Amaya Estes

Spring Break with my sister's family

2011-03-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

Just a quick blog tonight. I am fighting some sort of virus and not really in the mood to blog...but here I am! We've had a busy few weeks and have enjoyed time with our family. I was able to spend almost an entire week with my sister's family and attended our church women's retreat for the first time. I had a wonderful time with our company and such a refreshing weekend with friends. I am so thankful for the people in my life!

The youngest girls~ Lydia and Selah

All of Nicole's kids and Selah

My lovely niece, Lydia

The girls playing at the under water exhibit

Nicole and Selah

Adrianna, Amaya, and Lydia

Adrianna was such a huge help with Selah!

My girls trying on their swimsuits

Christmas 2010

2011-02-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

The girls playing Piano at My grandpa's place

Girls night with my sister and niece

Selah Hugging Grandpa Freed

Watching a show in the Hotel

Silly girls!

Amaya and Levi at Nicole and Matthew's new church

Gingerbread house

All dressed up

Presents!!

Love!

Opening her presents

Selah in her newly decorated room

Selah in her big girl bed!

Yes, I realize it has been ages since I last blogged! This time of year is usually busy for us, but this year was even worse!

Just before Christmas I had to have surgery to have two hernia repaired! I thought it would be an easy outpatient thing but it ended up being quite painful. I was out of commission for awhile and was so grateful to have Jeremiah's help for the first couple weeks. The surgery required 6 weeks of no lifting! Luckily just before the procedure I taught Selah how to sleep in her big girl bed, and climb in and out of her highchair and car seat!

We visited Jeremiah's family over Christmas and then traveled to Indiana and Michigan to see my family. The girls were very good on the trip and had a great time seeing their cousins again.

Hopefully I will start blogging more again...we'll see!

Thanksgiving and Family Pictures

2010-12-01T12:53:00.000-08:00

This year we spent the evening before Thanksgiving with my family. We had a great turkey dinner and watched some pretty embarrassing family videos from 20 years ago! On Thanksgiving we went to visit Jeremiah's family in Topeka. I was a little worried about the girls missing their naps, but they did great.

Doing a little light reading before heading to the Freed Thanksgiving!

If you look in the archives of November 2008 you'll see a picture almost identical to the one above:)

Mmmm, Pumpkin Pie

They do love each other!

My friend Brenda at www.pinkspearimages.com took our family photos and did an excellent job! Here is just a sample of her work!

Halloween!

2010-11-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

We had such a great time with the girls this year on Halloween. They both love dressing up! This year my friend loaned us the cutest "50's" outfits. Amaya kept telling people that she was wearing a toodle skirt:).

We went to Westside Family Church's fam fast and trunk or treat this year. The church had a ton of blow-ups and carnival ride for free! The girls also walked around from car to car collecting treats. They got a ton of candy. Jeremiah and I are stuck eating all the hard candy....bummer;).

Some cute pictures of the girls dressed up for Halloween!

Amaya with her friends, Brooklyn and Jordyn

Doing a dance?

Grandpa Estes and Selah

Selah is yawning, not screaming:)

30!

2010-10-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally made it to 30! I can't believe it. I had a fabulous weekend with family and friends. I can honestly say that I am happy to be 30! I am extremely blessed with a wonderful husband, beautiful daughters, awesome family, and great friends! I thank God everyday for the blessings he's poured on my life.

Saturday afternoon Jeremiah and I went to Houlihan's for lunch and I enjoyed a free full slab of ribs! Delish! We also walked around town center plaza to shop. Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Estes we were able to spend the entire day without the girls!

Saturday evening my family came over for Pizza and ice cream cake. I always enjoy spending time with them. We ate, opened presents, and talked. The house gets pretty noisy when we all get together!

My cousin Sarah, brother Justin, and I

On my birthday I had a girls night at the Melting Pot! I had forgotten how amazing their food was. We stayed and talked for a long time. It was great to get out of the house with some of my favorite people!

This past week Selah had a bad reaction to Amoxicillin. She broke out in a terrible rash but it didn't really seem to bother her much. We gave her Benedryl for a couple of days and it cleared up on its own.

Poor Selah!

My funny little girl!

Long time coming

2010-09-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

So after my last post I totally forgot my blog password! I finally remembered and decided to blog. We have really enjoyed our summer and now we are entering fall. I love this time of year! It's been so nice out and we've been able to lots of stuff outside without sweating!

Here are some of the things we've been up to...

Amaya looks older every day!

Sweet Selah sleeping

Amaya loves playing with her Princesses

Eating Cotton Candy at Old Settlers Day

Playing with her favorite Elmo toy

Our church had service at Shawnee Mission Park

This doesn't even begin to show you how many people were there!

At the car show

The girls at "greaserama" Car show

Amaya loved this car!

Daddy And Selah

New Master Bathroom

2010-07-28T12:54:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of our new master bathroom

Amaya dressed as Snow White for Princess Camp

Lisa and Nathan came to visit the week before their wedding. I was so happy they could see the girls while they were here.

The girls on July 4th

Lisa's wedding!

2010-07-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

In no particular order...

Lisa and Nathan

Lisa and I

The IWU gang!

Nickel, Ellie, D, and I

Linda and I

Lisa ready for photos

Schwindle (inside joke)

3-east girls 6 year reunion

Midnight snack!

Another month gone by! I can't believe how fast this summer is going. We have been having all sorts of fun.

