The Kiel Family

June 30, 2011

2011-07-27T21:56:00.003-05:00

Uncle Jonathan, Aunt Corrie and cousin Samuel came in town last month and we all enjoyed some time at the Liberty Park pool. Next time we see them they will have a new baby girl - Miriam. We can't wait to welcome another girl to the Kiel family!

Samuel was a little intimidated at first, but he caught on quick.

Sweet little mermaid

Father and son

just chillin'

2011-07-27T21:55:00.002-05:00

It's a good thing we had more than one ball!

Sweet Mama Corrie and Samuel

Uncle Jonboy with a nephew and niece.

This picture cracks me up. Allison was being so silly and Uncle Jonathan was just going along with it!

More Emily Celebrations!!

2011-07-27T21:54:00.004-05:00

June 18, 2011

We had Emily's 5th birthday party at Old Overton Club pool. It was a great turn out and she was celebrated very well. All the kids had a blast and it was by far the easiest and most laid back party we've thrown (so far). Enjoy the party via pictures!

Where most of the kids hung out.

Ethan's first time jumping off of a diving board. The kid is fearless!

The party set-up at OOC.

Trish and her sweet girls (baby girl #3 will be here soon!)

2011-07-27T21:53:00.003-05:00

These two girls are some of my greatest friends. They were trying to make themselves go into labor. I was just glad nothing happened at the party. They have both since given birth to 2 healthy babies. Way to hang in there Kristi and Steph!!

Uncle T and Allie B.

Ahh, the cake! This was a whole story in itself. I had ordered a cookie day to be ready the night before the party. I went to pick it up and it was a HUGE sheet cake with navy and green icing. Not what I had ordered at all. I demanded a reorder to be ready first thing Saturday morning. Not only did they almost double the size of the cookie cake, I also got all my balloons (12) for free. Way to redeem yourself, Publix! It turned out great and thank goodness I had an extra day!

The trick sparkler candles. Look at those faces!

2011-07-27T21:51:00.002-05:00

precious kids!

Cake drunk!

I had the "balloon lady" there to make the kids balloon animals/swords/flowers/princesses. As usual, she was awesome. If you ever need her services, contact Bama Balloons. Mary Lou rocks!!

2011-07-27T21:49:00.002-05:00

Em's turn to jump to daddy.

Better late than never!! Our old neighbors thought the party started at noon so they arrived as everyone was leaving. The party was really 10-12p. We let the 6 kids swim for awhile!

He is the coolest kid ever! We love some Drew-Boo.

WOW!

I think it's safe to say it was a Barbie kinda birthday. Happy Birthday Emily!
Fortunately she can't get on the computer and see all these great gifts. She may or may not be getting some of these things at a later date........

2011-07-25T19:03:00.002-05:00

Hi, it's Jennifer. Remember me??? I am so far behind on the blog and it is totally stressing me out. My goal this week is to get caught up, little by little. We have been super busy this month with lots of traveling, birthday parties, out of town family, and just getting through summer. I am so ready for school to start back. Emily starts a few weeks before the other two. I can't believe she will be at "big school" this year. I also have some news......NO, I'M NOT is the answer to your question! I accepted a part-time job working with an oral surgeon here in town. I will be pre-oping the patients, performing the sedations for the procedure and then recovering them afterwards. I also will be assisting in the OR as needed. The doctor says I will be his personal assistant. Is that good or bad?!!? I choose good! It came out of no where and I'm more excited than I thought I would be. But probably not as excited as my dear husband. After not working for a few years, I feel a little out of practice. I have taken some mandatory classes online and performed the required skills labs to get certified. This has all happened so fast (got the call last week) and start this week! This is another reason for the poor blog updates. I've been studying again. And it's much harder with 3 kids. And I thought studying in college was hard.

As if I needed anymore excuses, but here is one more. My son. He is a complete mess and extremely active and requires constant supervision. He wears me out and absolutely nothing gets done if he's not sleeping. He better not give up his nap for a LONG time! Here is proof.

Yes, he got stuck while trying to ride in a baby doll stroller. He was really stuck. Of course I had to get my camera to document his crazy self. There is never a dull moment in this house, EVER! More updates to come soon. Thanks for checking in on the Krazy Kiel Kids!!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!

2011-07-11T22:24:00.003-05:00

Happy 34th Birthday, Daddy! We celebrated the day before with our good friends, the Millers. Kendall's birthday is the same as Mark's so we try and celebrate the dads together every year. And every year the group gets bigger. This year there were 5 kids and one on the way....NOT mine! Ha! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures but here are some from our little family dessert.

the annual cookie cake!

SUMMER WATER PLAY

2011-06-28T21:07:00.003-05:00

June 8, 2011

Summertime is here!! The kids and I enjoyed an afternoon of water toys and bubbles. You can't go wrong with that and it tires them out - which is always a plus for mommy! I love how you can see the pure joy in their faces. Such sweet, crazy kids!

Allison's face cracks me up ;-)

Ethan wasn't so sure.....

....but his sisters came to his rescue.

2011-06-28T21:00:00.003-05:00

Chasing bubbles from the bubble machine!

no stopping him now!

2011-06-28T20:53:00.004-05:00

Solo cups = cheap entertainment for hours!

Mommy is about to get wet!

Of course he was trying to drink the water. (and spitting it back out!)

LOVE!

Such a great picture, capturing tons of personality! What's up with Ethan's flying cup??!!!

CHEER CLINIC!

2011-06-28T20:30:00.002-05:00

As part of our neighborhood library summer activities, they hosted a cheer clinic for 4-6 year olds. Emily had an absolute blast and did great. She has a photographic memory so she was able to learn the 3 cheers and 1 dance in under 45 minutes. Taking after her mommy!! Go Vestavia!!

look at that form! and she was LOUD!

Yell for Liberty Park!!

The 6th grade Liberty Park Middle School cheerleaders and their moderators with the campers.

Introducing Libby the Ballerina

2011-06-20T21:45:00.002-05:00

Emily was given the ballet set for Libby for her birthday from her daddy. It was a surprise getting it because she had wanted it so bad at the store but I wouldn't let her have it. It was one of my purchases on The Magnificent Mile in Chicago a few weeks ago. Of course she wanted to get her ballet outfit on, and guess what??? It matched exactly!! Here are some cute pics of the ballerinas.

we had to do her hair in the "veil" style to match Libby Lou's.

