Allison Meets Santa!

On December 13, the Borger Country Club had a brunch with Santa! We attended the brunch with several of our friends and their children. Sweet Allison wore her special Christmas dress to meet Santa! At 8 weeks old, she did not care too much about him! But, it was certainly nice for her to get the opportunity to see him for her first Christmas. We are truly blessed with wonderful friends who have young children. As you can see by the pictures, Allison has a fan club of little girls! She is about the size of their baby dolls so they all want to hold her! She has friends she does not even know she has yet! Lucky little girl! I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner and Santa will be here before we know it!

Allison's First Date

Nick and I kept Zach Blazek while Justin and Tiffany went to a Christmas party. The babies are so sweet! Allison is now 8 weeks and Zach is 6 months. Allison weighs about 6 1/2 LBS and Zach weighs about 18 LBS! Their size difference is comical! Zach is a sweetheart and we will take him anytime! Here are some pictures from their evening and a picture of Tiffany and I the next day with our babies!

Thanksgiving 2008

This year, like all others, we were truly blessed. Nick, Allison and I joined our dear friends, the Ristrophs, for an AMAZING Thanksgiving dinner! It was certainly a memorable event for Allison's first Turkey Day!
Nick and I still salivate when we think of our meal that day! Tiffany and Kevin are true chefs! They make it look so easy and I wish to have only a bit of their talent. The menu included smoked turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, cream spinach, bacon wrapped green bean bundles, cornbread dressing, carrot souffle, carrot cake, pecan pie and pumpkin cheesecake. Forgive me if I forgot anything! Please see the pictures of the beautiful table! We ate lunch around noon and stayed until late in the night to have dinner! Caroline Ristroph (5) and Mary Claire Ristroph (4) are adorable girls! They love Allison! Each girl had the opportunity to hold baby Allison! We know Allison will have great baby sitters someday!

Allison is 3 weeks old!

It is hard to believe that three weeks have passed since our little Allison Claire made her entrance into our lives. We have truly enjoyed every minute of it (even the tough, exhausting ones), she is absolutely worth it!
Allison is adapting to us just as much as we are adapting to her. One thing I realize is that Allison is already a "type A" personality. She loves schedule and order. This makes it easier on us! When we found out we were expecting, our close friends recommended we read the book, On Becoming Baby Wise, by Gary Ezzo. For those who do not have children yet; READ THIS BOOK! It is mostly common sense on putting the baby on a schedule, but it really helps! We have had some fairly decent sleep stretches due to the schedule in the book. Another plus, Allison loves it! She gets a little grumpy if she gets off her schedule! However, she is still the most easy going little girl! As I said earlier, it makes it easier on us!
Another thing Allison already loves...music! As most of you read previously, she loved music while I was carrying her as well. Well now it is a nap time/bed time ritual. Allison starting sleeping in her "big girl room and crib" at two weeks. Prior to this, she was in a pack and play in our room. Well, when she "moved out" I starting playing a CD, "Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Coldplay," for her to fall asleep to. She loves it! I learned very quickly that I have to put the CD player on "repeat all" and play the CD ALL NIGHT LONG. Otherwise, she wakes up as soon as the CD is over. So Nick and I listen to her music all night long too through the baby monitor. Another Allison favorite is, "Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George by Jack Johnson." She listens to this during naps. This is a mommy favorite too. I like Jack Johnson a lot. This is not a daddy favorite! There is a song called, "The Three R's." The "Three R's" are "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." Nick teases me that I am playing "propaganda" for Allison! Nick says, "Kelly, first the reusable grocery bags and now this! I work for a company that makes plastic! Don't forget that!" We won't forget that and I am sure that there are enough Americans still using disposable grocery bags to keep Nick's company in business! Plus they do lots of other things there too! I am going to get Allison some more music so she does not grow too tired of her favorites!
Margo is continuing to adjust to her new little sister. She seems to understand to be gentle with Allison, but still does not really know what she is. I have no doubt that they will be great friends one day.
Yesterday, Nick and I had to make an impromptu trip to Amarillo to Allison's pediatrician. Allison's right eye kept matting up and running. It worried me so we took her to the doctor. Come to find out, Allison has a blocked tear duct. Has anyone heard of this!? I had not until I googled her symptoms on Thursday night. I guess it is somewhat common. We have to massage her little face twice a day. It is not infected so she does not need antibiotics. The doctor said it should go away by the time she is nine months old. Poor thing! That is a long time, but at least there is nothing wrong! We did get lots of good news at the doctor though. First of all, she is now 5 lbs 15 oz! Our little one is almost 6 pounds! We are so proud of her. The doctor giggled at how easy going Allison is during her exam, but how vocal she is. She talks all the time; eating, sleeping, sitting, etc! The doctor loved her little raspy voice and said it is wonderful she is such a "talker." Gee, I can't imagine where she gets that from?!
Allison is continuing to have Sooner Saturdays with her daddy! We love to dress her up in her outfits! I don't know how much she likes it! Nick also set up her big swing, which she adores! Next time she has a tough night, we might just have to go sleep in the swing, it seems to put her to sleep!
For those of you wondering, Allison does have a boyfriend! Allison's cute boyfriend is Zach Blazek. Our dear friends, Justin and Tiff, have a little boy who is five months old. He and Allison spend lots of time together! There is a picture of their Halloween "date" included.
I hope you all have an excellent weekend! I am sure as Miss Allison reaches mile stones, you all will be the first to know!

