Jade was our family dog and passed away yesterday after suffering with degenerative intervertebral disk disease for months. This post is to memorialize her life and the impact that she had on ours. Jade came into our family as a puppy, and was there for so many major life events since then, so many experiences, it’s just unbelievable now that she is gone. (more…)
It’s been awhile since our last update. We’ve had so much going on in the last few months. Christian celebrated his 30th birthday on October 14th, we celebrated Thanksgiving with Christian’s cousins in Washington DC, went to Utah and New Mexico for Christmas and New Years, Christian finished his first semester of law school and began his second in January, Paris and I took another trip to Utah to stay with my mom for a couple of weeks in February, and Paris turned 2 on February 14th. We had a wonderful party to celebrate Paris birthday. Since the Saturday party was actually on Valentine’s Day we decided to have a hearts theme this year. We decorated the party room in our building on the 11th floor with balloons, streamers and hearts. 10 of Paris’ friends along with their parents came to celebrate with us. We bought a bounce house for the occasion which was a big hit. The kids all had a great time. For lunch we ate pizza and chicken nuggets and for dessert had a lemon cake with custard filling…..delicious. There were some party favors at the end, with heart themed goody bags for the kids, and little boxes of chocolates for the parents. I felt that the party was a great success!
Now that Paris is two things have really gotten interesting. She talks very well and lets me know her feelings the instant they come up. Paris loves to give kisses and is a nurturing child. She is also a very active child and even a bit aggressive at times. Our dog Jade usually get the brunt of both spectrums. Paris loves to lead her around by the collar and lays on her any chance she gets. When Jade is sleeping, Paris gets dog food from Jade’s bowl and stuffs it into her mouth insisting that she eat it, whether Jade is hungry or not. Paris already says the darnedest things. The other day she took something of mine and when I went to grab it out of her hands she said “don’t grab, okay Mom”. I was taken by surprise because I had been telling her not to grab from me earlier and didn’t really think she had listened. I guess I am not just teaching, but learning as well.
Paris can sing her ABC’s and is learning to identify letters. She can count to 11 and knows most of her shapes. Just as important, Paris is really understanding how to socialize with other children and adults. She befriends others quite easily and loves to say “hi” to anybody and everybody walking by. Paris has recently decided that she loves to climb. She climbs onto the table, on the furniture, and pretty much any other climbable surface she can find. She is always so proud of herself when she is able to climb something and really has a drive for achievement it seems. As she gets older Paris is developing her love for music and dancing. It’s so fun to watch her make up her own dance moves. She even has facial expressions to go with them. The other day I showed Paris how to play “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on her keyboard. Later that day I heard her in her room banging on the keys singing “Mary had a Little Lamb” at the top of her lungs. The music didn’t quite match the singing but it was great to see her trying it out on her own.
Well, we have been in Virginia for almost 3 months now. Christian is well into his first semester of law school. He is facing a lot of challenges as the workload gets increasingly heavier but for now he is taking it one day at a time. Christian has a good amount of wherewithal and stamina and I have all the confidence in the world that he will do well. As Christian heads off to school each day I am concentrating on making the most of my time with Paris. She is an ever evolving little person and teaches me new things about herself every day. Paris has begun reciting some of her ABC’s and can count to at least 3. Sometimes she attempts to make it to 9 but skips a few numbers in the process. She keeps me entertained with her love for singing and dancing. Her new favorites are “Pop Goes the Weasel” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. Teething has been a bit of an issue for the last month or so. Paris has gotten in 4 more teeth (2 bottom and 2 top). Hopefully some of the discomfort that comes with teething is winding down and Paris can concentrate more on enjoying being a toddler. Paris has a few new friends here in Virginia. She is so funny with her friends. She likes to tell them to listen when she thinks they should be doing something. The other day she was in the library with her friend Ella and she wanted Ella to give her a book. When Ella declined, Paris crouched down and looking up at Ella and said “Listen, Ella, listen”. Though it was a little bossy I thought is was very cute.
