July 4th 2012

We had a blast for the 4th of July this year.  We've discovered that Amelia loves fireworks which is a good thing in a family like ours.

We actually celebrated the weekend before the 4th which gave us plenty of time to hang out.  Amelia discovered Grandma's toy cabinet and her awesome selection of toys.

Patton had a blast with Bentley and Winston.

And we discovered that he loves the sprinkler.  Doesn't like the water (see the post titled Dog Splash) but loves the sprinkler.  He's a strange dog.

He also loves gardening.  I'm not sure that Grandpa appreciated the help.

Amelia got to ride in the Mustang on the way to Carol and Ed's.

Patton also got to attend the 4th this year.  He's not a normal dog.  He'd rather sit on my lap than on the ground.

Allie was there!!! She loved Ed's new (well, new to Ed) toy.

Amelia pointing to the baby.  Ummm, there's not that much difference in age.

Allie found a squirt gun but she couldn't quite figure how to properly use it.  She kept squirting herself in the face instead of the person ahead of her.  She loved it and we loved watching it!

We also escaped to the pool with Allie, Katlyn, and Carley.  Those girls had so much fun playing in the pool together.

All in all, it was a fast, but fantastic weekend!

Dog Splash

The Greater Lincoln Obedience Club and Lincoln Parks & Rec sponsor a dog splash every year at Star City Shores.  The pool is closing for the season so they let the dogs in.  We had to take Patton this year.  He isn't the fondest of water but it sounded like so much fun.

I wish I had thought to take a picture of the parking lot.  The place was packed.  Dogs for miles. 

We arrived a bit early so we had to wait in line.  Do you know what waiting in line with a Great Dane is like?  He thinks every human around him is his best friend.  He sticks his nose under the arms of the people in front of us, as if to say, I'm here, pet me now.  Talk about a lack of personal space. 

I did snap this one picture while waiting in line.  Where do you even purchase a dog swimming suit?

Once we got inside and got the "rules" straightened out (dogs on leash unless in water, humans can only go knee deep), Dave took Patton in.  Notice his high stepping.  He kept pulling his legs up in an attempt to get out of the water.  It was pretty comical.  Poor guy couldn't figure out how to get out of the way of the water.

He did get in pretty deep, at least for him.

Erik and Megan and their two dogs joined us.  They were smart owners and thought to bring tennis balls for their dogs to fetch.  Patton did enjoy helping to fetch their tennis balls though I think it was because we don't let him have tennis balls (too small) rather than the water.

We met another Dane.  I thought Patton might pick up some water tips from him.

Guess not.

We will definitely be going back next year (with toys).  I would guess there were at least 100 dogs in the pool and it was so much fun watching all of them.  Some of the dogs even swam in the deep end of the pool. Gasp.  Maybe we can strive for that next year (or not).

13 Months Old!

Ha!  I just posted the 14 month pictures and realized I hadn't posted the 13 month photos!  I guess you can easily compare how much she's changed in one month!

14 Months Old

Our little baby is 14 months old!  What isn't she doing?  Driving....yep, that's about it.

She isn't talking a lot yet.  She makes plenty of sounds and is still growling but she hasn't picked up a lot of words yet.  Those darn ear infections really set her back.

She is walking everywhere!  You can't keep her sitting or in one place.  The only time we can get her to sit still is for meals and to help cook.  She loves to sit on the counter and "help" as we get things ready for dinner or baking.  Of course, she wants to sample everything!

June 2012

The month of June was a little rough for Amelia.  It started out ok with her birthday but kinda fell apart after that.  

Her tubes fell out of her ears at the beginning of the month.  She had surgery to replace them but still ended up with the worst ear infection yet.  Typically with her ear infections, she'd act normal but would spike a fever.  This one was horrible.  She was miserable for several days.  She was lethargic, had high fevers and was just not happy.  They finally figured out the right medicine to get rid of the infection and we finally had our happy baby back!

She also had her check up with the doctor in Omaha for her belly button hernia.  Basically, nothing has changed with the hernia and she will eventually need to have surgery to repair it. After 3 ear surgeries, we were glad to be able to postpone it!

Here's a June recap in pictures....

This is how Amelia prefers to watch Sesame Street. Naked and standing as close as she can get to the TV.

She loves her pots and pans that Grandma and Grandpa Pool got her for her birthday!

She has already figured out the doggie door.  If she'd only teach Patton, we'd be in business.

She worked really hard on improving her balance and standing.

She loves to spend time with her daddy and

her doggie.

She's weird.

There's nothing funnier than running into Patton.

We were able to get pig tails in her hair for the first time!

Amelia also attended Jazz in June for the second time (we went last year when she was less than a month old)!  This time, Jessy and Twila joined us and we had a great time.

It wouldn't be Jazz in June without UNL Dairy Store ice cream!