Summer Vacay Dailies: Week Six

All I can say after the past week is, "Thank the LORD for cooler weather today!"  If I didn't realize how pregnant I felt before, I definitely understand it after the sweltering hundred-some-degree-heat-index days we've had.  Isn't it funny, though, how our perspective of things changes depending on circumstances?  I mean, last summer it was hot ALL the time around these parts, but this year since it's been so cool for so long, that a few humid days seemed liked a new kind of eternal damnation to me- I'm sure the extra blubber I'm carrying around doesn't help in any of this! 

This past weeks events:

Thursday July 4

Happy Independence Day!!

Ahhhh....our 4th was so relaxed.  We did our usual Thursday errands in Ames and picked up some DQ lunch to take to a local park.  And what's more American than some barbeque, watermelon, and potato salad?!  Little girl saw her first fireworks display in Nevada and it was absolutely perfect.  We were able to park right off the ramp and watch the show from the trunk of the Durango.  Her favorite part, and the time she was most engaged, was the finale, of course!

Friday July 5

When you are at baseball all week, and you have a few game-free days, what better way to spend one of them than at a softball game?  Cailyn had fun running all over the football field and digging in the red rock.  She even got to spend some time with our daycare provider, whose daughter plays for the softball team. 

 

Saturday July 6

Jerod had All-Conference selections Saturday morning and Cailyn was wrapped up in a movie so I had a few minutes to whip up some new burp cloths for the little nugget pummeling me from the inside- they're even baseball themed, it's pretty appropriate, right?  We met up with my brother, Tom, in Ankeny for some lunch and so that I could begin picking up supplies for Cailyn's birthday party in a couple weeks.  I was craving cookie dough, but since salmonella is generally frowned upon, I hunted down an egg-free recipe, which I found here.  Mmmmm...it hit the spot (possibly two nights in a row).

Sunday July 7

Our friends, Nate and Leah, have a fishing boat and invited us out for a spin around Hickory Grove.  Cailyn wasn't too sure at first, but after stopping at the beach for some fun in the sand and sun all she wanted was to reach over the side of the boat to touch the water.  Don't worry we always had a firm grasp on her life jacket straps!  That night we reinstalled carpet pad in the man room and unrolled the carpet to find out that our carpet has shrunk slightly.  Bummer, and not quite sure what we're going to do to remedy that situation...

Monday July 8

 

Back in the swing of baseball!  We had the first of the last three home games of the season and Papa and Grandma Brown came out for a visit.  Cailyn also managed to get dirtier in one night than I think she has in all the baseball nights of this season combined.  Good thing she loves showers as much as she loves dirt!

Tuesday July 9

We have a birthday coming up soon and I've been trying to get in some mini photo sessions when our chica seems like she's in a playful yet cooperative mood.  I can't say that she was either of those things on this day.  In fact, I'm pretty sure a better word would have been feisty, but I was able to get some decent shots and that's all that mattered.  She received the first 2nd birthday gift from her Uncle Beau and his girlfriend, Taylor.  She really wanted to wear it to the baseball game that night, but the heat index was about one hundred degrees so we nixed that idea.  I've been trying to take some maternity photos, too.  I never had any with Cailyn, just belly pics.  I'd really like to get a family picture of the three of us, also, before we become a family of four.

 

 Wednesday July 10

We bought a tree for our backyard today!  I didn't realize so much went in to picking out a tree, what with considering the fulness of the foliage, and the straightness of the trunk.  I'm so glad the gardener at the nursery was as knowledgeable and helpful as she was!  Being as it was the last home game of the season, that meant we had Senior Night on the baseball schedule.  A rose for the moms and the opportunity to throw a "first pitch" to their son for the dads, made for a nice little presentation before the game.  Lots of playmates and a win helped top off the night!

Just an FYI: since I started these posts I have filled up my memory card twice- that's over two thousand photos!!  More dailies next week!