We are all beginning to feel more acclimated to our new environment. Finding places and getting around the city are still a bit of a challenge but the newness is turning into the familiar more each day. We have had a few chances to take advantage of the interesting places that are so close by. A few weeks ago Christian and I were able to go to DC for a movie and dinner date. We had Christian’s cousin Spencer and his spouse Cherry watch Paris for us for a few hours and we enjoyed a rare romantic evening with just the two of us. Christian and I were able to walk to the theater from Spencer and Cherry’s house. It was so beautiful as we walked through the green, pretty neighborhood of Washington DC. It had just rained so the sidewalks were wet with warm rain. I even walked in my bare feet for a little bit. It really was nice. We ate dinner at a cute little cafe called “Cosi”, then went to see “Nights in Rodanthe”. It was a wonderful movie and perfect for the occasion. Paris had a great time with her babysitters. They took her on a bus to see some friends and then played with her at their house. Hopefully we will have a chance to do something like that again soon.
We miss our family and friends a lot and hope everyone is well.
Hello family and friends! We finally made it and are getting settled into our new home in Falls Church, Virginia. Making the move was one of the most exhilarating and exhausting things Christian and I have ever done.
The move itself ended up being very long and tedious. We knew that we had a lot ahead of us as we started packing and getting rid of things we didn’t need a few weeks before we planned to leave. We had 2 yard sales and sent lots of stuff to the thrift store. Even after all of that we had a lot to pack. On Saturday, July 26th, we started loading the truck. We decided to rent a 26 foot Penske truck along with a trailer for our car, which we pulled behind. Though we knew that was quite a load to have to drive across the country with all of us in tow, we wanted to experience it together. We had planned on leaving town on Tuesday, July 29th, but as the day drew nearer it became clear to us that we had too much to do in order to leave on time. So with the wonderful help of our neighbors (which we are eternally grateful) we loaded up all of the furniture and continued packing day (and night) until we finally had it done. Let me just say that Christian and I were so exhausted there were really no words to describe it. Thursday morning at 7:00 AM, Christian, Paris, myself and Jade (our dog) climbed into the cab of the truck and prepared ourselves the best we could for the long journey into the unknown…. The truck and car were packed so tightly even the last couple of items to load had to be left behind. It was such a relief though to be driving away knowing that we had our possessions safely stowed away behind us and the nightmare of packing was done.
In the next 6 days, Thursday through Tuesday, we traveled 2200+ miles from Salt Lake to Falls Church, VA. We drove through 11 states (including Utah). Driving a large vehicle proved to slow us down quite a bit. It took us between 10 and 12 hours to cover the average 400 miles a day that we traveled. Paris handled it fairly well for an 18 month old. The first day was a bit difficult because she had hard time falling asleep in her carseat, so she had a couple of mini meltdowns, but after that she took it all in stride. I’ll have to say, keeping a toddler busy for so many hours takes a lot of stamina and creativity. By the 5th day we were all ready to get to our destination. Jade who rode down on the floor of the truck just kept looking at me as if her world was coming to an end. Since I couldn’t explain any of it to her I just patted her on the head and told her it would be okay. It was nice to be able to stop every couple of hours to take a break. We learned more about truck stops than I thought I would ever want to. In order to avoid any mishaps with parking we were very careful to get gas at places and stay at motels that were good for big trucks. The car on the back added an extra bit of concern but because Christian was such a great driver we really didn’t have any trouble.
