The Family Crash Pad

New Post

2008-03-08T16:49:00.001-06:00

Just to let you know, I have updated my new blog, so you should check it out! And if you're not registered, go ahead and do so, it's easy. Thanks!

Our new Blog

2008-03-06T13:16:00.003-06:00

So our new blog is up and running now. The new website is: http://thekoltsfam.simply-basic.com

You'll have to register, but it should be really easy! I will also e-mail everyone of whom I have their e-mail addresses and let them know the new website as well. We really hope this doesn't make anyone not want to visit our blog. If you register and I don't recognize your name (ie you got married or something) I'll probably e-mail you to ask how I know you, and if I think you're crazy, then sorry! :)

Family Adventures

2008-02-08T18:07:00.000-06:00

We have been having so much fun. It snowed a little bit, and got warm enough to take Brielle outside for a little bit so we took her to the mailbox. She enjoyed skiing on the sidewalk on the way there.

And she has started rolling over lots. Not yet from back to front, but she isn't far from it, I don't think.

This adorable outfit is from her great grandma and grandpa Henrie. It is so cute on her, especially with pig tails!

If you look close, you can see Brielle's cute little teeth. She puts everything in her mouth but on most things is very particular about which part she wants in her mouth. On some of her toys, she will pick up the toy, turn it with her hands until it's at the spot she wants, then it'll go straight for her mought, it's very fun to watch.

This is what happens to our window, on the inside, when it gets to about 30 degrees below zero with the wind chill. It starts to become very icy. Luckily our house still stays warm! I am so thankful for our little apartment in this freezing cold weather!

Some love from daddy. She kept lifting her head and trying to eat the snowflakes, it was funny to watch!

Just last night, we went in to give Brielle a kiss and this is how we found her. She has never slept like this before, it was so cute! We even tried to put her on her back, but she fought back and went back to her side. It was really cute.

My Husband

2008-01-27T15:54:00.001-06:00

So I have received several "tags" to do those list things, but I haven't ever done them, but I've decided to do this one. So here goes:
What is his name? Robert John Kolts
How long have you been married? Almost 2 1/2 wonderful years
How long did you date? We dated for a year before his mission, then 8 months after his mission
How old is he? 22
Who eats more? Rob, by far
Who said I love you first? Rob
Who is taller? Rob, even though sometimes I stand on a step higher than him to help myself out
Who sings better? I'm gonna have to say me, even though Rob does his best
Who is smarter? Rob..which is good because he's the future dentist
Whose temper is worse? Mine. Rob is annoyingly even tempered
Who does the laundry? I do, Rob helps when he's home and not studying though
Who does the dishes? We both do, except everytime it's Rob's turn I always end up doing halvsies with him..sometimes he'll even trade like 3 other jobs if I'll do his dishes. He hates doing them.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Rob
Who pays the bills? Rob does
Who cooks dinner? I do. But Rob makes a mean mac and cheese. :)
Who drives when you are together? Rob, unless we've just had a big meal, then Rob makes me drive
Who is more stubborn? It depends on the subject, mostly me.
Whose parents do you see the most? His, seeings how mine live several states away
Who proposed? Rob, it was wonderful
Who has more friends? I probably do. He's from Marshfield, population like 100. (Ok, small exageration)
Who has more siblings? Rob has 7 siblings, I have 4
Who wears the pants in the family? Rob is definitely the head of the family, but I'm the neck who tells the head where to turn.

I love you Rob, you're such a wonderful husband!

I'm going to tag Cassi, and Krystal

Cute baby

2008-01-27T14:33:00.000-06:00

This last week Rob started his last semester as an undergraduate student. He is very excited to be done with this stage, and move onto the next stage...dental school! It has been hard to get back into the swing of things after having such a long, relaxing, and family-filled break between semesters.
Since we've gotten back home, Rob and Brielle put together our new entertainment center. She was a lot of help... but had fun doing it. It looks a lot better in our apartment.

Rob and Brielle were also having way too much fun eating some cake. Brielle has started seeming very interested in all of our food and gives us the cutest little look, watching us whenever we eat, so we cave and give her little bites. She's so fun!

She also, in the last several days, has found her toes. She especially loves to play with them when we're changing her diaper.

She loves bath time. This was her first time taking a bath in the tub. She usually has them in her own little tub in the sink, but she's getting too big for it!

Doesn't she have the cutest little toes??

Her Grandma Kolts made her these adorable socks and she has started playing with them whenever she wears them. We have already put in a request for more!

We just bought her a new high chair last week, which is so much nicer than having her sit on our laps while we feed her. Now she has her own little throne that she can sit in. And, under very close supervision, she has started eating some finger foods, the baby biter biscuits. She loves them! Well, at least the amount that got into her mouth. Most of it got all over her face, fingers, and even some in her hair.

And last week she had her 6 month check-up. She weighed 15lb 10 oz and was 26 inches long. So when she was just a month or two old, she was short and stubby, now she's tall and skinny. It's so fun watching her grow! I love being a mom!!
While visiting with her pediatrician he did say that he was concerned about the fact that she's not rolling over (which is true, she has done it, but not for at least a couple months. But she did roll over today while having tummy time!!), combined with the fact that her head is flat on one side, he referred us to a physical therapist. We went to the appointment and they said that Brielle has a very mild case of Torticollis, which is something to do with the neck muscles. One side of her neck muscles is stronger than the other side, making her head tilt a little bit. The physical therapist said that the torticollis is most likely the reason that Brielle has not rolled over because it's too hard for her to turn her head. Anyway, it's a mild case, and they said that some simple physical therapy sessions could fix it. They also said that we might want to get her a cranio cap, to help her head go back to the right shape. We're not 100% sure what we're going to do about that, we'll probably go ahead with it since it will cause her no pain, and it will really fix her head shape. Anyway, other than that, Brielle is a beautiful, healthy baby, and we love her tons! Both her pediatrician and the physical therapist were impressed by how well she sits up by herself, and that she is very close to getting up on her knees while having tummy time, go Brielle! Maybe she just wants to skip the rolling over step, which is fine with me!

