The Colt Family

Judah saying no very politely

2011-10-16T21:58:00.001-06:00

Watch "2011 03 25 19 26 36 419 Judah No No x" on YouTube

Horsey time

2011-10-16T21:41:00.001-06:00

Hay from judah

Giggles

2011-10-13T21:52:00.001-06:00

Judah hangin out

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A Typical Morning on Vacation at Hume

2011-09-02T12:36:00.002-06:00

Summer Vacation

2011-08-26T22:43:00.000-06:00

Wow, what a special family vacation we had this Summer! A trip to Hume Lake with just us. It was particularly special to bring our family here being that only Jody had been before and its a place so near to her heart. Besides being such a pivotal place in the paths of our lives, its just a whole lot of FUN!! and beauty too!

It was also our first longer trip in our new family van..."Hank" Somehow we didn't get a picture of Hank in the loop, but we will soon. He's a VW weekender with a pop-top. Judah has surrounding view windows on all sides to check out the open road and a picnic table to eat his pb&j's from. Not bad!
The A/C helps too! phhheww

After an adventurous "short-cut" ride up to Hume, we enjoyed the lake, some great preaching each evening by a local guy (central coast), and a day trip down to the bottom of Kings Canyon to play in the river.

Judah and mommy took our first paddle board trip which hooked us both! hint-hint daddy.

And after a whole week of fun and new friends we drove down to lake San Antonio near Paso Robles (near our old college turf) for family camp with our church.
It was Hank's first moment to shine and he did!
We all slept well and comfortable, warm and cozy!
We also enjoyed the lake some more and momma even got on a tube with a good friend. So much fun to be young and playful but we're still a little sore.

Judah thought it was just the funniest thing, as can be seen in the picture.

Nap times abound this week as we return to the home routine and get ready for Dad's busy season at work.
There might just be a few last hoorahs before Summer completely closes.

BROTHERS!!!

2011-08-07T22:24:00.002-06:00

Brothers are such a special thing and it was fun to have a visit from brother CJ and his family. Two Colt sons now in Bend with baby Brady arriving in April (somehow Brady didn't make these pictures...maybe cause he was quietly sitting in his seat while these hooligans were running a muck).
Although cousins, it feels like a special brotherhood when all the Colt babes are together.

Definitely bound to get interesting as these boys grow up and additions arrive.

Visit with Ruby and Family

2011-07-30T22:20:00.002-06:00

What a treat to have the Villas and Ruby up to visit for the weekend! What a great time!
Judah and Ruby were such good pals that we all just wanted to hang out and watch them play.

Cuter than imaginable!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-10T23:29:00.002-06:00

Visit From the Andersons And Gravenkamps

2011-04-30T23:25:00.002-06:00

Judah riding Ricks "bike"

2011-04-21T22:20:00.001-06:00

Woo hoo big bike!!!

Long Lost Australia Pictures

2011-02-10T23:29:00.002-07:00

Woo hoo, just found these photos from diving on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia...was awesome. Made a nice friend on the dive...a giant Wrasse fish. He was about 4 or 5 feet tall and about 5 or 6 feet long. His lips were massive! Good times!

Daddy's Birthday

2011-01-14T23:24:00.001-07:00

Papa's 60th Birthday in San Diego

2011-01-06T23:23:00.002-07:00

Christmas!

2010-12-28T22:56:00.001-07:00

Christmas was amazing this year. Actually the first time we have celebrated at our own home with all the fixings(excluding last year with Judah's birth keeping us hunkered in). Christmas this year was rich with love and appreciation for what the season is truly about. Our family surrounded us, we enjoyed it, Judah brightened every moment, and we were thankful.

Having Mike and Gail (aka Gigi and PoPo) come down made it extra special too. We really focused on enjoying each other and the season of our Savior's birth. Judah got his first nativity set and that was cool each day to see it arranged differently, most often strewn across the house, as he played with it and we had also been given a great touch and feel book to tell about Jesus' birth.

A partly Danish household, we celebrate with dinner and family on Christmas Eve and this year besides having a full table with Mike and Gail, MorMor and Hans, we also had our dear friends the Ulricks and extended family sit and share with us. Highlights were hearing MorMor describe special Danish traditions for the Christmas Eve dinner and Uncle Rick playing silent night on his harmonica. (Jody not burning the prime rib was a plus too).

The Villa side of the house hosted the Colts on Christmas day for a traditional Danish luncheon. Its always fun to share the family traditions across the family lines.

It was intended that this post was written closer to the holiday reminiscent with all the intimate and special memories that were created during this beautiful season. We really cherished this years Christmas season as we set time aside at the beginning of December to talk and pray about what would focus our time and energy where it was most important to us. This really paid off and made Christmas a time that we weren't "relieved" to have pass.

Of course when it came to pictures....we focused on our best asset. Enjoy!

Judah Turns One!!

2010-12-04T21:17:00.004-07:00

Of course little Judah can't have just one birthday celebration but has two!! It worked perfectly for an impromptu celebration at Grandma and Grandpa Colt's over Thanksgiving weekend while the entire Colt family was in attendance. After stuffing ourselves silly over Thanksgiving we invited everyone(plus a few) back over that following Saturday for a birthday brunch. We're not sure if Judah "sucking" on his cake was the highlight or big and little kids alike having fun in the "balloon drop."

It was really special for us to have this party with our family who we don't as often get to celebrate with. It was also pretty cool for Judah and his cousin to rule the roost for the weekend. They can't get too comfortable as the youngest Colt boys as Brennan has a little brother on the way who will surely give him and Judah a run for their money.

The following weekend was Judah's actual birthday and we spent it with both sets of his Grandparents in a great little condo in Aptos, near Santa Cruz. We had arranged this as a perfect middle meeting spot to celebrate with both families. It was absolutely perfect! We relaxed over the sweeping ocean landscape and enjoyed little Judah as he ate yet another delicious and ornate cake. That little lucky duck had two yummy and cool looking cakes!!!

After opening presents and playing with Grandmas and Grandpas we also took Judah (and the whole family of course) to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. What a great time we had watching Judah enjoy the sights. It wore us all out from fun!

Not much can be said for an amazing first year with our little man. He's incredible and already exactly who God has him to be.
We're very grateful.
Happy Birthday Judah!

Silly Judah

2010-11-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

Judah and momma just went to visit the Worl family in Truckee to meet Cohen who is 6 weeks younger than Judah. It was a fun weekend of lounging and playing.

Judah also has had some new fun lately with new toys and new skills like walking.

Coming soon.....Thanksgiving with the ENTIRE Colt family ~ Judah Turns One and visits Monterey Bay Aquarium ~ The Holiday Season is Here

Marathons!

2010-11-08T09:44:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my family for getting me through this crazy run. I saw them 4 times during the race and one more at the finish...such a boost of confidence and adrenaline each time I approached and ran by them.

I must say a marathon is an emotional/physical roller coaster. Running by yourself creates so many emotions and they all get recycled over and over as each mile marker gets passed.

