Mom...

I arrived at work this morning and decided I needed to express some feelings before I dive into another busy week.

My heart is so full after this weekend. Mothers day is one of my favorite days because I feel so blessed to have such an amazing mother. She is my best friend (aside from my amazing hubby) and she never ceases to amaze me. She is strong, courageous, and loving and I hope someday I can be half the mother she is.

Being a mom has changed my life and I don't feel like I can fully express how much I love Linkin. He is such an amazing blessing and I still can't figure out what I did to deserve such a wonderful spirit. He teaches me daily. His new thing is to yell "momma" just to make sure I'm aware that he is there :) he makes me laugh constantly. Every night when I take him to bed we sing our song and say our prayers and for a minute the world stops and I wouldn't give those moments up for anything in the world.

JJ spoils me rotten on Mothers Day and this year was no different. I sure love him and I'm so glad I get to experience parenting with my best friend. JJ is the love of my life and I don't know what I would do without him. He is such an amazing dad and Linkin and I are so blessed to have him.

Happy Mothers Day friends, I hope you had a great one. I am surrounded by amazing woman and I love you all!

Until next time,
Kellie.

Feeling SOOO Blessed!!

I was watching Oprah the other day and this family lost all three of their children in a car accident. After bawling for a while I realized how short life is and how blessed I am. Linkin has brought so much Joy and Happiness to our lives, I can't image loosing him. Being a mother is the most amazing experience and I'm so amazed at the amount of LOVE I feel for that little bug. I'm feeling so blessed to have such an amazing husband and a beautiful little boy that I get to share my life with. HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone and my prayer for everyone this year is that we realize how short life is and to make the most of TODAY!!


Gosh I love this little bug beyond words.

My adorable husband and I would be so lost without him!

Happy New Year!!

We had such a great Holiday! Link was so much fun and I decided Christmas is so much more fun when you have kids. Here are some pics of Christmas, Thanksgiving, and some other fun stuff.

Link and mom playing with a huge bouncy ball from Santa.


Out enjoying the snow after Christmas.



The day after Thanksgiving we always go cut a Christmas tree at the Cabin.

Blogger is being stupid and wont let me upload any more pictures. I'll post some more soon.

Thanks.

Time for a QUICK update!

Hey friends and family. I thought I would give you a quick update. The lump in Linkin's temple was getting bigger so the Doctor decided it was finally time to go in and remove it. We showed up at the hospital at 6:30 am on Monday, October 18th. After getting Link all dressed in his gown the doctor came in and told us the surgery would last 30 minutes and that everything would be fine. The nurse came and took Linkin from me and as he cried all the way down the hall I began to cry. I think this was the hardest thing I've ever had to do as a mom :(

JJ and I got situated in the waiting room with a few other families. 20 minutes past and a few surgeons had already come out and told family members how great their kids did and they were in recover, another 10-15 minutes pasted and still no sign of our doctor. After 45 minutes I began to panic!! Finally, after 55 minutes our surgeon appeared and asked us to follow him into a private room. CAN WE SAY PANIC ATTACK!!!

Well... the doctor had good news. Linkin did great and was in recovery, however, the doctor then informed us he had never seen anything like this in his career. The lump had attached itself to Link skull so part of the membrane that covers the skull had to be removed. The lump had also intertwined with Linkins muscle to the muscle had to be rearranged. We still are not sure what the lump was, the doctor sent it to pathology and we go in today to get Linkins stitches removed so I hope we have some answers. The only fear now is if it is malignant we will want to make sure it hasn't spread. Linkin is doing GREAT! He had a lot of bruising but it didn't slow him down too much.

Here are some pics from the hospital!
After recovery!

Right before surgery!

On our way home.
That is one cute little bum.
Right after surgery! You can see his shaved head and the start of the bruising.

Aside from that event we have had a lot of fun enjoying HALLOWEEN! Linkin absolutely loves pumpkins!


But he wasn't too happy will all the slime of carving them! He let mom do all the dirty work (He's just like his daddy!)

I hope all my friends and family are doing well! I love you all!

Summa Time!!!!

I'm not going to apologize for being away so long because I'm just having too much fun to blog :) Life is great! This is a crazy time for us. In one week we had the following:

5 yr. Anniversary
Linkin's 1st Birthday
4th of July
My 26th Birthday

CRAZY!!

Linkin's birthday was so fun. We had a big family & friend BBQ. Linkin enjoyed some of his favorite things :) Watermelon (just like his mama), trucks, balls, and of course cake. I can't believe the little man is 1. It's crazy how time passes so quickly. Linkin is such a wonderful blessing, he is the light of my life. I know that sounds so CHEESY but I can't believe I was blessed with such an amazing little soul. Here are some fun pics of the party and his B-day pics I took.


Then we had the 4th! We decided to head up to the Lugo's for the 4th and we had such a blast. We sure love the Lugo's and just can't seem to get enough of the Idaho air.


