Creature Feature Part II

Okay, so last spring, Amber blogged about the yucky animals they had been having around their house and titled her post Creature Feature. I am now utterly discusted with creatures that have been around our house this summer and so I am posting part 2! I am so freaked out right now that my feet are up on my chair - yes!! Our creatures this summer have not been outside of our house but inside - it's an invasion!!!

It all started in spring when Scott woke me up one morning while he was saying hello to Kalia by aking "Brandi . . . have you left the door open lately?" I responded promptly with "What is it?! I don't want to know!! Don't make me come over there!" But he did, and I saw a little baby frog hopping around in Kalia's room! So, Scott put it in a box and brought it outside. Whew, that was over with . . . or so we thought. The next week I was making my bed, and say something move out of the corner of my eye. I just thought it was a piece of lint that had fallen on the ground, but much to my dismay, the lint hopped, and sure enough it was another frog!! I quickly put a cup over it so it couldn't hop away and called Scott in a panicked voice. However, since he was at work, I had to get rid of it myself, so I slid a piece of cardboard under it, and flung it out the front door. By this time I was wondering where they came from. Two frogs is NO coincidence! A few days later, I was walking down the hall, and hop hop hop in front of me went another little baby frog!! Scott and I could not figure out where they were coming from, and by this time, I started to wear shoes around the house. Then, just when I thought our house was safe from these slimy critters, one sat on my bathroom floor the next week staring up at me. Eww! Now, I normally don't mind frogs, but in the house?!? One is funny, two is weird, three is just plain gross, but four? That's just plain freakish!! Unfortunately, we never figured out where they came from, but fortunately, they haven't come back since.

Anyways, this frog business seems like a walk in the park compared to what I am dealing with now!! A few nights ago, we heard a strange noise as we were falling asleep. I didn't think anything of it, though. I just credited it to our fan hitting a stray piece of paper in the office, or possibly the plastic inside of Kalia's diaper genie unraveling (happens sometimes). However, in the morning I heard the sound again and checked the aforementioned items which were both not the culprit. Then, I realized that the noise was coming from my little makeup room off of our bedroom. I saw some half-deflated helium balloons brushing against my metal garbage can, so I moved them away. The noise continued, and I realized it was coming from the cupboard under the sink. Okay, so we've had a water leak problem there before, so I simply thought that water must be dripping onto a plasic bag or one of my Mary Kay magazines or something. I opened the door - no water. As I closed the door, I saw out of the corner of my eye that one of the magazines was all ripped. That's strange, I thought, I don't remember ripping any pages out of that one. Then it dawned on me - I knew exactly what kind of creature ripped paper - a mouse!!! I am terrified of mice, people - I almost started crying. Luckily, I was going to Winnipeg with my Scott's mom and his fearless sister, Kaitlyn, that day. I called Scott, who told me to call them with instructions to bring some traps. I waited in fear to call until a decent hour (7:45) but Scott had already called there. Help was on the way. So, Kaitlyn set the traps, and off we went to Winnipeg. I went home with them after, afraid to be alone at home, until Scott was done work.

When Scott and I got home the trap was empty. I tried to console myself by thinking that it had found its way back outside, but it didn't really work. However, I felt much braver with Scott at home. He chekced outside to find the problem spot where the critter could have entered the house while I stood WAY on the other end of the house. After a few hours, I was quite relaxed already and so when Erik called Scott and offered him a ride to hockey in the city at 10:00 that night, I foolishly told him I would be okay and he could go. As the dark grew, so did my fear. I ended up sleeping on the couch until Scott came home and - Praise God - found the mouse caught in the trap. He told me to close my eyes, and brought it outside, and thankfully we've had none since (though the traps are still set). I still wear shoes in my bedroom and do NOT go into my little makeup room unless I absolutely have to. ICK!

