Making our House A Home

We knew when we moved into our house in December that eventually we were going to need to do some landscaping. Well the first step this spring was when the sod got put in. It made a huge difference how our house looked with grass rather than dirt. Plus it was less messy, especially when it rained!

We went and looked at shrubs, flowers, and trees countless times before finally picking some out that we liked. We were finally at home for a whole weekend so we decided that would be the perfect time to get it done. We had beautiful weather so we decided to go for it. We went and bought all of our materials and started Saturday morning. It wasn't until Sunday night that we finally finished but for our first time we think it looks pretty good.

Here is our house before we started!

Here are the plants and mulch ready to be planted.

First things first, we had to remove all the sod from where we were going to landscape. It took a little more time then we originally planned.

We can't have a post without a picture of the cute baby! He was such a big help!

Everything is planted, so here Andrew is putting the mulch on.

We are done! Here is Brayden and I posing by the finished product.

Daddy and Brayden showing off their hard work! We really like how it turned out!

Zebras, Monkeys, and Giraffes, Oh My!

Our final day to our vacation landed us at the Minnesota state Zoo! I had never been to the zoo but Mommy and Daddy had been reading animal books so that I would be familiar with some of the animals we would see there. We started out by checking out the dolphins. Those are one of Mommy's favorites but unfortunately we just just a tad bit late and so we missed them being fed so we had to watch very carefully for them to swim by. They had their training pools open so they didn't spend much time out in the pool by the stadium. The dolphins they have are too old to do tricks so they just swim around.

After checking out the dolphins we started making our trek through the zoo on our way to the Farm. We live in Iowa so of course we were excited for the farm and they even had a cow milking demonstration! We saw monkeys, flamingos, bears and lots of other animals. We must have been there too early in the morning because a lot of the animals were sleeping. Either that or they were pretending to sleep so they could hide from all the school kids that were there on a field trip.

Once we got to the farm we were able to see that they had a petting zoo so that meant I could touch the animals. Daddy and I went in and were able to touch the goats. Mommy said she would stay outside and man the stroller but I think she was just scared. A baby goat is called a kid so that was kind of funny to see all the "kids" and real kids. Daddy held me while he pet some of the goats and so that means I got really close to the animals. Once Daddy showed me the ropes I even took a turn petting them. Mommy said I looked like I was having fun because I had a big smile on my face the whole time.

After the Farm we rode on a wagon that was pulled by 2 white horses! They were really big, even bigger then my Daddy! While we walked back on the trail Mommy was on the look out for the animals that are in my room like zebras, monkeys, lions, and giraffes. We weren't able to see all of them but the best part was....

Daddy and I got to feed a giraffe! A real giraffe who's head was the size of my entire body! I don't know how many of you can say you have fed a giraffe before. It was so cool. They had a Platform that overlooked where the giraffes were and we walked onto that and the giraffe was standing right there! The zoo keeper gave us crackers and when we held them the giraffe would eat them right out of your hand. It was so quick and the giraffes tongue was huge. Mommy took a video and also some pictures. They told us the giraffe is 8 years old so he was still pretty young. Mommy says she can't remember what his name was because it was hard to pronounce. Before we left the Zoo we found a picture frame with two giraffes on it and Daddy said we must get it to put in my room. It is on my bookshelf and it matches perfect.

Daddy, can I pet it?

Daddy actually holding a cracker out for the giraffe to eat. Watch out for his big tongue.


Family picture with the giraffe. I think the giraffe would like some more to eat since he is sticking his tongue out at us!

Daddy and I posing in the petting zoo!

The tigers were sick of all the kids tapping on the glass so they were sleeping!

While I was on the farm I was able to get a ride on my 1st John Deere tractor. My Great-Grandpa Norbert would be proud because Mommy said when she was little she used to get in and drive the tractors out in the field with Grandpa Norbert.

Minnesota Twins Game

On Monday we went to a Minnesota Twins game up in Minneapolis. They were playing the Boston Red Sox. Daddy got us seats out in center field. It was quite the view. Don't worry he had his baseball glove just in case any home runs made it our way. We couldn't believe how many people were at the game and especially how many Red Sox fans there were. I made some friends while we were there as everyone seemed to smile and wave at me. Mommy says it helped keep me entertained. We thought the game was going to be over quickly as the Red Sox scored and got an early lead and I think a lot of people thought the same thing because we saw a lot of people leaving early. We stayed till the end and we are glad we did. In the last inning the score was 6-3 and it was the last out and they put Joe Mauer in. He had not played all game because he had got hit in the game the night before. He must not have been hurting too bad though because he hit a home run. There was another guy on 1st base so they were able to bring the score 6-5 but unfortunately the next batter struck out. At least it made for an exciting finish.

Here is Daddy and I when we first got to the Metrodome. I was all decked out in baseball attire including my baseball shoes!

We got to the game early so we were able to take a few pictures before it actually started.

Here I am at the bottom of the 4th. The game must have just been that exciting huh!

Put me in coach, I am ready to play! I woke up from my nap and I am ready to catch a home run. Too bad the couple home runs that we saw didn't come in our direction.

Here is Daddy and me at the end of the game! Everyone was standing since it was the final out.

The Nixt family at the end of the Twins game. Thanks for taking me to my 1st game. I had a lot of fun. I can't wait till I can play catch with my Daddy.

Waterpark of America

Welcome to Waterpark of America, the world's largest indoor waterpark! Daddy and I took a picture in front of the statue they had right inside the door.

This was my 1st time swimming and I loved it. At first we went and checked out all the water play features at the baby area and I was a little hesitant at first but once I saw all the cool things to play with I was ready for the water.

