TIKI KAY FAMILY

Floxy's 2nd Adoption-versary

2010-03-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

Alexa was wishing Flox a Happy Adoption-versary!!!

Beautiful Day Outside on Alexa's 1/2 B-Day

2010-03-29T22:58:00.000-07:00

Laguna Beach - February 2010

2010-03-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

Alexa is 6-Months-Old Today!!!

2010-03-09T16:28:00.001-08:00

That's Mommy & Daddy's "super pretty girl!"

Hi Mr. Tufties

2009-12-30T21:41:00.000-08:00

We spent a few days last week with my family (Nicolette), which includes our almost-2-year-old nephew, AJ. In the mornings (as is the case with most of us, I'm sure), he has quite a few bed-head "tufties." So, one morning the short dialogue went like this:

Auntie: Hi Mr. Tufties.

AJ: Hi.

"Baby's First Christmas" PJs!

2009-12-08T22:00:00.000-08:00

Another Black & White Day!

2009-12-08T21:58:00.001-08:00

Goin' for a Walk

2009-12-08T21:51:00.000-08:00

My Christmas-y Loves & Little

2009-12-03T21:16:00.000-08:00

Alexa's First Christmas Outfit

2009-12-03T21:12:00.001-08:00

PJs at Thanksgiving

2009-12-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

Cute Little Hands

2009-12-03T20:59:00.001-08:00

WinCo

2009-12-03T20:56:00.000-08:00

At least someone's happy to be shopping at WinCo!

Alexa & Her Pappy

2009-11-27T13:45:00.000-08:00

New Christmas "Traditions"

2009-11-24T12:09:00.001-08:00

Fisher-Price Little People Nativity Advent Calendar!

Traditional Advent Calendar (currently we have a paper inside each cubby with a short Scripture to read each day):

Fisher-Price Little People Nativity Set! This thing is so cute! (It's not the one that Toys R Us carries...we got this one straight from Fisher-Price.)

Christmas Pictures with Cousin AJ

2009-11-21T22:59:00.000-08:00

Such a cute girl!!!!!

Which way are we supposed to look???

Christmas Time is Coming!

2009-11-21T22:07:00.000-08:00

What Was She Thinking?!? Oh, Maybe She Wasn't

2009-11-20T17:36:00.001-08:00

So, Alexa and I were barely on the road to run a few errands this afternoon, and what do we see? As we're waiting to turn right onto the main road, a lady was turning right off of the main road. Big deal, you say? Well, whilst she was turning the corner, she was also using an eyelash curler on the eyelashes of her left eye. Hello! Are you serious? First of all, good way to lose an eye while you're driving! Second (and this is coming from someone who doesn't even own an eyelash curler), I can understand maybe putting on some lip balm or something while driving, but using an eyelash curler is like the last make-up item I would have ever thought of to use whilst driving. Anyway, I couldn't believe what I had just seen, so I had to put it into words to make it even semi-real!

Curly Hair After Bath Time!

2009-11-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

Nappy Time on Daddy's Birthday

2009-11-15T22:00:00.000-08:00

Alexa & Her Doll (Named Sydney)

2009-11-13T22:00:00.000-08:00

Self-Imposed Black & White Day!

2009-11-08T22:00:00.000-08:00

Tummy Time!

2009-11-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

Slippers!

2009-10-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

Hmmm......Any Similarities???

2009-10-27T01:59:00.001-07:00

(L): Alexa on 10/26/2009 (R): Nicolette on 06/29/1976

Smiles & Cuteness for Mommy!

2009-10-26T13:35:00.001-07:00

Waiting for a Phone Call

2009-10-26T13:32:00.001-07:00

Nappy Time

2009-10-26T13:26:00.001-07:00

Somebody's sleepy......

The zoned out look she gets before she falls asleep in the carseat:

Little Miss Sunshine

2009-10-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Sunshine

Later that same day......

Alexa's First Month Pictures

2009-10-25T16:36:00.001-07:00

By popular demand, I uploaded some pictures of Alexa's first month at home.

