Takin' out the docks... Oct. 11th

Fall is officially here; the docks are coming out. We were smart this year and didn't wait until it was snowing to take them out. Below is Oma Ring pulling the dock out with the 4Runner. Opa and Uncle Craig are in the background.
Opa and Uncle Craig.

Amy, Nikki and I were busy supervising... very tough work... Aunt Amy is ready to met their little bundle. T-42 days...

After the docks were out, Opa was a little tired... so was Aunt Amy...

Another good summer at Shell Lake winds to an end.

A Few Firsts...

1 week old - first bath from Dad:

2 weeks old - first nap with Kota:

3 weeks old - first camp fire:

(playing with a pouty lip)

3 weeks old - bundled up for a brisk Fall walk:

2 Weeks Old!

Yesterday Nikki was 2 weeks old! She has caught up to and surpassed her birth weight and is now just over 9 lbs. We can already tell her face is filling out a little bit and she is getting a little heavier to pick up - all good signs!

The picture below is her snoozing in her swing. As long as she is moving, she is a happy little girl - just like her Daddy!

We are starting to get her on a bit of a schedule. Last night she slept for a full 4 hours at one time, which makes Mom very happy! A huge THANK YOU to Grandma Ring for spending the day yesterday cleaning the house and watching Nikki while Mom got some much needed sleep!

Poor Kota is so bored. He follows us around the house and looks longingly out the window wondering when we are going to return the crying, squirmy, pink little bundle... He is very excited to be going pheasant hunting with Mike for the first time. We are practicing returning the toy bird that Mike bought. I think he's ready for the real deal.

Coming Home...

We are approaching Nicole's one week anniversary. After three nights at the hospital we came home to the house Nicole will be raised for the foreseeable future.

Thank you to all who made the trip down and took time out of their day to visit us. Being couped up in the hospital for three days went significantly faster with your visits to break up the days.

The nursery is all decorated and stocked with the supplies she will need and we've been using everything which was gifted or purchased. Thank you all for those wonderful gifts. Diapers are disappearing faster than evaporating water on a hot summer day.

While we were away Kota spent time at some of our friends houses, he came home on Sunday and found his world had also been turned upside down. While house looked the same as when he left that fateful Tuesday night somehow he had been passed up in the ranks of the pack by this little sleeping figurine of a person. Being the wonderful dog he is, he wasted no time in welcoming her into the pack.

The weather last midweek started off dreary, it rained from the day of her arrival through the weekend. Today we spent some time outside, the weather was perfect, upper 60's and a clear blue sky with just the right amount of gentle breeze. The perfect early fall day.

This morning Nicole got her first bath in the sink, I washed her with a washcloth and baby shampoo. After she got to layout in the sun for the first time. You could tell she was enjoying the warm rays as they heated her little body. She lay stretched out on my lap as we sit on the front step watching the world go by.

Such are the days of the first week of life, filled with lots of sleep some food and subsequent changes. Most of all quality time with Mom, Dad and of course Kota too.

The Arrival...

This week we welcomed the arrival of of our first child. A daughter, perfect in every way. The delivery was uncomplicated and her arrival was awe inspiring.


Nicole Ann Hon arrived in the world on Wednesday the tenth of September at eleven fourty four in the morning and our lives have been forever changed in the best of ways.

This site is the documentation of our lives now that we have started expanding our family.

The updates, photos and videos that follow reflect the moments of our lives we would like to share with our family and friends. We hope you enjoy these moments as much as we enjoyed making them.