BYU has had a great year in football, or at least it did until the October 16th game against TCU. As sad as the game turned out to be we had a lot of fun.

Our friend Kristen was in town to visit and she came with us, and even though she went to BYU and graduated it was her FIRST BYU football game, and she came all the way to Texas to experience it. She also experienced their first loss of the season with us.

Ft. Worth is about 2.5 hr drive from our house so it's not too bad. Although after the game, the drive home took a LONG time, and we didn't get home until 3am or so. We were very tired.

Caleb got a little bored and just played with Dad's face for a bit.

Labels: byu, family

Since Amy has been busy with the new baby and in the hospital (she's home now), I have had the opportunity to talk to many people about the new baby coming. The conversation goes something like this:

So the new baby came?

Yes he did, he's healthy and very large.

How large was he?

He holds the hospital record at 10lbs 14oz.

WOW, so it was a C-Section?

No it was natural, she did great.

She must have had an epidural then.

Amy can't stand the thought of needles in her spine, so no, no pain killers whatsoever in fact, she has had some motrin afterwards though.

She is a superhero/hero/crazy/baby-making machine/wonderwoman.

I've seriously had a conversation just like that with like 15 people. It's really funny. One guy I work with, who knows I'm a bit of a jokester just didn't believe me. I finally convinced him I was telling the truth. So this is my official statement, that he came without C-Section, without epidural, and that my wife is my hero too. She has always been amazing to me, so it's good to see others notice it as well.

Labels: beckett, family, pregnancy

4:26am - (yes, I remember the time exactly) Amy exclaims "OH WOW!" cause he water breaks. Kenn JUMPS out of bed running around like an idiot "what do I do, what do I do?"

4:27am - call doctor, we're meeting you at the hospital

4:45am - arrive at the hospital and Amy contracts in the hallway for few minutes while we wait for a wheelchair.

5:00am - Doctor comes and checks Amy, 6cm, to which Amy says, "That's it?"

6:00am - Amy yells at nurses, doctors and Kenn to STOP touching her while she is contracting!! GRRR!!.

6:20am - time to PUSH!

6:52am - Beckett Isaac North is born

6:53am - Beckett urinates all over EVERY nurse. Dad cried with pride :)

6:55am - people begin guessing his wieght, seriously he had rolls for crying out loud. Guess range from 10lbs 2 oz. to 10 lbs 7 oz.

7:00am - they weigh him, he is 10LBS 14OZ!! HOLY CRAP, that's large. Mom cries with Pride, and becomes every nurses HERO!!

7:10am - Momma holds Beckett for the first time. Mom and Dad BOTH cry with pride.
He's here, he's huge, get used to it.

Stats:
Weight: 10lbs 14oz
Length: 21.5 inches

Labels: beckett, family, pictures, pregnancy

There is a magical place in Texas called Schlitterbahn. We got "free" tickets from HEB after we purchased a certain few products (and by certain few, I mean 15 tubes of toothpaste). It only costs $15 in the end for $80 worth of tickets.
Caleb had a lot of fun. It was an ALL-DAY event for him, which doesn't normally happen since he usually has an afternoon nap. There was all sorts of stuff for him to do and he had the "time of his life" (I use this phrase alot when it comes to Caleb)

Can you tell he is my son?

And here he is with his momma. (Amy yelled Objection! on this photo, but in the end she will allow it since Caleb is so cute in it)
We were all SO tired by the end. It was a PERFECT day since it was overcast (keeps crowds away), on a Tuesday (keeps crowds away) and it even rained a bit (did I mention there were no crowds). We even went to Mimi's Cafe afterward for dinner. Great place to eat.

