The Kelly Family Blog

Kelly Family Official Photo - January 2012

2012-01-28T14:37:00.000-08:00

We thought it would be a good idea to update our family photo, especially considering we added little Noah to the family in November. So, today, we headed to Sears for a quick photo shoot...

Noah David Kelly - November 22, 2011

2011-11-24T14:53:00.000-08:00

Here are the professional pictures taken of Noah yesterday by the Hendrick Hospital photographers...

Halloween 2011

2011-10-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

Grandma O'Leary made the girls some pretty neat costumes for Halloween. Abbie was a Butterfly and Sophie was a Ladybug. They both loved dressing up! We took them to a few friends homes in Abilene, but first went to "Trunk or Treat" at Hillcrest church. It was their first Halloween experience.

The Kelly Girls Cooking Together...

2011-09-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the Kelly girls cooking together. Abbie likes to help Momma make cookies. She counts as Jenny cracks the eggs open. Counts as Jenny scoops flour, sugar, etc. She loves to help!

Recently, Sophie has also wanted to climb up and help. However, I have a suspicion (which pictures below confirm)...Sophie is just doing it to get access to more to eat and drink!

A Few Outdoor Pics...

2011-09-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

New pictures of the girls

2011-09-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

Abbie: "Sophie? Call dada? Here ya go"

Sophie: "Dada? Hi?"

This is Abbie's creation. She said it was grandpa.

Sophie on the slide.
She does it by herself now!

Abbie on the ladder, climbing way up high!

Sophie climbing up the play equipment. She's getting to be a regular little monkey.

Abbie reading in her new loft that daddy made her.

Just a Few Recent Pics of the Girls...

2011-09-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

Sophie playing the Princess Construction Worker.

Abbie is looking more grown up every day!

Sophie doing some late night NCIS watching with Dadda.

Bathtime fun!

Constructing a Loft for Abbie & Sophie...

2011-08-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the last week as I have been building a loft in Abbie's bedroom. The girls will now be sharing a room and the room was tiny, so the loft has increased the floor space in their room.

Just Random Pics of the Girls...

2011-08-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

"What is Dad building?"

"We like sitting in Dad's box!"

Princess Abbie playing with Playdough.

Sophie is extreme relaxation mode watching TV with her juice.

Abbie's 3rd Birthday!

2011-08-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

In the morning when Abbie got up, she discovered her Tinkerbell cake. She spent most of the morning looking at it.


The Tinkerbell cake. I made the cake top and the flowers from fondant. The "mushrooms" are made from meringue and chocolate.

Abbie looking over her choices of which gift to open first.

Sophie in her party dress.

Mommy and Abbie reading a birthday card.

Blowing out the candle

Lots of pretty dresses for Abbie's birthday (she calls them her "beautifuls")

Dressed in one of her new dresses and feeling like a princess!


Want a bite?

Modeling her stunning princess dress made by Great Aunt Judy

The whole family!

Family Trip to London...

2011-08-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

We just returned from four days chillin' in London after a long and busy summer of camps. We had to leave the country for visa reasons, so we got a quick flight to London. Here are a few pictures for the grandparents...

The girls with their new "babies" we bought at Harrods.

Sophie enjoying her first Cheeseburger from McDonalds.

Two sleepy girls and 1 proud Dadda in front of Buckingham Palace.

Momma and the girls at the London Aquarium.

News about the Kelly kids

2011-07-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I thought I'd just give you a little taste of how our two munchkins are growing....

Abbie is very verbal even though a lot of it is her own language, unintelligible to the rest of the world. Even so, she seems to add new words to her vocabulary daily. Yesterday I asked her if she wanted some juice and her response was "Yes, exactly!" She LOVES our new camp playground and is out the door the second she has the chance. She loves all the kids that are around here and is always asking if she can go outside to be with the "friends". She seems to have no trouble interacting across language barriers. She is lately into all things "beautiful", meaning princess dresses and ribbons and butterflies. Tonight she is sleeping in a dress that daddy just bought her because it is BEAUTIFUL. Silly me, I offered pajamas after the bath. "NO! BEAUTIFUL!".

Sophie is also adding to her vocabulary. Her words are "uh-huh" (yes), "no", "Abbie", "baby", "mama", "dada" (although she usually doesn't say it in daddy's hearing), "ah-duh" (all done), "outside", and she also uses hand signs to indicate she wants to eat, drink, get down from the table, go outside, or get a diaper change. She has finally decided to give her poor knees a break and walk, so now she toddles all over the camp. She's not too good with steps though, so even a little step causes some consternation. Her new thing is dancing, she likes to swing her arms back and forth when she hears music, which is pretty cute. At this age, Abbie really liked to sort things and line them up in a neat order. Sophie isn't really interested in lining things up, but she is fascinated by how things come apart and fit together. One of her favorite toys is an empty sippy cup. She'll spend a half hour putting the lid on and taking it off again.