FATHER'S DAY

2011-06-19T20:31:00.005-05:00

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband and terrific daddy to our 3 crazies. We love you tons and are so grateful for everything you do for us. You're the best daddy in the whole world!!

Daddy and Emily

Daddy and Allison

Daddy and Ethan (doing boy things!)

Daddy and his kids (05.2010)

Daddy with his daughters on the beach. LOVE!! (8.2010)

I love you, Mark.

Happy 5th Birthday, Emily!

2011-06-07T21:49:00.003-05:00

Today is my Emily's birthday. I can't believe she is 5 already and I can't believe I have a 5 year old. She is such a little lady. She is full of love towards her family. Allison is her best friend and she really knows how to push Ethan's buttons. She is growing up more everyday and is so ready to start "big" school in the fall. She is starting to be extra sassy and it just cracks me up. She definitely has her own opinions on what to wear and how to have her hair. I recall my own mother saying this about me and that payback is hell. Yep, I'm starting to understand this now. Emily is such a huge help to me during the day with wanting to be more involved in cooking, cleaning and caring for her siblings. She is such a blessing to Mark and I and we are so proud to be her parents. She goes for her 5 year old check up in July and she is not looking forward to getting the "5 year old booster shots." It helps that a lot of her friends have turned 5 already. Her pool party is next weekend so I'll have lots more to post then. Happy Birthday sweet girl, mommy loves you the whole world. You are so special; stay just the way you are.

AMERICAN GIRL

2011-06-07T14:54:00.003-05:00

I took Emily to Atlanta for a girls weekend (early birthday). We left Friday afternoon and headed straight to the hotel. We went swimming and then had a late dinner and stayed up way too late due to excitement and anticipation of Saturday's events. We made it to American Girl right at 10 (opening). She picked out look-alike doll #22......can't go wrong with blonde hair and blue eyes. Next was time to shop for clothes (doll and girl) and accessories. I think she tried on about 7 different outfits but I made her narrow it down to 1 dress and 1 set of pajamas. I was also getting her gifts from Nana and Gia so we had to pick out those as well. Next up was the doll's hair appointment at 1230. Insane what some of the other mothers were allowing. I only let her get her hair done, no ear piercing, no manicure/pedicures, and no spa facials. Anyway, we then changed Emily and Libby into their matching dresses and headed to our reservation at the Bistro at 2pm. Then back to hotel for some much needed quiet time, 2 hours at the pool, dinner, painted our fingernails, and earlier bedtime. I had such a wonderful weekend with my biggest girl and we made memories together that will last a lifetime.

Aloha! Kanani is the doll of the year.

waiting patiently for Libby's hair appointment

The salon

2011-06-07T14:53:00.002-05:00

Mrs. Lisa fixing Libby's hair

one of the other dolls enjoying a facial at the spa

the finished product. it was called "the veil"

Aloha, again.

2011-06-07T14:51:00.002-05:00

"Look Mommy, we match the doll in the window!"

Mommy getting some Libby love.

American Girl Bistro. Libby loved her Treat Seat.

2011-06-07T14:49:00.002-05:00

Sharing birthday cake ice cream for their 5th birthday!

Em demanded that Libby be strapped in a carseat on the ride back to the hotel.

Look at all this stuff! We got the American Girl Doll package through the hotel. When we got back to the room on Saturday, they had a doll bed with pillow and linens, a bag of candy, an eye mask for girl, and a doll beach set (towel, flip-flops, sunglasses and magazine) all set out. Emily was in heaven!!

2011-06-07T14:47:00.004-05:00

I'm (almost) 5!!!

quiet time in matching pj's

I took this before I went to bed. I had to move Libby to her own bed so she wouldn't get smushed! Sweet dreams, little girls!

Happy 5th birthday, Emily! Mommy loves you so much!

Windy City

2011-06-07T14:07:00.003-05:00

Mark had to go to Chicago last week for work so I tagged along. The kids stayed with my parents so I didn't have to worry about them one bit. We were there for 2.5 days but we did enough for a week. The night we got there went to a Cubs game. It was my first MLB game and it was so much fun. We had awesome seats...10 rows back from home plate. Mark worked Wednesday and Thursday and I shopped both days. We stayed on the Magnificent Mile with wonderful shops and outside cafes. I spent most of my time at The Disney Store, American Girl store and Crate & Barrel. Wednesday night we went to The Second City for a show. It was hilarious and I would recommend to everyone to see "The South Side of Heaven." I love Chicago and I'm so glad I got to travel with him for some one-on-one time with Mark.

walking to our hotel

our hotel: The Inter-Continental

2011-06-07T14:04:00.002-05:00

View of Boeing building from my water taxi.

Mark's Chicago office

The best pizza in Chicago. We have eaten here twice in 8 months....so yummy!

My view while waiting on the water taxi to meet Mark for lunch.

Here comes my yellow boat!

Memorial Weekend - Lake Martin

2011-06-06T22:36:00.003-05:00

The 5 of us headed to Lake Martin for a few days over the long holiday weekend. The kids loved swimming in the lake and we all enjoyed many long boat rides. Thanks to Nana and Papa for letting us come invade their lake house. Here are some cute pictures. Enjoy!

swimming with daddy

E-man still getting used to the lake water and life jacket.

Allison was daddy's little side-kick in the water all weekend.

twinkies!

2011-06-06T22:34:00.003-05:00

my little fish!

Not quite sure what they're looking at, but it's a great picture!

Perfect napping environment.

This would be Em's POUTY lake pose.

Always in the driver's seat. (You can kind of see his black eye in this pic)

2011-06-06T22:33:00.002-05:00

Allison and Daddy on the tube.

Emily and Daddy

So cute seeing them out there by themselves.

Best friends forever!

telling secrets?

2011-06-06T22:31:00.002-05:00

Mark was relaxing.....

He's all boy!

One last ride on the golf cart before heading back home.