Teethies!

2008-01-15T18:02:00.000-06:00

We have seen Brielle's first 2 teeth, they are coming in at the same time! Her two bottom front teeth. We actually saw them first on Dec 29th on our way home from Grandma and Grandpa Kolts' cabin. And since then they have grown lots. She hasn't had too hard of a time yet with pain or anything. She is biting everything now, and drools lots more. She is so cute.

She was in a very laughy mood tonight. I just picked her up and she started laughing. She's tired. She has been laughing lots more lately, and it's not as hard to get the laugh out of her. I can't believe how much she has grown since before Christmas.

Time with friends and family

2008-01-10T15:31:00.001-06:00

It has been very fun being here in Utah. We have had the chance to see many family members, and several of my closest friends. We got together with my friends and their husbands for lunch. Also, we were able to see one of my best friends from high school, Amy, who just returned from her mission a couple weeks ago. It is so fun to get together with them, and there are now 3 little babies in our group as well. So fun!

We also spent some time with Anna and Mike and their cute little girls, Mikelle and Kaylee. They are such fun girls. Brielle and Kaylee were instant friends... until Kaylee tried to attack Brielle's little pig tails and steal her toys (she was just jealous of Brielle's cute hair!:) Krystal was able to come too for a little while, and we saw AJ. He is so big! He makes Brielle look little, I like it!

Brielle has also spent time with her great grandparents. It is so fun to see them. And Brielle was so sweet with them.
Pa and Frine

Great Grandma Kolts

Great Grandma and Grandpa Henrie

We went out to dinner and Brielle saw some more family. We have had so much fun here in Utah. We are sad to be leaving on Saturday. We are so grateful for our family.

Dad's 50th New Years

2008-01-10T15:08:00.000-06:00

We arrived in Utah on New Years Eve, also known as my dad's birthday. And this year was definitely a milestone, his 50th birthday! We gave him 50 presents for his 50th birthday. Needless to say, it took a while to open them all.

We played lots of games, right up until just minutes before the New Year. Our favorite game has been Take 2, which I learned at Rob's parents' cabin over Christmas. We love it. I especially like it, because I win lots. :) Brielle unfortunately missed all of the festivities. I guess midnight is a little late for her.

Melissa says, "Yeah, my missionary comes home next year!"

Ooh la, la

Christmas at the Cottage

2007-12-30T21:39:00.000-06:00

This has been a wonderful week. We were able to celebrate Brielle's first Christmas! We were with her Grandma and Grandpa Kolts at their cottage up north. With all of the snow it was a beautiful sight. It was great being with family. It was so nice, there was no cell phone service, or television so we were really roughing it... :) Everytime we needed a food ingredient that we didn't have, Debbie would say, "well, we are camping!" I'd love to go camping in a big cabin like that all the time!
Setting up the tree was an adventure. First we had to find the tree, which was cut down from outside the cottage. It was about 15' tall! We used a ladder for the top half.

We decided to take Brielle out for a little snow excursion. She made the cutest snow angel (with help, of course!) She is our little angel. Isn't this just the cutest picture???

We had another snow fall when we were there. There was so much snow, it went up past my knees at some points!

Christmas Eve dinner was delicious! Debbie made prime rib with yummy side dishes, and a trifle for dessert.

Brielle's thoughts during dinner...

Christmas Morning!! These are the two cute little babies, celebrating their first Christmas!

There were lots of presents from Santa by the tree. Brielle was so excited, about the wrapping paper. She loved tearing at it. Brielle got lots of fun toys!

Outside with Grandma

Sledding! The bottom of the hill went onto the lake that was supposed to be frozen, but it wasn't quite cold enough. Luckily the tubes float..

Fun in the snow

Dad, get away, no more kisses!

Ok, fine we can be pals again

Cute cousins, Brielle and AJ

Beautiful girl, in a dress that her Aunt Aubrey gave her

Talkin to Grandpa

Tons of snow!

It was a wonderful Christmas. We cannot help but be thankful for all of the blessings we have been given. We have wonderful family that love us, and we are so grateful for the gospel in our lives. We are excited for our upcoming trip to Utah! We will be leaving tomorrow and will be there for almost 2 weeks, yeah!

Santa Clause!

2007-12-19T17:42:00.000-06:00

Brielle met Santa Clause for her first time today! She was very solemn. She had just woken up from a nap and we figured she'd be super happy, but she just sat there. It's ok though, she was super cute..as always! She can't wait for Santa to come visit her next week. Can you believe Christmas is next week?? I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and that you travel safely. We're excited to go to Grandma and Grandpa Kolts' cabin for Christmas, and also for our trip to Utah on New Years Eve!

We were able to open our presents from Grandma and Grandpa Henrie and family yesterday over Skype (wonderful thing!) and after we were done, we decided to put Brielle in the box with the wrapping paper. She loved it!

Girls' Night!

2007-12-12T20:34:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had a few friends over for Karaoke Revolution girls night. It was fun! Not many people were able to come, but we had a great time! I always get the same hesitancy at first, but after a while, they warmed up to the singing. Unfortunately their confidence waivered a little when Rob came downstairs with the video camera...he didn't have it on. He's lucky.

I like having girls' nights. It was nice, Brielle was asleep and we just played downstairs and ate good snacks. I think we might try to go professional with our 3 amazing voices! Me and Kendra could be back-up singers to Cassi, who won the tournament! It was super fun.

