Mallory Krieger Photography

redirecting....

2008-10-30T21:30:00.001-07:00

Just want you to know that from now on you will be redirected to my new blog if you go to this address! :)

NEW BLOG-----THIS TIME FOR REAL!!!!! : )

2008-09-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

OK, so I officially have a new blog site....not kidding this time! It's still under a bit of construction, but from now on, go to this link:
www.mallorykriegerphotography.com/blog
I will also be adding my Krieger Fam blog to it as well---all of the posts from that blog will be listed under Categories>Family or >Malakai.
So, I guess this is my last post on this blog. Kinda sad. : (
So long, Blogspot.

ugh!

2008-09-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

My entire website server is down! I am not getting any email since yesterday so if anyone has emailed me and I haven't responded, sorry! I am hoping bludomain will get this fixed for me asap! I hate problems like this!

Cody & Taylor

2008-09-09T13:05:00.001-07:00

This was a beautiful wedding and reception, and of course, Taylor made a gorgeous bride. The wedding was at the enormous Fellowship Church in Grapevine which was decked out with movie props...it was unbelievable. We felt like we were on the set of a Hollywood premier...seriously, it was amazing. It was all for Vacation Bible School too...wow. There were hundreds of hyper excited kids running around being escorted by staff with headpieces and walkie talkies (sp?)....kinda like the CIA....I said kinda.
Anyways, it was a great wedding. Teri, my assistant, shot a couple of these images as well. Anyone have an opinion on the "slug bug" pictures? I couldn't make a decision.

I'm back....almost!

2008-09-09T07:30:00.001-07:00

Nope. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth....or the cliffs at Tablerock lake either. (That's where we were for about a week for my cousin's wedding.) I have been out of town for about two weeks and it has seriously taken me over a week to get somewhat caught up! I am in the process of restructuring a lot of my business, so I will hopefully be changing some things in the near future....website, blog, etc. I'm just really into simplifying my life and business and getting totally organized. I start to feel overwhelmed and like life is totally out of control and it gets super frustrating to me. I don't ever want to loose my love for photography b/c of the millions of tedious tasks and demands that weigh in on a daily basis. This business has always been meant to serve a much greater purpose than me, or even my clients for that matter. I have so many goals for it, and am trying to narrow in on which direction I go. I know that I desire more than anything to help others and make a difference in their lives....I just don't know what that looks like yet with photography. So, I am definitely praying that the Lord will reveal that to me soon. In the meantime, I will still be changing a lot of things on the outside....so bear with me for a while! : )
Also, I've had a few of my closest friends say that they didn't know we had a family blog and hadn't seen pictures of Malakai in months and months! Oops...guess I didn't make that very clear! Here is our family blog for those of you who didn't know we had one: The Krieger Fam
You can also click on the link in the top right corner of the blog.

Mary Ellen.

2008-08-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

favorite pastime: drinking coffee while lounging in my robe, while watching t.v. or shopping on the internet!
favorite color: sea foam green
can't live without: my facewash, coffee, water, cereal, fruit, and a sweater!
beach, city, or mountains: beach
i love: Daniel, my family, and Ranger, our beagle :)
makes me laugh: Daniel and my friends
i hope to: go to grad school, be successful in my career, live a happy life with Daniel, and have a family with him..one day :)

Micah & Aly

2008-08-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Click here to view a highlights slideshow of Micah and Aly's wedding!

Brianna.

2008-08-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

Greg & April

2008-08-05T19:29:00.001-07:00

links

2008-08-04T21:12:00.001-07:00

ok, so am I tricking anyone with those little links under my blog header? I figured out the html code to put them there quite a while ago, but can't figure out anything else! oops! if anyone can offer any help, feel free!

