Keepin' Up With The Kipp's

Corinne's Wedding!

2010-06-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

My sister in law got married this past weekend! It was a beautiful Colorado wedding complete with a moose! We stayed in a condo in the mountains, with a fox that came to visit nightly. Today (Sunday) we went white water rafting!

Madelyn's Ballet Recital

2010-06-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

Say Cheese!

2010-06-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

2010-06-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

California Poppies

2010-06-12T21:04:00.000-07:00

Ella Bear

2010-06-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

Spouse Fly Day

2010-06-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

I got to fly in a glider for the spouse fly day! Wow, what an experience. My tummy didn't hold up the whole time, but it was amazing to be up there, and pull the knob that releases you from the plane with the engine! Don't know how these guys do it!

Tea Party

2010-06-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

The girls got to attend a super fun tea party for our neighbor's birthday! We got dressed up (I made those dresses!), and the girls got to make special hats and drink pink lemonade from teacups. What a fun day!

Bath Time

2010-04-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

Randomness

2010-04-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas!

2010-04-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

Tim scored tickets for us to see Garth Brooks at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. We bought the tickets, worried about child care afterwards! Luckily for us, we had a mimi who was more than ready to see the grandbabies and hopped on a plane to come babysit for us while we were at the concert! Vegas is a little more than a 3 hour drive so we went up for the weekend. It was an amazing show, just Garth and his guitar. 13 rows back! The show started at 10:30 pm and he played till 1 am!! Trisha Yearwood even came out and did a few duets with him. It's been a LONG time since we were out that late, but it was totally worth it!

California Adventure

2010-04-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

California Adventure

2010-04-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

California Adventure

2010-04-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

Disney had a special deal for southern California residents, buy one park, get one free. Luckily, Disney is only 2 hours from us! We were able to drive up for the day and come back home that night. We really loved California Adventure, the whole park was made up of differnt parts of California. We especially loved the Edwards area, with the Soaring ride and the "taste pilot cafe!"

Valentine's Day at DisneyLand

2010-04-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood, Beverly Hills

2010-01-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

Ella's first cereal and other cuteness

2010-01-20T10:16:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Colorado

2010-01-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky to get to spend Christmas in Colorado with my entire family. I got to meet my adorable niece, Lauren for the first time! The cousins had a great time playing together. Thanks to my sweet hubby for driving 16 hours back so I could have this special time!

Visit from Mimi and Papa

2009-11-03T17:13:00.000-08:00

My parents came to rescue me for a week the last week in October. It was so wonderful to have their help! We tried to cram a lot in to one week and managed to get a lot of sightseeing done as well as preparing for our upcoming move.

Ella--3 months already

2009-11-03T17:10:00.000-08:00

My sweet baby Ella is 3 months old already! She looks amazingly like Makenzie did when she was a baby! Here is her 3 month moose shot, and me torturing her with my moose pilot accessories!

Great Gator

2009-11-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

Makenzie's school mascot is the gator. She was recently nominated by her teachers to be the "great gator of the day." She didn't know, it was a complete surprise. They announced it over the morning announcements. As she was walking down the hall to the office, all the kindergarten students were in the hallway clapping for her. She was so overwhelmed, she had tears in her eyes! We are so very proud of her!

Is it a doll? No, it's Ella!

2009-09-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

Makenzie pushing Ella around in their play stroller.

Prima Ballerinas

2009-09-23T16:49:00.000-07:00

The girls are taking a "creative dance" class this fall at the base. Madelyn wants to be a ballerina when she grows up, so guess we better get her started! They both really enjoy it, even though Makenzie doesn't look like she is having fun! :)

School Spirit

2009-09-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

Every Friday is Fort Dorchester Elementary School school shirt day. I didn't want to spend the money on an ugly t-shirt, so I got this $4 one at walmart and slapped a gator on it! (they are the gators.) Pretty cute, huh?

Random Cuteness

2009-09-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

Madelyn's First Day of Preschool

2009-09-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

Madelyn is going back to the Children's Day Out program at our church. She's the big kid on campus now!

Ella doin' her thing!

2009-09-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

One Month Picture

2009-09-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

Trying to remember to take the monthly picture with the moose like I did with the other 2. Don't you just love the mini skirt?!?

Sisterly Love

2009-09-05T15:05:00.001-07:00

Madelyn loves to hold her baby sister!

It's tough being Ella...

2009-09-05T15:03:00.001-07:00

Makenzie's First Day of Kindergarten!