Baby #3, for those who haven't heard, is a boy (or so the ultrasound lady says). Andrew is just a teeny bit thrilled. Baby likes to kick around some in the evenings about when I'm going to bed. But so far they are little kicks, not keeping me awake. On the last ultrasound he was measuring about a week and a half bigger than his age, so he's likely not going to be a petite child. Mama is doing alright, still feeling nauseated in the evenings, but other than that, feeling pretty good. I'm craving meat and seafood when I feel good. (no pickles and ice cream!) Well, ok, I pretty much always crave ice cream. Sans pickles, though.

I think that's most of the news, just a little peek into how everyone is doing. More photos to come in later posts!

Summer Pool Fun...

2011-07-13T04:44:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, while shopping for camp groceries, I found a pretty cool pool. I decided to get it and set it up for the girls to play in. It is huge. So, it was in our yard for 3 weeks but with all the rain and with camp, I never got around to getting it up for the kids. This week, the Kelly pool is open for partying!

A Visit from Uncle Ray...

2011-07-11T04:52:00.000-07:00

Uncle Ray, from Australia, has been in and out this month visiting and working at camp. He spent a total of 3 weeks at the camp and has been serving the kids and stealing brief moments with us when we all had down time. As usual, we wished we had had more time to visit, but it was great having here nonetheless!

Sophie is Cool!

2011-07-10T04:57:00.000-07:00

Our Aussie team from Redlands College brought a few "Be a Hero" baseball caps with them. Sophie loves putting my hat on her head and wandering around the house. It is a little big and slides on her face. It just makes her giggle and keep wandering around.

Our family in the middle of camp season...

2011-07-06T06:56:00.000-07:00

Some new pics of the Kelly Kiddos...

2011-07-04T10:11:00.000-07:00

"Okay, so maybe Dadda sh0uld not take Sophie's bucky."

Just some fun photos of the girls

2011-06-11T04:08:00.000-07:00

Easter 2011

2011-06-11T02:38:00.000-07:00

This year we were here at home in Ukraine for Easter, and it was the first Easter both girls were big enough to have baskets and look for eggs. Above are some pictures.

Abbie and Sophie: photos from regular life

2011-03-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some random photos I thought the fans might like:

Behind that cute smile is a mischievous little mind....

Sophie in her bouncy chair. Check out those blue eyes!

Art time. Sophie enjoying the fingerpaints. She likes how they taste too.

Abbie has discovered one of the delights of olives.... they go on your fingers!

Oreo Cookies are now available in Ukraine. This is Sophie enjoying her first ever Oreo.

The static was a little crazy that day.

Sweet girl.

Kewpie dolls in the bathtub.

The Kelly girls killing time in the airport when our flight was delayed.

Don't all kids love to play at the windows in airports?

I guess Abbie was impersonating an airplane here.

Sophie's FIRST Birthday!

2011-03-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

We happened to be in Texas for Sophie's first birthday, so we got to celebrate with family and friends from Abilene. Here are some photos for your viewing enjoyment.....

Opening presents! Checking out a book from Great Aunt Judy.

I like the card the best! I'll bet it tastes good!

Opening Grandma Lynn's gift.

We went to Olive Garden with all of our friends because Sophie's favorite food is NOODLES! Here she is enjoying her birthday dinner.

Family and friends at Olive Garden

The birthday princess. She deigned to wear the crown for about 2.5 seconds.

Considering the birthday cake.

The frosting especially was met with approval! Yum!

The Kelly family. Happy Birthday Sophie!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

This is Abbie in her lovely Christmas dress obviously excited about something!

We were so glad to have Aunt Amy with us for Christmas. Sophie is sweet-talking her here. ("I'm so cute -- don't you think you could sneak me one of those christmas cookies over there? Huh? You're the best aunt ever!")
Abbie's gift from Santa was this huge Cookie Monster pillow. She thought it was great.
Here's Sophie on Christmas eve, opening Christmas dresses from Grandma O'Leary.

Sophie on Christmas morning, very excited about her gift.

Cookies for Santa...

2010-12-24T23:56:00.000-08:00

Abbie and Sophie are ready for bed. One last thing to do...leave cookies and milk for Santa!

Sledding Fun for Daddy & Abbie...

2010-12-24T17:45:00.000-08:00

Each Christmas Eve, we have a family tradition of inviting the Wysong family up to our house for some fellowship together. Each year, the Wysong kids go sledding on the back sandhill and have a blast. This year, Abbie and Daddy went sledding with them and it was LOTS of fun!

Making Christmas Cookies...

2010-12-23T22:51:00.000-08:00

Mommy and Abbie have a tradition of decorating Christmas cookies together. Abbie loves to shake the sprinkles into the icing on the cookies. She does a good job! This year, it was fun to have Aunt Amy here to help with decorating the cookies.

Sisters...

2010-12-20T05:34:00.000-08:00

Sophie & Abbie in their matching outfits made by Great Aunt Judy!