Summer Fun

On the weekend at the cabin, we had more friends come up to visit! I was really dissapointed because it looked like Scott wouldn't be able to come at all because of working on the field. The forecast called for rain, but with Manitoba weather you never really know. So Orv and Darlene, Kelli, Des, Megan and Connor, James and Sherisse showed up Friday evening for supper (dad had come in the afternoon). We ate a yummy supper outside on the deck overlooking the lake, and then spent the evening visiting. I talked to Scott on the phone in the evening and he said it didn't look like rain at home yet, so I was sure he wasn't going to be joining us. Imagine my surprise to hear a knock on my bedroom window and see a flashlight shining in at 12:20 am. I opened the blinds and there was my husband smiling at me and asking me to let him in! He snuck in without anyone else hearing him and when the guys went golfing early in the morning they were shocked when they saw Scott walking out into the kitchen. Scott was so happy to see Kalia, too. She squealed and kicked when she saw his face in the morning (I let him wake her up before golf 'cause, hey, I was awake anyway and may as well feed her!). What a great husband I have - I love surprises like that. While the guys golfed, the girls lazed around and read and talked about all sorts of funny things. Interesting and funny topics always comes up when the group of us are together and we share a lot of laughs. It was kind of cool and rainy, but we still spent a lot of time at the dock. In the evening, some of us watched a movie, and some played games, but my poor hubby went to bed. He was pretty wiped from a long week of work from his job during the day and then going on the field every spare minute. Oh well - cabins are supposed to be for rest right? After everyone left on Sunday afternoon, Scott and I hung out with my family (Jenna showed up Sunday evening, too) for a few more hours before heading home. I feel so fortunate that my family has such a great place to have "mini vacations" during the summer. And, I love the bright colors in the cabin - it makes it so warm and cozy and fun!

More Pictures

Trying out the Remote Control Boat that we gave Dad for his birthday

Mom, Des, Kelli and Megan went for a paddleboat ride on the calm water . . .

. . . while Cristina, Auntie Darlene and I were swarmed by a flock of 20 Canadian Geese at the Dock! Those things are phycho!

Kalia Rose

Cheerful little bunny after her morning bath

Looking up adoringly at Nana talking to her as she swings.

Having fun with Great Auntie Lill. She talked up a storm and made lots of faces.

Some new things she started this week:

Pulling herself all the way to her feet from lying down while holding onto someone's fingers, and then holding her weight for a few minutes.

Playing with toys; seeing and then grabbing for them

Playing with her toes and bringing them to her mouth - so flexible!!

Play Time!

We had a fabulous few days at the cottage this week! Amber and Hailey, along with Raquel and Auntie Lill joined me, Kalia, Mom, and Cristina to spend some quality time. Hailey and Kalia really got a chance to bond. Hailey talked and talked about "Baby La-La" (ya-ya?) and Kalia smiled up at her every time she came nearby. It will be so fun once they can play together. It was relaxing, but at the same time quite busy with two little ones. The cutest thing was that whenever someone would say something in a "baby" voice, both Hailey and Kalia would look and smile - I guess they're both used to that voice being reserved for them in the house!! The weather wasn't the greatest so we only got to swimming one day, but we went for a walk and played games too. It's so fun to have family/friends that you can just relax with and be yourself with. Poor Hailey was pretty unsure of what to think of my family's dog, Chloe. She seemed intruiged and wanted to watch her, but it was way too scary every time she came close! One of the highlights of the week was when Hailey helped give Kalia her bath!! She was very gentle and it seemed to be fun for both of them.

Prayer Request

Hey blogger family, I have an important prayer request to share with you all. My in-laws have friends whose son just got married about 7 months ago, and now they found out that his wife has a very serious and life-threataning form of cancer the doctors here said there was nothing they could do and so they are heading to Minnesota to explore other options. They could really use all the extra prayer they can get. Their names are Earl and Ramona and they are the assistant directors for Beaver Creek Bible Camp. Check out their blog, too, if you would like - it's in my links.

Where Does the Time Go?

Three months old allready?!? It boggles the mind. How can someone change so much in such a short time. I grow more and more in love with this little girl every day, and I miss her sometimes even when she is just sleeping! I feel sometimes like I could just sit and hold her all day long. God really knew what he was doing when he created babies so tiny, cuddly and beautiful . . . oh and their sweet baby smell! One can't help but love and adore them. So we did our little monthly photo shoot again, and now that she's smiling and giggling I had an impossible time deciding which ones to post. Some of the new things she's doing now are:
Propping herself up on her arms when on her tummy
Grabbing her knees
Holding her hands together like she's saying a little prayer
Making an "ah-goo" noise and giggling
Grasping everything in sight and inspecting it very carefully before sucking on it
Rolling onto her side from her back
"Shimmying" from side to side or even in a circle while lying down
Play a teasing little game of smiling and then hiding her face

