Much Needed Vacation

Last week the McNeilly's headed to Cozy Bay Resort on Lake Edward. We spent the week hanging out with Nate's immediate and extended family and friends. We enjoyed the warm weather, swimming, boating, fishing, playing, golfing, shopping, and great food.

Since pictures say a 1,000 words.... I will use them to show you how our vacation went.

Kaitlyn relaxing in the water with her tub. She loved swimming with her cousins.

Cousin Gibson was napping, so we didn't get any good swimming pictures.
Cozy Bay Resort. We rent the big cabin and another on to the left that is hidden by the trees.
Swimming beach and boat dock!

Swim Island we spent most of the week on!

Kaitlyn and Grandpa Tim being Silly!

Cousin Hailey and Kaitlyn enjoying Pizza in Nisswa.

Grandma, Cousin Darren, and Kaitlyn.

We went to Pequot Lakes to enjoy some Bean Hole Days. Don't ask what they do... Something about they bury beans in a hole for 24 hours and then you eat them. It must be a small town thing.

Cousin Gibson enjoying a Sunset Cruise around the lake.

Grandma Sue and Kaitlyn enjoying the Sunset Cruise around Lake Edward.

Kaitlyn got to drive the boat for a part of our cruise around the lake. We ended up going around in circles, but she still had fun.

Kaitlyn driving us on our Sunset Cruise!

Much Needed Vacation Part 2

To continue our vacation post.... We had lots of fun enjoying the water and sun. We rented one of the resorts tubes and took Kaitlyn tubing. Here is a mock family photo. Nate actually drove the boat while Kaitlyn, Cousin Alex, and Mommy went tubing.

Getting ready to go "Really Fast".

Going faster!

Kaitlyn loved tubing!Some of us girls getting ready to go tubing on the 3 seater.Heading Out for some extreme tubing. Aunty Mel and Kaitlyn!

Our annual pyramid. It seems to get harder and harder to do every year.

Kaitlyn helping feed Gibson before Bed.

Our vacation was wonderful. The weather was perfect. We enjoyed relaxing and can't wait for next year.

Fourth of July Weekend

Wow, I can't believe the 4th of July has come and gone already. Now it is the countdown to the cabin! Our weekend started on Friday evening. We packed up the truck and headed to Mora to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Cody even got to come because Nana was watching my sisters puppies. Hailey, Darren, and Gibson greeted us when we arrived and Kaitlyn couldn't get out of the car seat fast enough. We spent the evening visiting and Kaitlyn, Hailey, and Grandpa had a sleepover in the camper. Grandpa had to text me at 11:00 pm to let us know the girls had to be separated. By 11:15 pm they were sleeping soundly.

Cousins: Kaitlyn (2 almost 3), Hailey (5 1/2), Darren (3 1/2), Gibson (5 months)

Hanging out with Daddy/Uncle Nate at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Saturday evening we headed to the new Ogilvie Dirt Race Track. We rented a "spot" which meant we could bring the truck, grill, cooler and chairs to watch the races.

Kaitlyn and Darren trying to get a better view of the race cars.

Everyone enjoying the hot weather and the races.

Kaitlyn and Hailey watching the races from the best seat in the "Spot".

Daddy answering all of Kaitlyn's questions about racing.

Nikki and Darren (God Son) enjoying the races.

The girls sitting on Auntie Mandi's lap.

Our nephew Gibson thought the races were pretty boring and feel asleep.

After the races they had an awesome fireworks display. Kaitlyn wasn't a big fan of the loud booms. It helped that daddy covered her ears during the show.

Maiden Voyage 2010

Finally! We took our boat for the first time in 2010. Nate got home a little early from work and got Kaitlyn and the boat ready for it's Maiden Voyage. So, when I got home we loaded up and headed to Lake Minnetonka. We bought our season trailer parking pass and for the swim pond, so we are all set for a great summer.

