Apologies from Connie

*This was scheduled to post on the 26th, but it never did. Weird...

My Mom wanted me to let you all know that she has to have carpal tunnel surgery soon so she has been instructed to stay off the computer as much as possible.

She's complying since it hurts so bad when she types. Looks like she won't be blogging for a while.

She has been reading though and keeping up with everyone. She just isn't able to comment. :(

Out of the Loop

Sorry no updates, but it's been crazy busy here still (with Jon's sister and kids arriving and the Mooers Family Reunion last weekend). It doesn't look like things will be slowing down anytime soon as Jon arrives on Wednesday and then we have a whirlwind of activities (including the 4th and Rylee's baptism) before we head back to FL on the 9th.

This may be the last time I have to post until I get back to FL and am able to take a vacation from my vacation! :)

In the meantime, I hope everyone is well out there in bloggerland - I miss you!

Important Firsts

Rylee had all kinds of interesting firsts with her cold:

first runny nose

first projectile sneeze

first crusty nose when she woke up from her nap

first fever :(

first chicken noodle soup (technically chicken with stars - yummy!)

first vacation doctor appt. (I didn't like him as much as her regular pediatricians, but the office did have a very nice length and weight combo measuring machine. Really makes our place look outdated with their crappy metal scale and pen-mark-on-the-paper measuring system!)

first you're-feeling-better-and-need-a-cheer-me-up lunch which led to her...

first ever visit to McDonald's



and more importantly...

first ever McDonald's french fry!

Motocross

Friday night my Dad and I went to the motocross races to see my cousin's little boy race. He did great and got 2nd out of 10 or so racers.

*Just being at the track brought back so many great memories of when Jon was racing. Every Sunday for about 5 years straight we got up at the crack of dawn, drove to some track, set up our tents and spent the day at the races. We always parked with the same crew so we had a blast hanging out and grilling food between motos. I really miss those days.*

Back to Friday night, inspirational story for you:
Back in December a local guy who is a professional snowcross racer lost his leg in a crash. Five short months later - he was out there racing motocross with a prosthetic (flying through the whoops, jumping doubles, everything). It was unbelievable and such an inspiration to watch!

Happy Father's Day

Rylee wanted me to put together something special for her Daddy's first Father's Day even though technically we already celebrated before we left for MN. Without access to my computer or photos, she'll have to settle for a little shout out instead.

Daddy, thanks for...

...reading me books before bed (I like when you make the Yogi Bear voice best).

...making me giggle with all the silly things you do (songs when I wake up, funny faces and tickle fights).

...working so hard and allowing Mommy to not work so hard so she can spend more time with me.

...letting me come to MN so I could get to know all our friends and family!

Love you, Rylee

P.S. Rylee's real gift to her Dad is that she waited until she was two thousand miles away to get her first cold. He's really missing out on all the runny, drippy, sticky, watery, coughy mess. :)

*Happy Father's Day to my Dad too! Love, Shannon

Busy Busy

Not much to report - busy busy with all our visiting.

Oh, Rylee picked her first booger yesterday. Her little finger went up her nose and when it came out there was a straggler. Thankfully I spotted it before it went in her mouth.

Just thought that was one for the books. :)

Under and Over

Rylee would rock on a baby obstacle course. She loves to crawl over toys, legs, pillows - pretty much anything in her path. She also has a new fascination with crawling under things.

She spends more time under this exersaucer than she ever does in it:


Here's a shot of her standing. She can pull herself up so fast and on just about anything. I have a feeling she might be a climber - uh oh.

Barbie Girl

Like Nisswa, a Crosslake trip is another of my must-have MN summer experiences. There is a yellow crafty-type store there with an ice cream parlor in the front that I have been going to ever since I was a kid (yet ironically I have no idea what the name of it is).

Anyway, they always have handmade barbie doll dresses that are so adorable. I collected a lot as a kid, but my mom wasn't a "saver" back then so they all got passed on to other families and kids.

The past 5 years or so, I've start collecting them again. (I don't care if Rylee wants to play with Barbies or not - I'm going to!) I have a wedding dress, two Disney princess dresses (Cinderella and Belle), and a really pretty chocolate brown evening gown.

Friday night, my friend Sara and I drove up to Crosslake to eat at Ye Old Wharf and then we stopped at "the yellow store." Here is this year's $6.00 purchase:



Do you think there is a support group for people with polka dot addiction?

Sleeping Around

Rylee is sure relaxing her sleep standards these days. We are so on the go that she is really learning to sleep anywhere and everywhere. We've popped the pack-n-play up at Polich's, Chelsie's, Heather's - even my Grandmother's "apartment" in her memory care facility.

This flexibility means more fun for both mommy and baby. Here are some shots of Rylee chillin with all her new friends:







You can tell how much she hates being the center of attention! :)

You Know You're Getting Older When...

