Kelly.Alyssa.Rhys

9 Months Old!

2012-01-18T15:08:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Rhys had his 9-month checkup. He is 65th percentile for weight (21.75 lbs), 30th percentile for height (27.5 in), and a whopping 95th percentile for head circumfrence. He may look like Kelly, but he's got a huge head like Alyssa! :) In the past two weeks he has started crawling like a champ and pulling up all over the place. While our house is somewhat babyproofed from his sisters, he's showing us any areas that aren't!

Fun at the Playground

2012-01-18T15:08:00.001-05:00

On a recent balmy weekend we had a family excursion to a great local playground, Kids Dominion. Good times were had by all!

Kids N Motion

2012-01-17T16:44:00.004-05:00

On Monday the kids and I were off so I thought it would be fun to go to a Kids N Motion holiday open play. The last time Alyssa was there she wasn't even mobile yet so this was big fun for her. After hiking up the slides with her half a dozen times (I admit, I enjoyed them too!), she got the idea and was able to do it herself.

Sorry, the slides are much faster than the shutter on my iPhone!

Kelly and Alyssa went down once together.

Grandma came along to hold Rhys so I could help Alyssa. All the excitement around him tired him out!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T19:19:00.000-05:00

After breakfast out with Grampa and Gramma Dot on New Year's Eve

Sharing Alyssa's bed

The first time Rhys pulled himself up to standing!

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-25T09:44:00.000-05:00

As always, Christmas Eve was a gift extravaganza at Gramma and Grampa's house.

Rhys had a blast. He was all smiles all night... the only time he cried was when he was ready for his nap, but then he was his cheerful self again right after it!

Sitting with Aunt Kate.

Getting ready to begin unwrapping.

It got a little overwhelming after a while so the girls needed a break!

Christmas Eve Eve

2011-12-24T07:43:00.001-05:00

Rhys enjoyed some peas for the first time. He couldn't get enough!

Many Faces of Rhys

2011-12-20T19:50:00.000-05:00

A few pictures of Rhys...

36 Cavity-Free Teeth!

2011-12-19T13:16:00.000-05:00

The girls had their biannual dentist appointments this morning. They did great. Dr. Al (Golden) asked if I had a camera so he could get a picture with them. I'm so excited there were no cavities (in Kelly's 20 teeth and Alyssa's 16). Yay!!!

Breakfast with Santa 2011 Part 2

2011-12-14T18:59:00.002-05:00

More pictures of the breakfast...

Breakfast with Santa 2011 Part 1

2011-12-14T18:59:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday we went to the annual Airbus Breakfast with Santa.

Santa had his hands full with these three... Alyssa had to stand in front.

As always, the presents were great. Rhys didn't know what to make of his...

Kelly got a setup to "play" school.

Alyssa got a "laptop."

Rhys got his first tool chest.

Grampa enjoyed showing him what to do with it. He loves to give tools as presents!!

It was a big hit.

Rhys and Mommy

2011-11-29T19:09:00.000-05:00

Haircuts, Funny Faces, and More!

2011-11-22T11:04:00.000-05:00

Alyssa got her first professional haircut on Saturday. No more long Carol Brady-esque flip!

Kelly got a haircut too. She's looking cute as always....

A visitor on our neighbor's car. We all enjoyed checking out this hawk!

Unseasonably warm weather + full moon = great telescope photo.

And one last one of Kelly!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T11:27:00.000-04:00

Before we went trick-or-treating we got some photos. Their costumes were a little bit better on Friday morning before school (i.e. the clothes underneath matched a bit better); unfortunately I didn't get any pictures then. As you can see we've got Tinkerbell, her little fairy friend, and their trusty pet giraffe. (That giraffe costume has made the rounds!) This was Alyssa and Rhys' first trick-or-treating experience. All three did great. Kelly and Alyssa exuberantly yelled "Trick or Treat!" and "Thank you!" and Rhys watched the action from his perch in the Ergo baby carrier.

