The Newest Kinne

It's been a while since the last update, but for good reason. I've been a little busy these days taking care of the newest addition to the Kinne family. Henry Spencer Kinne was born at 2:56pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012. He weighed in at a whopping 10lbs. 6.5ounces and a full head of dark brown hair.

Since then his hair has been getting lighter, his legs a little longer, and face a little chubbier. I'll try and update more often, but with Facebook, Instagram & email, unfortunately the blog usually gets put to the back burner until it's been so long it seems overwhelming to even start a new post. Here's a quick summery of his first 6 months.

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock...

Well, Baby K's due date has come and gone... I knew that (s)he would probably not have a November birth date, but it's hard to know what to feel or how to feel when you have this arbitrary date that is supposed to be what EVERYTHING is planned around.

Baby Shower Love...

So much for updating on a regular basis... Maybe I will have a little more computer downtime when the baby arrives. Right? On Friday (35 weeks pregnant exactly) Carrie from Wood Center threw Bill and I a SUPER fun and yummy Baby Shower Lunch. 

35 Weeks Pregnant 

They had all sorts of delicious salad fixin's, crackers, lemonade, blonde brownies, & tortilla soup for lunch. I had seconds of soup and brownies! Each place setting even had a little folded diaper filled with candy. They were adorable!

Wood Center Baby Shower

Everyone gave so generously from Barnes & Noble gift cards, and socks, to feety pajamas and baby lotion. They even made sure to make Bill blush with a "Daddy Toolbox" that they filled with IMPORTANT equipment to prepare for baby like clothes pins to plug his nose when he's changing diapers, ear plugs for when the baby is crying non-stop, butt paste diaper rash cream, boogie sucker, Tylenol for when the crying doesn't stop, and a onsie that reads...

Onsie to go in Bill's "Daddy Tool Box"

It was a great party where we shared so many laughs my stomach hurt! It's so good to know that "family" extends far, far beyond New York.

Wood Center Baby Shower:
Donald, Ryan, Heather, Cara, Bill, Carrie, Ginny, Julene, Lydia & Jeri

Saturday at 2:00pm in the afternoon Candace & Hayley threw me the Baby Shower of the century!!! Candace prepared a spread of hors devours, chicken salad, crackers, biscuits and sandwiches. All of which had a "honey" theme to it.

Amazing spread of food for Candace's & Hayley's Shower

The most impressive (and delicious) by FAR was the Banana Honey Bee cake. It was almost too beautiful to cut into, but after the first bite, I couldn't stop! I even had a left over piece for breakfast this morning. YUMMY!

Banana Honey Bee Cake

Friends from every aspect of my life were there from working buddies like Lili & Ginny, to other friend circles like Bill's friend Keith's wife Marilyn, Jeanine & Candace. I was completely blown away by all of the love, support, generosity and giving from all of these people in my life.

Fantastic Group of Friends

 When I got home from the shower I laid everything out so that I could show Bill all that we were given by friends. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw all of the things that we don't need to buy now. Bottles, feeding pillow, crib bedding, toys, pacifiers, swaddlers, medicines and baby bath stuff, car seat cover, pajamas, stuffed animals and MORE.

Just SOME of the generous baby shower presents Bill and I got

Gabrielle, although she couldn't stay for the shower, gave us deer skin with beaver fur moccasins for the baby. They are incredibly beautiful and warm. I can only imagine how much them must have cost. It just goes to shower how thankful we are for the friends in our lives, and humbled by the love they continue to show me, Bill and Baby Kinne.

Deer skin & beaver fur moccasins from Gabrielle

 32 days until Baby Kinne's due date. I can't wait to meet him/her.

August 2011 to the present (EPIC UPDATE!)

To say that the past 8 months have been busy is an understatement. Sure, I could've update a 1,000 times since last August. But the truth is, filling in for lost time is unbelievably time consuming and overwhelming when it comes to finding time to sit at a computer, when I did it for 8 hours at work. 


