in Kays you're wondering...

2011-12-31T18:58:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! This is how we celebrated ringing in the new year...a few hours before the girls went to bed. Sylvia loved the sparklers but would drop them before they burned out for fear of being burned. We lit off some other louder fireworks and Vivian didn't like them much. They were too loud and would say 'gaird' for scared or 'oud' for loud. She held onto me while Benjamin was our pyrotechnician. Every once in a while Sylvia would come running to me too. It's been a great year. 2012 has a lot in store.

2011-12-20T20:16:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more pictures from our ward Halloween party. The girls just can't get enough candy.

Here they are next to their friend Aaralyn dressed as a pink batgirl.

Vivian getting wrapped as a mummy

She ended up winning the contest of the first to be wrapped.

Halloween...a little late

2011-11-20T18:09:00.001-08:00

The girls had a great time dressing up for Halloween. Sylvia was Cinderella and Vivian was a ladybug. I, Nicky, was a cat. Sylvia saw me with the draw-on whiskers and wanted some too. We had a great time at a ward party where we all ate a lot of food and candy.

Back to the island life...meaning school for us

2011-10-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

We've been back in Puerto Rico for more than two months now after spending two months in Buffalo. We had a great time with grandparents and cousins and a brother. Sylvia really learned a lot of English vocabulary and really prefers it over Spanish. She's getting back into the swing of the Spanish through since being back in school and making new friends with the neighbors who live downstairs. Vivian is saying a lot more words now too. Every other word is either Mama or Papa but she is immitating a lot too. She says 'dato' for 'gato', 'lagarto' (lizard), 'zapato' (shoe) and anything else with a similar sound. When we ask her 'que dice el gato?' (what does a cat say?) she says 'nao'. She is such a happy girl and loves her mama, papa, and Sylvia.

Benjamin was selected to intern with one of the local hospitals through the end of the school year in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. He had to practically beg for the application from the nursing school director who said that normally the director selects those who will receive an application. Luckily for Benjamin, he is persistent. The application was due about two days later and he pushed to get it done. He and one other student from our school were selected. He is required to work 100 hours a month and gets a modest stipend. He is also participating in a scholarship program through the hospital which will pay him a little more in exchange for one and a half month's of work after graduation for every month he works as an intern. Eight months as an intern would translate into twelve months as an employee after graduation. This means that more than likely we will be here another year. The reason the hospital has the intership program is to train the interns at a low cost so they will be prepared to work at that hospital. Benjamin would be guaranteed a position after graduation. We are hoping that he will be able to stay in the ICU when that happens.

I (Nicky) have been staying busy with my classes and taking care of the girls when I'm not in class so Benjamin can use as much time as he can to prepare for the NCLEX, the national nursing board exam. He's hoping to take it within the next couple of months. Sylvia loves the park and the library and we often go to one or the other after her school. Hopefully next trimester we will also get back into going swimming at her friend Aeralin's house since we will only have class three days a week.

We recently had some car trouble and the radiator on our Volvo leaked out all the fluid. The guy at the shop suspected that the engine was damaged. It would have cost us an arm and a leg to repair...but we decided to get a new (used) car instead. We're hoping this one will be more economical for us. The lesson learned is not to buy a car whose parts are expensive and only one guy or the dealership are the only ones on the island who can fix it. And then the fact that we're on an island where everything has to be shipped which costs extra and takes more time. We now have a Chrysler PT Cruiser. It's a little smaller but we can easily fit it into our carport and keep it cool during the day.

End of Buffalo Summer

2011-07-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

Our summer in New York has come and gone and we're back in Puerto Rico ready to start up school again tomorrow. Benjamin arrived by surprise on July 8th. He had his internship interview that morning and flew in that evening. We knew he was coming...we just didn't know exactly when. We were all so excited to finally see him after over a month. Vivian was a little shy at first and didn't want him to hold her for about half a day. Sylvia was too groggy when she first woke up but warmed up fast once she was awake. All in all it was a great two months. Sylvia really beefed up on her English vocabulary. She said the words 'sword', 'fight', and 'superhero' at least a dozen times a day by the end of it. She enjoyed being with her cousins Ethan and Aidan even if they didn't like being with her so much. We coordinated a lot of rides such that all the kids could get to where they needed to go in a car seat and so that Shawna/Mom could driver her own car since the other one had a manual transmission and she doesn't know how to drive it. We went to the park a lot, swimming at the free community swimming pool (high taxes in NY but free swimming), parties at Ben's cousins, BPO concerts, the zoo, Niagara Falls, evening walks with the red wagon (lots of bickering there), Hill Cumorah Pageant, Church sites, Ethan's baseball games, movies, ate lots of ice-cream, played scrabble and marbles, ran down the slip-and-slide, and had Family Home Evening. It was nice not having to worry about school (although I should have been studying anyway). I originally went so early so I would have an opportunity to do some nursing job shadowing...but I didn't really follow up on that so I didn't do it. But I got some good parenting advice in the process. Sylvia was very excited to come back to PR. You would have thought it was Christmas morning the night we got home. She was so excited to rediscover her toys. With Aidan and Ethan it was always a struggle with the toys since she was always playing with 'their' toys. Vivian is talking more and now says 'wawa' for water. It's still mostly babbling but she understands most everything we say and shakes her head for 'no' and nods once for 'yes'. The girls love playing and laughing together. We have really been blessed with a great family on all generational levels.

