Merry Christmas!!!

Ok, I know I have truly been a slacker these past couple months in the blogging department... however, I promise to get back on track! So much has happened lately and Kaileigh is just amazing us day by day with her ongoing learning and growing. Our trip home was so wonderful, but as always, too short. We wish we could spend a full month home to truly be able to visit with everyone we know and love up there. Thank you so much for making us feel so welcome and loved each and every time we make it home. While we were home, we celebrated Christmas with some members of the family and, of course, Christened Kaileigh. It was a beautiful ceremony. Friends and family drove in from all over New England to share this wonderful moment with our little girl. Nik and I are truly grateful for our mothers especially - they organized and executed a perfect day for us. Another HUGE thank you goes out to Mrs. Pike who hand-made Kaileigh's gown. We really could not have asked for more - in any way!

Since returning home, we had many Christmas preparations to make. We put up our very large tree, lights on the house, and shopped for Kaileigh. Kaileigh made cookies for Santa at "Santa's Workshop" - a local bakery in which Mrs. Claus and elves help little ones decorate cookies to put out for Santa on Christmas Eve. She helps them, talks about the North Pole, and reads them stories. A very cute place. Then, Nik's work had a family Chrismas Party. They had hot dogs and hamburgers, bounce houses, crafts tables, and they even fly Santa in from the North Pole in a Coast Guard helicopter. That day, Kaileigh met Santa - and although she was reluctant, she did let him hold her long enough for a picture.

On Wednesday night, Nik's mom and dad flew in to be with us for Christmas. We are so happy for their visit. On Christmas eve, we put out cookies for Santa and I read "The Night Before Christmas" to Kaileigh, atradition set by my mom :). She went to sleep in her new Christmas jammies and slept soundly. During the night, Santa visited our home and set out all sorts of fantastic presents for us. When we woke up, we started opening presents. Kaileigh was quite meticulous with her unwrapping. She would take off one small piece of wrapping paper, and hand it to me... and on it went. Eventually, Nik and I had to start assisting her... She got so many wonderful gifts!! Some of her/our favorites: Ball Popper, pink and purple buggy, camera, sunglasses, songs and smiles silly town, and of course her very own rocking horse! We still have not been able to play with ALL of her new toys... she is such a fortunate little girl. We also recieved a full library of Baby Einstein movies, books, and CDs - so watch out world... our little genius is on her way! lol On Christmas night, I made (with some turkey handling assistance from my inlaws) a large Christmas/Thanksgiving dinner that truned out wonderfully. We had a beautiful day.

I cannot believe Kaileigh just had her first Christmas! It is just crazy to me to think it has almost been one whole year since she was born. She has changed so much and yet not at all. She still is our little angel who has us wrapped around her little fingers in every way possible. Today, we took her to get her "1 year" pictures. It was a wonderfully entertaining photo shoot... involving her very own birthday cake...

Well... I think that catches us up with what we have missed...

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas - we love and miss you always!

The following pictures are of our Christmas morning... In the following days, we will post some more pictures... so stay tuned!!

Kaileigh and our gigantic tree!

Putting cookies out for Santa...

ps. I made that plate! Go Me!

The ball popper - possibly the most amusing toy ever!

Finally got this wrapping paper thing down.

The ultimate toy... Kaileigh's very own car - with matching sun glasses!

She is too cool for school!!!

And yes, on Christmas day, we were able to go out for a walk... I suppose Alabama is good for something!!!

Kaileigh the "Clepto"!

Hey everyone! It has been a while since our last post, but only because our lives are running very crazy right now! We are all really looking forward to our trip home in a week and a half. Since our last post, Kaileigh seems to have grown so much. She is trying to walk (although she can't stand on her own yet!), is obsessed with pickles, and has recently learned to steal toys while grocery shopping at walmart!!! Yes, while talking to Auntie Chera on the phone, I missed the fact that Kaileigh had taken a Minnie Mouse Pez Dispenser off the shelf and was chewing it while I was cashing out. OOooppss!! She has also started to sign. Since she was 4 months old, we have been practicing baby sign language with her - she understands them all, but can sign back "snack" and "all done" so far. We are so proud! She also waves "hi" and understands when we ask "Where's Mommy" or "Where's Daddy?" Kaileigh also knows what "bathtime" is and will crawl and shriek with joy towards the bathroom when we start the water. We are so excited for you all to see her again as she has changed so much. She has begun to be a little shy around crowds - but not to worry - she gets comfortable very fast! Unfortunatly, I don't have any pictures to share with you right now, our camera is in the bedroom that Nik is asleep in , and since he doesn't get much sleep these days, I won't disturb him. I will post some pictures on Thanksgiving. We love you all and look forward to seeing you VERY SOON!!

