Swings

The many faces of swinging. My favorite is Oliver's "please" face asking to get on.

Even the baby swings get major height although underdogs have proven difficult.

Pictures

My amazing cousin Andrea took these cute pictures of Ollie while we were in AZ. I wish we had more time to take some more but you work with what you got:) I'm thinking when she comes down in July we'll have to do some belly shots, well, depending on the condition of the belly at that point. She also took some beautiful shots of my sister Leah's baby boy Carson, check her blog out. Can't wait to live closer to you and make plenty of road trips in between...My new wish is to have your camera and especially your skills!

Grandma's Funeral and Family

So I realized that I took literally zero pictures in Arizona which is really sad because it was such a fun trip. Oh I did take a few of Oliver and Carson in the tub and then a video of my cousin flying a helicopter for Ollie which crashed as you can hear from Ollie's little toddler voice. My grandma's funeral was really amazing. My Dad gave her eulogy which was so funny, tender, and interesting. It might be strange to some people to hear so much laughter and see so many smiles at a funeral but that's just what we do. It's nice to know that death is not the end, but actually the beginning of so much more. My grandpa didn't want to say much, obviously, but did end up getting up at the end of the service and thanking everyone for coming and read a really beautiful poem that reminded him of my grandma. He said he didn't want to speak but then he envisioned getting to the heavenly gates and having my grandma greet him with some firm words on why he didn't speak at her funeral:) You just had to know my grandma. All my sisters and I sang "Wind beneath my wings" which was a g-ma favorite and miraculously got through it without crying (that might be a record for the Kelley girls). Her good friend Ron Miyashiro accompanied us on the piano which actually made the song.

I got to see some cousins and relatives I hadn't seen for a while which was so fun. It was quite the whirlwind trip. You always wish that the person who passed could be there to hang out with everyone that came to celebrate their life. Oliver was exhausting as soon as we got to Arizona. Without consistency, that child gets crazy. I was missing Ryan and feeling so tired. When we got back to Utah I was so glad to see his darling face. I was even more glad that we had 2 weeks left until the big move. I love when there's a lot going on, it's so exciting. Staying with my parents will be a wonderful blessing until we figure out what in the world our plans are. I'm glad we have the time to decide:) Now I just need to find a way to stay really busy when I get home waiting for baby girlfriend to arrive.

You're heaven to me Baby!

Hope this picture takes you back to a better place my sexy-prego baby.

I have to begin this blog by stating this is Ryan posting the blog, not Becky. I've been meaning to do this for a while and now that I'm here by myself in utah, it seems like the perfect time.

As most of you know, jobs have been scarce these days for everyone looking, especially in construction. For the past 15 years or so BYU has placed 100% in the Construction Management program so getting a job has never been a very large concern of mine; until this last semester. Every company I spoke to said the same thing: "We're just not hiring right now and we're not quite sure when we will again." I attended the largest construction career fair in the nation and spoke to over 50 different companies from across the country only to hear the same response; except for one company: C.W. Driver. I was becoming very nervous about not being able to obtain a job. I was becoming extremely fearful of not being able to provide for my family.

Through all of this, Becky was a rock. I can't tell you how much of a comfort she was to me. She always said that she was sure I would get a job and that things would work out. Not once did I ever hear her express fear or doubt. Becky is amazing. I really can't fully explain what Becky did for me. I love my baby and I want everyone to know what a strength she is to me in my life.

Well, it looks like long posts run in the family. p.s. Becky is an amazing packer and has made this whole process of moving so much easier. Open up that Golden Gate! California here we come!

Austin's home!

So I realize it's been a little too long since my last post, very unlike me, sorry. A lot has been going on so let's see...Ryan and I drove down to La Canada last week to welcome Austin (Ryan's brother) home from a mission in Minnesota. I drove one car with Ollie and my sister Laura and Ryan drove our other car with a trailer stuffed with things for the move here. We pretty much took everything in one load, thanks to yours truly being an excellent packer. All but our bed which is still waiting in Utah. Our plan was to leave Sunday back to Utah because Ryan is still in spring term. What's hilarious is that guys in Ryan's major who already have secured jobs have actually left school with just a few classes left, never finishing completely. That is crazy talk, we are finishing.

On Saturday I came over to my house for a visit and right after I got there my dad received a call from his dad is Arizona that his mom had a stroke and was in the hospital on a respirator. So my dad booked a flight that day and was able to spend some time with his mom before she passed away. Grandparent deaths are always so bittersweet because I don't get to see my grandparents very often so I feel a loss when they're gone, but then I always feel happy for them to be able to leave an aging body and return to their heavenly father. Now I wish I would have gone to see my grandma when I was in Arizona last. I actually talked to her fairly recently and asked for pictures of her from her past to enlarge and put in a frame. She sent me some really great pictures. She was always so gorgoeus. I wish I was at home so I could post one up of her. In her letter she told me to have Oliver learn the cello and I will stick to that promise. She was an amazing violin player and has always believed in good music. I remember one time we were visiting and we were listening to Bryan Adams and my grandma was just disgusted that we could listen to that "devil music". She was so funny. Now I know where Ollie gets his love for classical music. Honestly he prefers it over almost anything. She was a very lively, opinionated lady who had a major zest for life. I loved that grandma always had expectations for life and the people around her. She just thought everyone should live up to their best, and that is really good motivation. She requested that the Kelley girls sing "wind beneath my wings", classic.

