The New Bedroom Downstairs

When we moved into our new home, Steve and I decided it would be nice to add a fourth bedroom downstairs, in the unfinished part of our basement. It wasn't high on the priority list, though. We had other improvements that were more important. At the end of June of this year, those improvements had been completed, and we made the decision to move forward with adding the new bedroom downstairs.

Since I was pregnant, I couldn't really help much with this project. Steve drew out the floorplan of the new room, and got to work framing, insulating and sheetrocking (along with Danny's help). He also wired the new room, and did all the ductwork, so the room is heated and cooled. A contractor completed the mudding and texturing of the walls. A fresh coat of paint and new carpet finished the project. Of course, this provided me an excellent opportunity to go shopping to decorate the new room. Below is the finished product. It was completed about two weeks before Kara came, which was perfect timing so when family came to visit after her birth, they had a new room to stay in. I am so proud of my handy husband!

Two Months Old

Last Wednesday Kara Grace was two months old. I really cannot even believe how quickly the time has flown by since her birth. She has grown up so much, so quickly.

Some of the things I love about this little gal:
-Goes to bed between 9:30 and 10:30, wakes up between 2 and 4 for a feeding, then back to sleep until 5 or 6
-Will sleep pretty much anywhere for her naps, though her bed is the least preferred spot to sleep (we are working on this one...)
-Smiles and coos now
-Very patient with Kylie, as her big sister gives her lots of attention
-Laid back personality
-Snuggly little thing she is
We will forever be grateful for this little girl coming into our lives. I am addicted to kissing and loving on her, and when she wakes up from her naps, I feel like I missed spending time with her while she was sleeping. This Christmas season, as I am pondering all of our blessings, Kara Grace is at the top of the list (along with Kylie, of course). We love you Kara!

Six Week Stats

On Friday, November 19th, our Kara Grace was six week's old. Today she went to the doctor for her checkup. Below are her stats.

Weight: 7 lbs. 9 ozs. - < 5th percentile
Length: 51 cm. - 5th percentile
Head Circumference: 36 in. - 5th percentile

Kara has become a very happy, mellow infant, who just a few days ago started smiling at Mommy. Yay!! She likes to hang out in her nap nappy when she's awake, and if she gets fussy a pacifier is usually all it takes to soothe her. She sleeps from 10pm or so until between 5am and 7am, depending on the day. She wakes up every 3 hours during the night to feed. It seems like no matter what time she eats, she sleeps from 8am to 10am and from 2pm to 4pm. That said, some days are totally different than her normal schedule. For instance, last night she almost woke up every hour....sadly....

As time goes on I am sure Kara's personality will come out more, which I can't wait for. So far, I am relishing our snuggle moments, her sweet smile, and serene nature. She is our little jewel.

Halloween 2010

This year for Halloween Kylie was a dalmation (Spot) and Kara went as herself. She had a costume, but it was too small...When I planned for her costume, I didn't know she would be so small... Here we are before we left for the Trunk or Treat at church

Kylie as Spot. Kylie won second place in the costume contest at the Trunk or Treat.

Introducing Kara Grace O'Brien

On the morning of October 8, 2010, we left for the hospital at 4:45am so that we could be at the hospital (West Allis Memorial) at 5:30am. I didn't sleep much the night before, a little anxious for what lied ahead, combined with the uncomfortableness of pregnancy. Mom had arrived from North Carolina the day before, so she was able to come with Steve and I to the hospital. Kylie stayed at home with her Aunt Sarah and Uncle Danny, and cousins Jackson and Parker. Here I am in the triage room, before the process got started.

At 7:54am our baby Kara Grace was born. She weighed 5 lbs. 12 oz's. We were surprised with her petite size, but she is just perfect!

She is a joy to have, and gets lots of kisses and hugs from Big Sister Kylie. Kylie loves to hold Kara and is such a loving sister. She has impressed us with her capacity to embrace Kara, and we can't imagine our lives without these two girls.

Future Baker

I left Kylie unoccupied for what I thought was just a second, and I come in the kitchen to find that she had decided to go exploring in the pantry. She had obviously taken handfuls of flour and tossed it all around her, on her clothes, and for some reason, on her cheeks. She was a little too busy to notice I was standing there, but when she saw the flash...

She gave me a big grin...


I think she definitely knows her way around the kitchen.. And did I mention this is the second time she has done this...

Snow Day

Last Monday night, around midnight, it started snowing. The next day it snowed all day. We got about a foot and a half of snow, which meant Steve got to leave work early on Tuesday around 3pm, so that he could get home safely in the daylight. After he got home, he tied a rope to Kylie's snow tube, and pulled her around the yard, much to her delight. Below are a few pictures of the event

Christmas 2009

For Christmas this year, we traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina to be with Tamara's family. We were there for a little over a week, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon, and began our week of relaxation. It was so nice to be able to go to church with family, and have a little help with Kylie during Sacrament Meeting. She is so active these days, she keeps us busy.




On Wednesday, December 23rd, we took Kylie to the Charlotte Nature Museum. This museum focuses on nature-based learning, in a fun atmosphere.

Kylie got to see a snake up close

and an owl

There is also a butterfly exhibit at the Nature Mesuem. To our delight, as soon as we entered the exhibit, a butterfly landed on Kylie. We coached her to hold still, and just watch the butterfly. She did such a good job.

It landed on her shoulder

And then came in for a closer look

We also got to see a turle eat his lunch

The museum put on a puppet show that was about 15 minutes long (which is perfect) on bears hibernating during the winter. It incorporated Christmas and Santa into the show, which was pretty creative if you ask me.

The bear decided to wake up during the winter so he wouldn't miss Christmas (this was upon the advice of his friend Beaver).

Later on that afternoon, Steve and I snuck away for an overnight trip to celebrate our four year wedding anniversary. Dad and Mom watched Kylie for us, which we greatly appreciated. We stayed at the Westin Hotel, in downtown Charlotte (which locals refer to as Uptown). Upon checking in, we were informed that we had been upgraded to the Presidential Suite. As we went to our room, we had to take pictures, since we figured we would never stay in such a nice suite again.

To explain, when you walked in the marble foyer upon entering our rooms, there was a room to the left, which was the bedroom. It had views of downtown Charlotte, which was beautiful if you opened all of the curtains.

To the right of the entry was an entertaining room, with sofas and a big screen. This made Steve very happy. Which made me happy.

The bathroom attached to the bedroom had a wonderful jacuzzi tub, which was like heaven.

The bedroom



The bathroom

Entertaining Room

We walked to dinner that night, our restaurant (Ruth's Chris Steakhouse) was only about 10 minutes away from our hotel. We went by an outdoor ice skating rink, and got to watch people skating for a few minutes, that was so fun. We had a momentous anniversary, and I can't believe four years has went by so fast.

This Christmas, Kylie really got into opening gifts. She opened her own gifts and everyone else's too. Here are a few pictures:

Enjoying the fire with Aunt Julie Anna

On Saturday we went to Ray's Splash Planet, which is a kid-geared water park. Kylie wasn't really into going down the slides, but she enjoyed playing around as long as someone was holding her.

Having fun with Dad

and Mom

and Grandma Rosie

Saturday night Ben and Susannah came up from Columbia to hang out. We went on a double date, to a restaurant called Firebirds. Delicious! Before we left, Kylie enjoyed playing around with Uncle Ben a lot.

We truly had a Merry Christmas