I was nervous my right calf wouldn't hold up as the latter half of the race approached. I injured it about 4 weeks before the race and had to take 2 weeks off to let it heal. The Lord blessed me and it wasn't an issue for the entire race. Actually I felt amazing...a few aches and pains that came and went throughout the run but for the most part my body was in good shape. The worst part of the race was the finish line...had to run a 1/4 mile around a track to the finish line...what a tease. The big finish was in hand but I had to run another 1/4 mile (maybe the longest 1/4 mile in the world).

I am definitely hooked now and will probably run another one in March or April. Why not...maybe I can be that guy that is 60 or 70 and still running marathons. For now, I will just try to run my third!

We're SO PROUD of Dad!

2010-11-07T22:23:00.002-07:00

Kris completed his 2nd marathon on November 6th, exactly 5 years to the date that he ran his first in New York. Not bad for 32 years old!
Momma and Judah cheered him the whole way with some help from Grandpa Bill and Aaron.
And to top it off he absolutely killed his training pace finishing in 3 hours and 49 minutes.
Way to go Daddy!!

Halloween Fun

2010-10-31T22:19:00.001-06:00

We had a great Halloween with Judah this year and although mom and dad lack some style Judah was cute as a Tigger. He helped carve pumpkins and even got to choose candy at his MorMor and Papa's house. Our church hosted a family event and we ran into our friend Charlie who is just a couple weeks younger than Judah. The two of them were a riot!

A Visit with Cousin Ruby in LA

2010-10-28T21:46:00.000-06:00

People just can't believe that these two cousins were born on the very same day just 7 hours apart. They seemed to be kindred friends immediately and we had a great time visiting Ruby, Rob and Carrie in LA. Of course us moms and dads are never as exciting as the youngsters so we keep the focus on them.

Besides a picnic at Venice Beach, a trip to the farmers market, I think our favorite part was playing in our pj's and bath time. These two will be a riot as they get older. Its a good thing Judah has his size to protect his already knock-out cute cousin.
I think its easy to see who finally wins the biggest cheeks contest these two rival in.

Fall 2010

2010-10-23T21:23:00.003-06:00

Grandpa Bill came along to the pumpkin patch so we could pick our pumpkins out. Judah had a blast and picked the perfect one.

Colt Family Road Trip

2010-10-15T22:33:00.016-06:00

Can you say ROOOAAAD Trip!
Our family toured the Pacific Northwest for 2 weeks at the beginning of October thanks to the beautiful wedding of Joanna and Markus in Enumclaw.

We stopped in and saw Grandma Gail before heading to Medford to visit with Great Grandma and Grandpa Eoff. They let us borrow their campervan for the trek.
Onward to Bend to see cousin Brennan and family. The two cousins are already rough and tumble with one another and a barrel of laughs for us moms and dads. You can see Brennan at a full 9 months ahead of Judah has his toddler education in toy ownership. The Bend Colts gave Judah a cool travel pack for the road to keep him busy for the many hours of driving. We visited nearly every location in the Goodnight Oregon book.

Mt Hood here we come where we toured the "Fruit Loop" trail of orchards and Judah visited his very first pumpkin patch. He particularly loved the fresh picked apples and pears. Some of them were huge and he was keen to pick out the ones he wanted and dig right in.

The Columbia River gorge was our home for a couple of days while in this neck of the woods and had some beautiful waterfalls...lots of oohing and aahing. Dad was thrilled to see all the volcanoes on our drive.

We made our way through Seattle where we visited with the Nohavecs and their gorgeous views of the city and stayed dry during the downpours at the wedding.

In true Colt fashion we pushed all the way North to the Canadian border and looped through the Olympic National Park to see Elk,Rain-forests, and wild landscapes.

Before heading home we visited the Oregon Coast and incredible waterfalls in the Cascade foothills.

Wow was it nice to see Grandma and Grandpa Colt after all that driving.

Our grand tour totaled nearly 2,700 miles in 2 weeks. Amongst the biggest highlights was Judah saying his name suddenly while playing one morning. He's shouting it for amusement still...and of course we LOVE to hear it. He's also chatting about "daddy" "doggie" or "dog" "ball" and "buck" (yes he's a Colt boy).

phhewww
When do we hit the road next

Jody 32

2010-09-21T17:40:00.004-06:00

Woo Hoo, Happy 32 Jody!!!

soccer time

2010-09-20T23:45:00.001-06:00

kicking the boxes

tootsie pop time

yummo

Judah on the shoe

his first Danish days 2010

Michigan Family Fun

2010-09-16T19:33:00.004-06:00

Less than a month after returning from Europe we hopped on another plane for some family fun in Michigan. Judah's birthday buddy Ruby Villa was celebrating her parent's wedding along with a Villa family reunion. With so much family in the "mitten-shaped" (as Kris corrects) state, we stayed for a week and did it all.

Rob and Carrie were married at a beautiful lake-side home of our now "all-in-the-family" cousin's while we stayed in a cottage on a lake nearby. The whole weekend was perfect and completely Meeechigan. It was really special to share the day with so many family that we see so very little. Plus we all got to meet Ruby, the beautiful babe and cousin born only 7 hours after Judah. He may try to tower that over her forever as if his monstrous stature (compared to her sweet daintiness) isn't enough. She, however has him in the pretty as a button looks category and even whomps him with her amazing dimple-clad chipmunk cheeks.

We visited with family all week and topped the whole thing off with a game at THE BIG HOUSE. Michigan stadium was renovated to an astounding 113,000 capacity. The record breaking crowd was so much fun and Judah with his hunting husher ear muffs got so much love.

We're definitely trying to find a way to get back more often.
(As a note, all wedding and reunion pics haven't been hijacked from Uncle Aaron yet. We left the pro shooting to him and covered the rest of the week).

Europe Trip Conclusion

2010-09-16T18:57:00.004-06:00

Wow! Well, I think we can now say we know a little more about traveling with an infant.
Italy, Zurich, and Germany (for Kris) were wonderful and a full time experience. Somewhere in the midst of the month in Italy, Kris turns and says, "I think I'm really into the laying on the beach in Mexico type vacations."

After moving from the Med into Tuscany, Kris left the family for one last trip to Germany for a meeting or two. Jody and Judah ended up staying in a completely random "spa-town" waiting for his return. We stormed Florence in one very FULL day and little does Judah know, but he saw all the greats. Hopefully he appreciates this one day.

Chianti, Southern Tuscany and Lake Como were beautiful, but the breath-taker was the return trip the Swiss Alps. After 80 - 90 degree days in Italy we returned on our very last day to Zurich via a new route through the Alps. The country was pristine and about 30 degrees cooler than Italy. We stopped in a town (name Splugen) and bought a picnic lunch (colt family standard)for the glacial riverside. All 3 of us had to don jackets, pants and a blanket which we hadn't touched during our entire month's stay.
It was gorgeous.

Next time....less locations, longer stays, more Italian wine, more swimming in the Med, and maybe Judah would be up for more art appreciation.
Ciao!

Italian Beauty

2010-07-15T02:16:00.003-06:00

We've worked our way through some spectacular scenery from the Barolo wine country in Piedmont up and over (and more often through the tunnels of)the coastal mountains to the Italian Riviera. WOW.

We've stayed two nights near the famous Cinque Terre on the southern end of the Riveria. The little village of Pontevenere is gorgeous and with hardly a room open for us to stay....we had to settle for a waterfront location - ha ha. Its absolutely gorgeous!
The little towns have sparse space near the water because of the mountainous backdrop so the buildings climb upwards with a significant amount of the city running through arterial streets inside the hill.

