Keeping busy with 2

I know, the blog has been neglected these past few weeks.  I just feel like I am so busy taking care of kids that there is not much else to do!  And, there have been so many functions and play groups to attend, that we really are not home a whole lot!  What a change from Michigan!!! :)

The Anesthesia program puts on a welcome BBQ each year to meet the new families at a local lake.  It was a great time playing in the sand and swimming.  The boys even went out on the canoe.  Carter LOVED it.  Tim also got to play some mean beach volleyball.  The food was great, and it was a nice night out meeting new people.  

One thing Tim has been looking forward to is hiking on the Application trail.  You can actually catch the trail in Harrisburg, so we set out one day to do just that.  It was fun being on such a famous trail and seeing people on it who are hoping to hike the whole thing (Maine to Georgia!)  Carter again had a blast and is such an outdoor boy.  Kinley really wasn't all that impressed, seeing that she just slept the whole way.

Some of the pictures are not quite in focus, but I love how they show Kinely's faces she makes.  I love just holding her and watching her face move.  She really cracks us up.  Her first real smile went to Carter, and boy was it a big one!  He was pretty proud to get the first one.

Carter has made a ton of friends since we have moved here, and is a pretty social boy.  There are weekly playgroups where he gets to hang out with his friends for a few hours.  And, this week: Ladies Night!  Yep, as long as Tim makes it home on time, this Mamma is going out on the town with the Ladies!!!  This will be Tim's first time with both the kids, so hopefully it goes well.  

     

Washington DC

Happy One Month birthday Kinley!!!  For your birthday we took you to Washington DC.  It was so much fun, and you were such a good baby girl!

I can not believe that I actually went to DC.  We made a day trip out of it, which is so much fun.  We met up with Sean Haler, a friend from Idaho.  He has a 2 year old girl that Carter was quite keen on.  It was so nice having a "local" with us, because I am pretty sure we would have been very lost with out Sean.  We hardly scratched the surface of what DC has to offer, so we will be back.  

The Lincoln memorial was my favorite.  I got goose bumps just walking up to it.  There is a picture in the slide show that shows where MLK gave his I Have A Dream Speech. The WWll memorial and the Vietnam memorial were also very humbling.  The picture of all the gold stars represents 100 people for each star who were killed or still missing from WWll.  There are over 4,000 stars. 

After we went to the memorials we checked out two of the Smithsonian Museums.  There are 19 separate museums, and they are all free.  Each one has so much inside that you could spend a whole day in just one.  My favorite part: standing next to a quartet of Stradivarius instruments!  2 violins, 1 viola, and 1 cello!!!!  What an amazing sight, my life just feels complete! :)  The pictures did not turn out, but I think you can still see my excitement.  Kinley is a pretty cool kid to have been that close to a Stradivarius at such a young age.       

We can not wait to go back.  Washington DC defently has enough keep you busy for many days!

Now for a Kinley update: At one month old, she weighs 8 pounds 6 ounces.  She is getting really good at holding up her head, and she even sleeps for long stretches at a time (like 5-7 hours!)  Kinley continues to be an amazing addition to our family, and we feel so blessed!  Love you sweet little girl!

First Bath

Kinley continues to be a wonderful addition to our family.  We are so blessed to have such a amazing person in our family.  Kinley has started sleeping for about 5-6 hours at night, so that has been wonderful!  Carter is starting to help out a lot with diaper changes and fetching me items.  The other day in the car he said "Mom, why does everyone always say how cute Kinley is?  They don't say I am cute anymore."  My heart just broke.  What do you say to that?  Poor Carter, live is really changing for him.  He is loving living in Hershey.  There is a 7 year old boy and a 3 year old boy that live right next door.  He loves playing with them every night.  

Kinley got her first bath this week, and it was quite an ordeal.  She loved the water, actually loved it too much.  It relaxed her so much that she pooped in the water.  So, Tim had to dump the water and rinse out the tub.  While he was doing this, I was getting naked baby loves.  Sounds nice right?  Yeah, that is until Kinley decides to poop again.  This time was all over my shirt and legs.  Love you little angle, but lets not poop in the tub anymore, or on your Mamma! 

I am trying to figure out where to upload my pictures so those of you looking at my slide shows on your ipad can actually see the show!  Any suggestions?

Hello Hershey!

We are settling into our new home quite nicely.  We love living in Hershey.  There are so many things to do within a few hours drive, I know we will keep ourselves busy the next 3 years.  While Mom and Dad were here, we took some days to just see the sights.  Gettysburg is about a 45 minute drive from our house, so we headed out there one day.  It was an amazing place, and a great history lesson.  We also took them to Hershey World to ride the free chocolate ride, and to buy chocolate!  And then we took a day to check out some Amish communities close to Hershey.  I am embarrassed to say the name of the town... Intercourse.  Yep, they named a town Intercourse.  Dad even asked the Amish girl how she liked Intercourse.  She said Intercourse was nice. :)  So we got a kick out of the name, and also had fun walking around town.

It was so sad to say goodbye to Mom and Dad after they have been with us for so long.  I got used to having 2 more parents for the kids.  And, I am not sure I am going to be able to handle it by myself.  Thank you for all your help with the big move, and with the kids.  Please come back soon, we miss you guys like CRAZY!  

The slide show from Mom and Dad's camera:


We are open to visitors, plan your trip early!  Thanksgiving of this year is already taken, so spots are filling up fast! :) 

Good Bye Bay City

I am back in the blogging world.  We have been without internet for a few days, and I have been pretty busy packing up our lives and moving to Pennsylvania.  But do not fear, you are about to get your Kinley fix once again.  

Both kids were amazing on the drive out here.  We took 2 days to drive the 10 1/2 hours, and we were so relieved to finally arrive in Hershey.  Thank  you sooo much to Mom and Dad who worked super hard to help us load, unload, and empty boxes.  We really could not have done it without them.  Dad may be considered a senior, but he is still one tough cookie.  He was working Tim into the ground trying to get that truck unloaded.  And did I mention it just had to be one of the hottest days when we were doing this?  That is rough on the Alaskans, but they toughed it out!

Most of the pictures are of Kinley, because really, she is so cute!  We are so blessed to have her in our lives.

Going Home

Kinley got to head home on the 15th, just a little over 24 hours since she was born.  Tim LOVES getting the babies dressed, so it was no surprise to me he insisted on putting on her going home outfit.  Is she not just adorable in it?  Thanks Meme and Grandpa!

At home enjoying her swing.

All ready for bed...  that is when we sleep Kinley...

Her first night at home was full of being up all night wanting to eat.  I am thankful she likes to eat, but I am hoping tonight she decides to close her eyes for just a few minutes in between the feedings.  

Kinley Grace

Kinley Grace Ochoa

Born June 14, 2012

at 10:25 AM

Weight: 7 pounds 4 ounces

Height: 19 inches

We arrived at the hospital for a scheduled induction at 6:00 AM.  From there they broke my water, started the pitocin, and started my epidural by 7:30.  By 9:30 the pressure and pain started to get pretty bad, and they all the sudden took on a whole new intensity.  The nurse checked me and realized that I was complete, and baby girl had her head right there.  It was a huge rush to get the doctor and Meme there, but everyone made it.  After about 45 minutes of pushing, Tim delivered her into this world.  It was amazing to finally see her sweet face and to hold her.  She is just perfect, and we are beyond blessed.  Carter loves to poke and kiss her.  She slept the past 24 hours away, and has barely made a sound.  Life has gotten really good.  We love you Kinley Grace and are so happy you have finally joined our family!