Fall 2010

I have been a slacker lately, mainly because I'm back at work full time at Woodward Academy. I've enjoyed teaching again, but not enough to leave my little girl every day. I feel like I miss so much and she's doing new things almost daily. This long term sub position has been a great test, but I'm looking forward to being done in 3 weeks.

We've had a wonderful fall! Russ cheered on the Buckeyes and of course Jacey-Kate and I have cheered on the Roll Tides! We've been disappointed, but hey, as long as we beat Michigan and Auburn it'll be all good in the Kiefer house.

Russ' family visited in October which was so nice because they were able to babysit while I was at work and spend lots of one on one time with Jacey-Kate. Mary Jo made Jacey-Kate's cupcake costume for Halloween. Of course I'm a little biased, but I think she was the hit of the party! It will be hard to beat that idea next year. We had a lot of fun with them while they were here and look forward to visiting at Christmas. Keeping our fingers crossed for snow.

This morning I took Jacey-Kate to ride the Pink Pig. It was so much fun and brought back childhood memories. I hope she'll really enjoy it next year. We went to see Santa, too. That didn't go over so well. Mommy had to sit with Jacey-Kate and she still screamed.

We head up to my parents' tomorrow to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Sustakovitchs. We're lucky this year, we get two Thanksgivings! I need to bring out my maternity pants again. :-)

Hope you have a Happy Happy Thanksgiving!
Eat lots of turkey.

Beach Trip

Jacey-Kate and I flew to Myrtle Beach, SC Tuesday evening and enjoyed 2 1/2 days of gorgeous beach weather and fun with the family. Wish we could have stayed longer and that Russ could have been with us. We ate incredible seafood while we were there. Christy and I are so lucky being married to such wonderful cooks! Jared grilled grouper, shrimp and tuna while Christy fried buffalo shrimp. We had so much fun at the beach. Jacey-Kate skipped her morning nap because she was playing so hard...and eating so much sand! Mom and dad were so great playing with Jacey-Kate, Luke and Lily Anne. Jacey-Kate loved her newest cousin! I think she's going to be the BEST big sister. Enjoy the pics!

Summer Visit to Michigan

We just returned from a FUN visit to see Russ' family in Holland, Michigan. Our long weekend was packed full of swimming, swinging, eating, shopping, games and playing with Jacey-Kate. We watched two sunsets at Lake Michigan which were gorgeous. Russ, Mary Jo and Laura are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place. Jacey-Kate loved swinging on the swing set at the beach and the park. Wish we all lived closer! Enjoy the pictures.

Jacey-Kate at 13 Months

I love Jacey-Kate being ONE. She is so much fun and makes Russ and I laugh all the time. Within the last month, she has started talking more, saying a few words, but mostly babbling. She is into everything and loves practicing walking with her lion walker and her car walker! We have a hard time keeping up with her because she's on the go and never sits still.

We just got back from spending the night at the lake with my brother's family. Jacey-Kate loved seeing her cousins, but I think she really enjoyed her first boat ride. We all played in the lake and enjoyed our time together. Next week, we're headed to see Russ' family in Michigan. We're very excited to experience Michigan in the summer time!

Jacey-Kate Turns ONE!

Our precious little girl is ONE. She survived us!!! Jacey-Kate's actual birthday was very low key. Russ and I woke her up by singing happy birthday to her and then the two of us enjoyed her day as we usually do playing, napping and eating. The following Saturday, we had her birthday party and it was a blast. Thanks to all her buddies and our friends who joined us to celebrate Jacey-Cakes. The party was supposed to be out by the trampoline in our neighborhood, but thank goodness it rained, so we had to move it inside where it was nice and cool. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I decided to have a 1st birthday party in the 90 degree heat. Never again. Our wonderful and generous friend, Lindsey McIntosh, took pictures for us. She's an amazing photographer, check out her work at www.lindseymcintoshphotography.com you just might want to book a session!!

4th of July

This past weekend was a blast here in Serenbe. We had our good friends, the Bozzas, down for the weekend which added to all the fun. Saturday Russ, Chad and our neighbor, Jeff, drove to Alabama and spent a ridiculous amount of money that was raised for the fireworks show on fireworks. They got buy one get one free fireworks, so if you're ever in the market for fireworks, go on July 3rd. That evening was the 3rd annual 4th of July Pot Luck at Lisa and Cindy's home in the Crossroads. There was great food and wonderful neighbors there, it was a lot of fun.