4.5 cousins

2011-06-06T22:23:00.002-05:00

Uncle Jonathan, Aunt Corrie, cousin Samuel and baby Miriam came to visit on Sunday May 22nd. They came over when we got home from church. The kids loved playing with baby Samuel. Yes, they still call him that but not for long....baby Miriam will be the newest baby in a few months. It's so neat seeing all of the cousins walking around and playing together. Samuel is getting so big and is the best talker. We all just wish they lived a little closer so we could spend more time together.

Uncle Jonboy and Aunt Corrie with the kids.

Allie B. loves her Aunt C.

Pretty typical of the girls paying attention and the boys being distracted....

Pool Time

2011-06-06T22:19:00.002-05:00

Our neighborhood pool opened on May 20th. We went for the first time on the 21st. The kids were so excited. It took me forever to get them slathered with sunscreen and to load the car with various floats, towels, snacks and drinks for everyone. It is still a challenge taking all 3 by myself but it's SO much easier than last summer. Ethan is such a little fish and will just jump in anywhere. The girls have picked right up from our last pool experience at the beach in March. It's going to be a summer full of fun in the sun! Here are a few pics before we left for the pool - I love how shiny they look!

It's Summer Time!

2011-05-20T14:17:00.002-05:00

Today was the last day of school for all 3 kiddos. I got all of Emily's pictures the day of graduation, so here are Allison and Ethan with their teachers. It has been an amazing year. The teachers at VDS are unbelievable! Have a wonderful summer!!

Allison with Mrs. Jessica and Mrs. Mande

This would be Ethan's first crush - Martha Mae!

silly kids! (both of my girls LOVED this mirror when they were in the duck room)

Mrs. Kim, Ethan, Mrs. Cherie

His teachers were very emotional while saying goodbye this afternoon. They have been through many milestones with little man. When he first started this year, he wasn't walking or talking. Now he is a running, rambling man! They have been great in teaching and pushing him to learn new things! I can't say it enough; I LOVE this mother's day out program!! Don't know what I would do without them!

Preschool Graduation!

2011-05-18T21:57:00.003-05:00

Today my big girl graduated preschool from Vestavia Day School. She has attended VDS for 4 years. I believe the teachers have definitely played a major role in the person she is becoming. This year has been such a growing and learning experience for her. She is so ready to start "big school" and I give all credit to her 3K and 4K teachers for that. Emily is such a leader and is also kind and sweet to her friends. She doesn't meet a stranger and she has a special way to make everyone feel welcome. I am so blessed to call her my daughter.

Getting ready for the program.

the COWBOY song (so glad I got this one on video)

"I'm gonna take God's promises and hide 'em in my heart."

diploma!!

2011-05-18T21:56:00.002-05:00

sweet Meg Parker

Her grandmothers love her so much!

with Ms. Nancy

with Ms. Molly

2011-05-18T21:54:00.002-05:00

This little girl loves the boys! (Paul and Nicholas)

Emily and Savannah have been together all 4 years! They will attend different schools in the fall, but I know they will always stay close.

sweet girls!

another proud mommy moment!!

The Lion class 2011

Go CUBS!

2011-05-18T21:38:00.004-05:00

The Cubs had their last game of the season on Saturday morning. They were able to play on the high school field. They thought they were so cool! The girls played their hearts out and enjoyed the trophy presentation followed by a team pizza party and ice cream! I'm so proud of the girls and they both said they want to play next year. We'll see. I'm just glad they enjoyed it.

Love this photo of Em's teammate playing with her skirt!

Flirting so soon??!

Allie B. up to bat with Coach Bob.

And Emily getting ready.

Mommy and Allison watching the game.

2011-05-18T21:35:00.002-05:00

She just ran home!

Favorite picture from t-ball! GO ALLISON!

Little brother wants to play so bad. We'll have many, many years of ball in our future!

Way to go, girls!

FIRE TRUCKS!

2011-05-17T22:18:00.004-05:00

Ethan and I were able to attend our good friend's birthday party at a neighborhood park. We were about an hour late because we first went to Emily and Allison's last t-ball game. Mark took the girls to the end-of-the-season pizza party and we met up with them for ice cream. Next post will be last game pics. And they are SO cute!! Back to the party......as soon as we drove up Ethan spotted the fire truck. I couldn't get him out of his carseat fast enough. He ran straight to it. The firemen were getting ready to leave, but they let E-man 'drive' the truck and then explore the back seats. I can't believe I don't have any pics of Andrew, the birthday boy, or of his sweet mommy. They are family friends, so Ethan and I were the Kiel representatives at the 4th birthday celebration!

just checking things out

Wow! (He really did say this.)

just before he asked to be buckled!

Thanks to the Vestavia Hills Fire Department for making little man's day!!

He even got his own fireman hat! Has he taken it off yet? Nope!

Heaven

2011-05-13T14:42:00.001-05:00

I'm pretty sure that this is how Mark sees it.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

2011-05-08T21:00:00.003-05:00

What a beautiful day! I got to sleep in this morning and then we went to church. We then went to brunch at Inverness Country Club with Gia and Pa. I think next year we'll get a sitter for the kids, or maybe just hit McDonalds for a quick bite before naptime! After lunch, Mark and Emily went to the Regions Classic golf tournament at Shoal Creek. Emily had a blast at her very first golf tourney! My mom and Karen and Ted came over for dinner and lots of playtime. I even took some video. I've used my camcorder more in the last 3 days than I have in 3 years. The kids were all super tired tonight and went down without a fight. As you can see in the last pictures, I'm very tired too. I look like I haven't slept in ages. Happy Mother's Day to all mothers but especially to my wonderful mom and great mother-in-law. Love you!

Gia and her grandgirls.

E-man was T.I.R.E.D. tonight and almost fell asleep while Uncle Ted was rubbing his back.

Pretty in purple - Nana and Allie B.

The biggest joke of the night. Mommy CAN play t'ball!

2011-05-08T16:23:00.005-05:00

If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart.

My three reasons to live. Thanks kids for making my heart happy! Mommy loves you the whole world.