I just got back from my best friend's wedding in Michigan! My college roommate, Lisa Velthouse, married Nathan Fleischaker. It was so awesome to be a part of their big day. I can honestly say that it was the most beautiful ceremony i've ever been to. They are such a great couple who clearly love and serve the Lord. I know that they are going to have a wonderful marriage!

The awesome part about this trip is that I was able to travel alone! Jeremiah was great enough to take time off so that I could really enjoy my time at the wedding....and I did! I missed my family, but sometimes it's just nice to get away and have some girl time. I came home to a spotless house and a newly tiled bathroom! How awesome is my husband?

Amaya's Birthday

2010-06-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we've been pretty busy over the past couple of months! Amaya turned three and we had a "Cars" birthday party for her. (see cake below...I made it!) The girls are keeping us busy. Amaya just started going to my mom's princess camp and loves it! I love having a break with just one kid and I think Selah enjoys her time alone with mommy too!

I really don't have much to share this blog but I thought I'd post some pics of the girls.

It's so hard to get a pic of them both smiling!

Selah has such a mess of hair!

Amaya is going to be snow white for princess camp!

Birthday pictures... All dressed up for Amaya's party

Me and the birthday girl

I'm Three!

A true Daddy's girl!

Take me out to the ball game!

2010-05-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures I took of the girls. They are so photogenic:).

The girls in their matching outfits

Selah loves the park! She also loves eating wood chips....oh dear!

My one year old

Jeremiah recently won 4 tickets to an afternoon Royals game. We took the girls and had such a great time. The weather was great and the girls were so well behaved. I love this time of year.

Amaya practicing her swing

Daddy and Amaya at the game

They actually look like their watching the game!

Amaya and I before the game

Happy Birthday Selah Rene'!

2010-04-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already been a year! Happy birthday to my sweet little baby. Just home!

2 weeks old

4 months

One Year Old!

Trexler visit.

2010-04-06T19:46:00.001-07:00

This spring break my sister and her family were able to visit us. Amaya and Selah had a great time playing with their cousins! I wish we lived closer. Our visits go by much too quickly!

Amaya helping Mommy make cookies for our guests

Nicole and Lydia at "Fritz's"

Sisters at Mom and Dad's

Selah loves the playground

we've had such beautiful weather!

My oldest niece, Adrianna and I.

Lydia and Amaya

Amaya and her "Favorite cousin"

Amaya, Lydia, Levi, and Adrianna

Amaya in curls!

Spring has sprung!

2010-03-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

I am so thrilled that we have had a few nice days to take the girls outside! They love going to the park and riding in their wagon. I am looking forward to more nice days ahead!

Selah at 11 months. My baby is getting so big!

The girls playing with the wagon

Ready to ride!

This past weekend my college friend Linda came to visit. We both love Jamie Cullum and decided that if he were ever in the states we'd go see him. Linda Flew in on Friday evening and we spent Saturday shopping and catching up. On Sunday we drove to St. Louis for the concert and it was well worth the trip! We had an amazing time. After the concert we drove back home and arrived around 3am! What a long day, we were exhausted. Here are some pics and a video from the concert.

www.jamiecullum.com

In no particular order:)

Jamie Cullum

Linda and I waiting for the show

Outside the venue

Holding our tickets

2010-02-14T18:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to me! This past week Jeremiah traded in his Tahoe to buy me this 2005 Toyota Highlander. I love him! Thanks for the new wheels babe!

Selah is walking! I can't believe it! She started just one week before she turned 10 months old. Unfortunately a couple of days later she had a double ear infection and so her balance has been off. She has been on an antibiotic for a few days now and seems to be improving. She is only taking 4 or 5 steps at a time for now. I think she'll be walking well in the couple of weeks.

Daddy took Amaya to see "Doc"

The Hudson Hornet from the movie "cars"

(she's holding her "Doc" car!)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love, Amaya and Selah

dancing to funky mama:)

2010-02-06T09:36:00.000-08:00

pictures and Selah standing on her own!

2010-01-25T18:52:00.001-08:00

The girls playing together

Selah standing on her own!

Mommy's boots:)

After a bath

9 Months!

2010-01-18T13:34:00.000-08:00

Selah found a marker that Amaya dropped on the floor

9 months old

Hard to believe my baby is already over 9 months old!

Here are some of her accomplishments.

She has been crawling for almost 3 months now and is now pulling herself up to cruise along the furniture.

She climbs up the stairs (fast)! She started this at around 7 months!

Recently she began standing for 10-20 seconds by herself! (I did not expect this from her especially since Amaya wasn't even crawling at this stage in her life!)

Waves "hello"

plays pat-a-cake

Dances:)

Says, Mama, Dada, and ba-ba

gives kisses!

Selah loves people! She flashes a smile to everyone she sees. The nursery workers call her "outgoing" and a "comedian". I think she is a lot like her mama:).

We are done with baby food! Selah loves to feed herself and so I have been giving her small portions of meat, cheese, peas, corn, etc... She loves it!

Here are her stats.

wt. 19 pounds 10 oz. 65%

ht. 29 1/4 inches 95%

She weighs more and is taller than Amaya was at a year! My girls are different in every way and I love it!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas was extremely busy this year. It seems like we bounced from house to house and got very little sleep! Here's the list of our journey this year

*Christmas at our house with the kids on Christmas Eve.

*Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa Kirmse's

*Spent Christmas Eve night at Great Grandma and Grandpa Estes house in Topeka because the weather was so bad!

