The Little Kocherhans Family!

It's....A...........Girl!!

2010-09-15T09:30:00.001-07:00

Yup that's right for the first time in (almost) History Brian has guessed wrong about the sex of a baby! We are having a Girl!! Kaylee gets a little sister to be BFF's with! We are very excited! And yes we are pretty dang sure (don't worry Brian double checked with the ultrasound tech! lol) We have pictures (which I won't sport you with by posting...)

So sorry I didn't post this the second we found out like I had planned to, but yesterday was a crazy day! I went from an ultrasound appointment to a doctors appointment; and then straight to a dentist appointment. Only to go from there to a Young Women's planning meeting and then an activity! By the time I got home and made my little dinner at 10 o'clock I was pretty bushed! But that's ok because tonight Brian and I go to a celebratory Birthday/we're having a girl Dinner at an amazing new Japanese restaurant!

Potty Training!

2010-08-17T17:31:00.001-07:00

Yes that is right we are potty training! My goal is to have Kaylee totally potty trained by her second Birthday! And we are happy to announce that our hard work is finally paying off! She isn't totally there yet, she can't quite go without help. But she has finally gotten it and is starting to prefer the potty to diapers. (Perhaps that is because I shamelessly bribe her with "try treats and Go treats" PLUS we ran out of wipes today so we were" roughing it" with paper towels! lol) But nevertheless we will celebrate our victories no matter how great or small! Good Job Kaylee!

Graduation!!!

2010-08-17T17:11:00.001-07:00

Oh my goodness!! We are finally done...well for now anyways ;) !! Brian has officially finished all of his course work and has earned his Bachelors degree!! Seriously, you have no idea how happy this makes him! So all we are waiting for is the official diploma to come and we are good to go.

K so let me take just a second to brag a little bit about my Hubbie....He is awesome not only did he earn a four year degree in just two years (we took one off so I don't really count that one), but he did it while working full time and keeping up with our lives with moving and buying a house and having kids...you know that sort of thing!

The only sad thing about this whole affair is that we just missed the last graduation ceremony by a few weeks :( and the next one isn't until the first week of February! And even though I insisted that I really could give birth and attend his ceremony with all of the grace and pose us Parry women can muster; he just wouldn't buy it! So alas he won't be walking!! No matter I guess! I made Brian promise to let me take pictures of him in a cap and gown anyways once the diploma gets here! So pictures to come sometime in the relatively distant future!

So this week is celebration week!

**sigh**

It's done!

I love you honey!

P.s. sorry I know the picture is just a little random, but I can't help it I am pregnant and I LOVE this pic of Brian! It is one of my favs. because it makes me smile! And to answer your question...yes, that is what Brian was like as a child!...or so I am told! :)

Kaylee and the Jalapeno Popper

2010-07-28T03:55:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that Kaylee is SOOO funny!! Many of you might already know but Kaylee is a VERY adventurous eater. To name a few of her weirder favorites: Salsa, BBQ Sauce, curry, Wassabi (yes I am totally not kidding), this girl will even eat lemons like an orange without batting an eye!

So last night in celebration of Star Craft II's release (its a video game for those of you who don't speak nerd :) I decided to bring home Arby's for dinner. Fast food is normally not allowed as a dinner, but we all make exceptions right! Besides we love their Jalapeño poppers! Eventually we decided to let Kaylee try a Jalapeño Popper. I confess I just wanted to see her reaction especially because I can't think of a single food she just plain won't eat! So she takes a bite....."Oh Wow!!!...then her little eyes widen and a little serious look comes to her face....and she looks up at Brian and says: " Oh Wow!!! That's Amazing!!"

So I guess Jalapeños are added to the list! :)

P.S. I'm Pregnant!

2010-07-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

Yup you heard it correctly! I can officially announce that indeed I am preggo! I am totally excited! Yes it was planned, yes you can now tell anyone you want, and no we don't know what we are having yet. My due date is January 29th! which makes me just over 12 weeks along!

Holy Cow...It's an Update!!

2010-07-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

OMGosh!!! It's really here....a new Update! I know it's been months! Yeah sorry about that! I know I have totally earned the "Horrible Hypocrite Blogging Award"!! I will totally admit it! But in my defense......um.....well OK so I don't really have one, but here I am now to beg your forgiveness and give you a much needed official update!

Well let's see....we have finally settled into our new townhouse. We absolutely LOVE not renting!! We have done a ton of work to it already (as it was definitely a fixer-upper!) And amazingly there is still a ton of projects yet to do. We had to scrub everywhere (I hate to say it but the people who owned before us were dirty and I won't even tell you the things I had to scrub off the walls!) Paint (everywhere!), put in new carpets, replace the floor in the bathroom upstairs along with the fixtures, fix the hot tub, re-stain the porch, and we are currently working on restoring the backyard deck and planters!

Honestly I think I will always have some kind of constant project going! It will NEVER end!! Here are some of the pictures of the bigger projects :)

This is the color we ended up going with! We liked it so much that it's pretty much what we painted the whole house! It was a LOT of painting!!

Here is the new floor in the bathroom. We changed out the old plastic orange fixture with a cheap $10 one..but I will post additional pictures as I get around to replacing it with a permanent one and new fixtures everywhere else!

Here Is what the living room set up ending up being...for those of you who helped with our never ending furniture placing debate! LOL I know I know I have yet to decorate, but to be honest I figured that I would get all of these dang projects out of the way first and then decorate....so basically it may never happen! Good thing I am not high Maintenance like that ;)

Well that about covers the high lights of moving in and doing the basic move in repairs! Kaylee loves the new space and is just the cute crazy girl that she naturally is...Here are a few of the cute pics of her favorite things to do around the house!

K so the next four are fuzzy but adorable! She LOVES to help out with laundry, much to my frustration!

Kaylee's guide to folding laundry:

Step one: Investigate Mommy's perfectly folded piles

Step two: Shake!

Step Three: "Hmmm...what is it?"

Step Four: "A Hat!!"

And your done!!

Here is a picture of Kaylee "helping" to re-organize my desk! .

Read! She loves it and has memorized most of her books now!

A girls got to have a sword...am I right?!

Crazy hair day!!

Getting ready for high heels already!! We are so in trouble!

Yup... definitely in trouble!

And lastly she loves forts! But only if someone can crawl inside with her! cause playing forts alone is just no fun!

Brian Update:

Brian is doing really well lately. He has one class more to finish until he graduates WGU!!!!!!!!!!

We are so happy for that day to come! Work is going fantastically! He is really enjoying some of the projects that he is working on ( I would tell you all about them, but trust me they are so technical unless you work in his exact field you wouldn't understand half of it!) But he is able to incorporate his love of gaming into some of his projects and that is like Brian Heaven!! Other than work, school, and gaming ...he is still the same old Brian we all know and love! Although a note must be made of Brian's new found love of Hot Tubs! Yes we finally got our's up and running. Mostly due to Brian's genius and hard work! And let me tell you it is so worth it! Brian doesn't think he could ever live without one now! Here are some pics of that renovation project!

Haha! First we had to go under the house and fix some water pipes that ran to the hot tub and stuff! It's really gross down there and there's snakes!

Brian was not a happy camper!!

Then we had to reinstall some broken parts that had deteriorated due to neglect.

And clean everything out until I felt it was sanitary!

But then we were left with this:

A beautiful Hot tub!

And a very happy family!

K so the last project I have to brag about for a second is the play kitchen that I made for Kaylee! So I have always wanted to make one of these little things, but didn't want to invest the time and money into a toy that she wouldn't like or be interested in. So this little cardboard kitchen is a made from boxes condensed inside each other (for stability) and $8 worth of "stuff" . not only is it cheap, but a good "test run" for the real thing one day! check it out!

TaDA!
K so all of the knobs turn...the curtain I attached with elastic so it opens and closes, and there is even a secret compartment under the sink.

And the oven door opens! I am so proud!

Well that is basically it! I think I am all caught up ... pictorially at least! I apologize if this post has been a little disjointed. I just figured you all would want to see more pictures than just read about boring stuff! Well talk to ya later the "monster" just woke up from her nap :)

FINALLY Our New Townhouse!!