Brrrr!

2007-12-08T22:42:00.000-06:00

This past week has been eventful. Brielle and I got a lot of our Christmas shopping done. I like to do it as early as possible because of how busy it gets. Then on Thursday we were able to come home with Rob because his dad was recovering enough to be able to come home early! He was looking great, and Brielle was so excited to see grandma and grandpa.
She was trying to be like her grandpa. Aren't babies the ones who are supposed to be bald? :)

We also have had our first real snow here in Minneapolis! Last week it snowed a lot, and now everything is white! Well, brown and white, with all the mud. We took Brielle out into the snow for her first time ever. I'm not sure she enjoyed it too much, it was so cold. She was good for us though, and let us take pictures but was more excited to get back inside.

Last night we were able to go to our Ward Christmas Party. We had a great dinner, and enjoyed a fun program. We were supposed to see Santa but Brielle was getting very tired so we left. My friend Heathere took some family pictures while we were there. As soon as we get them, they're going on the blog!

This is her new coat that Rob's parents so lovingly bought for her. We think she looks adorable, and it keeps her so warm, especially when it was 5 degrees outside...

My mom said that it was snowing at their house, and was saying that it was supposed to get all the way down into the 20's next week...I used to think that was cold too.

Oh, and I forgot to put this picture on. Brielle was trying to help with the laundry and decided that she'd found a comfy chair. Isn't she cute?!

WE'RE GOING TO DENTAL SCHOOL!!!!!!

2007-11-30T09:05:00.000-06:00

WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!

We have just found out this morning that Rob has been accepted to the University of Minnesota's dental school! We are so excited that we'll be able to stay her in Minnesota. We will here for another four years. Yeah!

Also, as a side note.. we just thought we'd let you know about an article that was written about Brielle in People Magazine. We're very impressed with our little superstar. Doesn't she look cute on the cover?

And next month, National Geographic wants to publish an article about something that was discovered in Minneapolis just months ago by some (may I say gorgeous) pedestrians, who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You'll have to read it!

go to www.MagMyPic.com to become famous!

It's Christmas Time

2007-11-29T13:36:00.000-06:00

We set up and decorated our Christmas tree last Thursday. It is always so exciting to get out all of the Christmas stuff each year, and this was even more so than before because we have Brielle to enjoy it with! We also had James here to help. It was quite a party.

On saturday we fed Brielle her first bowl of rice cereal! She did pretty good considering it was her first time being fed from a spoon. We got really messy, but it was so cute! Since then she has continued to get better and better. She is growing so fast, we can't believe it!

Let's just say that she wasn't the only one learning how to feed her. She kept putting her hands in her mouth, then she just wanted to suck on the bib, and we were not going fast enough. It definitely took 4 hands to get done! But now, we're old pros! :)

Earlier today we were giving her some tummy time. She has only rolled over a couple times, but she has still found a way to get around. While watching her, we saw her lift up her bum, and scoot forward. It was only about an inch, but it was so funny to watch her! It is amazing to watch them grow! Everyday brings a new adventure.
We have also noticed that she has found a favorite blanket. It I ever need her to go to sleep, or calm down, I just give her the blanket, put her in her bouncy seat, and vuala! She loves the softness, and the silky feeling around the edge. I think it's adorable!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-23T20:14:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and we had a wonderful time. We hope you all did too. We even woke up to a little bit of snow on the ground! It didn't last all day, but it was fun to see. We had the dinner at our house. And the turkey tasted great, if I do say so myself! I will say however, that preparing the turkey is disgusting! It was all slimy, I didn't know where to find the giblets (I think that's what they're called) and I swear that the head was still connected.

The top didn't get brown (it actually looked quite disgustingly slimy to me), but we checked the temperature and it was done. But all in all, I think it was a good first (honestly I would be ok if it was the last) turkey cooking experience. And the stuffing inside the turkey... fabulous. I've never had it that way, but everyone said it was required, so I attempted to make it. I was told it tasted good. I tell ya, Debbie's cooking is a lot to live up to! I recommend to my family to try stuffing in the turkey. It was great!

Anyway, it was a great day. We had us of course, Janette, Brandon and their two kids: Noah and Isabelle, and James, Amelia, and Mariah. It was a full house, especially in our little apartment! We had lots of salads, potatoes, and some really great pies! It is so fun being with family.

This was Brielle's idea of a good celebration. She slept through almost the whole dinner! She had a good reason, though. She had a little fever from her shots. Isn't she such a cute little sleeper!

Unfortunately Rob's dad is still recovering from his stem cell transplant, so we couldn't be with them too, but hopefully he'll start feeling better. The transplant went well, but I think it will be at least another week until we know if his body will accept the new stem cells. We are keeping him in our prayers always. We also would like to wish them a happy anniversary! Today is their 30th wedding anniversary. Congratulations!!

Also, while we weren't able to be with my family back in Utah, we were able to talk to them and see them on Skype. There were lots of people there that we were able to chat with, it was great! We are very excited to be able to go to Utah in just over one month to spend some time with family there.

Happy Thanksgiving!

4 Month Doctor Appointment

2007-11-21T18:32:00.000-06:00

Brielle's 4 month dr appointment was today. She didn't like it nearly as much as her 2 month appt. but as soon as her doctor started talking to us she looked at him, as if listening to all he was telling us. He commented on how attentive and active she is, and we very much agree.

I have to point out, from reading Krystal's blog, that Brielle is not as chubby as her Grandma Kolts thinks she is. She weighed in at 13lbs 14 oz (54th percentile), and 24 1/4" long (47th percentile).