*Christmas morning with the Estes Family

*Christmas night with the Freed family

*Saturday, December 26th traveled to Marion, Indiana to see my Sister's family

* Sunday, stayed in Marion for the day and met up with my friends Tammy and Heather

*Monday morning, woke up and traveled 3 1/2 hours to Alma, Michigan to see my extended family

*Monday evening, traveled back to Marion

*Tuesday, stayed all day in Marion with Nicole's family and had a great, relaxing time!

*Wednesday, traveled back to Kansas! (two kids and we only made one stop for gas and food!)

We put over 2000 miles on our Camry!

Here are some pictures....in no particular order!

My sweet nephew, Jayden

Great Grandpa Freed meeting Selah

Amaya checking out her Tinkerbell Jammie's!

Ready to sled with cousin Levi

Our little snow bunny

Two of the sweetest girls I know

Selah and cousin Lydia

(me and my sister's youngest girls)

Two more of the sweetest girls I know

Cousin Adrianna and Amaya
(Our oldest daughters)

Mom and Selah at the Freed Christmas

Daddy and Amaya

Me, Selah, Nicole, and Bre

I love my Sister's!

Got to see Tammy and Heather!

Tinkerbell!

Grandma Barbie and Amaya

Loves her cookie set

Christmas Day

Waiting for Santa in their matching Jammie's

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

My Cutie loves the band "Muse"!

2009-12-08T18:07:00.000-08:00

This holiday season is proving to be a very busy one for us. We are officially done Christmas shopping now! Jeremiah and I are gearing up for our trip to Florida without the girls! Grandma Estes will be watching the girls while we're away. We will be celebrating 5 years of marriage! I'm so looking forward to this trip. We haven't been away from the girls for more than one night in the past 2 1/2 years...we deserve this!

Amaya is continuing to go potty (although today was not a good day for her). She is growing up way too fast. Amaya is very independent, She can turn on lights, open doors, and has been getting into the fridge lately.

Selah is such a sweetie. She is still very content and smiles constantly. A couple of weeks ago she climbed all of our stairs! She keeps me on my toes:). It amazes me how fast she's growing.

My pretty Girls
Baby Selah

Amaya

Our Christmas Tree

Selah and Amaya having a tea party:)

Jeremiah's work has a Christmas party for the kids each year. This year it was at Zonkers, an indoor arcade and kiddie amusement park. The girls had a blast playing games and riding rides. Here are some pics from the party.

Selah on the Carousel at Zonkers

Amaya on the Carousel

Riding on the roller coaster with Mommy

Ahh, the joys of sisterhood:)

From scooting to crawling to potty training...

2009-11-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

We've been really busy around here lately! The girl are growing up right before our eyes. Selah just started crawling and Amaya has been potty training. Amaya is doing great on the potty lately. Apparently all we had to do is buy her Tinkerbell panties and a princess potty chair cover (Disney has seriously taken over this household). Amaya loves going potty now and has only had a few accidents this week. We're so proud of her!

Amaya in her new red coat from Aunt Melissa
After watching Toy Story she now wants to be a cowgirl!

Crawling at almost 7 months

Daddy has the magic touch

Selah scoots and the many feelings of Amaya

2009-10-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

Found these pictures of Amaya and Selah in the same outfit and basically the same pose! The only difference is their age.

Amaya 9 months

Selah 6 1/2 months Amaya has been having a lot of feelings lately. Today I asked her to look...

HAPPY

SAD

and MAD (she's really good at making this face:))

Here's Selah scooting!

Selah is six months old!

2009-10-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

Just some new pics of the girls...

Selah lights up when she sees Bo!

My little piggy holding a piggy:)

Amaya told me that this was her "tinkerbell" smile!

I just got back from taking Selah to her six month check up. I can't believe she's already half a year old!

Amaya at six months:

14 pounds 9 1/2 ounces: 25 %

26 Inches: 50%

Amaya was my petite little baby!

Selah at Six Months

16 pounds 12 1/2 ounces: 70%

27 3/4 inches : 97 %

Selah is a lot taller and heavier than Amaya was ! She is growing out of clothes quickly. I am looking forward to the rest of the Selah's first year. She changes more and more each day.

First Piggy tails!

what we've been up to

2009-10-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

Amaya enjoyed a night out a Chuckee Cheese with us and Aunt Melissa.

Selah was horrified when she saw Chuckee up close!

Our baby girl is now sitting up...

And eating solids!

Amaya really loves her baby sister

This is what happens when you give a 2 year old markers and walk away

Selah is the happiest baby!

10 year reunion

2009-09-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah and I spent last night in Topeka at his 10 year reunion. It was fun getting out without the kids and spending time with Jer's old classmates. Uncle Justin and Aunt Bre were amazing and came over to our house to watch the kids for us. Thanks again, we had a great time!

The fall is getting crazy. I just started Mothers Of Preschoolers and joined the vocal team at church again. It's fun getting back into my routine, I really missed doing those things over the summer months.

Here are a few pics...

The girls in their matching outfits:)

Selah is so smiley!

Look at those chunky thighs!

Jayden came over to play with the girls!

(notice Selah's lovely bed head)

New York and Amaya singing

2009-08-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

At one of our pit stops to New York

Got to see my Mom's Family
Aunt Lori and Uncle Teddy

Selah and I with Nana and Pop-Pop

Melissa Graduation

Our family in NYC

I've been practicing for my vocal team try-outs lately. I guess Amaya is really catching on to songs now. She loves singing along with mommy and I love hearing her pretty little voice!