2010-01-09T06:06:00.001-08:00

Well as many of you know the reason I haven't been posting is because Brian and I have become insanely busy with the process of trying to buy an awesome foreclosed townhouse that we got for a killer deal! But with the crazy bank and having to re-schedual our closing 5 times; it has taken up almost our entire attention lately! But we finally got to close on the property last night!!!!! We are so excited. Not only is it more space than we have now, but it also LOWERS our cost of rent very significantly!! On the flip side...it is VERY dirty and needs a lot of basic TLC! You may not be able to tell in the pictures but the walls are actually a light pink and lavender, so that is the first thing that is going to go!

So consider these the before pics :) sorry some are out of order! And I have no idea what happened to this text but I am too lazy to fix it sorry!

Here is what it looks like from the street! Its actually in a little closed-like community and has a little park that is in the middle of the community. There is actually a creek and then a little lake/reservoir/mosquito breeding ground behind the property but you cant see it at all through all the trees.

K so this one is out of order but this is meant to show how the law out of the bottom floor goes. Brian is walking past the kitchen and our Realtor is actually back in the "sun room" area.

Here is the living room!!! (If you skip down you will see the other half of the room including the front door! oops!)

The Kitchen! I am totally in love with all of the cupboard space!

Here is the other half of the living room. Any suggestions for furniture arranging? :)

This is a TINY guest bath that is basically where one would expect to see the hall closet! And its pretty much the same size as well. The Silver lining?!....Now we can watch TV from the bathroom! Whew Hew!

Here are the back door and windows! Personally I like it. You can also see the back yard, and yes that is a hot tub you see back there. Note how you can open the door and go directly into the tub! How cool is that! (It's actually a nice unit..it just hasn't been kept up for a LONG time so we will have to see in a few months if we can restore or salvage it.)

The Master bedroom

The One and Only main Bath! Its pretty gross right now! The lighting is really orange in this pic because of a HIDEOUS PLASTIC light fixture that hasn't been cleaned in a few years.

This small little room is perfect for Kaylee!

We call this the red room! Any doubts as to why?! P.S this room actually gets a good amount of natural light its just a REALLY dark blood red color!

This will be Brian's office/ Guest bedroom.

K so that's the end of the tour! I hope you all enjoyed and didn't get too confused :) I promise I will keep trying to update the blog...But obviously we have a lot of cleaning and painting in our future!

Kaylee is a POOP Face!!!

2009-10-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

Kaylee and I...we are not best friends right now.

You see it started this morning when she went down for her morning nap. About 45 minutes into it I started to hear her playing...now this alone is not unusual ...Then I heard jumping..... Silence... more playing....so I decided to go check on her. Here is what I found:

Kaylee standing in her pack n' play commando style! That's right she took off her pants and Diaper!!! And yes she did pee in her bed...and POOP!!! I guess the playing sounds make more sense now. But where was the offending diaper you ask?!! Well I found it INSIDE OUT thrown against the wall behind her bed....with her GUCKY (pacifier) thrown on top!!! As for Kaylee she was COVERED in POOP! Including on her hands (which were in her MOUTH when I found her!!!!!!!!!) Nice.

Like I said...We are not friends right now!

Just more Cuteness!

2009-10-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry the camera ran out of battery at the end and cut off but its still pretty cute!

Mommy's little Girl!

2009-10-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

So just in the past week of so Kaylee has been turning into such a spunky little girl!!! I love it! Especially because Brian just rolls his eyes and sighs and comments on how she is such a girl and we are going to be in big trouble when she is older!!! :)

Here are some of her Girly habits: she loves chapstick (Grandma taught her that one! She brought strawberry flavored chapstick when she came to visit!) , She wears her bracelets and her fairy wings for hours at a time (it's quite funny cause she will also insist on carrying around her plastic purse around with it! She accessorizes!!), She carries her baby dolls (or anything soft for that matter) around on her shoulder and pats in on the back just like a mommy, and she has started kissing all of the pictures of boys that she can get a hold of!!!! She kisses Daddy's pictures, Grandpa's picture, Jesus's Picture, and ESPECIALLY Jason's picture!!! LOL

Here is a cute little video of her obsessing over Uncle Jason! Seriously she was crushing bad!

Sushi Friday!!!

2009-10-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

So I can proudly say: I can officially roll my own sushi!!!

Looks like Fridays are now Sushi Fridays!!

Think of all of the money we will save!

Going on a FLY HUNT....Gonna catch a BIG one...

2009-10-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

So I guess Kaylee has decided to join my crusade on the War on Bugs!!

Here she is with her little "fly swatter"

...."Like a coiled Viper ...she strikes!"

She got him!! Good Job Kaylee!

Our little soccer player!

2009-10-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Round One--to the Bugs!

2009-09-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

That's right you pesky little fly--gloat in your victory...first you invade my house & elude my flyswatter! You Buzz. You Bite. But attacking people? You go too far!! Sure you probablly think it was funny! Seeing my horrified face as you FLEW INTO my nose. You may have even silently chuckled to yourself when you heard my gagging & swearing as you FLEW back out my MOUTH!!!!!!!!!!! But don't worry...I got the last laugh now didn't I!!! Hahahaha ........

P.S. it really was disgusting!!!

Crazy Baby!!

2009-09-25T12:45:00.001-07:00

Crazy "Wee little Thing!" (As Tia would say!)

So Kaylee has a favorite DVD that she has been carrying around with her everywhere the last few days. She walks with it, stops, sits down to look some more and point, and then gets back up. I even caught her trying to kiss it!

But I mean as a woman who hasn't had a crush on Collin Firth right?!!

But eventually I tried to take it away...

Unforgivable!! Note how forcefully she places her hands on her hips and how passionately she yells "Nnnn Nnnnn Nnnnn (No No) Ddddd Ddddd!
Yup that' s right she thinks its a picture of Daddy!

So to test this theory I show her an ACTUAL picture of Brian....

....... I have no words.....maybe she is in a trance?!! Your guess is as good as mine...

But eventually I had to take that picture away too!

It was the sadest thing that happened in her life!

Crazy Baby!

Grandma!!!

2009-09-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

Cute moment:

Brian and I were chatting the other evening about my mother-in-law Teresa coming to visit and Brian turned to Kaylee (who was toddling around on the floor ) and asked her: "Do you want to GO see Grandma?!"

She immediately squealed and RAN to her carseat and sat down! She knew what GO meant! And she heard GO and GRANDMA in the same sentance!!! It was too cute!!

She deffinetly loves her Grandma!

Mommy's Magical Highchair!

2009-09-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right! I finally bought Kaylee a high chair! And it is wonderful let me tell ya!! We have just been using her swing since it has a removable tray...but since kaylee has become a lot more mobile it has been a little crazy! She was starting to swing herself and bend over low enough to forage for food! That's pretty much what did it!

However, I am now a firm believer in high chairs! Kaylee loves it and it keeps her occupied for a good hour ususally!! And for a Mom that really is magical!

Here is her first "sit" in her new "big girl chair"!

30 minutes later and she is still smiling!

One of my favorite views...a happy, quiet, and entertained baby that lets me clean my kitchen in peace!

Fun with Daddy!!

2009-09-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, sadly....he is training her early!!!

Random fun with Kaylee!

2009-09-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

She just couldn't find a single thing to wear!!

Fun in a tub! Literally!

Helping Mommy with the Laundry!

Brian's Birthday!

2009-09-14T19:22:00.001-07:00

So for Brian's birthday he decided he wanted a rather relaxed day with sushi of course! Kelly translation: Sushi Birthday!!! So here's what we did:

First, Tia and I got up early and decorated the apartment!

And the Bedroom...

Here is my sushi!! I made them out of rice crispies and fruit roll ups! They were awesome! Everything was edible even the little grass!

And best of all Brian loved them!!

Happy Birthday Brian!!!

P.S. Thank you to all of you who talked to him and sent cards on his birthday! He really appreciated it!!