2009-09-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Seems like just yesterday we were bringing our itty bitty Makenzie home from the hospital in Enid, Oklahoma. Now she is starting kindergarten in Charleston, South Carolina. I must admit I was really nervous about her starting kindergarten and even toyed with the idea of homeschooling her. But, she is doing AMAZING!! I am so proud of her and the little girl she is becoming! Her school is fabulous and she is really coming out of her shell and having a great time!

MiMi and Papa's Visit to meet Ella

2009-09-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of pictures! Been kinda busy! Anyway, Ella's been with us for 6 weeks now and we love having her in our family! The girls are doing amazing with her and love cuddling with her and helping me out. She is a such a sweet baby girl!

Ella's First Bath

2009-08-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

Ella didn't appreciate being wet! But she sure smelled great afterwards. She slept for a long time afterwards!

The first week with Ella--they are in backwards order!

2009-08-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

Ella is a week old already! We are all getting adjusted to her but she is a very easy baby and making it easy on us! She still sleeps a lot, but we love her classic wrinkled forehead face! The girls love her pirate face when she only opens one eye. They are very good big sisters and love to help. Tim's parents drove down the same day Ella made her surprise appearance and they decorated the house with pictures on the garage door and streamers on the inside. We are so blessed to have Ella in our family and are happy to have had the extra week with her!

Ella Mae Kipp

2009-07-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world, our little peanut! Ella Mae made her entrance at 8:08 am on July 25th, 2009. She weighs in at 5 lbs, 3 ozs of pure sweetness! We almost didn't make it to the hospital on time, she was in such a hurry to get here!

Merf's Birthday

2009-07-07T15:29:00.000-07:00

Somehow, I turned 30 this summer and am still getting used to the number (that's a lot of numbers as Maddie keeps reminding me). Tim and the girls made a delicious oreo ice cream cake and we went out to dinner at a great little seafood joint. 30 candles is A LOT to blow out!!

Disney World Magic

2009-06-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

We went down to Disney this past week and were fortunate enough to be there for Madelyn's birthday. Disney did a great job of making her feel extra special. A barber shop quartet sang to her, and every where we went people were telling her Happy Birthday. We even got to have an extra special dinner with Pooh bear and friends. They put confetti and a streamer on the table for her and a cupcake. Makenzie was obsessed with picking up the Mickey Mouse confetti. Not one was left laying on the park floor when she got through! We did Magic Kingdom on Sunday, Animal Kingdom on Monday, Downtown Disney/pool on Tuesday, Hollywood Studios on Wednesday, and Sea World on Thursday. After that, we were pooped! We stayed at a wonderful Residence Inn (I can't say enough good things about them) and had pool time every afternoon (and free drinks/snacks every evening). It was REALLY hot (you can tell by how wet everyone's hair is!) but we had a great time and was a nice break before the craziness of a new baby/move starts!

Happy Birthday, Madelyn!

2009-06-12T11:54:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Maddie's 4th birthday early this year so her good friend Claire could be there. It was a small gathering but we had a good time. We will actually be in Disney to celebrate her real birthday. This year she chose to have a My Little Pony Theme. We played water balloon games, a pinanta and had cupcakes.

Missing Teeth!

2009-06-12T11:51:00.001-07:00

Makenzie has now lost 2 teeth (the natural, old fashioned way). The first two to come in were the "first" two to come out!

Memorial Day Cookout

2009-05-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful evening with friends for burgers and home made ice cream to celebrate Memorial Day.

May Happening's

2009-05-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

May has been a busy month! Makenzie graduated from pre school (which included a graduation ceremony and ice cream party), had the end of the year singing program, and finished up soccer (which included a ceremony and trophy). The best part is that Mimi and Papa were able to be here for all the special times. Here are a few snapshots from the past week or so....

Gettin' Ready for Baby

2009-05-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

We got to watch baby Grant the other night, who is 2 months old. The girls were quite intrigued by him! They are going to be great helpers. We decided to let the girls practice holding/feeding him! (sorry, Meg)

Unicorns!

2009-05-13T18:14:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Megan and I sat down and whipped out shorts for all the kiddos. I cut, she sewed. You'd think having 5 kids to entertain would slow us down--not at all! The girls picked out designs to go with their shorts and Makenzie and Madelyn both picked out the unicorn design, and thus, had to wear them on the same day. At least they still think wearing clothes mom made is cool!

2009-04-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

The difference between a first born and youngest child is clearly evident in the strategy each girl had for attacking their chocolate bunny. Makenzie started at the top of the ears and is working her way down. Madelyn....welll....she started on the right hip. We have no idea.

Easter Celebrations

2009-04-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

Tim was out of town for Easter this year, so we got to celebrate it twice!

