Rockin the Block on the 4th of July

This 4^th of July weekend, Calen and I headed up to Huntington Beach for the annual Balboa Circle block party at my parents house.  This year was probably the best yet for so many reasons!

So many of our friends came up from San Diego, down from LA (and Fresno) and of course all over HB to celebrate with us and we had such a great time.  The food was amazing as always!  I’m talkin my Dad’s special sausage, jack cheese, tortilla, and pico pico creations to start, deviled eggs, macaroni salad, potato salad, spicy thai noodles, puppy chow, chips and dip, strawberries, baked beans, cream puffs, homemade ice cream, red vines, a yummy white chocolate raspberry cake (I think), a chocolate bunt cake, watermelon, hot dogs, veggie dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, I mean the list goes on and on!  It was a spread for sure!  I was obviously too busy eating to take a picture, so you will just have to imagine for yourselves!  Here is ONE of my Dad cookin up his specialty!

Then of course came the sporty part of the day.  Calen and Darrin were getting their b-ball on early in the day.  And of course, the infamous volleyball tournaments that take place throughout the day.  It was pretty intense as the day went on and people were having a lot of fun.

And then there were those of us who decided to take the more relaxing approach.  It was a beautiful day outside and so some of us were basking in the sun, staying cool in the shade, and trying to get the stupid ball into the cup!

One of my absolute favorite parts of the 4^th of July however is the free ice cream truck that comes around our block! This has been a part of my 4^th of July tradition for YEARS growing up!  The realtor in our area rents out an ice cream truck and comes around giving out ice cream to all of the good boys and girls.  I personally ALWAYS go for the fire cracker pop.   Looks like everyone was enjoying this special tradition!

Finally we came to the big finale of our party! And no I am not talkin fireworks!  I guess I don’t know if this would be a finale since it didn’t end our day, BUT it was the reason we were all there!  THE FAMILY WAGON 4^th OF JULY BLOCK PARTY DEBUT!  My Dad’s dream finally came true as we had Family Wagon rockin the cul-de-sac!  Ever since my Dad heard Family Wagon play, he has always wanted them to come and play at the block party.  It was SO much fun, and everyone had a great time rockin out!  I know it totally made my family’s day.

Like I said…the best 4^th of July a girl could ask for.  Good friends, good food, good music, good fun.

As for the baby update of the week!  I had another check up today and…drum roll PLEASE!!!!

I GAINED 3 MORE POUNDS!!!

I am now weighing in at a total of 6 pounds heavier than when this journey began.  I was quite proud, and yet my midwife simply laughed at me and rolled her eyes saying that I had better sneak out the back door before every pregnant woman out in the waiting room finds out and hates me forever!  Haha!  Did I mention I LOVE our midwife? She is always cracking me up.  So in summary, baby and I are doing just wonderfully!

I am off to my first baby shower this weekend in Huntington Beach and I CANNOT WAIT!  My mother-in-law Lynette flew in from Kansas last night so that she could be here for the week and I know we are just going to have an amazing time.  ALSO, my second mom Becky Reeves flew in to HB this morning and is helping my mom prep for the weekend. So many fun things and so many fun people!  Good thing Baby Lucas has decided to pop out so that I am showing as to not disappoint anyone!  Now we just need him to give a few good kicks for Grandma Lucas to feel!  (PS he was a little show off over the 4^th weekend and my Dad, Alyson, and Kelsy all got to feel him for the first time!)

I suppose that is all for now.  Calen and I are doing really well and just getting more and more excited for this little one.  Pray for our continued energy and positive spirits as we head into the 6^th week stretch!

Love you all!

Kendall

Those Sweet Moments That Stop Time

I can’t wait to share how fun our 4^th of July was with all of you, but first I need to sit back and rest in the sweet moments that I have been savoring lately.

It’s those simple moments that we often take for granted.  That simple love that we somehow only grab pieces of until we sit back and see the big picture.  The picture that shows us that those little pieces of love are what life is all about. I have been living off of those moments in my life recently and I have been SO full of joy. 

The fact that my husband likes what I make for dinner (even if it is microwave lasagna.)  The way he cuddles me before he leaves for work and kisses me when he gets home and the way he paces back and forth as he tells me about his day.  The way he fills up my gas tank at 1 am after band practice just to surprise me in the morning.  The way he wakes up early and sometimes does the dishes in the sink.  The way he ALWAYS takes the trash out.  The way he talks about our baby boy.  How he trusts me with his secrets, his joys, and his pain. The little pieces of love that he shows me EVERY DAY put a joyful song in my heart and a spring in my step, even when the day seems cloudy.