Colonial Williamsburg!

2009-09-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

So every Saterday Tia and I try to go exploring! Basically we decided that since we are stuck around the house all week it is our one day to go and see stuff and wander around! For the most part we have been ok...although I can't say that we have gotten out every saterday!

This particular week we decided to go see Colonial Williamsburg! Now Colonial Williamsburg is also for the most part considered the "down town" area where we live. I totally have to mention that the day we went it was like 103 degrees outside with 95 % humitity!!! Basically we all sweat more than we thought humanly possible...let alone in public!!

Anyways, Colonial Williamsburg is full of period buildings and recreations, little shops, the historical Williams and Mary campus, and little museums. So it is free to just roam around the streets and see the sights and talk to the reinactors that wander around and preform! It's quite cool!

P.S. I tried to post different pics that the ones Tia posted. So you may want to look at her post if you want to see all of the other pics!

This is what the shopping area looks like!

And another shop!

Kaylee pouting over the heat and my insistance that she wear a hat!

I love this building!

Sorry this pic is a little random! The first building that you come to that was obviously original was an old stone church! It was really cool to just be able to walk the grounds are read all of the old english descriptions on the tombstones! These two gravestones simply say: "Confederate soldier".

This is the governer's Manor! (Yes it is an original building)

Tia and Kaylee

Our attempt at a group shot!

The view down main street. If you look carefully you can see some of the old cobblestone road that ran through the town! How awesome is that!

So this was one of the reinactors! I REALLY wanted a pic of him...so basically we stalked him the entire time!

More colonial buildings....its worth mentioning that not all the buildings like these are not original they were recreated however according to their foundations that we uncovered!

These are all little shops and museums you can walk through!

Tia fell in love with the lambs in a nearby field! (the building in the background is actually a cleaverly disguised public bathroom!)

We said hi to the horses that pull tours around!

Kaylee's Favorite part of the day was being allowed to walk on pea-gravel!!! crazy kid! It was actually kind of funny because she was so extatic that she started to draw a little crowd of seniors who thought she was pretty cute! Then she had an audience....which made her love the rocks even more!

These are actual roads that cars drive down .....and people live on!

Just a pretty awesome building! This is actually a private residence so people actually live there still!

She's My Girl!!

2009-09-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

Just in case there was any question.....She is definitely my daughter!

Hey look she fixed it!!!

2009-09-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

So I finally broke down and bought an external memory card reader for my camera! I was a little grumpy having to do so as we have a perfectly good printer with a very usable memory port on it but....I was really tired of having a TON of pics and no way of posting them! So if the next few posts seem really random and out of order that is not your imagination. No worries!

Videos!!

2009-09-01T07:13:00.001-07:00

K so I finally got some of my videos to post. Sorry some of them are a little random cause I can only post the smaller ones for now. And Yes, they will be all about Kaylee....nothing else is interesting around here!

K so here we go!

Kaylee 2 mo old! She was so small!

Her first TV obsession! p.s. she is still 2 mo old here!

Kaylee's First Laugh!

Kaylee's VERY first crawl! I was really just messing with the camera and she did it right on cue!

And just a cute little video about nothing in particular!

Tia's Here!!!

2009-07-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

Well as many of you know it has been about a week since Tia came out here to VA to come live with Brian, Kaylee, and I for a while. Sorry things have seemed to speed up with her here and not slow down so I havent found a spare moment to blog until now!!

She is doing really well so far. Honestly, we havent done anything amazing yet she is just settling into our schedual! Every morning she gets up with me and we do our yoga and then take Kaylee for a morning walk (only about four miles) if it's not too humid (other wise dehydration sets in REALLY quick). Then we just kind of settle into the day and I cook, clean, do laundry, and whatever else!

It's been really nice having her out here. Brian and I finially got to go out on a real date!!!!! We just went out to dinner to a famous local seafood resterant locally here in williamsburg, but it was really quite weird for us! I dont really think we have been able to go on a real date since.....well I cant remember exactly....since Kaylee was born?!!

I was also given two callings in the ward on sunday. I am really excited about them because I was hoping that they would give me SOMETHING to do! So I am now officially the assistant liburarian and on the enrichment commity!! Nothing huge but they will both be new callings for me so that is really exciting. Plus it will help me to get to know everyone in the ward a little easier!

On another note, I helped set Tia up with her own blog yesterday! Its marysueslayer.blogspot.com so make sure to check it out! I know that she has at least one post so far! I am sure she can tell you all about how she is doing on her blog!!!

Anyways, other than that I think we are doing pretty much the same as we always are!! Kaylee is doing well....getting big! Still skinny but she seems to be getting longer by the day! We expect her to take her first steps any day now.

Well I will post again soon when I have some news or pictures or something!

Teeth!

2009-07-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

It's official my baby has teeth! Looks like we will need a toothbrush soon! You can see them and everything! Check it out!

2 Years and still Kickin!

2009-07-17T08:01:00.000-07:00

Wow doesn't it seem way longer than two years?!! I mean in a good way of course! So to celebrate I thought it would be fun to take a trip down memory lane! So here we go!

(Please see slideshow to the left!)

Don't forget this amazing clip!!

K so I just actually watched it and this is totally the wrong clip! Oopps! I am going to just leave it cause it took a LONG time to upload!

I Just Saved a man's Life!

2009-07-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

The weirdest thing happened to me this morning! I decided to throw our morning schedual out the window and take Kaylee to the Park in the morning (when it was cooler!) instead of in the afternoon.

So off we go, Me and Kaylee in the stoller. Right before I got to the park a little thought popped into my head telling me to keep walking down the trail and NOT stop at the park. Now, I have never followed the trail beyond the park so this was kinda random thing to think. But I went a head and kept walking when all of a sudden a white pick-up truck pulls over and this BURLEY old guy jumps out and starts trying to wave cars down off the road.

By this time I had stopped a little perplexed, but being not too far from the guy I sped up to see what was going on. He was choking! So I ran up to him and he motioned for me to hit his back...which of course I did. So anyways a minute or two went by and I am still pounding and people are starting to stop and run out to help. When he finally clears his throat and starts breathing again! So Kaylee and I stay with him for a minute or two. As it turns out he seems to be a pretty nice guy. And as suddenly as he stopped ...he was off! He didnt wait around for an ambulance or anything.

What an interesting day this is turning out to be!

The Playroom

2009-06-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

So we finally caved! Kaylee was just way too mobile! We decided that we could convert our dining room into a gated playroom. It actually works out pretty well. Kaylee is still adjusting though. She is at the stage where she wants me to hold her ALL day! you know the one! I cant put her down or leave the room or she will howl!

At least now she has a safe place that I can put her when I just need to get things done! Screaming or no!

Father's Day!!

2009-06-25T06:12:00.001-07:00

So this year we decided not to do anything too big (same for Mother's Day). So the festivities were pretty simple. First I went out and got a whole bunch of special groceries (like carmel flaun & fresh peaches and creme ect..) for the week. But for the actual Father's Day it was Breakfast in Bed & a small Present! Here are the pics! Check out the cute little card I made with Kaylee's help!

Our Trip to Utah

2009-06-17T06:13:00.000-07:00

K so due to popular demand here is the first installment of pics from my recent trip to Utah. Sorry I dont have all of them! I know that most of you have sent me pics but I am still waiting on some other videos and stuff that just take a while to process and send. So I will update them as I can! Again sorry! But enjoy the pics anyways!

So this pic was taken on the way to the airport. Seriously, this is what all of the roads look like! What these trees are concealing is a Suburban housing complex!!!

So this pic was taken on the monday after we got to utah. Kaylee loved swinging and got SOO attached to Kara! We actually arrived Saterday night to suprise Kara and the kids for their Birthday! Sunday we went to church and then Great Grandma and Grandpa Crowley came and made us pot roast and mashed potatoes! (My Fav!!)

Kaylee and Kara!

Trying on hats with Grandma!

On Tuesday, we got to spend the day with Grandma Cindy and Corinne and the boys! Here they are at the zoo!