Kaileigh's 1st Halloween!

Today, Kaileigh celebrated her very first Halloween. She dressed as the cutest little lady bug in the world. First, we went to Miss Lola's house for a party. Nik dressed in my scrubs and I dressed in his flight suit; we were a big hit!! Later, we went trick-or-treating with Gabe and Madelyne, Kaileigh's very best friends. She didn't last long, but still had a nice time! We hope you enjoy the following slide show!

Halloween

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Nine Months!!

Hey there everyone!! Can you believe that Kaileigh is nine months old already?? She is really turning into such a little person! Yesterday she finally mastered clapping - and is now very amused by it! She also is crawling and standing up like a pro! She enjoys playing with the pots and pans, taking dvds off the shelf, and snuggling with Bella! At her nine-month "well-baby" appointment she weighed in at 16 pounds and 27 inches... still in the 25th percentile. She did have an ear infection a few weeks ago - and has recovered nicely from that! All in all, she is a very happy and healthy baby!

We wanted to thank everyone for dontating to our March of Dimes walk. However, the whole event turned out to be a disaster. Apparently, betweent the time I scheduled it in February and the actual walk, the date was changed from October 17 to September 26!! Needless to say, I was not very happy. I have to call the administrators and ask them if we can apply those donations to a future walk?, or what? I will keep you updated.

Recently, we joined our friends the Hatfields and Solanos at a corn maze/ fall festival. Kaileigh really enjoyed meeting the donkey, miniature horse (my kinda horse), goats, and billy goats. And believe it or not, it was a pretty cold day!! Halloween is right around the corner - we will have some good pictures for you then!

We will be coming home December 5-13th for an early Christmas celebration and Kaileigh's Christening. We can't wait to show you how much she has grown!

Enjoy the following slideshow!!

Nine months old

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March of Dimes

Hey there family and friends! I am running late for work, so this is going to be a short post - and for that, I appologize. This Saturday, October 17th is the March of Dimes. Nik, Kaileigh and I will be walking in Pascagoula, MS at 8:30 in the morning. We are very excited to be a part of such an amazing organization!! I am writing to ask if anyone would like to donate?? We are not asking for much, $5.00 is plenty!! Please do not feel pressured to sponsor us, if you can't do it, we completely understand! However, if you do want to contribute, click on the March of Dimes link below and follow the prompts to "Donate to this team" for the Savva family. Thank you, we truly do appreciate it!

March of Dimes

And in good form, here are some pictures of the REASON we want to walk: our miracle!!

Haha... i probably shouldn't post this... she is going to hate me some day...

But how could you not LOVE that tush?!?!

Up high!

We drive around the house in this racecar!

Miss Thang!

Miss Thang!

8 Months and a Whole Lot of Attitude!

Today, Kaileigh turned eight months old! She is growing by leaps and bounds these days. As of Last week, she learned how to crawl! We had to lure her with sweet potato puffs, but she did it nevertheless! We have seen, however, that she is not that fond of crawling, at least not yet. She would much rather make a fuss until you pick her up or just hand her the snack! Haha - hmmm... I wonder where she gets that stubborn streak?!? Also, she is starting to pull herself up! It is still at the beginning stages, as she starts to bounce once she is up and her balance just can't handle that! In addition to these physical achievements, Kai is starting to talk - she says "Mama" "Nana" and a bunch of other un-spellable phrases. She just says these things in general, unfortunatly not calling me "Mama." Kaileigh's hair has also continued to grow - we have officially achieved ponytail status!

Nik and I are also doing great! We are working very hard and alternating schedules working and being home with the baby! We may not see each other too much - but Kaileigh see's us all the time and that is what matters the most! I put out our fall decorations this weekend - even though you can't tell it is fall yet. I would love to buy some mums, but it is just not season yet, still way too hot. Boo! I can't wait for Halloween to come so we can dress Kaileigh up and go trick-or-treating with our friends!

Here are some pictures of Kaileigh in the past week - all smiles!

So serious !

Ponytail and Smiles!

All cozy and ready for bed!

Mohawk hair at bathtime!

And, here I come!

We can officially sit!

