Happy Birthday Jerr-Man

Our Jerry is 3 years old ... or 21 in dog years! To celebrate we gave him some beer. WOOF!

Jerry is the best dog any one could ever wish for.

My college roommate, Tara, remembers 8 years ago when we both got matching stuff yellow labs. I named mine Jerry and hers Nelly. Jerry finally became a reality and Tim and I would have never expected how much Jerr would become a part of our lives.

He is definitely still a puppy at heart. He has random energy spurts, chases dragonflies, sniffs the floor like a hoover vacuum, runs into VERY obvious big tree trunks, and constantly has some wound on him from playing. Jerry doesn't bark (unless you are a scary person at the door), he parks-it, sleeps in the corner of our couch, and does not take food unless he's told it's okay. He loves to lay on O's blankets and allows her to pull out his hair... We've got the most amazing dog!

For our puppy's birthday he got a couple of gifts and a special dinner :)

Hot in Houston

UGH! I know it's supposed to be hot in Houston...but this is really hot! We have had temperatures 95 and above since June 9th....with most of the days 98 or higher. The past seven days have been triple digits!!

Needless to say...we have been finding ways to stay cool.

Here are some weather facts I have found:

*Calendar of Temperatures for June

*The period May 1 2009 through June 28 2009 is now the driest period in Houston weather history. A paltry 0.65 inches of rain has fallen over the last 57 days. The normal rainfall for this period is 9.91 inches.

Sippy Cup

Olivia is now drinking water using her sippy cup :)

The Outtens

We've hanging out a lot with Mike and Chris...and it's been sooo fun! Today we went to dinner and had yummy mexican, then followed up with our weekly game night
(oh yeah...I WON...TWICE!).

Move It

Bunco

Tonight was the first Bunco night and it was here at the Hertel House. We had a great time together and are looking forward to many more nights out!!

(oh...I didn't win...but watch out for our next meeting!!)

Painting

Tiff, Chris and I have spent the past two day painting Baby Outten's room. Creative Chris has a beautiful plan for the nursery and I'm so excited to see the final product with furniture and baby :)
Before - Pepto Pink
Day 1 - Tape and Prime Walls
Day 2 - Tape off chair rail and Paint
Finished!
Never knew painting could be so much fun!
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I captured this PRICELESS picture of Miss Taylor.

She is celebrating her 5th birthday with some colorful jewelry.
Happy Birthday Pretty Lady!

I'm My Daddy's Girl

6 Month Photos

Ms. Kris Evans is back to capturing amazing moments. Here is the link for her six month photos. Notice that she's already a swimsuit model!! (thank you to Mr. Owen and Ben/Jenn for the adorable leopard bathing suit)

She has grown sooo much from her newborn and three month photo shoots.

Happy Father's Day

(O's shirt says, "Daddy's Little Lady")
Happy Father's Day to all the fathers/grandfathers out there....especially my baby's daddy :) Happy 1st Father's Day Tim! We love you sooo much and appreciate all you do for us!
We started our morning with opening of presents...and then spent a fun day together. We played some games, walked around Best Buy, went out to dinner, and then visited our neighbor's pool for an evening swim. It was a perfect day!

Coffee & Boats

Today we started our morning with a walk to Starbucks. We all enjoyed some coffee and then decided to go to the Houston Boat Show. Olivia liked the Mastercraft boats best :) Daddy and I couldn't disagree with her.

3 Month Clothes

All 0-3 Month and 3 Month clothes have been packed away...and yes, there are a couple of outfits still with tags on. She's growing!!

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Today I put a load of laundry in the washer and I left Olivia on the blanket. When I came back into the family room...Olivia was no longer on the blanket. She had rolled herself (and her favorite toy) across the rug. Busy Lil' Bee...

Grana -- we hope you are having a great birthday.
We love you lots!!

6 Month Stats

We went to the doctor today and it was a good report. She noted some swollen bottom gums and said that teeth should be coming soon. Before we went in I knew that Miss O had gained some serious weight. I guessed that she would be 15 pounds...and I was right!!

