{one} month to goooooooooo...

Let me start off by saying... "My ribs! My ribs! My RIBS ARE ON FIYA!!!!" (sing to "The Roof is on Fire!" Little man is so high and loves to shove his feetsies in my ribs all day and night! Holy crap! I have had a lovely pregnancy, but for some reason, these last couple weeks have been a bit painful and emotional. Maybe its a mix of Colby working hard, studying like crazy, coming home late, NO sleep, heartburn, AND we are just ready to meet this little man. However, I am SO grateful to Colby for literally working his butt off. He is finishing his Masters Degree in Finance a week before my due date. Its a 3 year program, but he is finishing it in 2. Once we found out this baby was on his way, Colby made it a goal to be done before he got here... SOOOOO lets just hope little man doesn't come too early.
As for baby updates, I have been going once a week since November 1st. A couple weeks ago my doctor was measuring my belly and said; "Honey, you are way too small to be having a baby in 5 weeks. Lets get in there to see whats going on." Um, yeah... that was a little scary & weird to hear since I feel HUGE. So I called Colby and he came with me to the ultrasound just in case we got some bad news. No bad news other than we are just having a tiny baby boy. By my measurements my doc was guessing he would only be around 3-4 lbs... well, as of last Thursday, the 18th, we were super excited to see that he was weighing in at around 5 lbs!! Bigger than expected, but still a little small. So COLBY is making sure I am ALWAYS eating, to the point where I need to barf so that the baby can put on at least 1/2 a pound a week! It was so fun to see his little face and body in the ultrasound. I think he looks just like his daddy. He has more of a pointy noise and big lips! And he ALWAYS has his hand up by his eye in every ultrasound, which is funny because thats how Colby sleeps. He always has his hand resting on his forehead. haha It will be fun to see what he really looks like in just a few weeks. Other than him being a little small, I was tested positive for Group B Strep & my fluid is low. I was nervous at first to hear that I have GPS, but have talked to quite a few people and realized how common it is. Its just crazy how much I have turned into a little worry wart when it comes to my baby. We just want a happy, healthy baby! Is that too much to ask for? Anyway, I have another appointment on Wednesday. So if there are any other updates I'll blog about it!! Here are a few pics of the belly...

33 weeks...

34 weeks...

35 weeks...

36 weeks...

{30 weeeeeeeeks!}

30 down, 10 to go...

I never thought I would get to this point! Its weird saying that I am in my 3rd trimester and only have less than 10 weeks left. Its just crazy how fast time is flying! Although, I hate seeing myself in pictures, or even the mirror... I feel GREAT!! Every now and then I am super short of breath, or I get a nice kick or two in the ribs. Sleeping is another story, I feel awesome during the day, but crappy at night! I've always had back pains, but they have gotten worse since I have been prego and when I sleep. I seriously shouldn't complain, because I have had a healthy pregnancy and for the most part I have been feeling pretty dang good! People have asked me if I am DONE with being pregnant... I have to admit, the only reason I want to be done is so we can meet the little guy. But I actually like being pregnant, my favorite part of the day is when Colby drops everything the second he walks in the door and sits by me on the couch to feel the baby move and starts talking to his little buddy. Its the first thing he does when he wakes up, and the last thing he does before we hit the sack! He is so excited to be a dad!! I think I would be WAY more nervous about having a baby being so far away from my mom if I didn't know Colby was going to be a good dad. He is always making sure I am comfortable, if I am eating enough OR too much!! If I have been taking my prenatals, asking how much the baby has been moving in a day... All that schtuff!! And can I just say, I LOVE feeling this little boy moving and kicking all day!?! Even though my ribs feel bruised, it is so worth it! And I miss him when I don't feel him moving! But trust me, he is moving plenty! I had my 30 week appointment yesterday and the nurse had a hard time finding his heartbeat because he was moving so much. You could hear all the swish, swish sounds of his movements, and of course I wasn't worried because I could feel him dancin' around in there. But that little sound never gets old! I recorded it for Colb, he hates missing my doctor appointments.
Anyway, I feel like I am just blabbin away... Just thought I would give a little update before I take off to Utah!! Here is a little time line of the growing belly the last 1o weeks...

21 weeks...

23 weeks...

25 weeks...

26 weeks...

28 weeks...

30 weeks...

happy {34} years & a sad goodbye...

My mom and dad are celebrating {34} years together today... I just wanted to give them a little shout out and tell them how much I love them. I seriously couldn't ask for better parents. They are such amazing examples of love! Thanks for everything mom & dad...
Here is to ETERNITY!!! xoxo



I never thought I'd have to say bye to this guy... After surving multiple dog attacks, cougar attack, hit by 2 cars, got his tail cut off by riding on the go ped, multiple pellet gun shots, locked in a neighbors hot garage for 3 days, diabetes, accidently being left in moms car overnight w/out his diabetes shots, cataracts, and probably much more... A stupid deer got the best of him. Norm passed away on Tuesday, September 21, 2010. I'll never forget when Santa surprised us with you 12 years ago. It is going to be so sad, and weird going home in October with out him there. He was a good dog, more like a human. Sure he had selective hearing, drove the neighbors nuts, and was always smelly and dirty. But he was a security to my whole family, the neighborhood mascot, he was like a little brother and loved going on Harley rides with my dad. You will always be Super Dog to me!! I love you Norm, see ya later buddy... :(

This was when Norm was a little on the heavy side... come to find out the poor guy had diabetes.