Poor little girl did not like her shots, of course who does? She did so good, and after we left, she slept for almost 2 hours. (Which is amazing for her; her normal naps are almost always exactly 30 minutes. I don't know how she times it the same every time!) She is such a fun baby.

Her doctor also said that we can/should start feeding her rice cereal anytime now! That will be so cute!!! He also said that she is a very social baby. It's fun, but has been kind of getting in the way of feeding her sometimes. She is just so interested in everything around her, and if her daddy says anything, it's hopeless.

She has to look out, because if she doesn't, of course she'll miss something. We are so grateful for our little bundle of joy! She has brought so much happiness into our lives. While I have never really felt like I knew my reason or place in life, I now know that being my baby's mother is my calling. It's hard work, but so much more rewarding than anything else I could be doing with my life.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We love you all!

Growing Older

2007-11-18T20:19:00.000-06:00

Brielle's 4 month birthday was yesterday. She is getting so big! And we are now able to fit little elastics in Brielle's hair. She looks so cute! She and her mom spent the last 2 weeks with her two Aunts, Amelia and Mariah. We had lots of fun with her two crazy aunts. We are so glad we were able to go and help. We sure love our family!

But it is nice to be back at home with her daddy. He missed us alot. We're just so fun! We sure did miss him too. I mean, how could you NOT miss this!

So as not to get too bored, I decided to read the Harry Potter books. I just finished reading the Twilight series (which is amazing!!!) and I'm now on a reading spree. I'm on the 4th book now, and they're a fun read. They're really long, but it goes quick.
This last weekend, Janette, Brandon, and their 2 cute kids, Noah and Isabelle, came so that they could spend the next 2 weeks with Amelia and Mariah. It was fun having more little people around Brielle. Even though she could hardly get through tummy time without Isabelle trying to steal her binkie or sit on her, and then Mimby, their cute dog, wanted in on the action. Even though I was trying to protect Brielle, I couldn't help laughing.

We did a craft while we were there too. We made turkeys. They turned out so cute. I wish I would've taken a picture with Noah's turkey, compared to Brielle's. The size difference is very funny.

Adventures in Marshfield

2007-11-12T08:27:00.000-06:00

This past week Brielle and I have been at Grandma and Grandpa Kolts' house watching two cute girls, Amelia and Mariah, while Grandpa Kolts is having a transplant in another state. They left last week, and everything is going well. Brielle is telling them all kinds of stories and is so excited about it.

Of course Mariah got a hold of the camera...

Rob has had to stay in Minneapolis because of school, but last week after his dental school interview at Marquette University (on Wednesday) he came her afterward and stayed the whole weekend with us. As soon as he got here, he gave me a quick peck on the cheek, then grabbed the baby. Haha. They are so fun to watch. Brielle sure loves her daddy.

She has the cutest little smirk faces. We are so proud of Brielle. She has been going 12 hours at night!!! (7:30pm-7:30am) Woo Hoo Brielle!!!!

She loves putting everything up to her mouth now. She's drooling all the time, and has to always be sucking on something!

Cute Feet

2007-11-01T10:57:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my friend Kara for this great idea. Brielle was quite uncooperative, but with Rob's help, we managed to get it somewhat right. She just did not want to uncurl her toes! We hope you all had a great halloween! We sure did!

Halloween!

2007-10-31T20:06:00.000-05:00

Today was Brielle's first Halloween! Rob and I enjoyed making Brielle enjoy it. She could have cared less, but it was fun. I planned a fun dinner for the three of us. I made "Cheesy Mummy Dogs" and frankenstein pudding, and pumpkin pie for dessert. It was fun.

And this last Monday for our family night, we carved a pumpkin for Brielle. While she wasn't very much help, she tried to get rid of some of the pumpkin seeds by getting them to her mouth. Oh dear.. It is so much fun having holidays with a little baby, even though I know I'm enjoying them so much more than she is. I know she'll appreciate it when she's older, right?

We put a flashlight in the pumpkin to light it up since we didn't have a candle. Brielle thought it was fascinating. She just stared at it for several minutes, drool spilling from her mouth the whole time. :)

So today after dinner we went trick-or-treating around our complex area. Again, Brielle could have cared less, except for the cold wind that was blowing in her face...she didn't really like that. But she was just the cutest ladybug I've ever seen (from my unbiased opinion!). We tried to see all of the people in our ward that live here in Como, although some were out trick-or-treating themselves! It's great living so close to them!

Isn't she just the cutest thing??!! We just can't get enough of her here. She is changing everyday. I got her to really giggle for the first time on Monday. It was so exciting! She has the cutest little laugh. I have since tried multiple times to get her to do it again, but I think I'm bugging her or something...
And in just the last day she has really started to find her voice. She will make sounds to herself for several minutes before needing me to make noises back. She has the sweetest voice! It is so fun watching these changes day by day! I mean, come on. How can you resist that?? All I can say is that I don't get much done during the days. I love being a mom!!

Utah Trip

2007-10-26T10:31:00.001-05:00

Brielle and I were able to go to Utah this last week. It was a blast! Brielle experienced her first plane ride, and this was her reaction to it :)

It was so nice being able to travel with her grandma and grandpa Kolts and her two aunts. Brielle got to meet a few of her cousins and many more famly members. Hopefully she didn't squish AJ too much! She has such cute cousins! And she loved
meeting her great aunts, she really liked her great Aunt Suzanne, she wouldn't stop smiling for her!

We were also able to visit with Grandma Susan and Grandpa Jeff. They were excited to see Brielle and how much she has changed in the last 2 months. And her aunt Melissa had a blast playing dress up...poor Brielle.

Hula girl...

Cowgirl...

Ninja girl!