The Mediterranean is breathtaking with Sapphire water.
Judah continues to be a hit with everyone!
He's also sleeping well with late evening naps for our 9 to 10 pm dinners and almost midnight bed times. As we thought he (like his mom) take well to the Italian clock.

Now we head south to Tuscany. We're staying near Lucca for the next couple nights as Kris will leave on Sunday from Pisa back to Germany for another work trip. (just a couple of days). Then he flys back so we can head into Chianti and Montalcino.

Caio From Italia!

European Vacation

2010-07-13T04:49:00.001-06:00

A quick update of photos from Jody and Judah's journey to Europe and our reunion with Kris.

We've moved from Zurich Switzerland down through Piedmont Italy. We leave today towards Cinque Terre and the Italian Riveria. Its beautiful and HOT

Bier and schnitzel

2010-06-29T06:02:00.005-06:00

Can't wait to sink my teeth into a delicious schnitzel....more looking forward to washing it down with a big liter of bier!

Made it...landed in Zurich this morning, had a nice cappuccino and a salami baguette for breakfast....then my driver hit 120 mph on the autobahn...what a ride.

Made it to "the Bad Hotel" in Uberlingen, Germany on Lake Constance - Beautiful place

Now it's time for some World Cup action in a German bar...should be fun.

Judah Turns 6 Months

2010-06-28T21:29:00.000-06:00

Before we left for Europe we celebrated a half of a year with our son! He's so wonderful!

Soon To Come......

2010-06-11T11:42:00.003-06:00

In the next Colt family updates:

Judah Turns 6 Months
Visit From the Andersons and Gravenkamps
The Colts Storm Italy in July!!

Catching Up

2010-05-26T22:40:00.013-06:00

It's been an entire two months (almost 3) since we've last posted and we have a lot of catching up to do. For starters Judah turned 6 months old last week!!! Wow how time flies. He's an absolute chunk and full of personality. His latest episodes of comedy include flexing his arms like the hulk and clenching his cheeks and face while grunting....I think some experienced mothers would say "Thats All Boy!"

He's also rolling from back to tummy but the funniest is that he arches his back while laying on it and inch worms himself across the floor. When he's excited about getting somewhere there is a lot of pelvic thrusting and reactive giggles from mom and dad.

Here's a quick catch-me-up from the past two months. Chronologically from most recent backwards.

Visit From Grandma and Grandpa Colt

Grandma and Grandpa just couldn't stay away too long and came down for the weekend. Besides non-stop snuggling, Grandma Gail thought it would be fun to test Judah at drinking out of a cup. He used his daddy's Peter Rabbit mug from when he was little.

Judah Started to Eat Solid Foods

What a crack up when a baby starts to eat solid foods. For Judah it went something like this: At about four and a half months he started to eye every dish or cup we had in our hands and really started to watch us as we ate. By 5 months he started to reach his hands out towards our plates. At 5 and a half months he grabbed a cracker off mom's plate while we were having dinner at a friends house. He put it in his mouth and started chewing. We knew he was ready.

His first experience with solids was with the typical rice cereal. All perched in his high chair looking like a paratrooper and cute as a bug, his lips smacking he started to pound his food tray. His first bite of cereal....he grabbed the spoon from mom's hand and shoved it in his mouth. Yes, he was a little shocked to find the cereal mushy and filling his mouth but he gummed it down and held out his hand waiting and asking for round 2. Two weeks later, we love sweet potatoes, carrots and peas (of which we ate almost an entire jar in one sitting) but don't love the tart fruits. And no its not true that adding solids helps the sleeping at night ;-/

We'll upload a great video as soon as we can figure out how to.

Craig and Sybil Bonelli Wedding in Paso Robles

Jody's good friend from college Craig Bonelli got married in mid-April to Sybil Johnson and it was a great mini-vacation for our family. The wedding was beautiful, we were able to catch up with some great friends and some new babies and Judah had his first pool experience!

Family Photo Shoot
Rebecca Nuss of Rebecca Nuss Photography is a family friend and treated us to a family photo shoot here at our house one Saturday morning. The problem with doing this is that we as parents can never decide which one is going to hang on the wall. They are all so good and we like to see them all. Here's to wishing for a 52 inch digital photo screen.

Spring Break 2010!!

2010-03-25T22:00:00.004-06:00

PPPHHEEEEWWW
Besides being one of Judah's new favorite sounds that gets him giggling, its exactly the sentiment after a week FULL of fun. Nearly the entire Colt family assembled in Arizona for lots of baseball, plus some fun in the sun, relaxing by the pool and happy hours with the seniors (that would be 55 and older ;-p) on the golf course.

Aunt Karen and Uncle Richard (on the Eoff side) were our lovely hosts at a great resort they call a winter-home on the upper west side of Pheonix. We're not sure exactly what else anyone could possibly be doing in that city of strip malls and cactus unless they're going to baseball. 9 MLB stadiums for the Cactus league and we made it to 3. Plus Uncle CJ was coaching in a high school tournament so we got to watch the Summit Storm play too.

The tiny house was so packed with family that Uncle Richard and Aunt Karen slept out in their motorhome. We're not sure what was most exciting...the baby cousins romping around, the flu bug traveling like wild fire through the family, the golf cart robbery or baseball.

Judah was stoked when Grandma and Grandpa got him a signed ball by Bob Feller who pitched to the likes of Ted Williams and was in the Baseball Hall of Fame class of 1962. A little gruff at the age of 92, Grandpa was a hero for befriending the major leaguer to sign a couple of balls for his grandsons at their first MLB games ever. What a special gift and memory.

Unfortunately for us, the 55 and older community was wise to our baby antics and had a ban on children under 3 in the pool. Judah will have to wait until Summer time in Solvang for his first pool playtime.
We did have some poolside fun with the Eling family from Colorado. What a treat to happen to be in town at the same time and get to visit with them in Scottsdale.

It must be the breast milk keeping our little one healthy because momma had a cold on arrival in AZ and left with the 24 hour stomach flu and daddy got the cold en-route back to CA. Little Judah remained healthy less a stuffy nose which was most likely the climate change.

The whole week was packed with baby fun as Judah and cousin Brennan got the lion share of attention from Grandma and Grandpa, Aunts and Uncles and each other. Pretty cool that they've visited with each other 3 times in only 4 months and considering the 770 mile gap separating them.

Awwwhhh Family Vacation Memories

My First Major League Baseball

2010-03-24T16:57:00.001-06:00

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa! My first signed ball while at the Rangers vs. Cubs Spring training game. Bob Feller Hall of Fame in 1962 in my first week of baseball. Life's so good, I needed a nap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0tpumRK88A&feature=youtube_gdata

2010-03-21T10:55:00.001-06:00

judah talking up a storm during gonzaga game

Wow is He Cute!

2010-03-20T23:58:00.001-06:00

Okay We're Biased

On The Road Again

2010-03-19T17:18:00.001-06:00

the glorious view from our minivan. welcome to arizona! and for the record jody has won the first round of the alphabet game and judah officially "christened" his carseat on our

New Discoveries

2010-03-15T12:29:00.001-06:00

Judah's discovered his hands recently and how to bring them to his mouth. He's also grown fond of his puppy blanky. Its fun to have a cuddly kid

Our Child Genius

what can we say

Happy Birthday Judah! You're 3 Months!