Weight 15 lbs 2 ounces *** 25-50 percentile
Height 26 inches *** 50-75 percentile
Head Circumference 17 1/4 *** 75-90 percentile

previous appointments: birth, 2 month, 4 month

We no longer go to the doctor every two months, now it's every three. So our next appointment is at 9 months...and NO SHOTS THAT TIME! :)

Baby Sign

We have been using a couple signs with Olivia.
She already recognizes the sign for MILK :)
Signs we are still working on: more, finished, please, eat, sleep

June 13 2008 - Ultrasound Pictures

One year ago on the 13th we had our second ultrasound. I was 13 weeks along. We had a special test called a NT scan (Nuchal Translucency Screening). The doctor said that I didn't need to have the test done because I wasn't high risk, but it would be another chance to have an ultrasound and she mentioned we MIGHT be able to find out the sex. So of course, we decided to have the test.

-

When we arrived, the ultrasound technician started taking the necessary measurements...and I asked if she could see the sex. Before this appointment Tim and I had both talked about how we thought we were having a boy. I explained to the technician that it was our five year anniversary tomorrow and we would love to have a guess. The technician immediately said that she wasn't 100% sure, but it looks like a girl. IMMEDIATELY, I broke down into complete sobs. Absolute, body shaking, sobs. It must have been some hormones going crazy... The ultrasound tech asked me if I was okay and actually had to stop the ultrasound because of how obnoxious I was being. Needless to say we were thrilled and started thinking of our world with a little girl.

We said you were our Mini Lady :)

Happy 6 Year Anniversary...

...to us! We have now been married longer than we were dating :) For our celebration we went to see a movie (The Taking of Pelham 123 - we don't recommend) and then went out to eat at the Melting Pot...YUMMY!! It was a lovely evening and we really appreciate Mike and Chris watching Miss O for us!

(this picture is a little blurry...but it shows how much fun Miss Chris is!)

Happy 1/2 Birthday

WHOOP WHOOP! You are six months old today! Time flies and you are growing sooo much!! Since your birthday is close to Christmas, Mommy and Daddy have decided to celebrate your half birthday every year :) LUCKY GIRL!

We had a lovely celebration! Mike and Chris came over for dinner and cake. They helped create half birthday accessories (birthday crown and bottle koozie) and brought a little outfit for you (very thoughtful!). Aunt Erin and Uncle Kevin had sent a 1/2 birthday card ... notice the pink pig in the picture :)

For your gift from us we got you Leap Frog Baby Musical Table. We are not going to put the legs on it yet, so that you can use it while you are sitting.

Right before you went to bed we sang Happy Half Birthday and you got upset! The picture says it all...mommy and daddy were laughing and you were screaming. LoL.

All better...drinking your milk from your fancy "O-Town" koozie and Half Birthday Crown.

Shopping Cart Rider!

Whoop Whoop! No more car seat in the shopping cart!! Miss Olivia is strong enough to sit in the front of a shopping cart. Today was our first experience with it and she was overwhelmed by all the sights. Even though I buckled her in, I still had to keep a hand on her. She was reaching for everything on the shelves :)

I have been looking forward to this day. All the tall mommies can put the car seat in the front part of the shopping cart. But if you are short, like me, then you can't see to drive the cart. Therefore, the only place left for the car seat is in the bucket...but where do your groceries go then?!?

Tickles

Question:

How do I get to my toys that are on the other side of the blanket?

Warning: This video is a little boring.
Probably only entertaining to the Grandmothers and Aunts:)

Silly Puppy

Well our dog never stops entertaining us. Whether he's running into a tree trunk, chasing a dragonfly, or having an "energy spurt" in the backyard...he's constantly still showing us his puppy side :)

Today Tim went on a run around Hertel Pond and took Jerry with him. Jerry gave up following Tim around the pond and the next thing Tim knew, Jerry was no where in sight!!!

Olivia and I are standing in our driveway talking to a neighbor when I see Jerry come running up the path followed by a bunch of other people....but not Tim.

Come to find out - Jerry couldn't keep up with Tim and ran 1/2 a mile all the way home :) I can only imagine what all the people on the path thought of our dog as he passed them on his way home. And when he came back...he was dry, he didn't even stop to go swimming!!! LOL.

Love the puppy!!