Christmas 2008:

Christmas morning aftermath:

Dr Grey:

Ella's picture:


Ella's other picture:

Santa's Gift

We had a great Christmas this year. My mom and Stace came to stay with us over the holiday and it was so fun to have them here Christmas morning. On Christmas eve the kids get to open one present, always jammies. This year I have been a bit discombobulated with Christmas (what with having a kid and all) so I forgot to get jammies. On Christmas eve I ran to get some from the store and there were no Christmas jams! Tons of swimsuits, but they had already cleared out all the Christmas items! So, the kids did get jammies, but not Christmas ones. Anyway, they opened those and even though it is always jammies, Grey was still so excited! On Christmas morning Grey got up, and didn't even remember it was Christmas. We had to remind him that Santa came. So he was so excited to see all his presents. Santa did so good with his Gorilla Mountain. Ella got a bunting bag for her car seat and some toys to hang from her car seat. I painted some pictures for Ella's room and am very pleased with how they came out. Grey got a great Dr set that he loves to dress up in. He is so cute! All in all, it was a wonderful Christmas day. Billy's sister and her family came in the day after Christmas and we had a great time with them as well. Grey just loves his cousins!!

We're still here! Man, life with two kids is c-r-a-z-y!!! I go back to work on Jan 5th and I have no idea how I am going to juggle it all!!! It's not like I don't have a stressful, chaotic job to begin with, and then with two kids...wow! I'm not sure how it is all going to work out, but I am sure it will!



So, where have I been...I'm sorry to say I have totally gotten sucked into the world of Facebook. I have it on my cell phone, so it's just so easy to get on and play around. Plus finding old friends is just so cool. I've been able to catch up with friends from middle school, as well as old Karolyis friends. Its just so fun.



As for the kiddos... Lets start with Grey. Grey is doing great. He loves, loves, loves being a big brother. So far we haven't seen any jealousy issues. He calls Ella his "beautiful" and has to give her hugs and kisses all the time. But, we are seeing some hyperactivity when she is getting too much attention, so hopefully we can keep in tune to his needs and stay on top of that. Ella is almost 6 weeks. She is starting to smile a lot, she is lifting her head and looking around, she has discovered her hands which are the coolest invention ever! She is sleeping pretty consistently from 11 or 11:30 to 5, then back to sleep until 7 or 8. So, not too bad.



I have pictures of the past few weeks I need to post, but I guess it's just kinda busy around here and I have not downloaded them yet. Hopefully will get to that soon. Until next time...Happy Holidays to all!

Ellas 1 month picture

Grey's Christmas Program:

This year's Christmas Program had Grey singing Here Comes Santa Claus all the time for weeks. He would sing and sing and it was so cute! So we go to the program all excited to see our little boy singing his heart out. Grey loves to sing, so we were so excited. And what happens? My little singer just stood there. The entire time. The only time he actually did anything was on the last song when they were supposed to be doing the sign language sign for "I Love You" to Jesus, Grey turned that into Spiderman hands and was shooting webs at the audience. Yeah, Daddy was so proud!!! What a goober!

Ella's 3 week picture

Grey had his Thanksgiving feast and skit at school today. They sang a really cute song and did a little skit and then we had a Thanksgiving Feast. Grey was so excited that Ella was there. As soon as he got on stage he started yelling, "Where's baby Ella?". The place cards were leaves that said the childs name and what they were thankful for. Greys said "Grey is thankful for Ella Rose". I hope his thankfulness lasts a few years!!! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjkN9M8DDbg

Grey 2 week picture (above)
Ella 2 week picture (above)

People keep saying Ella looks like Grey. Here is a comparison picture. What do you think?

Ella is now one week old. Sometimes I still can't believe I'm not pregnant! She is wonderful. She is sleeping pretty well, typically she gets a feeding at 10:30 and is out from 11pm to 4am, but then is fairly alert from 4am to 7am, then dozes again from 7:30am to 9ish. So, we are getting some sleep. Grey is still completely in love with his sister. He loves being a big brother and wants to give her hugs and kisses all the time. But, he also keeps asking when she will grow up to play. I hope he doesn't get too tired of her being a baby too quickly!

Baby Ella is here!!! She was born on Wednesday, 11.05.08 at 9:14am. She weighted 6lbs 14oz and is 19 inches long. We are home from the hospital now and doing great!

Dr Update:
I saw the Dr yesterday and we are set to induce on Thursday morning. So, hopefully by next weekend I'll have new pictures to post!!!

I still need to blog about halloween and Six Flags. Will update more later!

