10 months old!

Kennedy is ten months old! The closer to 1 year she gets, the more emotional I get. People are not kidding when they say it goes by so fast! She is into EVERYTHING these days! Crawling very fast, standing and trying to walk but always falls on her bottom. before she can take a step:) She is "talking" up a storm. The only words we can make out for sure are "mama" "dada" "hey" and "bye-bye." She loves to wave to people, loves her shopping cart, activity table and walker and she LOVES to eat! Last night we met Aunt Rachael at Olive Garden for a girl's dinner and she ate the squash I brought for her, plus some breadstick and some of my pasta. Most days she eats the school lunch. Her latest fave at school was grilled cheese. Most nights she sleeps through the night from 8 to around 6 but sometimes she still wants to get up once or twice during the night and be rocked back to sleep. We are not sure why she does this. It's not because she's hungry. And we have tried letting her cry it out. Doesn't work. :( Her pediatrician says she is cutting her top teeth so that may be why. She had problems sleeping when she cut her two bottom teeth. She is in a size 3 diaper and wears mostly all 12 month clothes now. A few 9 month outfits still fit her. She is such a happy baby. We love you so much Kennedy!!!!

5 On Friday

 

Happy Friday! Boy, I don't know about ya'll but it sure has been a long week! Time for my favorite link up!

 1. Any other Nashville fans out there??? LOVE this show and so glad it's back on. The season 2 premiere did not disappoint!

2. My high school bestie Molly and her man Matt got engaged in Puerto Rico last Sunday! I am so excited for them! This makes THREE of my closest friends who have gotten engaged this year. I can't wait for all the weddings!

3. We are currently renovating our church right now. Our sanctuary holds up to 600 people and all four of our services are packed out! We are really excited about the renovation. We absolutely LOVE our church and can't wait for us to be able to accomodate more people so they  can become closer to God like we have. I cannot say enough good things about our church.

 

4. So ready for some football this weekend! Last weekend was kind of a bla weekend for college football. Mostly because the Gamecocks didn't play but also because Oregon didn't play either! I lived in Oregon for 7 years so I also chcer for the Ducks but if they ever played Carolina, of course my loyalty would be with my Gamecocks! Last weekend, the Georgia game wasn't much fun to watch and the Florida/Tennessee game wasn't much better. This weekend I am ready to cheer on my Gamecocks against Central Florida, my Ducks against California and I am hoping LSU can pull a win out against Georgia!

 

5. Well, I think we are going to have a walker very soon! Kennedy is now standing by herself and she acts like she wants to walk but hasn't taken any steps as of yet. Also new this week: My MIL got her a shopping cart full of food and that's her new favorite toy! She is absolutely obsessed! Will leave you with my sweet baby girl, who will be TEN months old tomorrow! Can't believe it!

 

P.S. I think I may have fixed the "no reply" blogger thing but not sure??? Just bear with me folks! Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!

So What Wednesday

 I am linking up with Shannon again for another "So What Wednesday." Here is what I am saying "so what" to this week:

*Fake people with a lot of drama. Ain't got time for all that!

*The folks that are all hyped up and angry about the transgender girl who got homecoming queen. What is the big deal???? Get over it!

* I absolutely CANNOT WAIT for Hocus Pocus to come on tv. It is my all time favorite Halloween movie. Yes I know it's cheesy and yes I know I am 29 years old. So what. Hocus Pocus rocks!

Oh and this has nothing to do with "so what" but thank you so much to Royal over @Royal Proclaims. She let me know that I am a "no reply" blogger. I am very new to blogging so trying to get that fixed. If you have sent me an email in reply to a comment I left and I haven't replied, I am so sorry!

Miss Sassafras Pageant!

This weekend Kennedy and I went to watch the Miss Sassafras Festival Pageant. This pageant is a HUGE deal in the area I teach, so I knew most of the girls in the pageant. Some of them were former students or siblings of my students etc... I never did pageants when I was younger but my cousin Chelsea did. I used to LOVE watching her compete in pageants and I loved  watching them on tv. I don't think Kennedy will be doing pageants. It's too expensive plus I would rather her be involved in something active like sports or girl scouts. However, we had such a great time at the pageant. I was nervous about how she would do but she did great! My co-worker Christine saved me an aisle seat in case I had to get up if she started fussing but she never did.  She loved it when everyone cheered and clapped! I think she thought they were clapping for her because that's what we do at home, haha. She also loved flirting and making faces at this guy across the aisle who looked nothing like Nick especially since he had a Gamecock hat on! ;) Good choice Kennedy! :)

 My former student Ryleigh was 1st runner up in the 7-9 division and won "best smile!"