Vestavia Dance

2011-05-07T20:13:00.005-05:00

Emily had her very first recital this morning. The name of her dance was "Butterfly Fly Away." Her class did an amazing job and I thought she did the best!! I don't have any still pics from her performance because I videoed it at the rehearsal last night. No cameras were allowed today. I'm hoping I can get my hands on some from another mom. It was kinda stressful finding childcare for the other 2 for the rehearsal and for Ethan during the recital. How convenient that Papa was MORE than happy to watch him in the lobby. Daddy joined them, too. What a wonderful way to start my Mother's Day. Way to go, Emily!! We are all so proud of you!!

The finale. Em's back there somewhere.....

How sweet are these little ballerinas??!!

Proud Mommy with her ballerina.

with Nana and Papa

2011-05-07T20:08:00.002-05:00

Sweet friends - Emily, Meg Parker, Addie Kate

Mary Elizabeth

Reese

with Mommy and Daddy (and brother's hand - ha!)

She was so over smiling and posing for pictures, but she was still beautiful! Love you Emily!

Happy 2nd Birthday Ethan!

2011-05-06T22:43:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that two years ago today I became a mommy for the third time. Time sure does fly by! Happy Birthday little buddy. Mommy and Daddy and your two sisters love you very much. We had a super busy day with school, Emily's rehearsal, and PNO at church. I made dump truck cookies for his class and we had a small party this afternoon for him to open our gifts. We will celebrate with extended family later this week. I will also do an update after his 2 year old check up on Wednesday. Love you E-man!

His birthday dump truck balloon. I love his sweet face in this picture.

"MINE!!"

Birthday boy being chased by his sisters. Ha!

Traditions

2011-05-05T20:04:00.002-05:00

Emily got her crayon on the mailbox on Monday!! This is a special tradition that Vestavia Hills Elementary School Liberty Park does for their incoming kindergarteners. I have heard about this from neighborhood friends and when I registered her for kindergarten, the assistant principal also mentioned it. It came with the orientation invitation....it's next week and we are both excited to go and learn all about her new school.

Allison wanted in the picture so we just made a photo shoot out of it!!

Can you see the new layers in Allison's hair? She decided that her hair was too long on Sunday morning. I found a bunch of hair on their bathroom floor and thought it was from a doll. HA!! My sweet Allie B. cut 4-6 inches off each side. It doesn't look as bad when her hair is fixed. It could have been worse, but this mommy was not happy.

2011-05-05T19:53:00.002-05:00

April 30

The girls have been playing Upward Tball for the last several weeks. Allison hasn't participated much, or at all really. This day I took them to their game because Mark was in a tennis tournament. I asked Allison if she would play for me and she agreed. I didn't believe it until I saw it. She did great at bat and in the outfield. I was so proud of her! Emily had a blast as always. She even volunteered to play on the Reds because some of their team was absent. Such a team player!!

Batter up!

RUN!

She got it and threw it home!

Look who it is???? Go ALLISON!

Warming up....

Tornado/Wind Storm of 2011

2011-05-05T18:46:00.004-05:00

April 27, 2011

Mark and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary on the 27th. Mother Nature didn't want to be left out of this special day so she fought hard to join us. It was a very devastating day for the state of Alabama. It started out with the sirens going off twice around 0530. We realized the tornado and straight line winds were coming straight for us so we woke the kids up and went to the basement. I don't think we were down there for even 10 minutes before the power went out and we heard a lot of crashes. From the back corner of the basement we could see patio furniture flying by and of course there were the loud noises that only 100+ mph winds could make. We did have a lot of damage but we were so grateful to still have a house, and each other. There were at least 30 more tornadoes that came through the state that afternoon. We did have to take shelter again for a few hours but we didn't get the bad ones that completely destroyed Cahaba Heights, Tuscaloosa, Cullman, Pratt City, and many more towns. Seeing all the aftermath of the fatal storms that day really put this life in perspective. We are not promised tomorrow, so live today to it's fullest. It's going to take a long time to rebuild these cities and a lot of help is needed. We have given boxes of baby bottles, diapers, wipes, clothes, shoes, water, toilet paper, etc to those in need. The death toll is up to 230 now. Please continue to pray for the families who lost everything, including loved ones. I can't imagine. Makes our damage seem so minor. We will never forget this anniversary. Hopefully this time next year we will be celebrating Bora Bora style!!

The kids playset that was only up for 2 months

Some of the roof that was damaged. We have since had more "raining" in our house from other areas and some ceiling damage as well.

This was a few hours after the storm. The middle window blew out in our bedroom. There was debris everywhere and the carpet was soaked.

Leaves and limbs were all over the place. Some had even blown into the bathroom and on the bedside lamps.

2011-05-05T18:44:00.002-05:00

Trees down on our backyard neighbors' house. And their trampoline was up in the trees.

side of our house

next door neighbors' house

Tree and power lines down on Sicard Hollow

a home in Cahaba Heights

Easter 2011

2011-05-05T18:41:00.003-05:00

April 24, 2011

After a wonderful service at VHUMC we went to Gia and Pa's for brunch (MONKEY BREAD) and lots of egg hunting. This one was our favorite because the kids were actually able to find the eggs and put them in their own baskets! There were no 6 and 7 year old boys running them over. What a beautiful day!

sweetness!

Pa with his Birmingham grands!

Beautiful!

Em on a mission!

2011-05-05T18:39:00.002-05:00

sweet sisters - best friends forever!

This one is ALL boy. He apparently thought this was a pillow and threw himself onto it. The bag of soil was not quite as soft.

Mommy and her biggest girl!

Love her!

2011-05-05T18:36:00.003-05:00

Allie B.

The Kiel girls!

The Kiel boys!

We had dinner at Nana and Papa's house with Karen and Ted. This baseball marshmallow sucker was an Easter treat from Aunt K and Uncle T (pictured with EWK).

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T23:11:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter from the Kiels. I'll post more later, just wanted to get a post on the actual day. We had a wonderful weekend full of egg hunts, more egg hunts, candy, more candy, and a fun visit from the Easter Bunny! Hope you have all had a blessed day and remember why this day is so very special!

Easter Egg Hunt #2

2011-04-23T22:16:00.003-05:00

We went to Old Overton Club this afternoon for their Easter hunt. The kids had a blast! The weather couldn't have been better. Thanks Nana and Papa!