Our trip to New York went better than expected. The girls were very good and our old Tahoe made the trip to New York and back to Kansas! (It took us 2 1/2 days of driving to get there). Needless to say we are happy to be back home and not ready to travel again any time soon. See more pictures on my facebook profile.

Selah and Amaya had their check-ups this past Friday. They are growing up so fast! Both girls had to get shots this time. Amaya did surprisingly well with her shot but not so well when she had to get a little blood drawn. Luckily she recovered quickly thanks to a little mermaid sticker. Selah also did fairly well but has been pretty cranky for the past couple days.

Selah is now eating rice cereal and just started Veggies. I hate feeding babies! It's such a messy job and Selah seems to throw up everything she eats. I am constantly cleaning the carpet and doing laundry. She has also started to sit up for a brief period of time and is rolling like crazy! She is changing more and more each day.

Selah's Stats:

15 pounds 2 ounces 75%

Height 26inches 97%

Amaya's Stats: 4 months

11 pounds 8 oz. 10%

24 1/2 inches 50%

Amaya's Stats: 2 years
25 pounds 2 ounces 10-25%

33 1/2 inches 10-25%

Have you seen this "gummy bear" commercial?

As you can tell, Amaya loves it!

2009-08-16T13:22:00.001-07:00

Amaya in the "castle" at the princess party

Daddy and Amaya

Mommy and Selah

Princess Amaya

Princess Selah

Selah just started going to bed at 8pm, so now both kids are in bed by 8:30! She is also eating cereal twice a day and loves it. She has such a sweet personality, always laughing and smiling. She is a real joy to be around. I'm really starting to get used to being a mom of two and I love it. Sure there are really hard days but over all it's good. I feel so blessed to have two beautiful, and healthy girls.

Amaya is getting so big. She went to her first princess birthday party this weekend. She had fun putting on makeup and glitter, painting her nails, and playing with other little princesses! I had a great time watching her, she is so much fun!

Our next adventure will be our trip to NYC for Melissa's graduation. We are being very brave and driving the entire 20 hour trip with both girls! We are leaving on Tuesday and taking our time getting there...no rushing. Please say a prayer for us.

Sisters

2009-08-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

My girls are becoming friends!

Rolling over!

2009-07-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

Selah 14 1/2 weeks

2009-07-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went to get Selah's 3 month pictures taken. She did such a great job and smiled so big for the camera. Enjoy the pictures!

The girls

2009-07-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

Finally finding some time to blog again! It seems like I am always rushing around doing something with or for the girls:).

Selah is getting so big! She is three months old now and such a happy baby. Selah is always smiling and rarely cries. She recently started laughing! The only thing that's been harder this time around is the sleep. I am told that most babies wake up once or twice a night for the first year but Amaya was never like that, she was and is a great sleeper. Selah has been going to bed around 10pm and waking up around 6am, I am trying to get her to sleep until 8am. So far...no success:(.

Amaya is also growing up fast. She is extremely talkative these days and can even carry on a decent conversation! She loves to color and is doing a good job at knowing her colors. Yesterday I took Amaya to her first movie, "Elmo in grouchland". She loved it and stayed entertained the entire time.

Amaya finally likes tummy time:)

In her new red dress from Grandma Freed

Selah Laughing:)

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

2009-06-23T05:59:00.000-07:00

2 Month Appointment

2009-06-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

Here are the Stats...

weight: 11 lbs 2.5 oz.- 50%
height: 24 inches- 75%
HC: 15 1/2- 50%

Here are Amaya's 2 month stats
Weight: 10lbs 3 oz - 35%
Height: 22 3/4 inches- 65%
HC: 15 1/4 inches- 50%

I can't believe how different they are in weight and height. I guess they won't be sharing all of their clothes after all.

The appointment went great. Selah was very calm and Amaya was such a good girl! I didn't think that taking both girls would be so easy, what a pleasant surprise. Selah is growing fast and the doctor even suggested that I give her rice cereal in her bottle twice a day! She is also very spitty and will need to take medicine for that just like her big sister did.

Waiting for shots :(

Sitting so quietly while Selah got examined

Amaya and Selah's tummy time:)

And here are some pictures from this past weekend...

Amaya doing the Hula at Grandma Freed's

I think she's just gorgeous!

Wearing Amaya's sunglasses

Me and my baby girl

She's getting so big!

Selah Smiles!

2009-06-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

Selah has been smiling for several weeks now but I just recently got some pictures of it. She is such a happy baby! She smiles when I get her out of her crib, when we're playing, and last night she smiled at me all through Wal-mart! I am absolutely in love with her smile and sweet personality. She is such a joy!

Doing great at tummy time!

I can't seem to tame her wild hair!

2 Years old!

2009-06-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

This has nothing to do with Amaya's party, I just had to let you see how much fun bathtime is these days! (it's washable soap:))

Saturday we celebrated Amaya's 2nd birthday. We had a great time celebrating with our families. Thanks to everyone for making it such a special day. I know Amaya had a great time!

New Tea Party Set from Grandma and Grandpa Estes and Aunt Kaylyn

Looking cute in her hula skirt and Mrs. Potato head earrings

Jeremiah and his siblings

Uncle Jerome reading Amaya her new book

Mmmm Cake!

Happy Birthday!

Opening Gifts

Selah giving great Grandma Barbie cuddles!

Picture galore!

2009-05-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few weeks. My sister-in-law has been staying with us and helping a lot with the girls. I am going to miss her and the help when she's gone!