2010-03-04T21:52:00.003-07:00

Daddy has a busy week coming up and Judah and Mommy are headed out of town to see friends (and stay out of Dad's way). So before everything got crazy we took some time out to as a family to celebrate Judah's 3 month birthday and visit with each other.

This morning we went to Pattibakes, one of our favorite bakeries and had a delicious breakfast and a HUGE cinnamon roll "birthday cake". We think Judah just loved it, we know we did.

What a trip, that its already been 3 months since Mr. Judah was born. What a very special day that was and the three of us have gotten to be such pals since then, its really hard to imagine a time when he wasn't here.

This past month, even more recently in the past few weeks, Judah has been so much more vocal and really expresses himself with loud ohh sounds. He's gotten a cute little laugh that makes a special appearance here and there when it seems to just bust out of a smile that he can't control. He really gets interactive with his conversational sounds and he now gets an idea how to thoughtfully react to his feelings about his circumstances. Its no surprise that he and his mom can carry on quite the lengthy conversation...about pretty much nothing.

He's also keeping his head steady almost completely on his own and he seems to really like sitting up like a big boy.

Next up a trip with mom to San Clemente and San Diego...

Visiting With Friends

2010-03-03T23:04:00.001-07:00

Judah had a great time with his friends Isabella and Lance yesterday. A pro big sister, Isabella was ready to hold and cuddle with him.

loungin

2010-03-01T18:13:00.001-07:00

just hangin on Saturday night

Ruggedly Handsome

2010-02-25T10:16:00.004-07:00

Had a quick stop in San Jose with Sean, Katie and Brooklyn. Always good to see them...we miss you guys. And that is a good lookin picture!

one eyed willie

2010-02-19T19:41:00.002-07:00

judah was horsing around again...just kidding. he has a red eye and the doc said to hold a slice of potatoe to his eye...ha. worth a try i guess

A Big Family Visit

2010-02-17T23:05:00.001-07:00

We took our first long trip out of town since Judah's birth to Yreka for a Big Family Visit.
It was really nice to be able to stay longer than a weekend and have some quality time with family and friends. After stopping in Sacramento on the way north, seeing Aunt Debbie and Uncle Andy and Elly too, we spent 10 days in Yreka.

A special week where we got to introduce Judah to all of his Daddy's family, great grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. Judah was officially spoiled with Love.

The trips in both directions went great, we have a champion traveler, which I suppose is a good thing considering our family habits.

Next up....Spring Training in Arizona...Time to Get out the Bathing Suits and Sunscreen

Home To The Warm Sunshine

2010-02-16T13:10:00.001-07:00

sitting up in my very stylish "shorts"

I'm Superman

2010-02-01T18:26:00.001-07:00

just waiting around

Judah's Meet & Greet Shower

2010-02-01T14:17:00.002-07:00

Judah was graciously and lovingly welcomed into the family yesterday with a big to-do.
The Fisher family hosted Judah's Meet and Greet Shower where he could be ooh and awwhhed over by the ladies in the Nedegaard clan and some great friends. All the details were perfect the desserts were to die for. Its decidedly so that our family doesn't gather enough anymore and we feel it a HUGE honor that we could do so for Judah's arrival.
Of course he decided it should be nap time exactly when the party started but woke for presents and to be cuddled with by the end of the afternoon.

The coolest thing is that many of these ladies had big roles in Judah's mom's growing up. So special to have them together!

To Share Something Special

2010-01-30T13:18:00.002-07:00

Sometimes its not until you've looked back, maybe seen a picture or reminisced until you realize how special or meaningful certain things or experiences are to you.
This past weekend we got together with our birthing class for a reunion and not until after we left and drove over the hill from Santa Barbara did I begin to realize how intimate of a relationship or a feeling of sharing I had with this group of 11 couples that I hardly knew.

We took a 5 week (3 hours a night)course before Judah was born on natural birthing. A fairly standard event by most interpretations, but something special happened. We're first time parents and being the information gathering sort we opted for the "long course" in birthing education instead of the poorly recommended hospital one-day variety. We figured why not learn as much as possible about this wild adventure of labor and delivery.

This is definitely one of those God type appointments because truly there was no reason we would have or should have opted to do this. From a common sense, socially influenced perspective, we should have just had our baby showers, taken our weekly growing-belly pictures and showed up at the hospital suitcase and baby clothes in hand. After all, its just birth, they tell you how to do it when you arrive right? The doctors "deliver" this baby from your womb right?

God had another plan for us I guess, and so we went to find out how He created it to be.

Fast forward to January 30th and 9 little babies squirming in their mommies and daddies arms. Two of our families couldn't be there that night. The glow around the room was brilliant, although that could have been fog in my eyes from lack of sleep, but I doubt it.

We drove home after hearing everyone's birthing stories (not all of which were gloriously perfect and according to plan) and sharing quirks and the questions everyone's afraid to ask outside that room.

I realized how intimate of a thing I had shared with these people I hardly knew. They were a distinct part of Judah's journey into our family. Over those 5 weeks we as parents drew closer together right in front of these other couples. We grappled with personal things and questions so that we could be better prepared for the arrival of our son. What a neat thing that anyone would set aside that time to prepare the way for their children. A novelty even.

I've thought more about it over the past couple days. Why did it seem so intimate when we only met once a week for 5 weeks and shared stories over email. My Mor Mor would love this but its been like watching a caterpillar become a butterfly. We've each gone through an extreme transformation, an intimate and personal one. None of us will ever be the same and whether we knew each other prior to this transformation or not, we were with each other in the cocoon and have come out the other side to spread our wings.

Kris said he had a cool conversation with one of the couples, a fellow football loving dad and his patient wife. The comment had been brought up by several couples that when they vigilantly took their children into the nursery to be weighed and measured, only a few hours old, they were the only parents in the nursery with a room full of babies in plastic tubs. Where were their parents?
The wife of the couple Kris spoke with said, how fortunate we are to be acquainted with this group of parents.

How true. We've shared something special.

Photo Shoots

2010-01-28T13:16:00.001-07:00

With a little extra time on our hands this past week as we stayed home sick (we ARE feeling better now) mom got trigger happy with the camera.
Enjoy!

Sick On The Couch...or...Sick Of The Couch

2010-01-27T16:43:00.002-07:00

Either way...we've been SICK!!!

We've agreed, the worst stomach bug we've had since India.
WHOA, yeah, that's a heavy statement there!

The upside to this scenario, 1. We're not in India 2. Our bathroom is OUR OWN bathroom and its doesn't have steel walls, with dripping, rotting lead based paint 3. We have family here to help 4. Our wonderful little man Judah hasn't gotten sick (praise God for healing us quickly!....and that we're not in India)

James Dean Baby!

2010-01-21T17:18:00.001-07:00

Out and About in our First Month

2010-01-20T16:10:00.006-07:00

Well, the Colts haven't been ones to sit quietly while the world passes by and it seems our son is starting his adventures early too.

Judah is 6 weeks old now and we've had a great time as a family getting to know and grow closer with each other in new ways.