Em and Daddy watching some golf.

Father and son.

Nana with her girls.

Papa and his boy.

2011-04-23T22:15:00.002-05:00

GO EMILY!

Check out the tongue. This is her concentration look....just like her daddy!

GO ETHAN!

My little egg hunters!

precious!

2011-04-23T22:13:00.002-05:00

Papa and the kids looking for chocolate!

Happy Easter!

And this was just HALF of the cookie!!

2011-04-23T22:11:00.002-05:00

Allison's name was drawn for a prize.....a big turquoise bunny prize!

So happy!!

Mommy and Allie B.

Attempt to get a family picture......

we'll keep trying tomorrow!

2011-04-23T22:09:00.002-05:00

After the egg hunt and snacks, Papa drove the kids around in a golf cart. They were in heaven and did NOT want to get off. Such wonderful memories being made. We love Papa! Thanks for a wonderful afternoon!

Mr. Cool Dude!

Driven by grandson.....watch out!! ;-)

Easter Eggs!!

2011-04-23T22:03:00.003-05:00

The girls dyed their Easter eggs yesterday while brother was napping. We started out outside but it was too windy so we headed inside for the rest. They had fun but were very impatient waiting on the eggs to dry so they could decorate them.

This is some serious concentration!!

New Rides

2011-04-19T22:30:00.002-05:00

Ethan and I had a fun date today. We went and bought him a trike and then went to lunch at chick-fil-a. He was so good by himself today and I am reminded how easy it is to only have one child. During naptime, I put the bike together all by myself!!!! He took it for a spin after he got up. He's not quite tall enough yet but he can get around just fine.

The Kiel Kids bike train!

HA!

I think they look so much alike in this picture.

2011-04-19T22:28:00.003-05:00

Ethan and his new toy!

Em's face cracks me up! Look at all the personality in these 3 goof balls!

and I think these 2 look alike here. Ethan is such a combination of his two sisters.

Sweet Emily! She wanted her picture taken with her "almost too small princess bike."

VHUMC Annual Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-19T22:27:00.004-05:00

Our church held their Easter egg hunt on April 16th. It was probably the coolest morning we've had in a while but the kids had a blast. The girls had their first t-ball game at 0830 and the hunt was at 10. I changed them in the car and we made it in time for doughnuts and snacks before the hunt began. All 3 of mine were in different categories so we had to split up. Daddy took Ethan, Allison went with her friend Campbell and her mom, and I took Em and Savannah. It was over in about 2 mins. These kids mean business!!

Emily and her best sidekick, Savannah.

Sweet friends: Claire, Savannah, Emily

LOVE this picture with all 3 girls chewing candy!

Checking out all the goodies!

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My boys!

Hold on tight!

sweet Allie B.

This was SO hard. Enjoy the bloopers! The first one is actually pretty good ;-)

2011-04-19T22:23:00.003-05:00

Oh, E-man!

These are even funnier......

BOYS!

Ethan in mid-"cheese"

The Birmingham Zoo

2011-04-05T22:04:00.003-05:00

I decided to take the kids to the zoo this afternoon. The weather was perfect and we had nothing else to do. I renewed our annual membership so I'm sure we'll be there a lot in the next few weeks. All 3 had a blast and were asking to go bed tonight. Success!!

We went straight to the savanna to see our favorites. Just like his sisters, Ethan LOVED them. Every word after seeing them was "zebra." For some reason, all three of my kids enjoyed the zebras the most during their first visits to the zoo.

Look at the zebras, mommy!

Emily asked to see the giraffes first since she drew one at school yesterday.

This ostrich copied Emily when she was doing her dance moves. She was in heaven and could not believe it! I couldn't believe it either. Who knew an ostrich could do ballet??!

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This was Allison's elephant. I believe his name is Callie. He will be a member of The Trail of Africa when the exhibit opens for good this year. I didn't think there would be any elephants there, but I am so glad they were. Allison HAD to see one because she's in the elephant class at school.

This peacock was just wondering the sidewalk to the train. The girls got a little nervous when they realized it wasn't behind a fence.

She loved this swan/goose/duck. She called it something different each time.

Em and the white swans.

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E-man on the CHOO-CHOO. He was beside himself that he was riding a real one.

The "have-to" tourist photo.

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These are from the Children's Zoo.

Roosters just hanging out in the petting barn. They have very loud Cockadoodledoo's!!

She loved the llama!

And then she turned around and asked me for a pony......

Em crossing the bridge.

The next trip to the zoo I will have to take another adult since Allison must go on a camel ride. She really wanted to ride today, but Emily was not going to ride with her and I wasn't about to get on a camel and leave my son in a stroller manned by his 4 year old sister. Stay tuned!

Balloons and Cupcakes!

2011-04-05T21:06:00.003-05:00

After lunch and a quick nap we headed to a craft/gift show in a nearby shopping center. Gia had a booth there for her newest business, Door Candy. AWESOME mesh ribbon wreaths that can be made for any occasion. I got a beautiful lavender spring/easter one. Anyway, check her out on facebook if you want to see more or you can just go to The Blue Willow in Cahaba Heights to see some in person!!

Mary Lou "the balloon lady" was there making balloon characters and donating her money to a great cause. Emily picked Jasmine, Allison picked Ariel, and Ethan got a dog. Ethan just wanted to aggravate and hit his sisters with the pup and the girls were so sweet with their new princesses. On the way home, Em informed me she wanted to go to balloon school at Auburn so she could be the balloon lady when she grows up. Whatever works!

I promised the kiddos a cupcake after we walked around and tasted lots of pepper jelly and salsa. Who knew that pomegranate pepper jelly would be the best tasting thing in the world???!! Here they are enjoying their Dreamcake cupcakes. They better have been good for the price I paid for them!

Emily chose "plain jane" because it came with a purple chocolate egg on top. Allison chose strawberry because it came with glitter sprinkles. Ethan chose "wedding cake" because that's what his mommy wanted.

The Cubs!

