I just had to post this video of Kelsi playing with Grandpa. She had so much fun with her Grandma and Grandpa Manderino and two of her aunts....but I think she especially bonded with her Grandpa Manderino.

My "little" sis

My little sister Shayla went to the Temple for the first time while I was visiting. I felt so blessed to be there with her. There was a very sweet spirit there that was even noticed by the assistant to the matron. It was also fun for me since it was my first visit to the Newport Beach Temple (L.A. was closed for maintenance). It was beautiful and peaceful, but I didn't really expect anything less. Shayla - we are so proud (yes, Dad - proud) of you. You have always made such wonderful decisions and have always been such a good example. For those of you who may not be very familiar with Temples from my faith. It is a very special place that is dedicated for sacred Gospel ordinances. It is also a place of prayer and worship.

Festivities

We went to my aunts house for dinner. It was a full house of cousins, aunts, uncles, grandkids, great grandkids & a great grandma. We really missed Tamar and her wonderful family. We miss them very much and hope to be able to see them again soon.

This is a 4 generation picture. My Grandma Manderino, my mom, me and Kelsi!

I miss my Grandma. She lives in Boston and I only get to see her once every other year or so. She is an amazing woman who I admire and hope to emulate someday. She turns 83 next week!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. Even though it took a long time to get here, we are very blessed to have been able to spend time with family. We know that there are many others throughout the world that do not get to be with their families, eat wonderful food and receive nice gifts. We are very blessed. Kelsi wasn't too into gifts this year, but she liked the paper and tissue and all the boxes. Following opening presents we had a nice breakfast and a good time was had by all.

No one mourns the "Wicked"

John and I went to see Wicked earlier this week. I have been lucky enough to have seen it a few times before, but I was so excited to see what John thought of it. Well, the verdict was in and he liked it! He said that he would do it again. I was a little worried that he wouldn't like it (just a little), but when he started laughing just as soon as Glinda appeared in her bubble, I knew everything was going to be OK. We had a great time. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa "M" for hanging with Kelsi while John and I got away.

TRAVELING THROUGH THE ARCTIC BLAST

The last few days have been the longest of our lives. Saturday we had all intentions of flying out of Lewiston and heading to CA to spend a week with family for Christmas. Our Lewiston flight was an hour delayed which made us miss our connecting flight in Seattle by 5-10 minutes (plane was still at the gate). As most of you know the Pac Northwest was hit HARD by the snow and it started causing problems for flights. We got on standby for the 5pm flight...didn't get on. Stand by for 7pm...got on but after an hour of sitting on the plane they had us deboard and then at 10pm cancelled all flights going out of Seattle saying that no one would be going anywhere for at least 2 days. While John waited in line at Customer Service for almost 3 hours, I was on the phone with my sister trying to find a hotel...all booked. After midnight we were booked on a flight for Monday night and we were so frustrated and tired, not to mention Kelsi who was running out of food and diapers, that we just decided to drive back to Lewiston. We waited in line at the car rental until about 3am and finally got a car (I won't go on to tell you about the problems we encountered there). However, I finally had a meltdown as I strapped Kelsi into her rental car seat that I not so affectionately called "the death trap". I couldn't tighten it and it was SOOOOO old. Everything finally sunk in and I lost it in the car. The roads and freeways were SO bad (HELLO, SEATTLE, ever hear of a SNOW PLOW?), that we decided to pull off at a hotel a ways away from the airport and stay the night. Good thing we did because we found out the next morning that the passes were closed and we wouldn't have been able to drive home anyway. THE ONLY BRIGHT SPOT OF OUR SEATTLE EXPERIENCE WAS that we were able to stay the next night with Carson (John's cousin) and his family. It was so nice to wash our clothes, eat real food and enjoy good company. We wish that we lived closer so that we could spend more time with them. WELL, Monday we got to the airport over 5 hours before our flight hoping to get on standby for earlier flights. My heart dropped when I saw all the lines....I have never seen anything like it. One agent took mercy on me and my baby and helped us but told us not to tell anyone that she helped us and we made it to get on standby for a flight that we ended up not getting on, but we got on the next one! We made it to LAX 48 hours after we were originally supposed to arrive. One of our bags did not make it to the airport....BUT they called us this afternoon and it came in and we were able to pick it up. We are now enjoying hanging out with family. We missed a big fam get together and seeing the lights at the temple, but we may fit those in another time. I can't begin to describe how awful this whole experience has been. Poor little Kelsi. There is actually a lot more, but you get the point. PLEASE PRAY FOR US FOR OUR RETURN TRIP THIS WEEKEND. The weather isn't supposed to get any better and we have to go through that dreadful airport on our way back to Lewiston. Dreaming of a White Christmas??? NO THANK YOU. Ugh.