Yesterday I went to the spa! Jeremiah hooked me up big time this mother's day. I received a 30 minute massage, Sauna treatment, light snack, foot soak, and 15 minute scalp massage! I was in heaven. I have the best husband!

The girls are doing great! I love being a mom of two beautiful girls. I went a little camera crazy...here are some pictures!

Amaya and Aunt Melissa enjoying their Pop-ice

Amaya with her new table and chairs

From Grandma and Grandpa Estes

Mommy and Selah

My beautiful soon to be 2 year old

My Content little girl

First Smiles!

6 weeks old

Cousin Jayden and Selah

I think they look a like in this picture

Amaya singing "ABC"

Selah is 1 month old!

2009-05-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

Today I took Selah for her one month check-up. She is growing well and is such a content baby. She is only waking up once in the night now and then sleeping until seven or eight. I feel so well rested these days!

Here are her stats from the Dr.

Wt: 9lbs. 7 oz. -50%
Ht: 23 1/8 inches- 97%
HC: 14 7/8 -75%

I have tall skinny babies:).

Love my girls!

2009-05-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

Things are getting a little closer to normal around here. Selah is doing great with her schedule and is getting better at falling asleep on her own:). Nights around here are pretty good as well. Selah wakes up at 2:30am and 5:30am. She eats and goes right back to sleep! She barely even cries when she is hungry. She's a very calm and happy baby, which I love!

Tomorrow is Mother's day and I will be spending it with my girls, Jeremiah, and my family. I can't believe this is only my second mother's day and I already have two kids! I feel very blessed to be a mother and I am enjoying it more and more every day.

I can't believe how grown-up Amaya looks now!

Great Grandpa and Grandma Estes Meeting Selah for the first time

Amaya has become attached to her Blankie and Paci lately:)

Estes Family Update

2009-04-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, we're still alive. It's been harder these days to find time to do anything, let alone blog! Jeremiah stayed home for the first two weeks and is now back at work:(. I am now on my own with the girls and surprisingly things are going well. Amaya is starting to get used to the new baby and I am starting to catch up on my sleep.

Selah has been a pretty easy baby so far. She hardly ever cries and when she does she is easily calmed down. She is a much different baby then Amaya was. She is also sleeping fairly well at night, she can go anywhere from 4-5 hours before waking me up. I am looking forward to her sleeping through the night!

Amaya, Selah, and all of their cousins (Amaya did not want her picture taken!)

Selah doing what she does best!

Me and my girls:)

Here's a fun video of Amaya playing in the sprinkler with her clothes on!

Selah Rene' Estes

2009-04-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

She's finally here!

Selah was born Easter morning at 6:01am. We had a very long (and painful) night but all went well and our baby girl is very healthy.

7 lbs. 14.9oz
20 1/4 inches long

We are now at home enjoying our little princess. She has been such a good baby so far.

Random pictures and finished basement

2009-04-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our newly finished basement. I think Jeremiah did an excellent job and I am so happy to have the extra space! Now I just need to decorate.

Here I am at 38 weeks! I am ready to go. My doctor has set an induction for April 13th, but I am praying that the baby will come on it's own before that. I have been walking everyday, cleaning the house, and helping Jer with the basement, in hopes that labor will come on it's own.

Amaya playing at the park.

She loves swinging!

Pregnancy update and Monkey Business

2009-03-16T11:37:00.001-07:00

36 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I am almost done! I have my bags packed and the basement is almost finished! It has definitely been a busy few months but that has made the time fly by. Tonight I have my pre-admission appointment at the hospital to get all my paper work done. Friday I will have another Dr. appointment to see how I'm progressing.

Today my Mothers of Preschoolers group went to Monkey Business. Monkey Business is a large indoor play ground for kids of all ages. Amaya had a good time for about a half an hour and then decided whine the remainder of the time. Luckily, I took some pictures before her meltdown.

Singing, "Twinkle, Twinkle."

2009-03-04T11:03:00.000-08:00

It seems like things are moving pretty fast around here. I can't believe I am only a month away (or less) from having this baby! I can't say that we are very prepared this time around. I have been going through all of Amaya's baby clothes hoping that they'll fit the new baby and that the weather would warm up so the seasons will match. I am also trying to pack for myself, Amaya, and the new baby. Jeremiah is keeping busy with the basement and has been a great help to me lately as I have been more and more uncomfortable.

The doctor told me that the baby has dropped and things are going well. I will now be seeing the dr. on a weekly basis!

Here are some new pics of Amaya.

Amaya Blinking

She loves Bo

I told Amaya to "smile" and this is what I got!

Singing "Jesus Loves Me"

Catch up

2009-02-19T13:13:00.000-08:00

Our Little Valentine...

I know it's been a while since I've posted! We have been busy around here with Valentines day activities, and taking care of Amaya and things around the house while Jeremiah was sick.

I am now only seven weeks away from my due date! Time is flying by fast. The doctor said that I will most likely go a little early like I did with Amaya. I am getting excited to have the new baby, but mostly I'm just ready to be back to normal:). Pregnancy is not my favorite but I sure love the outcome.

FYI: We are not telling the name until I have the baby:) I love surprising people and to tell you the truth we probably won't decide until we see her! We have some great names in mind.

Sleeping in her big girl bed!

2009-02-07T19:17:00.000-08:00

We put Amaya in her big girl bed for the first time Friday night. She cried a little, stood at the door for about 5 minutes, and then crawled into bed to sleep. I only heard her once in the night and didn't even have to go in and check on her! Jeremiah and I were impressed! We were very nervous about this transition.