Mom and Dad's Big Night Out

On Saturday, October 25, the Borger Country Club had it's annual Halloween party. As most of you know, Nick and I love Halloween, but for obvious reasons did not make plans to attend this year. Well, since Allison's CiCi was here, we decided we would go out on the town and enjoy. Nick and I went as "new parents." We decided to go last minute so we did not put costumes together. We had a great time and I think our friends were pretty proud of us for getting out of the house for a bit! There were some awesome costumes! Our friends, Kevin and Tiffany, went as John McCain and Sarah Palin. They looked great and won best costumes overrall! We had Leprechauns, Elvis, Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson and many others! We had a great time and don't worry we are planning our costumes for next year!

Halloween...a bit early!

Our friend Tiffany gave Allison this darling pumpkin costume! She is going to wear it for her first Halloween party on the 31st at our friend's, Ansley and Payton's. We can't wait for the big day! However, we could not resist putting it on a little early! So cute!

Boomer Sooner!

Allison has been around for two Saturdays now...two Saturdays she has spent watching OU football with her daddy! Our friends, Payton and Heather, sent us these OU shoes! We love them! Allison has quite a few OU onesies, unfortunately, since she is wearing preemie clothes, they are just too big right now. The shoes are also a bit big, but we just could not resist!

The Apple of Everyone's Eye!

Of course, the grandparents could not wait to meet Allison! Unfortunately since she arrived two weeks early; it was a bit of a last minute trip for everyone. We arrived home Saturday night on October 18. Nick's sweet parents drove from Edmond and arrived at about 11:00 that night. They could not wait to meet her!
The next day, they had to go back to Edmond. My mother and father (CiCi and Papa K to Allison) arrived. My dad drove back to Fort Worth that same night, but left my mother here to help me. She was such a great help! Dad came back today (Sunday, October 25) to pick her up. I am going to miss her and her help so much, but I can do it! Allison and I need to get in a routine during the days so our nights will get better! However, we cannot wait to see all four of our sweet grandparents again real soon! And we can't wait to meet the great grandparents and other loving family! Please enjoy the pictures! I was able to get one of Ed (Nick's father) and my parents holding our sweet baby, but for some reason, I do not have one of Nancy (Nick's mother) holding her. We will have to change that soon!

And Introducing...