The weather was perfect. 85 degrees, sunny, and calm. Kaitlyn was so excited to finally go on the boat. Actually we all were. Nate and I have the launching of the boat down to a T. I back the boat in, while Kaitlyn and Nate get everything in the boat. I than park the truck and trailer and head down the HUGE hill back to the lake. Same goes for when we leave. I walk (or try to hitch a ride) up the HUGE hill and get the truck and trailer. We can get the boat out of the water and onto the trailer in about 5 minutes. Which is nice if there is a line.

Daddy and his co-captain Kaitlyn. We decided to bring some Subway sandwiches and had dinner on the lake.

Kaitlyn and mommy happy to be enjoying the nice weather. We decided to just cruise around the lake. We stopped to see a co-worker that lives on the lake too. Kaitlyn always wanted to go fast in the no wake zones, so we had to explain to her about Slow buoys.

Every time we would come to a group of buoys, Kaitlyn would say: "Mommy, look at all the Boobies or BooBoo's". So Cute.

Finally going fast!

Nate and I enjoying our cruise around the lake.

So, Kaitlyn is pretty much potty trained now which has added a new scenario into our boating season. We don't want to teach Kaitlyn she can go potty in the lake, since she may think she can in the pool too. We have a built in cooler in the front bow (we only use this to hold Kaitlyn's toys), so we have decided to use this as Kaitlyn's potty since it drains right into the lake. (We all know that people pee in the lake. LOL.) So, we now have toilet paper and Clorox wipes on the boat to clean and disinfect our unique kids potty on the boat. (Don't worry we won't be using it as a cooler in the future.)

A Little Bit of Everything

This past weekend was pretty busy. Nate's parents came down to help finish the deck. Friday evening Nate and his dad finished laying all the deck boards, so Saturday they could focus on the railings. The weather was perfect for building the deck especially since Saturday was a little cool and cloudy. My dad also came to help Saturday and Sunday, so we were able to get most of the deck done. (No pictures yet... We are waiting to do before and after pictures.)

Kaitlyn, Grandma Sue, and I went to some garage sales on Saturday morning and found some great things. We came home at lunch time with a car full of new junk. Saturday afternoon the three of us went into Waconia for the annual High School Marching Band parade. We had a great time watching them perform and Kaitlyn did awesome even though we were there for over 3 hours.

Grandma Sue and Kaitlyn waiting for the parade to start.

Kaitlyn sporting her new princess outfit and skirt we found on Saturday. She wanted to be like daddy and have her tape measure on her belt too.
Kaitlyn riding her bike. She loves to copy other kids, so she has decided to try riding no-handed. Of course she fell off, so we are hoping that was just a phase. We are trying to focus on riding on the side of the road and watching for cars.

Winstock aka "Mudstock"

This past weekend Nate and I went to Winstock. Winstock is only 15 minutes west of our house in Winsted, MN. The weather wasn't perfect, but we had a great time listening to all the country artists and hanging out with friends. Some of my favorites artists that played were: Blackhawk, Sara Evans, Dierks Bentley, Jake Owen, Phil Vasser, Josh Turner, and Alan Jackson.

Friday morning we set-up camp. We shared our campsite with our friends Angie and Michelle. They loved being in a camper instead of a tent in all the rain.
Saturday we had a good amount of rain, so we dressed to impress with our over sized mud boots and rain jackets. I bought a cowboy hat that really helped keep the rain out of my face.
Karrie, Aimee, Adam, and I enjoying Saturday night's concerts. Since we got a lot of rain on Saturday we spent a lot of time watching people fall in the mud. The good news is we all made it through the weekend without too much falling or slipping in the mud.
Here is part of the group from Mayer Fire. It was so much fun to spend time with such great friends.

Memorial Day Weekend 2010

It's officially summer! Too bad we have yet to take the boat out for it's 2010 maiden voyage.

Our small vacation started early on Saturday morning. (Nate had to take is National EMT test on Friday evening.) We headed to Perham, MN for my cousins son Trace's graduation party. It was HOT, but so much fun to see family. We had a great lunch and than we headed to Fargo, ND for my cousin Jenna's Graduation Party. On our way to Fargo, I gave Nate a tour of MN state, Moorhead campus. I can't believe that it has been 9 years since I graduated from college. Wow, time sure does fly by!

