Colt Meets the Beach

Aunt Charlene and Uncle Charlie came in for an Aikido conference in Absecon, NJ. Being so close to the shore, Colton and I hopped in the car to join them for a day trip. We spent part of the day at their hotel by the pool. We then headed to Brigantine, NJ for Colton's first encounter with sand and the ocean. Colton loved being outside in the fresh air and stayed awake though it all. He seemed to enjoy the water as we dangled his feet in it and the sand didn't phase him. Since Aunt Charlene loves the ocean so much, it made it very exciting to have shared Colt's first time there with her. We are looking forward to Stone Harbor 2010!

Liz's Baby Shower

It was nice for me to have some friends who were pregnant at the same time I was so that we could commiserate together. Brian and I met Liz (pictured in the center) through our friend Jeanne Jones (pictured on left). We became friends and she later became my shiatsu masseuse - and by the way she is amazing. Jeanne and I went to her shower on Sunday to celebrate. Liz is due in early September and is having a girl. They plan to name her Isla.

D n A - 7.24.10

Brian and I had our first day/night date at Denise and Adam's wedding. It was our first time away from Colton for as long as we were and we thank my mom and dad (and Mr. Kenney and Pat) for watching him. We had a fun day and the reception was at winery in New Jersey. Congratulations to Denise and Adam.

Happy 37th Birthday Val

Val turned 6 years old on Saturday. If you convert that into dog years, she is a whopping 37 years old, making her the oldest in the Kenney house. We went over to Brian's dad's house for dinner last Saturday and celebrated with my parents, Pat, Bob, Mary, and the kids. Val has been a wonderful big sister to Colton - even though he has taken center stage lately. We know she loves him when she does her daily 'fly by' lick on Colton's face. But nothing compares to when we have two hands occupied with a baby and a bottle, and she will bring her ball to you to play. I have mastered picking up the ball with my feet, holding the bottle with my neck, and then grabbing it to play. I hope she knows that if I had three arms it wouldn't take me as long to get the ball.

We are so happy that Val is healthy and doing well - her last blood test results were almost normal. We continue to pray every night and hope she shares many many many more birthdays with us. Happy Birthday Val-e-Val-e-Val!

Playdate with Katie

I visited with Katie last week to see what a master mother does during the day. Katie is my sorority sister and always had that motherly way about her - giving us all really good sound advice during our college and post college years. She has two super fun and adorable boys (AJ & Will). AJ was so excited for Colton's arrival and was even more excited when he got to hold him. Pictured above - AJ holding Colton and Will saying "Cheese!" and then Katie holding Colton while AJ shows him a toy. It was a lot of fun.

Caroline's Christening

Brian was honored when he was asked to be Caroline's Godfather. Caroline is Michael and Tracey Parks' daughter. Brian used to work with Michael and Tracey and we have been friends with them ever since. Caroline was born two weeks before Colton and we have been talking about their first date ever since we found out they would be so close in age. Pictured above...said first date.

To Him...I'm Mom

When I looked at this picture, I had a realization that made me smile. In the past I would have looked at myself and just seen me, Julie. But after I really looked at this picture, it hit me that to Colton, I will always be Mom. So here's to motherhood - I hope I can be the best mom to this little guy.

McSpin Visit

I will admit it, I have a crush on the McSpin family. They are long-time, good friends of the Kenney family and I've been following their blog for a few years. Jenny & Peter have three incredible boys (Aidan, Quinn, and Ciaran) and they are all so much fun. Check out their blog on the side of this blog and you will see what I'm talking about. It was so nice for them to meet Colton. Quinn had a blast with Val (and Val had a blast with Quinn). Aidan said to me, 'I've held babies before.' Aidan is the oldest of three, so he has had practice. So I handed Colton over and he was a natural with instant swaying. Quinn then wanted his turn too - which he handled like a pro too. It was great seeing them and hopefully Ciaran and Colton will get to hang out and play as they get older.

Celebrating the 4th

It has become our Kenney family tradition to set up shop right down the block to watch the Glenside parade go down Jenkintown Road. Brian goes down early in the day to set up chairs to save our spot. This year he found the perfect shaded area and packed up our cooler with lots of icy cocktails, which was a necessity due to the scorcher of a day. As every year, we cheered for our favorite volunteer firefighter (Tom), veterans, bands, and the Bolivian dancers. It was an extra special year because it's the first tradition where Colton was a part of it (along with other good friends and family). See below. Kenney family shot

Linda Stein (aka Sexy Stein) and Sydney

Mr. Kenney & Pat

Greg, Deb, Sydney & Nathan Assenmacher

Grandma's Girls (and a Boy)

I always felt so special being one of my Grandma's girls. My Grandma & Grandpa always made Jessa and I feel like we were so amazing because we were the only girl grandchildren. Whether it was a trip together, an activity, or just saying how much they loved us, Jessa and I were made to feel special.

So it was very nice to get to make our Grandma feel very special by spending the afternoon with her and her two newest great grandchildren (Alexa & Colton). We love you Gram!

The Joys of Sugary Flavored Ice

Pittsburgh or Bust

Colton and I went into Pittsburgh for a week to visit family and friends. With my mom helping me out, I had to pull my part of the bargain and help clean & organize the recently renovated house. It was Colton's first road trip and he enjoyed it by sleeping the entire way to and from - with a pit stop to eat. Colton got to meet all of the following: Great Grandma Morse; Great Aunts Marilyn & Tina; Great Uncle George and Lisa; Cousins (once removed) Jessa, Kathy, Maureen, Nancy, Chrissy & Dave; 2nd Cousins Alexa, Diona, Mackenna, Ashley, Kylie, & Heather; Aunt Pat, Uncle Fred; Godparents Jessie & Craig; Mr. & Mrs. Reichard, Joe, Mr. & Mrs. Gardner; and we hung out a few times with the Morse clan (Uncle Dave, Aunt Ellen, Cousins Alana & Gavin). It was so nice to get to see my family and friends and have them meet Colton. We will be planning more trips to the Burgh - stay tuned.

Play Date

Our good friends were blessed with a baby girl. She was due a month before Colton but she came 10 weeks early (she really wanted to be with her parents). She is doing very well and as you can see already pulling Colton's hair.