 My former student Madisyn won division queen and "best hair" for the 13-15 age group!

Kennedy got crowned!!!

 

So proud of these beautiful and intelligent young ladies! :)

5 on Friday!

 

Linking up again with these lovely ladies for 5 on Friday! Here is what I am excited about this week:

 

1. Diem and Aneesa lost the elimnation round on the Challenge: Rivals 2. Diem is annoying and whiny. I am tired of hearing her same sob story every season. BYE!

 2. These are my new favorites for Kennedy! The purple smocked dress my mom bought for her. It's Little Red Riding Hood, so adorable. The coat and the Thanksgiving outfit were 2 of my best finds at the consignment sale at Kennedy's daycare. The Thanksgiving outfit is a 4t so she won't be wearing it for a long time but I couldn't resist for 7 dollars!!! I bought a lot of other stuff at the sale but these two were by far my favs! I think the peacoat is adorable and it even has a hood!

 

3. It may sound silly but I was actually a little nervous about volunteering at the consignment sale at Kennedy's daycare. A few (not all) of the moms I have run into at the daycare have been a little snooty. I walked in and right away, a mom named Erin came and introduced herself to me with a big smile. Her older daughter is in the 4 K class and her younger daughter Callie is in the nursery with Kennedy. She introduced me to a lot of the moms and I had a blast volunteering and getting to know some of the other moms. I will definately be volunteering again! :) Erin reminded me of how just a simple act of kindness can go a long way. :)

 

4.Funny school story of the week:

Me: Everyone's eyes should be on the smartboard

Student: Seriously?

Me: Yes

Student: Okay, anybody got a knife?

This is an 8 year old people!!!! Talk about a quirky sense of humor!

 

5. I will leave you with my sweet baby girl Kennedy who has been standing on her own this week and started wearing shoes! I know I sound redneck but I haven't really seen the point in her wearing shoes up until now. Now that she is starting to try to walk and the weather is getting a little cooler, I figured it was time. She looked like such a big girl in her shoes and she had so much fun standing and trying to walk in them that she passed out on Daddy! I think this picture is absolutely hysterical!

 Mommy's little Chunky Monkey!

 

Have a great weekend!!!!

So What Wednesday!

 I am linking up with Shannon for another "So What Wednesday."

 

Here is what I am saying so what to this week:

 

*Some of the Georgia and Clemson fans decided to report on their statuses on Facebook that the Gamecocks looked like crap the 2nd half of the game against Vandy. So what. A win is a win. Why are they worried about my team anyway?

 

*I listened to "A Whole New World" from the Aladdin soundtrack while I was working out yesterday. I love the quick mix button on Pandora that mixes all my stations together. Usually when one of the songs from the toddler radio station comes on, I skip it, but I was feeling some Disney tunes yesterday. :) So what!

 

*I am so excited about going shopping for Kennedy's fall wardrobe this weekend. I have barely bought any fall clothes for myself but so what! I have my 20 percent off coupon to Kohls ready and waiting!

 

*Lastly, I bought these this past weekend. I am pretty sure they are not part of my "lose last 15 pounds of baby weight" plan but so what! I am a sucker for anything pumpkin. These did not disappoint! So yummy!

 

Five on Friday

 Linking up again with these lovely ladies for the "5 on Friday" fun. Here is what I am excited about this week:

1. Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition!!!! Am I the only crazy one who watches this show? I LOVE IT. I will never forget watching this show last season with my parents. I had just had Kennedy and they were in town for 2 weeks helping out. Abby said "today's  group challenge is flexibility." My stepfather says "oh yeah, cause you look real flexible. I bet the most flexible you get is bending down to pick up a pretzel." Bahahahaha. Made me laugh so hard my stitches almost popped out.

2. I have said this before, but my class this year is so awesome. I mentioned this last week but my student Rylee's older brother Ryan was killed in a car accident Labor Day morning. This group of kids has just rallied around Rylee and supported her in every way they can. They have made her cards, given her THEIR OWN treats that they have earned in class and one boy Logan even brought her a Clemson jersey that he had at home because he knows how much she loves Clemson. Such a sweet group of kids!