We were able to celebrate her Great-grandma Kolts' 80th birthday. She had a beautiful party, and it was great to see the whole family. There were so many little babies, so we had to take a picture of them with the birthday girl!

Her Grandparents sure had fun with her during our visit, along with her great-grandparents. She is one loved little baby!

I was also able to get together with some great friends. It was fun seeing their babies, and to hang out!

We went to visit one of my good friends, Elyse, who just returned from her mission in Hungary about 2 months ago. It was so fun to see her!

The Finished Product

2007-10-16T13:06:00.000-05:00

So I am going to gloat for a minute. I have been working on a cross stitch for the past 3 years on and off and finally finished it this last March. And now I've finally added the finishing touches. Here is the cross stitch I did, and the frame that Rob and I picked out. I must say, it looks great. I'm excited to get it hung up in our house!

Weekend at Grandma's house

2007-10-15T12:15:00.000-05:00

Brielle had so much fun this last weekend at her Grandma and Grandpa Kolts' house. We went to the Wild Wood Zoo, which was a little too cold for Brielle, but we're sure she enjoyed it anyway.

She also likes going there because Grandpa Kolts likes to give her candy... She took the licorice ok, but she really liked the sucker! Grandpa also read her some stories. She loved it. They were very cute together.

We are hesitant to put this picture on here because of a "threat" that was given because of it. But we're willing to take that chance! Doesn't he look great! The balloons really bring out his eyes. :) No, this isn't his regular attire, he was getting ready to make hamburgers; they were yummy!

I love this picture. Brielle just loves her grandparents. She was being so cute with them. She sure thinks they're great!

Messy Hair

2007-10-09T22:16:00.000-05:00

How I love my little baby! She is so cute with her daddy, even though they are both in need of a hair stylist! Aren't they just precious? Brielle loves cuddling, and studying with her dad. However, all that work was boring her so I eventually came to her rescue.

Brielle does love her swing, for limited amounts at a time. She just stares at the bears that are hanging overhead. It's so fun to watch her. To think that I always thought those bears were so boring, I mean, they just sit there!

Flying High

2007-10-08T13:23:00.000-05:00

Fall is in the air here in Minnesota. It's starting to cool down here. We are a good way into Fall semester at the U of M. Rob is doing great with his classes, even with his 2 huge distractions (me and Brielle). We like when he tries to come home to study, but he rarely gets any of that done with a cute little baby here who has taken a liking to flying...

Brielle has also stopped accepting the baby hold. She squirms and squirms until we hold her up or face her outwards so she can see everything. It's cute the way she stares at everything with such curiosity. Even when I'm using the computer, she doesn't just want to lay down on the couch, she has to be able to sit up.

We love our little, well chunky, bundle. She is so fun, and we love reading her stories. She looks so intently at the pictures on the books.

Isn't she just the cutest mini sumo wrestler ever? We love her ever accumulating rolls!

Great Backgrounds!

2007-10-06T21:36:00.000-05:00

Just fyi, this great background was found from the website matiekay.blogspot.com. There are a bunch of options to choose from, they're great!

Thanks Anna!!

No One Likes a Frowny Face

2007-09-27T18:46:00.000-05:00

Playing with Brielle is so much fun. She is so sweet, most of the time! Here is a funny progression of pictures. She has the cutest smile! She also has the cutest frown. She is just so adorable. It's funny to me how quickly her little mood can change. I absolutely LOVE her little lip in that last picture. She's very good at "the lip."

We are still doing great. Although it's starting to get cooler here. We're excited for fall here in Minnesota, but not excited for winter, which is bound to follow. We just heard today that Rob has been invited to interview at Marquette School of Dentistry in Wisconsin!! I would much rather stay here, but wherever he's accepted, that's where we'll go! Way to go Rob! He's so great, I wonder why they dental schools don't beg to be able to pay him for going to their school! :)
yeah right...

Brielle and I are so proud of Rob and all of his accomplishments. He is such a great husband and daddy!

My beautiful Butterfly

2007-09-19T19:20:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to put this picture on here for a while, but I kept forgetting. This is a picture of Brielle the first night we tried having her sleep unswaddled. She was only about 5 weeks old here, but she just kept grunting at nights, trying to get her arms free so we decided to try it. Well, this is her... being free. She slept great, and almost soundlessly. She is adorable!

Also, here are some pictures of her with her adoring parents on her blessing day (August 26, 2007). She looked like an angel that day (not unlike everyday!).

Growing Cuter by the Day

2007-09-19T10:58:00.000-05:00

These two pictures are per request from Brielle's Grandma Henrie (or Grandma Susan as she prefers it)! Well, I threw the one of her smiling in because she is just so darn cute! :)

Brielle is such an angel. She and I have so much fun together all day while Rob is at school and work. She definitely recognizes me and my voice now. She smiles a lot more now too. It's so great.
It is so wonderful being a mom, and while the rest of the world doesn't see it this way, I feel that being a mother is the greatest thing I could be doing with my life. I hope that when I die, people will look back on my life and say, wow, what a good mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend she was, because no matter what, it is only the knowledge I have and the relationships I've acquired that I will be able to take with me. Besides, my family and friends bring greater happiness to me than anything else in the world!

On a funny note, after giving Brielle a bath (which she loves) I decided to try something different with her hair, and we ended up with the rocker mohawk look. I couldn't resist giving her a "microphone" and she took it from there. She's bound to be famous, she knew exactly what to do with it! :) It's fun, she is holding onto stuff really well now.

This is Brielle and her daddy. You can't tell from the picture, but she's wishing her dad good luck on his dental school interview that day at the University of Minnesota. (you just need to read between the lines, I guess :)
Also in this picture, Brielle is 2 months old! I can't believe it! She is growing so fast. And her 2 month dr. appointment is this Friday so we'll be able to see how much she really has grown!!