My mom, Leah, me, Ollie, and Carson will all head to Az tomorrow for the funeral which is on Saturday. It will be so fun to see all of our family and celebrate my grandma's life. I'll fly back to Utah Sunday and basically have about 2 weeks before move out. I'm so glad so much is done already. We can't wait to be here and start a new chapter in our lives. Another baby, possibly a house, a salary and a real job! Being close to both our families is always a major blessing and Oliver is in heaven with all these grandparents to love.

Our weekend at the Facer's was so awesome. Aaron and Meg were able to come before their big move, Jon and Jill and just 10 days old Dane came for the weekend, Austin was home, and Jeff was happy to not be the only one home. All five brothers together was really fun and special to see. When you have five boys and missions, sometimes there are major gaps in the whole family being together. Austin is SUCH a great guy. I am so proud of the great job he did. Sometimes you can just tell who was an awesome missionary and who just did it. Austin was awesome. It was fun for us all to tell him what we learned from him and his mission and then hear his testimony. I love being with the Facer's. It is very easy to feel the spirit and just feel like a family. I always learn something new from everyone when we are there.

I am now 6 months along which is actually totally insane. Like how does that happen all the sudden? The baby girl is moving around all the time now. I can see my tummy jumping all over the place in the afternoon if I'm just relaxing. Leah's little boy Carson is here and just absolutely adorable. Ollie pats his head and totally takes the older brother role with him. Let's hope the same happens when his little sister gets here:)

Pool party and a haircut (and way too many thoughts)

Ollie got to have a bunch of his buddies over for a little pool party in our backyard. It was a lot of fun and the water balloons were maybe the strongest I've ever seen, we could not pop those things. Life is just better with a tan and a bathing suit. Then Ollie's hair got cut today and after the dramatic, near death experience (in Oliver's opinion) he actually survived and smiled proudly with his new do. I was so tempted to let it grow out cause last time it was long was when he was 1 and I'm just curious to see what it would look like. But as usual, convenience always wins. It is just so much easier, plus he has a lot of hair and it is stick straight, so the growing out phase could be a bad one. And it's summer man! Oliver is increasingly hilarious by the way.

Sometimes I feel like I should carry around a little Ollie notebook so I can document the everyday occurences that are just hilarious. Maybe the most funny thing right now is his facial expressions. Oh if I could just document each and every one of those. I walked while Ryan longboarded with Ollie in arms to the gas station, and the look on his face was just priceless. He is SURE that his dad IS the coolest guy around. Totally true. Everytime they'd skate past me, Ollie would high five me, and made sure to always do it, like he didn't want me being left out of the fun. He is so unbelievably loving. If I could ask one thing of my kids, it would be that.

Lately everytime we go to the park, there is always that one kid who is a total punk, just pushing and picking on everyone. Ollie cannot fathom how anyone wouldn't want to hang out with him, he just wants to be friends with everyone. So he goes up to this kid and this kid calls him a "baby" and pushes him. I thought Ollie was going to cry but then he offered this kid the chip he had in his hand, to which the kid still pushed away and left. Another time Ollie saw these two boys at the top of the highest slide so he just had to follow them to go down. On his way up the stairs to play, he was totally laughing and trying to join in their fun. The kid closest to Oliver, saw him and told he he couldn't go up there and started trying to push him down the stairs. I usually like to see how things pan out, but considering how steep the stairs wer, Ollie was about to get pushed off a two-story platform. So I yelled, probably a little too loudly, "Do not touch him again!". I was totally in mom defense. Didn't help that I had just watched an Oprah on bullies. So once Ollie saw that I was worried and mad, he started crying and realized there was no reason for this little boy to be so mean to him. Oh it just makes me want to spank some kids, and I don't even believe in spanking!