Benjamin's Meanderings as a bacholer

2011-06-19T15:57:00.001-07:00

I got a dog and gave it up because I was not smart enough to ask Nicky for permission to get him. Amd I spent father's day with my puertorrican family up the road. I got a new temporaty job and will be intrviewed for an internship with a hospital in puerto rico. I dont sleep well because my 3 girls are gone but I am happy to talk to them 3 times a day.

The girls in Buffalo

2011-06-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

Sylvia, Vivian and I (Nicky) have spent the last three weeks in Buffalo...without Benjamin and it has been difficult for all of us. Probably more so for Benjamin since he's at home all alone and Nicky is surrounded by kids and adults alike. Since we've been here we've enjoyed playing at the park, playing baseball (to the best of our respective abilities), visiting more cousins, playing in Lake Ontario, visiting the science museum and the zoo, and having a field day with Grama Kay at her school. We still have plans to go to Niagara Falls, Palmyra and the surrounding area, New York City (which we'll do this coming Friday for a week), and maybe even Oneonta to visit Taylor, Suzi and family. Sylvia and Vivian's cousins, Ethan and Aidan have a lot of energy and sometimes Sylvia ends up getting hurt. But they're all learning how to get along. Sylvia loves being around them. Ethan is in school during the weekdays until this coming Friday which makes things a little more manageable between all the adults. Shawna will be teaching her last week of school this week and she is so excited to be retiring.

Sylvia is picking up a lot more English vocabulary being around her cousins. She now imitates Aidan's prayers which are always the same, where she blesses Jesus and her mom and dad and that's the end. I'm sure we'll have her retrained once we're back in PR.
Vivian still loves to be with her mama. Whenever she sees me she usually says 'baba' with the emphasis on the second 'ba'. I guess it's just a mixture of mama and papa. She is now getting in her premolars. I'm glad she'll soon be able to chew more crunchy food. She is as sweet as ever and loves to smile. She has been fully recovered from her accident for several weeks now but still has a red spot on her left flank where she got scraped the worst.

Benjamin has been taking a Pediatrics course during the month and even started working again temporarily at the clinic he worked at before as a receptionist. At least this time he's actually working as a nurse. He is also waiting to receive word for an interview for an internship for the second year of the program. We're really hoping that will come through...but when he'll actually come to Buffalo is in limbo because he's still waiting to know when he'll have the interview. We're assuming he will be called back for it.

And here's wishing all those fathers out there a very happy Father's Day.

Finals Week or The end of the world?

2011-05-24T14:03:00.001-07:00

Their is a theory floating around that the recent rapture scare was implimented by an Ivy league student body president who wanted to make good on all of his campaign promesis. Word has it that he planned the rapture during the same week as finals week as to put the student body at ease. Now that finals week is in full swing the rapture would have been an far easier task for most of us. We are suffering it well. Nicky and I should pull through with all A's this trimester and are that much closer to finishing the ADN portion of the degree.

Nicky and the girls are leaving saturday for Buffalo NY and I am staying behind to finish my course work for the ADN degree. I will meet up with them in July and spend some time with grandma and grandpa Kay.

Recent news from the kay side of the family. Grandma kay does indeed have to get open heart surgury and will spend the most of her summer recouperating from it. She is promised a 95% survival rate or so I heard. We must all keep her in our prayers and fasting please.

Sylvia spends most of her free time these days getting dressed up in dresses. She wants to look like a princess and loves to dance to the america song from west side story. She knows all of the moves and almost all of the words.

The remainder of Vivian's wounds are less than a quarter in size. She still requires daily dressing changes because of the depth of the abraision burn. We are very fortunate and blessed for her recovery.

Well more from us later.

Love You,

Benjamin and Nicky and Beauty and Cutie

Off to New York

2011-05-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

The kay family is splitting up. Nicky and the Girls are heading to New York in a few weeks and the Papa is staying behind to further his education. They will be apart for a whole month. This is longer than ever in the 6 year history of this magical union. Wish us luck.

Benjamin will be able to start working as a nurse as soon as Aug. or Sept. It seems like such a short time but it is upon us almost. Nicky will have the same oportunity but a little later on.

Vivian is doing better each day. She is almost completly healed of two of the three abrasion burns. The third will take a little longer. We found out today that the Colligan cream that was perscribed to her w/o insurance in a 2 oz tube costs $116.00. Lucky for us the accident insurence should take care of it. Ouch. It works really well. We cant thank you all enough for all of the words of encouragment during this diffacult time. We still have vivid thoughts of what might have happened had the car not stopped. Her hip fracture will heal and requires no further monitering by the orthopoedist. Yay. They called it a fracture of the Iliac Wing. For those of you who are bone anatomy buffs it is a fracture between the Iliac Crest of the Os Coxa and the Anterior Superior Iliac Spine. Ya know, the hip bone or what not.

Mother's day will never be the same. I think for the Kay family it will be Vivian Day!