Tim's Birthday Weekend

2009-04-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

Tim celebrated his 31st birthday on the 5th. It's unusual that he was actually home for his birthday! We had a once in a lifetime opportunity to eat at the only 5 star restaurant in SC, where the head chef just happens to rent our second home! Let's just say that he hooked us up! We ordered a 3 course meal, and by the time it was all said and done, it ended up being a 9 course meal unlike anything we'd ever tasted before! We were at the restaurant for 4 hours eating dinner!
Then on Sunday we did the usual birthday cake and presents with the girls. Tim requested his favorite, German Chocolate cake(which none of the rest of us like!)

First Soccer Game--In the Rain

2009-03-29T08:47:00.001-07:00

Makenzie reluctantly went to her first soccer game, and then it rained! I think she ended up having fun, but she won't admit to it! Her coach is super sweet and held her hand while she kicked in the ball.

Soccer

2009-03-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

Whenever I ask Makenzie if she would like to play a sport, take a dance class, etc, she always says no. So, I took it upon myself to go ahead and sign her up for soccer! She protested at first but I think she secretly had fun (don't tell anyone). We are hoping to get her around other kids more so she's not so shy! Anyway, here are some pics of her first practice.

Making Valentine Cookies

2009-02-20T16:52:00.000-08:00

Legos

2009-02-20T16:48:00.000-08:00

No one builds legos better than Daddy! He wasn't even allowed to change clothes, he had to start building planes and houses!

Pretty as a Princess

2009-02-20T16:44:00.001-08:00

I've been catching some slack about not blogging lately, so here goes. Nothing too exciting, just a peek into every day life!

This one was too funny to pass up. The girls got a fun new game called Pretty, Pretty Princess. To win, you have to have all the jewelry pieces. Tim, being the sweet dad he is, didn't disappoint! :)

Bath Time Fun

2009-01-13T07:25:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Megan for the super fun bath crayons! Although, they seem to be getting dirtier rather than cleaner! :)

2009-01-13T07:15:00.000-08:00

Birthday Party!

2009-01-13T07:06:00.001-08:00

Makenzie picked a "Littlest Pet Shop" theme for her party this year. She designed the birthday cake herself--it had to be pink icing, 5 blue circles for 5 pet shops to sit on, and yellow writing! We did a finger puppet craft and played pin the tail on the pet shop.

Makenzie turns 5!

2009-01-13T06:57:00.000-08:00

Makenzie scored this year and had two birthdays! We had a family party for her on her actual birthday, and then she had a birthday party where she invited friends, a few weeks later.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-29T12:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas Pageant

2008-12-16T11:52:00.000-08:00

The Annual Christmas Pageant is something I always look forward to each year. Even though, for the past 2 years, Makenzie has been a statue, it's still really cute. Now Madelyn has joined the ranks of the big kids and gets to perform as well. We finally got someone who will perform! Maddie did a great job of hand motions and singing. She is definitely more outgoing than Makenzie. But, Makenzie did actually do hand movements this year, and we might have even caught her moving her lips a couple of times. She's getting better with each year! This year, Makenzie got to dress up like an angel (which she said itched).

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T17:15:00.000-08:00

We got to go to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving this year and see a lot of Tim's family. Thanksgiving is always a crazy time around the Kipp household. When Tim's grandparents sold Tim's parents the house, the stipulation was that Thanksgiving dinner always had to be there in that house. Tim's mom does a great job of continuing the tradition, even with making lunch for 32 people and having tons of company!

A Few More Halloween...

2008-11-30T17:11:00.000-08:00

Hmmm..almost got these on here before December! :) Here are the girls in their full blown Halloween costumes...

Corn Maze

2008-11-08T19:18:00.000-08:00

It wouldn't be Halloween/Fall without a trip to a Corn Maze! This year we went with our Sunday School class and left our fate to our line leaders, Lily and Makenzie, who did a great job getting us through! :)

An Adventure

2008-11-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

Three very brave moms--determined not to let a cloudy day and a high probability of rain deter us from getting out of the house on a school holiday--set forth on an adventure to great Cottageville, South Carolina (aka the middle of nowhere) to visit the Bee Farm. Turns out, it was super cool! They had an amazing assortment of animals--monkey you could feed with your hands even! (Ring tailed lemurs have really soft hands, I wouldn't mind one of those as a pet!)

Halloween

2008-11-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

I have to give credit where credit is due! My super sweet and closet-crafty husband let me sew all day while he prepared this spooktacularly wonderful treat for Halloween. The menu included mummy dogs, monster mouthes, spider topped deviled eggs, and even gurgling witches brew. Here are a couple of pictures just from the girls dressing up. The other ones from them dressed up with face paint must be on the other camera so I'll add those later!