...isn't deer hunting season comin up???

{norm's funeral}
So, I admit... I never understood why people got so sad when they lost a pet, or even had funerals for them, until now. Its been a lot harder than I thought to loose our little Norm. My family had a little burial/funeral for The Dawg last week, and yes... I was on the phone so I could be apart of it and say my goodbyes to the stinky thing. Norm really was apart of our family and I can't believe how much he fit in! He was such a Keller dog, so much that its almost humorous. Anyway, Whit sent me some pictures and I thought I would share. My brothers buried him up at my parents new house (they are finally moving into this month!) that has a great view and perfect place to visit... :) Joe, our family friend and vet was sweet to clean Norm, sew him all up and make him look like our sweet little puppy. I saw pictures of what that stupid deer did to him and it makes me sick. Our neighbor that saw it said Norm was just minding his own business when the deer freaked out. But we are grateful to Joe for putting him back together! Here are a few pictures of Norm's burial...
I LOVE these pictures of my nephews looking over Norms little grave. They all LOVED Norm and would never leave him alone. Its funny cause they all love Norms big pillow and Norm got so bugged when he would walk in the family room to see them laying on it. But he sure loved kids, and he was their buddy.

happy birthday { jenna lee }

My amazing, strong, beautiful, sweet cousin Jenna returned home to her Heavenly Father on Wednesday, July 14, 2010. She was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma 4 1/2 years ago. Even though she is no longer here with us and we miss her, she is no longer suffering and I know that brings some comfort to our family. I was able to go home and spend a weekend with her in January. I had the opportunity to have one on one time with her and to learn so much from her. Her testimony is amazing, the love and relationship she has with the Lord is inspiring in so many ways. I was so happy that I was in Utah when she passed away. I was able to extend my trip and attend her funeral in Horseshoebend, Idaho. Jenna was always an example to me growing up and of course to anyone that knew her. She was STILL being a missionary even at her funeral. Jenna wrote her testimony for all of us to read, and to know of how dearly she loved the Savior and the Gospel. There was one part of her testimony that I have to remind myself daily...

"I know that His church is perfect, but the people within it are not. They are people that are trying to get through life the best they can and sometimes forget or become blind to those around them. Everyone, no matter to which church they belong to needs a reality check at least once in their life time, but it is not our job to give it to them.
I know He went through excruciating pain and suffering of the atonement. Not just for me but for all of us. I know that the atonement doesn't just cover the pains of our sins, but all of our sorrows, heartaches, and pain on any level be it psychological or physical.
I know that the Father and/or the Savior could have stopped the cancer to take its course and death to happen so that the atonement could fully take place. Also that I could come closer to the Father and the Son as I allowed them to succor and aid me. They were there to speak peace to my heart as I realized that I wouldn't be able to accomplish the average life span of being human. THEY WERE, and ARE ALWAYS THERE!!"

Anyway, all I wanted to do was wish Jenna a HAPPY BIRTHDAY... But for some reason I felt like I needed to express my love out loud for Jenna on her special day! She taught me so much, especially during these last 4+ years of her battle and will continue to teach me. We had a conversation on her bed back in January when I was going through a trial of my own. At the time I didn't know why I even opened my big mouth about ME, when she was the one in physical pain. But now for the passed month I have learned to know why, and I will never forget the words of love, inspiration and encouragement she gave me.
Happy happy birthday Jenna Lee! I hope its the BEST one yet and that you & grandpa are having a party!

Me & Jenna!

Our loving, sweet grandma & Jenna...

My mom, grandma & Jenna...

I thought this was sweet and had to capture the love and trust of a daughter and her parents. This is my uncle Rob, aunt Linda and Jenna as we were all kneeling at her bed talking.

ps...

{ Utah Trip! }

telling the { KELLER } family...
Ok... So you know how you have things pictured in your head of how something is going to happen. Well, this is NOT one of those stories, but it was still awesome & super funny! I had been in Utah for a whole week with out Colby. Whitney was flying back to Chicago Thursday morning, and Colb flew in from Houston Wednesday night... so it was perfect timing to tell the family about the BIG SURPRISE!!! We came up with the idea that since it was Whit's last night we should have a little family pizza party. So we ordered some pizza from Arella's {our favorite} and planned to be at the house at 7:30... Well, it was the last day of the month and Brother Keller needed to get his home teaching in. So we waited until about 10:00 for him to get home. To make things not so obvious, I had Whitney wait and give my dad her belated Father's day gift until this night so we could give him ours as well.
I made these Shutterfly books for both of our families, with pictures and quotes through out the whole book. On the last page of both of them was the BIG SURPRISE of us being pregnant! I wish I took pictures of the books, but I didn't. Which is totally weird because I am always making sure I document everything! haha Anyway, the week before I went to Utah I had an ultrasound with updated pictures of the baby. I stuck them in my dad's book to keep them from getting wrinkled. I tied a big bow around the book and completely forgot that I had stuck those pictures in the book. The way I had pictured this to happen was, having my parents look through the book like it was nothin' and then being surprised at the last page... well, that didn't happen. He didn't even get to the first page. The second he opened the book the ultrasound pictures went EVERYWHERE!!! I went to hurry and grab them but Colb just told me not to worry about it... So there I am sweating like crazy and freaking out because this was not how I pictured it! My mom was sitting next to my dad eating pizza and went to grab whatever those things were that fell out... My dad just starred at the ground knowing EXACTLY what they were and started to tear up. Funny how my dad noticed what they were before my mom did! My mom went to give them to my dad when she finally caught on... she started screaming with a full bite of food in her mouth! "WHAT!?! ARE YOU SERIOUS? IS THIS A JOKE? ARE YOU KIDDDDDDDINGGGGG MEEE?" haha It was so funny, she thought that I was only maybe a few weeks along, but I was exactly 4 months pregnant! So that made her a little mad! She couldn't believe I was able to keep it from her that long. It was so fun to be able to tell them in person. We almost wanted to tell them on Mother's day, but thought it would be worth it to tell them in person once we knew everything was ok and the baby was healthy. It was such a fun night and so worth the wait!

My poor mom thought she was the first to know, and then she turned around to see 2 snap shot cameras out and Marla video taping the whole thing! She was pointing and yelling at everyone... "YOU KNEW! YOU KNEW? YOU ALL KNEW?!?!" haha


My sweet dad didn't even jump up at first like my mom did, he actually started to cry! That is a rare sight for Scott Keller...

How funny is this... my dad looks a little disgusted finding out that I have a baby in my belly and how it happened...

My dad looking at the book again & again!

I LOVE these pictures of my big brother Casey and his little boy Scotty!


My cute mom & the page with the big surprise!

I am so proud of my sister... She was able to hold in the secret for 2 months!

...A week later we took our cute moms, the GRANDMA'S to Fetal Photo to find out what we were having. It was so fun to have them there and be part of something because we live so far away! And stupid me didn't even take pictures of that either!

telling the { STRINGHAM } family...
We don't have any pictures of when we told the Stringham family. Because it didn't really go as planned, AGAIN! So... We were all up at a friends cabin in Oakley with just the Stringham fam, it was the first night we were there and had just gotten settled in. We thought, "Oh! This is a perfect time to tell them!" So I grabbed the book for Bob's belated Father's day gift as we were all quietly sitting there. Bob & Em were looking through the book together, they were only 2 pages away from the big surprise when Judah starts crying. So gma Sue jumps up to make him a bottle, Em gets up to take him to bed, & Alex just wonders off somewhere... total chaos! So its just me, Colby & Bob! AWESOME! Bob flips to "THE PAGE" and just starts laughing at Colby's funny faces. So Alex comes back to see what was so funny, mean while, Jude is still crying, Em & Sue are still in the kitchen. Alex starts reading... "The day when Colby found out..." Stops, looks at the pictures again, finishes reading; "...he was going to be a dad!" They BOTH sat there, starred for a few more seconds and as soon as they caught on my camera freaking DIES!!! Bob didn't have his glasses on so he had no idea what was going on and couldn't read anything-- like the sign that Colby was holding "Welcome home daddy!" hahahahaha He then yelled, "SUE! EMILY" Get in here RIGHT NOW!!" They come in the room and see what the big deal was and then we all started screaming, laughing & crying... and yes, Jude was still crying at this point! It was totally not at all how we pictured it, but it was pretty dang funny! I just wish I would have gotten it all on film. And I didn't even take pictures of the Stringham book either... Too many crazy things going on! But it was awesome!!
Anyway, here are some pictures from our weekend in Oakley!
Grandpa Bob is so good with Jude! Isn't this so sweet!

Colb, me & Alex!

I have no idea what was going on in this picture.

Lov-uh-hers...

Show offs!!

Baby's first 4-wheeling ride at 4 months!

We took some cute pics of mommy Em & baby J!


This one is my favorite!



I just love these boys... Its so fun to see how much Jude looks like Uncle Colb!

This is when we told Colby's grandparents, aunt Nancy & Uncle Wayne. We had the camera on a timer, and last second they thought it would be funny to all point at my fat belly! Pretty funny guys...


...Cory & Michelle Hanks are like second parents to us Keller kids. Cory is my dad's best friend, and we just love the whole Hanks family like our own. It was so fun to surprise them too!

This is when Cory finally realized the whole reason we were showing him the book... "HEY!!!!" haha