Today, July 20th, 2012 - I'm sitting on the living room floor listening to music and going through Facebook and Google calendar to make a VERY rough timeline of what the last year has been like. Here is my best attempt, with as many pictures as I can find, cause lets be honest, nobody really reads these things without the promise of pictures!

September 2011

• At the very end of August I went hunting with Bill and we saw 5 moose, none of which we could actually shoot because we both had cow permits. 

• Started my last semester of graduate classes - Internship II with Tony Strange, and interned at North Pole Middle school to complete the requirements needed for my K-12 certification. It was VERY different from the Elementary school. I prefer the Elementary.
• Working at a middle school it was bound to happen, but I had Pink Eye in BOTH eyes TWICE.

• I started "training" for the running season by going to Planet Fitness and running on the treadmill. 
• Bottled up the remaining honey from the 2011 season and ended up with nearly 6 gallons of raw honey.

• Went to the Oktoberfest party at Silvergulch with Hayley & Eric, Jenn & Liz. I got to eat sauerkraut. 

• Did lots of canning. Pickled veggies and jam.

October 2011

• Found a piece of land that we both REALLY liked just down the street from Dave & Stacey on Otterslide Lane. Decided to start the process of buying it.

• Had fun making Gourmet Caramel Apples for the office.

November 2011

• I finished the comprehensive exams for my Masters degree. Ten 2-3 page essays. I escaped to the Alpine Lodge for the weekend to be husband, dog and distraction free. I arrived in my room to find a bouquet of flowers from Bill and a note of encouragement. I passed.

• Finished my final project 10-page proposal.
• Entered a Chili Cook-off with Donald and took 2nd or 3rd. We made 5 gallons of Hawaiian Chili.

• Bun on the Run Cookbook was FINALLY released.

• Bill’s Birthday was the 17th and he turned the big 30! I made a homemade butterscotch apple pie.

• Attempted Homemade Cranberry Jelly and had complete success. Good on turkey AND breakfast yogurt.

• Went to Thanksgiving Dinner at Jen and Josh's house out in North Pole. Felt completely like home.

December 2011

• The annual Design Alaska Christmas party at the Turtle Club which is a much anticipated event!
• The Fairbanks Fiberista’s had our christmas party and gift swap at Krista’s house. Remind me NEVER EVER to do another swap again.
• Had Miranda and Jonah over for Christmas cookie decorating and hot cocoa.

• The paperwork and negotiations FINALLY went through and we officially became land owners of 1890 Otterslide Ln.

• A perfectly quiet and lazy Christmas with Bill and the puppies. Bill got me a 9qt. Le Creuset dutch oven and a beautiful Alaska Native mask for the wall.

• I watched the ENTIRE first season of Downton Abbey in like 3 days which was assisted by the fact that New Years Eve, I was completely couch ridden by the flu. So much for the big turkey dinner, champagne and fireworks with friends I wanted. We ended up cooking the turkey anyway, and had Hayley & Eric over for a "Thanksgiving Left-Overs Party" in January. 

January 2012

• My birthday. I turned 29.
• We flew to Las Vegas for Hayley and Eric’s Wedding.

• Watched season 2 of Downton Abbey on PBS. I cheated about half-way through and bought it at B&N and just watched it all. Got LOTS of knitting done watching that show.

Febrauary 2012

• February was a pretty uneventful month except that I did a TON of baking, knitting & project writing.

March 2012

• I got a brand new road bike at Beaver Sport's year end sale, which I couldn't wait to put on the pavement in the summer.

• Visited the Ice Park with Hayley & Eric in a new location. Definitely not as good as the old one, but maybe it'll take a year or two to get it really set up.

• I FINALLY defended my project to my committee and 17 guests! Dr. Morotti said that it was one of the best defenses he'd ever seen. He wished he'd taped it. (That was Friday, March 30th).  