The other day one of my Dad's clients dropped off an envelope for me. When I opened it, I could see that it was a newspaper clipping.

Oh, I thought, isn't that nice. Someone clipped out Rylee's birth announcement from the local newspaper.

But then my eyes focused in on the fine print:

15 years ago...
Wednesday, May 4, 1994
Shannon Rinde, daughter of John and Connie Rinde, was named valedictorian for the 1994 senior class at C-I High School.

Oh my!

You know you're getting older when your name starts popping up in the "15 years ago today" column of your local newspaper!

Nostrildamus

Rylee accidentally discovered her nostril the other day. She looked very shocked when her pointer finger slipped inside her nose. Then, of course, she became fascinated by this new orifice. She seems less interested now than she did then, but every once in a while I catch her checking it out - probably making sure it is still there.

Just thought you'd want to add this to the list of Rylee's very ladylike behaviors. :)

Let the Sunshine In

After a week of overcast, rainy, frigid, fall-like days, the sun finally peeked out today. Hallelujah! I was literally starting to suffer from seasonal depression...in June! That's MN for ya.

It was great to get out of the house. We headed up to Nisswa for some window shopping (even caught the first turtle race of the season) and some snacking (mini donuts and A&W root beer - yum!). We did it without Rylee in tow too. She spent the day with Grandma Sandy & Grandpa Chip.

It's beginning to feel a bit like summer... :)

White Trash Bath

My parents have sacrificed a lot for me over the years: taking time out of their schedules to watch me compete in dance and tennis; buying me clothes...and more clothes... (and more clothes); putting me through college; selling their 5 bedroom MN house and moving back into our old tiny 3 bedroom apartment so they could buy a place in FL; living separate for the majority of the year...you know, the usual stuff. :)

Anyway, back to the tiny apartment. This is the apartment that I lived in when I was first born up until age 4 (it's located above my Dad's insurance agency). My parents have done an amazing job fixing it up cute (new walls, new bathroom, new windows, new siding, new roof, new deck). I really do love staying here, but there are two things I desperately miss: a dishwasher and a bathtub.

Nothing we can do about the dishwasher except take turns. The bathtub is really only needed for Rylee and we've come up with an easy solution for that. Behold the white trash bath: a large rubbermade tub. :)



I struggled a bit with the slipperiness of the bottom on her first couple baths. I tried lining the bottom with that grippy shelf liner. It would have worked perfectly except that it floats! Then, at the dollar store, I happened across a rubber mat that you use for your sink. It had suction cups on the bottom and everything. Just like for the bath, but miniature. Voila! It works perfect.

Time to Make the Donuts

1) Ever since Jon and I became parents, we tend to use the above slogan a lot (when we don't feel like waking up to get the baby, when we don't feel like washing all the bottles, etc).

2) Thursday my Mom went garage-saling and ended up next door to the Senior Center. They sell homemade donuts on Thursday to raise money for the center so she was morally-obligated to buy a dozen.

3) I can't remember the last time I ate a donut (not sure why - they are delicious). I had two for breakfast Friday morning - yum! Later I found out it was National Donut Day - look at me participating! :)

Overdue

These two photos are of Rylee in her new swimsuit over Memorial Weekend, but I never got them downloaded or posted before we left. Since it is definitely not swimsuit weather here (at least not for now), I thought I would post them today.

I adore this swimsuit - I wish they had it in my size!


I love when Rylee waves like this - I call it her Evita wave. :)

The Great Ones

Rylee has been a visiting machine ever since we arrived in MN. Here are some photos from her visits with her great-grandparents.

4 generation photo with my Dad and his mom, Signe:


With Jon's Grandpa Bob:


She's been having a great time (as have I). The wedding on Saturday was a blast. I do love me a good wedding dance. I rocked the Electric Slide (you may remember I had a lot of time to practice variations during Rylee's colic-y period). :) And Sunday was another one of my cousin's graduation parties so that was fun also. Now if it would only start to warm up it might actually feel like a MN summer...

*I don't have a photo editing program here in MN so sorry if there are red eyes or if photos haven't been properly cropped.*

Cheerio!

My mom feeds her dog, Angel, cheerios for treats. Ever since Rylee started eating them as finger food, Angel makes sure she hangs around so she can snatch up any accidental droppings.

Today Rylee took her sharing a step further...

...yes, that's her handing the cheerio to the dog!

I happened to see her feed Angel the first treat and of course grabbed my camera. After Rylee had fed her a couple of cheerios, she started to tease Angel. She'd hold her hand out and then when Angel would reach for it, she'd pull her hand back in or she'd eat the cheerio herself.

Angel started to get a little annoyed when Rylee was mostly taunting her and not feeding her so then she took matters into her own paws...

...yes, that's Angel stealing the cheerios right out of the tray!

Adorable and hysterical... :)