Stand Rock

Here we are at Stand Rock. One of the most legendary rock formations in the Dells. It stands 47 feet high. We actually saw a dog jump from the right to the rock and back. I have it on video. It was pretty cool!

The Dells

On our last day of the trip we took a boat trip in the upper dells of the Wisconsin River. It was about 2 hours out into the river and had 2 stops. It was so scenic and pretty. Amelia enjoyed the ride and of course Matt and I did too. I just loved the area, so beautiful!! I want to go back with more time!

Amelia at Castle Rock Lake

Here is Amelia playing in the sand at Castle Rock Lake. The water was COLD! I dipped my feet in it and then dipped hers in. She started wiggling trying to get me to let her go, she enjoyed her feet in the water. She really liked playing in the sand. We were the only ones on the beach, it was very nice and relaxing. Amelia and I spent a lot of quality time together! It was GREAT!

Matt's Invention

Over the summer Matt had been doing some research regarding an inventor's conference in Wisconsin. The deadline quickly came up and so we decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to go since he'd learn things there. At the time of signing up for the conference he also entered his idea into their contest. He received notification from the university on September 9th that his idea was accepted to show. He quickly got to work in getting all his material together and begin the building process of his dog bed.

We left for Wisconsin on the 29th (Amelia's first birthday), our poor baby wasn't feeling well. But once we arrived there she was fine. The competition was on the 30th. Since it was only for people attending the conference I was afraid I wouldn't be able to go but he asked for permission and they allowed Amelia and I to be there. There were 7 judges and 14 contestants. There were all sorts of ideas and the majority were ideas that people have invested A LOT of money into their ideas and display. Matt had a simple display and the bed had recently been made by Rosemary's sister, Sara. She did a great job!

Well, once the judges came out they immediately began to announce the winners. There were 4 prizes. They announced the first winner, the Deuce Mop Wringer. Next was MATT!! YAY! He won 3rd place!!! I was soooo excited for him, he was shooting for 1st but of course was happy with placing! He has been awarded $895 worth of research services from the Wisconsin Innovation Service Center.

Our entire trip was a hit! We had a great time and really enjoyed seeing the colors of the fall up north.

Our Little Lady's Birthday Celebration

On Saturday we celebrated Amelia's First Birthday! It was great fun! We had it at Gatti Town in Amarillo. Amelia was unsure of all the singing that occurred but loved seeing the people there. When it came time to cake time she was very dainty (almost lady-like HA!) she ate the icing with the tip of her finger until both grandmothers motivated her to dig in. In the first picture there were so many cameras flashing that we didn't know which one to look at so this is the best I have. The last picture is of Amelia in her toy box that was made especially for her by Grandpa Stokes.

Painting with a Twist

So last night we went to Painting with a Twist to celebrate Kelly's birthday. She'd told me about this place and I immediately wanted to do it! When she decided to celebrate her birthday there I was excited to sign up. So the idea of this place is that they have a picture that everyone will paint for that night. The instructor guided us and showed us which steps to take.....here's the twist: throughout the evening while we're painting she rings a bell that signals us to take a drink of wine. It was lots of fun and now I have my very own piece of art! HEHE!

Amelia is 11 months old!

My little girl is 11 months old, she will turn ONE on 9-29. She's so funny keeps both Matt and I entertained, she even laughs by herself sometimes. She's just crawling and pulling herself up all over the place. At this time she does not seem to be too interested in walking or standing on her own so we're not even practicing with her. We figure that she'll do it when she's ready. She has 2 bottom teeth and 4 are coming out on the top. She sure does like to use those sharp things! I have videos but have not been able to share because my personal computer is on the verge of dying. She continues to enjoy music and loves people watching! If we are out running around she rarely cries unless we're in the car. Last year at Christmas time we spent 9 hours at the mall and no peeps came out of her.....she just enjoys running around! (Like her momma, grandma and great-grandma!) Oh and obviously you can see here that she's a thumb sucker. She's wearing her new headband that a girlfriend of mine made, I love the buttons! Very cute!