Making Memories

Daddy, KK and I spent Memorial weekend in South Dakota with "Great-Grandma G" (my grandma). Grandma and Grandpa K were also there, and we got to see Auntie Carol, Uncle Bear, and Theresa too. Daddy and I took a run along the Big Sioux River and then later we all went to Falls Park. KK loved climbing on the rocks and playing by the falls.
Great-grandma got a new scooter, and KK helped her learn to drive it. There was one incident where KK's shorts got stuck on the "go" lever and they lost control and crashed into some lawn furniture, but fortunately neither of them was hurt. That was the end of KK riding on the scooter, though. haha!

It looks like we'll be going back later this fall when Great-grandma turns the big NINE-OH! I'm already looking forward to it!

Puppy Love

It's official: they are adorable.
They were only about 12 hours old when we visited (and very hungry), so they were a little difficult to photograph but you can still see that they are precious! Bailey is a fabulous Mommy, she is doing such a great job. And Uncle Geoff? He is a Rock Star. He has done so much, with help from Auntie Jill and his family, and the effort he is putting into this experience is extraordinary. I always knew he would be great, but I still think he's especially remarkable. He has a broken right hand and barely slept all night, and he's still doing everything possible to take care of Bailey and the pups. While Geoff snuggled with Bailey in her whelping box late last night, her water broke all over him (I told you he's a Rock Star). Within 15 minutes the first puppy arrived. She delivered through the night and into the morning. Seven boys and three girls. Yes, the number changed. Sadly, a tenth boy puppy was born who did not make it. Geoff did everything he could to try to save him, but it wasn't meant to be. I was able to bring him home and Daddy and I spent some time holding and petting him in the garden, where he is now at rest. (He was perfect in every way and I have a couple of pretty pictures, but won't post them here. If you want to see him, just let me know and I'll email...)

We are very excited about the puppies and are looking forward to watching them grow over the next several weeks. Stay tuned! : )

B's a Daddy!

6 puppy boys...
3 puppy girls...
NINE sweet adorable furry little puppies!!!

Details and pictures soon!

You can call her Tiger

With the beautiful weather we had this weekend, Daddy decided it was time to take his little girl to play her first round of golf. She had her own clubs and balls (from her first birthday...Daddy has been very patient) so we packed them up and headed to the course. She loved everything about it, but probably loved driving the golf cart best. Then again, maybe her favorite was the yellow golf ball that she found and tried to sneak to bed with her that night. Or maybe it was putting with Daddy's help, which they both took very seriously. Whichever her favorite, I'd say she had a wonderful time......and I'm sure there are many more games of golf in the future.

Mommies

Except for the fact that I am a terrible daughter and friend, not to mention a bird killer, we had a very nice Mother's Day. I bought cards for my mom and KK's godmother, but I never mailed them. And I killed two baby bird eggs. There was a partial nest dangling off of the side of the front porch light; half of it had already fallen down. I figured it was damaged enough that it wasn't being used anymore, so I pulled it all down. Splat! Splat! Oooops. The mommy and daddy kept coming back looking for their nest and eggs - I felt horrible and I still do. Sigh.

For Mother's Day, Daddy took me, KK and Grandma M to breakfast at the golf club. It was very nice and the food was great. For the rest of the afternoon, we just hung out and read the paper. Very low-key and relaxing. We also paid a visit to a very very special mommy-to-be...meet Bailey, BuddyBuddy's sweetie: Yep, we're going to be grandparents!!! Boston (his real name) finally figured out how it works, and my goodness he did a good job! It looks as though the litter is pretty large - probably around 8 pups?!! We'll know more after an x-ray later this week, and the puppies should arrive by Memorial Weekend. I'm not sure if we will be keeping one - but I have a feeling...

Here is a Mother's Day picture with my two babies - I think B will be such a handsome Daddy. We are very excited, and we couldn't ask for a more wonderful "dogter-in-law" than Miss Bailey. (I love that pretty belly!) We hope you had a special Mother's Day weekend, too!

Fly fly away...

Yesterday our neighbor waved for us to come over to her yard. She had some monarch butterflies that she was releasing. She had one left, and offered to let KK release it. While she was interested in looking, KK had NO interest in holding it or letting it crawl on her. Apparently all of the other monarchs flew away immediately, but this one hung around. KK watched curiously as it drank for a long time from the flowers; after awhile it joined its friends and fluttered away to freedom.

We're back! With pictures!

While KK and I were in Minnesota I caught a nasty bug (on top of my cold) and we haven't had much fun around here for a while. It has been up and down - I've had a couple of okay days in the middle of some pretty horrible ones and I'm just now starting to feel human again. The only good thing that happened was that I lost seven pounds; unfortunately most of them are already back and I'm sure the rest are on their way. Beyond that, I'll spare you any further details and I'm sure you'll thank me. : )

Our week in Minnesota was wonderful despite the bug. KK got spoiled rotten as usual, and I had a lot of help with her while I was sick. We had at least one day of great weather and got to enjoy some favorite places and people.

We spent lots of time snuggling and playing with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Rod and Auntie Shawna:


KK swiped ALL of Auntie Shawna's Care Bears from her desk, and Uncle Rod helped her take inventory...

We got to hang out with Auntie Sunshine and the boys too. We celebrated birthdays and mohawks and had a special playdate with Ruby and Auntie Sunshine's parents!


(Above: How many 'cell phone bars' do you have?)


(Above: Lovely picture of my daughter, no? Yes, it was the best one.)


We visited Minnehaha Falls, one of my favorite places ever. I spent a lot of time there as a kid, as a teenager, and especially in the mid-90's after I got my bike. One of these days KK is going to ride with me on the F0rt Snelling Trail and we'll hike around on Pike Island. (Note to anyone with money and time for a startup: South Minneapolis needs a good bike rental shop!!!)


Of course since we were in Minnesota, we had to bowl! KK bowled her first game alongside Grandpa and his league of retired friends (sooooo cute!!!)Grandpa even gave her some expert pointers...

KK got to bowl again with Auntie Sunshine at a fundraiser for ProChoice Resources. Grandpa's tips must have been good, because I think she took second place!

On our last day, KK thought the sky opened and dropped heaven into her lap. I was pretty sick, so Auntie Sunshine took her to "Nickel0deon Universe" at M@ll of Americ@ where she personally met Diego, Dora, Backpack, Map, Spongebob and more! It was four hours of pure joy for her - she is still talking about it. (She still doesn't want to go on the school bus ride again, though. haha!) She also came home with lots of presents, and then found even MORE presents in a special carry-on bag Auntie Sunshine gave her for the plane ride home. What a sweetheart. I swiped these pictures from Auntie Sunshine's blog- there are more there you can go see. KK had the time of her life - and thank you for saving me for a few hours, Sunshine! We already can't wait to go back, except next time I hope the bugs stay away!