Kaileigh has been working on her sitting and crawling skills for some time now. Well as of last week, she officially reached sitting status! We can just plop her down amongst her toys and she is able to view them from a whole new perspective. Sure, she frequently does a face-plop, but she is proving to be a champ - and hardly ever cries when it happens. We were given a little popping car for her to push around, and she is successfully learning how to play with it. Nik and I are having such a wonderful time watching her develop all of these new skills! Here are a couple pictures of our genius baby!!!

Helping Mommy and Daddy sort the socks!

(Well, kinda)

Showing off her sitting... like a pro!

Chera and Eric's Wedding 8/8/09

On Saturday, August 8, 2009, my very best and longest friend, Chera got married. It was a beautiful day - with a beautiful garden ceremony - with the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. She really was a modern day princess! The day went so smoothly - all to Chera's amazing planning abilities! We started the day out with our hair appointments, then makeup, then a secret trip to the hotel to decorate the suite, then to the Delaney house to get ready for the ceremony. Champagne toasts were present everywhere - along with the customary green grapes! (From dance competition days.) Perhaps my most memorable moment was when we were all heading out to the garden where the ceremony was to be held; Chera was preparing to get into the horse-drawn carriage that would bring her there; there were five or six little girls outside the hotel. I whispered to Chera: " You know what is really cool? Those girls are now going to grow up dreaming to be just like you one day!" This moment will always stick out in my mind. The ceremony went on with great moments all along the way: "Going to the Chapel" playing as we walked down the asile (Chera and my first dance when I was 3 years old), Chera giving me a tissue because I was crying during the ceremony, and me dancing with Chera's train over my shoulder because the bustle had fallen out at a really good song! All in all, the day was just magical. I am so humbled to have had the place of Maid of Honor as my best friend took her wedding vows. I wish them the very happiest of years together!



The following 3 posts are pictures from the rehersal dinner and wedding day. Enjoy!

"Going to the Chapel..."

Rehersal Dinner - night before the BIG DAY

"The Dress."

Family: Chera, Danny, and Ricky

The Bride and MOH

Nothing makes a jean skirt more elegant than a nice garter!

Happily Ever After!

And the dress is on...

A beautiful moment!

FINALLY!





Mr. and Mrs. Eric and Chera Hunter!





To make the day even better: Aimee, Brenna, and Becky were there too!

Get this party started!

We had the coolest table! Cara and Billy Kopatz - long time friends!

Nik and Me with the man of the hour!

Just like the old days... with a few new young ones!

Chera and Baby Kate! SO SWEET!

(almost exactly 1 year older than Kaileigh - this is what she will be like next year!)

And of course... the very yummy cake!

HOME!

Kaileigh and I spent two wonderful weeks (Nik - 1 week) at home. We were able to visit with friends and family - something we value more and more as time goes on! Kaileigh really enjoyed her visit too. She is much more interactive these days and was so happy with all the people she was able to see. During our trip home, we spent time at the pools, went shopping, and Kaileigh learned a new trick - her "raspberry-sucky-face kiss." Something I am sure we will not forget! She also got so close to crawling... we are still waiting for it! But even two weeks proved to still be too short of a visit. We are so lucky to have so many friends and family members that love us - and we appreciate everything they do for us!

There seemed to be a bridal theme to this visit - of course because of Chera's wedding on Aug 8th. But also because I found out that 5 of my girlfriends are getting married next year! Congrats to Kristen and Drew, Tina and Aaron, Brenna and Jimbo, Danielle and Chris, and Kristy and Tony! We are so very happy for you all!! It seems that because of these nuptuals, our visits for next year are pretty much mapped out: 2 weeks in June 2010, 2 weeks in October 2010, and 1 or 2 weeks in January2011!

We would like to express a very deep "Thank you" to our parents for this wonderful trip. Thank you for keeping us, feeding us, and babysitting the "squirt" - you made it a REAL vacation for us! We love and miss you always!

The following posts are pictures from this past visit:

Our Visit Home cont.

On the plane...


Someday I will really really miss these moments!

Grandma and Kaileigh

Grammy and Kaileigh

Auntie Love!

Our Visit Home Cont.

A very happy Gabby and Kaileigh!

We loved spending time with Gabby and Papa!


Dancing in the Kitchen?? Not too sure!

Great-Grandma, Grandma, Daddy, Baby!

Grandma and Bill with the little squirmer!

Our Visit Home Continued...

Kaileigh, Nik, Grandpa, and Loren

Kaileigh and Leah - born 4 days apart!

Quite interesting...

Our girls are getting so Big!

Kaileigh and her Papa... she thinks he is pretty darn amusing...

but then again, I guess we all do!