I know that my little bundle of joy is going to do just that same thing.  Even after a long night of no sleep, I know that I will be up with joy in my heart for these two amazing guys in my life.  Last night, after a long day for Calen we were laying in bed and he was just exhausted.  I didn’t have the words to make him feel better so I just laid there close, my belly up against his. And you know what.  Our little guy wanted to make Daddy feel better.  He knew just what to do.  He started squirming away and for the first time, Calen felt him moving without having to have a hand on my belly.  He was right there between us, letting us know that everything was going to be ok.  Wow.  He isn’t even here yet, and he is already making us tear up and put a smile on our faces. I will always remember that moment.  Feeling as if everything were right in the world and that God’s hand was on our little family.

I love you Calen, and I know that through thick and thin God has His hand on our past, present, and future and I am so proud to be sharing this journey with you.

I hope that everyone can take a minute this week and appreciate the little pieces of love that come your way.  Don’t disregard them or brush them off as unimportant.  Realize how others are impacting your life and thank them for it.  Let God fuel you up to go and share His little pieces of love with others and realized that YOU ARE BLESSED WITH THE HAND OF GOD UPON YOUR LIFE.

Sending little pieces of love to each of you today.

Kendall

Fairing is Caring

YAY FOR THE FAIR!  The Denney's and the Lucases made our way to the San Diego Fair for $2 Tuesdays last week and had SUCH a great time!  We tried all sorts of fair food and we wanted to share our experience with you!  First, here is a compilation video of all that we ate.

As you can see, we had some tasty treats!  When we first got to the fair, we were OVERWHELMED by all of the people and food choices.  Tip #1...do not go to the fair hungry!  It is so hard to decide where to start!  But, we eventually made our choices.

Calen and Justin both started out with the beef skewer!  They were amazing!  Beth got a corn on the cob and I had a cheese on a stick (not pictured obviously because I was the one taking the pictures!)

Within the first 20 minutes of us being at the fair, Beth got a little crazy and spilled on herself...OH WELL!

So after we started off fairly simple, we decided to move on to bigger and better fair food!  Next up on the list were tater twisters, a cinnamon roll, a phili cheese steak sandwich, and a cinnamon roll!!!  ALL FOR $2!!!!  I think we would agree the the cinnamon roll was one of the best purchases of the evening!

Next up was some pizza on a stick, and some fried artichoke hearts.  Beth had been waiting for the artichoke hearts and I don't think that she was disappointed!  While waiting in line, we even got the guys to take a picture in the ice cream cone heads.  Justin missed the memo to hid his arms haha.

Next we moved on to one of my FAVORITE fair treats...FUNNEL CAKE!  Beth and I splurged and bought the full sized funnel cake and it was worth every penny.  We even managed to avoid getting powdered sugar all over ourselves! Well...for the most part!

We ended our night with a large glass of lemonade and a stroll through all of the crazy fair rides.  Next year when I am not pregnant Beth and I are going to be all over those crazy things!  We are dare devils!  Bring on the tickets!

We had such a good time with good friends and I hope we get to do this for many many years.  We love you guys!  And of course, we couldn't leave the fair without one of these...

Love,

Kendall, Calen, and Baby (yes...baby got all of the goods of the fair as well!)

Quick Baby Update

Hi Everyone!

Good news! Baby Lucas is doing AWESOME! We got in for our second sonogram yesterday and it looks like he is doing great! In fact, he is weighing in at 5 pounds 8 ounces and is in the 75th percentile for his age! So he is big! His head is also big! His head is measuring at 36 weeks and 6 days, and I am at 32 weeks and 6 days! CRAZY! Let's hope his body keeps up!

While his head is measuring at 36 weeks, his femur which is the most accurate measurement is coming in right at 32 weeks and 6 days so it looks like he is doing just perfectly as far as growth. So now I can confidentially say, YES! I HAVE ONLY GAINED 3 POUNDS!!! BUT MY BABY IS A BIG BOY AND IS DOING JUST FINE!!! Haha! Hooray!