Disney World!

2008-11-04T12:53:00.000-08:00

I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to have my whole family at Disney World! My parents from Colorado and my brother from Nebraska all met in FL for a week trip to Disney. We had a blast! I made the girls and my neice matching polka dot outfits, and my sis in law made Minnie Mouse bows! Minnie thought they were quite cute! :) Then MiMi brought the girls the pink princess outfits, which they wore to Epcot. While we were at Epcot, we were standing in line for Spaceship Earth and one of the employees came and got us and said "Princesses do not like to wait" and brought us to the back door and put us right on the ride!

Monogram Fairy

2008-10-18T10:33:00.001-07:00

The monogram fairy snuck in and put Maddie's initials on a shirt....it certainly wasn't me. I'm not into that kind of thing....

BZZZZZZZZZ.........

2008-10-18T10:31:00.001-07:00

Molly is ready for Halloween!

Jammie Fun

2008-10-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

Like Father, Like Daughter

2008-10-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

Centerpiece

2008-10-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

The girls and I went to a craft party at a VERY brave mom's house (glitter, glue and toddlers--my worst nightmare!!). Anyway, they had a great time, and here is what they made!

Mickey

2008-10-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the outfit I made for the girls to wear to Disney in a couple of weeks. Madelyn was my guinea pig so I've only made this one, 2 more to go! My sis in law is making adorable Minnie bows to go with them! How cute will that be?!? Oh, and because I took Maddie's picture, Makenzie needed her picture. I made the pants, but nothing too special!

Children's Museum

2008-09-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day on Saturday so we packed a picnic and headed downtown. The gir's favorite spot is the Children's Museum.

Shrek

2008-09-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

Makenzie has started riding her big girl bike. Maddie has inherited the Dora Tricycle but hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet. Anyway, I had gotten these Shrek helmet hats for free from pop tarts awhile ago. She was too embarrassed to ride it in public, but entertained me for a few photos!

MiMi and Papa's Visit

2008-09-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

We had a whirlwind visit with mimi and papa a few weeks ago. Between the girl's school schedule, an impending hurricane, and tons to see and do, we stayed very busy! We had a great time! By the way, the picture of Madelyn crying is from the Pineapple fountain--she went one too many steps down and got wetter than she intended and was not happy about it! Somehow, she always ends up naked at that place! Oh, and the steps the girls are standing on are old time carriage steps! :)

First Day of School

2008-09-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some more out of order pictures for you. The girls attend a child's day out program at our church. Makenzie is the big kid going 4 days a week and Maddie goes 2 days a week. They both love it and mom loves the break! Makenzie picked out her own outfit for the first day!

Halloween

2008-09-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

So it's still 95 degrees, but we're pretending like it's fall. I'm even ready for Halloween--check out the halloween outfit. (And yes, I'm still embroidering everything possible).

Catching up...

2008-09-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry, it's been awhile since I blogged. Life has been keeping me busy. Makenzie has started school 4 days a week and has really blossomed into a "big kid." She even has homework now! Madelyn is going to the same program, but 2 days a week. She thinks her backpack and folder is the coolest thing ever and won't let me take anything out of it! We have been lucky to have lots of visitor's these past 2 weeks--my parents came for a week and then my girlfriend I've known for 18 years came from Kentucky the week after. As is customary, Tim left midway through my parents visit for yet another trip. (my mom is taking it personally). Anyway, the pictures from the girl's first day of school was on Tim's camera that he brings with him, so this will be out of order. Enjoy the randomness!

Power Playing Princess

2008-08-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

Madelyn playing boxing on the Wii. You don't want to mess with this princess! :)

My new store!

2008-08-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

So, I am going to try and sell some of my creations just for fun. We'll see what happens! Here's some more of what I've made! The sight is www.kippiecuties.etsy.com

Still on the kick....

2008-07-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

For those of you wondering, yes, I am still sewing up a storm. It certainly keeps me busy while Tim is gone. Here's 2 more outfits I just finished up....

Singin' In the Rain

2008-07-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, we had to do simulated rain with the sprinkler--but it was fun none the less!

Silly Kipp's

2008-07-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

I'm Obsessed...

2008-07-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

I can't seem to stop sewing!! Seriously, the girls don't need any more clothes so I think I may start selling my creations on ebay or something! :) I also got a new machine that does embroidery as well. On Madelyn's outfit, I just added a ruffle to the jean shorts, and did Minnie on the shirt. There's still plenty to learn about embroidering, but I'm loving it!