Fingerpainting Progression

2010-12-12T13:41:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago, I bought some fingerpaints for Abbie. She loves to paint, but up until now, she has only been interested in using brushes. The fingers in the paint has been too much of a mess for her. Today, she finally grasped the concept. Here is how it went:

First I need to dump the paint out onto the paper.

Now I can smear it around. Hmmm. This is kind of fun.

I normally don't like my hands messy. But I'm kinda liking this...

Who needs the confining boundaries of the paper? Why not the whole table?

This is such a lovely color. I wonder what it tastes like?

Not so good. Yuck.

Well, I might as well roll in it before I get hauled off to the bathtub!

Abbie's Big Girl Bed

2010-12-10T12:44:00.000-08:00

Well, we are in day two of Abbie sleeping in her big girl bed. This transition was necessitated by her newfound ability to scale the sides of the crib. So yesterday, Andrew got out the screwdriver and converted the crib to a toddler bed. At bedtime, it took about six times of going in, turning out the light, and putting her back to bed. At one point, Abbie started crying, but she was in her room and the door was shut, so I thought I would just let her cry for a bit and see if she settled down. She didn't, so a bit later I went in to see what the problem was. It turned out the problem was that she had climbed up onto the dresser and couldn't get down! Oops. Tonight, it only took about three trips back into the room, so I'm pretty encouraged. She can be pretty belligerent when she wants to be, so I'm glad this transition isn't the battle of wills it could be. Here is a photo of Abbie asleep in her big girl bed... where did our baby go?

Sophie talking VIDEO

2010-11-29T13:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a conversation between Daddy and Sophie in Sophie's new language she has recently discovered: (the girl holding her is Melissa, one of our friends ministering to orphans in Sumy, Ukraine).

Abbie singing VIDEO

2010-11-29T11:24:00.000-08:00

Abbie likes to try to sing along to the songs when she watches her cartoons. This is her singing along to a Veggie Tales song about a ball that got kicked into a tree. She does really well on the word "ball" -- she knows that one!

Sophie crawling VIDEO

2010-11-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

Today, Sophie finally got the hang of crawling on her knees, instead of doing the Army Crawl (see previous post). So here is the real thing on video for all to see....

Some photos in no particular order

2010-11-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

Above is a photo of very sleepy Sophie.

This is charming Sophie.

This is Sophie happy to be eating one of mom's cheesy muffins.

Just happy girl in general.

The above were our guests for Thanksgiving. We never did an official head count, but best guess is over 60 people. We had 3 turkeys and all the trimmings.

The above is the remains of one of the turkeys plus the table of the rest of the food, not including desserts. Between me and Andrew, we cooked one turkey (a REAL butterball, provided by an embassy friend who has access to such magical things), SEVEN pies, two cheesecakes, a double batch of yeast rolls, a huge pot of creamed corn, two green bean casseroles, a jello mold, two pans of stuffing, a humongous 7-layer salad, and two sweet potato casseroles. Phew! Plus all the families brought contributions to the feast. We're still eating leftovers.

This was an activity I attempted with Abbie -- finger painting with colored shaving cream. She didn't go for the finger painting idea, it gets her fingers too messy! So we used a brush.

This one was just cute.

Sophie's Army Crawl VIDEO

2010-11-16T06:51:00.000-08:00

Sophie is SO CLOSE to being able to crawl. She gets up on all fours, but then at the last second, she drops down to her elbows and "army crawls" her way to whatever she's reaching for. In this video she was kinda mad I put her toy out of reach, so she has to protest for a minute before her crawl. Here's a video:

The Kids First Fall Festival in Costumes...

2010-10-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

The kids got to go to the Kiev Christian Academy Fall Festival today. Jenny had lots of fun rummaging around the house to find things to make costumes for the kids. Abbie was a bumble bee and Sophie was a duck. Mom & Dad, or course, put on Cookie Monster and Elmo t-shirts and called it even!

Cookie Monster and Bumble Bee

Elmo & Duckie

Abbie playing ring toss.

Abbie playing basketball.

Sophie's Happy Noises...

2010-10-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a short video of Sophie making her happy noises.

Sleep Baby...

2010-10-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

Sophie seems to have the ability to just fall asleep anywhere! She does so pretty regularly. Here are a couple of pics of her asleep in her high chair and even in her bouncy gym.

Sister Bath...

2010-10-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some sisters having a fun time in the bath together!

More from Idaho

2010-10-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

Abbie liked to play with Grandpa's model boat. She like arranging her Sesame Street figures in them.

The next one is a VIDEO:

Several times Abbie sat down to color with grandpa. Grandpa drew the animals, Abbie colored them in.

Sophie VIDEO in Idaho

2010-09-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

Here is Sophie -- such a big girl sitting up in the high chair!

This is smiley Sophie hanging out while Abbie plays at the park. She can't wait til she's big enough to play too!

VIDEOS of Abbie from Idaho

2010-09-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is Abbie's first boat ride in Grandpa's Criss-craft antique boat. She is taking it all in, so far undecided about whether or not she likes boat rides.

