Kenley's Grandma and Grandpa Hamlin came to Alaska last weekend, Jan. 21-24, for a quick visit. We had a great time with them, and they got to spend some quality time with their new granddaughter. She definitely charmed them! Here are a few pictures from their visit.
We thought it'd be fun to share a few photos of Jess when she was a baby. A lot of people think Kenley looks like Mark, and we agree, but we can definitely see the resemblance between Baby Jess and Kenley. We are working on gathering some photos of Mark as a baby. Stay tuned for more comparisons.
It's time again for Kenley's monthly photo! It's strange to think that Miss K is a quarter of a year old already. Her personality is starting to shine through, and we're having so much fun getting to know her. She's a very sweet, determined little lady. Her most recent discovery is her hands. She's learning how to control them more and more each day, but they usually end up in her mouth. Her Dad is on a mission to stop the hand-in-mouth habit, but I consider it a losing battle! She's starting to reach out and grab toys, too. Of course, her smiles and coos continue to amuse us to no end. We hear that she'll be able to roll over here pretty soon, so watch out, world!
Mark and I couldn't agree on one photo this month, so here are our two favorites...
Over the last month, our family has enjoyed Kenley's first Christmas and New Year, and many little moments in between that have given us some good laughs. Take this crazy hairdo, for example. This photo makes us smile every time we see it. It's sure to be a classic.
A couple days before Christmas, we got together with our good friends Stephanie and Katelin Walker to make pierogies, a traditional Polish dish. Pierogies are, "... boiled, baked or fried dumplings of unleavened dough traditionally stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, ground meat, or fruit. Of central and eastern European provenance, they are usually semicircular, but are rectangular or triangular in some cuisines." My Dad's family has Polish roots, so we thought it'd be nice to start an annual Christmastime tradition of making these tasty, potatoey morsels. We stuff ours with potatoes and sauerkraut, then fry 'em up in lots 'o butta! Healthy? Not so much. Delicious? YES.
Oh, and did you know that October 8 is National Pierogy Day? There's even a mascot!
We celebrated Christmas and the New Year in my hometown of Eagle River, Alaska with my parents, Nancy and Warren Dobson. Strangely enough, we had power outages on both Christmas Day and New Years Day!
Helping Nannie and Pappy open gifts on Christmas morning
Telling Dad a story
Kenley and Mom on Christmas Day
Kenley also made her Internet debut on Christmas Day, showing off her best impersonation of Santa Claus...
On New Years Day, my Mom and I made her Grandma Ella Hibner's homemade noodles. They, like the pierogies, were also delicious. Pierogies for Christmas, homemade noodles for New Years? I'm liking these new traditions... It'll be fun to show Kenley how to make these dishes when she's older.
All in all, 2010 was a very good year for us. I spent the majority of it pregnant with the little tyke, and welcoming Kenley into the world has been the highlight of our lives. We are very blessed to have wonderful family and friends to share our lives with and we're excited to watch Kenley grow up and spread her wings!