Calen was there with me of course, and it was so fun because he got to hear the heart beat for the first time. It really is an unreal experience when you hear that little heart goin. I wish I could have gotten Calen's face on camera. So sweet. AND, we got to see that cute little face of his! Check out the chunker cheeks on this kid! I can't wait to squeeze them!

Just to help those of you out who are not inclined to looking at sonograms... OH! And PS, if you haven't figured this out already, if you click on the picture, it will make it larger!

And now the cute one!

Don't these pictures just make you love him even more! I know that Calen and I are deeply falling in love with this baby who isn't even here yet. I cannot even begin to imagine how great it is going to feel holding that little one--or maybe chunky one for the first time! Thanks everyone for your support and prayers! We love you!

Love,

Kendall, Calen, and Big Head Baby C

It’s All About Baby!

I am happy to announce that I had another successful and healthy doctor’s appointment yesterday! Baby and I are doing great! His “kick count” has been right on target, his heart rate is perfect…what can I say, I have a perfect little man growing in there! I am very proud!

I am doing well too. As an update to last week’s post, I am still only 3 lbs heavier than when I started this journey BUT I got the reassuring confirmation that my uterus is exactly the size it needs to be. FUN FACT: Apparently your uterus size (measured from the top of your bump—under my ribs, to the bottom) should be approximately the same amount of centimeters as you are weeks along. So I am at 32 weeks and my uterus is exactly 32 centimeters. My doctor continues to tell me that both the baby and I are healthy and in great shape and I trust her. HOWEVER, she says in order to put all of those naysayers to rest, we could do another ultrasound. Her exact words were “ta hell with it, let’s get you another ultrasound so we can see that beautiful baby boy of yours!” Did I mention that I absolutely LOVE her? So, within the next 3 weeks Calen and I get to see baby C again and see how big he has gotten! I am super duper excited! I am also excited because my doc told me to go and eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING I wanted at the San Diego fair!!! I cannot wait!

Another exciting aspect of this week has been that the baby room looks like a baby room! We had a successful “Baby Day” where Calen (with my assistance of course) put together the crib and we FINALLY made that room fit for a baby! There isn’t much in there right now, just a crib, bookshelf, and rad supposed to be music room couch—but it is going to be beautiful. I promise to update the blog with pictures soon. It is so exciting to walk down our hall and see the crib through the door! Eek! It makes it VERY real!

We also signed up for some “Baby Prep” classes this week!!! Calen and I will be attending a hospital tour where they will walk us through what will happen on the BIG DAY, then Calen will be dragged to a breast feeding class (sorry hun…it’s just another adventure right!!!) No, he really is very supportive. And then finally we will be taking a weekend labor and delivery class. Both of us are excited for the opportunity to learn about what is coming up and continue to prepare ourselves. I think that these classes will be great for us and I know that Calen will keep me laughing as always. I love that man.

Well that is the update for now! As soon as I get some pictures and hear more about Calen and Spencer’s man trip to Chicago, I will make sure and add pictures and stories. ALSO, Family Wagon has two awesome shows coming up on the 1st and 4th of July. The 1st of July will be at the Belly Up in Solana Beach and is going to be an AWESOME show! Check out their facebook for more information. The second show on the 4th is actually going to be rockin in Huntington Beach in my hometown neighborhood! Call or email me if you want more information! It is going to be one heck of a block party!

Hope that you are all doing well and enjoying this time that God has for each of us. Come by and see us soon!!! Being pregnant is not holding this lady back!

XOXO
Kendall, Calen, and Baby

Out and About

After being so proud of myself for being a consistent blogger, I finally hit a bump in the road. SO, after a FULL month (and a few days) I have so much to share but I think I will keep it limited so that this blog doesn’t go on and on for days and you all stop reading half way through.

There are a few things I want to mention before I get on to my exciting details of my trip to visit my best friend Emily in Boulder, CO. First!!!! KELSY GRADUATED FROM PLNU!!!! It was SUCH a fun weekend getting to celebrate my amazing sister with all of her accomplishments and to spend time with friends and family. For those of you who don’t know, my baby sister has been accepted into the Fuller Psychology PHD program and will be starting in September! That’s right people P-H-D!!!! 6 years from now we will be calling her Dr. Kelster Belster. Or maybe Dr. Kelsy Lyn Alta Maude. Or maybe just Dr. Kelsy. Haha, no matter how you say it, it is amazing! Here are some of the highlights.

