SHE woman

Gymnastics and a healty diet made this 6 year-old incredibly strong. So strong that she broke off the door handle while trying to open the car door. After a bit of time to reflect (ie, get over the cost of the impending repair and the time spent at the mechanic's with 3 kids for the repair) her mom decided a picture of the monumental event was in order.

Don't ever...

Don't EVER allow your husband to take pictures at the beach when you are 6 months pregnant. You will certainly find pictures of your pregnant-self on the camera. And while you realize how big you are getting when you look in the mirror, a picture paints a whole new view of your backside, and how that somehow during the remarkable feat of growing a new life, you grow in other ways too..... The only remedy for the shame of a growing rear is either doritos or chocolate smoothered in peanut butter.....or maybe both.

Right of Passage

In different cultures this can mean different things. To our family (this week) it involves our oldest son going on a solo adventure......yes folks, he road a rollercoaster by himself. Due to my pregnancy, I could not participate (note: if the ride had not involved cars that not only zoomed on a track but SPUN as well, I may have snuck on), and my husband cannot even watch us on the Dumbo ride since it spins....(the man is no fun....he can't ride a swing at the park), Luke was forced to make a choice. Ride it alone or not at all. And surprisingly to me, he chose to go it alone. He loved it, and wanted to ride it a second time. Boy they grow up fast!

Potty Training is hard work!

The Kelty family has accepted the challenge, and "All for one, one for all", we are attempting to potty train our youngest member. Overall, I must say he is doing quite well. Any two year-old who can stay dry all day at Disney World during his first official week of potty training should get an A, but not all days are so swell. While cooking dinner, Sean ran into the kitchen full of excitement, "Come here Mommy you gotta see this....come now....come on Mommy......this is exhausting" (at which point he slapped himself on the forhead for dramatic flair). I entered the school room envisioning crayons, markers, stickers.....legos, blocks.....the usual. And then he showed me the wet spot on the carpet.....and I laughed. How did he know exhausting was the correct word choice?

Beware of the virus

I just deleted a comment that was posted to the last entry. It contained a virus apparently....as one of my dear friends found out. I will likely disable the comment option on some future emails as I'd hate for others to find the same fate. If I understood the directions on how to do it for all the past emails I would....but I can't seem to figure it out. A word to the wise...."Don't open comments of people you don't know!" Sorry!

Reasons I love my children #513-514

#513: While discussing summer camp and my oldest chance to go he asks, "Are you sure you won't need me around the house?"
#514: The next question, "When does the baby come? I won't miss that will I? Are you sure?"

April showers

Rarely do we get an overcast, dreary, steady rain that lasts all day here in Tampa. I like to call those "Cleveland Days". Since Tampa is supposedly the lightning strike capital of the world or US or something, we normally get powerful storms that move through quickly. Yesterday however, was a "Cleveland Day"...rain all day long. This coincided with Funday Sunday, which is the new Kelty family tradition of no work, just fun family time on Sundays. This is a challenge for me, as I now squeeze in errands, laundry, chores, all week long, but I have found the last two Sundays so enjoyable. We have had such a nice time as a family just being together instead of treating it as any other day.....especially one filled with lots of Mom assigned jobs to get the house ready for the week to come. Anyhow, the picnic, swimming, outdoor play that was planned had to be altered. Instead we visited with some friends for lunch and played Mousetrap (any sane parents most hated childhood game!). Then Dad, who is Funday man everyday decided to get on swimming suits and head out for the rain, since hey, one can actually play in a "Cleveland Day" rain without fear of electrocution. So Mom, the anti-funday lady most days, stayed dry to take pictures and care for Sean who got cold quickly while Dad and Luke played football and chased the dog. Sarah did a lot of "Singing in the rain" with her umbrella. Then we made tin foil boats to race in the streams. Hot chocolate followed----and a bath for the dog! What will next Funday-Sunday entail.......hopefully not Mousetrap?! Oh yeah, and armadillos like to go on rainy day adventures too.

We are still alive!

Well....we are still alive. Life has just been busy, and the blog has been neglected. Better the blog than the kids, husband, or laundry, I suppose. Where have we been...? Well lets see, friends from Cincinnati came for a visit, then Grampy, then we crammed in some school before we went to San Antonio to visit friends, then immediately after we flew to Nags Head, North Carolina for the "Kelty Family Reunion", then we came back and got back into the "grove", then there was baseball and gymnastics, and did I mention school??? Just today I forced myself to download all the photos and decided to update the blog. A gentle reminder call from a friend urged me on as she questioned, "You don't call, you don't blog, are you ok?" We are ok, infact, we are great, we are just a busy crew.

San Antonio was a blast as our 3 kids got to visit with our friends 5. These are our best friends from medical school, we had babies together(and then they took the lead), ate together, studied together.....it was so fun to catch up. And learn from another family.

Nags Head was a blessing as well. It is fun for all the Keltys to catch up, and wonderful for our kids to play with their cousins. The cold temperatures did not stop SWIMMING (in the pool and ocean)! There was basketball and tennis and tunnel building in the sand. There was movies and guitar hero, and candy land.... and a trip to the largest sand dune on the east coast. It was windy and sandy, and alot like I envision Eygpt. I am still digging sand out of my ears.

More updates to follow!