I have to admit that it's pretty often that I will totally call out a kid at the park who is being rude and picking on other kids. And I know kids will be kids and sometimes they just have their moments, but they still should recognize that it's approproiate to be upset but not ok to take it out on others. I know, mom police, here I go. Ryan loves it, he's like at least your taking care of business baby. If I see a mom close by though I'm definetely more cautious cause I would hate to step on toes. I had a funny experience the other day though. Ollie brought a couple toys to the park and so I knew he would just have to share the whole time, cause it's just an unwritten rule that if toys are brought to the park, you cannot expect kids not to be interested. So anyways he was sharing his toys really nicely and all the kids were playing really well. After a while though, you could tell the tension was building with all the kids because they were sick of having to take turns with so many others. Ollie got interested in picking up wood chips off the ground and make-believing them into airplanes and trains, etc. So a little girl who was getting especially frusterated kept following Ollie around and everytime he'd pick something up, she'd take it out of his hand. Everytime I said to her, "If you want something from him, you need to ask him. You never take something from someone without asking". She just looked at me like, are you serious you're telling me what to do. Then I helped her learn how to do what Ollie was doing and find her own wood chips. It's funny cause it's not like she was this mean kid, she just wanted to play but didn't know how without taking something from someone. Some kids are just like that. They have a hard time creating their own fun cause when they see someone else's fun, they want THAT and they don't understand a way to get it on their own. Later her mom came up to me and I actually got a little nervous that she would be annoyed with me. But she basically said that she really appreciated the direction I gave her little girl and since she had 3 other kids there, it was nice to have someone watching her. As much as I would hope that Oliver will never be the aggressor in a fight, I'm sure he will and if I'm not there to direct him, I'd hope someone else would, especially if he is picking on their child. Wow my posts get so long. I should just start a whole new blog for online journaling cause I'm sure not everyone wants to hear my every opinion. Unless you're still reading this, then I guess you do, or you're just bored:)

By the way, is anybody else scared of being the crazy mom when kids pick on your kid? Like seriously, I have thought, if I find out some kid from school is taunting one of mine, I will march right over to the school and make them very sorry. Is that bad? I have to remind myself that all kids have a reason for acting the way they do, and that is the problem to deal with. But I did find out from Oprah that telling your kids to ignore bullying is probably the worst thing you can do. It's like telling them it doesn't matter or it's not important, when it really really is to them. I mean 3 of the kids featured on the show actually comitted suicide because they felt like there was no way out. Can you imagine? I have always thought that teaching my kids confidence is one of the most important things, cause bullies pick out those kids that just deal with what's coming. I hope my kids will put others in their place and protect those who are being picked on. I loved this little boy on the show who was taught how to use his voice to tell a bully NO! It was so funny cause this therapist was like, I want you to use the harshest voice you ever have with your dog with me right now. The moment this strong voice came out of his little body, you could tell he just finally believed in himself enough to stand up. Made me well up a little. You gotta love Oprah. Ok I promise this is the end, if anyone is still reading.

America doesn't know how to sing

Ok so really I am totally shocked. How did Adam Lambert NOT win American Idol, are you serious? Sure, Chris is a nice guy and has a good voice but Adam has a phenomenal voice. Basically it's clear that Adam was a little over some people's heads, he is a little eccentric. But seriously it should be about who has the best voice, I am sad for Adam. I haven't been hardcore for anyone but I just assumed Adam would take it cause it was so obvious that his voice was superior. Even in their last Queen song, you almost felt bad for Chris next to Adam because he is such a power house and has such range. And girls, he is MARRIED so let's not just vote for someone based on how well they can fit into a boy band, calm yourselves. Ok that's all for now. Just had to voice the injustice of it all.

Huh?

I'm sure you didn't know that Akon's real name is Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam. These are things you only find out when you're searching baby name sites. You can thank me later...

Financial Reckoning

Are we sure we want to be apart of a 15.4 BILLION dollar deficit in California. That makes my stomach hurt. I actually can't even comprehend that amount. How does that even happen? And I'm not just asking that rhetorically. I actually need to know. Schwarzenegger...you are fired.

A night of firsts

I had to write about two firsts that happened tonight. We got home from a ward fhe and of course Ollie had to go to his pool and play right when he got out of the car. What we didn't notice was a group of bees drinking from the water and sure enough a minute later Ollie was screaming in pain, saying "ouch, ouch". He stepped on one and Ryan got the stinger out and ran his foot under cold water. Then we proceeded to talk about those naughty bees and that when we see them we need to steer clear. We kept an eye on him to make sure he wasn't allergic. I'm a little relieved to get that first bee sting out of the way.

Another first is that Ollie is sleeping as we speak NOT in a crib! He's has already done this a few times but always with me in the room on vacation. It's never been an all night by yourself ordeal so I'll report on how that all goes. But we put him on his bed about 40 minutes ago and he still has not come out or cried. What a sweet boy. It felt funny dismantling his crib knowing that next time we put it up, we'd be placing our little girl there. I already had my mom buy a toddler bed off craigslist at home for Ollie, so this will be some nice practice. Plus then he won't have to sleep on a twin mattress on the floor for very long. Growing up all over the place.

*An update from last nights adventure. Well it could not have gone better. He went to bed easily and did not wake up at all last night, and then woke up at almost 7:30 this morning! We should have just started him in a bed from the beginning:)