• The next Wednesday Bill flew back to NY to see his parents and pack all of his stuff for my mom and dad to drive up in July with the trailer filled with stuff.
• That friday, after suspecting since the friday of my defense, I took not one, not two, but three tests and found out... Yes, indeed I was pregnant with Bill and My first child!! Bill didn't get back until the next Tuesday, and I told him in person. That was the longest 4.5 days of my ENTIRE LIFE.

April 2012

• Walked my first 5K of the season with Hayley and Jennifer - Beat Beethoven.

• The bees arrived. Three hives worth. Mary, Sybil & Edith.

• Had my first midwife appointment on the 19th where they found, with an ultrasound, that I was 7W6D along and my due date is November 30th, 2012.
• Wrangler’s Birthday!!! The old man turned 14 on April 30th.

May 2012

• Really started to exercise more for me and the baby. Started walking with Lili at lunch time and swimming at the Hamme Pool.
• Walked two more 5K races - Women & Wine, and Chena River Run.
• Watched the Solar Eclipse with my homemade eclipse viewer made from a Rice Krispey's box.

• Went to the Farmer’s Market for the first time of the summer.
• FINALLY bought a Vitamix Blender for morning green smoothies.
• Graduated on Mother's Day from UAF with my M.Ed in Counseling (K-12) certification. Bill gave me a mother's day car and flowers that morning. 

June 2012

• Flew to Atlantic City, NJ for a conference which was completely useless, but managed to see my parents, Bill's parents, and Sarah for only an additional $165. In Atlantic City I played the penny slots with $1 and won $37 where I then played for an hour on the Roulette table. At one point I was over $100. Ended with nothing. For only having lost $1, it was pretty fun.

• In Rochester I visited with Bill's mom and dad as well as my parents. I went through over 30 boxes and narrowed it down to 6 for them to take up to me. I met Sarah Faye, Audra's daughter and got to hang out with her and Julia. It was REALLY REALLY good to see them. I miss them. 
• At the end of the trip, on the way home I flew to Minneapolis, MN to visit Sarah, Curtis and Blake. I had an exhausting but GREAT trip. I went to IKEA and a Crafty Planet (my two favorite MN spots). I came home with 2 HUGE suitcases of stuff, which included two HUGE tupperwares full of strawberries that I picked with Sarah and Blake. I made 4 pints of Strawberry Vanilla Jam when I got home.

• Bill dragged me to the end of the 10K Midnight Sun Run race in under 2 hours. Not bad for a completely out of shape pregnant lady. 

July 2012

• July started with our annual Fourth of July trip to Homer, Alaska where we stayed with June Engstrom again for 4 nights. We went clamming the day after we arrived and we (by "we" I mean Bill) dug up nearly 80 clams to take back to June's, clean, bag up and take home. We also went on a fishing charter with North Country Charter, which I would absolutely recommend to ANYONE who wants to go fishing. They are FUN, professional, and super duper nice.

• Mom and Dad arrived in Alaska the same night we pulled into Fairbanks. They decided to stay at the Super 8 on Airport way because they were super tired and wanted to give us the night to relax, get unpacked and settled before they came over that next morning.
• Bill and my 2nd Anniversary was July 17th, and we all went to the Turtle Club with mom, dad, Hayley & Eric so we could show mom and dad REAL prime rib. 
• I took a week's worth of harmonica lessons. I definitely need way more practice.
• Had our 20 week ultrasound to do all the important measurements, find out the sex of the baby (which we decided not to know) and watch our little guy/girl rock and roll inside my tummy. It was the most incredible experience to watch, and have Bill there to witness. I truly can't wait to meet him/her in real life.

• Went with Juella & Hayley to see Brandi Carlile at Herring Auditorium while mom & dad took the train to Denali and Bill was in Galena for the millionth time. 

That was last night... Still sitting on the floor with Wrangler at my feet and Lucy on the couch behind my head spending a chilly lazy friday afternoon playing hooky from work and debating if 4pm is too late to jump in the shower.

Now that this incredibly intimidating post is complete and it is up to date as to the happenings of the last 8 months, I can now post shorter, more frequent posts right? I feel like I've typed this once before...

I love my family