Labels: family, outing

I know I've e-mailed this picture to a few people, but I thought the world in general deserved to see the monstrosity that is my stomach. Can you believe this? And this is only 34 weeks along! And as of tomorrow, I'm officially 35 weeks, which means I'm even bigger! The confirmation of my ridiculous size came at the doctor on Wednesday, when I measured 37 cm, even though I wasn't even 35 weeks (FYI, you're supposed to measure as many centimeters as you are weeks along, although 2cm either way is generally acceptable as well). But I'm huge. And the doctor said it's not excess fluid or anything--it's ALL Beckett. He's just a big boy. My doctor isn't worried, though. Even given my size, or rather, HIS size, she won't do anything to get me going until I'm 39 weeks. So, at least 4 more weeks of blissful, lovely, not-enough-sleep and too-much-going-to-the-restroom. Unless this boy decides to give me a break and come early. I hope I hope I hope.

Labels: beckett, family

It truly was--there were so many cool things about this past week! Where to begin?

Well, 1st off--the baby's room and our master bedroom are officially DONE! And they both turned out so good! Kenn got the transition pieces of pergo (the go-betweens from the pergo to the carpet/bathroom laminate) put into place, and they look perfect, and that was really all that was left. We are so happy, I can't wait to get all the baby clothes and crib and everything into the baby's room and really see it come together, and our bedroom feels like a hotel room, without the weird smell and uncontrollable room temperatures.

Wonderful thing #2--"Breaking Dawn," the 4th and supposedly final book in the "Twilight" series by Stephenie Meyer, came out Friday night! And being the geek that I am, I finished reading it yesterday afternoon and started reading it AGAIN last night. :) Yes, I thought it was that good. I love to read... :)

#3--I got baby gifts! The reason this is so especially wonderful is because I haven't really been expecting baby gifts, considering I'm having my 2nd boy. I already have tons of boy clothes and burp cloths and crib bedding and all that stuff, but my fantastic friends are very cool, and gave me things I didn't have for Caleb. My friend Nicole got me this super cool nursing cover (mine will be the kensington print) and my friend Carrie MADE me a baby sling! She and I went to this cute quilting store, and I got to pick the fabrics and she came to my house and sewed it together for me that afternoon. It's gorgeous, with a large-paisley print in a darker cream on a cream background on one side, and the other side is chocolate brown with a smaller cream-colored paisley print. As Carrie said in her blog, the fabrics are "neutral, but still have a girly look to them." That's what I go for. :) So yah, I've got some pretty fantastic friends here in Texas, I must say.

#4--We're finally cleaning our house! It's been a shambles since we started redoing bedrooms, and since we're done tracking sawdust and whatnot into the house, we finally started deep-cleaning everything, and I gotta hand it to my darling husband Kenn--that boy can vacuum like it's nobody's business. He doesn't just vacuum the carpet and call it good--he busts out the hoses and attachments and cleans off ceiling fans and under furniture, and corners, and baseboards and stairs, and...yah. He's amazing, and for that I am grateful. I don't vacuum like that even when I'm NOT pregnant, so it's nice that he does. :)

I'm sure there were a bunch more wonderful things this week, but these were really the top picks. The cleaning is still going on, as Kenn's best friend Jenn and her little boy Azure are coming to visit us this week from Las Vegas, but we should be able to get it all done and have the house looking spectacular. Then we get to go crazy and have fun for a few days, which I am really looking forward to. I can't wait to take Jenn to Rudy's for some sweet BBQ, and we might even finally take a trip to San Antonio while she's here. It's about time, right? We've lived in Texas for over 2 years now and still haven't gone.

So yah, that was the week. It was a good week. And it got me to write on our blog, so hooray for that.

Labels: family, home, projects

So, our little man turned 2. We planned a cool little party for Caleb, trying to keep things simple but still fun for him, and it turned into a pretty fun day, although he got VERY emotional a few times. We had his birthday present all wrapped and ready the day before, and my parents had mailed him a few things also, so Saturday morning (the 28th) we let Caleb open up his birthday presents. We gave him a sprinkler/pool thing which was also the main activity for the party, and also a rag quilt that I had made a few months ago. Happily, he LOVED the blanket. That always makes a girl feel good. :)

And then the party itself went pretty well, although this was where the tears came. Before friends arrived, we set up the sprinkler thing outside, and Caleb saw it of course, and completely burst into tears when we didn't let him immediately go out and play in it. So he was crying for about 10 minutes before people even showed up. Then, once everyone was there, we did cake and ice cream, and when we sang "Happy Birthday" to him he freaked out. Literally. Lots more tears and screaming. I don't think I'm really doing the situation justice, but we got it on video, so you can all see for yourselves what went down.