Here is Alexa with Floxy.

I have lots of pictures in her car seat. Notice her friend Pink Bear on the right.

And sleeping on Daddy.

Clean Little Lamb

2009-10-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

Thank You, Andrae Crouch

2009-10-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday (10/04/2009) was my first week back at church and Alexa's first Sunday at church. We sat in the Mommy's room during the service. There is a TV in there, so you can follow along with the service as it's going on. Alexa was fussy when we first went in the room. "Bless His Holy Name" was being sung right then, so I started singing along. She quieted down right away! She was quiet during the whole song, and when the song was over, she got fussy again. Pappy would have liked to see it! (And I am thankful for "blended" worship services.) "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, Bless His holy Name."

Trying to Savor Each Moment

2009-10-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

Today my baby girl is 4 weeks old! How did that happen so fast (although it seems a long time ago too!)? Anyway, I realize that my last 2 posts have been kinda complainy. I thought I'd mention that I'm also trying to savor each moment that we have with our little. As these first 4 weeks have gone by so quickly, how much faster will the years fly by? Okay, I don't want to start crying here! Anyway, we're still so amazed that God has given her to us, and we don't want to take that for granted...ever. Mommy loves you, Baby Girl.

Alexa asleep in the sling carrier:

Alexa & Mommy snugging in bed:

3 Weeks Old Today

2009-09-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it's only been 3 weeks since I had a needle stuck into my spinal area in order to numb my bottom half......and had my abdomen sliced open with power tools (or so I'm told)......all to bring forth our beautiful baby girl!!! Yesterday was Daddy's last scheduled day at home before heading back to work today. Our beautiful baby girl basically ate, got changed, and cried all day long. This also caused Mommy to cry several times as well. Mommy was scared for what today might have in store. So today, Daddy is back at work, and we had to go to the Dr. for a weigh-in (to weigh Alexa, not Mommy!). On that subject, thankfully, Alexa has finally regained her birth weight, plus 2 ounces! Yippee! We are very thankful for this, as we weren't too sure about what the pediatrician would require us to do if she hadn't gained the weight back by today. Anyway, we can now check that one off the list. Here's the other part of the story. Other than the few minutes when we had to undress her for the actual weigh-in, Alexa slept soundly in her car seat from around 9:15 a.m. to noon!!! Thank You, Lord! Um, like, seriously, thank You! Back at home, I had to wake her up to feed her "lunch," and she's subsequently been asleep on my lap for over 2 hours! So far, it's the polar opposite of yesterday! Obviously, I'm not the only one who has ever gone through this (duh), but I did ask God for some encouragement today, and so I'll take these naps as answered prayer. I also talked with my younger sister today (who has already been through this stage with her little one), and she was also an encouragement to me. Thank You, Lord, again!

Now for some pics......

Alexa has a lot of hair, especially in the back:

Yes, it's true. She was sleeping soundly in the car seat:

Sleeping again on Mommy:

Adjustments for Mommy

2009-09-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

After being at home during the daytime with only myself to deal with since November 2008, I knew that having a baby would be quite an adjustment. But, wow! Now, I'm facing my Mom going back home and Tim going back to work! Right now, I'm not feeling very capable. So, I'll just post some really cute pictures of Tim and Alexa. He's such a good Daddy!

Daddy & Alexa getting to know each other while still at the hospital:

Alexa in one of her many contortions on Daddy's chest:

P.S. My baby girl is 2 weeks old today!

Home At Last

2009-09-15T14:01:00.001-07:00

After almost a full week, we were finally released from the hospital today. I know their purposes were good, but I look forward to a life not constantly interrupted by nurses, and to places to sit and lay down that are actually comfortable.

Floxy liked Alexa's come-home outfit.

Mommy and daughter, ready to go:

Yes, little loves, the hospital room really isn't our home. I hope you like your new home.

Still Waiting to Go Home

2009-09-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

Please pardon the lack of updates; having a new little one takes a lot of time.