Well, I am sure most of you know exactly what this entry is all about! We are so proud to announce the arrival of our little lamb, Allison Claire Spencer! She was born on Friday, October 17 at 5:40 pm. She weighed 5 lbs 10 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long! If you ask Nick and me, we say she is perfect!
Allison decided to enter the world exactly two weeks early. I guess she decided she did not want to be known as, "Boo!" for the rest of her life! On Thursday, October 16, I went to work as usual. I battled Braxton Hicks for about a month so I really did not think twice when I started having some pretty strong contractions. I did think twice however when I realized they were 7-8 minutes a part for about three hours. I went to my doctor. He explained they were real contractions and to please come back if they got stronger. So, I went back to work! After all, what was I going to do? Sit at home and wait? Well, at about 3:30 they were much stronger. I went back to the doctor and he sent me to labor and delivery at the hospital. Nick was with me at this point. They hooked me up to monitors and watched. The doctor came in at 5:00 and said he would be back to check on me at 8:00. When he came back, he explained my body progressed on it's own, so he wanted me to stay over night. If it did not progress much further that he would induce me at 7:00 am. So sweet Nick and I stayed in the hospital. The next morning, they induced. At 4:00, the doctor checked on me and said that he would probably not see me until 8:00 or 9:00 that night and not to get discouraged. After all, this is our first baby! Well, Allison nor I wanted to wait. At 5:40, she arrived! The poor doctor was out running when the nurses called him! But, he made it! And most importantly, Allison made it!
Nick and I stayed over night Friday in the hospital, but we were able to go home Saturday evening. We had a great experience at the Borger hospital.
We are just so proud of our little one. I know everyone says the feeling is indescribable, well it is. We love her so much!
As for our other baby, Margo, she is trying very hard. She is very curious and seems to like Allison; it will just take some adjusting.
Please enjoy the pictures of our sweet baby. I am sure the blog will be updated more frequently now since we have a little doll to update everyone on!

HOPE 2008

Nick and I just finished a HUGE job last weekend! We chaired the banner committee for HOPE 2008. HOPE stands for "Hutchinson County Oil Patch Extravaganza." It is actually the largest fundraiser per capita for the American Cancer Society. Not too shabby for little Borger. It is also known as the "party of the year." It gives a city girl like me a chance to wear her cowboy boots! No matter what the theme, HOPE always has a western element! Our duties started in February and finally came to a close (at least for this year) on Sunday, October 5. We had several friends that were chairs of committees as well, so this made it so much fun! This year, HOPE took place on the Crutch Ranch. It is kind of like a date party from college! Everyone goes to the Aluminum Dome in Borger (for those of you who have not seen this in person, I am sure you can imagine!) and catches a charter bus out to the ranch. Once at the ranch, you enter the VIP tent. There is a lot of food, table games, a silent auction and all the boos you could ever want! This for an 8 month pregnant woman was the least of my excitement! Nick and his friends volunteered as bartenders again this year. I bartended the past two years with them, but I just did not think it looked right to have an 8 month pregnant bartender! So I attended as a guest. This year's theme was Mardi Gras-Texas Style! It was beautiful! Our dear friend, Tiffany Ristroph, was the chair of the decorations committee. You want to talk about work...she worked and worked for months leading up to this and it showed! It was beautiful! I wish I even had a bit of her talent and vision! Through out the evening there are different money making areas for the American Cancer Society. There is the "Hurricanes and Treasures" booth. There you can buy a Hurricane glass (with three refills) for a $100. You are entered to win a gift certificate from one of our jewelry stores in Amarillo. There is the Spirit of Hope where you can buy a star to remember either a loved one lost to cancer or a survivor. In years past, we had pig races. These were fun to watch, but PETA stepped in and basically put pressure on the American Cancer Society to get rid of them, so no little piggies this year! We had a delicious dinner which Nick stepped away from his duties to join me for. There is also a live auction. This year our friends, Sean and Jennifer White, donated a whole roasted pig and a party catered for 50. There was also a package for 4 to fly to LA, see a live taping of the Dr. Phil show and meet Dr. Phil himself. I am still trying to figure out who in HOPE has connections to Dr. Phil! There was an autographed guitar donated by the entertainer of the evening, Kevin Fowler. Probably the largest draw of HOPE is the entertainer. Every year there is a headline act and a dance band. They both must be country. Our friends, Jon and Nichole, chaired the entertainment committee this year. They did an awesome job! We were all rookies this year to being chairs. As most of you know, country music is about my least favorite next to heavy metal and gangster rap! However, I was excited to see Kevin Fowler play, I actually have three of his songs on my IPod and have for the past year. The entertainer is typically an up and comer or someone who had a really huge hit at one point or another. Last year, we had Neal McCoy, the year prior to that was Billy Dean. Kevin Fowler is originally from Amarillo. He really did put on a great show. I left before the dance band came on. The dance band was Matt Martindale. All in all it was a great night for a great cause. I do not know the totals on what was raised for ACS, but I know it must be quite a bit. Everything is underwritten, so everything that is made that night, goes directly to ACS. Poor Nick had to stick around the whole time, so he did not get home until around 2:30am. The next morning we went to the "It Ain't over 'til it's over clean up" party. It was a loooong weekend to say the least, but completely worth it for the cause. So many people gave so much time and money to the cause. It is so wonderful to see how kind some can be. Well...we should have a wrap up meeting in about a month and then it will start again all over!

