Summer :)

Last weekend, I went to Crescent Bar with some girlfriends from college, and we had a blast. We stayed in a condo with a beautiful view of the river, and a pool just steps from the back door. It was so nice to just relax and get some quality girl time. I think all we did was laugh. :) I didn't get great pictures, but here are a few randoms (and of course they are out of order):

Kelly on the bull:

Me on the bull:

Abby, Lisa, Heather:

The view from our back patio - so nice!!

Poor Heather slipped and fell on her way into the pool. Didn't let go of her chips till the very end, though!

A few of Kaitlyn's new tricks:

Holding her own bottle - she's still working on it :)

Reading her books. Goodnight Moon and "Are You Ticklish?" are her favorites.

She started pulling herself up about a week ago. This is usually how you'll find her after naps :)

This is a fun one (sarcasm alert). She smashes her fingers in the drawer, and then there's the fear that she's going to pull the dresser down on top of herself...

She is also enjoying clapping and getting into a sitting up position from laying down :)

This our is our newest addition this summer: our vegetable garden! We are growing zucchini, cucumbers, beans (bush and climbing), lettuce, carrots, and peas. And, we have tomatoes in the back yard. We have been enjoying salads using our lettuce (yum!) and the zucchinis are ready to go - they are getting huge! The rest is almost there. We are having a good time. :)

Kaitlyn having a good time looking outside - it didn't take her long to realize that she wasn't going to be able to escape through the screen.

This is another "new addition." This piece was down at my Grandma Donnie and Grandpa Ed's house. The dresser was purchased, and Grandpa built, painted, and added the hutch on top. I LOVE it! It's currently decorated for July.

Child-proofing is in full swing! Kaitlyn is moving so fast now that we have to bite the bullet and do some major thinking about what she might get into (okay, we really haven't had to think much, as she does a really good job showing us). We (meaning Jeff) put up the first baby gate last night. It has to be mounted because it's at the top of the stairs. We'll put a pressure-mounted one at the bottom of the stairs to the right. This will keep her contained in the middle floor and give her plenty of room for exercise. :)

We have been busy!! I have really been enjoying my summer break with Kaitlyn, and Jeff is still enjoying being done with school. :) It always amazes me how busy I manage to get on my break - we are having no problem filling up the calendar. However, I make sure to designate days for us to just stay home and spend a relaxing day together. This time with Kaitlyn is so special to me, and I want to make sure to treasure it. :)

I bought a pool for Kaitlyn at Target, and spent yesterday morning blowing it up. I don't have any pics of her in it with water yet, but here was the process and getting some enjoyment from it without water. :)

This made blowing it up a bit of a challenge:

Having fun inside :)

Off to other adventures:

Jeff and I took K to MLT pool this morning; it was her first time in a "real" pool, and she really enjoyed it. We were a little worried because bath time has been a bit of a rollercoaster, so we were thrilled to see her having a good time! She loved watching the other kids, too. We are going back tomorrow morning!

Afterwards in the lockeroom with Mama. I think she's ready to go :)

She loved this ball - didn't let go of it the whole time :)

Stay tuned for pictures from my Girls' Weekend in Crescent Bar and updates of Kaitlyn's new "tricks." :)

Anniversary Weekend

Jeff and I spent the weekend on Orcas Island to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary (actually not until tomorrow - July 1st). We had a great time relaxing by the pool, going out to eat, hiking, kayaking, trail running, spotting endless amounts of deer, Big Buck Hunting (the video game; don't worry), etc., etc.

Of course these are all out of order. There were sooo many starfish - I had to go down the to the water and see if I could grab one. Don't worry, I put it back safe and sound!
This was the view from dinner our second night. Not too shabby:

This is the one I was trying for. :) (See the out take below.) This was on our hike to some falls (can't remember the name...)

Our kayaking adventure. A first for both of us! I was feeling anxious about this for two weeks before we went. I have a fear of "open water" (I don't even like falling and waiting for the boat while water skiing on a lake). I ended up being fine as soon as we went out. :)

I thought I was getting a different picture, and I cannot figure out how to delete one, so here's a random, dorky picture of me for ya:

There were deer EVERYWHERE! Here are two little babies :)

The top of Mt. Constitution:

The view of Mt. Rainier. Beautiful!

8 Months Old! (A little late)

Kaitlyn turned 8 months old on June 22nd. She is growing up before our eyes. Just about two weeks ago, she started learning how to "army crawl," and has gotten pretty quick. She's now fast enough to make child-proofing necessary. I tried forever to get a video on here, but can't get it to work; oh well. She is now getting up on her hands and knees and rocking, and is now attempting to move a knee forward. Yep, we're in for it. Could be a day, could be a month, but we're definitely in for it.

Kaitlyn's current interests:

1. Cords, cords, and more cords. If there's one anywhere in the house, she'll find it.
2. Riley's ball.
3. Remote controls and cell phones.
4. Yelling. Loudly. And she likes it even better if you yell back.
5. Screeching.
6. Yogurt melts and Puffs. She gets beside herself when she sees the container.
7. Any fruit or veggie puree (although I think sweet potatoes are her favorite). She loves her food!
8. Getting Riley to bark by fake crying (he barks when she cries. Most.annoying.thing.ever.). Little stinker.
9. Saying "Mama," although I don't think she knows yet who mama is. :)
10. Saying "baba."
11. Pulling herself up onto her knees in her crib.
12. Playing with her lips to make sounds.
13. Pulling herself to standing with help (not on her own yet).
14. Gymboree Play and Learn! We went yesterday and she LOVED it! We did a free trial class - don't think we'll be able to do more because it's too expensive, but I'll have to find an alternative because it was so cute. :)

Here are some pics:

~ Our sweet girl ~

I propped her up for this one :)
Experiementing on her knees:

I was out of the room for 30 seconds, and I come back to this. She has SO many toys, but Riley's are much more interesting.

Kaitlyn got to watch her daddy play softball last night. This will be the first of many, I'm sure.

Watchin' Daddy

Happy Father's Day!

Oops - A Few More

Here are a few more pics :)
Kaitlyn and Jeff checking out the video of K "army crawling"

Hanging out with Uncle Rob at Edmonds Beach:

Kaitlyn FINALLY started sleeping unswaddled about a month ago (yay!!), and this is her new sleeping position:

Quick Update and Some Pics

This will be quick, but there's not too much that's new anyway. Jeff being done with school has been, well, a big relief. It's SO nice being able to do things without planning around his homework load. Ahhh...
I now have THREE more "wake-ups" before I'm done for the summer. WOO-HOO!! I cannot wait to spend two months with my baby girl, and to go do some fun things with friends and family. Jeff went this past weekend over to Alta Lake for a golfing trip, and I head off in mid-July for a girls' weekend at Crescent Bar. Can't wait!
Here are a few pictures from the past month or so for your viewing pleasure:

Kaitlyn loving her teddy bear. Jeff and I bought this from FAO Schwartz on one of our Vegas trips, and said that we would give it to our first baby someday... (awww...:))

So proud of her sippy cup. :)

In my opinion: Cutest picture ever:

Trying on Daddy's hat:

We stopped at the Carter's outlet on our way home from Portland the other weekend, and Jeff is showing his delight with this:

Kaitlyn had a blast on the king size hotel bed in Portland:

Don't know if I posted this in a previous one...

I accidentally posted this one again and can't delete it!

Kaitlyn and Paige catching up on what they did last weekend: