Summer Fun!

Summer time is officially here in the O.C.!  School is out and the weather is more beautiful than ever! I am so blessed to be able to spend the summers at home with my baby girl. Plus, for the 2011-2012 school year, I will only be working 4 days a week!!  I am so excited to be able to spend more time with Kenley!  Let the fun begin!

Kenley and Nana at the lake watching the ducks swim!

Nana stayed with Kenley for the weekend, while Blaine and I stayed in Newport Beach for a company yacht trip!

Kenley and daddy swimming at the beach club!

Having fun in the sand!

Mud Run

For the past few years, Blaine and his co-workers participated in the Camp Pendleton Mud Run! Last year, Kenley and I went to cheer daddy on; however this year the girls decided to sleep in. Once Blaine and his teammates finished the race, Kenley and I meet everyone at Doheney State Beach, in Dana Point. Blaine's team finished 1st in the cooperate division and 5th overall, out of 500 teams who participated!

Mud Run 2010: Kenley-2 months old!

Mud Run 2011: Kenley-14.5 months old!

Memorial Day 2011

On Memorial Day, we spent the first part of the day at the lake near our house. Then the later part of the day at the beach. At the lake, Kenley enjoyed seeing the ducks! On the stairway down to the ducks she begins yelling, "Duck, Duck--Quack, Quack!" Of course, Blaine and I think this is the cutest thing ever!

Every Saturday morning we go to the lake to see the ducks! 

This is a memory I will forever carry with me!

Typically, she is hesitant to play in the sand, however on this occasion she dived right in!

She is fearless when it comes to the ocean, which is very frightening for mommy and daddy!

 However, we love to watch her enjoy all of Gods beautiful creations! 

We love you, little tutu princess!

Being a Mother!

Mother's Day 2011!

What being a mother means to me...

Being a mother means to love unconditionally.

Being a mother means questioning every decision you make...big or small.

Being a mother means making sacrifices.

Being a mother means loving your child so much your heart aches. 

Being a mother means racing home from work to spend every moment possible with your child before bedtime. 

Being a mother means to be a role model.

Being a mother means that you have been given the most precious gift from God.

Being a mother means comforting every ache and pain.

Being a mother is indescribable!

Easter!

Blaine and I have gotten pretty use to celebrating most holidays without our family, with the exception of Christmas. However, we have enjoyed creating our own family traditions and sharing in these special times with one another. We love celebrating every holiday, and it's even more enjoyable now that we have a little one to build memories with. It's hard to believe that this was Kenley's second Easter! She had a wonderful time hunting for Easter eggs, and exploring all the goodies in her Easter basket! Although, I must admit I think we were more excited to hide the eggs and buy the gifts than she was to receive them :)

She went straight for the chocolate! She is definitely her mothers daughter!

She found her first egg without any help!

Reading about Jesus! She was given this book at church the night before.

Big Girl!

Family Photo!

Pretty in Pink!

Family Vacation!

Worlds most traveled baby:) Throughout the first year of Kenley's life she has had the opportunity to travel and visit some amazing places. When she was 2 months old, we spent the weekend at our timeshare in San Diego with some good friends. Then at 3 months old, the three of us drove to Palm Springs for a weekend getaway! At 4 months old, she experienced her first plane ride to Kansas and since has been back 4 more times to date! The day after Kenley's first birthday we began our drive up the PCH, where we visited Malibu, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Carmel, San Francisco and Napa Valley!  If you have never had the opportunity to make this drive, I would highly recommend adding it to your bucket list! The views are breathtakingly beautiful!

Our first stop Malibu! One of my favorite beach towns!

Santa Barbara! 

Both grandmas came along too!

Hearst Castle!

Breakfast in Carmel! 

San Francisco! What an amazing city! 

Wine country! 

Del Dotto Winery, our favorite winery in Napa!

Our little girl is 1!

Yes, I know I am a little late on this post, as our little peanut is 12.5 months old! I blame this procrastination on our week long trip up the west coast, which I will blog about later.

On March 31, 2010, God gave Blaine and I the most amazing gift in the world, our baby girl, Kenley Olivia Clark! At birth, Kenley weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. and was 18.5 inches long. 

Kenley, a few days old!

Today we had Kenley's 12 month old well baby check up. She weighs 17 lbs. 7 oz (3rd % ile) and is 29 inches long (50th % ile). She is for sure a little peanut! 

Within the last few months/weeks Kenley has learned and grown so much. Below are some of the things she is doing, as well as activities she enjoys:

• She is completely off pureed baby foods;
• She is beginning to take a few steps;
• Points at everything she sees;
• Her favorite word is dog. When we go on our walks she has to point at every dog she sees and yell DOG...DOG;
• She still loves to play peek-a-boo;
• Drinks out of a cup and from a straw;
• Claps, waves bye bye, gives kisses, blows kisses, gives high fives;
• Understands the meaning of no and shakes her head to indicate no;
• Says, "mama, dadda" and associates us with these words;
• She is still experiencing stranger anxiety;
• Is able to follow simple commands (i.e., get a book and come sit in mommy's lap);
• Her favorite foods are: blueberries, peas, cheese and turkey sticks;
• She loves to read books. When I get home from work we always read for at least 15 to 20 minutes. I think we read approximately 40 books a day. 
• She enjoys riding on her Winnie-the-Pooh mobile;
• She is saying 8 words: ball, book, Max, bubba, dog, mamma, dadda and no!

We love you Kenley!