Abbie was helping Grandma water the lawn. Fun!

Fun at Grandma and Grandpa O'Leary's House

2010-09-17T22:46:00.000-07:00

Love the new fashion accessories.

Sisters playing on a Grandma-made quilt.

Sophie chilling out with Grandpa

Abbie helping Aunt Amy sort buttons. Amy said the color of each button and Abbie repeated!

The view from Grandma and Grandpa's porch. Rough life, huh?

Fun times at the local playground!

Abbie and Sophie with mama and Aunt Amy

Fun at Grandma & Grandpa Weeden's House...

2010-09-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

Aunt Cat cleaning chocolate off Abbie

Abbie playing with Grandma's van

All warn out from a long day chasing "Charlie" (the dog)

Sophie snoozing

Abbie driving the airline Grandma Mike
built for Aunt Jess about 16 years ago

Abbie showing Grandpa Mike how to drive

Baby giggles - VIDEO

2010-08-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

Sophie has the best laugh... here's a video for you!

Abbie's 2nd Birthday VIDEOS

2010-08-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

Abbie Turns 2 !!!!

2010-08-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

Abbie turned 2 today and we threw a part to celebrate the occasion! We were blessed to have our builders and good friends Kolya, Sergei and Anatoly join us along with the Nelsons, 3 World Racers and Lysette. Here are some pictures...

Andrew, Jenny, Abbie & Sophie

Abbie admiring the balloons that look like Elmo,
Cookie Monster and Bert

Singing "Happy Birthday" and blowing out candles.

Playing with her new "Fairie House"

Preparations for Abbie's 2nd Birthday...

2010-08-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

Jenny was up till nearly 4 AM making Abbie's Birthday cake(S). Abbie really loves Sesame Street right now, so Jenny wanted to make cupcakes with all of Abbies little friends for her birthday. So, she made a big Elmo and then smaller Big Birds, Elmos, Cookie Monsters, Ernies and Berts.

Sophie Rolling Over VIDEO

2010-07-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

Caught on film for the first time ever .... Here is Sophie rolling over -- or actually, it's more like a falling over on her side -- but we'll give her some grace on that ;-) You can hear Abbie in the background "writing" letters and numbers (E and 7) Maybe she was playing bingo?

Andrew & Sophie...

2010-07-09T04:09:00.000-07:00

Smiling Sophie VIDEO

2010-07-08T09:30:00.000-07:00

Sophie is such a smiley bug! At least, until big sister decides she needs to get mom's attention...

Abbie Reading VIDEO

2010-07-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

Here is Abbie reading a book. Listen closely and you can hear her say "Ball" and "Hat" ("Hat" sounds a little like "hi", but she means "hat")

Sister Love VIDEO

2010-07-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

Abbie sure does love her little sister. Sometimes it's a little TOO much love, but here's a cute little clip of the two of them.

Fork fun VIDEO

2010-07-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

Abbie is still getting the hang of using utensils. But you've gotta admit, she's creative with it!

VIDEO of Sophie Rolling Over...

2010-07-07T00:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of Sophie learning to roll over. Enjoy...

4th of July Fun with Abbie...

2010-07-04T04:10:00.000-07:00

This was the first year that Abbie was old enough to have fun on the 4th of July. She is still too young to understand why we celebrate and why we have fireworks (or for that matter, stay up late enough to see the fireworks), but she is old enough to have fun. Tonight, before heading down to do hot dogs and potatoe salad with the team, Jenny took these photos of Abbie and Daddy playing with sparklers for the first time...

Sophie's 1st Cereal Eating Attempt...

2010-06-27T04:49:00.000-07:00

Today was Sophie's first taste of solid food. At nearly 4 months old, we decided to try to start her on Rice Cereal. Here is a VIDEO of her first attempt at eating...

Sophie at 3 months & 1 week...

2010-06-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

Sophie is growing pretty quickly! She is so animated these days and loves to smile and "coo" a lot. She also loves her Winnie the Pooh bear and loves holding it.

Abbie in the Pool...

2010-06-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

Abbie went outside today and played in her little pool. She loved it so much. However, we were not planning on her swimming but she climbed in clothing, diaper and all. So, we just stripped her down and let her play.

Abbie and her amazing smile!

Abbie loving her pool.

Daddy & Abbie Playing with the Water Again...

2010-06-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Abbie Helping Water the Grass...

2010-06-09T06:11:00.001-07:00

Abbie on the Trampoline...

2010-06-09T06:10:00.000-07:00

A Summer Afternoon with My Girls...

2010-06-07T04:29:00.000-07:00

Running camp is keeping me, Andrew, pretty busy. But I found time today, the first day of camp, to just sit on the back porch and watch Abbie play for a while. I loved every second of those 20 minutes.

Abbie running across the backyard.

Abbie climbing in her new sandbox,
which we are actually going to use as a little pool.

Jenny and Sophie checking on Dad and Abbie.

Abbie's New Slide...