Dr update:
I am now 60% effaced and dilated to a fingertip. So, it could be any day now, or 2 weeks from now. I'll keep ya posted!

Dr update:
I went to the Dr today. All is well. But, I've been experiencing contractions all week. Really thought I was moving in the right direction, so I go to the Dr expecting/hoping to hear I was just about ready to have this baby. Instead.... no dilation, no effacement,no nothing. I asked how much longer and she casually says "at least 2 weeks". I tried to not cry.

The good side... the baby looks great. She is still a girl. She is about 6lbs now. She has dropped, and the Dr thinks I should have an easier labor this time around (and I hate to brag, but Grey was pretty easy). Other good points include more time to get ready, more time to finish up and get work ready for someone else, more work time = more sick time = more paid time off. So, lots of reasons to be thankful.

But still... I'm so ready to be done being pregnant! And, no, you don't get to see pictures of me.

We have been so busy!!! The past 5 or 6 weeks we have spent at soccer games and in our garage. I don't have my digital camera, so I took these pictures on my phone. Please excuse the quality, but I wanted to show off our hard work. We have just about completed Ellas room. I still need to sew the curtains, and do the final decorations. But, the walls are painted a pretty green with the pink and brown polka dots on top. The furniture was hand-me-down and Craigs list finds that we sanded, primed, painted, crackled, and added knobs to. I am so proud of how it turned out. It was so much work, but I think they look beautiful!!! I've been going through clothes we have for Ella and sorting into size piles so I can put them up properly, so ignore all the stacks on the bed! :)

The other thing keeping us busy is soccer. Grey is having fun, but still has a very low attention span, so he'll be out on the field, running around and just kinda get distracted by something else and totally forget about the game! He does have fun and is learning the concept of the game, so we are pleased with that. Billy is coaching Greys team and I am really proud of how they are doing. Even though these kids are only 4 (and they are all young 4's, just barely made the cut-off) they are learning the concept of the game. Billy works with them on when to do goal kicks, corner kicks, side kicks - I don't even know the difference. They are learning to play as a team and pass the ball, learning to see the whole playing field and go around obstacles rather than just stop. The team as a whole has had very, very few melt-downs and the kids really seem to be having fun.

And as for me.... yah, no pictures for you! I am almost 37 weeks. Those Braxton-Hicks are getting stronger. Surprisingly, though, I am just now getting sleep. For the first time ever, I've had to struggle with insomnia. Then after insomnia, I had severe back muscle spasms. But now everything seems to be doing much better (knock on wood) and I'm actually getting about 8 hrs of sleep a night. I first started having problems in March with sleeping and honestly don't think I've slept more than 3 or 4 hrs a night until about 10 days ago. It is amazing how much a good nights sleep can help!

Billy is doing well. He had to go to Orlando for work last week and was gone about 5 days. I had Billys mom stay with me a few nights, and my mom with me a few nights, "just in case". We are awfully close and it was just better to have someone with me.

Well, that's about it from the Knauss House. Hopefully soon I will be able to introduce our newest bundle of joy!!

Grey's week in Houston

Grey at Mimi and Taceys House

Where have we been?
We are still here, but very much obsessed with the Olympics. Unfortunately that does not leave much time for blogging!! :) When I was a kid, I had dreams of the Olympics. I trained as a gymnast at Karloyis in Houston and it was completely all consuming. I loved it. So, I have loved watching it again and seeing Bela and Martha on TV. Some of my favorite parts are when they show Bela watching the games. Hearing him brings me back to 7am work outs and him always being so enthusiastic and encouraging us to wake up. He has such joy when he coaches that it is really contagious. Now, as a "thirty-something", I am totally impressed by the Russian-turned-German 33 yr old gymnast. Seriously??? I mean, really, she is older than me and can still do that! Girl deserves a medal just on that alone! I consider myself lucky I can still do the bare basics!! Also, I definitely don't think those Chinese gymnasts are 16. Come on, give us a break. I feel so bad for our girls. On one hand, I completely believe the Chinese cheated. Younger girls really does give an advantage. Years less of abuse on the body, flexibility, lack of fear. It really does make a difference. But, on the other hand...they out preformed us. We fell, they didn't. We stepped out of bounds, they didn't. So, performance wise, the Gold does belong to China, but still, cheating is cheating. What drama!!!! I am absolutely shocked about the vault. There is no way that Alicia should not have medaled. That is just ridiculous! I've got to agree with Bela on the scoring there - it was a rip off!!! So, that is my stance on gymnastics. We are watching the other sports as well, but I definitely get more wrapped up in the sport I love.

