So, life is an adventure. I was looking at my old posts, and one of the last ones was about a visit that Ernest and I had with my Grandpa Blauvelt. I’m so glad I got to visit with him that summer. We lost him in June of 2009, just before we found out we were pregnant. All of my grandparents are gone now. Ally will still get to know her Grandpa Ross and Grandma Ross, and Grandpa Kelso. Grandma Ross is my step-mom, since my mom died in 2001, and she is a fabulous grandma. She spoils Ally and gets on to her as needed, and is always welcoming to our family. I am so grateful that my kids will get to know a little bit of where Ernest and I come from! I wish I would have realized that earlier so that I could have gotten to know my grandparents better, and even my own Mother. You think you know people, but then all of sudden they are gone, and you begin to realize how much you didn’t know.
Anyway. I didn’t intend this to be sad or so introspective. I am thinking back on so many events from the last two years, and am quite disappointed that I didn’t keep up with them on here! I think I will try to give a brief summary, and then do better with keeping up from here on it. So, notable events in the Kelso Family from the last two years…
June 2008
We also went to the Tim McGraw/Jason Aldean concert at the Sprint Center with Lori and Lucas. I always forget how big that place is! I must be getting old though, I have to REALLY like an artist to deal with the noise, crowds, and traffic of concerts anymore. Tim was worth it.
July 2008
Trip to Colorado! We went out to visit family and friends in Colorado Springs over the 4th of July. We went to the Phoenix Gold Mine just outside of Denver. This was my first trip inside caves of any sort since my 4th year at Girls Camp. Apparently I am getting more claustrophobic in my old age! But, more about that in a moment. We played a couple of rounds of golf (I am definitely a hacker, and often play “army golf” – right left, left, right, etc.) with Ben and Ray, visited a cool park with Lisa, and hung out with family. We got to tell Grandpa Kelso that he was going to be a grandpa again too which was quite fun! Ian has grown a ton and was all of the place, exploring and climbing on things. He is such a cute little guy. As a special treat to Ernest and myself, we booked a room at a bed and breakfast in Cripple Creek for the 4th. Cripple Creek was celebrating their “Donkey Days” and it was quite interesting. The main street of town was closed down, and booths and displays set up along the whole length of it. Tons of wood carvings and sand sculptures were everywhere for the eyes, barbeque and other grilling scents for the nose, and lots of things for sale to lighten the pocketbook. Ernest spent hours (okay, maybe no more than 2) at the water trough panning for gold with all of the other kids. 
We also went to the Mollie Kathleen mine, which takes you into the mountain more than a mile, straight down. This brings me back to the claustrophobic comment from earlier. Oh, I am never doing that again! I had to keep taking deep breaths and pretend I was just walking through a tunnel, not a crack a mile inside of a mountain. It was a very cool experience, but n.e.v.e.r. a.g.a.i.n. I'm not sure if it was the claustrophobia or pregnancy, but morning sickness began shortly after this. We missed most of the fireworks because I was sick that night. Ah, the joys of the first trimester! The Colorado trip was great though, and gave us lots of fond memories.
Also in July, my brother, Trebor, and his family moved in with us. They were transitioning from southern Missouri to the big city life up here in KC. It was a lot of fun having them with us, though we all found it very stressful at times. Me being pregnant and sick didn’t help the situation! But it all worked out well in the end, and I got to know two of my adorable nieces even better. This picture is of Aleana when she couldn't/wouldn't keep her pants on. September 2008
My first ever auto show! We went to the Good Guys auto show at the Kansas Speedway. Ernest loves classic cars, and can rattle off how to tell the difference between a 57 and a 58 (tail lights, I think) or between a Ford and a Chevy, or anything else you’d care to know. And then some! It was a lot of fun looking at all of the cars with him and hearing him spout off facts about each. I still can’t tell you much about them, other than “I like that one” (the red car in the picture) or “I don’t like the way that one looks" (the blue car, which Ernest loves). It works for us though. October 2008
I finally convinced Ernest to try a cruise! We made the reservations back in February, and scheduled the cruise during our anniversary (number 2!). We took a Carnival cruise which left from Miami and stole us away for seven glorious days. I highly recommend a cruise to anyone looking for an extremely relaxing vacation. If you can swing it, spring for a room with a balcony. It was THE BEST. We went to Ochos Rios, Jamaica, Georgetown, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico. While each area had its perks, my definite favorite was Georgetown. It reminded me of England, but with an odd mix of the tropical included. So fun! I have extensive pictures on Facebook if you are interested, but here are some highlights from each of the locations.
Ochos Rios – we were actually here on our anniversary! Jamaica was probably my least favorite location we visited. But it was still beautiful and the culture was so interesting. We walked next to the falls; since I was pregnant I couldn’t go “in” them. Also toured a park that featured a portion of the rainforest. Ernest had ordered roses delivered to our stateroom, so they were there when we got back to the ship. Such a nice surprise!
Georgetown – My favorite! I would love to come back here and spend a week or two. We went to the butterfly farm, the turtle farm, and then went snorkeling, just the two of us. The butterfly farm was gorgeous, the turtle farm was very interesting, and snorkeling was the best! I took a ton of pictures (again, on facebook). There were giant marlin swimming near us – they look like sharks under the water! Schools of tropical fish that would come up and dart around you. They tickle when they swim by. We saw coral, crab, sponges, and an assortment of other things I don’t know the name of! We weren’t able to scuba dive, again because of the pregnancy, but snorkeling was allowed and it was one of my favorite activities of the whole trip! 