Baby "Boo's!" love for the new Weezer song!

Baby "Boo!" has kept me laughing recently with her love for the Weezer song, "Pork and Beans." Now, don't get me wrong, I love Weezer, the Blue Album is one of my favorite CDs of all time, but really...how random?! I noticed her kick and punch around A LOT whenever I heard the song at work or on the radio. I thought, "OK, this has to be a coincidence." So, i tested it...I went to ITunes, downloaded it to my IPhone and now every time I want to get her moving, I play it near my tummy! Boy, does she kick! I do not get the same reactions from John Mayer or Ben Folds, but for some reason...Weezer! So even before she enters the world, we know her favorite song, at least for now! She will probably be like her Mom and change daily!

A Beautiful Baby Shower!

On Saturday, September 13, 2008, six of my dearest friends hosted a lovely baby shower for me!  Shaynna Goldston, Tiffany Ristroph, Tiffany Blazek, Cathy Armendariz, Nichole Kobert and Carolee Trolinger worked their rear ends off to put together the most beautiful baby shower!  I am so blessed to be surrounded by such incredible people!  I was fortunate enough to have my mother and mother-in-law travel in for the shower.  I was also blessed to have my dear friend, Alesha LeeMaster, travel all the way from Norman, OK to be a part of the shower.  The shower was held at Shaynna's house.  The poor thing bought new patio furniture, did some landscaping and did some deck work.  The shower was to be held outside.  Unfortunately the two days leading up to the shower and the day of the shower were rain, rain and more rain!  Luckily, God was watching out for all of us and made the sun come out a few hours before.  We were able to hold it outside!  It was beautiful and everyone enjoyed the nice weather.  They decorated with beautiful fresh flowers.  The food was prepared by chef gourmet, Tiffany Ristroph.  She is an AMAZING cook!  The menu was as follows:  Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Toast Points; Fruited Chicken Salad on Croissants; Shrimp and Crawfish Dip in Phyllo Pastry Cups; Spinach Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette in Parmesan Cups.  They also had a lovely cake, chocolate dipped strawberries and my favorite gummy raspberry candies!  Thankfully they do not sell them in Borger!  I love them so much and would not be able to stay away from them.  A wonderful group of friends showed up to enjoy the shower.  Baby "Boo!" will certainly be a stylish baby!  She received so many gorgeous things!  I am so thankful!  It was a wonderful shower full of awesome memories!  Everyone was so generous and kind!

Baby "Boo's" Nursery

It is hard to believe that in about six weeks this new little girl will enter our lives!  Nick and I have been working diligently on the nursery to make it a special place for all of us!  It is pretty much complete.  We used black, white and turquoise for her colors.  This makes it bright and cheery yet somewhat sophisticated.  Her bedding is black and white toile and the room is accented with penguins to match the black and white.  It is truly a soothing room and I hope she will love it.  Here are a few pictures of the almost finished product!

Borger Beauty Spot

OK...as most of you know, I do not like to brag; however...I am pretty gosh darn proud!  Nick and I were pleasantly surprised to find out we won "Yard of the Month" in Borger for September 2008.  It is a huge honor!  We put a lot of effort into our yard, so it was nice to be recognized.  A photo of our house will be in the newspaper on September 17, 2008.  You can check out the website if you get a chance http://www.borgernewsherald.com/.  I do not know if the photo will make the website or only the hard copy edition.  The Borger Chamber of Commerce presented us with a lovely plaque and photo.  It is a nice way to end the season!

End of Summer Updates...

Nick and I have been working on Baby "Boo!" Spencer's room. Nick did a great job painting and right now we are slowly getting things together. I cannot believe she will be here in less than two months! I will post "finished" pictures when we are through, but here are some work in progress pictures!
I am continuing to work on our landscaping. It is something I truly enjoy and feel like I am somewhat good at it. Please take a look at some of the pictures.
Nick and I went to Oklahoma for Labor Day weekend. We stayed with our dear friends Brett and Alesha. We miss them so much! We were able to see Nick's parents and enjoy some "Sooner Magic moments!" Sad to see Summer come to the end, but thrilled that fall is around the corner with cooler weather, Sooner football and most of all, Baby "Boo!" Spencer!