9 months!

I realize that I am a *bit* late with this posting as this is about two weeks late now! We have reached our nine month being pregnant and luckily this summer has been very kind:-) Everything is going great and I feel really good. Our little munchkin is growing every week and the Braxton Hicks contractions have begun. That means that we are getting closer each day to whenever our little precious one wants to make an entrance.

I have been blessed with a wonderful pregnancy and a very supportive family who has helped to make this another great experience. Now the waiting begins...

Happy Birthday Easton!

A very special happy birthday to the most cutest, adorable, precious nephew that this world has ever seen! Okay, so we are a *little* biased- but who wouldn't be-look at this cutie:-) We were blessed with the presence of our first nephew a year ago yesterday and he has found a special place in our hearts just like his adorable sister.

Uncle Mark, Auntie Brenda and cousin Kaley wish you a very happy first birthday Easton! We love you lots and are so glad that you are a part of our family.

What a precious bundle of joy you are
Cute from head to toe
You melt the heart of everyone with your sweetness
Everywhere you go
You're a very special gift
Descended from heaven above
The most perfect little angel
Sent for your uncle, auntie and cousin to love.

Vacation Memories #6-The Boom Booms

After a fun and full day at the beach, I wasn't sure how much more *new* experiences she could handle, but she was up for some more fun- especially since she had a little friend to play with. My cousin Jared and his wife live right down the hill from my grandma's house in town, so they came up for supper that night. Kaley and their 3 year old son Chance, hit it off right from the start. I kept thinking that Chance was the boy version of Kaley! They played all night long and had a really fun time together.

When it got darker, we headed down to the beach with my two cousins and their families and my two aunts who were up visiting. We found a great place to sit where the kids could run around and have fun, but still be able to see the fireworks. We had to wait until almost 10:00 p.m for it to get dark enough, but even with the wait, we weren't let down. From the very first firework, I knew Kaley would be just fine. Her eyes lit up and she would jump up and down and yell "boom booms" and point with her finger. She was in awe! It was so cute.

Of course, that would be the time that my camera would be running out of batteries, so the pictures that I did get were fuzzy and it didn't have enough juice for a video. But, I'll share them with you anyways.

Lots of memories up at Shell Lake and this is another day that will be added to the bank!

Vacation Memories #5- At the Beach!

The beach at Shell Lake has so many memories from when I was little and we would go to Wisconsin, that it only seemed fitting that Kaley would be able to experience it for the first time. My mom's extended family had a family reunion on the second weekend that we were there and had rented out the beach house, so it was perfect for a little girl who loves the water. Mommy got her a new life jacket (for my own pregnant peace of mind) and she was off and running! Kaley had swimming lessons prior to this, but only in a swimming pool, so this was a whole new experience for her. She loved playing in the sand building sand castles and got a kick out of the waves that would come in and splash her. The joy on her face was so fun to see. We had a great sunny day, and one that Kaley still talks about today!

Vacation Memories #4-A Day at the Zoo

St. Paul has a really neat zoo that is family friendly and great to spent a day at. One of the best things about it, is that is it free (imagine that!). It also has a conservatory, rides and attractions, a great park nearby and a lake that you can easily walk around with the children. You can really pack a whole day into going to the zoo!

We arrived a little early and as we were waiting for the zoo to open up, there were about 200 people in line to go in. So, we decided to walk through the rides and attractions first and then go in when the line was a bit shorter. We ended up buying a riding pass for Kaley and here is the fun that she had. I was proud of our little girl. She was so brave and didnt' mind riding the rides all by herself. I rode on a couple of them with her, but she was perfectly happy with going on them herself! She LOVED the cars and even asks for them today. She wasn't all that interested in the animals since she knew there were rides to be going on, but she had fun none the less.




















And we ended our morning with a picnic lunch in the park. It was a beautiful morning and Kaley loved climbing and playing in the trees. Our little nature lover:-)

Vacation Memories #3- Fun at Grandpa and Grandma's House

While our vacation was very relaxing, we actually did a lot of things while we were there. We spent a majority of our time at my parent's house in Minnesota, but ended up doing quite a few things. We would usually go to a park to play in the morning while it was still relatively cool, but in the afternoon after her nap, would hang around the house letting her play with all the toys, gadgets and her new friends.

I'll let the photos and videos do the talking, as they will do a much better job than I will. Some good memories were made at Grandpa and Grandma's house!

She learned how to play on the Slip and Slide.

The kiddie pool!

Her very first tricycle and a personalized license plate!

It even has a trunk which she used to store her pretzels!

Playing on the stilts:-) They are harder to use than they look!

Relaxing in the easy chair on the porch as she wakes up and greets the day!

She learned how to do her first somersault!

Learning how to hoola hoop!

Kaley's piano solo:-)

Vacation Memories #2- Fun at the Farm

Both of the weekends that we were in Wisconsin, we stayed at my uncle John and aunt Diane's farm. This was Kaley's first experience of spending an extended amount of time on a farm. We had visited others before, but this time she really had the opportunity to see and experience everything. It was such a beautiful setting- quiet, peaceful and full of life.

Her first *love* was the trampoline. She had so much fun on it and even learned how to do a somersault - although what she REALLY wanted to do was a flip like the older girls:-) She called it the "bounce". Her second love of the farm were the animals, even though she had to warm up to the idea of actually petting them. She always had to go search and find the baby "kitchen's" or chickens, see the pigs, cows, and even found the courage to feed the horses some grass. Her third love of the farm was the hot tub! With all of these new and fun things, she also loved playing on the play horse, the swing set, the slide, drinking from a garden hose, walking around in bare feet, loving on the cats, and picking wild strawberries. Lots of adventures and lots of fun!