Sunday morning Russ took the girls blueberry picking and then we made blueberry waffles for breakfast. Mid-morning we decorated our next door neighbor's, Ross and Rebecca's, 1964 vw truck for the Chatt Hills Parade. The kids who live in our area of the neighborhood got to ride in the back of the truck while they threw candy out which mainly hit their parents in the head. :-) That night we cooked out at the Olsen's, two doors down and then walked to the Grange lake to watch the fireworks. I think our husbands had way too much fun shooting off all the fireworks, it was a great show which lasted for about a half hour.

Today we've been super lazy and have enjoyed hanging out on our front porch and napping while Jacey-Kate naps. Tomorrow we're headed to Six Flags for my 32nd birthday!!! What a weekend!!! We're looking forward to the arrival of our niece, Lily Anne, on Wednesday. But the most important event this week is celebrating Jacey-Kate's first birthday on Thursday! Lots going on in the Kiefer family....stay tuned.

Birthday Weekend

Jacey-Kate had a great weekend with her Auntie Yumi visiting Friday and Saturday and then two 1st birthday parties. We celebrated Lily McIntosh and Jake Taylor on Sunday. It was a busy afternoon, but tons of fun. Russ and I are getting a glimpse of what Jacey-Kate's 1st birthday party will be like....lots of CAKE all over Jacey-Kate's face!!! Our daughter loves to give kisses, you'll see in the photos below.

11 Months

Today is Jacey-Kate's 11 month birthday! I can't believe in one more month my tiny 6 lb 4oz baby girl will be a year old. Everyone continues to tell me how fast it goes. We're having so much fun with Jacey-Kate. Her personality is really starting to show. She's so funny and loves to laugh and smile. Lately she's learned how to feed the dogs while she's feeding herself dinner, but her biggest accomplishment has been standing up on her own. She's going to be walking before we know it!

Brazil

Our first big trip away from Jacey-Kate was to Brazil over the past week. We left on the 15th and returned well rested on the 24th. Jacey-Kate stayed with Gigi at Big Canoe the night of the 15th, Kara's parents the first half of the week and then Russ' family the second half of the week. I'm not sure she even missed us! We had a wonderful time and experienced a beautiful remote beach in northern Brazil where we took dune buggy rides, swam in lagoons full of rain water, ate fresh fish and shrimp, and watched unbelievable sunsets. The slideshow below is pictures from our trip and the time she spent with her grandparents. (mom...there weren't any pics of you, next trip give dad the camera. :-))

Athens Trip

We took a little trip to Athens, GA this past weekend for the Gardens of the World Ball at the Georgia State Botanical Gardens. We had a terrific time and met some really wonderful people. Jacey-Kate loved her first trip to Dawg country. Her daddy even said he'd be quite pleased if she chose to go to UGA...only because she'd be getting the Hope Scholarship and he wouldn't have to pay much for her college experience. :-)

We are home sick today. I think the weekend wore her out. Jacey-Kate had a 103.8 temperature this morning, so we ended up in the pediatrician's office most of the afternoon. There's a virus going around that her doctor thinks she might have caught. I'm hoping she's rid of it by tomorrow. We'll see.....

The pics are from a birthday party, athens and the gardens of the world ball. Enjoy!

The Zoo

Our friends, Kerri and Jake, kindly took us to the zoo this past Friday. Jacey-Kate wore her Clemson TIGERS shirt so she'd fit right in with the Lions, TIGERS and bears. Upon arrival, we headed straight for the petting zoo, so Jacey-Kate and Jake could get out and pet the friendly goats, sheep and pigs. They enjoyed the farm animals, maybe not as much as the moms enjoyed taking their pictures with the farm animals. From the petting zoo, we bee lined it for the Lions, Gorillas and Panda Bears. It was fun walking our babies around the zoo trying to show them the animals. I'm sure Jacey-Kate had no idea what was going on, but she enjoyed all the people, kids and did love riding in Jake's Bob stroller. While looking through the pictures, make sure you try to spot the animals!!!

