Big Boy and Bad Neighbors

As I mentioned, Lewis is quickly filling out his 6 mo. wardrobe. I think we're set now for the 6-9 mo. clothing. He still doesn't have a ton, but I think we'll get by. He has a lot of 12 mo. clothes, so we can always break into some of those early if needed. He's also had a few 'Big Boy' moments this week which I thought I'd mention--I will also post tomorrow after his 4 mo. check-up!

My mom called the other day asking for a picture of Lewis smiling for a 'project' she is working on (which is still a surprise to us). I was here alone with Lewis and tried to get one, which went a lot like this:

Feeeeeeet.

Thankfully Kevin and I were able to get one once he was home to help sing, bounce, make silly faces, etc. We did the best we could do and still didn't get a true smile, so a grin had to do. I'm curious to see what this 'project' is all about.

Lewis is rolling over like a maniac, so we had to stop swaddling him a few weeks ago. I was still just putting him in a onesie and wrapping the SwaddleMe under his arm pits (with his arms free), but I noticed his legs were perhaps getting a little long for the swaddle sack, too. So we made the jump this week to his Big Boy 'Jamas. These claim to be 6-12 months--I beg to differ.

Big Boy

First time riding in the Big Boy stroller (sans car seat)

We took him on a spin around the neighborhood last weekend

through our neighborhood's annual yard sale.

I know this is far away, but I think

he looks a little like his Papaw Carter here!

These say 'The Great Outdoors.' :)

And finally, anyone who has ever visited our home has probably heard me complain about, OR even witnessed themselves, the obnoxious neighbors who live behind us. I mean, to each his own, love thy neighbor, whatever, but if Kevin and I could make a list of the qualities we would NOT want in neighbors, they could write the list. They are obnoxious.

When we sell this house, we're going to have to time it to when they are out of the country.

Let's see, they:

• Have a trampoline right next to our fence where their four (usually unsupervised) children jump, provoking Peter and Hattie to bark more than they normally would, which is annoying.
• Host late night bonfires with music, shouting, general drunkenness. If the tiki torches are lit, we know we're in for a party!
• Have rented a bouncy house (for a birthday party)
• Rented PONIES for pony rides in their yard (for a birthday party). Who does that? Rather, who does that in the middle of the city-ish 'burbs?
• Shoot fireworks at our house
• Have driven their dirt bikes/4x4s in circles in their yard (how lame) at midnight, in the snow, for hours and hours
• Own a full-on Haunted Boat and set up a Haunted Back Yard for their friends to go through (complete with a chainsaw massacre-er and goblins hanging in trees)
• Throw their Frisbee into our yard/onto our roof
• Climbed up on our 8-ft fence to jump onto their trampoline (I had to check my homeowner's on that one)
• Cut through our yard via a gate in our fence and then left that gate open (which is not cool since we have 2 dogs who will run right through that gate)--I have continually relatched the latch, have put down landscaping pavers to barricade it closed, and asked them not to open it, etc.

Finally this weekend, they broke the gate. Sheared the top board (including the latch) right off (obviously paying no attention to the landscaping pavers which were there to keep them out of our yard). Jerks. Five screws, ripped right out. They were apparently searching for a lost tortoise, which they lost two years ago, too. I wonder if it's the same one?? I highly doubt it. I cringe every time I see a new puppy or kitten over there because they seem to have a way of disappearing.

Soooooo, the point is this:

Mama's New Toy

I am SO excited to be able to do fence repairs on my own! I should also say that the yahoo neighbor probably hand-built our fence with the guy who used to live here (a woodworker, which is NOT the same thing as a carpenter). The fence is a nightmare. If we were staying here any length of time, I would like to rip it all out and reinstall a quality piece of work. I digress.

In the past, our friends (Tony, Alan) or my dad have come down with their screwdrivers to help with fence-related issues (broken boards, reinforcing boards where the dogs jump most, etc.). Now I/we can do them ourselves! We have a little cordless 12v drill/driver, but it doesn't have the kick we need for the fence boards. This 18v is a beast, and I love it so much! I love it as much as I hate the fence itself. Does that make sense?