This past month we've celebrated Grandpa's birthday and of course Daddy's too.

We've been to the beach to watch Daddo surf a couple times and we love it there. The waves sound just like the sound machine on Judah's crib and he relaxes right into the rhythm.

Dad got a new board from mamma and Judah for his big 32nd Birthday and we went up north to stay the night in Avila so he could surf his favorite Shell Beach. It seems though that El Nino got ahead of us and "the family" banned Dad from surfing in the 15-20 foot waves. Instead we went for walks and up to SLO for farmer's market and a beer...Dad's type of b-day for sure!

I've also grown like crazy...weighing in at a whopping 10.10 lbs. for you mathmatecians thats 3 pounds in 4 weeks and I'm 22.5 inches long. Dad is hoping I'll make 6'6". Mom said don't hold your breath.

We've also had a great time visiting with families whether its been over birthdays or just for the fun weekend gathering....suddenly everyone wants to have us over..hhhmmm.

From mom: the big news besides that my little man is growing daily before my eyes is that we were gifted with his first smiles, smack dab on his 5 week birthday. I swear he gets the baby development email updates before we do. He seems to hit every mark before we know its "supposed" to happen.

Those little smiles are so special and he's now accompanying them with flirty eye brow lifts and a small giggle. He's getting his voice together too...and all of a sudden we'll hear a great big loud "oooh". He cracks us up!

He's definitely a comfortable sleeper as some of the pictures show...he's not shy to spread out and get comfy. We've had a couple nights where he's slept from 10 PM to 7 AM...Praise the Lord!!

Next Month: We adventure up to Yreka to see Grammy and Grampy Colt...woo hoo - 10 days in my pack n play and maybe my first snow

Happy Birthday DADDY!! I LOVE YOU

2010-01-14T14:07:00.001-07:00

I LOVE MY DAD!! HE'S THE BEST!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Bill

2010-01-06T16:03:00.001-07:00

January 6th was my Grandpa's birthday and we had MUDPIE!!

Happy New Year

2010-01-02T17:52:00.003-07:00

We rung in the new year right with a perfect day at the beach. Dad got to surf and Judah enjoyed his first trip to our family beach.

Happy New Year!

big boy today

2009-12-29T10:12:00.001-07:00

i am big today...rocking out to the Beatles

Christmas at the Colts

2009-12-25T15:13:00.001-07:00

Wow! Thank you God for sending us your Son. We're so thankful that this season will always have a very special relation and reminder of birth to us. Judah is such a purposeful gift for our family in that way.
We've had so much special fun over the month of December, I guess its an understatement to say that Christmas as well as our lives, will never be the same.

Christmas........Birth
They are just meant to go together.
This year our whole family celebrates the much awaited birth of our son, Judah. He is beautiful, he is just as he is supposed to be, adding so much love and closeness to our family.

As a new mom, I want to admit something, and share where its brought my pondering thoughts. Now that he's here, there is something bittersweet to this new reality.

I love him, I love him with my whole heart and yet with his small body laying in my arms I have a new pain in my life, his pain and anything that might come against him. Its a strange feeling to feel so fulfilled by his arrival yet wishing that he could be back in the place of my imagination where nothing could harm him.

This got me thinking of Mary and of course God's ultimate purpose for His Son. Yeah, it might sound cheesy but I think its exactly the origin of why most of us have these feelings around the holidays. I know I'm not the only one.
How true this season of birth is for any of us....bittersweet, so full of love and also the sense of impending pain or loss.

So, all the more reason for cheer and thanks around this season, the one and only thing or being that could keep us from being consumed by only the loss and pain is Christ.....so Merry, Cheerful, Happy, Full of Life CHRISTmas.

Us Colts had a very Full of Life Christmas, even though precious Judah slept through most of it ;-p.

Judah Colt Has Arrived!

2009-12-12T22:10:00.003-07:00

Judah

In The Nick of Time

2009-12-03T14:27:00.001-07:00

We decided we wanted to take a picture of the 3 of us before our precious little one arrived. The day before he came we took these...little did we know.

Thanksgiving as a Family

2009-11-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

The 3 of us had a beautiful sunny Thanksgiving day together at Refugio beach. What an incredible holiday to be thankful for. Kris surfed and mommy and the baby belly sun tanned. It was one last "quiet" holiday for Kris and I and we couldn't have asked for a time more special to us than a 70+ degree day at the beach. God seemed to be giving us a kiss as a couple knowing all would change so soon.

We spent time together taking it all in.

Anticipation

2009-11-22T21:53:00.006-07:00

Well, two weeks and counting.

Not only have we lept over the "full-term" mark, we're racing towards the finish line and who knows if that will be tonight or 3 weeks from now. Only God and this little one that is still kicking up a storm.

We've had a great week of sifting through all the beautiful gifts we've been given in order to set us up for our little one's arrival and we've organized rooms, changing table, closets and ordered the last "necessities".

The car seat is in, the diapers are arranged and yes mom's and dad's the hospital bags are packed!

All 3 of us feel great if not a little tired as 4 AM sometimes brings around full awakeness these days, but we've made the most of our last few mornings together as a "more quiet" family.

Showers of Love

2009-11-22T21:44:00.003-07:00

Wow!

What an amazing time of love and friendship! Some of the ladies from our church threw me a shower last weekend here in Solvang and it was gorgeous.

Besides all the intricate details that these ladies donned for the day, the outpouring of love and friendship still has me flying high. Besides having such a great time, eating home made petit-fours and delicious nibblies, opening more gifts than the last 10 Christmas' combined, I had some really special people from my family to be a part of this "other life" that I so wish could integrate more completely. I think this was the tip-top factor to having all the people that have watched over me during this pregnancy and shared all the fun, giggles and stories alongside the family I don't get quite enough quality-time with.

My moms, Kay and Gail, plus Grandmas Joan and Mor Mor, and even my Aunties Cille and Joyce and our cousin Cinda were all with me while the ladies who have become like sisters to me laughed, prayed and chatted our way through the afternoon.

It was the perfect day!

Thanks to Everyone!

Family FanFare

2009-11-22T21:28:00.004-07:00

We've had a wonderfully busy several months with football games, Kris coaching soccer games, Jody finishing work, and friends and family visiting.

Jody has had her last day officially on paid-staff with the Ranch Church. The big staff family treated Jody, Kris and Maggie (another staffer who has recently left) to a beautiful Italian lunch in Orcutt at Oliveto. Not only was it delicious it was a really cool time with the group as one big family.

Our family has been unbelievably blessed by our time as part of the staff at our Church. Something we never thought would be such a significant part of our lives has indelibly changed us forever as a family. We've loved the growth and support we've received over the past year and a half and wonder if we've shared a quarter of what we've been given.

In the same week as Jody finishing work, Grandma Gail, Great-Grandma Joan and Great-Grandpa Bill, and Cousin Cinda all came down for a special weekend visit and to be a part of the Solvang shower that was thrown. What a huge treat considering the former came all the way from Yreka Ca and Medford Or.

We loved visiting, a treat for us because much of Kris' family lives so far that we rarely have them here at our own home very often or for very long.

