It's Just Begun!

Ever since Kaitlyn's 2nd birthday I have noticed that she is really learning more and more everyday. She loves to repeat sentences. She has started to say "Luv ya" back to us. We are also starting to learn colors and numbers of objects. Our next big task is potty training. We have all the tools and we are now starting learn about them. She loves reading her Potty book she got for her birthday. She also is intrigued with the new potty chair in the bathroom. The problem is that she likes to take out the bowl which will someday hold her pee and poop. I am a little nervous about this. I pray she doesn't do this when she has a successful potty! Kaitlyn pretending to go potty in her new big girl potty. She wasn't too excited about it, but now talks about it all the time.

On Saturday morning as I was getting her dressed she decided she wanted to add accessories to her outfit. See below:

If you can't tell... these are bloomers that go under her dress to cover up her diaper. She thought she was so funny....
Of course we weren't done with just one pair... so she had me put on another one. The whole time she would say... "Kaitlyn silly!" and laugh! I almost left them on for the whole day, but decided against it.
Kaitlyn needed to add to her silliness by climbing on her crib. The good news is that she has never tried to climb out of her crib. I am crossing my fingers she won't ever try... before we move her to a big girl bed.

Kaitlyn's 2nd Birthday Party

Sunday we celebrated Kaitlyn's 2nd birthday. She didn't really understand the party was for her, but she enjoyed opening presents and eating her cupcake. Here are some pictures a video from the day.

Kaitlyn opening one of her presents. Every present she opened she would turn to me and say "open". We would have to distract her with a new present to unwrap.

After I started the unwrapping process Kaitlyn didn't take long to get to the actual present.

Kaitlyn wasn't too sure about the candle on top of her cupcake. She also got the cool placemat with her name it as a present too.

Kaitlyn really enjoyed when everyone was signing to her. At first she wasn't too sure, but when she realized she was the center of attention she loved it.

Kaitlyn wasn't too sure about how to blow out the candle.

Here is Kaitlyn, Cousin Darren, and my sisters dog (Teeney) in the wagon Bopapa got for her. She loves to open and shut the door, but I have taught her that the door is stuck when we are walking.

It got pretty warm in the afternoon, so all the kids got Popsicles to cool off. We will just have to say that we needed an outfit change after.

Kaitlyn's 2 year stats

I took Kaitlyn to her 2 year wellness check this past Friday. She is such a big girl now that she gets to stand on the scale and against the wall to check her weight and height. No more stripping down to the diaper and laying down on the scale.

32" Tall - 10% - Hey at least we are on the curve now.
25 lbs - 50% - Wow - we are moving in the right direction.
18 1/4 head size - 25%

We also had her blood tested for lead and when they pricked her finger she didn't even cry. She was very intrigued with the My Little Pony band aid the whole way home.

This weekend has also brought out a few more milestones...
* She has proclaimed her toys as "mine" and makes sure you know this. Especially if it relates to anything for her babies.
* When she wants to go outside she says "side" and last night when I said "No." She asked "Why?" - I hope this isn't the start of the "whys"!

Lighting Storm

A few weeks ago we had an intense lightning storm come through Mayer. It was an amazing show until lightning hit a tree in our back yard. We didn't realize this happened until we woke up and our upstairs TV would not turn on. I looked out the window and noticed some bark falling off on of our trees. We have learned a valuable lesson to unplug everything or have GOOD surge protectors. The lightning cut through the tree and killed the grass around it. We are hopeful the tree won't die and will heal from it's brush with mother nature!Here is one side of the tree that shows were the lightning traveled.

We are also very thankful for some very generous people who have donated a new/old TV for us to have.

Happy 2nd Birthday to our Little Girl

To my little Girl on her birthday!

Kaitlyn you are really growing into a beautiful little girl. You definitely are a mommy's girl too! Everyday you learn and say new things. You love playing with your babies and helping mommy and daddy around the house. We are truly blessed to have you in our lives.

Here are a few things that you are up to these days.

* You love going to the park. You have no fear and will climb up anything no matter how high it is. You like to scare mommy by hanging over the edge or climbing up the slide.