Nana thought that she was pretty special getting a ride from Calen up to the graduation ceremony

Kelsy & Riley

Kelsy & her friend Garrett got to sit next to each other during graduation since they have the same last name! Too fun!

Kelsy lead her class in the Alma Matter!

The second thing is that I celebrated my first Mother’s Day this year! Calen and I celebrated with my Mom and Dad in Huntington Beach having a wonderful and relaxing weekend. Calen surprised me with some adorable baby books that have things you can touch and are just perfect for babies! He also got me a SNOOGLE!!! I wish that I had a picture of ME with this amazing contraption, but you will just have to do with the image below…Basically it is a pillow for pregnant ladies to help with their back and side pain, and I LOVE it! You did good babe!

It was such a special day to share with my Mom and it made me realize that all these years I have not treated her special enough on this special day. I think maybe its something you don’t realize until you are going through the motions of becoming a mom yourself. But Mom, I just want to say that I love you more than I could ever show and I am SO grateful for you, especially during this time of becoming a mother. I hope to be just like you.

Alright, no more mushy gushy stuff! Haha! Now to tell you all about my trip to Boulder, CO!!! I decided one day that before I had this baby, I wanted to have a girls weekend with my best friend Emily Reeves whom I have known for basically my entire life. SO, I booked a ticket and showed up in Colorado just a few weeks later. We had a wonderful weekend filled with LOTS of laughter that made my sides ache (literally!) It was so great catching up and just talking about life. Emily is currently attending the Boulder School of Massage Therapy (is that what it’s called Em?) and I got to go to class with her and enjoy a 2 HOUR massage from none other than Emily herself! I also learned a thing or two. It was a blast—minus the pain she caused me from all of those pressure point things or whatever…I guess I didn’t learn very much haha! Then of course our weekend was filled with shopping, eating, hiking, and more eating. Here are some pictures to re-cap our amazing weekend.

Em and I got to hang out at the Boulder Music Festival that was going on while I was there. It was so much fun!

We met up with my good friend Katie who I knew from High School who has been living in Boulder.

Emily's "Birthday" dinner from my Mom! Yummy cheeseburgers!

Emily & Erich at dinner

We HAD to stop for ice cream after! The baby sure loved it!

So, this is going to sound crazy. But last time I was in Boulder, I took this amazing (or so I think) picture of a squirrel and then accidentally deleted most of my pictures from the trip...yes, sadly the squirrel picture was part of the collection that was lost. SO, I was on a mission for a good squirrel picture. I think I succeeded.

Emily capturing me in action after the squirrel

Me and Emily in the center of CU Boulder!

This picture is mostly for my Dad. One of his favorite Emily stories was when she rushed the field after a football game and lost her flip flop in the craziness.

This is Ralphie, the school mascot. Apparently if you give him a good rub while you are on your campus tour, you will have good luck to get into the school.

The buildings on this campus are absolutely beautiful.

This is Em and I at the Lost Gulch up in the foothills of Boulder. You can see the Rocky Mountains in the background.

I have fallen in love with Boulder and Calen and I decided that if we can ever afford a summer home somewhere…that’s where we want it to be! If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend visiting. It is a beautiful and fun town with lots to do and see.

We have just had the best time recently seeing friends we haven’t seen in a while. To top off my awesome weekend with Emily, Calen’s cousin Brady (who married us at our wedding) was in SoCal and so we met up with him in HB and showed him a good time!

We had a great time visiting with you Brady and we hope to see you and your beautiful family soon!

NOW! Baby update! What this blog was originally created for! Haha! Baby and I are doing well. He is still nameless which is KILLING me! I just want to know what his name is supposed to be and be done with it. I really don’t know how we are going to ever choose. If anyone has any tips in this field, it would be greatly appreciated!

I am in my 31st week of pregnancy and my THIRD AND FINAL TRIMESTER! With only 9 weeks and 5 days until my due date, Calen and I are finally starting to get that nesting feeling. I find myself finally ready to attack that spare bedroom and turn it into a play palace for our little guy. We have decided that tomorrow is “Baby Day” and so we have devoted the day to working on the room and making sure we have everything ready in time.

We start our “kick count” this week, and so I will be tracking how long it takes the baby to kick 10 times. It makes me a little nervous because sometimes I feel like it would take him FOREVER to get to 10, and other days he is there in 5 minutes, so keep us in your prayers and pray that this little man goes CRAZY for his kick count every day so we have nothing to worry about.