9 Months

I know I keep saying I can't believe how quickly she's grown, but I can't. Jacey-Kate amazes me every day. She's turning into a little girl, not a tiny baby any more. I'd say I'm super sad about this, but I'm loving every minute of being her mom and watching her grow up before my eyes, so I'm not sad, I'm so excited to see what's next! Here are a few really cute pictures of her on her 9 month birthday and then one taken today with her daddy. So cute!!! There's nothing sweeter than a daddy with his little girl.

EASTER and cRaWLiNg

We had a wonderful Easter in Serenbe. Jacey-Kate saw her first baby chick, baby duck and rabbit at the Serenbe Easter Egg Hunt. I love watching her reaction when she sees an animal. She screams every time she sees a furry creature.

Kara's parents drove down to spend the weekend with us. We put Jerry to work in the backyard while Theresa played with Jacey-Kate. Mom had the better end of the deal! Dad helped with our landscaping effort. It's slowly coming along. Russ made burgers for dinner, they were fantastic!! Dinner and the warm weather remind me that summer's just around the corner.

Sunday after church, we all headed over to Rob and Merry's for an afternoon of wine, cheese and a low country boil! The food was delicious. Russ, Tim and Rob outdid themselves. We ended the evening playing corn hole on the green in Serenbe.

The most exciting news is that our sweet baby girl started crawling today!!! She loves my iphone, so I put it across the room and she scooted her little self over there on all fours. She's still a little wobbly at it, but she gets where she wants to go. It's so cute.

8 months

It's amazing as a parent how fast time goes by and how hard it is to remember your baby as an infant. I've visited with two friends recently that have newborns and I honestly don't remember Jacey-Kate that tiny, unless I look back at pictures or videos. I thought being home with Jacey-Kate would slowly allow her to grow up before my eyes, boy was I wrong. Our days are full of fun and fly by! We hang out, play, read books, go for walks, nap, visit with friends and eat...a lot. She still loves her baby mush that I make and is drinking well from her sippy cup.

This is Russ' last day working from home. He'll be starting a new job with Wilmington Trust in Buckhead this coming Monday. Jacey-Kate and I are very sad and will miss him terribly. We've gotten use to seeing daddy at breakfast, lunch and before dinner, so it's definitely going to be an adjustment period for the ladies of the house. We're hoping to make it in to the big city for lunch with daddy once a week.

Jacey-Kate is getting so big. Russ said today that she's not really a baby any more, but a little girl. She's sitting up well and so close to crawling. I've been a little worried about her not crawling yet, but then I remind myself that as soon as she starts, it's all over....she's going to be every where. Jacey-Kate loves to talk and does it constantly, just like her mommy. She might look like her daddy, but her actions so far are like her mommy...non-stop.

We had Russ' sister for a visit a couple of weeks ago and then had his grandfather and dad in town last week. Aunt Laura helped me make baby food and hair bows for Jacey-Kate. It's so nice to have a sister to do the fun creative girly stuff with. Great Grandman loved Jacey-Kate! Grandpa also had a great visit with her and was able to share his 60th birthday with us. We're so thankful for all of our family and for the time they have with us and more importantly, Jacey-Kate.

Charter School Pot Luck

To celebrate the petition being finished and turned in, the project team hosted a pot luck. Despite the fierce wind and cool weather, there were a lot of excited families that attended. The kids weren't bothered by how cold it was, they were ready to jump on the trampoline and play corn hole. The food was great, some of the favorites were corn pudding, broccoli slaw, upside down pineapple cake and the chocolate rice krispy treats. We're all excited about the spring weather and look forward to many more charter school get togethers!

Serenbe Snow

The weatherman proved himself last Friday as the snow came down all day through the night. I definitely think we had up to 3" which is a lot for us Georgia peaches! Russ and I can't wait until Jacey-Kate can play in the snow. She enjoyed watching Jonah and Daisy play in our side yard from the kitchen window. The dogs loved the snow and jumped around in it until they were both covered. I wish I had a few pics to share. We drove through the neighborhood Friday night and then again on Saturday morning to capture Serenbe's beauty in the snow. Too bad it didn't last longer than a day!

Jacey-Kate 7 Months

Our sweet little girl turned 7 months last Monday. Jacey-Kate is sitting up by herself, but topples over if she gets too excited which is a lot of the time. She's so smiley and loves to laugh at us. We keep hearing how lucky we are that she's such a happy baby and sleeps so well. Russ and I are loving every minute of parenthood and just can't get enough of our precious little girl.