We're still in the hospital, as Niki has had a fever. It seems cleared up, but the doctors want 24 hours without a fever before letting her go. This is a trying time, as we really want to be home.

Alexa is doing well: she's almost back to birth weight, low jaundice levels, and her cord fell out this morning. Plus, I'm figuring out how to get her to sleep in the crib.

Alexa Sydney Kay

2009-09-10T02:33:00.001-07:00

Born 9/9/09 at 9:59 PM. 7 lbs 14 oz, and 20 inches.

-- Post From My iPhone

Still Waiting

2009-09-09T12:41:00.001-07:00

Waiting

2009-08-18T18:03:00.001-07:00

A few days before we got married, I had dinner with Nicolette's father. He asked me if I was ready to be married. I said "Probably not, but I feel ready." I think that answered pleased him.
As I was looking around the house this morning, I thought that it looked like a house that was waiting for a baby.

We probably aren't really ready (who is?), but things feel ready. We've done a lot of work, and there is not much left to do. Just to wait for our little one to arrive.

I hope you like what we've done, Little One.

August Days

2009-08-11T21:15:00.001-07:00

The first week of August, I was surprised that I could still see the mountains from work. They usually vanish in the haze.

This week, the mountains are nearly gone. At least it's still in the 90s.

The Baby's Room Is Getting Cuter

2009-07-18T19:52:00.001-07:00

I've got some cute pictures for you all this time.

We worked on the little one's room for a while today. It's not done yet, but we're getting there. After finishing the work, we stayed in the room and talked about what else needed to be done, and it really felt like a baby's room to me.

We put up her name on the wall behind her bed. This was tricky as most of the letters required two nails. Nicolette had the good idea to trace the letters on paper, and poke holes where the nails needed to go.

We put up some art above her dresser, and decided that the lamp worked best on the dresser. It's cuter on the night stand, but too low to be useful.

We also put up some drapes and moved the night stand (with cute but too-low lamp) and glider into position.

We also put some art over our little Love Bug's changing table.

Finally, Confetti Yeti got swaddled.

Father of Lights

2009-07-14T18:36:00.001-07:00

So I was reading in James, and thought that "Father of lights" is an interesting name for God. It's not common in the New or Old Testament. It seems clear that it is refering to God creating the heavenly lights in Genesis 1, especially since it calls them "lights", rather than sun, moon and stars.
The next time I read, I noticed that the next verse says that God give us birth by his word. In light of the previous verse, this seems to be a reference to God creating by his word in Genesis 1. The one who is the father of the heavenly lights is the who has given us new birth, and by the same Word that made the heavens.
So the idea is that in giving us new birth, God is making a new creation. And we are the firstfruits of that new creation.
Now I'm considering how this relates to what James said above about enduring trials and asking God for wisdom. Should I associate that wisdom with the wisdom of God in creation, like Proverbs 8:22-31? If so, then the wisdom is Jesus. More clearly, it emphasizes the goodness of God, and that what he gives us is good, even though trials don't seem joyful.
How many times have I read or heard these verses, nodded my head at the familiar words, and never considered what James meant to teach by writing as he did?
"Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law."

Paragraphs in the Bible

2009-07-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

There are things in our Bibles that aren't from the original text of Scripture. Chapter and verse breaks come quickly to mind. Lately I've been thinking about something else in most of our Bibles that wasn't in the original text, either - paragraph breaks. Consider two ways of breaking up Galatians 6:4-8 (NASB):

But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each one will bear his own load.
The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

How does it affect your understanding if I break it up like this, instead:

But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each one will bear his own load. The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

The first way leaves me wondering what the connection is between sharing with the one who teaches, and sowing to the Spirit. The second suggests to me that though everyone must carry his own load, we are to share with those who teach us. The paragraph break strongly influenced which verse I tried to connect verse 6 with.