We spent the weekend enjoying the fresh air and playing on the Snake River. Linkin fell in love with the wave runner and loves anything to do with being outside. We also celebrated Rupert Days with yummy tamales and Listening to Jason sing in the town square. I'll post a video shortly.

JJ got me a bike trailer for my birthday and we have spent lots of time enjoying it. Linkin absolutely loves it!

So as you can see we are enjoying summer like crazy!!

I'll try to be better at posting but no promises! I hope everyone is doing well :) Thanks for updating your blogs because I sure love looking at them!

St. George!!

Well, we took the yearly trip to St. George for the Luv2Dance competition. We had a blast as always. I love love love St. George, every time I go down there I find myself want to move there more and more.

My dad just bought a hummer for his company up in Boise and he let us take it. It was so fun and now all JJ talks about is getting him on :) He has wanted one ever since we met so it looks like this will be our next purchase. Thanks dad, we loved it.

Every morning we took a walk on the great trails! The weather was BEAUTIFUL and Linkin loves his stroller. He is just the best kid. We can go any where and he enjoys it all :)

It was such a great trip. Linkin loved swimming and it was hard to get him out of the pool :) Thanks for the great trip Shaw Family!

Well we have a few new things going on in our family.

First: I got braces :) WOOHOOO! I have wanted braces forever so I finally decided to buckle down and take care of it. I got invisalign and they are the best. They hurt like no other but I get to take them out to eat and you can't even tell I have braces. I can't believe how bad they make my mouth hurt but it will all be over in 7 months! I'm so excited!!

Second: Mr. Linkin has had a bump in his temple since he was born. The dr. and I have been watching it closely but after his 9 month check up we decided to go see a specialist. Well I'm sooo glad we did. The specalist thinks Linkins skull didn't close all the way after birth and the membrane that covers the brain is protruding. WARM FUZZIES to hear that I know!!! Linkin goes in tomorrow for a CT and then we will decide what to do from there. It's amazing what that little bug does to me. Being a mom is the most amazing feeling and I really never thought I could love something so much. I love my hubby to death but love for your child is soo different. I'm confident everything will be ok. The dr. said he will need surgery regardless but the CT will tell us when. I'll keep you posted, keep positive energy in the back of your mind for him :) Positive thoughts are the best medicine :)

Other than that life is WONDERFUL! Here are a few more pics from Easter and other fun stuff.

I sure love my two boys!

HAHA look at that face!

I'm One Lucky Girl!

JJ bribed me into teaching his Sunday school class a few weeks ago. In return he took me on the most amazing date EVER! First he told me I had to dress up and we needed to leave by 5. Missy and her kids showed up just in time to watch Link and we took off. I had no idea what we were doing but when we parked at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building I had an idea. We rushed in just in time to catch the 6:00 showing of the new Joseph Smith movie. If you haven't seen it yet YOU NEED TO! It was AMAZING. It's crazy to sit there at watch Joseph and Emma go through so much pain and yet stay so true. Now that I have Linkin it's amazing how much more things impact me. The music was amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better night, but it didn't stop there.

Next, we headed up to The Roof for dinner. I had never been there before and it was a surreal experience. Our table was right in front of the temple and we ate as the sun went down. AMAZING! By far the best date EVER! I really am one lucky girl and I am so blessed to have such an amazing, thoughtful, and loving hubby. It was hard not to think back almost 5 years ago when we were sealed in the temple for eternity! Life with JJ has gotten better and better everyday!

Then, to make the experience even more fantastic I found this wonderful post on JJ's blog:

http://www.jageshaw.com/?p=274

How can I top that. There really aren't words to describe the way I feel about JJ. He is the most amazing person and I am so blessed to have him in my life. Watching JJ with Link is SOO MUCH FUN! He is such a great dad and Link and I are so LUCKY! I love you babe, that's for the wonderful experience, I look forward to many more!!!

Me & My Bug

Wel,l I think JJ got more use out of my camera this weekend then I did. Here are just a few! Life is good! I sure love my little family.

I had the hiccups the other night while I was feeding Linkin and he thought it was the funniest thing ever!

Sorry Friends!

Sorry I have been so horrible at blogging. Life is crazy, I know that is not a very good excuse but it's the truth. I am happy as can be with my little family and enjoy every second I get to spend with them. I've learned over the last few months to focus on the things that make me happy and stop dwelling on the crappy stuff like COLD WEATHER, stress of life, economy, etc. what's the point in worrying about all the crap in life. LIFE IS WONDERFUL and I couldn't be happier.

I got a new camera a month ago and absolutely LOVE IT! I find myself thinking about photography all day long and think maybe my gut is trying to tell me something. I still have a lot to learn but I am having such a blast figuring it all out. Here is a pic of my little bug!

I can't believe how fast he is growing!! What happened to my little baby. He has the funnest personality!