Rhys' First Big Boy Bath

2011-11-01T09:28:00.000-04:00

More of Our Soccer Star

2011-11-01T09:27:00.000-04:00

Chillaxin' Around the House

2011-10-30T19:20:00.001-04:00

Double Take

2011-10-20T19:24:00.000-04:00

The newest picture of Rhys reminded me of this one of Alyssa. Not sure why I couldn't find it on the blog back in July 2010 when it was taken, but here she is at about 10 months old:

It's interesting to compare the two pictures... it makes it clear why they say Rhys "looks like a boy."

Six Months Old

2011-10-18T19:08:00.001-04:00

Rhys has hit the half year mark. Today we went to his checkup where he weighed in at 19 pounds (76th percentile), 26 inches (34th percentile), and a whopping 84th percentile for head circumference. And, as the doctor said, "he's all cheeks!" He has gone from a somewhat-subdued, always-sleeping baby to a cheerful, interactive little boy. He loves solids and is a champ at chewing with his toothless gums.

And one picture of Kelly for good measure....

Kids Dominion

2011-10-16T08:38:00.000-04:00

2 X 3

2011-10-15T11:27:00.000-04:00

Sit Up!

2011-10-09T20:39:00.001-04:00

Sitting up at school (courtesy of Ms. LaSharrie)

Riding in a shopping cart for the first time yesterday at Target.

Sitting in a high chair for the first time a couple weeks ago at Guapo's.

Men of the House

2011-10-01T22:00:00.000-04:00

Hanging out in the girls' room....

Kelly's First Soccer Game

2011-10-01T21:53:00.001-04:00

Around the House

2011-10-01T21:45:00.000-04:00

Proud Big Sister

2011-09-16T11:54:00.000-04:00

Alyssa adores Rhys. She calls him "baby Rhys-y brother." Sometimes, when she is in her "two-year-old funk" that she goes in to at the drop of a hat lately, I can distract her with Rhys. She is sad if she doesn't get to kiss him goodbye in the morning when we drop him of in his classroom. If he is crying, she tries, and often succeeds at, soothing him with her antics and offers of toys. She was just thrilled to hold him. As you can see, he's almost as big as she is; soon they will be in the same size diapers (though hopefully not for long!). At her 2-year check-up, Alyssa was 5th percentile for height, 30th percentile for weight, and 95th for head circumference. The nurse practitioner called her "perfect." Rhys is still in that rapid growth phase that all of our well-fed (breast-fed) babies go through and is well over 17 pounds at just about 5 months. I think they're both perfect!

Making Pasta

2011-09-03T14:25:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago we went over to Luis and Keri's house to make (and eat!) some fresh pasta. Kelly got to help out :)

Kelly helping feed the dough through the pasta machine

Isa being silly

Alyssa and Keri looking on and checking the progress

Rhys napping during all the excitement

Admiring their work: flattened dough sheets ready to be sliced into linguine

Kelly and Rhys

2011-09-03T14:22:00.000-04:00

Ryan's Birthday Party

2011-08-31T13:33:00.000-04:00

Earlier this month we went to Ryan's house to celebrate his 4th birthday.
The girls had a blast in the backyard!

The birthday boy and his gorgeous beach-themed birthday cake.

SWING!

2011-08-22T13:10:00.000-04:00

Stretching Sibs

2011-08-11T09:02:00.000-04:00

This sweet photo, sent to us last night by Rhys' awesome teacher LaSharrie,

reminded me of this one from when Kelly was 4 months old at Grandma's house:

Stretching Sibs

2011-08-11T08:54:00.001-04:00

Just can't get enough...

2011-08-08T19:05:00.001-04:00

Rhys' Personality

2011-08-01T12:01:00.000-04:00

I think this showcases Rhys' personality pretty well. He's pretty laid back a lot of the time, just watching the tornado that is his sisters whirl past. We do stop and try to make him smile though!