Tonight is her second night in the bed and she went down much easier. Here are some pictures Jeremiah took of her sleeping.

31 weeks

2009-02-06T12:15:00.001-08:00

Here I am at 31 weeks! I can't believe how big my belly has gotten! It's crazy to think that in 2 months I should have my little baby in my arms, I can't wait.

In other news...We are planning on putting Amaya in her big girl bed for the first time tonight! I am super nervous about how it will go. If you know me I love and value my sleep, especially while I am pregnant. I'm glad we're doing this on the weekend so Jeremiah and I can both help out. Wish us luck!

Counting to 12 and Diet Coke:)

2009-01-30T11:04:00.000-08:00

Amaya's new room!

2009-01-17T11:22:00.000-08:00

reading!

2009-01-16T12:48:00.000-08:00

2009-01-11T11:57:00.000-08:00

Amaya in her new wagon. She loves it!

Finally able to get all her hair in pigtails

CHEESE!

26 weeks pregnant

2009-01-06T18:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas Pictures

2009-01-03T11:06:00.000-08:00

This year we stayed in town/topeka for Christmas. We had the opportunity to visit each of our families on Christmas day. Amaya had a great time opening presents, she really got spoiled this year! Here are some pictures from Christmas day.

Baby Jayden on his new puppy

Amaya checking out her new doll

Uncle Dale and his grandbaby, Nicolette

Christmas with the Freed's

Uncle Jerome and Amaya

Jeremiah, Grandma and Grandpa Kirmse, and Jerome

Opening gifts with Daddy

Checking out Alex's toy

Her new princess house

Opening gifts with Mommy

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-22T12:45:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a long time since I've posted! This is such a busy time of year for us. We just celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary, and I have been busy singing at our church Christmas service (2 more to go!) and making Christmas goodies. Amidst all of that my cousin just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Nicolette Noel.

We are looking forward to this Christmas with Amaya and our families. I think that she will really enjoy herself this year. Tonight we will have dinner with Jeremiah's dad, step-mom, and brothers and sister. Tuesday I sing at two services, Wednesday we have Christmas eve fun with Jeremiah's mom and step-dad's family, Christmas day we travel to Topeka to visit all of Jeremiah's family, and Christmas night we celebrate in town with my family! Talk about busy! I hope we get a little rest in between our visits.

To relax and enjoy our own family time we will be traveling to Dallas, TX. Jeremiah and I have never been and need an excuse for nicer weather. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Amaya's visit with Santa!

Amaya loves our Christmas tree:)

Jeremiah and I all dressed up for our anniversary

We went to STIX at the Legend and stayed at Chateau Avalon. We had such a great time. Thanks Mom and Dad for watching Amaya for us!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-08T18:18:00.000-08:00

This year we traveled to visit my family for Thanksgiving. It was so nice to see everyone again. Amaya got to meet some of my cousins for the first time and she had a lot of fun playing with her own cousins. We are looking forward to Christmas at home this year!

On the road

Grandpa with his two cuties:)

Adrianna and Amaya

Grandma and her two cuties!

IT'S A GIRL :)

2008-11-26T10:56:00.000-08:00

Everything looks great and we are happy to have another sweet baby girl!

Visiting with the Estes family

2008-11-24T12:16:00.000-08:00

This week we've spent a lot of time with Jeremiah's family. Friday night we had a pre-Thanksgiving dinner at Tony and Sharon's. It was a lot of fun hanging out with family and Amaya was on her best behavior!
Jeremiah's Sisters: Melissa and Kaylyn

Grandpa Estes and Amaya

(Amaya was dancing around all evening with a doily on her head:))

Lounging with Uncle Derrick

Grandma Estes and Amaya

What a goof ball!

Amaya says her animal sounds:)

Shake what your mama gave you!

2008-11-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

I thought this would make you all laugh:). We think she's getting her dance moves from the backyardigans.

Half way there!

2008-11-18T11:27:00.001-08:00

Here's a picture of me at 20 weeks with Amaya.

Praise the Lord I finally made it to the half way mark. Things are going really good so far. I have been trying to walk at least 4-5 times per week on the treadmill, I wouldn't say it's my favorite thing to do but I know it's good to keep active when you're pregnant. I am feeling more and more movement every day and I will get to find out the sex of the baby the day before Thanksgiving. Jeremiah will get to come with me to find out the sex and Amaya will be staying with Grandma Freed. Here are some preggo pics from today, you can really tell that I am pregnant now

2008-11-12T19:04:00.000-08:00

Today Grandma Estes and her sister Linda came to visit. Amaya loves it when guest come by, she becomes such a show off! Grandma Estes bought a new hat and mittens for Amaya and so we just had to go to the park to play today. Doesn't she look cute?!

Here's Amaya singing outside:) She is constantly singing, I love it!

Family visits

2008-11-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

With the birth of Justin's new baby we have had tons of visitors. My mom's sister and brother-in-law from Pennsylvania were with us for the first part of the week and then my sister and Lydia were here for the rest of the week. We had such a great time and Amaya enjoyed playing with her cousin Lydia who is four months younger. She woke up this morning, called out "dia"(lydia) , and searched for her. She's really going to miss her cousin.

Amaya loves Jaden's cute little toes:)

Cousins

Sisters

A kiss for Lydia

The girls in their matching shirts

Sarah and Jaden

Nicole and Jaden

Uncle Ted and Aunt Lori

Halloween pictures

2008-11-03T12:11:00.000-08:00

This year Amaya was old enough to do a little trick-or-treating. We took her and her cousin Lydia to the Great Mall to get candy. They had a great time and Amaya really enjoyed walking around the mall. As for the candy....you can guess who that went to:), I am pregnant after all.