After cheering Kris on at his final Under 7 soccer game we meandered around time, enjoyed pizza and took Grandma, Grandpa and Cinda to play Solvang's famous Turkey Bingo. Kris and Gail had a special date night out for dessert and some mother/son catch up time.

Aaron won a turkey! ....and G-Grandpa Bill (Eoff, not Villa) thought he won. ;-p

Coach Colt and Coach Fisher officially hung up their cleats this Saturday night after the AYSO coaches dinner. They're already thinking about next year and some teams they want to beat.

Because We Haven't Had Enough Football This Season....

2009-11-03T21:25:00.009-07:00

Less than 6 weeks before our little one is due seemed like a perfect time to squeeze just one more big college football game in this year. So off we went for a date day at the USC vs. OSU game. Kris had never been to the colliseum so that was particularly fun and of course a home USC game is a mecca of fan madness.

Our seats were amazing and we thought they might even be too close to the field but it turned out to be a perfect location to take in the entire stadium's aura of fun and team spirit.

Highlights: the incessant, I mean errr huummm amazing USC band energy that played the fight song the entire game with us being at the opposite end of the field and having the privilege of two giant loud speakers directly in front of us to keep us hyped along side the music.

We had to give the fans some props for keeping the whole stadium full and chanting while they stayed the entire game, and even with a significant score advantage near the end of the game.

Lastly a great high scoring game, which was a good thing those fans stayed for, with both teams knocking it around until the very end...really exciting and fun!

Colt Family Trivia: We saw "The Fonz" at the USC game as he walked in front of us and into the team tunnel at half-time. And a little less thrilling but just as unexpected, we also saw one of Kris' fraternity brothers from Cal Poly standing on the field in front of us before the game started, but we weren't able to get his attention.

Click here for some VIDS

Old Minnesota Man Picture

2009-10-23T09:52:00.002-06:00

trying to remember where this was taken...maybe Irv's in Northeast Minneapolis...great dive dive dive bar.

...with Lee, Jay, Doron and Mark

Cal at UCLA Football Game

2009-10-21T21:24:00.005-06:00

Kris organized yet another Ranch Church sports outing and we had a great time! Only about 100 degrees at the Rose Bowl when the Cal Bears unexpectedly beat the Bruins. We all got a little sweaty sitting in the bleachers but loved doing "the eight count" cheer and munching down on red vines and sunflower seeds.

We had 24 people go, with several families and a handful of surrogate kiddos that Kris, Jody and our associate pastor Jess adopted for the day. Kris and the dads manned up the bbq and some of the moms brought the extra treats. It was a perfect day of fellowship.

Highlights according to the kids: definitely the tailgating...and according to Jess (a newbie at college sporting events) getting to drive the church van on the golf course. Kris kept trying to convince him to jump things and we think after Jess got over the awe of so many people just hanging out and bbqing for a game like that, would have liked to just drive around on the course all day...because he could. ;-p

Also, our local high school band was chosen to perform at half time with the UCLA band and we hadn't known that at the time we bought the tickets. It was neat to see SY High (Jody's alma mater) out on the field and one of our families even had a son in the band.

Colt family trivia: the last time Kris and Jody were at the Rose Bowl "together" was October 29th, 1994. Juniors in high school and over 10 years before they would meet, fall in love and get married they were both unknowingly at the same world cup soccer game, cheering on the US team with their dad's.

Growing more and more...

2009-10-18T18:12:00.007-06:00

Okay,

So Kris asked my permission to put these gooorgeous photos up and after seeing them in sequence here I'm having a second thought...or two.

Honestly, after getting over the vanity crisis that I suppose us women are constantly afflicted with...the changes AND the growth have been awesome and even fun!

Getting back in the pool this last week after a couple week haitus has been so great I can hardly put words to it. This baby belly is growing and growing and this little gal is a squirmy, pushy, ball of energy. It seems that in the pool we both get to relax and float. My exercise puts her exercise to nap time - I love it! I just wonder if it will be the same when she's out, I kind of doubt it.

According to the ultrasound doc this past week, our miraculous little one is approximately 4lb. 9 oz.

We're 33 weeks this week and are truly looking down the barrel of our last 6 weeks of pregnancy. Full-term pregnancy is considered between 37 and 41 weeks so really in about 4 weeks we're good to go. Although as I see the significant changes in my body and realize how little control I have in the big picture of this cool creation, I realize God could spring her loose at any time.

We've been attending birth classes for the past 4 weeks and WOW have we learned so much! Between breast feeding, bonding, doulas, and a whole lot of home videos of births I'd say we're well on our way to a fully educated endeavor. Too bad education doesn't ever prepare you for the reality of the biggest of life's events.

In all I'd say the classes have been best just for Kris and I to get closer and on the same page about birth and parenting. Which has been a real gift in the past month.

Around our wedding we had these wonderfully wise marriage counselors who coached us into the mind set that we weren't having a wedding but instead beginning a marriage. This birth will be a treasure of an experience for all 3 of us but most importantly we're becoming parents and the closer we get to that moment the more I value my marriage as a strong foundation for all the insecurities and fears I have around being a mom. I couldn't be more thankful that God has put, and keeps, us together in this adventure.

and I hope so dearly that I get to go back to that first skinny picture ......

Weekend in Santa Ynez

2009-10-10T18:04:00.003-06:00

We just never quit!

The Colt family is on a marathon of fun these days and we have friends and family that help blaze the way.

Last weekend we loaded up our little home with 8 adults and 3 little ones to celebrate a "baby bump" weekend.

Jody's cousins, Lauren and Miles from Michigan stayed a whole week with their 2 absolutely fun daughters Gabby(4.5) and Olivia(16 mo). Great practice for our future as these 2 high energy gals kept the whole house alive all week.

Then over the weekend some of Kris' best buds came with thier wives for a little man-celebration. Its not fair that gals are the only ones to have showers and baby festivities...so we spread the love.

A perfect weekend for all just relaxing and catching up! Its special for us when our closest friends and family get to be a part of where we live and the lifestyle we love.

Thanks!

USC at Cal Football Game

2009-10-03T18:05:00.001-06:00

USC whooped up on CAL big time. A great weekend with Mom, Dad and Grandpa Greg, including taking Bart to the game during "love fest" - lots of people not wearing much clothing. Grandpa and I also had a weird experience at the Bart bathroom...while waiting in line, 2 homeless women came out of the "MEN's" bathroom yelling at eachother and about 1 minute later, a man came out of the "WOMEN'S" bathroom talking to himself. Neither of us was sure if we should use the bathroom or not.

Yreka Baby Shower

2009-09-19T18:03:00.004-06:00

Well, Yes, we're a little behind on posts but its just because the 3 of us have been out having so much fun for the past month.

Grandma Gail and Auntie Katy threw us a beautiful baby shower up in Yreka in September. We had been waiting all Summer for this special weekend with the Colt family and friends and it was well worth the wait!

Katy and Gail have talent like no one else for details and fun accents to parties (I'm sure they'd consider being hired out at the right price ;-p) and we were so fortunate to benefit from their love for Baby Colt.

Debbie Whipple hosted us in her gorgeous backyard English style garden. No, I'm not the most girlie of gals, and you might not expect me to be all bubbly about gardens and girl parties but anybody would be wooed by a relaxing afternoon in beautiful garden setting, yummy food and friends.