My friend Lacey sent this video to me on facebook. It made me laugh so hard. Enjoy Twilight fans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svQIZLsxoF8

St. George

John was able to fly down to St. George to attend Josh and Carri's sealing in the St. George temple. He said that he had a really good time and he was so glad that he went. He was able to spend time with all of his siblings and enjoyed the time to catch up, even though it was a quick trip.

IT SNOWED TODAY. BOO-HOO.

(It actually snowed the kind of snow I like....took forever to stick and then only left a pretty glaze over the lawn and driveway and the kind that looks like it is going to go away in a day or so....if it wasn't for the BLASTED wind and the below freezing temperature that is making the hill I live on a sheet of ice). 3 more months till SPRING!

Quick Kelsi Stat Update

Kelsi had her 1 year checkup yesterday.

Height - 30 in. - 77%

Head - 42cm - 79%

Weight - 21 lbs. 6 oz. - 56%

She got a bunch of shots and so far so good....but it hasn't even been 24 hours yet. Doctor said everything seems great. My next goal is to try to wean her from her bottle by her 15 month checkup!

BDay part 2!

Kelsi had a few visitors on her bday.

She and Grant had a great time playing with her new toys. They danced and Grant even got sweet and gave her a couple kisses when she wasn't expecting it. At the end of the visit, Kelsi and Ali took a moment to lay down and relax from all the excitment.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY

We celebrated Kelsi's 1st bday today. She must have known that today was a special day because she was SO happy all day long. What a nice gift to give to her mother!

Kelsi dived right into her cake and especially loved the frosting. She was on a sugar high all afternoon/evening. It was pretty funny. She could not hold still and was just going all over the house.

One of Kelsi's gifts was a ball popper. She wasn't so sure about it at first, but she is really getting the idea!

Kelsi loved the wrapping paper. She finally has some toys!!! YAY! She also got some fun books from Grandma and Grandpa Manderino (she says thanks!!!)

This was one of Kelsi's "sugar lows". She would be crawling like crazy and then just stop and lay down for a few seconds.


We can't believe that it has already been a year since Kelsi brightened our lives and joined our family. We are so thankful for her. She has brought more joy into our lives than we could have ever imagined. We love you, Kelsi!

RANDOMS FROM THE LAST WEEK

We went to John's office Christmas party this week. These are pics from before Kelsi "lost it".

Our ward Christmas party was also held this week. Kelsi did pretty good until the end. I noticed she had a fever....we were in for it.

After the ward Christmas party we put Kelsi to bed (around 8pm - much later than her usual) and she just kept talking and gabbing away. John and I went to bed and off an on all night we heard Kelsi either talking to herself or moaning. I went into her room once and she just laid there looking at me. I covered her up and left the room and she just continued to moan, but no cries. The next morning she still had a fever and I noticed her left bottom molar was SO swollen. She is drooling like CRAZY and she wouldn't nap all morning and just cried and moaned. Finally around 1:30pm she fell asleep and we had to wake her up at 5pm to get ready for the work party (Motrin finally did it's job). We put her to bed tonight at 8 and she is still in there talking away. She just can't sleep because she is so uncomfortable. My poor baby. We have tried cold wash cloths, teething tablets, Tylenol, Motrin, frozen go-gurts and she just is so sad. My friend gave me the gel to try but I noticed it expired 2 years ago. whoops. I am just at a loss because she already has 7 teeth and she fussed a little bit, but not a big deal at all. I don't like this one bit.