Mommy and Daddy also took me on the lazy river but some of the kids made it seem more like a crazy river when they were bumping into our intertube. The lazy river started in the wave pool and it went all the way around the waterpark. You got a good view of everything plus along the way they had waterfalls and even a cave where it was nice and dark.

My favorite area though was the pool with the basketball courts. I was able to practice my front and back floats with Mommy and play basketball with Daddy. Mommy and Daddy liked this area too because they could get in and weren't so cold.

I loved swimming so much we went back 4 times! One time Daddy was holding me and I just put my head down and the next thing I know I was asleep. I guess the water must have really worn me out. It was so nice that we had all day passes so we could go back up to the room whenever we wanted.

Day one of our first family vacation was a huge success. Daddy said he thought I had so much fun that maybe we could go back there again next year. I think he just wanted to ride the water slides again though!

We're On Vacation

We will add more pictures and descriptions when we get back home, but here is a preview of what we've done so far on our vacation in Minnesota. Brayden loved the waterpark. We will be going to a Twins baseball game this afternoon, and then to the zoo tomorrow.

I love my king size bed. Can I get one of these in my room mommy and daddy?

Look at me swim! Well not quite yet, but I will before you know it.

Luckily we have this intertube or else we might drown with daddy's excellent swimming skills.

18 and counting...

And no I don't mean the Duggar family! Brayden is 18 lbs 9 ounces! He is now 27 1/2 inches! Wow to think he has gained 10 pounds in 7 months! What a big boy we have on our hands. No wonder my arms get tired when holding him!

Welcome Baby Caitlin!

Welcome Caitlin, we are so excited you finally decided to come out and meet everyone. Mommy tells me she was over 8 pounds when she was born which was about the same when I was born. We went to visit her at the hospital on Friday. It wasn't that long ago that we were there enjoying our little miracle. I am excited to have someone new to play with. I will even share my cars with her. Here is our first of many pictures together!

Mom, look at the baby! She is so small but pretty cute.



Caitlin Ann Lemke- born May 14, 2009

Congrats Grandma Lemke! She is so excited for her first Grandchild.

Happy 7th month Birthday to my BABY!

Time flies when you're having fun. That is exactly how Andrew and I would describe the last 7 months. It has flown by but we have had so much fun with Brayden. Everyday is something new and it seems like just yesterday he was coming home with us. Most people know that I take a ton of pictures and let me just say I am not exaggerating when I say a ton but there is nothing better then reminiscing with the old pictures. I went through and tried to pick out a picture from each month to show you just how much Brayden has changed. When he was born everyone said he looked just like Andrew but now as he gets a little older his hair has lightened and he is starting to look a little more like me!

Aww! Brayden is not even 24 hours old yet! Look at those chubby cheeks.

1 month old- Good things come in small packages!

2 months- Merry Christmas!

3 months- Most people comment on Brayden's pretty big blue eyes.

4 months- Playing with Daddy. Look how good I can sit up!

5 months- Look at how much his hair has changed. It has turned blonde and is getting much longer.

6 months- Brayden is multi-talented. He can sleep while still chewing on some rings.

7 months old- Happy Birthday Brayden! You are such a big boy!

My 1st Mothers Day

This was my 1st Mother's Day and Andrew and Brayden made sure it was a good one. Brayden was a very good and I think it was because he knew it was Mother's Day.

They got me the best gift ever! It was a beautiful digital picture frame that Andrew had already put pictures on. It started with a belly shot before Brayden was born and then it went through all the pictures we had taken of just Brayden and I. It was awesome and I love watching the slide show. It even has music with it. On top of having pictures on it you can also download videos. Last weekend I was in Omaha with my mom and I left Brayden home with Andrew so while I was gone they made a video to put on my frame of all the reasons Brayden was thankful for Mommy. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen. When we got home on Sunday Andrew told me that there was a surprise out on the deck and when I went out there I found a hanging plant! Andrew said it was Brayden's idea :) It has pretty pink flowers. Sunday night, Andrew even grilled supper for me while I played with Brayden. It was such a fun day to spend with my family!

Happy Mother's Day Mommy

My mommy is the best. This was her day, and I think she had a great time. I got her a hanging plant and a digital picture frame (of course it had pictures and videos of me and my mommy on it). Thank you for everything you do for me mommy! I love you so much!

Welcome to the Jungle!

When we were anxiously waiting for Brayden, we like most first time parents researched car seats, cribs, exosaucers, swings and everything else under the sun that you could possibly need for a baby. We wanted to find the perfect bedding that we could use to create that perfect nursery. Andrew actually picked it out but I fell in love with it to. It was a jungle theme with lions, monkeys, elephants, giraffes, and zebras. His room went there many stages as we worked on it, one step at a time. We got the perfect accessories to make his room extra special. By the way, did you know Brayden's room is the only room we have painted? We love how it has turned out and I thought I would share some pictures of the transformation his room has undergone!

It all started on Halloween when we took Brayden to go see our house and that was when he claimed his room.

This shows Brayden's jungle theme. Andrew created the mural above Brayden's bed and he loves to look up and talk to those animals.

We had these letters made special for Brayden. They turned out great and he loves looking up at them. By the way, it seems like a recent trend that every kid I know has their name spelled out in some sort of letters somewhere in their room! Coming from a teacher, that is a great way to help children learn their names and letter recognition :)

On one side of his room he has his changing station, clothes hamper, bookshelf, reading corner, and his growth chart.

Brayden is lucky because I had a large collection of books before he came along that I used for teaching but I decided that I give them to him and put them in his room, so he has so many books that he has some on his bookshelf but he has another bookshelf in his closet with more books!

Who wouldn't want to wake up to that face everyday? I know Andrew and I count our blessings each day as we are able to see Brayden grow and change right before our eyes. We love you Brayden!