2011-05-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

Nicky here. We had the week before Easter off of school and took full advantage of our time off. We spent the first few days going out with the missionaries; Benjamin with the elders and I went with the sisters. We were also invited by the mission president's wife to participate in a choir performance put on by all the missionaries in the mission. They needed more women's voices so several women from the stake so they asked me if I could join. I went to the rehearsal. All four of us went and Benjamin ended up joining in the rehearsal. It was a good thing he did because the tenors needed a little help. We sang at a meeting for new members, investigators and less active members on Good Friday. The next day we went to the big mall, Plaza las Americas, to the food court. There were about 170 of us sitting in groups of 8 all around the food court. Right at 12 noon one table of missionaries stood up and started singing 'Christ the Lord is Risen Today'. After a couple of measures, another group stands up. And so on until everyone was standing. It's called a flash mob. We sang the first verse of a few other hymns and then sat down. It was a fun experience to be with so many missionaries and sharing our testimonies of the resurrection through music. It is easy to be involved in church activities and service here in Puerto Rico where the church is small. It's been a great blessing for us.

We also spent some time that week at the beach and playing in the water of a broken fire hydrant right by our house. We really had a great time beating the heat. Sylvia loves the beach too. We went three afternoons in a row. She couldn't get enough.

We also took a little trip around the island over the weekend. We went to two of the areas where Benjamin served while he was here as a missionary. We stopped by a couple of houses and saw some people that he knew. It was really great. I only wish I had my camera with me. We didn't really plan the trip...we just left the house and drove.

We've only got a few weeks of classes left. It's amazing how fast this year has gone.

2011-04-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here we are, back on track. We were able to go on a trip to the city of Ponce two weekends ago with the International Association at the school. We went to the mansion or 'castle' as they call it of a family that made it big in the sugar cane industry. It's called the Serralles Castle with the emphasis on the last syllable. They ran the sugar refinery and made rum as well, which is really big here in PR. It was quite lovely. Then we had lunch and went to the Ponce Museum of Art. It wasn't exactly child-friendly (we weren't allowed to touch anything in either place) but it was nice to get away from the usual routine. We had to take our own car down as well since they only allowed students on the bus. We didn't have to pay for any of the entrance fees or for lunch. That was pretty nice.

Vivian took a little fall with the babysitter a couple weeks ago and got a pretty good scrape on her forehead. Up until now she's been relatively free of injuries involving blood. From the report she didn't cry very much. Vivian is very mellow and loves to be with her Mama. Unless she's preoccupied she gets pretty sad when I have to leave for school. She is gaining weight little by little. Now she's in the 10th percentile for weight instead of the 5th. We got a doctor's note to give to the WIC office so she can get Pediasure milkshakes for babies.

Sylvia is beginning to be able to trace the letter 'S'. I asked her a few nights ago if she preferred speaking English or Spanish. She said, in Spanish, 'Ingles.' I then asked her why. 'Because it's good.' She likes to touch my hair when she's about to go to bed. I asked her what my hair feels like. She said 'it's nice.' The picture of her was taken the day the she and her classmates were talking about food and nutrition. They were supposed to 'be' their favorite fruit by wearing it. Sylvia loves grapes. She even colored the grapes herself.

2011-03-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

We completely forgot to post last week. The days just go by so quickly. I can hardly even remember what we've done the last two weeks. I guess I'll just mention a few things that the girls are doing as they grow and learn. Sylvia seems to really enjoy her school. She is the most popular 'gringa' in her class. Her teacher, Milca, and the teacher's aide, Jessica, have been very helpful in helping her with her Spanish and Sylvia helps everyone else with their English. She is doing very well with both languages. After she gets out of school each day we take her somewhere to enjoy some time together as a family. Last week we went to the library, swimming at Aaralyn's, and the neighborhood basketball court to shoot some hoops. And of course, she likes to ride her Dora Tricycle around the yard. She hardly ever rides the bike we got her for Christmas. I guess it's still just too big for her and to hard to maneuver. She helped us do the dishes one day last week. She actually did quite a good job. Benjamin make sure of that and was right next to her the whole time.

Vivian loves to walk. And she's getting very good at it. She'll sometimes swing her arms back and forth a couple of times when she walks. She says 'ba ba ba' as a general term for just about everything and 'oof oof' when she sees a dog. She likes to play with her big sister who often gets too rough with her. I've noticed that she will imitate what Sylvia does. Now we're in trouble.

She also likes to explore different places as you can see from the picture of her in the kitchen cupboard. We sure love our two girls.

2011-03-07T17:05:00.000-08:00

We're back into the swing of things with school. Our babysitter got sick the end of last week and couldn't watch the girls on Thursday or Friday so we had to improvise. I went to school for the first hour or so on Thursday but we only took a non-graded test to see where we stand as far as our knowledge for the NCLEX. Benjamin came and picked me up during the break and stayed for the rest of the lecture. On Friday we were going to do the same thing but all we did during the first hour was choose topics for presentations. The lecture followed but it didn't merit me leaving in the middle to get Benjamin for the second half. We're still early in the trimester so we're not too worried about missing a lot of really important information. That's also part of why we're in it together...so we can help each other out and fill in the gaps where we need to.

Sylvia has found a very fun and talkative friend at church. A young family from Virginia, the Cisneros, moved into the ward. They have a girl who is a month younger than Sylvia named Aeralin and a little boy three weeks younger than Vivian named Andre. We had dinner at their very lovely home on Sunday. Samuel, the husband, works for Proctor and Gamble and they will be here in PR for 2-3 years. Samuel is from California and Chelsea is from Oregon. We're going to their subdivision tomorrow to go swimming. Sylvia loves to swim. I'm sure we'll have a great time.