This is the only pic we took on Thanksgiving. Kelsi had a blast!

This picture is for my sister Tamar. This is her flower-power-retro dress that cracks me up. Aww...happier times.

Poor doggies

Since it is getting colder, John bought a dog bed for the dogs a couple months ago and we kept it right inside our back door. I was worried that Kelsi was going to go straight for it once she learned how to crawl, and of course she did. I mainly just told her "No' and would wash off her hands from being covered in dog hair and dirt (no matter how many times you sweep and mop the floor, that darn mat is just gross). A couple nights ago the final straw was that I looked over and Kelsi was laying on the dog bed face down. YUCK! The next morning I made a nice spot in the garage for the dog bed and the dogs sleep in there now overnight. They were in the house last night before bedtime and we found them curled up on the one little mat we have in the room. John thinks that I am being mean (we don't let them on the carpet because they are mainly outdoor dogs). Poor babies...I did feel a little bad for them. Poll anyone?

My little fashion-ista

I haven 't posted anything in about a week, so I thought I would post a picture of Kelsi before church a couple weeks ago. She has been sick the last week so she hasn't been in the mood for pictures.

Family Pictures

We did it!!! We finally made it out to take some family pictures (thanks, Leslie!) John looked awesome in every shot. This was the only one that I was brave enough to post.

OK, let's get to the good stuff....KELSI! She is just too cute. Here are a couple shots.

Kelsi was so good, we snapped a bunch of pictures in just about 10-15 minutes. Perfect!

Our little monkey. She was really workin' it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JOHN

John turned the big 3-4 today. Isn't he H-O-T? I think he had a good day. We are going out this weekend with some friends to continue the celebration. Kelsi and I are so thankful for John and loved this day to remind him of how special he is to us. We love you!
Kelsi and I visited John at work and boy does Kelsi like John's balloons! The car ride to his office was so much fun. She just laughed and squealed at all the balloons in the car.

11 MONTHS

Kelsi turned 11 months old last weekend. She continues to grow so fast. She has 6 teeth, crawls and cruises everywhere and has just begun to practice standing. It is so funny watching her. She just lets go and concentrates. Her longest record is 11 seconds before she plops on her bum.

I weighed and measured her. Next month we get the "official rulings".

Weight - 22 lbs

Height - 29.25 inches

Kelsi eats almost anything I give her, but I have to give her small pieces and only a couple of things at a time. She has not learned portion control. She doesn't stop putting things into her mouth and then ends up choking. Her favorite things to shove into her mouth and choke on is graham crackers. Easy, Kelsi, EASY!!!

Kelsi gets into everything of course. That's why I have a basket of her toys within her reach. It is one of the only things that she can get into without her mommy telling her "NO!"

Kelsi and her friend Grant playing with a ball. Kelsi was pretty posessive of it.


We can't believe it has been almost a year since we were blessed with our little Kelsi. We love her so much. She is such a doll. Of course, we feel she belongs in magazines. We've heard the "gerber baby" comments, but her best compliment was when a stranger told me that she should be a pottery barn baby. I told John and he said "What's the big deal with that?" I had to inform him that it is like being a gerber baby but with more class. HA! Kelsi is our classy sassy baby!