And since most of you know already anyway, a BIG congratulations to Krystal and Aaron on the birth of their new little baby!!!
We love you all!

Brielle's Smile

2007-09-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

Brielle has started smiling! (and not just in her sleep, which we have accredited to gas, which she has a lot of) It has been so much fun trying to get her to smile while we play with her. She was having so much fun bonding with her daddy that she couldn't help but show off her beautiful grin. It is so fun to watch Rob play with Brielle. And the older she gets, the more we can tell that she likes playing with him too.

It was really bright outside so I gave Brielle my sunglasses. She actually kept them on and seemed to be able to see better in the bright light. Man, she's so cute!

Brielle's Photo Shoot

2007-09-03T09:13:00.000-05:00

My friend Heathere Whiloughby took several pictures of Brielle a couple weeks ago as a baby shower present for me. She is a wonderful photographer, and Brielle (I must say) was a wonderful model! Thanks Heathere!

Funny Story...

2007-08-30T21:36:00.000-05:00

So, this is mainly for those Utahns who know only of I-15 and I-215...

Last week when the Henrie family was visiting us, we took them to the Mall of America, which was so fun. We were going to have to leave at different times because I had to take Rob to work, but everyone else wanted to stay longer. So Rob told my dad how to get home... It's simple really, you'd just turn left out of the mall, then take 62 to 77 to 35W to 94 to 280. My dad's face was priceless. He said he'd use his GPS system and if he got lost, he'd call. :)

Myself coming from Utah, it has taken me a while to get used to all of the freeways. But now I've mostly gotten the hang of it. It's now just common knowledge that it takes several freeways to get anywhere; much different from taking I-15 to get everywhere in Utah!

Wonderful Visitors

2007-08-27T10:14:00.000-05:00

This last week we were able to have the whole Henrie family (Grandma and Grandpa Henrie, Uncle Jeremy, Aunts Melissa, Megan, and Nicole, and Great Grandma and Grandpa Henrie) here to visit and see Brielle. It was so much fun. Rob and I did things here in Minneapolis that we've never done before.

We went to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, to Minnehaha Falls and rented a 6 person bike, and toured the St Paul Capitol Building. Unfortunately, for the first time this summer, it rained almost all week. I guess that's better than being super hot.

We were also able to have everyone here for Brielle's baby blessing yesterday. Also, Grandma and Grandpa Kolts,
Uncle James, Aunts Amelia and Mariah, Uncle Brandon, Aunt Janette, cousins Noah and Isabelle, Great Grandma Kolts, Great Aunt Janeal, and second cousins Angela and Russ (whoa...) came as well. We definitely had a full house, that's for sure! It was so wonderful to have so much family here for Brielle. Unfortunately, Grandpa Kolts took many of the pictures of family for the blessing, so we'll have to keep you in suspense... But here is a 4 generation picture, which I think is really cool. Also one with both sets of Brielle's grandparents.

Family is WONDERFUL!!!

Celebrations

2007-08-20T11:13:00.000-05:00

Rob and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary this past weekend. We can't believe it has already been two years! Time flies when you're having fun. Even though our anniversary was on Sat. the 18th, we celebrated it on Friday. We went up to Duluth, MN which is right on the coast of Lake Superior. It was my first time seeing a Great Lake.

We went on a train ride, which Brielle obviously wasn't into very much... she slept the whole time. She was such a good girl! We also went to an Indian restaurant for dinner. Rob found out he doesn't like lamb... :)

These are just some fun pictures from the day. Also, Friday was Brielle's one month old birthday! Time is cruising by. Brielle is so absolutely adorable. She is getting her own personality more and more each day, it is so fun.

Chalece's Birthday

2007-08-08T17:23:00.000-05:00

Today is my birthday, my first one as a mom. It has been such a fun day! Rob woke me up with breakfast in bed (no, not cereal, he made pancakes and eggs!). After breakfast Rob and I played with Brielle who was wide awake, and then we went on a drive to Lake Minnetonka. It was such a fun ride!
After the lake trip we came home and Rob cooked me a birthday dinner. Unfortunately the recipe was not nearly as good as we thought it would be, so we got full on cake! We all were able to enjoy it! Ok, Brielle didn't really take a bite.
Rob and I are having so much fun getting to know our little bundle of joy. She keeps us busy! And unfortunately her mom doesn't seem to be able to get anything done because she's too busy staring at her adorable baby Brielle. Being a parent is a lot of work, but we can't imagine our lives without her, and she brings so much joy into our lives! We can't believe she is already 3 weeks old! She is growing so fast. She can't wait to see her Grandma and Grandpa Henrie, and her Great-grandparents as well in just under 2 weeks!

Grandmas are Great

2007-07-27T11:34:00.001-05:00

In leau of Grandma Henrie leaving for Utah yesterday, I just wanted everyone to see how wonderful her grandmas are. Brielle is so blessed to have such wonderful family who love her, even if they don't live close.
A special thanks to Grandma Henrie who took a week out of her time to come and help Rob and I and Brielle. We don't know what we would have done without her. She was such an amazing help to us, and a wonderful comfort to me to have her here.
While we are not able to live close to Grandma Henrie, Brielle is excited to get to know Grandma Kolts. We are grateful to live close to Grandma and Grandpa Kolts.
We look forward to seeing Grandma and Grandpa Henrie and family in just 3 weeks for Brielle's baby blessing! We wish all of you could come!
And we are excited to see Grandma and Grandpa Kolts next week!