Grandma bought Kaylee this hat! And we love it!

Corinne and Alex!

After the Zoo we went swimming! (See corinne's blog for other cute water pics of Kaylee and the boys!)

Wednesday, Was a big day for Kelsea! First she totally rocked at her solo she sang for the end of the year talent show, then she graduated, and then....

She got her ears peirced! This was the last pic she ever took without peirced ears!

And the first one with!

Ok so these are some adorable pics we took with Kaylee playing with the dogs! This was for Brian as he didnt get to come!

Here she is "riding" on Maddy!

Check out this video it's hilarious!

Friday, Jordan had a battle of the bands compitition. I think the pic is way funny! They were totally the best band BTW and chicks started jumping up and dancing in the front and everything!!!

And for the most random pic of all.....Teresa's flowers bloomed the last day we were there! They were so georgous and reminded me of the blooms at our wedding reception...so I took a pic!

Discovering Grass

2009-05-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

Today we learned about grass!

First we weren't too sure about it....

And it felt a little funny.....

Then I found a really cool flower...

But Mommy wouldn't let me eat it!!

But that's OK I guess...I like grass!

Weird Weather!

2009-05-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post a pic of one of the many mini downpours we seem to get every few days! This particular storm blew in about a half hour after we got home from the park and only lasted twenty minutes!

Kidsburg!!

2009-05-16T07:22:00.001-07:00

So I think that I have mentioned before that we have a very awesome park just down the street from our apartment building. So I thought that I would post some pics for you guys to see one of Kaylee and my trips!

The Entrance

How cool is this!

There is even a wooden Mayflower play structure! PS. everything is designed for parents to be able to easily accompany kids (ie..height and ramp accessible)

Kaylee's first time trying the baby swings! I love how she spreads her arms! We are going to be in trouble when she discovers roller coasters!

And she loved it!

Other Randomness

2009-05-05T12:18:00.001-07:00

Hey people! I finally found by battery charger for my camera so here is a few of the latest pics of Kaylee and stuff!

Kaylee rolled under the coffee table and got stuck of course!
I just thought this one was kinda cute!

The view from out patio!

Another "backyard" view!

The Box!!!

2009-05-05T11:54:00.001-07:00

So yesterday I turn around for just two minutes to make Kaylee a bottle and this is what I find...

Kaylee...

And the box!!!!

She ate it!!! I am so not kidding either! Now to be fair to her...she LOVES boxes. Of any shape, size or color! So we should have figured she would try to eat one sooner or later! But somehow she managed to lean out of her seat enough to get the box and literally eat almost the whole top in two minutes flat! And NO she doesn't have any TEETH! What a little sneak!

Tornado Update

2009-04-21T11:46:00.001-07:00

K so I know a few of you keep up on the weather here in Virginia and may have noticed the Tornado Watch here in Williamsburg yesterday. It was actually kind of random because the forecast just mentioned rain when I checked it...but it turned into a "severe storm system". No worries we are all totally ok! For the record there were two tornados that they THINK touched down one just 10-15 minutes southeast of us and another just north of us 5-10 minutes. It was only for a few seconds and no damage has been reported apart from the quarter sized hail that broke a few windows.

Personally we just saw what looked like a severe storm. Lots of rain, heavy wind, lightning, and oddly it was still about 70 degrees outside! Honestly, our lawn chairs didnt even blow away! So yes we had a close call. We were very lucky...but no nothing happened and we are totally fine!

No wonder food storage is so important to me lately huh!

My Basic White Bread Recipe

2009-04-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

K so first of all I need to thank everyone who chipped in to buy me that Bread machine for my birthday because I totally love it and use it almost everyday now!!! One of my money saving efforts lately has been to make home-made bread instead of buying bread. I must say it has been a total success! Not only is it way cheaper but we eat about twice as much bread.

So due to popular demand here is my recipe for just a basic white loaf:

2 3/4 cup Bread Flour
1/4 Cup Oil
1 teaspoon active dry yeast (or 1/2 a bag)
1/4 Cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water

Random tips that might help:

-Always layer your ingredients when using a bread machine. Wet ingredients on the bottom, next flour and other dry items, and last dig a little pit in the flour and place your yeast (Just like you do with eggs when you are making a cake). This will give you a more consistently mixed dough which I have found taste better. Personally I just make the dough in the machine and then give it a finial rise and bake (350 for 30 min) but its just fine cooked in the machine.

-If you are looking for a good whole wheat Bread just sub. 1 cup of bread flour for whole wheat flour. (Just make sure that there is more Bread flour than wheat so it will stay light and fluffy and not dense) Another note about wheat bread...try sub. sugar for a few tablespoons of honey. It gives it a nice rounder taste

-I also just want to say that I love this recipe because it requires very little yeast. Personally I buy one pack of Bread flour and one pack of yeast. This particular recipe will make about 5-6 loafs verses other recipes that will only make 3.

- Lastly, I forgot to mention that I always butter the top a few minutes before I take it out of the oven. Trust me on this one...the extra calories are worth it!

Killer Granola Bar Recipie!!

2009-04-08T05:32:00.000-07:00

K, so one of my projects lately has been to start seriously accumulating our food storage. I am actually creating a binder not only to keep our important info in; but recipes and instructions on how to do emergency type thing (like shut off water, gas, ect...)

Here is VERY simple recipe I came across for home made granola bars. I tried it out yesterday and its actually really good! And all of the ingredients are totally storable! Be warned though these look like granola bars but end up tasting a little richer than expected so...think of it as a cross between a power bar and dessert. Personally I plan on making a batch or two at a time (using different fillings) and then freezing them so I can pull it out whenever its needed. And it will make about 25 bars with just this basic recpie.

K so here is the recpie:

3 cups Quick Cooking Oats (regular is fine too the oats just dont cook as much)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter (yes you can get #10 cans of storable butter I found out!)
1 cups filling your choice (I tried one cup dried cherrys/blueberries)
1/2-1 cup chocolate chips (I put in a full cup and wow.....that turns out to be a lot of chocolate!)
(1 scoop protien mix) I added some protein powder because I am all about protein and it turned out just fine. Tasteless in fact. However you will get fuller quicker. So if you feed to kids be warned!

just mix it all up together (your hands work best becuase its very sticky) and pack it into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake for about 20 min at 350 degree oven. For chewy bars remove from oven when edges brown. For chrunchy bake a little longer until it is all browned.

*** Just a quick tip about removing them from the pan*** I found out the hard way that they have to cool completely before you cut them (a pizza cutter was handy). If you dont let them cool all the way then they will fall apart on you.

***Also please note that you can actually "stretch" this recpie quite a bit buy adding up to two additional cups of alternate fillings (ie marshmellows, almonds, toffee, ext...)

All Hail the Domestic Goddess!!

2009-04-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

All Hail to the Domestic Goddesses of this world!

That's right all you hard working, ever cleaning, never sleeping Mothers who never seem to get any recognition for all you provide for this world! The rest of us Goddesses salute you!

:)

Pictures from the Trip!

2009-04-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry if I didnt take pictures of every state and every event that happened. I was pretty tired and out of it at the time of the trip....these pics will reflect that...unfortunately!

:) enjoy!

Kaylee when we left!

A beautiful Kansas sunrise....right before we stopped in Topika.

Immediately when we pull off the freeway we saw this sign....kinda ironic..."here's your sign!"

Is it just me...or did anyone else think that the Mississippi river wasn't as big as I thought it would be?!!

Here we are driving through St. Louis! In the background the weird thing is called the "Golden Arches" I believe it was dubbed the "Gateway of the West" I can believe it because up to St Lois there isnt really a whole lot of big cities to look at!

Heaven!! aka. Brian's Aunts house just outside of MO when we stopped!

Our sweet little Kaylee fast asleep!!!

Driving through Kentucky.

And West Virginia...They pretty much looked the same apart from the massive detour into the unincorporated settlements we accidentally drove through! Yes there really are unincorporated settlements still in the United States! Seriously! We drove for two hours on twisty, turny little roads in places where houses were shanty shacks with coal piles in the front yard and family graves in the back "out by the orchard!" This is the place that "country roads" was written about! On a side note the one real city that we stopped at in WV all of the stores had more beer than soda! So we decided to get the heck out of dodge!