Kelsi's fun new game...she does this over and over all over the tub

Hi Its me John!!!I've taken control for the moment! Karinas' posts are all part of a cover-up to conceal what really goes on in our home. Well now I've commandeered this ride so hold on.... This may be my only chance before Karina gets ahold of this and changes the password so I won't have access anymore. So let me plead my case now. I'll tell you how it really is in our household. Karina has a list of chores for me to do every day, in addition to my full-time job. Some include chop wood, paint the walls a different color each week, scrub the ceilings, etc. Once, I had to sweep the chimney, when I couldn't find our chimney, because we don't have one, she said I was being sassy and she cut off my access to the cupboards and fridge for one whole week. Fortunately, she forgot about the dog food in the garage, he he he.

Aside from doing rediculous chores, I have to always keep my trophy husband persona up to par. O.K., I know its not much of a stretch cause I've been blessed with a body that would rival brad pitt's. However, to keep up such stringent requirements I am forced to exercise silently all night in the dark while Karina sleeps. On good days she is a little nicer to me. Last year on my birthday, she let me sleep on the dog pillow in the kitchen, after I sung her to sleep with a lullaby of coarse. Its much more than taking control, she has put limits on my access to Kelsi. I have to keep a three yard safety radius between myself and my daughter at all times, except to change diapers. Karina says, its to prevent spreading wicked thoughts and ideas to her daughter. She remindes me that without her purity to balance me, I wouldn't be worthy to go to any church.

You are probably getting the picture. I'm not asking for much, just that you remember me and don't take your loved ones for grantid. Oh, also this comming nov. 12th is my birthday. And if you could find a little generosity in your cozy lives to give a little to the less fortunate then I've done my job and I can die happy. Any donations to the "JOHN APPRECIATION FUND" would be well received. Donations must be sent via unmarked packages addressed in the following manner: "Boring optometry license renewal information for John"as to not raise any suspicion from "you know who." Thank you for your time, I must go finish scraping barnacles off the porch before Karina comes home...

Happy Halloween

Kelsi was a little piggy for her first Halloween. The fabulous 5 babies have been narrowed down to three due to the departure of the McKenzie and Browne families. Grant, Nicholas & Kelsi were the cutest barnyard animals at our trunk-o-treat!

Kelsi and her two gal pals Emma and Ava!
oink, oink

Thanks, Grandma & Grandpa Manderino for Kelsi's "spooky" new bib!

A few weeks ago I was notified that my high school class was celebrating their 10 year reunion. That really made me feel old, and I must be because when I think about high school, I feel that it was a lifetime ago. It made me reflect on the last 10 years of my life. The good years, the not so good years. All the friends that I made and those that helped shape me into the woman that I am today. There are a few things that I would change if I could go back in time….calling my grandparents more often, apologize to a few people, but overall I would go through every little thing again, sorrow and all if I knew that I was going to end up where I am today. Looking back over my life, especially the last 5 years or so, I can really see the Lord’s hand in my life guiding me through big decisions and small ones as well. I won’t bore you with the details, but when I think about how my life and how John’s life were before we met each other, there were so many things that HAD to happen in each of our lives for us to meet each other. Some things that had to do with challenges and choices of other people (thanks, sis!) in order for John and I to have met. (If you want to know the details, let me know separately so I don’t bore everyone). I really feel that he was my miracle. And now that we have our little Kelsi….SHE is our miracle. There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t thank my heavenly father for my wonderful husband, for entrusting us with our little angel Kelsi, my comfortable home and my loving family and friends. I have been truly blessed. I was listening to a cheesy country song the other day that talked about a guy who wrote a letter to his teenage self and one line goes something like “You’ve got so much up ahead, you’ll make new friends, you should see your kids and wife….these are no where near the best years of your life”. All I could think was AMEN. I look forward to what the next 10 years have in store.

3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving night

Last weekend we got together with friends to carve pumpkins and have yummy soup and donuts (Thanks, Evans fam for including us on your tradition the past few years!). John and I have had a really hard time getting into the spirit of Halloween...which is odd for John especially. Hence, the smaller pumpkins than usual and my lame triangle eyes.