2011-04-05T21:02:00.003-05:00

The girls had their first practice with the Upward T-ball League last Saturday. Daddy was on the field with them while I had crazy boy on the playground. This is for girls and boys ages 3-5 from our church. E and A are on the same team: Cubs. They received their tshirt and cap from their coach when they arrived. Emily did great and was really in to it. Allison participated in warm-ups and tried to catch a little. She wanted to be on the playground. We'll see how she actually does on the 16th for the first game. They sure looked super cute though!

mid throw

Ethan on the slide.

some of the field activity.....balls were going EVERYWHERE! and they are real balls!

she was happy here! and yes, her shoes are 2.5 sizes too big. do not judge! ;-)

The Season Starts!

2011-04-05T21:00:00.002-05:00

Since the girls started t-ball last weekend, Mark decided to get them practicing early. They are required to have a glove and cleats are recommended but not required. We did go ahead and get them softball pants. Emily got a new pink and purple glove and is borrowing cleats from our neighbor. Allison is borrowing her aunt's glove and got new cleats. Daddy was in charge of returning some pants to Academy on his lunch break last week. He came home with a set of bases, a tee, some practice balls, a hot pink bat, and a glove and ball for little brother. So now we can have our own games in our own backyard. He's in heaven teaching his kids his sport.

Emily is running to first while Anna is up to bat.

first day of practice!!

I put Ethan to bed and cleaned the kitchen while Mark bathed the girls. Instead of going to bed, this sweet daddy took them outside and played guitar and sang to/with them. It was a bit chilly so we had to bring out the blankets. It's moments like these that they will remember.

Merry-Go-Round Party

2011-04-05T20:57:00.002-05:00

March 26:

Allison was invited to a carousel birthday party at the Galleria. The kids all got green wrist bands and received unlimited rides on the merry-go-round. Since Mark was sick in bed, I got to take the other 2 with us. Lucky me. At least one of Em's friends was there so she was taken care of. Ethan just wanted to eat all the food and cake....imagine that?!?! Ella's mommy was so sweet to include Emily and Ethan in everything. We had a great time and I was beyond tired when we got home.

a little nervous??

Happy 3rd Birthday, Ella!

and she's doing her new pose. This is what I get now when I ask her to smile. For the 96th time to ride she chose the (ugly) elephant for Uncle Ted. But, she did say "War Eagle" while riding!!

and another one's down....

2011-04-05T20:55:00.002-05:00

Mark never got better from his hit with the stomach bug, so I took him to the ER for dehydration. This boy was sick!! His resting heart rate at triage was 135 bpm (his normal is probably around 65). He got some IV fluids and nausea meds and we were sent home. It took him almost a full week to shake this thing. Now he just needs to eat lots of fried chicken!!

(grand)Daddy/(grand)Daughter Dinner

2011-04-02T23:54:00.002-05:00

March 24:

Mark had been planning for this night for almost 4 months. He rearranged his schedule so he would be home early for this very special dinner on a Thursday night. It was the Daddy/Daughter Dinner at our church. You had to be 4 to go, so next year he gets to take both girls. Anyway, he got the stomach bug the night before and was way too sick to go. Papa was a wonderful stand in and Emily was just thrilled to have him as her date. She was a little concerned about all her friends thinking that Papa was her Daddy. Of course, everyone that was there has met her daddy before.

They had a great night and came home with lots of memories that will last a lifetime. Thanks Papa!

sweet Papa kisses.

They renamed it the GrandDaddy/GrandDaughter GRAND dinner!

Caged...

2011-04-02T23:19:00.003-05:00

The ride home from the beach was not much fun at all for any of us. Emily got sick again; we almost turned around and went back to the condo. We stopped frequently at some interesting places. Ethan was coughing his head off and his breathing didn't sound too good. We just wanted to get to Andalusia and we could figure out what to do then. Lucky for me, I was sitting in the back with Emily and got puked on a few miles away from the next city. I had been giving little E his inhalers like crazy but he needed the nebulizer. I don't have a car charger for it. We stopped at a hotel to use their lobby for a breathing treatment and their bathroom to get cleaned up. Poor Allison, she was just along for the ride. Emily was MUCH better after vomiting....thank you God!!! We were just going city to city to see what to do about little man. We thought about stopping in Montgomery to go to the hospital, but we were only 1.5 hours from home and our docs. So we kept on. Mark must have been still moving at airplane speeds because we made it home in no time. Em went straight to bed with no dinner and then woke up with 102.8 temperature. Awesome!!

I called the pulmonologist on-call at TCH and it just happened to be Ethan's doc. He told me to give the neb every 2 hours throughout the night to keep us out of the ER. That's just what I did.

Emily woke up feeling wonderful. Ethan woke up still coughing. I woke up tired. I think Daddy and Allison woke up fine.

I still wasn't happy with E's breathing so I took him to South to have him checked out. He was wheezing pretty good when we got there, so we went straight back and immediately a treatment was started, as well as more steroids given. I figured we could get a long neb and be back home in a couple of hours, just in time to take Mark back to the airport for his weekly trip. We were getting discharged.....I was signing the papers.....we were going home. Then he started grunting. For all you non-medical people out there - not a good sign. So we get another treatment. Pa is now taking Mark to airport. Still getting worse. Going to be admitted to the hospital. Mark cancels flight at airport and comes to ride with Ethan in the ambulance downtown. I go pick up Bella from boarding and head home to pack lunches, etc for girls. Ethan admitted to the Special Care Unit (ICU stepdown). Girls to Gia and Pa's for afternoon. Me to hospital. Mark leaves hospital to pick up girls and take them home for bed/school in the morning. I had to go by visitation hours in the SCU and was not allowed to sleep at the bedside. I finished my book, read the paper, met with the docs at 0245 and dozed for about an hour before I was kicked out again. I did get to hang out with my old ER buddies from 0630-0830 and then my old PACU friends from 1500-1630. His diagnosis was asthma exacerbation. This was triggered by a virus (pneumonia??) and was unable to be controlled with our home meds. He did great in the unit and was waiting on a floor bed forever. The SCU docs and pulmonary service decided to just leave him there since we would be discharged soon. He was definitely the favorite patient...and the only one able to walk around with all his monitors and yell "doctor" at the door. We did luck out and get an isolation room, we could close the doors if we wanted. No point though with all the assessments going on. Again, I was signing discharge papers and getting him dressed when he started grunting and retracting again. Docs were paged. More meds given. Dinner tray ordered. And then we left. Poor dude!