One Week Old

2007-07-24T12:11:00.000-05:00

We cannot believe that Brielle has already been with us for a week. Time is flying by! Yesterday we had our first milestone... we were giving Brielle tummy time, and she really didn't like it, so she rolled over onto her back! Twice!! We have come to the conclusion that our baby is amazing. She has been so much fun. She is a great eater and is already back up to her birthweight. She is also doing really well at night (knock on wood...) and Rob and I and Grandma Henrie are having the time of our lives. They say that grandkids are better than kids; grandma Henrie is not yet convinced because lets face it, she has had great kids (myself being the best, of course :) but I think that with how great Brielle is, she'll soon change her mind.
Her grandma and grandpa Kolts, Janette and Brandon and their kids, and her other aunts and uncle that are still at home, were able to meet little Brielle this last Sunday. They said she was well worth the drive. It was so fun having them here.
She had her first doctors visit yesterday and we were told that she is completely healthy which is so wonderful to hear. Her mommy and daddy have loved reading her stories at night, and singing songs with her. She is just the most wonderful thing in the world!

Our Beautiful Baby Brielle

2007-07-20T16:01:00.000-05:00

More pictures of our adorable little girl! We have our first family photo, of us in the hospital. Also, Grandma Henrie was able to fly to Minneapolis on Wednesday, and has had so much fun with her first grandchild! We were able to leave the hospital on Thursday afternoon, and
have been having so much fun with her at home. Rob is absolutely the most wonderful daddy and loves his little girl. We are just the happiest family ever. Brielle is our pride and joy.

We have a baby!

2007-07-17T19:20:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! So Chalece and I are officially parents! Brielle Viola Kolts was born on July 17, 2007 at 11:19 AM. She weighs 7 lbs 8 oz and is 20 in long. I am on my way back to the hospital to be with Chalece (she made me leave to update this thing!), but we thought you'd like to see some pictures of our beautiful daughter. You know its crazy! We've only been with her for a few hours, but now we can't imagine being without her. Enjoy! (Click on the photos to see the full-super-jumbo-extra-large size)

38 weeks

2007-07-15T19:42:00.000-05:00

Well, we're getting pretty darn excited for Brielle to come. I'm really hoping she comes sooner than later! Rob and I have been having fun this past week going on several long walks. We've been trying to find new places around our house, and have gone to 2 beautiful lakes that are right in the middle of the city. One is only about 1 1/2 miles away from our house (Como Lake). This is a really fun city to be living in.
We are getting super excited for my family to come visit us. They will be here the middle of August, so about one month away, which is weird because that means Rob and I will be parents in less than one month!!!!! Who'd a thought we could be parents! We are so excited.
I am feeling bigger and bigger and I'm wondering how my tummy can continue to stretch so much. My belly button is completely flat and I don't think I have that much skin left to stretch. Needless to say, I'm REALLY excited for Brielle to come now. I'm now 38 weeks, and am definitely counting down the days until we get to meet our adorable little girl!
The first picture is of me walking around our little complex area, which we love to do. The second two are of us at Como Lake, and the last two are from today, just showing off my enormous belly. I will miss feeling her kick and move around, but come out already! :)

36 Weeks.. The Final Count Down

2007-07-02T20:45:00.000-05:00

So Rob and I are going to become parents this month! (For those of you with comments of doubt, please keep them to yourself!) While my due date is July 31, I have every hope in the world that she will come early (or at least not late!). I have hit the point where I'm ready to be done and Rob and I both want to meet little Brielle!! Each day that passes we are getting more and more ready to meet our baby.

We are enjoying this last little bit of "alone" time by going on long walks, and acknowledging the fact that when we want to go somewhere (anywhere) we can just up and go. Yesterday was very possibly our last fast sunday being without a child! Oh my goodness!!! I've been taking naps frequently throughout the day (you probably aren't surprised that that's the advice I'm told most by those who already have kids) and am trying to catch up on the scrapbooking so that when Brielle comes, I can do stuff of her. I'm doing very well, I think. I'm up to the beginning of 2007. Don't be too impressed though... when I say scrapbooking, I mean putting pictures (as many as I can get to tactfully fit onto a page of 8 1/2 x 11 colored cardstock) onto the paper and decorating with a little bit of black ink. But it's the thought that counts, right? I figure in 10 years (or for me 10 minutes) I will be able to look at the pages I've done and not wonder why I wasted so much time and money. I'm being very practical, I think.

Anyway, enough of that. Rob and I went to Lake Calhoun today and walked around. This is the state of 10,000 lakes you know. It was a great day to go on a walk. We are loving living in Minneapolis, the only thing we would change is how close we are to downtown (with all the traffic). But we just try to avoid all highways during rush hours, and we seem to do great. We are so excited to start our family here, and have loved living closer to Rob's family. And while all our family in Utah has been greatly missed, we have had great experiences out here, and we know that this is where we're supposed to be.

We were able to visit Rob's sister Janette and her family a couple weekends ago. We had a blast. We celebrated Rob's birthday at their house. Janette was wonderful enough to make him his birthday dinner (since we drove 3 hours and I couldn't help!) of barbequed ribs and fettucini alfredo, his request for dinner every year! It was wonderful, and we enjoyed every minute with the Mattson family. Their kids are adorable!

The Kolts Family Adventures

2007-06-18T10:54:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, Rob and I were able to hang out with mom and dad Kolts and Mariah. Unfortunately, dad had to be at a conference until 5pm everyday, so that forced the rest of us to find fun in Minneapolis... not hard to do! We went to the Mall of America on Thursday and had several adventures. One of which included going through the largest underground aquarium in the U.S. It was super fun! We barely escaped being eaten by a fake shark, and Rob, Mariah, and I were able to pet live baby sharks and sting rays. Friday the four of us went to the Science museum of Minnesota. Mariah loved it! She is such a science nerd :) just kidding Mariah, we all know it's not cool to like science. (says Rob)
Mom and dad spoiled Rob and I by taking us out to eat (we offered our gourmet ham sandwiches, but they just didn't go for it) and we were able to go to their hotel and go swimming. I have to say, being in the water was wonderful, it was like I didn't have a gigantic belly on the front of me. It was great! See Anna, you should just come move closer, that way you can see them anytime you want! ;) It was an extremely fun weekend. I hope all of the fathers (especially mine, of course) had a wonderful fathers day! We love you all!!

