A scorpion, a tent, a little girl and a dog

Katie has the night off tonight, so I'm filling in as webmaster! Big excitement this weekend. As some of you already know, I had an encounter with a scorpion on Friday night. Katie had gone to the grocery store while I put Maggie to bed. When she returned, being the good husband I am, I was helping unload the groceries. I had gone out to the garage for the last load when I saw him. Well, I almost jumped through the ceiling. I ran upstairs to do some research on how to take care of him. I first searched for "killing scorpions". Don't do this. When you search for how to kill stuff, you'd be amazed at what you would find. One website then suggest I search for "extermination." This was closer, but mainly brought me several ads from pest companies. However, I did find one resourceful article that suggested I get 3 or 4 chickens to roam around the affected area. Apparently chickens consider the scorpion a delicacy.



Once I realized that we didn't have any chickens here at the house, I found some spider, roach and ant spray. I jumped up on my car--complete with my steel-toe boots in case it got ugly--and sprayed him. He ran and I wasn't about to start moving boxes to find him. So, the next day, he was lying on his back suffering from my dose of spray, and I used a broom to finish him off. See the before and after pictures.



Despite the entertainment with the above-mentioned creature on Friday night, we still continued to have a full weekend. On Saturday morning, Katie walked in the Las Vegas breast cancer awareness walk. Maggie and I didn't venture out, but we did watch the news coverage of the event while enjoying a fried egg and cartoons.

Later on Saturday we went to REI to find a backpack for me. I will be hiking/camping the southern rim of the Grand Canyon in two weeks, so it's time to get the gear ready. After an hour and a half of fitting me, the salespeople (I had three at this point) told me that they just didn't have a pack that would fit me, and that I should consider renting. So I did. (Apparently, I have an "odd-shaped torso".) Today the gear prep continued with me setting up the tent in the living room. Maggie did a thorough inspection and everything passed. She loved going in and out.



A good weekend leads into a busy week for the Kennedys. I am taking a vacation week beginning on the 16th, thus a lot to do at work to get ready. After being in a visitor drought for a while, the planes are about to start landing again. Jeff and Amanda Covington are coming on Thursday and staying until the middle of the following week. After their visit, on Wednesday, Katie, Maggie and I will drive to the Grand Canyon to meet Julie and Andrew Battaile for our hiking expedition. Actually, only Andrew and I will be doing the Grand Canyon. The girls will stay at a lodge, but may be able to do some hiking. And then Gigi is coming in town at the end of the month for Halloween.

That's about it. Oh, and you'll notice from the pictures that I think we have a piano prodigy on our hands.

~Andy

Hello and Thank You

"Hello" and "Thank You" are Maggie's new words. Now, whenever she hears a phone on tv or one of ours, she puts her hand up to her ear and says her version of hello. We think she is also saying thank you but it's not as audible as hello.

I am still trying to get Andy and Maggie feeling better. Maggie is eating again, which is nice, but still acts a little fussy. She was an angel yesterday afternoon though. When Andy got up from his nap, she was just the sweetest thing, giving Daddy love and wanting to play with him.

It's month end close for Andy so he will be very busy at work this week.

Here are some pictures of Maggie for you. Some are from the park and one is of Maggie helping me unpack her clothes from our trip to Mississippi.

What Happens When You Go On Vacation

What happens when you go on vacation is a sick family, even including the dog at home being boarded at the vet.

When we left Las Vegas last Wednesday, we had visions of a calm, relaxing visit to north Mississippi. What we got was a 17 month old with an ear infection which is the opposite of calm and relaxing.

Maggie has flown a good bit in her 17 months and she is usually okay on planes. Not this time. She cried most of the two flights to Memphis. We figured out why on Thursday when she started running a fever of almost 101. We found out that both of her ears were infected and she had a bad cold. To shorten the story, Andy got the cold too and still isn't totally well. I may be getting the cold now and Jack Pete also got sick at the vet while we were gone. The icing on the cake of the whole "sickness week" was that when we got back to Las Vegas on Monday night, Maggie started throwing up in the car on the way home. She was still sick on Tuesday but stopped throwing up. She, however, is eating almost nothing.

So, for the good stuff that happened while we were gone.

Maggie had a blast playing with her cousin, Anna, and playing with Meme and Pap's dogs- Buddy Sam and Honey Bee.

We went to our friends, The Bruce's, cabin on Friday and Maggie got to play with her friends Todd, Ellen, Ethan, Paul and Grace. Andy and I enjoyed visiting with all of our friends who we don't get to see as often as we would like. We even got to see a true thunderstorm, which doesn't happen here in the desert.

Here are some pictures from the trip.

Katie


Anna and Maggie 


All smiles before getting on the airplane. 


Maggie had a blast just running around in the grass. 


Why don’t we have all this grass in Las Vegas??. 


Anna and Maggie watching TV. 


Mommy and Daddy can’t wait to take a Sunday nap  


At the cabin- Maggie, Ethan (standing), Paul, Grace and Todd 


Looking just like Daddy. 


At the cabin- Todd, Maggie, Grace and Ethan 

Here I Come!!!!!

MEME AND PAP- HERE I COME. Mommy and Daddy said the sooner I went to sleep, the sooner I got to see you.

The Weather

We have figured out that there are two seasons here in Las Vegas. Hot and Not as Hot. Thankfully we have gone from Hot to Not as Hot recently. It was not a gradual change but a swift one. Last week the highs were in the low 100's and by this weekend, the highs will be in the low 80's. It's crazy, but that's life in the desert.

Here are some pictures of Maggie at the park/water park near our house.

Picture Stories

Here is our mid-week recap through pictures...


Yes, that's rain and it's happened twice this week!!!!! 


This is what happens when Maggie learns to open the pantry door. 


Maggie and Mommy on Labor Day. 


Sunset in the desert. 


Only in Las Vegas will you find a Do-It-Youself-Divorce store (click on the picture for a close up) 


The lions at the MGM Grand. Maggie thinks they are big kitty cats and loves seeing them. 


Maggie tells Daddy all about the big kitty cats (lions). 

All Quiet on the Home Front

First, let me apologize for the lack of new pictures in the past week. I heard from two grandparents today regarding this. I would love to say it's because we have all been so busy that I haven't had time to post. That's not the case. Let's just blame it on the heat.

Today is the third day of September, Labor Day weekend, and it's still over 100 degrees in the desert!!!!!!!! If, when you see us next, all of us have skin that resembles leather; don't tell us- we already know.

Maggie is doing well these days. She's adding more words every day to her vocabulary and is finding all the good hiding spots in the house. This week, she realized she could get under the piano.

On another note, we have been going to a different church than we had been going to. No, it's not a Mormon church. We have gone the past two Sundays and have really enjoyed it. It's Canyon Ridge Christian Church and it's not too far from our house. It is a rather large church and it is pretty contemporary. They have a great children's department and Maggie loves her teachers (she hasn't cried either Sunday that we have left her). Just to let you know how big of a deal this is, one Sunday at the other church we attended, she cried so hard I could hear her in the sanctuary. We are excited about the opportunities that this church could provide to us, so please pray as we try and find a place for our family.

Okay, so now for the only reason you read through my boring stuff...


Maggie loves playing the piano with Daddy. 


Maggie enjoys playing on the playground in our neighborhood. 


If only she was actually doing laundry... 


Hey everybody!!!