Grandma and Auntie themed the whole event in pink AND blue, asking each of the guests to wear the color that symbolized their guess on if our little one is a boy or girl. Now as a disclaimer I made note that guessing what the gender of the baby is...is MUCH different than what you hope the baby is. That being said it was actually almost a 50/50 split, which shocked me as I thought we'd surely have an all pink party. And of course you can see I wore white with a small accent of both pink and blue to keep neutral.

After an awesome afternoon of chatting with all the Yreka ladies about life's lessons with birth and child-raising, the party continued back on Georgia Way where all the men had watched football all afternoon and set up an evening bbq for the whole family.

We had a great time with some special guests. Great Auntie Iliamna came into town for the weekend and that was the first we've had any significant visiting time with her in a long time. She also brought some really treasured home made goodies both for our baby shower gifts and her and Grandma Dian made some great pear butter, apple pies etc and we were spoiled.

Grandma Joan and Grandpa Bill came in from Medford and stayed the night just so we could have some extra visit time.

You might say the apples don't fall far from the tree as they "camped" out in their new pop top van camper in the front driveway...Kris and I were jealous of the built in stove, the extra head room and the loo. They travel in luxury ;-p.

Yes, it was a weekend of being spoiled by everyone's love!

Thanks Family!

CABO BABYMOON 2009!!

2009-08-30T23:12:00.000-06:00

What a sweet week of relaxation, conversation, sand and surf. Thanks to some dear friends of ours who made it possible for us to have a week's stay in San Jose Del Cabo (which kicks Cabo San Lucas off the map by the way)!

After being a little concerned about the Summer heat, we were stoked to have the right mix of pool, beach, and indoor nap time to keep us cool while still getting a great tan...even Kris.
The whole week was perfect as we stayed right on the beach and had nice morning and evening walks when we were feeling particularly athletic, compared to the sleeping in late, reading poolside and even watching a few movies on the couch.

It was nice to be able to cook-in most of our meals and still get amazing local fare at a couple of recommended small restaurants in town. We went out for one special meal to a beautiful cabana covered deck overlooking a great local surf spot that Kris had surfed in the morning. During dinner we watched the surf crowd and talked to our waiter to find out that dinner time would have been less of a pummeling on the body. Oh well, it made for an adventurous morning and there was no fatal injury.

We just loved the "babymoon" and were completely appreciative that we could have one last hoorah with just the two of us before our special little one arrives. It seemed that our little guy was jealous of all the attention so decided to double in size throughout the week. We noticed a HUGE growth spurt in the baby tummy and I don't think it was just vacation appetite. He's definintely spread out and gotten comfortable in his little tummy apartment. I have a sense of our daily sleep and play time routine. It will be curious to see if its at all similar when he's out in the land of oxygen.

Now we're home and getting ready for the ....the 3rd Trimester! 6 Months officially this week and we're all still feeling good. Next post will show how both mom and dad are "nesting".

Hank Wright Lake with Dad and CJ

2009-08-30T09:04:00.005-06:00

Another great trip to Lower Hank Wright Lake...highlights...

-Seeing the meadows again
-Seeing that great lake from the top
-Dad saying that there is great camping at the upper lake and some nice Brook Trout in the lake and finally...let's go to the lower lake - we've heard it a million times
-Cheese Wiz
-Shelby swimming non-stop..."Shelby, leash up!"
-"pain and anguish!" - we did not sleep well
-and that cold beer waiting at the truck - "here's a go"

Ben's Wedding...a few pics

2009-08-30T08:54:00.004-06:00

Sweet wedding Ben and Anna! Thanks for all the fun!

Summer of Weddings

2009-08-04T23:08:00.006-06:00

The baby and her mommy and daddy partied the night away at yet another great wedding this summer.

Congrats to Ben and Anna Gravenkamp who were married this past Saturday, August 1st. Kris grew up with Ben in Yreka, where they played baseball (and probably every other sport) together since they were little boys. They were POJ brothers at Cal Poly and Kris had the huge honor and privilege to act as Ben's best man this past Saturday as he married his beautiful wife and incredibly uplifting partner Anna.

This was wedding #3 for the Colt family with baby rockin' out all night in mommy's tummy. We think she got a little overwhelmed by the music after awhile when Jody felt consistent thumping that turned into slight clenching at the end of the evening. After 5 minutes of quiet in bed...both mom and babe were sleeping.

We're both really looking forward to a few pictures from Thomas and Christine Kennedy's wedding which was on July 18th. They had a photo booth and Kris can never pass up an opportunity to dress up in costume. There are a few wild shots with wigs etc that we'll post shortly.

Our continued prayers of blessing and protection over the marriages begun this summer: Jason and Ashleigh Laub, Thomas and Christine Kennedy and Ben and Anna Gravenkamp. What a sweet thing this covenant of marriage!

Consider a Miracle

2009-07-23T21:41:00.010-06:00

¹³For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
Psalm 139

Half Way There!

2009-07-22T09:52:00.008-06:00

Half way there is true in some sense of the words, but crossing the 20 week mark doesn't necessarily make us feel like we've crested the hill and are sliding down the other side. It is called "labor" and "delivery" for a reason.

None the less, we were excited for our 20 week ultrasound appointment yesterday and what a gift to see our little one for well over 20 minutes by video. The doctor said she couldn't tell us the length but could tell us she weighed 13 oz. which is 1 oz. more than the standard at 20 weeks. We're still moving ahead of the mark. Jody thinks its interesting to have gained 6-7 pounds for that not-nearly 1 lb. "can of coke" (the term the doc used as a descriptor for this marking point.)

And WOW, technology is hard to keep up with, literally. A 3D ultrasound is so high tech that the doctor could keep the paddle on one end of the belly but reverse the angle of vision using her computer so she was looking from the other side, i.e. if she was looking at the top of the scull which was directly under the paddle, by pressing a button she could look through the baby and then back upwards at the feet without moving the paddle.
The quickness of the changes in viewpoint were hard for us to keep up with and decipher how/where exactly we were looking at the baby.

Jody suspects that the doctors quick transitions were a coy distraction for when she was checking the gender and all the required accompaniment. She was clever enough to do a round of swift changes which made the baby look a kaleidoscope of blobs and then she would sit still on a profile of her head and abdomen and ohh and awwhh at how cute she is, all for our benefit. The doc was gooooood..... She even asked us to predict at the end of the session which gender our little one is and we had no luck on agreeing. Kris thought maybe a boy and Jody went back and forth.

Kris keeps pointing out the significant change in the pregnant belly look but still has yet to feel a bump or kick. He's getting more and more active even in these last couple days. Where usually
Jody can feel bumps and wriggles mostly when lying flat on her back, she is feeling him move around in there even this morning while sitting straight up.

As the doctor said we have a VERY active baby.

Enjoy the pictures and video!

GOOD LOOKING

2009-07-07T22:58:00.003-06:00

Wow...for the record this was for Ben's Bachelor party...all of us needed staches. Brett obviously chose not too...pansy. Great weekend and great lip hair.

What a Good Looking Daddy our little one will have. And he's even gotten some practice lately with baby Brooklynn and baby Brennan.