School is in Session Again

2011-03-01T13:03:00.000-08:00

This week Nicky and Benjamin are back to school for the third trimester. Nicky earned 4 A's and Benjamin 2 A's and 2 B's. It is so awesome to see a 4.0 next to Nicky's name. We enjoyed our visit with Abuela (grandma Alice) and Tio Rod (Uncle Rod) and they went home on Thursday. With a lot of luck and frequent hand washing Alice did not end up suffering illness from the same bug that Shawna Kay got when she came to the island.

School seems to be getting slowly better each trimester. Nicky and Benjamin are not in the same sections this time around so their is going to be a little juggling of schedules. They will manage.

Christian Kay (Benjamin's Brother) celebrated the passing of time this past week since his birth in 1979.

The world still turns. We are still very happy. Sorry for the short message. We gotta go study.

Lovingly,

The Kay's Puerto Rico

2011-02-21T16:25:00.000-08:00

We finally finished the trimester last Friday and start the new one tomorrow. We didn't get much of a break. I guess that's okay. It will keep the momentum going. Benjamin actually finished up a project today that needed to get done...so now we're really done.

Since Mom Giauque and Rod have been here we've gone to the beach a couple of times with them. Since Benjamin and Nicky still had finals we had to dedicate some time to that as well this last week. Mom and Rod have been a real help watching the girls while we studied on Wednesday and Thursday. We went to the Arecibo Observatory on Friday. It is the largest radio telescope in the world and is used 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. It was built in the sixties and NASA has given them a grant which keeps them up and running. I originally thought it was made of concrete but it's actually aluminum panels with holes so it doesn't collect the rain. But they do have to clean it off every so often.

On Saturday we were hoping to go to the island of Vieques off the east coast of PR. We left late Saturday morning but didn't really take into consideration that it was a holiday weekend. The traffic was bad all the way to Fajardo where we were supposed to pick up the ferry. We got to the doc a little after 1pm. But the next ferry didn't leave until 4:30. And the last ferry left Vieques at 6pm. So even if we had gotten on we wouldn't have been able to stay very long or done very much. We'll just have to remember that we need to go much earlier next time. So we just went to a nearby beach and enjoyed the cool water.

On Sunday the four of us sang a quartet, Our Savior's Love, in Spanish. Sylvia also came up with us since she didn't want to be left with anyone else. Vivian happily went with a sister in the ward. We were going to do it with a guitar accompaniment...but that got changed at the last minute by a councilor in the stake presidency who was visiting. We were able to get someone to pinch hit on the piano at the very last minute and it turned out just fine. We got lots of compliments. We've been given a challenge in our stake to read the Book of Mormon in 100 days...or at least for 100 seconds per day. We're all going to do it. Even the girls...at least the 100 seconds part.

The Kays and The Giauques in Puerto Rico

2011-02-14T15:22:00.000-08:00

This has been a week of preperation and excitment. Our second and more difficult of our first two trimesters is coming to a close. We have a lot of exams and extra work to do. We have been lucky to have a take home final in both trimesters. Anatomy and Physiology is the take home test that we have and the other exams are in Medical Surgical Nursing and PsychoSocial Nursing. The professors are paying more attention to the course content this time around and they are actually making sure that we know what we are studying.

Sylvia just got her first homework assignment today. She has to read a story and draw a picture about it. The story is all in spanish. My little bilingual genius.

Mom and Rod Giauque flew into San Juan International Airport on Friday night. They took a Lancha from Catano to Viejo San Juan. Alice is amazed at how observant and scientific Vivian is. She and Rod are very excited to see her walking. Rod has either one of them in his arms or within 12 inches of him at any given moment. He is a neice magnet. He may have contracted some traveling sickness. He has been feeling queezie since yesterday. He spent most of the day sleeping today. Mom whipped our house into shape today while I was at my last day of work and while Nicky was studying. She is sure great to have around. We are planning a trip this weekend after our final exams to go to Viequez, a little Island off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico.

Today is Valentine's day. Nicky taught me a valuable lesson about being poor on a holday. She took my hand this morning and told me with a gleam in her eye, "Happy Valentine's Day, I didn't get you anything". How sincere and profound. Broke on Valentine's day but with the account of my heart overflowing with deposit's (and no I am not referring to plaque).

We have decided to put the use of the Animalitos to rest. The babysitter came to us the other day and told us that sylvia was biting her fingertips. (she has been doing this for a while now as a nervous reaction. Her papa thought that it would be just as easy to get her to stop biting her nails and her fingertips by explaining that "the animalitos were going to munch on her fingertips if she kept biting them and exposing the dermal layer of skin). Jen explained that she saw her that night really goin at her fingertips and when she asked her what she was doing Sylvia replied, "I have to get rid of the Animilitos or they are going to eat my fingers". I did not think that the reason that she was bighting her finger nails and tips was because of the Animalitos. So that same day we presented her with chewable princess vitamins and told her that when she took them that they got rid of all of the Animalitos and that their were no more Animalitos. I think that Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny is an easier fable than the wrath of the Animalitos.

Weekly update 7 Feb 2011

2011-02-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

We've had a busy week of studying. The trimester is almost over for which we are ecstatic. Just a few more tests and papers. We're really starting to find out what it's going to take to be successful on the NCLEX. We've got lots of resources and practice material to work on. We were looking through a study guide to help prepare us on how to begin. I guess it was on my mind all night because I dreamed that I took the exam and failed it! I'm glad it was just a dream.