This bothers me a little, because I really like paragraph breaks. The style of putting a line break at the end of every verse bothers me when I read it. But the line breaks marking paragraphs are just as interpretive. Maybe they are more interpretive, because they group larger units of thought.

Vacation With a One-Year-Old

2009-06-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

Vacationing with a toddler is a little different. There is less activity, and more napping. I could get used to two naps a day.

Also, the child provides a lot of the amusement. Here's AJ on his first carousel ride.

Here he is discovering the joys of a pinwheel.

Our Nephew's First Beach

2009-06-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our nephew went to the beach for the first time. At first he wasn't sure about it, but then he got the hang of playing in the sand.

He also went in the water a bit with his dad. He would have run all the way in, if dad didn't hold him back.

After that he walked all the way from the water back to the boardwalk, which is pretty cool as he's only been walking a few weeks.
-- Post From My iPhone

At the Park with Our Nephew

2009-06-13T19:12:00.001-07:00

I (Tim) went to the park today. I went with my father-in-law, brother-in-law and nephew, while the girls had lunch together. I got to put my nephew in the car seat a few times. I took a picture of him after the first time. Seriously, he is unbelievably cute. He started walking about a week ago, so it was fun to watch him walking in the park.

3D/4D Ultrasound

2009-06-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

So, we did the 3D/4D ultrasound this afternoon. Of course, we had lunch first at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Yums! Both sets of grandparents were in attendance, as well as an aunt, uncle, and cousin. It was a full house. It's pretty cool to see an ultrasound done in this way. I thought I might cry, but I didn't. My sister said she thinks the baby looks like Tim. I said, "That's cool, because Tim's cute!" Overall, it was a good experience. Afterwards, Tim and I went to the Carter's store to buy a pack of onesies that I've been eyeing (70% off, by the way). Then, we went to Babies R Us to buy some baby-sized clothes hangers. Then, we went to Target to buy some Dreft detergent. Since this ultrasound tech pretty much verified that our baby is a GIRL!!!, I figured I could now start washing the clothes that we have already received! What's that called? Oh yeah...nesting. I was also going through boxes in the garage this week, because the weather was decent. I also shredded a bunch of stuff...but I digress. I've attached a few pics below from today's ultrasound session.

Vacation Pictures

2009-05-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

I surprised Nicolette by taking a lot of pictures on our vacation last month. I tried to take at least one picture everywhere we went, and of every meal. There aren't so many pictures of us, because I'm not the specialist in self-portraits.

Our 3rd Anniversary

2009-05-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

Today is our 3rd wedding anniversary. My first major activity of the day was to not eat breakfast (because I had to fast), go to a lab, chug an orange soda (minus the carbonation...and I was given 3 minutes flat to do this...no problem), biff around on the iPhone for an hour, and then have blood drawn. Yippee! At least I didn't have any immediate reaction to the glucose thirst quencher, which was nice. No dizziness either, which I've been having an issue with lately. Thank the Lord (which I did)! Then, since I hadn't eaten since the night before, I picked up Tim at work and got a breakfast combo meal at Chick-fil-A. Yums! I ate the food, while Tim drank the coffee. As our main anniversary plan is scheduled for the weekend, we capped off the evening by watching the Cleveland Cavaliers fall apart, and yes, we watched all 2+ hours of the A.I. finale (minus the Rod Stewart appearance, which is when I muted the TV and averted my eyes). Come to think of it, I should have averted my eyes several other times over the course of the show...and it wasn't even on cable...hmmm. Anyway, it was a nice evening spent with my husband of 3 years, whom I love very much and who is so good to me!

We think it's a......GIRL!!!

2009-04-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

We had the "major" ultrasound done yesterday (Friday, 04/03/2009), and the technician said that she thinks it's a girl. We are sooooo excited! Of course, with my skepticism, I'd like to be for-surely-sure, but we'll have to roll with it for now. Here's a couple of the ultrasound pics.

This is the entire body, from the head on the left to a leg and foot on the right:

This is the profile of the cute little face:

P.S. As of right now, the expected due date is August 30, 2009.