4th of July Fun

2009-07-06T22:32:00.005-06:00

The 4th of July is a BIG holiday in the Santa Ynez Valley and one that the Villa/Nedegaard(Mor Mor's family) side of the family has always had cause to celebrate together. Mor Mor and Papa's wedding anniversary is July 4th 1943. When they moved to California they naturally hosted the afternoon party at their house each year.

The party has moved and split to 3 different family's houses taking us from the parade at 11AM all the way to a hillside viewing of the fireworks at 9PM. Needless to say, we went home and gave Jody and baby a nap somewhere around 4 this year.

The parade is so much fun that it, along with the holiday parade at Christmas time and booths at Danish Days, Santa Ynez Days and we're sure more to come, have become a tradition with us and the folks at our church The Ranch. Of course going along with the "Ranch" theme we included the Trail 90's bike crew, the giant John Deer tractor equipped with tilling blades, and the trailer with hay and some token goats.

And awesome and exhausting holiday weekend with great friends and family!

Sweet Sounds

2009-07-03T14:11:00.011-06:00

(Turn your volume up and hear our little guy)

Jody: What a special sound it is to hear that little galloping thump! There are still some things that are surreal about this experience and hearing our little one's heartbeat is definitely one of them. He's also moving more and more and I can feel some serious swirling sometimes and have thought to myself how I might just end up with motion sickness if he continues to be as active when he's significantly bigger in a few weeks. In the meanwhile I love feeling his swimming skills as he crosses back and forth in my belly or turns himself every which way.

Yes, the belly bump is still slowly growing. You can see in this picture (if you look closely) that it is fairly distinct when I lay flat on my back. That little bugger in there likes to move around and run away when we are trying to hear his heart beat. We are having a great time every few days listening to him, knowing he's growing and that he's starting to ....listen to us.

I love to hear Kris talk, read and sing to our little guy! Watching Kris when we hear the heart beat and hearing him talk to or about our little one is so far one of my favorite parts of pregnancy. Kris was reading the other day in his "dad book" about the way the baby picks up sounds and reacts to them and he's really had a heyday over making the most of that part of the baby's development.

Kris:

It's hard to put to words but hearing the heartbeat for the first time is like nothing I have ever experienced...quite a few emotions all at once. Now I can't get enough and want to hear it over and over. Hearing the heartbeat makes it that much more "real"...as a man you don't experience the physical and emotional changes that a pregnant mother experiences. Hearing and seeing the baby has helped...but I know that December 7th will make it as "real" as can be. I can't wait.

Also, if you listen real close and I might be reading into this but I detect a strong heartbeat which means that the baby is going to be good at chores, dishes, mowing the lawn and vacuuming. Now that is sweet music!

Lastly, I can't wait to sit back and take a nap with little junior on my chest...

We're Kickin'!

2009-06-27T20:16:00.004-06:00

The baby kicked or bumped or jabbed for the first time that I could feel this morning! It was amazing.

I've been sleeping on my side for over a month now so that I can be used to it when that's my only choice. It feels good to stretch out flat on my back every so often and when I do I can really feel the outline of my growing belly. This morning it was popped out and firm and I was rubbing it and talking to her (we alternate the gender daily - see post below).

Just as I was daydreaming about hoping to feel a movement I got a pop under my hand... I could feel a little bump against my hand.

A second later it happened again! So great!

Unfortunately Kris wasn't here to feel it but I called him right away to let him know his little girl is growing and jumping around.

Soccer Player........

Growing Growing.......

2009-06-23T15:27:00.006-06:00

At 16 weeks the baby belly is starting to show. We can't believe that only 4 more weeks and we're half way there. The outline of my growing uterus (you know that hard part of a pregnant belly) is so distinct when I'm lying down it almost floats up to the surface of my belly and pushes forward.

I think I can feel him ever so slightly when I'm lying still. It's said that I should be able to feel him at this point but most likely won't know what it is in comparison to gas or other little happenings in my tummy. "A flutter"...I'm wondering does that flutter kind of make you wince...not exactly hurt but like the touching of something tender...mothers?

Unfortunately the flu kept us from all-out celebrating an exciting 1st Father's Day on Sunday. However, thanks to a friend we were able to hear our baby's heart beat on a portable doppler on Monday. There is something special about just the two of us at home listening to that tiny drum beat as opposed to the usual doctor's office setting.

Kris was anxious to handle the doppler himself and find the best sounding feedback. She was strong yesterday at 150 beats/min. Clear as a bell and no blips, just nice and steady!

Our New Baby!

2009-05-04T23:43:00.012-06:00

We are pregnant! Woo hoo! Wow, about a year and half in the waiting and we are truly blessed to have this little guy or gal about to enter our lives. We're so thankful that God chose to answer this prayer. We've shared tears and smiles along the way and know that this is truly a miracle. Our baby is due on December 7th, 2009 and we can't wait! As all the questions mount we'll help everyone out....no we aren't finding out the gender, don't have ANY preferences besides good health (did we say we waited patiently on God for this little one), and we have a million possible names but won't know for sure until after his birthday. We had an appointment at 7 weeks and her heart was strong and we even got to see it beating. He was only 1.2 centimeters at the time. Our second appointment was in week 10 and she was waving and kicking up a storm...just might be a soccer player like mom and dad ;-p. He was just an inch long. You might have caught on that we alternate the gender as we go along...one day we talk to him...and the next day we talk to her. The pictures above are of the baby at just 7 weeks (bottom pic) and 10 week (top pic) - amazing.

Cards By Reese! A Gal Near and Dear to Our Hearts

2009-05-01T12:02:00.003-06:00

Reese is 5. Her daddy Jon was a close friend of Kris' from Minnesota. Jon died on March 31st 2009 from a stroke, a complication from ARDS disease that suddenly struck him in Dec. of 2008. Jon battled for his life from Dec. - March before he went home to Christ.

Reese made some very special cards while Jon was still in the hospital, so that she could help raise money to pay for her daddy's expenses.

This is a truly amazing story about an amazing child and family. Please visit her site and continue to encourage Reese.
Cards By Reese

North Santa Barbara Coast

2009-01-19T21:56:00.003-07:00

After only 6 months in the Rockies we were called back to the California Coast. We've been "home" since April of 2008. Kris has been heard to say..."I miss Boulder, CO." but we won't hold it against him.

We don't regret planting back into an area that we both love, Jody grew up here and Kris unknowingly planted some roots while going to Cal Poly.

Hikes in the wildflower covered hills in the spring, dolphin watching from some of our favorite road-side beaches, and of course hosting friends for wine tasting.

Simple life......at least thats what we're going for :-)

Costa Rica - November 2008

2009-01-19T21:27:00.008-07:00

We were so fortunate to be able to attend Brett and Michelle Tsudama's wedding in Costa Rica in November. Jody's first trip to CR and #2 or 3 for Kris. Not only did we get to see the Tsudamas tie the knot in beautiful Manuel Antonio above the ocean on a perfect sunset evening, we toured around with them for a few days afterward.

We spent about 2 weeks in CR traveling around from coast to coast. Half the time it was just us on the bus and the other is was tearing things up with the Yreka croud in Manuel Antonio and then with Brett and Michelle in Montezuma.

All around an awesome spectacle of wildlife, nature, and fun friends.

Thanks Brett and Michelle!