3. My friend Stephanie and her man Colin got engaged this week! They have been together for eight years and I am so excited for them. He proposed in front of a waterfall while they were hiking. So romantic! Can't wait for their wedding!

4. We play Vanderbilt this weekend! We need a win after last weekend's disappointing loss!
Go Cocks!

 

5. Kennedy has had many milestones this week. She has been eating "school lunch" at daycare. They send a menu home every week and we circle the things on the menu that we are okay with her having, which is mostly everything. We don't want her to have hotdogs or corn dogs but she has had a lot of new foods like chicken and dumplings, turkey and beefaroni. She also had her first ponytail this past weekend! So cute! AAAAND, she has stood by herself without holding on to anything a few times this week. She can only stand for a few seconds and then falls on her bottom but still, wow! She is growing up so fast!

Personal Post

Tomorrow, (Wednesday) I will be guest blogging on Maddie's blog, The Whimsy One. If you are currently struggling through infertility or have in the past or just want an awesome blog to read, check it out. She posted a queso dip today that looks AMAZING. However, my reason for guest blogging for her is to tell my story for her infertility prayer project. Some of you may know that I had two miscarriages before I had Kennedy. Although I was able to get pregnant easily, it was very hard for me to carry a baby full term. We think the cause was mostly a progesterone issue but we aren't 100 percent sure because my 2nd pregnancy I was on suppliments and still miscarried. It was the hardest thing I ever had to go through but in a crazy way, I am thankful for it. The experience has made me appreciate having Kennedy so much more. It also brought me so much closer to God. When I e-mailed Maddie about participating in this blog project, I was nervous. I had a co-worker tell me that what I went throught was not infertility because I didn't struggle to get pregnant. Maddie recognizes that having multiple miscarriages is a form of infertility. I am very grateful to her for letting me share my story. At first, Nick and I kept this very private. Only close friends and family knew. However, I realize there may be other women out there going through the same thing I went through. There were things I wished I had known or been more assertive about, especially in my first pregnancy. Also, when I was going through my struggle,  I loved reading people's blogs who had had multiple miscarriages and were finally able to sucessfully conceive. They gave me hope. I hope you will enjoy reading my story. Thanks again to Maddie for letting me share.

Tag! Liebster Award!

Chelsea over @ The Williams nominated me for the Liebster Award. It is an award for bloggers with under 200 followers and a way for people to get to know me. I am faaaar from having 200 followers but I have a lot of page views so hopefully people that will read my blog will go ahead and follow me soon! :) Here are the questions she asked me:

1. What is your favorite recipe?

Cheesy chicken spaghetti (so easy and so good!) Warning: Paula Deen approved!

You will need:

1 box of spaghetti, 1 package of velveeta cheese, 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1 8oz container sour cream, a sleeve of ritz crackers, a rotesserie chicken.

Cook the noodles. Put velveeta cheese and cream of chicken soup in saucepan and heat, add in sour cream and mix. (This is is the sauce) Put cooked noodles in a casserole dish. Debone the chicken and put shredded chicken on top of noodles. Pour the sauce on top and crush up ritz crackers and sprinkle on top. Bake in oven for 15 minutes on 350.

 

2. What is your favorite hair product?
Hands down, my Chi straightner! :)

3. What is the best vacation you have been on?

Definately our honeymoon to Sandals Resort in Whitehouse, Jamaica. I love the beach and Jamaica has some gorgeous beaches!

4. Tell us your favorite meal?

A big plate of macaroni and cheese! (I am a big kid!)

5. Dream job?

Honestly, I love being a teacher and even though it's stressful at times, I love it! I also love being off in the summers so I am at home with Kennedy.

6. Christmas or Thanksgiving?

Christmas by far!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

7. Favorite clothes store?

Kohls! I can always find something I like there and they have great deals!