2010-06-05T04:36:00.000-07:00

The Many Faces of Sophie

2010-05-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

As per the many requests, here are some photos of Sophie. She's starting to have a little personality, being awake and alert more and more now. She has some fun facial expressions. For your viewing pleasure, here is a sampling....

Sunny Days, Sweeping the Clouds Away...

2010-04-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

When we first learned we were pregnant with Abbie, we decided we wanted a Winnie the Pooh nursery. The idea was that all of our kids would be in that room and each of them would have a different character from the story as their teddy bear. So, with the birth of Sophie it was time for Abbie to move on and let Sophie enjoy the land of Pooh.

Abbie has been loving Sesame Street and both Jenny and I desire for her to watch GOOD television that is educational rather than junk like Barnie and Teletubbies, etc. So, we are glad she enjoys Elmo, Big Bird and the crew. She loves it so much, we decided to do her new bedroom in Sesame Street motif and Grandma O'Leary accepted the challenge of making curtains and a Sesame Street quilt and pillow case.

Here are a few pictures of our corner of Sesame Street...

Sophie at 6 Weeks...

2010-04-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Sophie (6 weeks old) on her Hippo Mat chilling...

Our Evening in Windsor, England...

2010-04-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

On our return to Ukraine, we decided to take a 24 layover in London to break up the trip with the girls. After taking a nap, we decided to take a taxi to Windsor Castle in the little town of Windsor. It was our first time to go and while the Castle was closed, we thoroughly enjoyed our evening strolling around the town and having dinner at a little Italian cafe.

Easter 2010...

2010-04-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

This was a special Easter for our family. It was our first with Sophie and to be honest, it was the first Easter which Abbie was old enough to participate in. Both girls had special hand made Easter dresses made by Aunt Judy and Abbie also had a special Easter coat which belonged to Jenny over 30 years ago. Also, some special friends came and covered the front lawn with Easter eggs for Abbie to hunt for during the day. Abbie had so much fun collecting them all and sorting them. Here are a few pictures from our Easter...

Abbie in her Easter coat and dress.

Sophie in her Easter dress on a blanket in the yard.

Abbie and Mommy hunting Easter eggs.

Grandma Lynn helping Abbie find the eggs.

Abbie and her eggs.

Abbie - a.k.a "Cool Girl!"

2010-04-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

For weeks, Abbie has been putting her sunglasses around her neck as if they were a necklace. But, today, she got it right...she spent almost an hour alternativing between her green and pink sunglasses. She is one cool kiddo!

Kelly Family Professional Pictures...

2010-03-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

We had these family pictures made last week by Lindsey Cotton (Cotton Photography).

Hannah Sophia Kelly

Sophie telling Abbie her first secret.

Daddy & Abbie

Mommy & Abbie

The Kelly Family

Sisters...

2010-03-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of sweet moments between two sisters...

A Visit from Grandma Jo...

2010-03-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

Grandma Jo came to this week from Wisconsin. She was here a couple of days to meet Sophie and to see Abbie again. Grandma Jo had lots of fun talking to Sophie and babysitting Abbie while Jenny and I got to run some errands. We are glad she was able to make the trip and meet Sophie.

Abbie at the park her Grandma & Grandpa O'Leary...

2010-03-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa O'Leary got to come to Texas for nearly two weeks for Sophies birth and to spend time with the girls. We are thankful to them for the hours and hours of babysitting they did with Abbie while I ran errands (passports, social security, visas, etc.) and Jenny rested with Sophie. One of the favorite things we all did together while they were here was going to the park with them. Here are a few pictures of Abbie at the park with her grandparents...

Abbie going back and forth between the grands who each had ice cream.

A few more pics at the hospital...

2010-03-06T16:57:00.000-08:00

Abbie Meets Sophie...

2010-03-04T16:39:00.000-08:00

About 30 minutes after Sophie was born, I went out to the waiting room and brought Abbie in to meet her little sister. Abbie spent the day at her church nursery school and then the afternoon with our friend Kendra and Jennys parents in the waiting room.

When I brought Abbie to the bed she started to cry because she wanted her Mommy. After Jenny and I traded girls, Abbie was snuggled up on Mommy and I held Sophie close...Abbie said, "Hehehe, No! No!"

Jenny and her girls.

Abbie snuggled with Mommy for 10 minutes and then sat up and said "Bye" before reaching for me. I took her back to the waiting room.

First Pics of Hannah "Sophie" Kelly...

2010-03-04T16:20:00.000-08:00

Hannah Sophia Kelly

Born 4:12 PM - March 4, 2010

7 lbs 4 oz. / 3.3 kilos

19 3/4 inches long

"Sophie" and Momma

Daddy, "Sophie" and Mommy

Announcing HANNAH SOPHIA KELLY...

2010-03-04T15:58:00.000-08:00

It is with great joy that we announce the arrival of HANNAH SOPHIA KELLY!