Caleb loved eating his cake that mommy made in the shape of a puppy, and then all the kiddies went out and played in the water and had a great time. He even got to open more presents that his friends had brought him. It was nice that he didn't cry anymore. :) So, a big thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us, and thanks for the gifts that you gave Caleb. He had a great birthday, and we loved sharing it with you all. Enjoy the pics!

Labels: family, holiday, pictures

Labels: family, random

My little Bro Kow (Karl) came home over the weekend. We surprised him at the airport, he didn't know we were coming. He looks so old, but also so good. He was serving his Mission in the Richmond Virginia Mission and had a WONDERFUL time. I always knew he'd make a great missionary. His humility and general nice guy attitude have always impressed me.

Mom and Dad went to Virginia to pick him and bring him home and go to see some of the great people in Virginia that Karl had the privilege to be around. It's good to have him back. On the way home from the airport we attempted to plan a snowboarding trip, but too many are closed at the moment. Snowbird is open, but I don't like it there. Next February we are going, no matter what.

Here are a few pictures of the clan that saw him come back.




Welcome home Kow. We missed you.

Labels: family, pictures

It's official--Kenn was right, and we're having another BOY! This picture proves it all. :) Everything else looked good, heart and spine and all that, and this little one is definitely a mover and a shaker just like Caleb was. He kept wiggling and kicking the whole time. But it was fun to see him, and Caleb even got to come along and see the "baby" on the screen. He understands now that there is a baby in mommy's tummy, and he's given the baby kisses and everything, so hopefully we can get that brotherly love going strong before this baby is actually born. At any rate, Kenn is thrilled, and I'm excited, although a little surprised that I was wrong. I was so sure it was a girl, but I can't know everything, I guess. I'm glad we won't have to buy all new bedding and clothes and everything, cause goodness knows we're equipped for a boy. So, off we go into the world of getting ready for another boy. My goodness, what are we getting into?

UPDATE from Kenn:
All of our friends and ourselves got caught up in the charts, calendars and other signs of telling if a baby is a boy or a girl. This goes to show all that stuff is just not reliable. It could be right, but with chances that are 50-50 the results are seriously skewed. I'm happy it's a boy, but I'm truly more happy that everything looked good on the ultrasound, and that Amy is healthy and happy. Caleb will have fun with his new little brother. The new Caleb 2.0! We'll get things right this time ;).

Labels: beckett, family, pictures

So, some more pics for your viewing pleasure. I'm 20-weeks along in the pic, and the ultrasound ones are rather self-explanatory. There's a few more in the photo album as well. Yay baby!

Labels: family, pictures

After 4 1/2 years the old white 1990 Subaru Legacy we had got to the point I didn't want to put money into it any more. It was GREAT car seeing as we paid $1250 for it when we got it and the only thing we really did it was CV joints and a new radiator. It had 225,000 miles and ran famously when we sold it, but the air didn't work and I wanted to sell it while it was still in good shape. I sold it right after we bought the Forester in 12 hours on craigslist! I love craigslist.

Here is our new car. Only 94,000 miles and in perfect shape. I've been tinkering with it and getting all the little pieces in the interior working where needed and had it detailed since the previous owner had a dog and it went for rides in the car. It's got it all as far as we're concerned. Keyless entry, leather seats, a yakima roof rack for Bikes, skis, and a luggage carrier, and it drives like a dream.
We also tinted the windows as dark as the country of Texas will allow.

We had quite an ordeal getting it registered. I even was threatened at the DMV to have the sheriff called on me. Very amusing, but when I lived in the U.S. things weren't nearly as difficult, but now that I live in Texas it's very different. This is a strange country, where everyone carries a gun, and the least occurrence of sarcasm, the sheriff is called.