Sylvia is still a little sick but it slowly getting over things. She's still got a cough and some stuffiness. Vivian walks EVERYWHERE now. She is really getting to be a pro. Benjamin has washed the dishes for three days in a row. What an accomplishment. We held a fast on Sunday for the growth of the Elder's Quorum as well as for our friends upstairs who are also here from Utah. They have been going through some tough personal and family problems. Benjamin's first councilor will be leaving for Afghanistan so it looks like he'll need to get more people called to help him in the Quorum. Mom Giauque and Rod will be here this Friday to spend some time with us and the girls. We really look forward to seeing them.

A trip to the zoo

2010-06-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

When Greg and Amy and family were in town the last week of May we got to meet up and all go the the zoo. Rod got to come along too. It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time. Here are a few shots from the trip.

I lub you

2010-05-14T22:58:00.000-07:00

The day Vivian was born Benjamin went home to be with Sylvia while I stayed at the hospital. He was able to help her say some sweet words about her new baby sister. It's now been almost four months since Vivian was born but I wanted to have everyone see this sweet video.

Back into the world of blogging

2010-05-09T18:30:00.000-07:00

I (Nicky) am finally getting back into blogging! I've got myself and new camera and I'm taking a photography class...so I want to keep a better record of our girls. Besides, what good is a picture if no one else sees it?

A lot have happened since we last posted. Most notably, Vivian Nicole Kay joined the lot on January 21, 2010. Sylvia loves her little sister and Vivian is a very patient and smiley girl. We love them both a lot.

More to come.

Long Day For All Kay's

2008-11-19T22:24:00.000-08:00

E-Spa-Ge-Ti

2008-11-19T22:22:00.000-08:00

Formula 1206 The Best Sink Cleaner for the Job

2008-11-19T22:17:00.000-08:00

Reachig Out For A Helping Hand

2008-11-19T22:15:00.000-08:00

Sylvia Loves Her Uncle Rod

2008-11-19T22:14:00.000-08:00

Salt Lake In the Morning

2008-11-19T22:13:00.000-08:00

Sylvia rides A Tractor

2008-11-19T22:11:00.000-08:00

Sylvia as Heath Ledger As The Joker

2008-11-18T22:26:00.000-08:00

Walking Sylvia 11 02 2008

2008-11-18T22:13:00.000-08:00

You Lookin At Me?

2008-11-18T22:08:00.000-08:00

Gravity

2008-11-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

CENSORED : PARN

2008-11-18T22:03:00.000-08:00

Carn

2008-11-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

My Very First "Stetson" Shot

2008-11-18T21:57:00.000-08:00

Hey Meme: Who'se that in the picanic basket?

2008-11-18T21:56:00.000-08:00

Fred and Joe (He is a Business Owner)

2008-11-18T21:54:00.000-08:00

Post Blow Out Soup Pot

2008-11-18T21:53:00.000-08:00

Hey Cabra

2008-11-18T21:50:00.000-08:00

Dental Work On Grandpa Giauque

2008-11-18T21:48:00.000-08:00

Hetero Sapian

2008-11-18T21:47:00.000-08:00

WILMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-18T21:44:00.000-08:00

Woman At Work

2008-11-18T21:41:00.000-08:00

Getting back into blogging

2008-10-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we last blogged so here's a few highlights and pictures from the last month or so. Life continues to be busy for us. Benjamin is hard at work with interpreting at LDS Hospital and taking a grueling semester of Organic Chemistry. It's a good thing he's got such a great tutor. I (Nicky) have been busy as well watching Sylvia grow up and change and learn a little more each day. I've also been keeping up with taking care of Mom and Dad's properties and any requests they make of me. I've also started something that I never thought I would do but I find that I'm enjoying it quite a bit. I've become an Independent Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay Cosmetics. There. The cat's out of the bag. Unless someone else has already spilled the beans. And Benjamin is being very supportive and has even signed up as a consultant himself. I bet a lot of you didn't know that there are men beauty consultants. Anyway, it's been fun and
something I can do mostly from home.

Sylvia loves to look at the bird and tries to touch her while she's in her cage (the bird is in the cage). She'll put out her hand and sometimes put her fingers through the little metal bars. The bird isn't too people friendly and will bite her if she gets the chance.

There's still more to write but I'll get to it later.

Lazy Sunday

2008-08-31T14:24:00.000-07:00

The Twirling Sylvia

2008-08-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

Kay Olympics Sandy UT Aug 2008

2008-08-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

We went to spend some time with grandma and grandpa Clayson after the family reunion and we later went out to eat at Olive Garden. The Claysons are such good family and we are glad that both they and grandma Kay are able to see this little girl grow up. Grandpa says she is looking more and more like her mom. Bonnie seems to think she still looks a lot like her dad.

The Family Shot

2008-08-24T17:42:00.001-07:00

The Kroll Family Reunion

2008-08-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

The Benjamin, Nicky and Sylvia Kay family took an afternoon to attend the Kroll Family reunion. We really had a good time. We forgot that it was a bring your own meat event, so we got to experiment with the vegetarian in us. The family went to great lengths to put the event together and it was a success. It seems like the people in my generation are bringing forth another generation of children. We played a game called Kroll"o" (akin to bingo), with an emphasis on words and phrases about our Kroll heratige. We are proud of the people that came before us and look foreward to many future reunions. Thank you Family.

Iyvia's Sears Irk Pup

2008-06-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Our little gir is sitting up alot now and is really excited to see, taste, smell, touch and feel everything around her. She has the reflexes of a Rabbit.