Enjoying Cinnamon Raisin Bread

2011-07-30T22:58:00.001-04:00

Chatting with Mommy

2011-07-30T22:58:00.000-04:00

Sister Sandwich

2011-07-29T16:30:00.000-04:00

Jumperoo!

2011-07-29T16:22:00.000-04:00

Rhys Up Close

2011-07-10T11:02:00.001-04:00

Rhys Smiles!

2011-07-08T21:44:00.002-04:00

Better late than never, pictures are from the first time we captured Rhys smiling, at about two months old. He is less smiley than his big sisters were at his age, but that makes the smiles that he does give extra special!

These pictures are from a month ago, and already he looks so much different to me. For example, he already has much more hair!

Mount Vernon Picnic

2011-07-08T21:38:00.000-04:00

Back on June 4th, we attended Grampa's annual work picnic at Mount Vernon. We were thrilled because it's so much closer to our house than it has been previous years, plus its such a cool place.

Alyssa and Grampa share a laugh...

...and a walk.

Kelly on the trail down to the boat

Alyssa plays in the grass

"Hi Daddy!"

Kelly greets Uncle Joe while we wait for the boat

Alyssa hangs out with Gramma

On the boat with Uncle Joe

The mansion as seen from the boat. Gorgeous, isn't it?

Enjoying the scenery

Face paint after lunch


Alyssa got a butterfly on her arm so that she could admire it.

Airbus sure knows how to have a picnic!

Four Faces of Rhys

2011-07-08T09:12:00.001-04:00

Rhys was in a good mood this morning. He is about 14.5 pounds as he approaches 3 months old.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T19:56:00.000-04:00

At the Dale City parade. It was VERY hard to get them both to look at the camera. Rhys was asleep in the Ergo for the entire event.

All Tuckered Out

2011-06-15T20:48:00.001-04:00

Rhys snoozes after his third day of school.

He has done so well since I went back to work on Monday; I couldn't have hoped for a better transition! He took to the bottle immediately, spends our evenings being content, and only wakes once during the night. Hopefully I'm not jinxing it by writing this!

Chillaxin'

2011-06-02T11:32:00.000-04:00

Snoozing on Alyssa's bed while Mommy folds clothes...

Chillaxin'

2011-06-02T11:28:00.000-04:00

Snoozing on Alyssa's bed while Mommy folds clothes...

Big Sister and Baby Brother

2011-05-30T19:15:00.000-04:00

From Rhys' first week. I can't believe he's six weeks old already!

Swing and Bubbles

2011-05-30T19:14:00.000-04:00

Chubby Cheeks

2011-05-23T13:23:00.000-04:00

Sisters on the Sidewalk

2011-05-23T13:22:00.000-04:00

One Month Old

2011-05-18T17:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Rhys weighed 10.8 pounds completely naked. I can't believe he's one month old!

Alyssa + Rhys' First Bath

2011-05-08T18:49:00.000-04:00

These pictures are co-mingled because they were taken in this order... enjoy!

Cheese Snarfers

2011-05-08T15:07:00.001-04:00

Easter Sunday

2011-05-08T14:52:00.000-04:00

On Easter we went out to Gramma and Grampa's house for an easter egg hunt, as usual.

A friendly neighborhood cat came to join the fun.

Nice kitty.

Kelly trying on the pink princess hair headband.

Rhys' First Week

2011-05-08T14:49:00.000-04:00

Snapshots of Rhys' first week. A lot of sleeping and a little bit of crying...

Welcome Rhys Holden!

2011-05-08T14:47:00.000-04:00

Some pictures from Rhys' first hours...

Getting examined by our midwife Kim

Wow, 8 pounds 8 ounces! Our other midwife, Peggy, was impressed

The excited biggest sister

Holding her baby brother

Rocknoceros April '11

2011-05-08T14:44:00.001-04:00

We went to see Rocknoceros at the PWC Kids Expo for the second year in a row. We all enjoyed our last excursion as a family of four, as Rhys was born less than 12 hours later!