Round about this time Kaylee woke up and managed to get a hold of some licorice I had lying out! Here she is with a death grip on it as I try to pull it away! Eventually I just gave up and she was happy all the way to Williamsburg!

Just a funny pic of Kaylee. She loves to hold her bottle with her feet lately!! Crazy little Monkey Baby!!

Williamsburg, VA!!!

2009-03-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

Williamsburg as it turns out is a pretty cool town! Its a smaller town that is mostly for tourists mostly because it is the site of Jamestown (aka...Jamestown colony you know Pocahontas...first settlement that kind of thing) and also Bush Gardens (apparently it is a theme park with the best roller-coasters in the country). Thus most of the main roads will direct you to either of these places!

Also the trees here are insane! literally the whole town is cut out of the forest. If you werent paying attention you could easily miss even the big cities here because you can see them through the foliage!!! Brian described it perfectly its as if San Diego and Yellowstone merged! All of the weather, sun, and sea air of San Diego in a Yellowstone type scenery! So that is pretty cool!

So the people here are really nice! They all have this cute faint little VA accent! Everyone likes to say hi and chatt even if its to perfect strangers! Plus there arent many babies here so we get stopped all the time for people to oogle at Kaylee! The other day it took me three hours to get out of Walmart because 20 people stopped us to chat about Kaylee! Heaven help us if we stay here long enough for us to have another baby! I cant imagine the attention a pregnant woman gets! lol!

One really wierd thing is that Williamsburg has a wierd fettish with Pancake houses! Brian and I have counted 16 of them so far. And this is a small town...and we arent even looking that hard! What that is about I have no idea! But we like it here. Its pretty and family oriented and our ward is really nice!

The Drive!!!...(dun..dun, DUN!!!)

2009-03-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!

Well we finally made it to VA in one piece and are settled in and everything! Ok, so we ended up leaving on Sunday morning instead of Monday due to a large storm system that was moving across the country! So we packed up our stuff in a hurry, loaded the truck, I turbo cleaned the apartment like a psyco, and we were off!

Let me tell you this.....everyone was right....the drive totally sucked! Holy cow!! Brian drove the first 20 hours straight and we ended up stopping in Topica, KA for two hours and then again in MO for another 8. So all in all we didn't do too bad time wise. We arrived in Williamsburg Tuesday afternoon at about 4 o'clock. Brian drove mostly while I was in the back with Kaylee. Poor Brian! The weather was beautiful but because we were driving straight through without stopping we never got to see much! But I managed to take a few pictures!

The low point of the trip was deffinetly while we were driving through Kansas. Brian got horribley sick all of a sudden! At that point he had been driving the whole way NEVER stopping for more than gas and food so he is pushing almost 20 hours! We had been both drinking energy type drinks all night becuase we felt it would be safer if we both were awake to help each other drive more safely. So neither one of us had acutally slept. As it turned out Brian had drunken one too many energy drinks! So we made an emergency stop in Topica. And here we are a sad little lot becuase I am exhausted and crashing, Kaylee is now up and ready to play, and Brian is dry-heaving on the ground in some parking lot outside of Lowes! At this point we tried to sleep some in the car unsucessfully becuase well lets face it Scion xA's arent the roomiest and we had a baby that wasnt about to sleep when we were actually stopped!

In the end, I got a fifteen minute nap while Brian continued to dry-heave INSIDE Lowes with Kaylee. Then got breakfast at a nearby McDonalds (aka...Mommy needed more caffiene) we said a long family prayer for strength and safety and I drove the next five hours through MO!!!

Thankfully, Brian has an Aunt (the sweetest woman you will ever meet!) who lives just outside the border of St louis. So we stopped and she had food and a bed ready for us to crash in. And to put a cherry on the top of all of that goodness! The first thing she did was wish Kaylee away from us and take care of her for eight whole hours!! I dont think she realizes how much of a life saver she and her husband really was! Seriously!!!

Happily, the rest of the trip was quite uneventful! And we made it to Williamsburg! And Brian now vows to never make that drive ever again!! We will now pay people to drive it for us while we fly...no matter what the cost becuase seriously its worth it!! :)

ps.. the few meager pics I managed to take will come later when the printer is set up!

We're Moving to VA!!!!!

2009-02-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody!
It's now official we are moving to Williamsburg Virginia! For all those of you who don't already know Brian was given the opportunity to take a transfer and promotion (and significant pay raise) at his job. The only catch is that we only have two weeks to move and then basically he starts! Crazy!!! Who would have ever thought that we would end up out there?! He will now be a civilian working at Fort Eustis for a four year term!! So FYI we will be moved out by March 9th (at least that is the goal!)

It will be really sad to leave Utah!!! All of our family is here.....and all the Kaylee moments will now happen in VA like Easter and her first Birthday!! However, Brian and I have decided that this is just too good of an opertunity to pass up so we have to take it. So we are off to a grand adventure! Well I better go pack something! I will post more as I know it!

2009-02-12T09:22:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody!

Sorry I know it has been a while since I have posted anything decent! But hopefully this post will get everyone caught up on our lives thus far! Let's see what did everyone miss....Oh, ok...so Christmas went really well for us this year. As tradition we spend every Christmas Eve with my parents in Sandy and then spend the night at Brian's parents house and spend Christmas morning there. This year having Kaylee with us made it a little bit more tricky, but it was still fun, allbeit very tiring! Thank you everyone for your many gifts especially to Kaylee she has enjoyed playing with her many new toys and I have been very thankful for more things that will keep her occupied during the day! The big present this year was my new bed!! Whew hew! Brian suprised me with it! Its a dark oak sleigh bed! Super tall and gorgeous! And I love it alot! Brian's big gift this year was an iphone! He loves it and as sure many of you know already he loves to show everyone and talk about how amazing it is! I cant deny it is a very cool phone. :)

Speaking of Brian...He switched jobs about a month ago. He is now working for a company called Ciber, inc. who contracts out to Fort Douglas. So he works at the fort (its the one on the University of Utah's campus for anyone who doesnt know) working on computers. He absolutely loved his job! He loved the hours and the people and is making a ton of contacts and everything. But lately he has been getting some promptings to start looking for someplace else. So he posted his resume back on Monster.com two or three days ago and yesterday we found out that the government has decided to pull all of the tech. contracts out of Fort Douglas!!!! Crazy! We are really glad that Brian got that prompting because now we are prepared and Brian has some really good prospects that would deffenetly be a big step up for him career-wise! So we will have to see what happens there!

I am doing great! I have finially gotten myself back onto a schedual!!! I have even managed to keep the house spotless for almost two weeks now!! I love this! I am finially feeling more organized lately and am more able to find time for little things like: showering, scripture study, and look even blogging! My other big event was my birthday! Brian and I decided that my big present was to get my wisdom teeth removed! I know many of you are thinking that this sounds like a crappy present! But I was totally stoked!! It had been about 5 years since I have had dental insurance so getting them removed was never something we could afford without going into a lot of debt! I was so excited! The procedure went well...I was asleep for the whole thing so I dont remember a lot but I came out pretty loopy so Brian got some good video footage of the whole thing (per to my request I told him if I started saying weird things I wanted them documented so i could see : ) There wasnt much pain. And only one stitch. So a few ibuprophen later I was up and running! The only painful thing is now my teeth are spacing back out again now that there is more room in there! But now I barely even notice it anymore.