Sweet boy/bad asthma!

Breakfast of champions. He only ate his biscuit and a little bit of bacon. He fingerpainted with the rest. Albuterol in high quantities makes you CRAZY!!

Blurry pics because he was so busy. He was using the incline of the crib as a slide and then body slamming the bars. He was out of control. Really. There's a reason they had him "caged."

Bed space #8

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March 18:

And the yuckiness continues. Emily was next to have the stomach bug. She started with high fever and vomiting around 8pm on Thursday evening. Daddy decided to fly to the beach instead of home on Thursday night. He was due to land in Panama City Beach at 10p so I was planning on leaving around 9pm. Since Em was so sick, Papa picked up Mark instead. It was a long night for me and Emily and a long night for Nana and Ethan (he was sleeping in their room). Fun times.

Mark worked all day Friday and the kids laid around watching tv and napping and sipping on pedialyte. I enjoyed some time by the pool with my ipod and a book.

Here are my 2 sickly children - flushed with fever.

but I was SO glad he came to help me out on our drive home Saturday.....interesting!

Mark and I took the girls to the beach for sunset. We had to stop and take pictures by mommy's favorite waterfall! We have some good ones of Em when she was around 2 in this same spot.

I LOVE Allison looking so sweetly up to her big sister.

my little girls!

(I had packed matching "beach" dresses for picture night, but didn't know this would be our only chance.) Maybe next time....

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sweet Daddy time

chasing daddy!

and they both fell at the same time...hysterical!

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built-in best friends!

This was the night before the moon was 7% larger!! It was bright and beautiful.

2011-04-02T22:53:00.004-05:00

March 17 (cont.):

Where's Em?

Papa and the girls playing with new beach friends.

and now it's mommy's turn in "ring around the rosey". I only got one knee wet - water was beyond freezing!

2011-04-02T22:49:00.002-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Kiel girls!

Beach Bums

Allison LOVES the ocean.

Wearing their green!

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March 17:

Lots of swimming and sunshine sure makes a mermaid tired!

My little fish

My little mermaid

the view from here!!

2011-04-02T22:36:00.002-05:00

March 16:

Get a good look at little man on the beach in these few pictures. It was the only time in 6 days he stepped foot on the beach. And it was only for 45 minutes. I know now that he had the stomach bug, I originally thought it was the strong antibiotic messing with his little (big) belly. Yuck!

He's loving his new tractor that Papa bought him.

sweet picture. look how pale he looks, and his lips.....such a sick boy!

PRICELESS!

sweet E & E

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Me and my favorites!

there were kites to watch everywhere....so windy!

sweet A & E

cute piggies!

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so serious!

"Look Mommy, a castle!!!!"

with my sweet boy

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March 15:

Little Miss Drama Queen icing her scratch!

digging to China

I tried adding my footprints, but the tide washed it away.

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looking for shells - these 2 could do this forever!

sweetness!

I had to take Ethan to the doctor on Tuesday because I thought he had an ear infection. His ears looked fine but his breathing did not. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and put on an antibiotic and steroids and around the clock albuterol treatments. Wonderful! But you can't ask for better scenery while using the neb! He was a champ and I'm sure all the boats helped too!

gorgeous sunset from the balcony

Spring Break 2011 - Destin, FL

2011-04-02T22:12:00.003-05:00

The kids had spring break the week of March 13. Mark had to work in Portland, OR (shocker!!) so the 3 kiddos and I went to Destin for the week. I drove the 2 girls down on Sunday. I forgot how easy it was with just two. The only issue was the 3 female bladders - haha!! We went grocery shopping when we got there, then just hung out in the condo until we couldn't stay awake any longer. Ethan came down Monday evening with Nana and Papa. He had a wonderful ride thanks to all the many TRACTORS along I-65. I'm posting this trip a little different....each day gets its own post and I'll be going in order instead of trying to go backwards. Enjoy the million photos!!

March 13:

sweet sisters!

ready for the pool!

Catching Up and a Visit From Mimi

2011-04-02T21:11:00.002-05:00

Hello!! Remember me? After being reminded by a few people to update my blog, I realized that I didn't blog at all in March. So much has been going on (maybe that's why) and we've all been super busy and (3/5 of us) very sick. Ugh! I'm going to do my best to get this caught up by the end of the weekend. I really don't like getting behind on covering our events. Makes me crazy for some reason. Anyway, here goes......

My grandmother (Mimi) came in town the weekend of March 11. The kids and I got to spend some fun time with her after school.

Allison & Mimi playing ball.

These 2 really bonded!

Allie B's playing with Mimi's jacket, Ethan was trying to get down, and Emily was being grumpy. Tis the life with 2 toddlers and a preschooler! ;-)

Papa and his grands!

Now Ethan has Mimi playing sorting games. He was really cute that morning at school but when I picked him up he was in his "extra" clothes. His white shirt was VERY green with St. Patrick's Day cookie icing!

Ballet Pictures and Cookies

2011-02-25T19:43:00.002-06:00

Emily had her dance pictures this afternoon and she did so well. We put her hair in a bun and some "light" makeup and she was ready! Here is a quick shot of her outside before we went in. I'm sure I'll get some better pics at her recital in May. I can't wait to see how the professional pictures turned out. She looked just like a real ballerina! She makes my heart smile ;-).

Since Em spent the night out tonight and daddy doesn't get home until later, Allison and I made some red velvet cookies and we'll do the frosting centers in the morning. Here's my sweet girl after making the "heart" cookies and getting ready for bed.

More Outside Fun!

2011-02-25T11:18:00.002-06:00

The weather has been PERFECT so we stay outside all day, every day when we can. Here are some fun photos from 2 days ago.

The baby boys taking a ride in the circle!

Ethan is such a happy boy when he's outside!

I think boys look good in pink Barbie jeeps! Drew is really a good driver ;-)

Our little guy loves getting and giving kisses to all the neighborhood dogs (and then kissing mommy which is very gross - HA!).

Princesses of the day: Snow White and Ariel. These two are such sweet friends.