Camp Meeting, 2008:
It was another great year out in west Texas. It's so remote and removed from reality that it is really a true "vacation". Cell phones barely work, no TV, no radio, no worries. We got in great cousin time and Grey had a blast running around the camp grounds. We met some new friends, visited with old friends. Grey was able to go to the childrens bible class this year and sang songs in the Tabernacle, which he did great in.
So, here are a few pictures! They are out of order, so please forgive that. Also, there are many more, but I am leaving a ton out due to not wanting to put pictures of people on the web that may not appreciate that!

Billy and Grey climbing Slick Rock:


Isn't he so handsome?!?!?

Me and my amazing Mom.

This was how Grey spent much of Camp Meeting - full speed ahead!

Grey and his cousin Jackson. They did so well together!

Grey and Miss Maddie. Isn't she so precious? I will forever cherish the memory of Tomi walking back to her cabin with her kiddos and hearing Jackson and Maddie yelling "Bye Grey" and Grey standing out in the road in front of our cabin yelling "Bye Jackson, Bye Maddie, Bye Buggy". I just love that they enjoyed each other so much!

Well, just another 51 weeks until we can get out there again!

This is the bedding we ordered for Ella's room. I plan to paint the furniture to an off white or creamy white with chocolate accents. Should be fun, but I hope I'm not trying to bite off more than I can chew!

Dr Appt - Baby Update:
Today I had my 22 week dr appt and so got another ultrasound. Everything looks perfect and it's still a GIRL. All is well around here and we are busy with VBS this week. I really need to do a catch up post, but that will have to wait until life slows down slightly! I've added one of those polls so check it out and let me know what name you like best!

Little Saints and Scholars:



I can't believe the whole school year has come and gone! Grey's end of the year program was a farm theme. He was a pig and was so cute. This kid was definately not shy! When he walked in and saw us, he was so excited. The first picture is him waving as they came in. H had some very special guests in the audience, Dee and Sean, and he just hammed it up for them. His teachers did such a good job and we really enjoyed the program.

11th Anniversary:

This was our 11th anniversary, and what better way to celebrate than to check in on our newest addition? A very close friend has a clinic (http://www.storkvision.com/) and did the ultrasound for us! It's still pretty early but we are happy to expect a GIRL!!! Grey got to go and see her moving around and kicking, and even yawning! It was a wonderful experience, and if you are expecting and in the DFW area, I would definitely recommend Shelley at StorkVision (tell her I sent you!). After our most wonderful treat, we took Grey to a movie and had dinner out as a family. It was a wonderful anniversary, and I'm looking forward to 11 more!

Tee Ball:
Grey has had a lot of fun playing tee ball this season. He has really improved over the 6 weeks of games. He went from "I'm not a giant" to his favorite part being the "Gooooooooo Giants" with his team (pictured below). He has done really well and we've enjoyed watching his games.

More tee ball pictures...

Mothers Day:
Greys school had a really sweet Mothers Day tea. I got to 1) sleep in, 2) have a fun breakfast with my sweet boy, and 3) got presents. How can you beat that??? The tea was really cute and the teachers put on a good breakfast for all us mommies. We had a light breakfast of juice, muffins, and fruit. Each mom had a crown that their child made and we had to wear. Then there were presents on the table for each mom with an apron the kids had painted. Grey was oh-so-proud of his apron and the crown. He was so excited to see me wear it and told me all about the colors he used, the jewels he put on it. It was so wonderful to spend this morning with him! On the real Mothers Day, we had a very nice, relaxing day of church, lunch out, and then my most favorite part - I got to take a nap!!!!!!!! Can't beat that! Hope everyone had a wonderful day!

Grey's 4th Birthday:
I can't believe Grey is 4 yrs old today! Time has flown by so fast! This first picture was taken while we were still in the hospital, so he was around 1 day old.

This was his 1yr birthday picture. What a change in one year. Grey started walking around 8 months and quickly went to climbing. Our lives got pretty hectic then!
This was Grey's 2nd birthday. He still loves this tractor! By two Grey finally had teeth (he started teething around 16 months), he loved playing outside, and he loved being with his older friends.
On Grey's 3rd birthday we went camping. By this time Grey had figured out that he loved superheros, still prefered outdoors to inside, and loved going camping!
Grey is 4 now and is so big. He still loves superheros, still loves being outside, still prefers to be with older kids. But, he also has started being able to sit still and not constantly have to be moving. He loves to read books, color, and watch cartoons. He still would rather be outside than in, but can be happy just about anywhere!

So, there is some information on my big, big boy! I still can't believe it. He is very excited to be a big brother and insists he is going to have a sister and her name with be "Rojo". Not sure about that one!