Seeing so much of the country was the best part about making the drive. We drove I80 which led us through Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indianapolis, Ohio, some of Maryland and West Virginia. Kansas was everything we expected it to be for the first half of the drive through. It was nothing but grassy prairies and corn fields. I actually thought it had a beauty to it. The vastness had it’s appeal. Toward the middle of Kansas we started seeing some trees and as we traveled further East there were more and more. I would say that Ohio and West Virginia were probably the prettiest states we saw. Ohio was green and beautiful and even the city of Columbus was pleasing to look at. West Virginia was very forested. We decided at one point to take a highway off the beaten path…a more scenic route. At the time I was pretty sure that it was a bad idea as we were winding up and around the narrow canyon roads in a huge moving truck, but now that I think about it I am glad that we were able to have the experience. We saw some amazing forests that were something out of a fantasy book. Christian and I even joked that we wouldn’t have been surprised if we saw tiny fairies come out from the misty woods. There were tiny towns (if you can call 2 or 3 houses a town) all along the way. It was crazy because when we got toward the top of the mountain we were crossing, we saw a black bear run across the road and lay in the tall grass on the side as we passed by. At first we couldn’t believe our eyes….it was surreal.
Finally, on Tuesday, August 5th, at about 5:30 PM we pulled up to our new home. Because we had only seen a few pictures of it we had been completely unsure of what the area and the condo would be like. It was overwhelming as we pulled up to the 10 story building surrounded by a completely unfamiliar environment that was to be our home. We had planned on moving a few things in that night, then having some family members along with a couple of movers come and help us move the majority of our stuff in the next day, which ended up working out pretty well. It took the entire day on Wednesday as we loaded up the elevator and carted all of our belongings and furniture down to our unit, one trip after the other. Christian’s cousin Andrew took some time off work and came after the movers had left to help us finish up in the late afternoon. There had still been a lot to do but with his help we finished in the nick of time. Andrew helped us more than he could know and we really appreciated all that he did.
We have now been in our new place for 2-1/2 weeks and are nearly finished with getting things put in place. We’ve had to be very creative since there is little to no storage space and just one little closet in the hall for linens and such. We do have walk in closets in both of the bedrooms which has been wonderful but we still have more things than will naturally fit into our space. Our large master bedroom is now also our office and workout room. At least everything is easily accessible and it is nice not to have to clean and organize a larger place. My life has gotten less complicated and this move has helped Christian and I understand the importance of simplicity. We no longer can hang on to things we don’t use or don’t really need…..it’s sort of relieving.
Now we are preparing ourselves for the long haul of law school and living in Virginia for the next 3 years. The culture here is much different from Salt Lake and Christian and I (especially me) are doing what we can to adjust. I will be staying at home with Paris for the next little while and look forward to getting into activities that will help her learn and grow. Christian started school last Thursday, the 21st. There is no doubt that it’s going to be a challenge, which is actually a good thing. The bigger the challenge, the better lawyer he will become. Christian will be in school for 15 hours a week but his study and homework time will be 35 hours or more. Things are looking good though and we are excited to see where this new path will lead us.
The hardest thing is being away from all of you. Hopefully everyone will do their best to keep in touch. Christian and I will also do all that we can to maintain closeness even though we are physically so far away from most of you. We do have some family nearby which is very nice. A couple of weeks ago we attended a barbecue at the home of Christian’s cousin Spencer and his spouse Cherry. The other cousin’s were also there so it was a fun little family gathering. Spencer and Cherry live in D.C. so on our way to their house we had a chance to drive through the city and see lots of cool stuff. We saw the George Washington monument up close and personal and at one point we were only a block or so from the White House. Since we didn’t want to be late(r) for the family gathering we decided not to take any detours. Sometime soon we will go back and take some time to check out the amazing things Washington D.C. has to offer.
Thank you all for taking the time to read our blog. Here is our new information so we can be connected:
Address: 3245 Rio Dr. #502 Falls Church, VA 22041
Home Phone:703-933-3606
Jen’s Cell:801-336-7222
Christian’s Cell:801-860-9384
Jen’s Email: jennifer.kesselring@gmail.com
Christian’s Email: christian.kesselring@gmail.com
We miss all of you so much already and can’t wait to get a chance to come back to visit. We send our love out to all of you.