Neighborhood Fun

2011-02-21T20:13:00.003-06:00

We had another gorgeous day today so we played outside all afternoon with our sweet neighbors. The third children were napping but came out and joined the fun later. We will miss the Rushtons when they move this summer!

Emily and Anna

The 3 girls having a snack.

T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

Bubbles with Little Bo Peep

Princess storytime

2011-02-21T20:11:00.002-06:00

Individual pics of the kids (minus Anna)

Emily

Allison

Ethan

Conner

Drew-Boo

Birthday Roses

2011-02-21T20:10:00.006-06:00

Here are my beautiful roses I got the other night while celebrating my birthday for the 3rd time! They are so pretty!!

Purple roses....my FAVORITE!!

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Here's how Bella feels after spending all day outside!

Kiel/Chalmers Cousins

2011-02-21T20:08:00.003-06:00

The Chalmers came to Birmingham for the weekend to surprise Gia. We spent all day Saturday at Gia and Pa's house. The kids enjoyed playing in their "new" backyard. It was so nice to relax on the patio while the kids ran around. All 6 kiddos were there, but the majority of the pics are of Emily and Ryan. Those 2 are inseparable and had the best time playing "mommy/brother." We loved spending time with all 5 of the Chalmers, just wish they lived a little closer than 8 hours!!

Emily, Ryan, and Ethan

Bestest cousins

silly boy...

Singing to their own tunes ;-)

These two love each other SO much!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T20:06:00.003-06:00

Sweet sisters enjoying the weather and heart suckers!

Happy HEART day! It's been a wonderful day! I enjoyed my birthday all weekend with all my valentines. Mark and I went out Saturday night - dinner and a movie. We saw Just Go With It and we have never laughed so hard. I was crying during half of it. I wonder how many calories are burned during 2 hours of non-stop laughing! Last night we went out to eat with my family and of course we ate too much. Nana made a cake that was out of this world. I guess my camera was acting up but none of the pictures that were taken came out. I'm so bummed, but Papa got some on his camera so I'll try and get them from him. Today, Mark surprised me and took the day off from traveling and he took the kids to school AND picked them up. I got a mani/pedi this morning and a free starbucks (since it was my b'day) and then a massage this afternoon. That is my perfect day! Only bad thing was that Mark had to leave this evening for his week of work. But it's a short week for him; I'm already looking forward to him coming home!! Hope everyone had a wonderful day full of love!

Movie Night

2011-02-14T20:05:00.002-06:00

One night last week I was so exhausted and it was so cold outside that I decided it would be a movie night. The girls decided on Mary Poppins - a house favorite! Allison fell asleep before Mary Poppins even had her interview ;-). I took her to bed and came back downstairs to this. Ethan had crawled into the chair with his biggest sister and was just watching: quiet and still. I'm still wondering how that happened!!!!! I thought my E and E looked so sweet sitting together. And Ethan looks almost as big as Emily. Where did my baby go??

Superheroes and Princesses

2011-02-14T20:04:00.002-06:00

I took Allison to her friend's birthday party last Thursday morning. The birthday boy loves superheroes, so that was the theme. All the boys dressed as superheroes and the girls were all dressed in their favorite princess costume. My little Tink was the cutest!! ;-) Grayer's mom did a fantastic job. She even made capes (with their initials on them) for all the kids to decorate. She is so talented. Allie B. had such a great time. She is still talking about it.

Here she is with Grayer, the birthday boy.

Super Allison!

close-up of her 'A' cape

Open Ballet Class

2011-02-14T20:03:00.002-06:00

Parents got to observe at ballet last week. I took Nana for an extra pair of hands to help with the other 2. Emily was so cute and so excited to perform for us. The girls also got their recital costume this day and they gave us a sneak peek at their dance ;-)

Love all the pink tutus!

Sweet ballerina. Such determination! I'm so proud of her.

They were missing half the class; but these girls did great!!

Em with her friend Mary Elizabeth.

More Snow!

2011-02-14T20:01:00.003-06:00

Last Tuesday night (Feb.8) we got about 2 inches of snow. Just snow. Real snow. No ice. It was a wonderful change to not have ice everywhere closing down the city. The kids were so excited to wake up to a beautiful white blanket covering the ground.

This picture was after about 2 hours of snow.

about an hour later.

snow tree

The next morning: my Valentine bow on the mailbox.

Wednesday morning on our way to school.

Our Weekend

2011-01-30T21:51:00.002-06:00

Emily went to a Diva Dance birthday party on Friday evening. The ballerinas learned a quick routine and performed for an audience after enjoying some cake and ice cream. What a cute bunch of girls!

And this is what I did most of the weekend.......our church consignment sale (Whale of a Sale) is in 2 weeks. Maximum items per seller is 200. I'm up to 188. I'm done!! I sure hope some of this gets a new home(s) soon!!

Emily is already driving her brother around ;-). And he has obviously taken control of the tunes!

We have had wonderful weather this weekend. Perfect for playing outside with friends and family. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!!

New Nike Model!

2011-01-25T10:38:00.003-06:00

Emily is wearing her new Nike outfit that her daddy gave her for Christmas. We all lucked out with Mark being on a project at Nike in Portland, OR. I guess all our new clothes kind of make up for him being away during the week. Emily wanted me to take some pictures of her before school one day last week so I could send them to daddy. She is such a sassy little diva!!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Allison!

2011-01-25T10:37:00.003-06:00

Allie B. turned 3 on January 14, 2011. She wanted pink cupcakes with a # 3 on them and sprinkles. We made some to send to school and enjoyed the leftovers after her special birthday dinner.

Tinkerbell. Hands down her favorite.

Opening some gifts before school. Her expression shows just how much she loves her new Tink clock for her room.

2011-01-25T10:35:00.001-06:00

My big girl. She is my sweet and gentle one; mostly quiet. She has such great manners and is really making progress on potty training. Pretty soon I will only have 1 in diapers!! She loves to do anything big sister is doing and she really looks up to her. She is so loving to her little brother and is always trying to be the mediator. Seems just like yesterday we were coming home from the hospital with our second beautiful baby girl. We love you sweet Allison!

The sister pose!

Blowing out her TINK candle!

Yummy!