This morning we made the 3 minute drive to the hospital and checked Jenny in at 5 AM. Shortly thereafter, Jenny was induced and things were underway for "Sophie" to make her grand appearance.

At 4:12 PM, Hannah Sophia arrived! She weighs 7.4 pounds/3.3 kilos and is 19 3/4 inches long.

We praise God for this blessing to our family!

Jenny and Sophie will be at Hendrick Medical Center until Saturday. You can reach us on our cell at 325-320-4046.

Snow Day in Abilene...

2010-02-20T15:49:00.000-08:00

Abilene rarely sees snow, but this year, there have been a couple of snow storms come through town. This last week, Abilene had about 5 inches of snow in one day. Abbie didnt really know what to do with all the white stuff, but we had a fun time outside watching her try to figure it out.

Waiting for New Baby

2010-02-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

I don't have any pictures to post with this blog, but I have gotten several comments from folks asking for more updates, so here's at least some textual updates for you all....

I (Jenny) am doing well, the baby's due in a week or two and it's getting to the stage where it's uncomfortable to move and sleep and all that. But me and baby are both healthy and doing fine, so that's a blessing. It's kind of hitting Andrew and me the challenge that two little ones at once is going to be, but we'll get through it somehow. (Right? Right?) I will say that although we would have loved having a little boy, it's nice that we have everything we need for the new one, since all the stuff we had for Abbie will work just fine for our new little girl.

Abbie seems to be over some of the rough spots she went through in our transition from Ukraine to the States. She was sick with strep throat on top of all the time changes and new faces and new places, so we had a rough time of it for a few weeks. But she seems settled in now, she's better health-wise and is sleeping good (finally!). Her new things are: making animal noises (panting is for doggies, clicking her tongue like horse-hooves is for horsies, "mu" is for cows, and RAAA! is for lions and tigers and daddy). She goes to a church day care once a week and has lots of fun with the other kids, so that's a nice little break for mommy. She loves peek-a-boo and will often hide her face and then pop out and say "BO!" (which is her version of boo). She also loves taking baths, and as soon as you say the word "bath", she's off and running to the bathroom. That's the first word we've had to spell in her presence. She also says more, ("mo"), all done ("ah-dah") and NO! (that one is loud and clear). She has weaned herself off of the pacificer, which is nice, and all of you who complained about all of her photos being ruined by the pacificer will no longer have that problem. The big frustration with her right now is eating. She is very picky and only has about 5 things she will eat. So that's exasperating. But other than that, she is a joy and a blessing. She doesn't really grasp that she is about to be joined by a sister, but we think God is preparing her with a sudden new interest in dolls and babies.

Andrew is running around every day doing fundraising stuff or shipping camp supplies or meeting with potential team members or interns, so he's keeping himself busy, despite the sitting-around-waiting time we've got here.

Ok, I think that's about it. Next post we'll have some photos for you, I promise.

Abbie with Nana Jo & Grandpa Mike...

2010-01-14T15:39:00.000-08:00

This week we have been in Wisconsin visiting Andrew's family. It has been fun to watch Abbie spend time with her aunts and uncle as well as with Nana Jo & Grandpa Mike.

Grandpa Mike, Abbie and Nanna Jo at the Madison Airport.

Abbies New Bedroom...

2009-12-26T12:45:00.000-08:00

In just a few weeks, we will be heading back to Texas to await the arrival of Baby #2. With that in mind, we wanted to go ahead and transition Abbie into her new "big girl" room before our departure. That way, when we return in the spring, Abbie will know her new room and be a little familiar with it. Today, we spent most of the day moving her stuff from one room to the other. These are a few pics of her new room...

Christmas Day 2009...

2009-12-25T14:31:00.000-08:00

Today, I got to experience a whole new joy to Christmas...watching my daughter open presents. This Christmas, she is 16 months and she had so much fun ripping into the paper and pulling out the gifts. We gave her one gift at a time stretched out over the entire day. This way, she had the opportunity to play with each item and not be overstimulated with new stuff all at once. Each time, it was so much fun watching her open the gift and make noises of excitement.

New Piglet book for Poor Old Great Aunt Judy.

Puzzles from Mom & Dad

Pirate Tent & Tunnel from "Santa"

Checking out the Rocking Horse

Riding the Rocking Horse

Laughing with the Polar Bear because it is silly
for Polar Bears to be on the beach with Pirates!

Snuggling with the Polar Bear

Abbie playing with her new "Quiet Book" from Grandma O'Leary

Santa's Elf...

2009-12-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

After Abbie went to bed, Jenny began putting together a wooden rocking horse ready for Christmas morning. I loved sitting and watching her put it together. As she worked, she told me the story of the rocking horse and some of her memories. You see, this rocking horse is over 35 years old and was built by Jenny's father for Jenny when she was about the same age as Abbie. Her dad has hung onto it for all of this time and recently shipped it to us in pieces after he had fully restored it for Abbie. Pretty cool, huh?

Leaving Cookies & Milk for Santa...