Black-Out

2008-08-04T20:50:00.001-07:00

The other day I was hard at work on my computer. It was about 5:00 in the afternoon and Malakai was sound asleep during his second nap of the day and all of a sudden I was overcome with extreme tiredness....is that a word? Anyways, I got up to go to the couch to lay down only to collapse on the floor while simultaneously beginning to black out. I crawled to the couch where I began to call anyone I could think of that could help me and of course, the time when you need someone the most, no one answers. : ( I was panicking by the time I got a hold of my brother...I'm in tears and in the midst of passing out, terrified b/c I have no idea what was happening. To make a long story short, my sister-n-law's sister, who lives a couple streets over rushed over with her two girls. I barely made it to the front door to let her in before running and collapsing on the couch again. So, literally, for the next 2-3 hours, I could not sit up or stand up, and I was EXTREMELY tired...I had to force my eyes to stay open. I couldn't even get up off the couch to get Malakai out of bed. It was really scary, to say the least. Jason got home and Melody left and we were trying to figure out whether to go to the emergency room or not. The whole thing was weird b/c I wasn't sick, just EXTREMELY tired and dizzy. I started thinking I had been drugged or the yogurt I had eaten about 5 minutes before this happened maybe had something bad in it...salmonella? I don't know. OK, so I'm laying on the couch going through everything I had eaten that day when it dawns on me....about 30 minutes before I started feeling like this, I had gone into the kitchen to take ibuprofen for a back-ache. Earlier that day, I had given my dog benadryl for his allergies (vet told me to, don't worry) and I had realized that the pills looked extremely similar, just different colors....even the bottles were similar. I realized when I went in the kitchen to take ibuprofen, I had swallowed two pink pills....benadryl. For those of you that have never taken benadryl, you won't know what I'm talking about, but for those of you that know how bad it can jack you up, you will understand. I have never in my life taken more than one benadryl and about a year ago, I stopped taking the stuff when I was sick b/c I wouldn't even be able to walk or hold my head up...it was horrible. And I had taken two of those things...basically sleeping pills. OK, so after I figured it all out, I was basically jumping for joy that I didn't have a tumor or blood clot, or any of the other scary things that had gone through my head, however, what a scary thing! I totally overdosed on basically a sleeping pill! If Melody wouldn't have come to my rescue, I probably would have fallen asleep and woken up two hours later when Jason got home and poor Malakai would have been stuck in his crib!

Neil & Olivia

2008-07-26T07:58:00.001-07:00

Aly

2008-07-09T06:19:00.000-07:00

I sure wish Aly was photogenic. Haha. Totally kidding. Not only is Aly beautiful, but the camera absolutely loves her. She is super photogenic and I had the most difficult time narrowing down my favorites! But here they are!

Rob & Sarah

2008-07-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

Sarah and Rob were both so sweet and fun to work with. Sarah has such a cute and bubbly personality and Rob is so nice and a bit more on the shy side than Sarah, and I love that both of their personalities show through in the pictures! Sarah drove all the way from Waco to Denton for our shoot at 8:00 on Saturday morning! I was impressed...I think she said she woke up at 4am. I don't think I could have done that!

Frank & Grace

2008-07-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

These two kiddos are so incredibly adorable, not to mention so well-behaved and polite! They were a joy to photograph and I had a great time chasing them around!

Hunter & Meredith Grunden Slideshow

2008-07-03T22:47:00.001-07:00

Here is the link to all of the final images from Hunter & Meredith's wedding, May 17th. There are quite a few images, so grab some popcorn and a drink! : )
www.mallorykriegerphotography.com/Hunter&Meredith

Taylor

2008-06-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

I was so impressed that Taylor could still look absolutely stunning despite the horrific heat at 3:00 in the afternoon, while taking pictures in her wedding gown. It was SO hot that day....and we could hardly find a bit of shade. But looking at her, I would never know it. She and her mom were a joy to work with and I'm so excited to be shooting her wedding soon. Here are my favs from the shoot....

Hunter & Meredith

2008-06-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

I really can't even put into words how amazing this wedding was. Despite the fact that the setting was unbelievably gorgeous, Meredith is one of my closest friends, whom I have known since 5th grade. We were best friends all through H.S. and room-mates for a couple years of college. We have so many funny stories and adventures and have been through so much together, I just wouldn't even know where to begin to sum it all up. I am so happy for the two of them, I feel like I could burst! The Lord has truly blessed them 'more than they could have ever asked or imagined' with each other. They are a true testimony of His faithfulness and how He rewards those who wait upon Him. Mer & Hunter, we love you guys both and are so excited to see what the Lord does and where He will take you in your new life together!
By the way....there are many more pictures to come.....

Olivia

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

This is Olivia. I love that name! We had a great time shooting her bridals the other day....talk about photogenic! Seriously, she could be a model! Here are a few of my favorites and I have a few more to come.....

Cory and Ashley

2008-05-10T20:56:00.001-07:00

Cory and Ashley have been great friends of ours for quite a while so it was so fun to take these pictures for them. We had so much fun and they were such great sports to get in the grass for me to get a great shot! They were both great to photograph and so photogenic, so I had a hard time narrowing down my favorites, but here they are...

Up to no good....

2008-05-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

If...

2008-05-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

Have any of you read the book "If..."? We have it sitting on our coffee table and Jason and I opened it up the other day for the first time in a long time and we started asking each other questions from it. It was quite interesting and fun to hear his answers!
So, I thought, I might post a couple questions and let anyone who wants to answer go for it! I'll answer too, in the comments section. : )
1. IF you were to have your entire wardrobe designed for you by a clothing company for the rest of your life, who would you select?
2. IF you had to select any single, manmade object that best represents your personality, what would it be?

I can't wait to hear some answers!

SO sweet!!!

2008-04-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

The top pic is Weston at 4 weeks and the bottom one is Malakai at 4 weeks. I think Weston is winning in the weight department! Look at those rolls on his side! He's got cheeks like Malakai's too....and we think they're both going to have curly hair! It's going to be so much fun to watch them grow up together!!! If we all just lived closer.....!!!!

More recent pics...