Kaylee is doing great! She is getting bigger everyday! In fact I am finding it hard to keep her little mind occupied when she is awake. She is very observant and she is at the point where she getting bored staring at the same things for more than five minutes. I try to find time to go outside to the store (her very favorite thing to do!) or go visiting everyday, but I confess some days its just an episode of Barney (yes, she will intently watch the whole thing). Some of her exciting new tricks are: laughing, eating her hands, eating her feet, rolling over, holding her own pacifier and bottle, and my favorite giving big kisses! All of this in a month crazy! She just likes to be independant! Oh I almost forgot! Her other big news is that I am starting to let her eat some solid foods....well to be honest it was really Kaylee that made that decision on her own. Now that she has good hand-eye coordination she dive bombs peoples food when you arent looking! The other week I was talking to Brian and I had my head turned and she got my popcicle! She was so proud of herself! It was cute and funny I admitt! Although, now if she hears plastic wrapper russtle now she gets excited because she thinks its a popcicle! So I have taken to letting her suck on a piece of ice as a treat instead. She cant tell the difference and she really likes anything cold and it makes it a bit more convienant when we are out eating at resturants and she is begging for peoples food as they walk by or whatnot!

Well I think that is about it! Again sorry it has taken me so long to post this update. I have some super cute pics of Kaylee we took at the 3 month mark! I also have cute video footage of her laughing and rolling over and whatnot I will post them when I learn how! I just need to sit down and do it you know what I mean! I hope everyone is doing well!!!

Post in Progress

2008-12-24T10:54:00.000-08:00

Everything and the Kitchen Sink!

2008-12-03T13:33:00.000-08:00

Hey so here I am finally updating my blog!! Sorry Ya'll I received many calls to keep posting. I promise that I have been taking pics and videos I have just been to crazy busy to post them! I am still a little Kaylee obsessed so most of this is about her!

Well life is going pretty well for this little Kocherhans family lately. Kaylee has decided on a retentive schedule which allows me to get about 6 hours of sleep during the night. She still insists on being held while she sleeps specifically to sleep on someones chest. Its really cute in a way because she has to root around and find "her spot" before she is comfortable. So she has to shake her little bum and rub her little nose around for a minute or two, but once she finds her spot she is instantly out like a light! But as cute as that is its still something we are trying to break her of before it becomes to big of a habit.

Other cool Kaylee developments are that she is officially eight pounds! She also can track people and objects, She can smile at people, She is very much a momma's girl and actually threw a mini-baby tantrum the other night, She has a favorite song that calms her down (it is from a video game but it sounds like the Russian National Anthum...how weird is that!) Actually she tends to like any music that has a very strong drum beat....she is deffinetly our little rocker!

Oh another funny thing is she has learned the art of leaning! For instance she knows that is she is buckled in her swing without her tray she can lean forward while the swing is in the farthest back position and she can flip upside down! Crazy kid! She also learned that if she leans far enough when she is laying on someones chest she can roll herself over into a cradle hold! So letting her sleep in her swing is out and now we cant sit her down propped up on the couch or anything like that anymore! And I was under the impression infants were sopoused to be immoble for the first few months! Crazy kid!

All and all she is doing great. A little girl with a very big personality! That kind of scares Brian and I....

Thanksgiving went really well this year. Because both of our families are so big and not everyone has had a good chance to see Kaylee we decided to do the ole' midway switch approach. We had Dinner with Brian's family and Dessert with my family. I think something like 30 different people got to hold Kaylee! She did suprisingly well most of the time although by the end of the night she was very over stimulated and needed down time with mom to recover!

Brian is doing pretty well lately. He has made the decision that he is ready to switch jobs. So we are officially on the lookout. He likes his job now but there is just too much driving and the hours are getting very unstable and unpredictable. So we have put his resume out there and we have done a few interviews and hopefully we will have some exciting news soon!

Another exciting thing for Brian is that school is going really well right now. In fact he just passed his Security + certification! Kaylee and I are very proud of him right now! He is juggling a lot with family, work, and school so he rocks!

Lets see here....I am trying to think of anything else going on......I cant think of anything. Teresa (my mother-in-law) kidnapped me to go see Twilight on opening night. It was a ton of fun!!! Although some of the movie was pretty funny (like when Edward kisses Bella on the forehead and leaves a lipstick mark!) but I was glad that I went and got out and had some "girl time"!

Well that is about it! In conclusion we are doing well although nothing super exciting.

Here is a cute little video of Kaylee and Dad having a Conversation!

Seriously, I wasnt kidding about the wierd music thing!

Ballerina Kaylee!!

2008-11-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here for your viewing pleasure are the first Halloween Pictures of our pretty little Ballerina! (Sorry some of the pics are sideways!)

Kaylee Ann Kocherhans!

2008-10-24T16:18:00.001-07:00

Well I am happy to announce that Kaylee Ann Kocherhans was born 10/18/2008! I am sorry that this post is coming shamefully late, but as many of you may understand the first week having her home has been very crazy and I just couldn't get around to it! But here is the birth story:

So I actually went into labor on the evening of the 16th, but the contractions didn't progress enough for the hospital to admit me until the early morning of the 18th! I was so happy to be admitted after two full days of constant but non-progressing contractions I finally just told one of the nurses that if they sent me home again I was not going to cry ....and she took pity on me because I looked pretty desperate by then!

Once admitted labor and delivery went pretty normal. Thankfully I chose to get an epidural (twice--first one didn't take and I managed to finally convince the anesthesiologist that I couldn't possibly be imagining pain when I was seven centimeters dilated! ) But try number two went fabulously!!

The funny thing happened when I was finally fully dilated. The midwife ran into the room apologizing because the lady next door needed an emergency c-section and did I mind waiting an hour or so until she finished?!! I figured --hmmm-what the heck!-- I was already so drugged out of my mind why not?! (The anesthesiologist felt pretty bad when it really wasn't my imagination but his error and gave me a dose that looked like it was meant for an elephant! In fact by counting the vials it was about three times as strong as the first one!)

After an hour and a half she came back and Kaylee was born a few minutes later! She was 6 pounds 12 onces and 19 inches long! A tiny little girl--who would have thought! She was throughly checked over. She is healthy and strong. She was full term, The pediatritian just told us that she is naturally a very petite little girl! She has blonde hair and blue eyes and came out with her eyes open. She is a very snuggly little girl and loves to be held and cuddled!

She is so tiny in fact that most things regular newborn size are way too big for her like her ankle bracelet at the hospital, newborn diapers need to be folded over to fit, even her clogthes are premie right now! She is adorable and can charm the pants off of anyone!

p.s. more pics will be posted later as I can convert and post them. sorry!

Another Baby Update!

2008-10-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

Hey folks!

So the news today from the doctor is that I am no longer "taking it easy"!!! My blood pressure is down significantly and they no longer believe I am at any risk so I can walk, run, jump, or do whatever I put my mind to! Baby also dropped an additional 2 inches this week!!! (For those of you who like the gory details that puts me at 0 station! yes, walking is now a very interesting sensation as I can actually feel her head and shoulders!!!) I am even beginning to feel some BH contractions and a few real contractions on and off. So I am encouraged because it seems that my body is in fact progressing! Hopefully this baby wont make everyone wait too much longer! Sorry I don't have much time to write a very detailed blog today! But that is the big news! I promise I will keep everyone posted!

BlizzCon!

2008-10-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

So I am sure many of your husbands know this weekend marks the monumental event of BlizzCon! As we finally decided to get cable this week Brian was able to PPV it so he could watch it! For all of you who don't know what the heck BlizCon is its a gaming convention in Anihiem, CA that occurs once every three years for the company Blizzard. Blizzard publishes games such as World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo (these are big well known games).

Blizzard's conventions are a huge deal in the gaming community! It spans two days and costs hundreds of dollars to just get tickets. People come from around the world. They even dress up and WELD themselves authentic armor costumes for this event! But Blizzard does provide each attendee with cool stuff and make a huge event for them. For example the goodie bags are practically comparable to the Oscar goodie bags for gamers such as my husband!

So as you can imagine this is a huge event for my husband! He has been talking about it for weeks! Its like the superbowl, Christmas, and a really cool sleep over all rolled into one! There was grunting, cheering, and practically squealing at times!

Actually I thought it was pretty cute to see him all excited! Its kind of his "thing" so I tried to enjoy it with him and filled the house with all of his favorite snacks and just tried to let him do his thing! Needless to say he is going to be pretty preoccupied until Monday, but that's ok!

