A Montage of Activities

Our Last Boat Trip of the Summer!

Last Saturday we decided to go on the boat. It may have been our last outing for the summer. Kaitlyn loves going on the boat. She does get tired of the life jacket since she can't move around very well. I keep telling her that once she grows a little bigger it won't bother her so much. She loves going fast and over waves... she has some of her daddy's racing blood in her.

Her favorite part of the whole boating adventure was helping daddy steer. She loved sitting on his lap and looking around and having the wind blowing on her face.

Random Pictures and Thoughts!

Kaitlyn is learning so much so fast that it is hard to keep up. She loves to stand and walk around everything in the house. She thinks that Nate and I are jungle gyms that she can play on when we are laying the floor. (Cody does too!) Her newest thing is standing by herself for a few seconds at a time. She usually falls once she realizes that she is not holding onto anything. I think her longest time was 30 seconds. She is starting to get tooth number two. The good news is that she doesn't get too cranky, but has to have something in her mouth at all times.

Kaitlyn's favorite toy right now is her Dora car she got from her Auntie Anny for her 1st birthday. She gets so excited when we go outside and walk up and down the street. It can keep her entertained for a good 30 minutes because of all the buttons and noises it makes.

Kaitlyn is a talker. Yesterday when we were doing our nightly Dora scooter ride she just talked away. I am not sure what she was saying, but she had lots to say. Here is a video of Kaitlyn talking. It is kind of dark, but you can listen to her talk about her day.

It Could Only Happen To Me!!!

First I would like to point out that this is why I am called Drama Queen... I don't create the Drama... it just happens to me.

Yesterday around 4:15pm... I was getting ready to leave work. My normal routine is to use the restroom before my long drive home. (Side note: I predicted this to happen and it did.) After using the facilities and washing my hands... I went to unlock and open the door... It wouldn't open... the door knob would turn, but the door would not open. Yicks... So, I frantically knock on the door. Lisa my co-worker came to my rescue, but she too could not open the door. After rounding up a few more of my co-workers... we started creating plans on my escape. First... the screws to take the door knob off are on my side of the door... Great! We can't fit a screw driver under the door... My creative co-workers shoved parts of tools for me to use to remove the door knob. (Good news... my cell phone fits under the door. This made me feel a lot better.)

I want to personally thank my co-workers for making this situation humorous so that I would not panic. I really thought we would have to call the fire department to come and bust me out of the bathroom. After about 15 minutes I was able to unscrew the door knob and they got me out.

The Weekend

Jessa and Andrew's Wedding
This past Saturday my good friends Jessa and Andrew got married. Even though it rained... it was a perfect day. Here are some pictures from their big day.

Here is Nate and I enjoying the reception... Kaitlyn stayed home with Grandma and Grandpa McNeilly.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew and Jessa Pike..... and me!!!! They looked amazing!

Here is myself, the beautiful Bride, and Kristin (Matron of Honor).

Stupid Dog Award!

Cody gets the Stupid Dog award this week. Sometime last week... we think Wednesday or Thursday... Cody decided to eat part of the bed sheet that was in his kennel. First I would like to point out... this bed sheet had been in his kennel for over a year now... so, why he decided to eat it now... I really don't know.

Anyway... for the last several days... he has been throwing up and pooping parts of this bed sheet. I will just put it this way... for how much I have seen come out of him... I am surprised it didn't bother him. If you looked at him and knew how he acted we would never know that he ate a bed sheet. Even though he was acting normal I was still concerned so I decided to call the Emergency Vet... (Side note: We are to leave for my friends wedding in 30 minutes.) Here is our conversation:

Nikki: "My dog ate a bed sheet and has been throwing up pieces of it for the last 2-3 days!"

Emergency Vet: "Well, you need to bring him in right away!"

Nikki: "How much do you think this will cost?"

Emergency Vet: "It is $108.00 just to see him plus any other tests we have to do."

Nikki: "What if we don't bring him in?"

Emergency Vet: "Well, there is nothing you can do for him at home... and he might die."

Nikki: "Okay, thank you!"

Let's just say that I was not very happy with this conversation... He is acting normal so can you just give me some signs to watch for???? I tried again by calling another vet that happened to be open... they were very helpful and told me what to watch for and when I should bring him to the Emergency Vet.... So, as of today.... Cody seems to have worked through the bed sheet.

A Handful of Posts

My Toothless Baby has a tooth...

Kaitlyn got her first tooth the other day. I was giving her a bath and while drying her off... I saw a little tooth peaking through.... It is the top right tooth... Of course that night she had a hard time sleeping, but nothing a little Tylenol can't help. We are also starting to see 2 more teeth poking through... pretty soon she will be catching up with all her teethe friends.

Big Girl on the Block

Last night Kaitlyn and I were practising walking... We used a walking toy that she got from her Grandma and Grandpa McNeilly. She was so proud of herself.

We had to take several takes on this video... As you can tell she loves nilla wafers... that is why her shirt is so dirty.

Before and After

A few weeks ago Nate and I did phase One of our re-landscaping. (Actually, Nate did a lot of the work - I just helped where needed.) Here are some pictures before and after... We still need to do the landscaping around the house, the backyard, and build a deck.

Here is the Before Picture! Sorry for all the equipment in the picture....

Here is the finished product - We plan on painting our name on the rock... maybe next spring.

Here is a before picture of our mailbox and lovely electrical boxes we have in our yard.

Much better.... The Hostas and the mulch make it look so much nice... and now we don't have to mow around everything.

Last Summer Weekend

Labor Day weekend Nate, Kaitlyn and I went camping. We meet Nate's family for a weekend of being outside, sleeping in a camper, and smores by the campfire. This was Kaitlyn's first camping experience and she loved it. (Wait did I say where we were camping... Well, we were in Maple Grove.) Most would not consider this camping, but not once did I feel that we were that close to the cities. The campground is very wooded and perfect for a weekend away.

Kaitlyn loved crawling around outside and eating leaves, dirt, and grass... Most of the time - I would tell her icky and she would spit it out. She also enjoyed playing with her cousins. The nice part of camping so close to home is that when it is time to leave... you don't have to sit in the car for several hours before spending the rest of the day unpacking, doing laundry, and getting ready for the week ahead.

Kaitlyn had such an exhausting weekend (or she didn't want to help pack). She fell asleep while we got ready to leave.

Oops! Did I do that?

First a disclosure... Nate parked the car in the garage the night before... Here is what happened. A few Mondays ago as I was CAREFULLY backing out of the garage I broke my side view mirror.