* You are a blankie girl. We have 3 pink blankies, but really you only like 2 of them. Whenever you get hurt you don't want mommy or daddy.... you want your blankie and nukie.

* You love to say what you see... your favorite things to point out are: Motorcycles, trucks, horses (even though you are scared of them up close), rain or anything related to water.

* You love going on the boat and you know it goes in the water. You aren't a big fan of cold lake water just like your mommy. You take naps on the boat and don't mind wearing your life jacket!

* You love walks and being outside.

Last night Daddy brought home 2 babies and a baby buggy from one of his clients from work. You were so excited you danced around and wouldn't eat dinner without at least one of your babies.

Happy 2nd Birthday Kaitlyn! We love watching you grow into a little lady!

Vacation

A few Saturday's ago we headed up to Nisswa, MN to our new favorite resort: Cozy Bay on Lake Edwards. We were enjoyed by 20 other family members for the week. Our vacation started out great. The weather was good, the sun was out, and we were enjoying the company and the lake.

The weather turned to cold and rainy on Tuesday. So the rest of the week we were land locked except for the occasional fishing trip. Nate did catch a nice size Walleye in the rain one day. Our boat ended up tied to the dock for most of the week with the exception of Tuesday night....

Tuesday afternoon a group of us went into Brainerd for a movie and bowling. On our way home we rec'd word that a severe storm was headed our way. We decided that if we got back before the storm we would pull the boat out of the water. We had it all planned out... Nate and Alex were to run and get the boat. Dan and I were to get the trailer ready. As Dan and I were waiting on the launch... The boat got stuck about 50 feet from the trailer. Before I knew it... I was taking off my shoes and pants... and running into the lake. (Normally weeds gross me out, but I drove right into the mucky and weedy part of the launch.) Alex also stripped down to his boxers and we were both pushing and pulling to get the boat to move. (On a side note: Everyone else is watching from the dry windows of the cabin.) We finally get the boat loose and we pulled it out of the water. You know the saying: Hindsight is 20/20: Well it is. I am not sure why I had to take my pants off since they got wet sitting on the ground in the rain. (Sorry no pictures at this time.)

Bowling in our new group shirts. "Bad Girls of Up North!"

The ladies in our bright "Bad Girls of Up North" shirts!

To be honest... I am a little disappointed about our vacation. The weather really put a damper on our usual activities. Good thing we had 20 of us to play cards, go shopping, and visit with while we huddled in our sweatshirts and jeans.

Kaitlyn loved playing with her cousins. They were there until Wednesday and Kaitlyn loved following them around.

Busy Holiday Weekend!

Friday Lake Day!

Friday morning we all slept in until 9am and than got ready for a day on the lake. We invited our friends the Eggiman's to join us. The kids had fun swimming at big island and enjoying the warm weather. It was a little cloudy, but just the right temp. to enjoy some swimming.

Here is Brayden and Kaitlyn doing some floating at Big Island on Lake Minnetonka!

After our day of boating the guys went to the station to wash the fire truck for the parade on Saturday while I got to wash the boat. Steve, Aimee, and the kids came over for some HoBo Dinners on the grill!

Delano 4th of July Parade
Saturday morning we were in the Delano 4th of July Parade. It is suppose to be the biggest 4th of July Parade in Minnesota. We were float #96 of 128.

McNeilly family picture waiting for our turn to go! Aimee and I pulled the kids in wagons while Nate and Steve passed out candy.
Here I am driving the fire truck! Actually it was even running, but I like to pretend.

Here is a picture while we were walking in the parade. Kaitlyn didn't like it when St. Boni fire truck (float behind us) turned on their sirens or blew the air horn.

Saturday evening the Eggimans had us over for some burgers before we were off to Waconia to watch the fireworks. We got there a little early so the kids could play on the cool playground.

Kaitlyn is a little daredevil. Good thing Daddy was there to help her out.

The adults had fun playing on the playground as well!

Kaitlyn having fun on the slide! Bopapa met us in Waconia to watch the fireworks. Kaitlyn loved to sit up high with Bopapa.