My Stubborn Child!

2008-10-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

So I am officially at home "Taking it Easy" according to my midwife. I am also restricted from "Excessive Walking" whatever that means! So here is the story why:

So I am at the doctors the other day having one of my last check ups before I deliver and they noticed that my blood pressure was getting progressively higher (Sorry I don't remember what it was) So of course they asked if I have felt a lot of movement from the baby lately. Now as most of you know I have a very mellow baby in my stomach. In fact she rarely kicks and doesn't like to be poked or prodded and generally keeps to herself. (Seriously I have NEVER been kicked in the ribs! she prefers to roll and wiggle but not kick) So to be safe the midwife decided to do a routine Stress Test just to be safe......

Well my stubborn baby would have none of that! She knew we were monitoring her and so she did everything in her power to keep the monitors away from her as much as possible! What is usually a quick 20 minute test lasted 1 1/2 hours! They made me sit, Lay down flat, lay on my side and even made me drink tons of juice (to which she actually feel asleep, nice!) in the end two nice nurses came in the room and Jiggled my belly to wake her up and then I had to proceed to hold her in place (Yes hold my stomach so she was trapped) for an additional 20 minutes until they finally gave up! So technically she failed her first test! So of course I was whisked away to have an ultrasound because apparently "stubborn baby" is not an exceptionable medical reason for failing a NST!

In the end it was verified that she is just fine! Her heartbeat is normal and yes, she can move both her arms and legs. She is completely responsive. And passed the ultrasound with flying colors! My child is just stubborn. She doesn't want to be monitor and apparently knows when she is being manipulated to do something, and she will have none of it. (I blame this on Brian's genes! He was the same kind of stubborn!)

So I am home now and everything is fine. However, my midwife did tell me that I am more or less officially house bound until this baby comes. I am to take it easy and watch my blood pressure and avoid excessive walking. Now to clarify for all you conserned family members I AM NOT ON BEDREST!! EVERYTHING IS FINE! So I guess this next week is going to be very boring for this busy body mom-to-be....

Zoo Trip!

2008-10-09T16:30:00.000-07:00

So now it is officially official as of this week I am no longer working! :) So to celebrate Corinne and the boys and I went to the zoo! It had been many years since I had been there. In fact, I think last time Corinne was still pregnant with Alex!!! But we had lots of fun! And I did lots of walking!! Luckily, I was able to avoid most of the hills! The boys got to run around and see all of the animals and Corinne and I got to enjoy the perfect weather! Which is quite lucky now that I hear that was the last nice day of the year and snow will be starting up this weekend. So here are a few pics to enjoy of our day....

No trip would be complete without visiting the awesome water fountains

Taylor sitting on the Elephant Statue!

Two Strong Boys!!

And we ended the day with a ride on the train!

P.S.

2008-10-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to mention how grateful we are to Brian's cousin for turning us on to KSL classifieds in the first place. You can toally find really great stuff people are selling at really amazing deals! We have bought cars, sold cars, bought couches, and lots of other stuff! So thank you so much!

Also, a special apology goes out to anyone who may have been offended by the gas comments! For those of you who know me well know that just about every problem in life I have personally explained away by gas at some time or another! Crude I know however I hope no one was Seriously offended!

Our Car Seat Adventure!

2008-10-02T08:16:00.000-07:00

So I have to tell you this story because it is totally more that just a coincidence!

So Brian and I have been putting off buying a car seat for a while now. Why, you ask? Well because everyone knows that once you buy a car seat it totally means that youre having a baby! Duh! Forget the pregnancy tests, morning sickness, swollen feet, and giagantic stomach ...those can all be explianed away to the untrained eye by many different cleaver medical excuses! (Some of my personal favorites being a very severe allergic reaction or lets just face it... really bad gas! ) However once you have that car seat the time for denial is past my friend... it is officially no longer gas! You are having a baby!

So as you may have guessed this emotional denial has been keeping me from freaking out for about 9 1/2 months now! I mean I have known that I was having a baby. Logically and rationally I have totally been stable this whole time...but emotionally....it just hadnt really hit home yet. Emotional denial and I we are like BFF's!

However, yesterday while driving it began to hit me and I began to wonder if I was ready to have this baby and well you know...admitt its not just gas...emotionally. By the time I arrived I had made up my mind that it was officially time to buy a car seat! So to what do my wondering eyes do appear on KSL two seconds after I sit down at my desk...but the exact car seat I have been wanting! Now I have to mention how much of a miracle this is because I have been doing a lot of research and our car has VERY specific carseat needs because of its size. Plus I wanted a seat that was cute but not too girly and quality but not super expensive! But when your desires are rightous Heavenly Father blesses you! And this was totally more than I deserved. (Especially after the denial thing) But it gets better. Not only was this the perfect car seat but it is in near perfect condition AND its about half price! PLUS the lady decided to throw in the matching stroller for half price! AND I was the first person to call on it so she said she would hold it for me until I could arrange to come and see it.

Now this was the obstacle because it was all the way in Harrisville and I was in Provo. But Heavenly Father provides a way again because it turned out that Brian was on his way to Ogden for a job and had some extra time to stop by and check it out! Problem solved! Brian even called to inform me that this was no coincedince we were meant to have this car seat once he'd met the previous owners! How cool is that?!! So now we have the perfect car seat! We have been very blessed lately! And now we are offically ready to bring baby home! Emotionally and Temporally!

The Waiting Game....

2008-09-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

So I am now 37 weeks along! Which means that it is official .... we are now playing the waiting game for this baby to come! Surprisingly, I am still feeling pretty dang good. I admitt that since baby has dropped standing for long periods of time has become difficult and I have started getting radom cramps in my legs...But nothing that I actually think warrents any complaining!

Brian and I went to the doctor for one of our now weekly check-ups this morning. Our midwife basically told us that I am ready to have this baby at any time now! I am at least 80% effaced and starting to dialate and babys head is low in position. So basically from here on out it is all up to the baby to decide when she wants to come! Brian is extatic!

We just need her to hang on in there for at least another week so I can be finished working! My last day on the job will be Oct 3rd. It looks like this is going to be pretty perfect timing! Personally, I think she can come whenever she wants to come .... just not past her due date! :)

Lots of Random Stuff!

2008-09-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

Hey sorry I know it has been a long time since I have sat down and posted anything new! Which is totally my fault! Sadly its just because I got lazy and not even because nothing was going on. So I hope I remember everything!

Baby Update:

I am officially 36 weeks now! Wheew hew! My midwife estimated baby was at least 6 pounds (when i was 35 weeks) which is a little big but still normal. We are excited to see how much she has grown in the past week! Brian is so anxious for this baby! He asks me every night when she is coming and why she isn't here yet! And my personal favorite is accusing me of "taking too long!" Husbands I tell ya!!

So the weirdest thing happened to me the other night when I got home from work. I stumbled in the door and plopped myself down on the couch and looked down and there they were......my first K-ankles!! And the weirdest part was that at that moment I found them to be the most fascinating and hilarious things I had ever seen! So here I was deliriously tired from work sitting on the couch alone laughing and poking at my swollen ankles! Completely pathetic!! So pathetic that I must admit that to taking a picture! Brian thought I had finally lost my mind! Apparently he couldn't see the humor in my elephantile ankles! Oh well perhaps some of you moms out there can!

So I am officially a dork! Moving on...! :)

Baby Shower:

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who came and had fun with me at the baby shower! My sisters Carmen and Corinne threw me an awesome shower at my mother-in-laws house. We decorated a gazillion onesies and ate ice cream and mostly just visited. It was totally awesome and low key! Plus I got lots of really cute clothes for baby! Unfortunatlly I dont have any pics but if you click on the link to my sisters blog (Corinne) she has some pics posted! I also want to say thanks to my sister Carmen for flying in from California especially for the occasion!

Random Domestic-ness

So I forgot to show you all the cutest thing I made for Baby the other week! The cutest little newborn tutu! I think she is going to wear it for Halloween! I am so excited! And it was totally easy to make! It took only a 1/2 hour and about $3! The pic doesnt do it justice...but thats ok you guys get the idea!