Jen (and Christian and Paris and Jade)
It’s official. Well, it’s been official for a little while and most of you are aware. We are picking up and heading thousands of miles away to Northern Virginia by DC. My long time dream of going to law school is becoming a reality. (more…)
In early May we visited Wheeler Farm with our friends Belinda, Bill, River, Missy and Lili. It was a whole lot of fun. Paris was thrilled with all of the animals and was delighted with her first pony ride. She loved every minute of it. Being outdoors in the beautiful spring weather was very nice for all of us. It was cute having Paris, River and Lili together. Since they were born within a few weeks of each other they were experiencing their surroundings in much the same way. The three of them were loving the open air and took advantage of their newly acquired walking skills as they toddled about. Paris got a close up of the turkeys and bonded with the cows. We got to see lots of baby ducks and some little lambs. After we were done playing we went to The Pie for some tasty pizza. Yumm.
Some of my siblings, Levi, Warren, Joe and Julia, came from Southern Utah for a visit in May. Since it way Al’s birthday we all got together and celebrated with pizza and cake. It was tons of fun and it was nice to have so many of us under one roof. Paris loved hanging out with everyone and was enamored with all of the candles on the cake…there were 21! We had a great time talking and laughing and even pulled out the old Atari and played some games. Since everyone stayed at our house for the night we had a full house. Christian made a big breakfast in the morning and we sat around and enjoyed each others company.It was a very nice time and we look forward to when we can do it again. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AL!
In April our friends Elizabeth and Charlie joined us for a trip to the Aquarium in Sandy. We had a wonderful time looking at all of the amazing fish, frogs, eels, octupus and other creatures. Some of Paris’ favorites were the Sea Nettles, the Bullfrog, the Starfish and the Stingrays. Paris had so much fun putting her hands in the water at the stingray pool. She was enthralled by the flat mushy things swimming by and made several attempts to get ahold of one of them. The shark tank was also really cool. It was incredible to see the sharks up close as they circled in the tank. At the end of our trek we stopped by the gift shop to look around. Paris had a blast with all of the toys but finally chose a turtle backpack as her souvenir.
It was cute to see Paris and Charlie together as they had some bonding moments. Paris loves to be around other children and we enjoyed spending time with our friends. All in all it was a good time and we look forward to having more fun adventures together.
Paris is 13 months old and is walking and talking. About a month ago she suddenly started using actual words. She is very verbal and says over 20 words now. Her favorite thing is to ask “what’s that” whenever she sees or hears something that interests her. Often when we answer she tries to repeat the word or says “oh”. Paris likes to express herself in any way she can. She loves to play games like ”ring around the rosy” and she can do the “hokey pokey”. Whenever she plays them she laughs and laughs. It is so cute.
Recently we took a trip to see my mom in Southern Utah. Paris had a great time seeing her Grandparents as well as some of my siblings and other relatives. She enjoyed showing off her newly acquired walking skills as she tottered everywhere she went.
Lately, whenever Paris meets someone new or hasn’t seen someone for awhile she insists on playing shy at first but warms up after a few minutes. Generally Paris is a very outgoing child so Christian and I have been taken by surprise with this new behavior. Most likely it is just a phase and before we know it she will be as outgoing as ever.
Dancing has been something Paris has always enjoyed. Since she was just a few months old she has swayed and danced to all kinds of music. Her ability to pick up on any beat and dance in perfect rhythm really amazes us and is so much fun to watch.
Looking back on the past year gives me mixed emotions. Though I cherished those first days after we brought Paris home from the hospital and have enjoyed celebrating all of her milestones I feel that our deeper bond is just beginning. She is more engaging and interactive than ever and is a real joy to have in our lives.
Jen
A couple of weeks ago, we threw a fun little party for our little one’s first birthday. Though she was a little excited, the party was more for us to celebrate with our friends. Of course many of them came with small children who all had a blast playing together.
The party happened in a rented room at a local community center. We had lots of toys, a couple of games, and plenty of food…oh and cake of course!
Thank you to everyone who was able to come, and to those who couldn’t - wish you could have been there! The photo gallery is up on the web now, here.
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