Lake Tahoe

Well, we survived our first time away from Nick. Last Thursday Grant and I set out up to Lake Tahoe for a weekend away. We missed Nicolas terribly but we had a great time. It was a beautiful place filled with lots of stuff to do. We stopped at REI on the way up to get me a few things so I could join Grant hiking. We had 2 great hikes. The first was up Mt. Tallac to Cathedral Lake. We made it about 2/3 of the way there when we encountered a bear and quickly turned around and made our way down the mountain. It snowed most of the day but it was a great hike nonetheless...

Our second hike started at Lily Lake and was a beautiful hike along several waterfalls. Again, it snowed but it was well worth it.

All in all, Grant and I decided we would definitely go back. Although next time, we'd like to bring Nicky along. It just isn't the same without him :).

Daddy's Helper

Yesterday we shipped out 62 boxes and Nick was ready to help. Here are some pictures of him helping Daddy...

Trying on Mommy's Shoes for Size

It has been so much fun to watch Nick grow up over the last 23 months. Here is one of my favorite recent pics of him. Lately he wants to try on everyone's shoes so here he is trying on my flip flops for size. Anymore, he will always turn away if he knows you want to take a picture so getting pics of him is a matter of absolute surprise :).

A lot to catch up on...

After a few requests to start blogging again, I figured I better get everyone caught up since the last post back in January. So...here goes.

In mid-January, we got Nick a kitchen set which he absolutely loves. One of his favorite things is to put water in the sink and play in it. Whether he's washing dishes or rocks, he's always playing in the water.

Then in February, we visited the Wild Animal Park with our friends, Nicole & Ellie, and we had so much fun!
And then there was Valentine's Day. What a cutie!

Oh yeah, and we can't forget our trip to SeaWorld with Ellie & Nicole. What a blast!

Easter was so much fun this year. Nick was totally into finding the eggs. Since I didn't want to give him candy in his eggs, I filled them with stones (which he collects) and he loved it. He did get an Easter basket with goodies in it but he was more interested in the rock filled eggs than anything else. Also, he had an adorable Easter outfit which he promptly got dirty so all of the Easter pics are in an outfit he totally picked out. Here ya go...

In April, we took a trip back to Oklahoma to visit my parents. We had a great time and Nicky picked up on saying "Nannie" & "Pa" (short for Grandpa) very quickly. Here are a couple of pics from our trip.

So, that about does it. Life is always exciting around here with an almost 2 year old and we wouldn't want it any other way. Until next time...

Fun at Chuck E. Cheese

We have recently re-discovered Chuck E. Cheese. Grant and I went there as kids and loved it and now, Nicky loves it too. The first time he went, he went with Grandma & Gramps. The second and third time, we went with our friends Nicole & Ellie. Here's are some of the highlights...

His all time favorite...Bob the Builder.

Checking Barney out...

Playing with Ellie...

Nicky Was Here

There's nothing like entering a room and discovering that for the 30 seconds you were changing out the laundry, your child was dismantling the place. Nicky knows what is off limits but sometimes I think those forbidden drawers and rooms are way too tempting. So, here's my list of ways I know Nicky has been where he shouldn't be.

1. There are 5 water bottles laying around in disarray.
2. My chapstick is on the floor and there's a gaping finger-shaped hole in the center. Yes, I've thrown away about 4 tubes of chapstick by now. You'd think I would find a better hiding place :). 3. There's a puddle of water on the floor.
4. The drawer is empty and the contents are not just pulled out but are flung around the room.
5. The remote to the TV is MIA. Usually to be found behind the rocking chair in his room.
6. The look on his face tells me everything I need to know...except where he hid my cell phone.

Merry Christmas!

We have had an extremely busy holiday season but today, we just sat back and relaxed with family and friends. We had such a wonderful day! Grant and I were blessed with many great gifts but I think my favorite gifts were those given to Nicky. Grant and I got him a firetruck which he loved and even ate lunch in it. He received lots of toys but several meaningful gifts including a flag my mom had flown over the nation's capitol in his honor. As a family, we got a Wii which has been in use most of the day :). Here's a few highlights of our Christmas...

Breakfast in his favorite drawer.

Nicky in his new firetruck with Elmo.

Christmas 2007...and no, Nicky was not happy about taking this picture :).