 

8. What is your favorite Football team and do you have any traditions on game day?

I am a HUGE Carolina Gamecocks fan. I went to USC-Aiken but my dad and brother both graduated from USC-Columbia and my sister will graduate from there in the spring. I bleed garnet and black! I lived in Portland, Oregon for 7 years so you may also see me cheer for the Ducks at times but if the two teams ever played each other, obviously my loyalty would be to Carolina! :) My hubby is a Georgia Bulldogs fan so our biggest tradition is our Border Bash party at our house to watch the Carolina/GA game. This year it was much more low key than in years past since we have Kennedy. This is a picture of us two years ago with our red and garnet jello shots. ;)

 

9. Favorite TV SHOW?

Currently, I would have to say Nashville. I can't wait for it to start up again!!!

 

10. DIY or buy everything?
Hahaha, most definately buy everything. I am NOT a crafty person. I wish I was but I am just not.

Thank you Chelsea for nominating me! Be sure to go check out her blog. She is one of the most adorable preggos I have ever seen and a teacher too! :)

The blogs I am nominating are:
Jennifer @ The Hunts
Carroll @ The Chronicles of Carroll
Tiffany @ Life After the Wedding
And I am so embarrassed but I don't know her first name! Love her blog though! Mrs. Dorr @ The Dorr Stop

It's late and I am too tired to think up of new questions but I love the ones Chelsea came up with so ya'll can just answer these! :)

1. What is your favorite recipe?

2. What is your favorite hair product?

3. What is the best vacation you have been on?

4. Tell us your favorite meal?

5. Dream job?

6. Christmas or Thanksgiving?

7. Favorite clothes store?

8. What is your favorite Football team and do you have any traditions on game day?

9. Favorite TV SHOW?

10. DIY or buy everything?

Five on Friday!

 I am linking up once again with these lovely ladies for "5 on Friday." I usually try to post about the 5 things I am excited about this week but like last week, the first thing I am posting about is not something exciting but has been on my mind. 

1. My student Rylee's older brother Ryan was killed in a car accident Labor Day morning. My heart breaks for her and her family. In the two weeks we have been in school, Rylee has talked nonstop about her big brother Ryan. He was 23 years old. Gone too soon. :( Please keep this sweet family in your prayers.

2. Border Bash is Saturday!!! My husband is a GA fan and I am a USC fan so it's a big day in the Kaune household. Every year we have a small get together at our house to watch the game. Wifey is hoping for a 4-peat!!!

 3. I am advisor at my alma mater USC-Aiken for my sorority Phi Mu. We  had rush this week so I have been up at school helping out. Today was bid day so I brought Kennedy up there with me. She wore her little Phi Mu outfit and had such a blast with the big girls! USCA has a wonderful tradition at bid day called the fountain run. We only have 3 sororities, so each sorority stands at a different place around a fountain in the quad. Then, the new girls come running out of the student center and they run towards the sorority they are pledging. Everyone was so excited to see their little legacy and I think we have some great new sisters in Phi Mu!

4. Funny school story this week. One of my very dramatic students wasn't at school Wednesday but when I was doing car duty, her mom drove through the car line to pick up her little sister. My student was in the car and she started smiling and jumping up and waving out the window when she saw me. Thursday, I asked her why she wasn't at school. She said "I didn't feel good." I said "well it sure you looked like you were feeling better when you came through the car line" and I did an impression of her jumping up and waving. One of my other students says in this loud voice "OOOOOHHH BUSTED!" I burst out laughing. So funny!

5. I think we may have a walker soon! Kennedy is pulling up on EVERYTHING! Nick walked at 10 months so I think she could be following in her daddy's footsteps! As always, I will leave you with this cuteness!

 

There's nothing like a Phi Mu wedding!

 This weekend my best friend Megan and I drove down to Beaufort, SC for our sorority sister Ashlee's wedding. We had so much fun! We saw a lot of our sisters that we hadn't seen in years.

 Ashlee's theme was country chic and she pulled it off very well. I LOVED this homemade chandelier made from mason jars!

It started raining right before the ceremony started but then the sun came out just in time for Ashlee to walk down the aisle. I  loved her burlap and lace aisle runner!

I couldn't really get a good shot of it, but the wedding party broke out with the Harlem Shake which was absolutely hilarious!

 Mr. and Mrs. Winkler!

 Phi Mu girls!

Me with the beautiful bride!

 

 

We had a blast catching up and tearing up the dance floor. SO MUCH FUN! I love weddings, but I especially love a Phi Mu wedding! :) Several of my sisters are in serious relationships and I can't wait for them to get married too! :)