After our long day we headed back to Detroit Lakes to my Aunt and Uncles cabin. We arrived right at sunset, so it was perfect for some relaxation by the lake. Kaitlyn got to sleep on the top bunk with Aunty Anny. She even slept in until 8:45 the next day.

Sunday was a little chilly in the morning. So strange that it was 95 degrees the day before and than to wake up and it is only 50 degrees. Nate mowed the lawn for my uncle, while Kaitlyn played in the sand with Nana building and destroying sand castles.

Kaitlyn having a tea party with sand and lake water.

Nate and I also visited my friends Mike and Jen in DL to see there new house. Actually, it's not new and they have lived there for 2 years, but we had yet to see it. Nate was pretty jealous because they have 2 huge garages and several acres of land. We invited them to come back to the cabin for a little BBQ and bonfire.

Kaitlyn and Bailey posing for the camera. They just finished eating blue and red ring pops, so they were showing off there bright red and blue lips. It was so fun to see them play together.

Kaitlyn enjoying your Ring Pop from Bailey.

We also did some fishing off the dock on Sunday evening. We bought Kaitlyn a new Dora Fishing Pole, since we forgot her Barbie one at home. Kaitlyn wasn't too interested in fishing. She said she just wanted to watch. I caught the first keeper, so we decided we need to have a little fish fry.

The first keeper was a sunfish. We ended up catching several more, so we had fish for an appetizer before dinner. We used the paddle boat as our live well. It worked pretty well, but had a few escapee's during the course of our fishing.

Nate was convinced that big fish seem to be caught with a kiddie fishing pole. So, he spent about an hour fishing with Kaitlyn's new Dora Fishing Pole.

After about an hour, Nate finally figured out this urban legend..... The answer is.....

Yes, big fish are caught with little kiddie poles. Good thing Kaitlyn shared her new fishing pole with daddy.
My mom decided to fish the conventional way with an adult size pole and caught this nice sized crappie off the dock.

All the girls enjoying the nice evening at the lake.

Kaitlyn and my cousin Liz enjoying the bonfire.

Kaitlyn and daddy enjoying the sparklers. We had to keep telling Kaitlyn that she couldn't so this "all by herself."

My new favorite family photo!

Awwww!!! The fire! So peaceful!

Swimming Lessons

Kaitlyn started swimming lessons this week. We signed her up for the Parent/Child class. She was so excited especially since it was suppose to start last week, but the pool was broken. Kaitlyn kept telling people "swimming lessons were broken".

Kaitlyn did awesome. There are about 8 families in the class. The first day we learned how to float on our tummys and on our backs. Kaitlyn wasn't a big fan of floating on our back. Practise makes perfect. We also learned how to jump into the pool into mommy's arms. At first she wanted to hold mommy's hands, but after a few attempts she was jumping in without holding hands and mommy catching her.

Mommy also dunked Kaitlyn which wasn't the funniest part of the lesson. The good news is that Kaitlyn was more shocked than upset. The teacher would start to talk to Kaitlyn and she would tell me: "I don't like him." I have to keep telling her that we have to be nice to the teacher because he is going to teach us how to swim. Hopefully she will get used to him by the end of the class.

At the end of the lesson when it was time to get out of the pool, Kaitlyn decided she wasn't done. The only way I could get her out was to ask her if her fingers were pruny. She said yes. So, I told her that means it is time to get out of the pool. That seemed to work.

I don't have any good pictures of us in the pool. Nana and daddy have come to watch, but all the pictures are dark and hard to tell where we are in the group.

Kaitlyn waiting for swimming lessons to begin. She didn't want to look at the camera. At least she is smiling.

Fun Pictures

Here are some fun pictures we have taken over the past few weeks.

Kaitlyn kissing the turtle by the Farmer's Market in Minneapolis.

Mommy and Kaitlyn posing by the turtle.
Kaitlyn standing our big dirt pile in our backyard. Kaitlyn and a milk mustache.