2008-04-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

The baby is Weston again...my brother and sister-n-law's PRECIOUS little boy!

Spencer & Brianna

2008-04-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

I thought I should re-post Spencer & Brianna's preview images from their E-session since I am deleting my other blog in a couple of days. These were taken at the Ballpark in Arlington and it ended up being a really great location since they were hosting a H.S. All-Star game and we were able to get in for free! I like free stuff! Brianna and Spencer were super fun to photograph and I think we were able to get some really cool shots. Here are some of my favorites:

Catching up on some recent pics...

2008-04-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

That is my new nephew, Weston in the pics with Kai. He's SOOOOO cute!!! Seriously, why do kids always go for the eyes??? I've seen other kids do it and now it's MY CHILD that's doing it!!! I did not teach him that! : )
Look how cute my mom is in the pics below!

FEELING BETTER...even though I don't look it!

2008-04-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who were praying for my little guy! I finally decided that even though the doctor did not find anything, I am FOR SURE that it's his ears. Last night I gave him drops before I fed him and put him to bed and he did great. He fell asleep on my lap sitting up with his back against me. I felt so relieved to finally have an answer....even though he's still not feeling well, it's just good to know what it is and be able to some-what help him!

Look at this sad picture from a day or two ago when he was feeling so horrible and he just stood up in his crib and cried. : ( Poor little guy!

NOT TEETHING.....

2008-04-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

OK, so nevermind about the teething. I think we finally had a breakthrough today! First of all, this morning when I put him down for a nap he ended up screaming for about 45 min. at which point, I couldn't take anymore, so I loaded him up in the car to go for a drive. I opened the garage door, turned on the car, realized that I had no shoes on and no gas in my car, so I ran back inside to get shoes, a sippy cup and cash, and when I got back to the garage Kai was asleep!!! So, I turned off the car, closed the garage, pulled out the extension cord and attached it to his fan for some air, and brought his sound machine out to the car as well. I left the door between the house and the garage open and put his monitor right there so I could hear him. He slept for 3 hours straight! Finally, some relief! SOOOO.......he was great after he woke up, but then he wouldn't eat and was pulling on his ears and his hair again and the screaming cycle started up again when I layed him down for another nap three hours later. So, then we tried these ear numbing drops that I had gotten from the doctor several months ago and I folded up a blanket and laid it in his crib to prop him up on, and he went to sleep and didn't scream. Praise the Lord! Even though he has an ear infection. But what's frustrating is that we had it checked twice and I was almost sure it was his ears, and they didn't find anything. Has anyone else heard of this happening? We've actually been through this before and I thought it was his ears and ended up having to prop his mattress up at an angle, but they still didn't find anything. So weird. I'm just praying that those drops work tonight!!!

TEETHING!!!!!!!!

2008-04-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

The past few days, I have been MIA. The reason is because my son will NOT go to sleep!!!! We've been to the doctor twice in the past 5 days and I have made another 4 or 5 calls to them as well. I don't know of much worse than when your child will not go to sleep...or eat...

Every time I lay him down, he screams, tears and all.....it's terrible. I thought it was his ears for many reasons, but today they looked fine at the doctor's office. Last night we were up till midnight with him (normally his bedtime is about 8:45) then he woke up screaming again at 1:30, and again at 6:00 and NEVER went back to sleep after that, except for two 30 min. catnaps in his carseat. Tonight he did the same thing....screamed and screamed....wouldn't lay down to eat or to go to sleep. He stands right back up and goes into hysterics. I've heard when they're getting their molars in, it hurts pretty bad like this, so that could be it. He's on an antibiotic, tylenol, motrin, and teething tablets. I'm at the end of my rope! I don't know what to do. We finally put him in the carseat and drove for about 45 minutes. When we got home, Jason carefully took him out of the car, in his seat, and put him in his room.....he's still in his carseat....and it's sitting on the floor in his room. I made a pallet on the floor next to him and I'm going to sleep in there with him.

So I lied....

2008-04-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

I'm going to stay here for now and try to work with this FREE blog to get it to look like what I want. So for now, I'm still going to be posting here.

Does anyone know of someone who does book-keeping? I'm looking to hire someone to come in once every other week and keep up my Quickbooks for me.
Let me know if you do!

New BLOG!!!!

2008-03-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

OK, so I have a new blog...it's still under a bit of construction, but from now on, go to...

www.mallorykriegerblog.squarespace.com

I hope there are people out there who still check my blog even though I fell off the face of the earth for a while! I promise I will be updating this one much, much more! : )

PLEASE leave a comment so that I know at least someone is out there....does anyone else ever feel like you're the only one who looks at your own blog??!! haha!

I'm going to be posting some really fun stuff on my new blog....photography & photoshop tips, gear must-haves, favorite photos, and of course, pictures of Malakai!

Thanks for reading!! Hope to hear from you!

under construction

2008-03-26T09:13:00.001-07:00

in case you didn't notice, yes, my blog is under some construction! : )

Are you EVER going to stop taking my picture????