Check it out!!

2008-07-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

I've got an obsession! What do you guys think of the outfit I made Maddie??

Happy Birthday Madelyn!

2008-06-23T10:57:00.001-07:00

We waited for Tim to get home from his trip to have Madelyn's princess party. We had lots of beautiful princesses, and one prince charming! Thanks so much to everyone who made it a special day for Maddie.

I hate it when Tim's gone, BUT.....

2008-06-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

I do get a lot done! Here are some of my latest projects. The brown butterfly shirt Maddie is wearing was my first attempt at a ruffle on the bottom. Yes, it is the same fabric as my quilt, I had extra! :) I also made Makenzie a tooth fairy pillow. The TF wasn't quite ready when she knocked her first tooth out, but now we're prepared! The dentist says the one next to it is starting to get wiggly. Then, the rainbow and flamingo shirts I made from fabric that the girls got to pick out. Guess I'm raising nerds, but we 3 love to go in fabric stores and look at all the beautiful fabric! That's it for now. I bought myself a birthday present--a machine that does embroidery so stay tuned!

Kippie Cuties

2008-06-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the new dresses, Mimi! We love them!!

2008-06-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

2008-06-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

We love our puppy

2008-06-14T10:09:00.001-07:00

Madelyn is Potty Trained!!!!!

2008-06-14T10:05:00.001-07:00

Both of my girls made me wonder if they would start elementary school STILL wearing diapers. Neither one of them ever expressed any interest in using the potty until I pretty much just told them we were done with diapers. I gave them both until their 3rd birthday and then called it quits with the diapers. Madelyn is doing great even though it sometimes takes about 20 trips to the bathroom before we get anything out.

Jungle Safari...

2008-06-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

Actually, it's just Makenzie's room. But, sometimes it's a jungle in there....

This is what we do with girls that misbehave.....

2008-06-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Just kidding!! The girls were having fun getting in the bags and being surrounded by animals!

Tomato Crack

2008-06-10T17:10:00.000-07:00

Most of you know my LOVE of homegrown tomatoes and that every summer since I've known Tim I've tried to grow them, with no luck. Maybe it's because Tim was gone on his deployment when I planted them, so I could give them plenty of love and attention, and sit on the back porch at night and talk to them that these guys have actually done my best to date! I just harvested my first one and it was delicious. Pure heaven! My romas and cherry tomatoes are doing well, too-the other plant is jalapenos.

Just a girl and her dog

2008-06-05T12:30:00.001-07:00

Spoleto Festival

2008-06-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

We took the girls to a musical performance by "Mr Richard" downtown on Tuesday. Then had a picnic in the park, and then cupcakes at the cupcake store! It was a full but fun day. The mommy's were exhausted!

Meet Frenchy!!

2008-05-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

After many hours of labor,the Frenchy was born at 12:30 am! This one has pockets inside and a magnetic closure, pretty cool, huh?!? I was going to take a picture of it and Madelyn wanted her picture taken, so here she is, too! Also, I thought the one of Madelyn and Molly was cute because it looks like Molly has a big grin on her face!

2008-05-21T05:15:00.000-07:00

It's not real exciting, but she did move! :)

Children's Day Out Recital

2008-05-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

Twice a year, the girl's Children's Day Out program has a recital. Each time, Makenzie does a great impression of a statue! She didn't disappoint this time! Madelyn did her first recital and had a great time, even did all the hand movements! Madelyn is definitely our music girl, even before she was born she would start moving around at church when we were singing!

Daddy is Home!!!

2008-05-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

So, I'm sitting here, BY MYSELF--no one screaming, no one trying to push the computer keys, ahhh, quiet. Yes, Tim found his way home after many stops and the girls have not let him out of their sight since. It's great to have him home, and what a fabulous mother's day! Here are a couple of pics, we were able to go down to the gate on a visitor's pass and some random person offered to take pictures.

Oh No!!! Mom's making our dresses, too!!!

2008-05-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

After 5 months of alone time, I've become quite crafty! :) Although, Tim is a little worried since I am making strawberry Jam and quilts, he says I am doing "granny activities." Just wait till I start making HIS clothes! :)

Warning...these pictures are dirty.....

2008-04-26T14:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, did we get dirty picking strawberries today! The great thing about Charleston is that there is always something going on. We had a great time picking strawberries at a plantation in Mt. Pleasant. They even had a bouncy things. We took a picnic and then got dirty! For all you visitor's, this Bed and Breakfast now features fresh strawberry jam! :)