Kalia's New Friend

Welcome to the world Isabelle Jayde!! Little Isabelle was born to proud parents Andrea and Graydon Voth on Monday, July 31st at 8:04 am! She weighed in at 8 lbs 2 oz and is 20" long. What a little sweetheart. Kalia and I went to see them in the hospital on Tuesday afternoon. I am so happy that she had a little girl to be friends with my little girl! She is beautiful and Andrea looked great, too! It was fun to compare what a newborn looked like compared to a 3 month old baby (the difference was incredible!) I could hardly believe that my Kalia Rose had been smaller than that at one time! When I picked Isabelle up she was so light that it felt like I was only holding blankets! Since I see Kalia every day, I never really notice her growing and changing dramatically but this sure proves it to me if I had any doubt. I had to of course sneek a picture of Andrea with Kalia, too. I look foreward to many playdates and fun times together as mommies. Congratulations you guys!

Kalia's First Parade

During the Stampede, we took Kalia to see the parade on Saturday morning. She was pretty content the whole time, but the loud horns honking and the fire sirens scared her a bit and made her jump. It was hot, hot, hot, so we weren't too sorry when it was over.

"Auntie Kaitlyn" rode horse in the parade, but Kalia didn't seem to notice (hee hee).

Visiting with Cousins

Scott's Aunt and Uncle came out from Florida for most of July, so we got to spend some time with them. His cousins have all been looking at pictures of Kalia on the blog, so they were excited to meet her. Below, Lynette is holding her while Cassidy and Kai (short for Hezekaiah)check her out (and Holly, who is one of the cousins that lives around here). And in the picture above is little Nicky who is about 18 months old.

These were our two ring bearers (Jordan and Kai). They've grown up so much since then, but they're still so cute!!

Relaxing with Great-Grandma Siemens

Scott's cousin Tess loves Kalia - I think she would be a great baby-sitter someday! That is, if either of Kalia's Grandmas ever allow us to get one! :)

Kalia is having the longest nap EVER today, so I'm going crazy posting to make up for lost time. She had her first shots yesterday, so I think that's kind of tired her out. It was so sad to hear her cry out in pain when those needles got stuck in her leg, but thankfully I didn't have to watch. Scott's mom came along and held her for the needles so that I could be the one that comforted her afterward and not be the "bad guy". She was a trooper though - even gave the health nurse a smile afterward.

Ring Bearers

These two cuties were the ring bearers in our wedding three years ago. It was fun having them meet Kalia and spend a little bit of time with her. We wish we got to see John and Lynette and the kids more often.

Camp Fire on a HOT day!

Brent and Terrilee had our Bible Study group over for a fire a few weeks ago but it was so hot we hardly needed a fire to cook our food!! We all brought something and had a delicious meal of pie irons, and salad and chips. It was fun seeing Hailey and Emery run around together and swing on the tire swing (soo cute). I always enjoy the closeness and fellowship we have with this group. I feel so comfortable and that we can all be honest and open. I just realized there are hardly ever pictures of me on this blog with Kalia - I'll have to make the effort to hand Scott the camera more often.

Little Scott's Birthday Party!

Kalia and I were invited to a pool party for Kevin and Becky's son Scott celebrating his second birthday. Kalia was too little to swim, of course, so we just hung out in the shade mostly with the moms. It was a fun time, and nice to see some of the other moms that I don't spend time with very often. It's hard to believe sometimes that next summer Kalia will probably be running around and jumping in the water too! I know she'll have some great little friends in this group. I am already looking foreward to joining Morning out for Mom's this fall to get to know more of the young moms in our area better. Especially living in a different town than we go to church in, I don't get to do things like go for a quick walk with a friend very often so this will be a nice way so have some time every week with those friends and for Kalia to get to know the other kids around her age too as she grows up.

Fun Times at the Cottage

I love pictures of her sleeping on her tummy! I guess because it doesn't happen often and it just looks so cute and sweet! Oh I could just squeeze her to bits!

I was told this week that she looks like mu dad, and I never would have thought so until I looked at this picture of her with Cristina. Not that I think Kalia looks like a grown man (haha) but I can definitely see the family resemblence.
Kalia in her first little swimsuit and slippers


Dad and Scott always enjoy tubing on the lake - I've been too chicken to try any water sports yet this summer!

Kalia in what I call her "beach bum" outfit. She seems to enjoy the fresh air and sitting under the umbrella down by the lake.