Anyway, it's a great car and Amy loves driving it, it's a little taller and so it's easier to get Caleb in and out of and will be easier with the new baby as well.

Labels: cars, family, pictures

Ugh. SOOOOO much going on this week, but really the most exciting thing that happened was we ALL got our hair cut. And boy, it was about time. Caleb looked like a girl, his hair was so long and curly; Kenn had a bit of a fro goin' on; and my hair was down to my shoulders--- noooo!!!! So Caleb's was cut short on Monday, mine was cut Friday, and Kenn finally got me to cut his hair today in-between Conference sessions (awesome talks this afternoon, by the way!). I'd say we're all looking a bit neater now. We'll see how long it lasts.

Oh, and we bought a new car, but we'll have to do a whole other post about that. I'll leave that to Kenn. (Isn't that a great picture of him? You can really see where Caleb gets his blue eyes. And I like the one he caught of me--it turned out cool, and you can kind of see my tummy. Oh dang, that would probably be another post as well. Man, we've got a lot to do. )

Labels: family

Oh...my boy and his over-alls...I think they are the absolute cutest things that he wears, but they just seem to inspire silliness in everyone. Caleb has recently developed an interesting and slightly-questionable habit of sticking his hands into the sides of his over-alls whenever he wears them. He does enjoy the gentle reminder that his tummy is indeed still attached to the rest of his body, but other than that I'm not sure I see the point. It sure makes for a good picture, though. And then there's the cupboard. You all know from my previous post that he digs pulling the plastic bowls out of the cupboard, but this day he went one better. He pulled out the bowls, and then decided to sit in place of the bowls while he drank his soy-milk. How do you NOT take a picture of that? Even mid-dinner-prep, I let the ground turkey handle itself so I could capture this. Totally worth it, over-all.

Labels: family, pictures, random

I want so bad to be witty and hilarious in my blog posts, but that is a lot of pressure every time you want to just share a picture or something. So I think I give up. We'll post some video soon of Caleb and his Easter basket (the absolute only thing we did on Easter to celebrate) but for now here are some funny pictures of our kid.

I really don't know how in the world he got spaghetti on his face quite like that. All I can think is that his eye itched while he was eating, so he rubbed it. And I just really like that picture of Kenn and Caleb having a little relaxation moment together. It's something they do quite often. I love my boys.

Labels: family, random

The reason I am the worst blogger is because I don't do anything with our blog for the longest time, and then all of a sudden...bam! I do 12 blog entries in one day (well, maybe not 12, but you get the idea). I'm the same way with my e-mail. I don't respond to e-mails as they come in. Instead, I wait for my inbox to get nice and full and intimidating, and then I force myself to sit down at some point and write out 15 e-mails all telling different people the same things. Silly, yes, I know, but I just haven't gotten into a good blogging rhythm. Maybe someday. Maybe then all my e-mails will say different things. And I just like this picture of Caleb. He LOVES to play the piano, and he looks like he thinks he's in trouble right here. Maybe he thinks he's I'm the worst blogger, too.

Labels: family

Amy and I are excited to announce we are having a baby. This has been a tiered release through the family chain of command so now we are opening it to the public. We are still unsure if we are excited or just scared out of our minds to have two kids running around. Come Sept. 20th, we'll find out.

You may have seen our widget sitting on our main blog page already, but if not here it is:



We don't know anything about baby as it's too early to tell if it's boy or girl, but as we find out you'll find out. Also we are not going to be choosing the name until baby is born. We find that part to be best kept as a secret until baby is here. We are open to suggestions either for or against a certain name. We are especially keen on family names, so if there is a name found deep in North genealogical records that you like, please let us know.

Labels: family

You may recognize the photo on the left, it's the new face of Kennandamy.com.

We had some new family photos taken at JCPenney, be sure to check them out in the photos section. They turned out really nice. I can send you larger tif versions if you want to print some for yourself. Caleb does look a little orange (too much squash and carrots)

Head on over to the photos section and get a look at the whole bunch of family photos.

Labels: family, pictures