It is Bear-y Cold Outside.

My first Snow Day.... 10/04/09....

Just a little....

If you told me I was the cutest thing every I wouldn't deny it.....

Waiting patiently while Mommy gets ready for work...

I like to Wrassle with my Dog....

Hi, ho, hi, ho off to work I go.

Kasen in his first Parade @ 4 weeks old....

At 4 weeks old Kasen has already been in his first parade. He rode in his car seat and strooler along side the RE/MAX float handing out RE/MAX Suckers. There were over 100 floats in the parade and we had float number #58 for Ankeny Insurance and #59 for RE/MAX. We do the parade every year and request that they put out float position togeather, so I can be part of both floats. He was a trooper for over two hours before the parade was done.

You Can tell he is excited....

Kasen and his new Buddy...

Well we have had all sorts of visitors lately and last week Kasen met his new best buddy, Zachary Logan Dickey. Zach is 7 weeks older than Kasen and is the son of our good friends, Matt and Melissa Dickey. You can see they are already plotting to take out their dad's Jeeps and go for a ride. (Matt and I both bought red Jeeps about a week apart 11 years ago. We are saving them for our sons)

Kasen and his wingman Zach. Kasen already has his shirt on advertising what a catch he would be for some lucky lady.

Here are the proud Dads. By the next time we take these photos I am sure both boys will have new guns. Both of these boys already have their camo hunting gear, but they are too small to wear any of it. Maybe this fall they will both be big enough to go hunting in their Jeeps.

That's all for now, keep checking back, we have more to show.

Pics

Introducing... long awaited....

Kasen Willie Ankeny

6 Pounds 10 oz Baby Boy

Moving, Mulching, and a little nap.

Well we had a busy weekend. First I moved my office furniture on Saturday while Kelly and the Baby were hard at work selling real estate. Then on Sunday we decided to get a load of bark mulch and finally finish the flower beds. I had to pull quite a few weeds and use the weed torch to burn some others. It all was going fine until the propane ran out and I had to resume pulling weeds the old fashioned way. Meanwhile Kelly and baby decided to detail the Yukon so it was all clean and ready for our new arrival. For those keeping score we have only about 3 weeks left if we are on time. Kelly also packed the baby's bag so we are getting close.

Here is a pic of the truck all loaded up with one of my many loads. This was the last load so I saved all the light stuff for last.

This is my new office reception area. As you can see Kelly has not put her personal touch on it yet as I just set everything down. I am sure this week she will be providing me with valuable insights on where everything will go.

This is my new office. Very organized I know. I still need to move my desk and computer but for now I am working on a card table until I can get things unpacked.

Here are the flower beds we mulched and weeded this weekend. Plants are starting to bloom but the grasses have not started to bloom yet. I hope they do soon or else the may get replaced. We pruned them back as recomended but I am not sure they made the winter.

Brace yourself, this is me hard at work. This is a rare sight so savor it and add to your mental rolodex. It does happen ocassionally.

Kelly spent the day detailing the Yukon. She steam cleaned it, she shampooed the carpets, she antibacterial wiped everything down, and even cleaned all the cupholders. No dirt or bacteria survived!!! In fact she worked so hard that our shampooer bit the dust. It has served us well for 10 years, but it finally gave out. Now she wants a new one.

Finished product. It's starting to look good. We only need about 10 more yards of mulch to finish this side of the house. Also have to get some more gravel and kill some more weeds.

By the end of the day Kelly and Baby decided to relax in her mother's day gift.

Thanks for checking in on us. Hope all the mother's had a nice mother's day. I know this one did. The nesting phase has offically kicked into high gear.

They haven't made me slow down, YET!

My 36 week appointment went well. The babies Heart Rate is 144, head down. My Blood Pressure is fine. Next appointment is next wed, I go every week from now on. Sorry short update, but at least we got one done.

Kelly's says she's ready to shop for new clothes

Hello all. As promised here is a new pic of mom and baby. Both are doing good, baby is growing fast. In the past couple of weeks we have noticed some of her clothes getting smaller. Of course I have been doing laundry so that could be the root cause. Baby is still lodged up in her ribs and she gets a kick every few hours that takes her breath away. Based on her description the baby must have gotten my feet and toes because the baby likes to grab things with toes. We have completed our lamaze prep classes a couple weeks ago and I think we are going to schedule a time to see the birthing center soon. We have less than 6 weeks to go if the baby comes on time and I think Kelly is ready to have her body to herself again. Thanks for checking on us.

Quick update

Hello all, just a quick update. Kelly and Baby are doing great, baby's movements are becoming more and more noticable. We have been able to watch the baby move against Kelly's stomach and feel outlines of legs and back. Only about 5 weeks to go, and today our friends Matt and Melissa had their new baby, Congratulations to them. I guess now is our turn and we are getting more prepared every day. The nursery is almost complete and we should be posting some pics.

We are also selling Kelly's Ford Ranger. If anyone is interested or knows someone who is interested here is some info.

*1992 Ford Ranger Extra Cab. With automatic transmission, AC, power steering, 4x4, brand new tires, 4.0L 6 Cylinder engine, and a lift kit. *

I posted it on craigs list today. We're hoping to sell it soon as the money should pay for us to finally finish the landscaping. Tell your friends.

Thanks for reading, hope everyone is doing well.

She's getting into shape, Round is the shape!!!

Hello all. I am finally getting back to the blog. We have been very busy both with work and with the pregnancy. Over president's day weekend we got to do some shopping and buy a few necessities for the nursery. We registered at Target and Babies R Us, but be warned if you do not want to know the sex of the baby don't go on the registries.

We are about 26 and a half weeks along, and the pics below are from 25 weeks. Kelly has been a real trooper through the pregnancy. No real problems, just tired, and the baby likes to poke her ribs a lot. The baby is now making big enough thumps inside that I can feel it. When I put my face against her belly the baby likes to thump me, I don't think the baby likes my whiskers. I continue to sing Johnny Cash songs to the baby so there will be an appreciation for good music once the baby is here. The other night I was watching Star Wars and when Kelly came in to watch the baby started reacting. I think it is because the baby appreciates Star Wars, Kelly thinks the baby wanted me to change the channel. We'll see. Check out the pictures below and let us know what you think.

Here is a picture of the Yukon after the President's day shopping. Some things had already been removed before we took a picture. We got a crib and Dresser in Salem, then had to take some things out of their packaging so Kelly, my mom Cathy, and I were all able to fit inside. The girls rode up front and I was able to squeeze in behind the passenger seat on the floor with sacks on my lap. What fun that was to ride back there to my mom's house.

Here is the crib prior to assembly. You can see the little tool they provided for Kelly and I to put this thing together. Fortunately I have saved every little allen wrench I have ever got and was able to find a better one so we could both work on it.

Yes, I am reading the directions before assembly. They weren't much help.

Here is the finished product. We did good, I think it only took about 30 minutes and we only had a few left over parts. I'd call that a success. We have a few more things done with the nursery now and will post more pics soon. We have a dresser, crib bedding, and a few decorations. It is starting to look good.

Now for the pictures of Kelly!!!

Here she is at 25 weeks. She has still been wearing her own pants, though she has added a belly band to some of them. She has been starting to wear the maternity pants which she seems to be more comfortable in some days.

She is definately showing now. I can only imagine how much further we have to go. Her belly button is hanging on, but disappering fast. So far she can still roll over on her own and get up. Picking things up, she dropped, has become my area of expertise, and I do a good job.

Thanks for checking in on us, hope you enjoy these pics.