From JK 7 Months

Jacey-Kate patiently waiting dinner in her new chair. She loves to eat and makes the funniest noises when she watches us get her dinner ready. I'm so thankful that she's a good eater, too.

From JK 7 Months

From JK 7 Months

From JK 7 Months

Jacey-Kate loves her doggies, especially Daisy because she lets her pull on her hair.

From JK 7 Months

Rivalry Dinner

Russ and Rob have a bet over the Clemson vs. South Carolina game each year. This has become a new tradition which definitely benefits the wives because the loser has to cook dinner at the winner's home. This year's dinner was prepared by my fabulous husband. He cooked for 2 days and it was totally worth every minute he spent in the kitchen. The food was delicious! Here's the menu and pictures of each course. Go Tigers!

2nd Annual Rivalry Dinner 2010

Snack

Selection of Charcuterie and Farmstead Cheeses

2004 Schramsberg “Ouerencia” Brut Rose, Napa Valley, CA

Salad

Baby Greens with Goat Cheese and Dried Cherries

2007 Fournier Pere & Fils Sauvignon Blanc, Loire Valley, FR

Soup

Silky Corn Soup with Gulf Crab Fritter

2006 Matanzas Creek Chardonnay, Sonoma Valley, CA

Fish

Pan Roasted Halibut with “German” White Bean Salad

2006 Matanzas Creek Chardonnay, Sonoma Valley, CA

Intermezzo

Pink Grapefruit Sorbet

Pasta

Riverview Farms Sausage Meatballs with Tagliatelle and Red Gravy

2007 Moobuzz Pinot Noir, Monterey, CA

Meat

Wine-Braised Short Rib with Wild Mushroom Ragout and Nora Mill Grits

2005 Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon, St Helena, CA

Dessert

Blueberry Cobbler with Lemon-Buttermilk Sorbet

Batdorf & Bronson Dancing Goats Blend, Atlanta, GA

My First Cold

Jacey-Kate woke up with a cough about 2 weeks ago. This cough led to a cold which led to sleepless nights. Of course mommy was the only one that daddy thought could comfort our sweet baby at 2:45 in the morning. Even the 30-45 minutes in the middle of the night were priceless moments with Jacey-Kate as she nursed, babbled, coughed and sucked her thumb. Mommy is so thankful that she's on the mend and sleeping through the night again. We were shocked that she was so playful during the day, very much her sweet self.

From Cold

From Cold

Grandma and Grandpa Kiefer came for a visit while Jacey-Kate was sick. It was so nice to have extra hands to hold and love on her. Jacey-Kate kindly, or not so kindly, passed along her cold to mommy and daddy. Poor Grandma now has a stuffy nose, too. We'll miss you grandma and grandpa, but look forward to your visit in March with great grandpa Kiefer.

From Cold

Jacey-Kate's Half Birthday

I can't believe my precious baby girl is 6 months old. I feel like someone pressed fast forward because of how quickly Jacey-Kate has grown up. She's just adorable and so busy. I think she's starting the phase where she wants to be near mommy or daddy at all times because when I leave the room, she screams. Russ said we're going to have to condition her to being in a room by herself, so we're letting her scream. She eventually gets the picture....we'll be back. :-) Everything Jacey-Kate touches goes in her mouth, but no teeth yet.

December was a busy month. Joey Potter, FCA director, gave Russ and I tickets to the SEC Championship game. It was sooo fun! Our dear friends, Pam and Aaron Lake, babysat for us. When we picked Jacey-Kate up, Aaron informed us that Jacey-Kate might end up being a professional bonger when she grows up because she drank her bottle in about 6 seconds flat.

Russ and I volunteered for Passion Jan. 2-5th, so Jacey-Kate stayed with Lulu and Dee in the mountains. She had a great time with her grandparents and didn't wear them out too much. We're so thankful she's sleeping so long at night and napping well during the day. Passion was amazing! It was so cool watching 22,000 college students worshiping together. The speakers were perfect for the conference the bands were awesome and the four days volunteering really helped to center me which was a great way to start out the new year.

Hope you had a wonderful New Year, too!