Waiting and waiting

2011-05-05T15:31:00.000-04:00

It's been the week of doctor's visits, five in three days topped off with three yesterday (four if you count Kelly and Alyssa being seen together as two). Kelly spent the day with Rhys and me because she was sent home with a fever the day before. Here we three are waiting to get a lab test done at the hospital....

And then, two doctors' offices later, Kelly and Alyssa pose at their doctor. Both of them have viruses that give them sore throats... we're hoping the rest of us don't catch it! Kelly weighed just over 30 pounds and Alyssa was just over 23. It makes me wonder if Alyssa will catch Kelly first or if Rhys will catch Alyssa. I'm guessing the latter, but you never know!

Eyes open!

2011-04-27T19:41:00.000-04:00

And another with eyes closed...

Still Sleeping

2011-04-26T16:08:00.000-04:00

Don't worry, there are many more pictures to come but James hasn't had time to process them with all the other things going on. So, we give you another iphone picture of the sleeping baby...

Sleepy Rhys

2011-04-22T15:08:00.000-04:00

In case you were wondering, this is what Rhys does a lot of:

We took him to the doctor today to get him checked out and he looked great. The doctor was particularly impressed with his 10/10 Apgar scores. No complaints here!

New Arrival

2011-04-17T09:16:00.001-04:00

We are pleased to announce the birth of Rhys Holden, today, April 17, at 6:37 am. He weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces and was 21 inches long.

Pink Pals

2011-04-14T13:53:00.000-04:00

The soon-to-be dynamic big sister duo. Two little cuties on their way to school today. Alyssa's still getting over a nasty illness so forgive her lack of smile.

This picture reminded Daddy of this old one. I think the new pic is better, but boy is that old one good for a laugh!

Easter Egg Hunt Part 2

2011-04-11T19:04:00.000-04:00

Easter Egg Hunt Part 1

2011-04-11T19:02:00.001-04:00

Park Pics Part 2

2011-03-16T19:59:00.000-04:00

Park Pics Part 1

2011-03-16T19:56:00.000-04:00

Latest Pics

2011-03-09T20:24:00.000-05:00

Recent pictures of our little hams...

Sleepy Sweeties

2011-02-22T09:37:00.000-05:00

A couple pictures from last month of the girls, fast asleep.

Valentine's Close Ups

2011-02-20T11:19:00.000-05:00

Playground

2011-02-17T19:34:00.000-05:00

When Daddy went to pick up the girls at school today, the weather was so nice he lost track of time while the girls played together on the playground. Here are some pictures of Alyssa on the big kid section of the playground.

Alyssa the Big Girl

2011-02-17T19:32:00.000-05:00

After Kelly took off her new birthday jacket from Uncle Teddy and Aunt Paula, Alyssa asked me to put it on. She then walked back and forth across the house numerous times with it on, hood and all, carrying her baby.

Happy Birthday, Kelly!!!

2011-02-04T10:04:00.001-05:00

For Kelly's fourth birthday party she requested that we go to Chuck E. Cheese. Yes, it was 100% her idea. Repetitive commercials during most of the shows she likes (namely Curious George, a family favorite) coupled with the fact that she had been there twice nearly a year ago made her anxious to go back. When we went in the past, it was on weekday mornings, so I was leary of the logistics of a weekend party. Needless to say, I won't be the only one encouraging her to select a different venue in the future. However, I am happy that she was able to get the party that she wanted.

Christmas Eve Part 2

2011-01-25T16:11:00.000-05:00

More pictures of our silly little girls on Christmas Eve at Gramma and Grampa's house. Better late than never!

Alyssa Bits

2011-01-24T10:51:00.006-05:00

This is what I get to enjoy every morning.

She is SO proud of herself when she uses the potty!

Couldn't resist taking a picture of Alyssa sitting in the doll cradle holding the doll. She always makes us smile!

Don't worry... pictures of the Birthday Girl and her party will be up soon!

Bunkers in the Bath

2011-01-07T12:25:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve Part 1

2011-01-07T12:22:00.000-05:00

A few pictures of our happy girls on Christmas Eve. There are many more to come so stay tuned!