3D/4D Ultrasound

2007-06-13T12:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Rob and I had the wonderful opportunity to have another ultrasound, only this one was in 3d/4d. It was so much fun! We are 100% sure now that we're having a girl... yeah! We saw her chubby cheeks, we even saw her sucking on her thumb! We are so excited to meet little Brielle. These are some colored pictures we got, in the first one, she is smiling. That means she's excited to meet us too... :) We also got a 20 minute dvd where we can see her yawning, sucking on her umbilical cord (gross, but the guy said it's her only toy...) and moving around. It is going to be so much fun having a little friend to play with! Or at least to watch sleep for the first several weeks. I am 33 weeks; I can't believe that we will have our baby within 7 weeks!!!

Baby Stuff, So Fun

2007-06-01T18:07:00.000-05:00

So Rob and I are getting super excited for our little bundle of joy to come join us. Guess what? We are going to have a baby... next month! Whoa! Oh so fun. We are getting more and more ready. We were able to get the swing donated to us by previous users, and Grandma and Grandpa Kolts' baby gift to us is the adorable pack-&-play. And Rob and I got the bouncy seat.

Isn't this blessing dress beautiful?? It looks so much cuter in person, and will of course look more beautiful on our little baby girl. She is going to be amazingly gorgeous on her blessing day! I just love how long it is. I'm sure all of those with children just laugh at us without any kids, saying we don't realize what we're getting ourselves into. But being in our position of naivety is just great for us! We are just thrilled to be starting our family!

31 weeks, and going strong!

2007-05-31T12:55:00.000-05:00

So hello to all! I have exactly 2 months from today until my due date! So exciting. I can't believe how quickly time is going, and yet it seems that July 31 (or of course anywhere around that date :) ) will never come. Rob and I have been having fun here in Minneapolis. The trees and flowers are beautiful, and no one has sprinkler systems! It does rain a lot, but we don't mind. Now when I say that Rob is having fun, I'm kind of lying. He is studying like crazy in preparation for his D.A.T. (Dental Admissions Test) which he is scheduled to take June 11. I think/know he'll do great, but he is super stressed. After all, it is one of the BIGGEST, most important tests he'll ever have to take... no pressure, right? He has been doing so well with studying though.

We were able to have Anna, Mike, Mikelle, and Kaylee come visit us in Minneapolis yesterday and we had a blast. We went to the Mall of America, and just enjoyed eachothers' company. We are sad that we won't see them until Christmas! By then, Kaylee will be 3 times her size, and Rob and I will have a 5 month old...holy cow.

Congratulations to my friend Julie, who by this time tomorrow will have her little Lukas with her! How exciting!! I can't wait for my turn to have Brielle come.

I hope you all are doing well, and it was very fun to be able to spend time at the Kolts' house in the past 3 weeks and see Anna, Mike, Mikelle, and Kaylee, along with Krystal, and Janette, Brandon, Noah, and Isabelle! Family is so wonderful, we are all so blessed! I hope my family in Utah is doing well also, and I am SO excited for them and my wonderful grandparents to come to Minneapolis in August for Brielle's baby blessing!

Chalece is Graduated!

2007-05-02T13:44:00.000-05:00

Chalece is graduated! It is now official. It was a beautiful day in Provo both for the commencement on Thursday (Dick Cheney did an awesome job!) and for the convocation on Friday. My wonderful grandparents, and Anna, Mikelle and Kaylee were also able to come to my graduation. Isn't family wonderful??? Rob and I have definitely remembered how much fun we had before, living closer to Anna, Mike, and their cute girls! I have had so much fun being in Utah, but have missed Rob tremendously. He had to leave last Saturday because he is still in school. But it has been fun hanging out with the family in Utah! The girls in my family have loved being able to feel the baby, I am just hungry! ps I know some of you have seen the adorable picture of me and Mikelle, but I just think it is so darn cute!

Getting Bigger...

2007-04-17T17:53:00.000-05:00

I am having so much fun seeing how my belly is growing. And little Brielle is constantly kicking me. It is so great to think that there is a little person (not so little anymore, she's 1 1/2 pounds this week, what a chunk!) growing inside of me. Oh, and ps I AM SO EXCITED TO GO TO UTAH IN JUST 9 DAYS!!!

Pregnancy Dress!

2007-04-17T17:47:00.000-05:00

I have finally been able to fit into some of my maternity clothes! I have tried on this dress every Sunday for weeks to see if I was big enough to wear it. I think it's still a little big, but I don't care! I love this dress. I got it while going maternity-clothes shopping with my wonderful mother-in-law. Isn't it cute?!

New Crib!

2007-04-02T20:08:00.000-05:00

Rob and I set up our crib today! Also, I thought some of you might like to see a pregnant (finally showing!!!) Chalece!!!!! We are super excited to be having a little Brielle! We set this crib up all by ourselves, and didn't mess it up! Woo hoo!

It's a Girl!!!!

2007-03-15T16:36:00.000-05:00

We had our second ultrasound yesterday!
It was so fun to see our little baby move around! The nurse said that everything is perfect with our little one, and she told us that it's going to be a girl!!! We are thrilled! We went to the store immediately following our appointment and bought 2 new outfits! Girl stuff is so much fun!!