Farewell Dear Lola!!!

2008-09-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

Yes it seems just like it was yesterday that I brought her home! Lola. My wonderful little ford contour! She had spunk. She had personality. She had a single tape deck, a whiney air conditioner that was too embarassing to run if you were idling at a red light, overheating issues, and my favorite, a beautiful teal paint job that ensured you never lost her amist even the biggest parking lot. I remember telling people just to follow the biggest glare and there she would be waiting for you!

So today on the day that we have finially let her go we must all observe a moment of silence to remember all of the good times we had together. All of the trips, boys, and breakups that she had been a part of! All of the college craziness! The freedom and Independance. The heartaches and sorrows that were consoled by the purr of her engine and a nice strech of road!

I will miss you Lola!

P.S. As I am sure you are all very confused by now... We officially sold Lola yesterday! Someone actually paid us in cash and so we just sold her because I havent driven her for a few months now and we figured having a little extra cash would be nice before the baby comes. She will now be the "wreck-able" car for some nice 17 year old from Murray. I am sad to see her go as she really was my crazy chic mobile, but i figure it is all a part of growing up. Plus its no secret that Brian hates my car for exactly the same reasons as all of the above mentioned quirks! :) Oh well its still a good thing I guess!

Our Day in Vegas!!

2008-08-24T14:39:00.001-07:00

Cool Replicas of the Star Trek Space Ships!

Brian and I with a Borg-Bear we bought for the Baby! We think it would be pretty funny if it turned out to be her favorite! It might take a lot of explaining though if our daughter couldn't sleep without her Borg-Bear!

Jason Kocherhans! Watch out ladies his is now officially avaliable!
:)

Some Brotherly Bonding while I rested my poor aching feet!

Well This weekend we decided to go a little crazy and have a little fun! We decided to drive down to Las Vegas!! I was totally excited because I had never been and I was tired of being cooped up here too pregnant to have any vacation whatsoever! Plus Brian found out the his favorite childhood attraction (The Star Trek Experience) was closing so that sealed the deal! We were going.

I actually had a lot of fun! We left super early in the morning and stayed until about seven or eight in the evening before heading home. Our goal was not only to have a little fun, but also to avoid all of the Porn Solicitors at all costs! So first we went to The Star Trek Experience of course! I admit I was a little nervous because they announced three times that those people who suffer from seizures, dizziness, or pregnancy should not ride the ride! But Brian was pretty confident it would be ok. Apparently I passed for a really fat lady with a big purse because at least five employees saw me and said nothing and I got to go on the ride!

By the time we got done we were all starving so we decided to hit one of the amazing buffets at the Mirage Hotel (Holy Cow that Hotel is amazing!) Brian ate himself stupid and Jason and I did pretty well for ourselves too I must add! Amoung the highlights were fresh Snow Crab Legs, tons of Sushi, mountians of Italian food, and of course Mash potatoes! We were all a little disapointed with the desserts though. I mean they had absolutely amazing food, but it the end the artistic little mango mouse in its delicate chocolate cup was just not as good a nice piece of pie would have been! Oh Well it was still incredible!

By the time we were done and had walked around a little and seen the sights we were all pretty tired so we hopped in the car and came home! It was a great day and a perfect day vacation!

" I am a Child of God" Alex Style!

2008-08-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

3-D Ultrasound Pics!!

2008-08-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

So today Brian and I went in for our 3-D Ultrasound! I am now 30 weeks along now and we figured this would be a good time to get some cute pics before "Baby Girl Kocherhans" got too squished or UN-cooperative.

Unfortunately, however, last night my baby girl and I had our first official disagreement! You see I wanted to sleep on my Left side, but baby quickly decided that she wanted to sleep on my Right! And no she couldn't sleep on an angle. And no we couldnt take turns laying on one side or the other. And no she wouldnt move amist all of my poking and promting! In fact if I was going to be rude enough to poke her just when she found a comfortable spot that she would be rude enough poke me when I finially got into a good spot! Right in the bladder in fact!

So here we both are trying to sleep, upset with the other, and frustrated because I am jumping up to go the bathroom every 1/2 hour which wakes us both us all over again! And thus the pattern continued all night long....

So I guess my chances of having a happy co-operative baby for this ultrasound were slim to none anyways. The tech was really nice and sweet and tried her hardest to get some good pics for us. In the end these are the three best pictures that we got. Who do you think she looks like? I think she has a little of both of us!

Here is her cute little profile!

Her cute little chubby checks!

Due to Popular Demand...We give you the Belly Post!!!

2008-07-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

My New Crib!

2008-07-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

Well it finially came! My Mother's Day Present! A new crib! Many thanks to Corinne and my Mom for coming over and helping me set it up! We rock!

Baby Update

2008-06-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

Well I went to my doctor's apointment yesterday and I have gained 3 more pounds! whew hew!! Plus Baby has grown and is now measuring big for her "age". I am currently around 24 weeks and baby measures around 26 weeks!

The not so great news is that my Hypoglyciemia is not improving and so I am now on a very strict Protien diet to try and prevent me from becoming diabetic. Basically that means that I need at least 75 g protien a day and then we will see if my body can stabilize itself and if not than we have to assume that I am not producing enough insulin so I will be considered Diabetic.

Also, I am not to eat any Artificial sugars at all anymore. Apparently I am building a tolerence to them or something ......so....that kinda sucks but no biggie I guess!

Anyways, So all is well in Zion again. And Brian and I are both very happy that baby is not only doing well, but gaining weight very well at this point. So that puts my mind at ease!

Our Little Family

2008-06-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

Well for right now its just me and Brian. However, as you all know we are expecting a little girl on October 17th (my mother-n-laws Birthday!) We are very excited! Brian especially was hoping for a girl.

Actually, Brian has been convinced since day one that we were having a girl! The very first second he heard the news the first thing he said was: " I can't believe it! Honey, we are having our little girl..our little_________(name to be revealed later) :) So to his credit he knew all along, and alas, I was the doubting Thomas!

I must admit that my pregnancy has gone really well so far. No morning sickness to speak of, no aches or pains really, I am still getting a full nights sleep, Although I have only managed to gain 3 pounds so far! (technically...I however will swear it is at least 10 pounds!)

Actually, my lack of a Buddha belly is getting to be a frustration. Normally when a woman is almost 6 months along they have something to sport. I have even heard of women complain that people actually feel the need to "Ohh and Ahh" or touch thier bellies.... I however am still getting wierd looks from friends and strangers alike who dont quite believe that I am actually prenant. Some seem to think that i am just going "Free-Willey style". However I have decided not to worry too much about pounds right now. Baby is perfectly healthy. So contrary to popular belief ...this pregnancy is going really well and there isnt anything wrong that we know of. We have a healthy, active, allbeit, little girl doing just fine.

In fact, yesterday Brian got to feel her kick for the first time! We were listening to some Bon Jovi music and she started to rock out via in Utero! We deffenetly have a little rocker. So far she likes Bon Jovi, Kelly Clarkson, and some Collin Raye. Needless to say we are both really proud! What a miraculous little Father's Day present for Brian!

Other than that we are still plugging along like normal. Brian and I are still working full time. Brian was just promoted to the Lead Tech postion at work!! He also just managed to get an entire years worth of school in one Semester!!!! So it looks like he will graduate early!!!!!!!

I am still working for Eternity, Inc having fun in the bridal design industry. I will be sad to leave this job, but I am deffenetly excited to be a Mom!

My First Blog Ever!!!

2008-06-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends! Well Here it is my first official blog! Yes, As if you all are not tortured enough by my insane posts and oh so, friendly and personal stories already in person...now you get to read about it on a daily basis! Yes!

(Am I the only one a little wierded out at the realization that blogging is like keeping a very public journal! I mean my own private journals are bad enough and anyone who knows me knows that this little venture of mine could be a very risky proposition! You all may not want to know what actually goes on inside this head! However, I promise to do my upmost to keep this clean, respectful, and mostly coherent. k?! Great. Let's begin!)