2008-03-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

Sweet curls

2008-03-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

Look at how precious my sweet little boy's curls are! They just came out of nowhere...he took a nap and woke up and there they were!

This one just snuck in....

2008-03-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

I felt sorry for Kai since I didn't put any pictures of him in the previous post...poor thing...never gets any pictures taken of him....

Weston Charles Cross

2008-03-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

My sweet nephew was born just over a week ago, March 11th at 12:23am and he weighed in at 7lb 13oz. He is absolutely perfect and my brother and sister-n-law are loving being parents. Here are some sneak peaks of precious Weston.

Long lost pics from Mandy's shower

2008-03-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

I figured since Weston was born last week that I should probably get on the ball and get these pictures posted so I can post some of sweet little Weston. These are from Mandy's shower....quite some time ago....oops.

Older pics, but still cute!

2008-03-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

New Photo Galleries...

2008-02-05T07:53:00.000-08:00

I'm testing out my .mac trial membership to see if it's something that I want to keep. The cool thing is that I get to add a ton of pictures in a short amount of time...doesn't take near as long as it would for me to upload them onto the blog. Click on the link below and see if you can view my sample gallery....it's cool too b/c you can view it in several different screen modes.

http://gallery.mac.com/thekriegers1

For Aunt Pam

2008-01-31T21:36:00.000-08:00

These pics are for Aunt Pam because she is at home and sick and can't do much but get on her computer. Sorry you are sick Aunt Pam! We hope you feel better soon. We will put some more recent pics on here tomorrow for you to look at from the last couple of days here in Kansas. (Malakai and I are visiting my family in Kansas for the week.)

Fun random pics...

2008-01-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

YES, I DID FALL OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH FOR A WHILE, BUT I'M BACK TO BLOGGING!!

2008-01-21T12:14:00.001-08:00

...stay tuned for lots of updates!

He loves his potty chair....

2008-01-21T10:53:00.000-08:00

To answer your question Toddi, (she left a comment in the previous post) yes, he does have a potty chair, and yes, he does go to the bathroom on it. But wait---don't worry all you moms with babies at home....he still goes in his diaper too! Although, he goes #2 more on the potty than in his diaper. BUT, there is a reason for it....
Long story short, he has always had issues w/ pooping....we'll just call it #2. He just doesn't go #2 that much...never has....even when he was a newborn, he only went once a day....same exact time every day. When we started solid foods (oatmeal, rice cereal, veggies, etc.) he got constipated and I had to give him suppositories, enemas, etc. (wasn't the first time) But, of course I knew it would only be minutes before he went #2 after a suppository, so we would sit him on the big potty...my mom's idea of course! He thought it was SO funny....from then on, he would only go #2 on the potty. I got to where I could just tell by how he was acting that he needed to go, and I would go sit him on it. My mom got him his own potty chair for Christmas, and as you can see in the pics, he LOVES it! He will potty as soon as you sit him on there....it's really funny b/c he looks down and concentrates and when he hears himself going, he smiles real big and as soon as he stops, he lets out a little giggle, and looks at me like, "was that good, Mommy?!!!" Really adorable. Not that he's "potty-trained" but at least he knows what to do when you put him on his potty! Now if he just knew "not" to do that in his diapers, we'd be saving a lot of $!

The Sweetest Little Giggle...

2008-01-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

My mom took this sweet little video on her camera of my precious son giggling while she tickled him....so sweet!!!! I actually had to edit a bit of the content b/c she thought it was necessary to show his recent bowel movement that he left in his little red potty chair on the camera!

Fun with blocks

2007-11-19T13:14:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving card

2007-11-15T10:29:00.000-08:00

Another doctor's visit

2007-11-11T12:45:00.001-08:00

We had to go to the doctor again because he just can't shake this cough. After a week of breathing treatments, he's getting better, but definitely not 100%. Poor guy.

He's been doing this really funny thing with his mouth lately where he sticks his lips out like he's puckering up for a kiss (see above picture). It's SO cute!

Halloween Pics

2007-11-10T21:43:00.000-08:00

These pictures go backwards, but as you can see by the first picture, Malakai was a tired little Tigger on Halloween night, so we only made it to two friend's houses to trick-or-treat. Grammy and Gramps came down to surprise us and brought him lots of Halloween treats, including his very first Halloween cookie, which he loved by the way. Malakai has a really big stuffed Pooh bear in his room and we took it's shirt off and put it on Sawyer, so he could be Pooh for Halloween....I guess if you have Tigger, you've gotta have a Pooh bear. Sawyer LOVED being included on the fun. The last pictures are from a pumpkin patch that we went to earlier during the week with Charity and William....he played with the hay and was ready to go. I wish we could have gotten a picture of both of them, but Malakai still had a cough.

Moments that take my breath away...