Lydia the Ladybug

Amaya the fairy princess :)

He's finally here!

2008-10-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

My brother's wife Breanna finally had her baby boy on Wednesday morning at around 1am. She was in labor from 8am-11:30pm and they finally had to take the baby via c-section. Breanna and the baby are doing well. His name is Jayden Joshua-Thomas Freed and he weighed 9lbs 3 oz.! We are so happy he's here and look forward to the arrival of his cousin (my baby) in April, I hope they will become good friends:).

moving and grooving

2008-10-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

Amaya walks everywhere now, she is hard to keep up with! She still has some issues with balance and insists on walking with both hands raised in the air, but overall she does great:). We are having a lot more fun with her lately. She loves going to the park on our street and playing on the slide.

Amaya in motion
Going down the slide
Playing with Daddy

Fascinated by my bubble:0)

2008-10-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

The Fall weather has been so beautiful and we have been trying to take advantage of it. Today we all went to the KC Pumpkin Patch and let Amaya pick out her first pumpkin:).

Amaya Playing in the grass
Amaya loves Bo

I try to take Amaya to a playgroup each week and she really enjoys it. She especially likes the kid size chairs that they have, she'll play with them the entire time we're there. Jeremiah and I went out to Toy's 'R Us last night and got her a princess chair (she calls it "Barbie) . Here's a video of Amaya playing with her chair:).

Birthday Weekend

2008-10-05T14:21:00.001-07:00

This weekend I celebrated my 28th birthday! I told Jeremiah that all I wanted this year was to spend some time with him and that's what I got:). He took me to Brio Italian restaurant on the plaza and we walked around for a while. Thanks to Grandma Sharon for watching Amaya for us, we had a great time.

Jeremiah and I before our date
I finally got to ride in the '64

Jer and I at Brio Italian restaurant on the plaza
At Mi Ranchito with my family getting fed some

Fried ice cream. (they made me wear the hat:))

Walking!

2008-10-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

Amaya has finally decided to start walking. I had the "kids music" channel on and she just started walking away. She is very proud of herself and we are happy that she has finally reached this milestone. She still only chooses to walk when it's convenient for her but we'll take it!

Random post to catch you up on our lives

2008-09-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Amaya all dressed up for church.
This past Friday Amaya and I helped Grandma Freed with a garage sale. I was planning on selling a lot of stuff, but unfortunately I only made enough to pay for my dinner:(. We had a fun day regardless enjoying the beautiful weather.
Helping mom and Grandma at the garage sale.
Sitting with Grandpa on the "for sale" recliner at the garage sale

Below is a picture of Jeremiah's new 1964 Impala. On Monday night he left the house around 8:30 to check it out and possibly purchase it. Everything went well and he finally bought his dream car. He drove it home carefully at around 45 mph on the highway, when he was only 5 minutes or so on the highway the front wheel flew off and he wrecked his car:(. Needless to say he was not a happy camper. The good thing is that he is safe and didn't hit another car. The bad news is that he had to have it towed home and has some work to do to get the car up and running again. I guess he has a fun hobby now:).

Our little prodigy:)

2008-09-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

2008-09-12T13:49:00.000-07:00

For labor day we visited Jeremiah's family in Topeka. Amaya loves the water and had fun swimming with Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa Estes. It was such a beautiful day, I was so happy that we could enjoy it before the rain and cold weather came.

For some reason I have a very difficult time updating this blog. Maybe it's because I haven't been feeling well lately, but I am going to try to update at least once a week now.

I am now ten weeks pregnant and unfortunately still dealing with morning /all-day sickness. I am hoping that all will be well again in a couple of weeks, for now I am just taking it easy. I am enjoying my afternoon naps most of all;).

Baby Estes #2!

2008-09-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today I had my first prenatal appointment and everything went great! I am almost 9 weeks now. The baby had a strong heartbeat 179bpm! It was so exciting to see new life again.

I am feeling ok these days, mostly I am just really tired, nauseous, and hungry. I'm ready to be done with this morning sickness! It's totally different being pregnant and taking care of a one year old, I am exhausted:).

BIG SISTER!

Piggy Tales :)

2008-08-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

We've been trying to do something with Amaya's hair lately...it's been a mess! We're trying to grow it out but it keeps getting in her eyes, which is driving me crazy. Yesterday I sat her down and put pig tales in her hair. She hated the process but boy does she look cute!

Amaya pretending:0)

Vacation Part 2: New York, New York

2008-08-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

The next stop on our trip was NYC. We had a great time seeing Melissa again and checking out her new place. We kept very busy for the few days we were visiting. Enjoy the pictures!

Canal Street where I got my "HOT" Coach bag for $35! Amaya and I on the Subway
Amaya at Brooklyn Tabernacle

Our family and the New York Skyline
Melissa, Amaya, and I
Got to see the Statue of Liberty up close!

Amaya enjoying Daddy's fries! Yuck!

Jeremiah, Melissa, and Amaya outside Melissa's Apartment

Waiting for the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty
Mommy and Amaya. It was a beautiful day!

