, and talk about what a big boy he'll be once his little brother shows up. I have to admit I'm sad that Sam won't be the baby anymore, but am excited to have a new born all at the same time. How mothers have the same amount of love for each of their children is amazing; as of right now I feel like I couldn't love any child more than I do Sam, but to my surprise, I'm sure, I'll love Isaac just as much as Sam. What a wild ride we have ahead of us....just like I wanted it!

Here is a picture of Joel and I before we left for his holiday work party (I look fat so everyone just needs to get over that first comment that comes into their minds! :-))


Here are some of Samuel on Christmas day enjoying the treasures that Santa brought:

Santa's Munchkin

A couple of weeks ago we ventured out to the mall so that Samuel could have his first experience visiting with Santa. I was expecting bawling and desperate attempts of reaching out for me while Sam was in Santa's lap, but instead there was silence. Samuel waved to Santa as I sat him down on his lap and Sam just stared. Santa's Elves were snapping pictures trying to get one of Sam smiling; however there were only nervous stares coming back their way. Then I saw the perfect moment, Samuel was gazing up at Santa and Santa was shooting Samuel a smile back letting him know everything was alright. This wasn't a cheap looking Santa but one who looked like the real deal, the one all children dream about. He had a real long white beard, glasses, and the warmest most friendliest face. It was so cute so I wanted to share that picture with everyone.

Buddies & other stuff

Samuel and I really enjoyed having Becca and Normy over for a play date. I was surprised to see that they hit it off right away. Sam was a little confused at why some other kid started playing with his toys immediately, but sharing wasn't really an issue. Instead the boys loved running through the vertical blinds and starting to play with the pillows on the couch. Giggles were loud and long. It is so nice that the boys are finally old enough to play together.



Here are some photos of Sam trying to pick out a good Christmas tree.




We can't wait for the holidays this year and there is hardly any waiting left. I've already started doing holiday goodies and all my Christmas shopping is done. The house is put together in holiday decorations and our tree looks beautiful all lit up with the gifts snug under the tree. And besides all the hustle and bustle we are still waiting for our newest addition to our family that isn't supposed to arrive until Jan 22nd, but I have a feeling Isaac may come earlier than expected. What a new year it will be!

Dancin' Fool

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1st Birthday

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Okay this is just me messing around with Becca trying to figure out how to do drop box videos on the blog; hence the reason I'm just now getting this short video of Samuel's first birthday on here. Oh well! Enjoy!

Scarecrow Night

I must say that Samuel is the cutest scarecrow that I have ever seen. Even with his makeup somewhat askew and his spiky hair in lieu of a hat (because he won't wear one) he did such a good job. Here I thought that there was going to be a major battle to get him to participate, but the toughest part was just getting his shoes tied. Who would of thought?





Our first house was at Uncle Keith and Aunt Kathy's house, where he was still just a newbie. When Uncle Keith tried to put candy in Sam's pail, Sam quickly dropped the pail on the ground with his hands held out to receive the candy. Oh well. We got it all figured out by the next house. Off to Grandma and Grandpa Kellen's house! Here there was already a premade goodie bag for him filled with treats and Crayola ToDoodles. Laughs were shared about how cute he was, and we were trying to keep all of his stuffing in place.

House number three was off to Grandma and Grandpa Ledom's house. Here Sam held out his Halloween tub accepted the treats until he saw the BIG bowl of treats sitting on the ottoman in the living room. Once that was spotted Sam helped himself to the candy, taking one big handful at a time and placing it into his tub until it was overflowing....smart kid!

From there we ventured out to a couple other houses where Sam accepted more candy and then tried to help himself inside the nice lady's house, and for the next one he wanted inside to pet the doggie. Good grief. Either way this Halloween was so much fun and I can't wait for next year where he should really get into it, and not to mention his new side kick that will be 9 months old. Oh goodness.

I hope everyone had a wonderful night. Happy Halloween!

What's New?

Well folks I'm not sure what to tell you about Sam right now, because I have been finishing up school and now I am very proud to announce that I am finally a college graduate! I do have some pictures that I want to share, so enjoy.



These pictures are before our nightly walk after dinner. Samuel loves his mittens and his new stocking cap; which makes things much easier for me...there is no fighting to get these items on! Yea!

This year's trip to the Shaake's pumpkin patch was a success. Samuel enjoyed the open space to search for his perfect pumpkin. He tried to pick up a few, but needed Daddy's assitance. Our yearly pumpkin carving will happen this weekend.





Sam also has started to take a personal liking to baby powder after each changing. These pictures show what can happen when Daddy forgets to close the baby powder. Oops!


We also ventured out to the Maple Leaf festival in Baldwin Kansas where Great Auntie Kathy and Great Uncie Al had a gathering. There were pony rides and Sam loved his pony!

Rock Chalk Jayhawk

I may be little but I'm a BIG Jayhawk fan!

Filling Daddy's Shoes

Samuel is crazy about shoes. He goes to the shoe basket every single day and drags EVERY shoe through the hall, into the living room, and maybe if I'm lucky he drags them all the way back to the shoe basket.


Sam has tried to walk in my flip flops and today he tried to step into my heals; but what I find most adorable is Sam wanting to wear his Daddy's shoes. The size 12 shoe only allows him to wear one at a time, and even then he is grabbing for objects to help him along with his walk; as Joel and I will with him in his journey of growing up. Sam stands in his Daddy's shoes and I wonder what he'll be when he grows up, and then I think that one day Sam will put on his Dad's shoes wonder if he could possibly be just like his Daddy. I couldn't wish for anything better for him. Joel and I have been through a lot together and I can attest to him being a fantastic man; and I have been lucky enough to call him mine. I have enjoyed our journey thus far and can only imagine the memories that are yet to come. I love you Joel, and wouldn't change anything for the world because we wouldn't have the relationship we do now without the good and the bad times. It is all worth while with you by my side.