2007-10-22T21:03:00.001-07:00

Drumroll please...... : )

2007-10-22T20:08:00.001-07:00

It's a BOY!!!!!!! Yes, we would have totally been head-over-heels for a girl, but I have to say we are so very excited that Logan and Mandy are having a boy! It was announced today in a sweet little riddle that they sent the family. I was so excited I could hardly read it, let alone think to figure it out. His name is adorable..."Weston Charles Cross"...how cute is that? Little Wes...
I know Malakai is very excited as well. So funny to think that they will only be 9 months apart and more than likely in the same grade! It will be so fun to watch Kai and Wes grow up together.
It won't be long now...her due date is March 15th, so stay tuned for pictures!

TODAY!

2007-10-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

Today is a good day! First of all, it's raining outside and I LOVE the rain. Second, it's COLD and
I absolutely love cold weather...fleece, sweatshirts, sweatpants, fleece pullovers, beanies, sweaters, did I mention really soft fleece pullovers? OK, and third, my brother and his wife find out today if they are having a boy or a girl! I think I am more excited for them than I was when we found out what we were having! I have no idea why, but it makes me nervous! It's not like it could be bad either way....it will be awesome no matter what...it's just the excitement about it all that makes me nervous. It will be great if they have a boy, obviously, because he and Malakai will be so close in age....but it will also be great if they have a girl because we have no girls in our family and it's about time someone has one! Plus, my brother is a bit nervous about the possibility of having a girl....as most guys are I think....and it would be fun to see him with a girl! On that note, stay tuned for more info...

Precious Kate

2007-10-13T08:49:00.001-07:00

This is our beautiful niece, Kate Marshall.
How adorable is she? She is just the sweetest little girl in the world!
She has this gorgeous, silky, dark hair that just makes her that much more "girlie" with her cute little bows and pink everything! I just love her! She and Malakai are about 9 or 10 weeks apart...I can't remember exactly. I have several more pics but here are a few for a start...

Trip to Kansas

2007-10-12T21:39:00.001-07:00

Delirious...and more from our trip to Kansas

2007-10-12T21:17:00.000-07:00

He decided to put on quite a show for us after lunch one day....it was nap-time, so he was close to delirious.

Time is flying...

2007-09-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

It just amazes me how fast the weeks fly by! It sounds sad, but in reality, the days just get better and better. Malakai is just starting to be so fun (not that he wasn't fun in the beginning). But he's smiling all the time, giggling, squealing, sleeping 12 hours at night and taking two 2-hour naps and a 30 min. catnap every day, and he' s SO close to rolling over. By the way, I can't take much credit for his sleeping pattern and schedule...he totally did it almost completely on his own! He really is such a laid-back easy baby...I'm sure our next ones won't be this easy! Anyways, here are some pictures from week 13. He is now 14 weeks. We put him in his Baby Einstein Entertainer and he went nuts...as you can tell by the picture... Also, my mom played a little game of hide-and-seek with him! He was so cute!

Adoption Fundraiser

2007-08-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

I am going to be selling images through MalloryKriegerPhotography to raise money for the Nabor's adoption. If you are interested in viewing or ordering any prints, please visit the link below. All proceeds will go to Jason and Mandy.
www.mallorykriegerphotography.com/AdoptionFundraiser

10 Week Photo Shoot

2007-08-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

Well, we had some fun with the camera the other day and Malakai is so adorable that I couldn't narrow down many of the pictures. I didn't want to post all of them on the blog b/c it would take forever, so instead, I put them in a slideshow. If you would like to view his images, go to:
http://www.mallorykriegerphotography.com/Malakai10Weeks
Just when we think he can't get any more precious...

So Sad : (

2007-08-14T09:14:00.001-07:00

Forgot to post his stats....here you go:
Weight: 12 lb. 14 oz. (75%)
Height: 23 3/4 in. (80%)
Head: 15 3/4 (50%)

Malakai had his 2-month checkup last week and had to have 3 shots! It was so sad....he was so happy and was smiling and laughing when all of a sudden without any warning, the nurse gave him his first shot in the leg....then his second....then his third. He didn't even let out his cry until the last shot. It was one of those silent horrific cries where they open their mouth and no sound comes out and you're waiting for them to breathe. I have never heard him cry like that before...luckily it didn't last long. Daddy picked him up and snuggled him and then gave him to me. He was such a big boy. He probably cried for about a minute or two. I gave him Tylenol a couple times later that day and he was exhausted...slept almost the entire day! These first pics are pre-shots, then the last ones are post-shots.

Look what I found!

2007-08-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

MY HAND!!!