Another thing I would really appreciate prayer for would be my “size.” I know it sounds funny, but everyone has been commenting on how small I am and it is starting to get to me. My midwife tells me that I am fine and that I have nothing to worry about, but after 5 women tell you that you are small for how far along you are it can make a girl nervous/self conscious. As of my last check up, which was about 3 weeks ago, I had only gained 3 lbs. Up to that point I had either been the same weight or loosing a little bit of weight. BUT like I said, my midwife is not concerned at all and so I am trying to trust her and not let other people get to me. Who knows, I could go into my appointment in 2 weeks and have gained 15 lbs! God is in control and He knows what he is doing with me and this little one, so I need to focus on that and as our pastor says “let go and let God.”

Here are some belly pictures from my weekend in Colorado. See! He is in there!

Emily is telling the baby that SHE is the favorite, not Kelsy who has been trying to brainwash him for months!

We love you all and look forward to continuing our walk with each of you in our lives.

Love,

Kendall, Calen, and nameless Baby C

P.S. My sister is out doing Summer Ministry Team with PLNU again this summer where her and a team of musicians are traveling around Arizona, New Mexico, and California sharing the love of God through worship music at Junior and Senior high camps. Please keep her and her team in your prayers as you think of our family. Hope you are having fun Kels! Miss ya already!

Boy, n: A noise with dirt on it.

This blog post is one of those that sits in your head for a while until you can fully process what you want to say, and then when it comes time to spit it out, you are not sure if it is even going to come out right.  But this is something that I have wanted to share for about a week and a half so here it goes!

 BOYS.  For most of my life boys were really of little interest to me.  I had very little in common with them: I wasnt athletic, I didn’t love video games, I didn’t really like getting dirty or breaking rules, I watched sports but didn’t know any FAQ’s…the list goes on and on.  But I think what it really comes down to is that I didn’t know how to just be myself around guys.  I didn’t lack confidence or feel nervous around them, but I was just never comfortable like my sister always seemed to be!  Haha!

 But now I am having my own little boy and of course a bunch of thoughts and questions come up.  How will I relate to this little guy?  I am not athletic so will he think I am boring?  How will I ever understand or relate to the things that he is going through?

 But then I stop myself.

 And what I really want to share with you is how I look around at the current men in my life and all of those fears melt away.  I am surrounded with these amazing men, who I may not always be able to relate to, but they care for me and I care for them and that’s all that matters.

 It all started with my Dad.  He has always been a great example of unfailing love in my life.  He embraced having two daughters who dance and sing and he has been supportive of me every step of my life.  He showed me how to really love with how he loves my family and I hope that our little one can grow up seeing that in his Grandpa.

 I have the most loving and wonderful husband who loves me as I am.  Even if I may be a wet blanket at times, he knows how to push me to try new things and I am so grateful for him.  He, for the first time in my life showed me love in a new way.  A love that I never knew existed, and I know he is going to be the most wonderful role model for Baby Lucas.  He is going to be THE BEST father.

 Then there is Spencer.  Calen’s best friend from college and family to the two of us.  He has always made me feel welcome and comfortable.  He has always looked out for me and I know that he will always be there for our family.  Spence, if our baby has an ounce of your kindness in him, we will truly be blessed. 

 And of course we have the band guys Ryan, Brian, and Gareth.  These guys make rock hard, but they are softies!  Sorry to ruin your image guys.  Haha!  I know that each of them cares so about Calen and I and it touches my heart the way that they really want to protect our family and make sure that our little guy has everything he needs.  I don’t know if the three of you read this, but I hope you know that I feel so blessed to have you each in my life and I know that our little man is going to think you all are the coolest!

 Then there are all of you guys out there who have been my friends throughout so many different parts of my life.  I can think of so many names and faces that have molded and shaped me into the person I am today and how you are so special to me.  I hope to take a piece of what I have learned from each of you and instill that in the little guy…with all of that he will be unstoppable!  Look out ladies!

 Am I even making a point anymore!  Haha!  What I am trying to say is that I HOPE and PRAY that our little man grows up to be like each of the men in my life—Loving, caring, goofy, strong, driven, intelligent, talented, handsome, happy, and God loving.  Thank you for being a part of my life and for walking with Calen and I through this journey.  I can’t wait for baby to meet all of these special men who are going to be such wonderful influences on his life.

 Love,

Kendall