Aunt Melissa and Amaya on the ferry

Vacation Part 1: Jim Thorpe, PA

2008-08-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

We left last Tuesday to go to on our week long vacation. We visited Jeremiah's sister Melissa in New York and my mom's side of the family in Pennsylvania. It was so much fun seeing my family again. It had been nine years since I had seen most of them. Amaya got spoiled of course and Jeremiah and I loved hanging out with family, they really made us feel right at home. I wish we could have stayed longer but we had plans for the weekend in New York City!

Nana, Aunt Lori, and I with Amaya
Uncle Ted, Aunt Lori, and Amaya
The view of Jim Thorpe from the Flag Staff
Aunt Lori and Amaya

My cousin Garth with my family

Nana, Amaya and I

Pop-Pop and Amaya

spending time with my Nana and Pop-Pop

Dancing girl

2008-08-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

Amaya dancing while watching Backyardigans:)

2008-07-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Amaya in Daddy's hat

Hannah and Amaya at Deanna Rose

Tired after a long day

Sorry it's been so long, we have been keeping very busy. I had my wisdom teeth out two weeks ago and then had some family visiting this week. It felt good to be back to normal today.

Amaya and I went with my friend Bobbi and her girls to Deanna Rose Farmstead this past Monday. It was a very hot day but Amaya did very well, she loved seeing all of the animals! She called most of the animals "Bo" because that is our dogs name.

Amaya loves to sing. The other day I left the monitor on while she was "supposed" to be sleeping and heard her singing the entire time. I thought you all might enjoy this video of Amaya singing to her backyardigan, Tyrone:).

Stair Master

2008-07-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July. We went to Lawrence and spent the day shopping and walking down Massachusetts Street. At night we watched the Great Mall fireworks. Amaya didn't give a huge reaction, I think she was pretty tired.

Amaya has mastered going up and down the stairs. She is very fast and I am constantly running up and down the stairs so I can keep an eye on her.

Trip to Indiana and Ohio

2008-06-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

Doni and I with our girls at IWU

Aunt Gina and Uncle Drew with Amaya

Daddy let Amaya have his ice cream cone:)
Jeremiah, Aunt Gina, and Amaya

Amaya and Lydia swinging!

Lydia and Amaya playing
My College Suite mate Nicole with Amaya

Amaya and I in front of my College dorm

We just got back from visiting my sister's family in Indiana and Jeremiah's Aunt and Uncle in Ohio. It was such a fantastic trip, Amaya was a great traveler. We spent Thursday and most of Friday with my sister. Amaya had a lot of fun playing with her cousins, but got a little selfish with a couple of toys. Sharing is not her thing:).

On Friday I was able to go out to lunch with my college suite mates, Doni and Nicole. It was fun seeing them again and having Amaya meet Ava, Doni's daughter, for the first time.

Friday evening we packed up and headed to Ohio to visit with Aunt Gina and Uncle Drew. We had a lot of fun visiting places in their area and spending time with them.

Girls weekend 2008

2008-06-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

This was our 5th year getting together for a girl weekend! Linda, Lisa, Doni, Nicole, and I look forward to our time together each year. This year we went to Port Huron, Mi and stayed with Linda. We did a lot of shopping and sight seeing and the weather was perfect! It was a blast. This was also my first time away from Amaya for more than a day. Jeremiah stayed home with her so that I could go. I missed them both so much!

Worlds of Fun

2008-06-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Each year Jeremiah's work pays for the company to spend the day at Worlds of Fun! This year we took Amaya and she got to see Snoopy. She wasn't sure what to think about him at first but warmed up quickly:). Here are some pictures of our day.

Fun in the Sun!

2008-06-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

So Cold!!!

In her new dress from Auntie Tam

Loves her pink shades!

Amaya has been enjoying all of her birthday gifts. She loves her new activity pool! Amaya has a very short attention span and I was able to keep her busy in the pool for over a half an hour! I love this weather and it has been so nice getting outside with her.

She went for her one year check up this past Monday and is doing great. She is now 19 pounds 4.5 ounces! The dr. said that she is ready for a front facing car seat. We bought her one on Monday evening and she is loving it. I haven't heard her cry in her car seat at all this past week, I love it!

Birthday Party!

2008-06-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

We had a very eventful day. Amaya had over 30 guests attend her 1st birthday party. She loved the cake (until she got frosting in her eyes) and her presents. It was such a hot day for a party and the house was so crowded, I felt like I didn't get to talk to anyone the entire time.

Thanks to all who came to share in this special day! I hope to catch up with you all soon, yesterday was just a little crazy:).

Amaya and daddy check out her gifts

Mmmm, Cake!
Frosting in her eyes :(
Opening gifts

Happy Birthday Amaya

2008-05-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

A year ago today I was waiting for my sweet baby girl. She came in to this world at 11:56pm, after over 17 hours of labor! I can't believe how much time has gone by. What a great blessing she has been in our lives. I love being a mom, it is a dream come true. Tomorrow we will celebrate her first year with friends and family. I can't wait to see her eat her cake and open gifts!

2008-05-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

Watching the Backyardigans with her good friend "uniqua"
Cute pose
Aunt Melissa visits from New York
Amaya and Vernard
Amaya and uniqua:)

The month of May is a busy time for us. We had family visit and we are planning Amaya's first birthday party! I can't believe our baby is almost one. She is getting close to walking but is still too scared to stand on her own. She is really in to the "Backyardigans" and the "Wonderpets. I love to watch her dance when she hears the theme songs, it cracks me up. I even bought the songs to play on my ipod when we're in the car, she loves it!

Melissa, Christina, and Jeremiah at Krista's graduation party

Amaya loves looking out the window:)