Malakai's trip to Boerne

2007-08-14T06:37:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun at Logan and Mandy's house! The first night we were there, Mandy cooked a yummy dinner but I had to sit in my bouncer and watch everyone eat it! Then, after dinner, Uncle Logan went and got the best dessert in the world (grasshopper pie with homemade chocolate sauce) and opened the lid in front of us all....and there on the top were the numbers 3-15-08 all in cookie crumbs! It took them all a while to get it (I was trying to tell them, but they couldn't understand me) and finally it clicked with them all---Aunt Mandy is having a cousin for me!!! Oh, I'm so excited I can hardly stand the wait! I will be 9 months old when my cousin is born. I'm secretly hoping for a boy to hang out with, but either one will do! A girl would be fun too since we don't have any girls on my mom's side of the family. Anyways, I love Boerne and can't wait to go back and see Logan and Mandy and Baby Cross. I wish we lived closer to them so after he's (oops!) born, Mom and Aunt Mandy could have play-dates and we cousins could hang out! Maybe someday....
The picture on the bottom is me in my big-boy shoes the day we left for Boerne. Then there are pictures of Uncle Logan and Aunt Mandy holding me in the morning on their back porch, and the other pictures are of grandma putting me in a salad bowl. The one to the left is of me and my grandma, and of course the one above is me and my mommy!!

Malakai's trip to San Antonio

2007-08-13T01:53:00.000-07:00

I think Meemo drugged me! I had lots of fun in San Antonio visiting my family! Aunt Ashleigh gave me lots of smooches and said that if I ever want to get away for awhile, I can come for a visit and she'll let me stay up all night and eat Oreos and make a tent in the living room!! Meemo put me right to sleep--as you can tell from the picture, and said I was much heavier than last time she held me! (I've been drinking my milk so I can grow up big and strong like my Daddy!) Also while I was there, Uncle Brett made some funny faces at me, Cousin Cooper held me and gave me a kiss on the cheek, Cousin Jackson pinched my toes, and Uncle Jason stood up real tall and waved his arms over the fence which made me and Mom laugh real hard! All in all, I'd say we had a really good time and I'm looking forward to coming back to meet my new Cousin Kate who's due any day now!

San Antonio or Bust!

2007-08-01T17:24:00.001-07:00

Ready or not, here I come! I'm so very excited to meet my Aunt Ashleigh, Uncle Jason, Cousin Cooper, and cousin Jackson for the very first time! I know my Aunt Ashleigh is going to want to cuddle with me because I'm so soft and squishy, just like a teddy bear....and did I mention, simply irresistible? That too. Well, I'll be there soon, so get ready! I can't wait!

I will also get to see my Aunt Mandy and Uncle Logan again too! They have no idea how big I've gotten over the past few weeks. I mean, that baby stuff is for the birds...I'm a big boy now...almost nine weeks and loving every minute of all of my new tricks! I smile and laugh all the time, play with so many more toys, and can see EVERY thing that's going on around me! I can't wait to show them!

I get to see Meemo too! Boy, do I LOVE my Meemo! She is not going to believe how big I am now! I can't wait to smile and laugh for her...I know it will melt her heart! She's already crazy about me!

Oh, and last but not least, Steph, Shane, Adeline, and Adam! Yeah!!! I really miss seeing them around here...(especially Adeline...she has a crush on me!) I'm really excited because now I can smile at her and even talk a little!

This will be my second road trip and I am ready to go!!! See you all soon!!

Kai can't wait to see his grandma and grandpa!

2007-07-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

Kai is so excited to see his grandma and grandpa tomorrow! He had so much fun listening to his stories tonight. (check out the titles!) He followed along really well and even made his "grumpa" face in the last picture. He said to tell grandma and grandpa to hurry up and get here before it gets late so he'll still be in a

good mood...he'll even smile for you!
Don't forget to bring his puppy, Roxy...he can't wait to see her!

He can wear shorts!

2007-07-31T19:54:00.000-07:00

OK, first of all, look how big he looks in his crib! I can't believe he can already fit into these shorts! He looks SOOO cute! And yes, I am taking pictures of him sleeping...I couldn't resist.

Guess who slept 7 hours in a row last night!

2007-07-25T07:39:00.001-07:00

Yes, it was Kai. He slept from 9:00pm until 4:00am! He tried to wake up at 1:30am, but Mom kept giving him his passy and he just went back to sleep! I really think he could have slept longer if I really tried to push him a little, but by the time 7 hours rolled around, I was so freaked out that I had to get him out of bed and make sure he was ok! We're going to shoot for 8 hours tonight! The longest he had slept at one time up until now was 5 hours, but it was rare...usually 4 to 41/2, so this is a milestone for sure. I was so proud of the little guy! When I took him out of bed to feed him at 4:00, he never opened his eyes at all and he was asleep again before I even laid him down in his crib! He's such a big boy! : )

Sweet little face...

2007-07-24T10:49:00.001-07:00

Asleep in his swing this morning

2007-07-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

He was so tired! He was wide awake listening to his music and a couple seconds later, he was like this!

Malakai and Mom

2007-07-22T09:15:00.001-07:00

Look how precious he is after his bath! He's looking right at the camera!! I was so proud...he's going to be a total ham I'm sure! He loves bathtime...he's getting too big for the newborn insert in his bathtub : (

Shane, Steph, Adeline, and Adam...We miss you already!!