Sunday on the Lake

Sunday was a beautiful day so we decided to spend the day on the lake. My sister Anny, her friend Niki, and Nate's friend David joined us. We spent most of the day in Forest Lake bay. It was hot, sunny, and nice to just hang out in the water. I made it onto the raft since I am not a fan of little sunfish nibbling at me.

Kaitlyn thought the water was a little chilly, but had fun relaxing on the raft with mommy!
Kaitlyn taking a little nap during our long day on the lake. She had a long, but fun weekend!

Can I have a Hug and Kiss?

Today is Monday after a great weekend! As we got to Daycare Kaitlyn tried to hide her nuk so she could bring it with her. We only let her bring her blanket and baby to Daycare since we are starting to ween her from THE Nuk! (By the way... she knows how to spell. The 2 times I asked Nate where her N..U...K was... she replied... Nuk?)

Anyway... as I was saying goodbye... I asked Kaitlyn for a hug and kiss since I am visiting a friend tonight and won't be at home for the bedtime routine. She replies... "NO!" and starts closing the door on me. As I walk away... I can her saying "Bye-Bye!" I guess spending 2 days with her parents she was ready for daycare today!

Here is Kaitlyn wearing the shirt that we got from my college MSUM! She looks so old in this picture. I can't believe my baby girl will be 2 in less than 2 short months!

Maiden Voyage

A few weekends ago we took the boat out for our maiden voyage. It was a little windy, but we found a few calm spots around the lake. Nate took us past the house he is currently working on. It looks great only a few more weeks and he will be onto the next house. Here are a few pictures of Kaitlyn driving the boat with daddy.

She really loved being able to walk around with her life jacket on. Last year she wasn't walking and the life jacket wasn't her favorite part of boating.

It was a little windy and Kaitlyn was either not wanting to listen to us or trying to keep her hair out of her face.

It took several attempts to get Kaitlyn to take a nap. She finally fell asleep on our way back to the boat launch. I guess we have to go fast and it be really wavy for her to fall asleep on the boat.

Kaitlyn has also learned our first names. She has decided that if we don't listen when she says "Mommy, Daddy"... she calls us by our first names. It started on the boat when we were trying to ignore her so she would take a nap. She kept saying "Daddy". After several attempts and daddy not answering she yells "Nate".

Yesterday while I was getting ready I hear Kaitlyn yelling "Kitty" as Thomas was walking by. I explained to Kaitlyn that Thomas doesn't come to "Kitty" since this is not his name... So she finally says one of our pets names... She calls him "Tommy". Not sure if Thomas will come to that name either, but it was still cute.

Just Imagine

Kaitlyn is learning more and more words. She loves to repeat everything we say... so we really need to be careful on what words we choose to say. I made the mistake of saying a bad word the other night. I caught myself after I said it, but just hoped that she would not pick up on it. A few hours later after her bath... she started dancing around in the nude singing "SH**". I looked at Nate and made sure I was hearing correctly... I was! Of course we couldn't help but laugh which just added to the whole situation.

Camping

Memorial weekend we loaded up the truck and headed to South Isle Campground near Isle, MN. The weather was perfect. A little cool on Saturday, but nothing that would keep us from enjoying the day. I still got sun burnt so it could not have been that cold. The campground is perfect for kids. They had train rides, hay wagon rides, ice cream social, fishing contest, dance, and a great playground. Kaitlyn had lots of friends to play with during the weekend. Her cousins Hailey and Darren (Dewey if you ask Kaitlyn), and some family friends grand kids. Here are all the kids waiting for the Train with Grandma... Darren didn't want to sit next to all the girls.

The girls playing in the camper! No we did not plan for them to all be wearing pink!!!
My favorite picture of my nephew. He had to pose for this picture! Kaitlyn finally likes to ride on daddy's shoulders! I think she just likes to pull his hair when she holds on.
Kaitlyn fishing with her new Barbie pole from her Aunt and Uncle. This also was the only time she would wear her sandals. She still is not too sure about them. I hope time will let her appreciate sandals.
Cody just playing along with the kids. He was such a great puppy all weekend!