ROD AND SYLVIA

2008-06-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

Rod is really coming into his own as closest uncle to Sylvia. She will let him hold her for a long time. He has a very gentle touch.

We Just Know She will do very well in technology class when she is older

2008-06-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

we try an get our homework done but she allways wants to beat us to it. I think she may be our fastest type yet.

Sylvia Discovers Her Bounce-Ability 6/7/08

2008-06-07T07:33:00.000-07:00

She can usually take about 5 minutes in this saucer and then she gets a little bored but now that she knows she can bounce in it she may be a little more entertained.

Messy diaper

2008-06-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

Sylvia made a mess in her pants the other day and it got all over so we just put her in the sink with all her clothes on.

Six Months Old

2008-06-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

Sylvia turns six months old today. We celebrated by starting her on solid foods. She had a taste here and there of a few things but not like she's had today. She wasn't sure what to make of it at first but she seems to have taken to it.

The Sleeping Beauties

2008-06-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

Cave Bacon- Grilled to Perfection May 2008

2008-06-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

Further in the Cave May 2008

2008-06-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

The heart of Utahana in the Tympanogas Cave (Heart of Stone)

2008-06-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

My Mummy and My Sylvi May 2008

2008-06-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

Here she is again May 2008

2008-06-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

My very long child

2008-06-03T09:31:00.000-07:00

Aubry and Logan Kay dancing on Ben's Head memorial day May 2008

2008-06-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some peaceful pics of sylva after a bath and during a nap at close to 6 months

2008-06-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

Baby in a high chair at 5 1/2 months

2008-06-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

Sleeping Sylva

2008-06-03T09:18:00.001-07:00

Benjamin and Sylvia as Happy as Can Be

2008-06-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

Nicky Bowling

2008-06-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

Benny Bowling

2008-06-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

Happy SYLVA

2008-06-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

Sylvia has a pamper cap to show it off for ETHAN

2008-06-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

HERE IS BENNY AND SYLVIA

2008-06-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

RICHARD CHESTER KAY!!!!!!

2008-06-03T09:04:00.001-07:00

HERE IS SYLVIA AND CAMDON

You are now reading my blog mom and dad kay.

HERE IS A LADY BUG!

Hiking up to Timponogos Cave

2008-06-01T18:02:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we decided to go on a little outing since the weather has been so nice. We drove down to American Fork Canyon and hiked up to Timponogos Cave. Sylvia did quite well. We had to adjust her carrying arrangements a couple of times to keep her comfortable, but we all made it up.

The weather was just right and we were done when it started getting a little too warm. By the time we got into the cave it was about Sylvia's nap time. We probably could have planned that better but we didn't. I think the darkness attributed to her falling asleep quickly, but we had to shift her around a little so we could all be comfortable. We finally got things worked out.

Liking apples

2008-06-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

Sylvia has become more interested in the food the adults eat at the dinner table. In order to appease her we will sometimes give her an apple to suck on. Don't worry. We keep a close eye on her.

Eric In SLC for 12 hours

2008-06-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

Eric was in SLC for a grand total of about 11.5 hours. He flew in after driving from Disneyland the same day. Here's a picture of him doting over Sylvia just before he drove Mom and Dad's Buick back to Phoenix.

Memorial Day Saturday

2008-06-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

Sylvia and Nicky went to the Kaysville City Cemetary and met up with some of the Hollists to visit the gravesites of some relatives. We saw the graves of Grandma and Grandpa Hollist. We also saw those of Rella Hollist Moyes and Alan Rushforth. It was enjoyable to see some aunts, uncles and cousins.

Before we went to the cemetary we went to the Office Building in Bountiful that Nicky's parents own to get some help from Uncle Rand about some hinges on a door that needed to be replaced. I guess with management comes having to fix things that need fixing...especially if you don't know anyone in the area that you can hire to do it for you. Thank goodness Rand was going to be in town and was willing to come take a look at things. He didn't do any actual work for us be he helped us find the right hinges.

Then we went out to eat. It was a full day.

Piano Lessons

2008-06-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

Sylvia loves to play the piano. She will sit on Nicky's lap and play and even looks up at the music every once in a while. She can get very excited sometimes and gets very expressive in her impromptu compositions. We're sure she's got the makings of a great pianist and musician. She's growing up so well and we enjoy seeing her get excited about things that we enjoy too.

5 Months yesterday

2008-05-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

We read today that at 5 months your baby should start sitting up. Well she hasn't quite mastered it on her own but she has some help from pillows and a book. In this video you see one of the books that mom Giauque and Nicky read to Sylvia on a daily basis. Also in the video you will see how much Sylvia loves music. We were thinking of enrolling her in an early Music Appreciation class at the U but she already seems to appreciate it enough. We give her an A+.

A look back

2008-04-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

We are just enjoying a sunday evening together and were looking back on some of the pictures and videos we have of Sylvia and found a few funny ones. Here's one to give you a laugh. She was probably only about a month old at the time.

We have finally been enjoying some nicer weather but it still gets cold every once in a while. Mom and Dad Giauque have enjoyed seeing Sylvia grow so much in the last few months. Dad says that she must add a half a million cells a day. They will be leaving for Belgium in anther two weeks.