2007-07-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been trying to pretend like it didn't happen for the last several weeks, but I have to say, I've come to the point where I have to accept the truth and be honest with myself that my sweet friend, Stephanie, and her precious family have started a new life 5 hours away from here. She no longer lives right around the corner, and I can no longer stop by "just because" and hang out. We can't make it to "happy hour" at Sonic anymore...(not that I ever did that much--I always got there 5 min. after it was over!)...and we can no longer run errands together and go to Target, or the "Chicken Place" as Adeline would say! We can't do dinner on the spur-of-the-moment, and I can't depend on her to give a vaccination to another stray dog I bring home. And I sure won't be able to drive to her house barefoot, crying, and hysterical next time I think I'm pregnant! Life is definitely different here in Providence Village, and I can't say it's for the better, but I can say that I am happy to know that they are where the Lord wants them and I am at peace with the fact that I will not be able to do all of those things with my friend anymore. I know that something much better is in store. Even though the little details and everyday events cannot be spent together, our friendship is still so special to me and I know that through this life change, it will only continue to grow. How special the times will be when we get to come and visit for the weekend or they come back to Providence to do the same! It will be so exciting to hear all the new adventures of Adeline and Adam and I can share mine of Malakai. Every now and then, it seems, you have those certain people come into your life who you know that no matter where life takes you, you will always stay close, never loose touch, and will continue to "do life" together even though there are hundreds of miles between you. The Smiths are those kind of friends. I'm so excited to see what the Lord does with their family as they start this new exciting journey.
Steph, I hope you know what a blessing your family has been to us. You are such an encouragement to me as a new mom and have been such a consistent strength to me during my whole pregnancy and new motherhood. I don't know how I could have gone through that without you! The Lord was so good to put you in my life during that time...I mean, remember how freaked out I was about labor! : ) You really helped me stay grounded for sure.
We have just really enjoyed getting to know you guys....and I could go on and on, but I should probably not...because we're not really saying good-bye...just hello to something different.
With that said, "I'll see you in a week and a half!"

Look what we did today

2007-07-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

We had a little fun today with the camera--imagine that! Kai was in his swing just talking to me and smiling this morning, so I couldn't resist. He's always in such a good mood in the mornings, it's such a sweet time, my favorite of the day. We just hang out and talk to eachother...he tells me really animated stories and I make funny noises at him and kiss him over and over. What a blessing he is!

Look at those lips!

2007-07-18T09:35:00.001-07:00

I couldn't resist the naked shot! I mean, how cute is a naked baby!? He was sleeping so good too, I'm sure he would have loved for me to leave his diaper off and let him sleep, but I'm sure I would have been sorry!
I couldn't get past those lips either....I just wanted to kiss them, but I didn't want to wake him up! Precious little boy...

Everyone loves to hold me!!

2007-07-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Letter From Kai to Grandma and Grandpa

2007-07-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Grandma and Grandpa,
Thank you so much for letting me come to your house and stay for a week. I had so much fun! It was fun to see so many people and let them all hold me and tell me how cute I am! I loved the fireworks and sitting with Grandma in the rain. I had fun sitting by the pool while Grandma and Mom swam too. I also had so much fun when I got to stay by myself with Grandpa two times!! (Sorry about the dirty diaper and the really bad temper tantrum I threw for you, Grumpa) I also got really spoiled by Grandma because she would hold me all night while I slept, and boy did I sleep good! I got to see so many new people and new places! Grandma also made me a tent in the living room and I got to sleep under it! My first camping experience! I got to go to my Grandpa's store and of course, everyone thought I was adorable, so I smiled for them several times just eating up the attention. I even went to Mamu and Papa's house, cousin Luke's new house, and Kelly and Erin's new house! I've been all over the place, and I was sure pooped after that! (and I did!) I did my best in the car on the way there and back and I think Mom and Grandma and Grandpa were really proud of me. I had to throw a little fit on the way home when we were 30 minutes away, but they just didn't understand how hungry I was! I could have eaten my own hands, and I was sure trying to!
I hope to come back for a visit soon, and I will probably be much bigger than I am now, so get ready Tessa! I can't wait till I can crawl and chase that dog around! Can't wait to see you again, Grandma and Grandpa! I'm saving some smiles for you!
I love you!
Love,
Kai

He can smile!

2007-07-17T00:53:00.000-07:00

He is smiling!!! These are not the best pictures of his adorable little smile, but I'll try to get some better ones soon. He's been smiling really big all the time! It absolutely melts my heart. Wow. He is just such a gift. I thank the Lord for him daily, but it's still not enough. His smile fills me with wonder at something so simple yet so amazing, and makes me realize again how good the Lord is.

Look what Grandma did to me!!!