Trying on her gag gift wig from Aunt Kate.

School Winter Program

2010-12-26T20:00:00.000-05:00

Kelly sang "Winter Wonderland" at her school's Polar Express themed holiday show. It was pretty cute. The little boy next to her is her pal Julien.

Breakfast with Santa 2010 Part 2

2010-12-13T16:02:00.000-05:00

Breakfast with Santa 2010 Part 1

2010-12-13T16:01:00.000-05:00

Alyssa Colors

2010-12-02T19:36:00.000-05:00

Close-Ups

2010-12-02T19:35:00.000-05:00

Stroller Rides

2010-12-02T19:32:00.000-05:00

The other night the girls had a blast pushing each other back and forth across the house in this doll stroller. Technically, Kelly provided the steam whether she was pushing or riding, but regardless, they both had a great time!

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-02T19:30:00.000-05:00

A couple shots from Gramma Dot and Grampa's house...

It's a BLUE Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T12:32:00.000-05:00

This Thanksgiving we are thankful for so much. We are pleased (and a quite a bit surprised) to announce that next April, Kelly and Alyssa will have a brother. This is something new for our family. The era of pink has ended.

Glasses Girls

2010-11-20T17:29:00.000-05:00

Alyssa's First Steps

2010-11-20T17:27:00.000-05:00

Matching Outfits!

2010-11-16T21:20:00.002-05:00

Kelly and Alyssa modeled their matching outfits last week before school. Alyssa wasn't very happy, perhaps because she just wanted more to eat. She may also have been anxious to get to school. They both love it there now!

Breakfast Baby

2010-11-16T21:18:00.000-05:00

Alyssa enjoying breakfast at a couple of our favorite weekend breakfast spots.

Halloween Flower Girl

2010-11-16T21:16:00.000-05:00

This year Kelly got to be a flower girl for Halloween. She did a great job and had a wonderful time at her Aunt Kate and Uncle Marsh's wedding.

Apple Picking

2010-10-23T19:52:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we went apple picking at Stribling Orchard. We had a wonderful time. The best part is that you don't need any sort of apple picking tool when you have Luis and Kelly or Isa to sit on his shoulders. They can reach apples that are 10 feet off the ground!

Kelly's First Field Trip!

2010-10-06T13:10:00.000-04:00

While I was busy at work becoming a qualified Forensic Scientist, Kelly and Daddy traveled to a pumpkin patch for her very first field trip!

SURPRISE!!!

2010-09-27T19:57:00.001-04:00

Here you have the biggest shock of my life.

For 10 months we will have three under five, including two under two for the first four months. Wow.

Daddy's Hat #2

2010-09-25T19:10:00.000-04:00

(This post is not to be confused with Daddy's Hat #1 from when Kelly was just over 8 months old.)

Swimming Lessons

2010-09-23T20:56:00.000-04:00

Alyssa had her first swimming lesson on Saturday and absolutely loved it.

She kept scooting forward to "jump" in, again and again!

She also did a ton of waving to Daddy...

Kelly had her second swimming lesson at the same time. She has now graduated from parent/child classes to being in the pool all by herself!

Alyssa feeds her baby

2010-09-12T19:31:00.000-04:00

More Birthday Party Pics

2010-09-11T19:05:00.000-04:00

Happy 1st Birthday, Alyssa!!!

2010-09-06T19:51:00.000-04:00

On Saturday we celebrated Alyssa's first birthday with an intimate gathering of her grandparents and her aunts.

Bead Master

2010-09-04T18:32:00.000-04:00

Kelly, beader extraordinaire. It keeps her happy for a while too... we just have to keep Alyssa away from all those choking hazards.

Alyssa's First Popsicle

2010-09-02T19:40:00.000-04:00

Daddy arrived at school today to find Alyssa enjoying a popsicle like a big girl in her new classroom.

Last of August

2010-08-31T18:14:00.001-04:00

Kelly poses

The crawler en route

From above