Sylvia attended her first baptism yesterday. Victoria Gersdorf of our ward was baptized. She is a very sharp eight year old and has enjoyed seeing Sylvia get bigger. Since Sylvia has now able to roll over she has become more mobile...but that also means we have to keep our eyes on her a little more than we have in the past. In fact, just today we had little mishap. Sylvia was laying on an otoman we have and Benjamin was playing with her. He took her eyes off her for just a second and the next thing we knew, she was on the ground. She wasn't hurt but got very frightened and cried quite a bit. It's a good thing that babies forgive so easily.

Last Friday was my last day of work. It was difficult to come to the decision to leave work but I feel it is a good decision for our family. I am taking a medical transcription course which I hope to complete in a few months which will allow me to work from home. I'm glad I have some backfground in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology. Being a volunteer medical interpreter for Primary Children's Midical Center for a year and a half really helped with that. I'm also glad I took those courses in college.

We hope to keep everyone updated a little more regularly so stay posted in the near future.

We've been busy but we're here

2008-03-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

These last few months have been quite busy and wonderful for us. Sylvia is growing well and we enjoy her smiles and coos very much. I'm amazed at how much babies change in the first few months. She likes to stand with some help because she's a little wobbly. She normally sleeps well at night but likes to be awake during the day. She's a very good baby and is generally very happy. I've started back to work at Myriad part time and Benjamin stays with Sylvia for a few hours in the morning.

It's been nice to have Mom and Dad Giauque stay with is the last couple of months. They enjoy helping out with Sylvia when they aren't too busy taking care of business with their properties. They say she seems to grow every day.

Thank you for all of your Gifts and Loving Gestures

2007-12-26T21:55:00.000-08:00

Nicky, Sylvia and I have just been overwhelmed with all of the kindness recieved from our family and friends this christmas. It was topped off with Sylvia's blessing at our home today at 1pm. Many good family and friends were present. Greg and Amy, Rod, Kay's from NY, The busathes, The Grandlinger Sisters, The Daytons, Bonnie Baily and The Bountiful Kay's(Tom, Kathy, Aubry and Logan). We very much love and appriciate the spirit that you brought into our home this holiday season. May you all recieve the blessings of God in your lives wherever you find yourselves. Love,

Benjamin Nicky and Sylvia

Our Little Santa Trip

2007-12-18T20:35:00.001-08:00

Santa over at the South Town mall in Sandy, UT looks like the real thing. We are proud to present to you our family picture with ol' Saint Nick. I think the reason he was cannonized is because he allways made people smile. Sylvia is two weeks minus two days old in this picture. When we took her to the pediatrician last week the doctora said that she was perfect. So here you have it perfection.

Just when you thought "TOO CUTE" was a thing of the past!!!

2007-12-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

2007-12-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

Sylvia Emily Kay

2007-12-11T21:07:00.000-08:00

Sylvia Emily Kay our new little bundle of joy. Born on the 6th and has so much life in her. I havent slept much since then because she needs to be fed about every other hour but it is all worth it. We love you Sylvia.

MISSY

2007-12-04T20:28:00.000-08:00

Good thing that most of my close family and friends know that Grandma is not to be put to sleep. It is her dog Missy that was put to sleep. I love you all and sorry for the misunderstanding.

We love you Missy

2007-11-29T13:53:00.000-08:00

I took a breakfast with grandma Kay today and found out that eirlier on this week she had to be put to sleep. Grandma is broken up but she is taking it ok. I think that it will do her alot of good to be with Carol soon in Mississippi where she can focus her attention on other activities. We ate breakfast at the Star diner where the scones are huge and where there were suprisingly alot of working men that early at a local diner. Grandma told me about Dad, Tom and Carol when they were first born to help prepare Nicky and I a little better. She wants our little girl to be born on her birthday Dec. 1st. We hope to see her come very soon.
I spoke to chris this morning and he sounds well- We miss out on alot of their lives being so far away so i am dedicated to keeping this blog updated on the important and the not so important things in our lives just so that you all can know what we are more about.
I want to try something at the moment a question that i want you all to respond to at my email address @ benjaminkayfinancial@hotmail.com

Which is the most fond christmas you look back on and why?

OK email me and i will post the highlights

Benjamin Kay

Camdon Jones Live

2007-11-21T12:09:00.000-08:00

Two Bonnies and a Diaper cake

2007-11-12T08:51:00.001-08:00

She makes me such a happy little devil

2007-11-12T08:49:00.001-08:00

Shower #1 : The Spred

2007-11-12T08:48:00.001-08:00

Don you just love surgery

2007-11-12T08:46:00.001-08:00

Baby is hungry

2007-11-12T08:45:00.001-08:00

The Pregnant Duo

2007-11-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

Dear Family,
We love and appreciate all of you. Nicky and I have been able to celebrate three wonderful baby showers this past two weeks. We are just so grateful and blessed to have such a caring and generous family. Thank you all.

Nicky says that she has been experiencing surges (contractions) ever few nights. In fact they woke her up last night at 3 am. We are so excited to bring our sweet daughter into the world and look forward to having you all share in her life.

We are finishing out our semesters both of us. In fact Nicky has two tests and 3 assignments left and i have only about 8 classes left over a span of 4 weeks. We are hoping that our professors will let us finish early before our daughter is born.

Thanksgiving is coming on the 22 and Nicky will probably be cutting her hours down at work in prep for the birth. I however will be working a normal schedule 2:30-11pm at LDS hospital as well as meeting with clients of mine.