We have lots more pictures that I will post on my Facebook page, so make sure to check them out.

Why we S.P.E.L.L at our house?

First I would like to thank Diane for this Blog Post idea.

The 2 video's below will show you what happens when I say the word "WALK". I apologize the videos move around a lot, but it is hard to video tape with the commotion around me.

Enjoy!

The BIG 30!!

Well is has been officially one week and I am still alive and kicking! No major aches and pains yet! I do have to say that my memory hasn't been the greatest. For example: One the last day of being in my twenties I decided to stop at Culvers for a yummy butter burger... I decided the drive thru was the way to go... As I "almost" got to the drive thru window... I realized that I forgot to stop and order... oops! So there I was backing up in the drive thru. I think the lady behind me thought I was crazy or just confused. I know you are thinking... Nikki you can't count this story since you weren't thirty yet... Well... on my birthday my sister, mom, and I had our toes done. Before our appt. I stopped at Subway to get a Dr. Pepper. When we were finishing up our pedicures... some subway employee walks in and says "Did someone forget their keys in Subway?" Good thing my sister took the heat and said she did.

Saturday I had the big party. The weather turned out just perfect... It could have been a little warmer, but at least it wasn't raining. It was great to see all my friends and family. Thank you to everyone that came. This birthday wasn't an easy one for me.

I don't have a ton of pictures from the night. Here is me with Katie and Kristin!

Fire Truck Ride

On Sunday - Mayer Fire Department had their semi-annual fish fry. It was a huge success. They had over 800 people come through. (I think this was one of their best turnouts.) Nate spent the day squeezing fish! They also offered fire truck rides. My dad, Nate, Kaitlyn, our friends the Eggimans all went on a fire truck ride around town. Here are a few pictures.

Kaitlyn loved the fire truck ride even though she was really tired since it was past her nap time.

Kaitlyn and Daddy after the fire truck ride.

Full Weekend

A Quick Trip to Fargo/Moorhead

Friday night Nate volunteered to go to Moorhead, MN to help with the Red River Flooding. He and a few other Mayer Fire Department firefighters drove the 3 hours. They ended up being staged at the Moorhead High School for the night and went and helped a few homeowners in the morning. They watched pumps while the homeowners got some much needed sleep.

We are praying for all the families effected in the Red River Valley. Here are a few pictures of some flooded streets in Moorhead.

Fireman's Banquet

Saturday morning while Nate was on his way back from Moorhead. I met Nate's parents in Elk River. Kaitlyn was spending the night in Mora for her Auntie's Surprise Party while Nate and I went to the Fireman's Banquet.

Nate rec'd his new helmet for completing both the Fire Fighter I and II. All the wives of the new Firefighters got to place their new helmets on their husbands... and than do the Chicken Dance in front of everyone. I am sorry to say that I don't possess any pictures for this part of the night.

Here are a few pictures of Kaitlyn trying on Daddy's new helmet. At first she was not so sure about it, but than she didn't want to stop wearing it!

Here is Kaitlyn trying to escape from having the helmet on! It was kind of heavy.

How about I just hold it Daddy?

It's not that bad!

I am a Daddy's Girl!

Dancing Queen

Kaitlyn has been very entertaining these past few weeks. She loves to laugh... even for no reason... Maybe she is laughing at how funny her parents really are. This past weekend we made a last minute trip to visit Grandma, Grandpa, Aunty Mandi, Hailey and Darren. (I don't want to forget that Uncle Sam and Dereke came over for a visit too.)I am not sure what Kaitlyn is laughing at, but she sure thought Grandma and Mommy were funny while taking this picture.

Is a very cute picture of my Niece Haily and Nephew Darren.
Sunday evening Neighbor Hailey came over to play with Kaitlyn. We had to take a picture of our new hair cuts.

Kaitlyn loves to dance. Usually when we ask her to dance she shuffles her feet, but this time she decided to show off some new moves. She also loves eating Graham Crackers. Some of her very first meltdowns have come from not getting any more crackers.