2007-07-17T00:26:00.001-07:00

Malakai and I took a trip to Kansas to visit Grandma and Grandpa and look what happened! Later that night, Tessa, my parent's dog, chewed up Kai's sunglasses and water socks! Needless to say, Jason wasn't very sad when I told him, but I think he would have rather her chewed up the hat instead of the sunglasses!
The last picture is Kai chillin' by the pool in his bouncer while mom and grandma swam in the pool.

Some recent shots...

2007-06-28T10:56:00.001-07:00

My Favorites

2007-06-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

I just can't help myself....the pictures keep coming and coming!! I mean, I just couldn't resist this series of pictures! They are definitely some of my favorites! He loves to lay on his changing table and look around the room at the lights and window.

"Studio Shots"

2007-06-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

Well, for some reason it's been really difficult for me to stop and take the time to get some actual "studio shots" of Kai. I don't know if it's because I'm so much busier than I was before, or just simply that I already take so many of him in random poses and settings that I just don't think to do the more formal ones. Whatever the reason, we took a few the other night and then Jason took a few of me with him. I still need to so some more of just Kai and then some with Jason and Kai...maybe we'll do that tonight.

Jason's First Father's Day

2007-06-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm a little late, but here are pictures of Jason's first Father's Day! Malakai finally fit into something other than a newborn onesie, so he got to dress up a little for church that day! He looked adorable, of course! Kai thought Daddy had been a little too stressed at work, so he decided to get him a gift certificate for a massage. And since he loves to hear Daddy's voice so much, he also got him the whole book set of Chronicles of Narnia so Daddy could read to him!

2007-06-07T16:27:00.001-07:00

Our tiny little miracle, Malakai "Kai" Nicholas Krieger, was born last Friday, June 1st at 3:07 in the afternoon. He was 7lbs. and 19 1/2 inches long. He is unbelievably perfect. I couldn't imagine a more beautiful baby. We are both totally in love and can not stop staring at him. Everything he does makes me smile...every move, sound, breath, even his cry. I couldn't have ever imagined I would love him this much. He is truly a gift from the Lord and I am humbled, thankful, and in awe of each moment I spend with him. There are no words to express how grateful I am for him or how blessed we are because of him. All I can say is that the Lord is good...VERY good. Our lives have been forever changed and will only get better and better.

Here are some pictures of Malakai. I can't stop taking them!!

Cuddling with mom

2007-06-07T16:15:00.001-07:00

Praying before he eats! : )

2007-06-07T16:12:00.001-07:00

Malakai Nicholas Krieger

2007-06-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

38 Weeks

2007-05-23T13:28:00.001-07:00

This post is mainly for my parents who live in Wichita, KS. I told them I would take pictures of myself so they could see how big I am now. I really feel like my stomach gets bigger EVERY single day. I'm so ready to have this baby....I really think he's done in there....I mean, what else does he need to do? Anyways, Jason took these pictures of me this past Sunday. I'm 38 weeks officially as of Tues. My actual due date is June 5th, but who knows....he could come a little early.

Counting down...

2007-05-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

OK, so this is my first post on our new blog. I guess I'm now considered a "blogger." GREAT! I have officially given in to peer pressure. : ) Oh well, this seems to be the modern way our world keeps up with each other now. I guess I'll join the crowd.
Jason and I are now officially counting down the days until our new arrival decides to show his face to the world! We are having a little boy and absolutely couldn't be more excited! We are down to the point where he could come any day or it could still be up to two weeks. I would rather sooner than later of course! : ) It is just amazing to me that we are actually at this point in our lives. There were times when I never thought this would happen for us. For those of you who don't know, we were in the process of adopting a baby from Vietnam just under a year ago when we found out we were pregnant. We had been trying to have a baby for a little over a year and finally decided to lay it in the Lord's hands and accept the fact that it may not happen for us, or it may take quite a long time. We both felt like the Lord had called us to pursue international adoption and had really placed a burden on our hearts for the Asian culture after hearing about how children are treated in places like Vietnam, China, Thailand, and Korea. We still hold this idea of adopting very close to our hearts, but are open as to what the Lord has for us. We now know that we will be having at least one biological child for sure! What a blessing and a gift a child is, no matter how the Lord gives you that child. I am getting more and more overwhelmed with the fact that we are about to be responsible for a life that is totally dependent on us. I am amazed that the Lord loves us enough to entrust us with such a huge responsibility. It is truly a miracle. Our lives are going to change drastically, completely, and things are going to be much more difficult and time-consuming. We're going to be exhausted, our house will probably be a wreck more often than not, we will be constantly changing diapers, spit up on, peed on, woken up, and things I don't even know about yet, but I can honestly say, I have NEVER been more excited for something in my life. Tears fill my eyes when I think of hearing my child cry for the first time, holding him, seeing his face, his tiny fingers and toes. I just can't wait to touch him and hold him close to me. I'm afraid I'll never want to put him down! I can't wrap my mind around the fact that that moment IS coming, and soon!! Oh, that the Lord would give me more patience!