We have got many things organized and thanks to the kindness of family members and friends i think we are more than set with everything we will need for the first 3-6 months of her life. We are ever anticipating spending a great thanksgiving and Christmas with Nicky's siblings and my parents.

We love you family

Benjamin and Nicky Kay

New Pictures 2- Tetons/Gaisers

2007-09-12T08:03:00.001-07:00

New Pictures

2007-09-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

What a day!

2007-08-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

Today nicky and I enjoyed a party with the Boneeville Kodger crowd. They are lovley folks. It was the annual summer picnic at the complex and nicky and i spread out and got to no some new faces a little better and some older faces confirming our loyalty to the Bountious Boneville By-Laws. Hella ( the danish condo association president ) asked us to kindly remove the piece of wood and "for rent sign" from our parking port. She didnt seem to mind the Bicicle however because as she explained: "i am european and bicicles are considered a significant mode of transportation.
Mom and Dad Giauque we have seen recently your cousin Bonney. As recent as last week we went over to her house Nicky Rod and I and took some time to visit with her. She sure is a sweet gal.
We Love you All

Ben and Nicky

Nicky and I at the office

2007-08-29T21:47:00.001-07:00

Nicky and i are just hanging out here in the interpreters office at the U of U hospital tonight because they have high speed internet access. It is hard to do an online class without it. Dial up just doesnt cut the mustard. Our little girl seems to be moving quite well in the woomb and nicky and i are doing alot to make sure that she comes out healthy.
I have personally had a really great time this past two days helping out families that i care about in the financial relm. It is satisfying to be able to tell someone that my only outcome when i meet with them is to help them achieve their dreams and goals and do all of that without having to pay me. Why that is just awesome.
Mom Kay - Georgina and David say hi. I dont know if we told you but they are ingaged to be married. I am glad that the bee sting swelling has subsided.
Mom and Dad Giauque- We are excited to have a new renter come in and start a new lease in the kaysville condo. Thanks for all of your support and in some cases hand holding.
Really quickly i just wanted to share 5 principals of missionary work that we learned last sunday that can really help members of the LDS church share there beliefs with others:

1- You can never tell who is prepaired to hear the ghospl
2- You dont need a long relationship with smoeone to share the gosple ( alma 13:24- Angels are doing most of the job)
3- Invite people to help you ( sharing the gosple isnt about just giving but sharing so let others help you as well)
4- Set a date by which to share the gosple ( the lord will work with you when you set a date)
5- Miracles WILL happen

We love you all and think and pray for you often. Chris and Jed take care of that island for us because some day Nicky and I are going to own a piece of that land.
Zack and Genni - happy anniversary, birthday and preperation for Eathen's upcoming birthday.

Benjamin and Nicky Kay

The Next Million Dollar Baby

2007-08-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

It seems that as of late our little girl is training to be the next light weight champion of the world. She is moving around alot. According to the doctor this is a good thing. To update you all on this past two weeks nicky and i started back each taking one class. Me my last spanish class at the U of U and Nicky her second to last pre-requisite class for the nursing program at the U of U. She pays about a third of what i have to pay to attend a class ( and she will be getting it all back because her work reimburses her for taking the classes.) We are pretty happy to say that things are going well with managing the properties for Mom and Dad Giauque. We have only had some minor run-ins with collapsing trees and the dog that should not have existed. Other than that it seems to be mostly under control. Last night, after three weeks of rehearsing Nicky and I performed for a red hat party for a tennant in our condo complex. It was quite the party and nicky and i graced them with such hits as "Mona Lisa", "In the mood", selections from the musical "Don Quixote de la Mancha" and "Earth Angel". We were warmley recieved. I thought that we might run out of songs but before we knew it it had started to rain. I guess that worked out well. We have come to know and love many people in this area of salt lake, in our ward and the surrounding community. We are also getting involved! We joined a community chorous last week called Jubilate, with which on the anniversary of September 11, 2001 we are to sing Motzart's Requiem. What a powerful piece of choral music.
Now Nicky is writing. We've had a very busy and productive summer and we look forward to things cooling down and enjoying some more fall-ish weather. We are planning a little get-away for the Labor Day weekend up to the Tetons and Yellowstone. We are really looking forward to spending some time away from the hustle and bustle. Managing properties has been some work but it's good experience for us and financially very helpful as well.
As a change of subject, the best part about being pregnant is feeling all those little flutters and pokes from our little baby girl. We love her already and look forward to meeting her face to face...and then changing her diapers for the next three years.
We wish to extend a Happy Birthday to Hana whose birthday just past and Mom Giauque whose is upcoming.
We are looking forward to a Kay family party of the 8th of September. If any Kay desires that we communicate anything with anyone or everyone here, please let us know.
Thanks for all your love, support, prayers, and monthly wages.
Nicky and Benjamin Kay

Yeah for the Weekend!!!!!

2007-08-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

Another busy week has come and gone and we have stayed very busy with our daytime jobs and even our weekend jobs with taking care of properties. Taking care of mom and dad's properties/mail has its benifits but can take a bit of time to process. Every time i call a bank or anywhere that they have an account, I can only get so much information and they tell me that i am not aquthorized to obtain information. But all in all we are enjoying life and know that we are being very blessed. We were sad to find out today about the death of President Faust.
It's so good to hear from all of you. Thanks for being in touch and for being excited with us as we await our new arrival in December

with much love
Nicky and Benjamin Kay