I promise to be better at blogging. I'm sitting in front of the fire with my laptop and enjoying every second. The only thing missing is a nice yummy cup of candy cane hot chocolate! However, I know my little scenario sounds like a little piece of heaven I can't wait for WARM WEATHER. I would much rather have my back door open listening to the sounds of summer instead of sitting by the fire to keep warm! Love you all and happy Thursday, I get to be home with the little man tomorrow and I'm so excited. I'm going to play with my camera so more photos to come :) WOOHOOO!

Thanksgiving

This year we spent Thanksgiving at the cabin. My parents are moving to Boise so this might be the last year we spend it there. I have so many great memories at the cabin and it breaks my heart to know we might not have it next year :) But I am so happy for my parents and their new adventure.

Dinner was FABULOUS! But, what do you expect with Betty Crocker as your mom! The tradition of cutting Christmas trees the day after Thanksgiving is one of my favorites. Here are some pictures of our great weekend.

Linkin taking his first ride. The weather was beautiful. Usually we are all bundled up in our snow gear!
Link and I enjoying the beautiful views from the deck. GOSH I LOVE THE CABIN!

My cute family and our tree. This year I am so much to be thankful for but I really can't express how thankful I am for my family. I am so blessed with a wonderful hubby and beautiful son. GOSH I'M ONE LUCKY GIRL!
Our tree before we cut it down. Usually JJ and I spend hours walking around looking for the perfect tree. This year we must have had help because this was the first tree we came to and we both fell in love with it. Thanks Linkin, I think it was you.
Linkin enjoying the big TONKA TRUCK!!! Like father like son :)

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I AM SO EXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS. Even though Linkin will never remember I am still so gitty to play Santa this year.

Caribbean Cruisin!!!

Before we found out we were prego with little Link we planned a cruise to the Caribbean. Once we found out Link was on his way we decided to keep the cruise booked due to the fact that he would be 4 months old by the time we left and I'm sure we could use a little vacay :) Well... I don't think either one of us realized how much the little man was going to change our lives. It's amazing how much you can love a little bug :) Leaving Link for 8 days was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Our plane left at 7:00 am, I was thinking this would be perfect because Link would still be asleep so it would make the whole goodbye a little easier. BOY WAS I WRONG! Linkin woke up right as we pulled up to the airport. JJ and I were both blubbering idiots!!! Thanks to amazing family, Linkin was fine and was spoiled rotten the entire time we were gone.
This is Linkin the night before we left! He was in the funniest mood. Laughing and Giggling all over the place!

This is how our trip played out!!
We flew into Miami on Saturday to be greeted by horrible winds due to hurricane Ida!!! We were all a little worried but by the time we boarded the ship on Saturday the hurricane was reduced to a tropical storm and we ended up only having really bad seas the first day.
Here we are boarding the ship. 7 days of cruisin here we come!!
We had such a fun group! There was over 100 of us all together but about 20 really close family and friends. We spent every night on the ship either in the karaoke bar or dancin it up in the club onboard!

1st Port - Grand Cayman
In Grand Cayman we took a boat out to stingray city. The water was the was unbelievable color and it is the weirdest feeling to be way out in the ocean and standing in 3 feet of water. After playing with the stingrays we went snorkeling on the reef and headed back to the Ship. Here are some pics of the stingrays.
All those shadows in the water are huge stingrays. It was a little scary to have these huge animals swim between your legs.
French kiss a stingray and you get good luck for life. YUCK!!

2nd Port - Honduras
At this port we took a little boat out to the most amazing island to do some snorkeling and see all the animals. This island was a refuge for animals and it was so cool to get up and close with sea lions, monkeys, and much more. Here are some pics of the monkeys.
This is George. He kept reaching his arms out for hugs and would make kissing sounds until you kissed him :)
This monkey loved JJ.
It rained almost the entire day but this is still one of my favorite stops. The snorkeling was unreal and that was with overcast skies. I can't image how gorgeous it would have been with the sun shining.
Notice the standing water on the ground. Lots, Lots, Lots of rain!
More kisses from George.

3rd Port - Belize
At this port we went cave tubing. I am so mad we didn't have a waterproof camera. We didn't get many photos because we were on tubes and didn't want to ruin our camera. Cave tubing was SOOO much fun. We all got headlights and linked up on inter-tubes and floated down a river in the middle of a jungle and went in and out of caves. It was awesome, a little scary in the caves because it was so dark and your not sure what was under you...yikes... and it was freezing in the caves! However, I can't complain because it was an amazing experience. After, our guides fed us lunch and it was SOO YUMMY!


4th Port - Cozumel
After all of our hard playing we decided we needed some good beach time. We spend all day at an incredible beach, eating chips and salsa under huts, kayaking, and much more.
After a great day on the beach we enjoyed a beautiful sunset before getting back on the ship. The sun does my mind and body good!!
Then back on the boat for one more day at sea before heading home! We have so many fun pictures and it is just too hard to post them all so here is just a few of our fun on the ship.


We had such a blast and I am so lucky to have such an amazing husband to travel with. I can't get enough of him and enjoy every second we get to spend together. However, I am so happy to be home with my little bug!