Party Like You're...90!

Nina and I joined the rest of my family and 70 other members of my Dad's side of the family to celebrate my Grandmother's 90th birthday. While she turned 90 in January, the festivities have continued though July, culminating with an all day family reunion this past Saturday in the Pittsburg area. While the trip was quite exhausting for the kids (and I'm sure I would have aged an extra 5 years without the travel help of my faithful sidekick, Mouse), they really enjoyed themselves at the party on Saturday.

Our 13 Month Old

At the Farm Again

The farm has become a big hit since Nina is recognizing all the animals now. She does a pretty good "moo" imitation for the cow and a single "baa" when she sees the sheep. The ducks are still a big hit, and the playground onsite is also a bonus. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0obquQwq68

Off to a Cookout

Nina and I headed out yesterday evening for a cookout with some friends from JMU. Nina was very excited to wear her cool red shoes (a gift a friend brought back from overseas), and she loved swinging on Judd and Chrissy's hammock, climbing their stairs, and checking out their dog.

Ravioli

One of Nina's favorite meals is ravioli. You can see how much she enjoys it but how much cleaning up there is to do afterwards! To get the full effect, click on the picture, and the enlarged photo shows the mess a little better.

Dancing Queen

So, it seems that we just can't get enough of the dancing. For some reason, it strikes us as so funny. For those of you that enjoy "baby dancing," you might like these clips from Nina's dance party yesterday. As you can see, the dancing doesn't have a whole lot of variation yet, but she's working on it.
She starts out with Mark: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6a7y10VB74
Then takes a little fall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWeaOPp6RwM
Then is right back to dancing again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sGvH9WsfBk

The Little Ghost

I haven't posted in nearly a week, but things are perking up a bit around here, so I've got the camera back out. Nina has not been feeling well since last week, and that makes for little to capure with pictures (unless you like runny noses and whining). Anyway, Nina perked up this morning and was making us laugh when she was walking around looking like a little ghost.

Baby Pool Fun

Nina really enjoys the baby pool she got for her birthday!

Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day, so we headed out to my mom and dad's to celebrate Mark, Garland, and my dad. They enjoyed some fishing, good food, and golf watching. Meanwhile, Emme and Nina were enjoying the Barbie Jeep (see video) and swinging on the hammock with my mom. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os58G5zxAtA

Emme's Birthday Party

Emme turns 3 on Tuesday, but her party was today. It was quite the bash, complete with a House of Bounce, a huge blow up water slide, mini-pools, and good food. Here are a few pictures from the party, and a little video of the birthday girl (the camera woman unfortunately missed the first part of the b-day song...) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hP5ctFme_I

A Little Video Today

On any typical day, Nina starts off wanting to play with some toys...

Then she wants to get moving pretty quickly....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe-j17r6RYw

...and stays moving while playing and listening to music...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aToC2FY1L4

Then she finishes things up by yelling at the neighbors...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WERCM6Hsi5s

Visiting Emme and Ryleigh

Nina and I went out to visit Ryleigh and Emme yesterday. We had fun on the swings at the park, and Emme and Nina enjoyed some time in the baby pool back at Emme's house. Ryleigh is three weeks old now, and Nina definitely likes her little baby cousin.

A Good Way to Spend a Rainy Day

With Mark still in CA and the day being a dreary one, Nina and I enjoyed a visit out to my mom and dad's. We had the pleasure of spending the day with Craig Wood, a close family friend from Colorado. Nina also enjoyed spending time with Emme and getting the chance to check out she and Emme's joint birthday present - the Barbie Beach Party Jeep. Since it was raining, they didn't get to take it out of the garage to drive it, but judging from Emme's driving skills in the garage, we're thankful there are seatbelts!

Pool Visit

Nina and I went to our community pool today for the first time (well, her first time). She really enjoyed the baby pool, and I'm looking forward to going back and taking her in the big pool with me. She really liked learning how to kick her legs, and she liked when I swirled her around in the water, so it was a good start. We just might be pool rats this summer!

Taking Care of her Teeth

Even though there are only six little teeth, it's evidentally very important to Nina to brush them (with my toothbrush, of course).