2009-12-24T14:48:00.000-08:00

Abbie is old enough that we started the tradition of leaving cookies and milk for Santa. So, before bed, Jenny brought out 3 cookies and a glass of milk and handed each one to Abbie to put on the Snowman tray. Abbie placed each cookie on the tray. We thought we were done.

Nope! She is in a "sorting phase" so she had to take each cookie one by one off the tray and put on the coffee table. When she was finished, she threw her hands up in the air with a great big smile and then clapped. She was so proud of herself!

Christmas Eve 2009...

2009-12-24T14:23:00.000-08:00

Our family usually watches "White Christmas" on Christmas Eve (or at least we have the past 3 years, however, kids change everything. We knew that Grandma and Grandpa O'Leary had bought Abbie the Vegetales "Saint Nicholas" movie, so we let her open it this evening. Abbie LOVES Vegetales and when she saw the DVD case, she immediately tried to get the box open and walked over to the TV holding the case open.

So, this year, instead of "White Christmas" we watched the Vegetales "Saint Nicholas" movie together. Whick is a really great movie if you haven't watched it before. Notice Abbie sitting with Jenny completely enthralled by the movie.

Abbie & Jenny Decorating Christmas Cookies...

2009-12-23T12:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas cookies are a big tradition in our little family. It is something which both of our families did with us as kids and something we hope to pass on to our children. This year, Abbie was old enough to join in the fun. Here are a few pictures of Abbie helping Mommy decorate sugar cookies. She decorated a half dozen or so and loved "shacking" the sprinkles.

Abbies Toofers...

2009-12-21T14:19:00.000-08:00

This is a little blurry, but gives you an idea of how the teething is progressing! Abbie has about 10 teeth at the present time and two new ones are cutting in, so it has been a rough few days for her. Her little kisses on Daddies nose are no longer allowed as sometimes they hurt.

Chillin in her Quiltfort!

2009-12-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

Jenny had to run to Kiev today, so Abbie and I hung at the house. Trying to find a new creative way for her to play and watch TV, I made her a quiltfort using pillows, a clothes drying rack and quilts! She had a blast!

Abbies 1st Free Walk/Run in the Snow...

2009-12-17T07:31:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from today...we have had a light dusting of snow and Abbie was fascinated. She just walked on the deck and slowly knelt down to touch it. She was so curious, yet cautious, of this strange substance!

Decorating for the Holidays...

2009-12-01T13:49:00.000-08:00

With a toddler running around the house and getting into everything, it has made decorating for the holidays a bit of a challenge! However, we "think" we have outsmarted the little person and made our Christmas set up "Abbie proof."

The true test will come when she wakes up in the morning and finds the corner of the living room decorated with a child gate all around it. This gate is normally what keeps the living room and kitchen seperate and she has NOT adjusted well to being kept out of the kitchen. So, she might just stand at the Christmas tree and scream!

Abbie - Mohawk and Toothbrushing...

2009-11-04T21:57:00.000-08:00

Abbies hair is starting to get long. So, when shampooing her head tonight, it was fun just to give her a mohawk. Reminded us of when she was first born on only had hair straight down the top of her head. Also, tonights bathtime ended with a big surprise - yep, brushing teeth. She has never brushed her teeth before, but with 9 teeth, we figured it was time to start!

Visit to Honolulu Zoo...

2009-10-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

What do you do with a toddler when you are on a fundraising trip? You find a zoo! Honolulu was the 3rd stop on Abbies World Zoo Tour! Today was spent checking out the zoo with Mommy, Daddy and Grandma O'Leary.

Mommy and Abbie checking out the Elephants.

Daddy and Abbie watching the Giraffes.

Our family at the entrance of a really COOL petting zoo for kids.

Jenny, Grandma O'Leary and Abbie

after a fun couple of hours at the zoo!

Waikiki Beach, Honolulu...

2009-10-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

Our second beach attemp this trip was at Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. Our hotel was right across the streeet from the beach and we went swimming both days we were there. This time, Abbie LOVED the water. I think it was because there was a rock wall that broke the crashing waves and the water was pretty calm along the shoreline.

Abbie running along the beach.

Abbie and Daddy splashing!

Mommy and Abbie playing in the water.

Abbie playing "Peek-a-boo" with her towel on the beach!

Leaving Sydney - Heading to Hawaii...

2009-10-06T06:49:00.000-07:00

We left Sydney on October 6th and headed to Hawaii. Our frequent flier tickets started there and we were able to get a cheapo flight into Honolulu. Here are a few pics of our journey to Hawaii.

Grandma O'Leary and Abbie playing in the Sydney Airport.

Jenny, Abbie and Grandma O'Leary after
a 10 hour flight sitting in our limo taxi.

Jenny and Abbie getting out of the limo taxi at the hotel.

Visit to Nanna in Albury, Australia...

2009-09-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

It has been nearly 5 years since I last visited my Nanna in Australia. Nanna is actually my Great-Grandmother. So, on this trip, we got up REALLY early and headed to the Sydney airport to catch a one hour flight to Albury to spend just the day with Nanna and return to Sydney that evening.

