First time skiing!

Tyler only took her down the slight slope once, but it was a start. Yippy! Maybe next time we'll take her twice. We are just going to ease her into it. She probably won't be able to stand on her own until next year but hopefully she'll atleast enjoy being out with us at the ski hill this year.

I ran out of memory so the clip is a little short.

Fall into winter!

It's been a little while since I've been able to download some new pictures, but I think she's worth the wait. We went out to a cornmaze this fall. It was fun trying to get through but Kaija had more fun on the tractor made out of hay bales. They also had a really nice tractor ride. It took a long loop around the property.



This was Thanksgiving day after supper. She loves climbing onto chairs but she wasn't a big fan of keeping the Santa cap on.

Ohh...those cheeks are just too kissable.

Grandma Hill took Kaija outside to take some of her playing in the snow. She didn't know what to do at first, and then ended up taking a face dive into the snow with out knowing the cold consequence. I think this was taken shortly after. She is such a happy girl most days.

Kaija's 1st Birthday!

Here's the Birthday girl upon waking up. What a cute peanut to welcome in to the morning.

We did a little shopping for her party.
When Tyler got out of work, we headed to the DeYoung Zoo, in Wallace, MI, for the afternoon. Kaija really enjoyed seeing all the different animals. This was the first time she saw many of then, so it was fun to watch her.

After watching the tiger for a little bit, he became more interested in Kaija than she was in him. Good thing for double fences.

This was just a cute picture standing between the couger and lion's cage.

Our afternoon started winding down as we saw the baby camel.

All the kids really enjoyed seeing the monkey.

I just thought that this was a nice picture of the tiger.

As our day went on we went to our last day of summer bowling. During the summer Kaija and I joined Trisha, McKenna, and sometimes Randy for Wednesday night bowling. Tyler joined us on our last day as Kaija cheered me on as I took my turn.

Here's the team.

First steps, yippy!

While we were able to coax Kaija into a couple steps this past week, out of the blue she decided to do it on her own today. I was explaining to a visitor that Kaija was a bit of a chicken, and that every time she realized she was standing on her own she would sit down. Well, I stood her up in front of me to watch her sit down, only to my suprise, she stood there smirking. After about 6 seconds, she took 3 steps to me and grabbed on. I was more than happy to share my story tonight with Tyler. We tried it out again and decided to grab the camera while we were on a roll. I think this is the happiest I have been over a milestone. First one I tried to film on my own. The second, Tyler helped.

We have a bit more practicing to do but I am so excited about this start.

Busy weekend

We were pretty busy this last weekend. Friday night we had dinner and played cribbage at Morgan Lake with Floyd & Stella (great-uncle & aunt). Paul's daughter, Erica, was also able to join us for the evening. Kaija has grown quite bit since the last time Erica saw her. She was also able to enjoy the pleasure of a sleeping baby in her arms.

Saturday brought us some company, Bailey, and to Menominee where they were having a Lake Front Festival. The bigger kids were able to enjoy some blown up obsticle courses.

Bailey and Kaija were able to enjoy a pony ride too. Kaija liked sitting on the pony but wasn't quite sure what to think when it started to move. I had to hold her on while I tried to get her to grab the saddle horn.

The Water Front Festival also brought us fireworks that evening. I love fireworks. Kaija was tired and fell asleep shortly after they started.

Sunday brought us on another drive. We headed up to Marquette to Addison's 1st birthday party. She is my friend Betsy's daughter.

What a cute duo. I wish we were closer to hang out more often. They had fun playing and watching each other. We even made it to the lake for a little bit (sorry, didn't snap pics). While sitting on the beach, Kaija was still unsure of a wavy lake while Addi was a trooper and took a couple waves to the face without a whine. I was impressed.



Bailey found a new friend that day also. She enjoyed Betsy and Joel's son, James. We joined them for a Subway dinner to hang out a little longer.

We had such fun and packed weekend. The summer is ending too quick and we have a few more busy weekends to go.

Quick hands, fast feet

So I knew she was going into the dog's room. I went to look for her and this is what I found. This was the first time she crawled in to the kennel. When I took this picture I didn't realize Max was in the kennel too. Good boy!When I brought her back into the living room of course she went after the entertainment center. The radio has a pretty blue light.
This is Kaija's Mogoli crawl. She learned it from wearing dresses. She can crawl the traditional way too but she's quicker this way.

These are just a few pictures my mom took the other day. She is just so cute and inquisitive.

Of course the flower was doomed in the hands of an 11 month old.

Yeah Kaija!

I don't know where time goes or where my little baby went but here is my big girl. She is learning new things every day.

She can pull her self up on furniture.


Here is her crawling escapade.


Of course you have to use your toes too.

Like I said, she is getting soooo... big!

This doesn't need an introduction. It is just so cute how excited she is about her two new skills.

After pulling herself up, she wasn't sure what to do. She couldn't step away from the shelf...

...because her booty was balancing her.

Dance Dance Revolution

About a month ago we had fun night with bonfire at my cousin Trisha's house. Afterwards we played some games including Dance Dance Revolution. We had a great time. The kids were so funny.

I know, I know... It has been a while since I last posted but I have been having a lot of fun with my family. Here are a few pictures from our practice Easter photo shoot.

Hello camera!

This is a cute little bus that Kaija got. She needs to practice her vertical balance a little more yet.

We colored eggs a few days before Easter. Kaija seemed in awe with the colors, or just wanted to eat the egg carton.

Happy Easter kids!

This year's new arrival, Tanner, in our Easter basket setup.

Here's Kaija and me finding Easter eggs on the hunt.

Last chance for a photo-op.