Cozumel – not enough time was spent here! We actually went over to Playa del Carmen and spent the day at Xcaret, an ecological theme park. Check out their website some time, it is so interesting! We wandered around here all day and saw rain forests, rivers, more snorkeling, dolphins, mushrooms, animals, birds, excellent food, and my favorite, a cave river tour! You put on a life jacket, grab snorkel gear, and hop into the river. Some of the caves you go through are man-made and others are natural – but it all was incredibly cool. I would do it again in a second.
February 2009
Ally is born! They induced me 1.5 weeks early because Ally’s growth slowed down. I loved being pregnant once we got past the first trimester. One of my favorites was seeing my tummy grown (especially when I no longer looked just chubby but actually looked pregnant) and then feeling Ally move around. I missed that after she was born. I won’t bore you with details of labor, but will tell you that she was born at 11:27pm on 2/23/10 (6lbs 9 oz) and was absolutely perfect. Tons of pics on Facebook.
March 2009
Dad Kelso, Tony, Ricki and her husband Donn and their son Ian all came out to visit! It was so good to see them. Unfortunately, Ally had bad bouts with colic so wasn't sleeping much at night, which meant Mommy wasn't sleeping much either. But we did manage to get to visit a bit and show the Colorado family around Kansas a little bit!
May 2009
Ally is blessed. My dad came up, and all of my brothers and sisters were there. It was so fun, and I loved having everyone together in the same church building. That hadn't happened since I was probably 9 or so.
June 2009
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We got to go the Blauvelt Family Reunion, but missed the Ross Reunion. I don't remember now why we weren't there....I'm guessing something to do with traveling with Ally. At this point, she hates her car seat and cries every time she's in the car. However, we did go down to my Dad's place for a weekend. Ally finally got to meet her grandma! They got along great. Ally and Mom would just sit and laugh at each other. It was so fun to see. 
We also got to take two of our nieces, Lucy and Sophie, out for their birthdays. We went to Smiley's mini-golf and then to Fritz's for lunch. So fun!September 2009
Renfest with the Kellers, Huzzah! 
We also were helping to clean out my grandparents house. One day while we were there, we pulled down pictures. There was a picture of my grandmother, and a picture of my mother. I got rather sentimental thinking something along the lines of "This is the only way we'll all be together for a while." So I had Ernest take a picture. We had four generations together, in a way. I miss my mother and my grandmother, and it makes me sad to think that my children will grow up without remembering them. I get some consolation from thinking that all of my children get to spend time with their grandmother and great grandmother before they come into my care. I believe it, so that helps a bit. 
Ally is also learning how to walk. She cruises pretty good and loves to walk around the couch and coffee table.
We also were helping to clean out my grandparents house. One day while we were there, we pulled down pictures. There was a picture of my grandmother, and a picture of my mother. I got rather sentimental thinking something along the lines of "This is the only way we'll all be together for a while." So I had Ernest take a picture. We had four generations together, in a way. I miss my mother and my grandmother, and it makes me sad to think that my children will grow up without remembering them. I get some consolation from thinking that all of my children get to spend time with their grandmother and great grandmother before they come into my care. I believe it, so that helps a bit. 
Ally is also learning how to walk. She cruises pretty good and loves to walk around the couch and coffee table. October 2009
Ally's first Halloween! We had a small party at my house with the nieces and nephews invited over, and we played games and told jokes and stories. And of course, costumes!
Also also takes her first steps by herself. She'll be running around in no time!
Also also takes her first steps by herself. She'll be running around in no time!November 2009
We got to go through the temple with our nephew, Will. He is preparing for his mission, and will leave in February of next year. It was so great to be in the celestial room with my brother and his family! We also particpated in the National Service Saturday with our ward. We bundled Ally up, and took her out to clean up one of the local parks. She did surprisingly well!
After we did the clean up, we stayed for a little bit and let her swing. It was the first time Allyson had been in a big swing, and she loved it. She was laughing so much we had to stop a few times so she could catch her breath.
After we did the clean up, we stayed for a little bit and let her swing. It was the first time Allyson had been in a big swing, and she loved it. She was laughing so much we had to stop a few times so she could catch her breath.
Last, but not least, we went to Colorado over Thanksgiving. Our first time traveling by plane with Allyson, and again, it went surprisingly well. We did, however, miss our original flight but Southwest was great and got us on a later flight. We spent more time with family in Colorado and visited with friends again. Even more fun this time, Ally hasn't had trouble with colic, so we all got to play!
December 2009
Our first Christmas all together. Ally helped decorate the tree, and helped try to "undecorate" it several times as well. She loved the lights and especially the glass ornaments. We were going to have family together for Christmas, but it ended up being just us. It was nice. I made stockings for us, and used Martha's embroidery machine to put snowflakes, trim, and our names on them. I think they turned out pretty spiffy, if I do say so myself! Kansas got a ton of snow this last winter, so Ally got to have her first experiences with snow too. 
I'm glad you're updating your blog. Sounds like you've had a lot of fun the last couple of years!
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