It was good to visit with Nanna. This was her first time to meet Jenny and Abbie both. It was great to see her enjoy her time with Abbie especially. I am not sure that Abbie will ever have the opportunity again to spend the day with her GREAT-GREAT-GRANDMOTHER.

Nanna, Andrew and Abbie.

VIDEO: Abbie Playing on Daddy's Shoulders...

2009-09-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

This VIDEO was shot in Uncle Ray's backyard in Brisbane, Australia.

Exploring Uncle Ray's Backyard...

2009-09-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

Considering that the camp is Ukraine is on a sand field, Abbie has not really ever had much playtime in grass. At first, she really didn't enjoy it, but after a full afternoon playing in Uncle Ray's backyard, she got used to it.

Abbie & Jenny

This is one of my favorite shots of that afternoon.

Uncle Ray helping Abbie with her sandals.

Visit to Surfers Paradise Beach on the Aussie Gold Coast...

2009-09-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

Today, we spend the day with Rahila & Nathan Barker. The Barkers wanted to take us anywhere we wanted and naturally, I wanted to go to the beach. So, we headed down to the Gold Coast to the best beach in Australia - Surfers Paradise. I had been waiting since Abbie was born to take her to the ocean and get her in the water.

However, my dreams of Abbie loving the beach did not come true. I think the load crashing of the waves scared her. But she had a lot of fun in the sand with Jenny and Barkers while I spent some time swimming!

Singapore - Visit to Chinatown...

2009-09-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

Today, we spent most of the morning wandering around Chinatown. We thoroughly enjoyed a great Chinese lunch and Abbie also enjoyed her first Chinese meal.

Singapore Zoo...

2009-09-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

When we travel, it is always difficult to think of things which will capture Abbie's attention. We are usually visiting churches, meeting with supporters, etc. and Abbie just gets lugged around. So, we decided that on this trip, we would give Abbie a "Zoo World Tour" and take her to a few zoos. Singapore was the first one...

Right outside the front gate, Mommy fed Abbie Mango Sorbet.

The Kelly Family Blog

Kelly Family Official Photo - January 2012

Noah David Kelly - November 22, 2011

Halloween 2011

The Kelly Girls Cooking Together...

A Few Outdoor Pics...

New pictures of the girls

Just a Few Recent Pics of the Girls...

Constructing a Loft for Abbie & Sophie...

Just Random Pics of the Girls...

Abbie's 3rd Birthday!

Family Trip to London...

News about the Kelly kids

Summer Pool Fun...

A Visit from Uncle Ray...

Sophie is Cool!

Our family in the middle of camp season...

Some new pics of the Kelly Kiddos...

Just some fun photos of the girls

Easter 2011

Abbie and Sophie: photos from regular life

Sophie's FIRST Birthday!

More Abbie Singing - VIDEO

Christmas 2010

Cookies for Santa...

Sledding Fun for Daddy & Abbie...

Making Christmas Cookies...

Sisters...

Fingerpainting Progression

Abbie's Big Girl Bed

Sophie talking VIDEO

Abbie singing VIDEO

Sophie crawling VIDEO

Some photos in no particular order

Sophie's Army Crawl VIDEO

The Kids First Fall Festival in Costumes...

Sophie's Happy Noises...

Sleep Baby...

Sister Bath...

More from Idaho

Sophie VIDEO in Idaho

VIDEOS of Abbie from Idaho

Fun at Grandma and Grandpa O'Leary's House

Fun at Grandma & Grandpa Weeden's House...

Baby giggles - VIDEO

Abbie's 2nd Birthday VIDEOS

Abbie Turns 2 !!!!

Preparations for Abbie's 2nd Birthday...

Sophie Rolling Over VIDEO

Andrew & Sophie...

Smiling Sophie VIDEO

Abbie Reading VIDEO

Sister Love VIDEO

Fork fun VIDEO

VIDEO of Sophie Rolling Over...

4th of July Fun with Abbie...

Sophie's 1st Cereal Eating Attempt...

Sophie at 3 months & 1 week...

Abbie in the Pool...

Daddy & Abbie Playing with the Water Again...

Abbie Helping Water the Grass...

Abbie on the Trampoline...

A Summer Afternoon with My Girls...

Abbie's New Slide...

The Many Faces of Sophie

Sunny Days, Sweeping the Clouds Away...

Sophie at 6 Weeks...

Our Evening in Windsor, England...

Easter 2010...

Abbie - a.k.a "Cool Girl!"

Kelly Family Professional Pictures...

Sisters...

A Visit from Grandma Jo...

Abbie at the park her Grandma & Grandpa O'Leary...

A few more pics at the hospital...

Abbie Meets Sophie...

First Pics of Hannah "Sophie" Kelly...

Announcing HANNAH SOPHIA KELLY...

Snow Day in Abilene...

Waiting for New Baby