Just Loungin'

"Hey there! I hope you all are having as relaxing of a summer as I am! Boy, this hammock sure is cozy. I just love lounging around in it! I'm so glad my Daddy put this up in our backyard. He strung it from two trees. Talk about peaceful! I think I'll lay here all day and watch the birds and the trees blowing in the cool, summer breeze. Check ya later!"

'Til Death Do Us Part

We celebrated our 6th anniversary on July 28th. Where does the time go? Has it really been six years already? Well, for the most part (everyone has their moments, right?) they have been six wonderful, exciting, adventurous and fun-filled years! We feel very blessed to have each other! We wanted to do something really fun while enjoying each other's company without interruptions or distractions so we decided to go on a hike. We hiked Tubbs Hill on Couer d'Alene Lake. It is a beautiful two mile hike which loops around a point on the lake. We enjoyed all the gorgeous views. We had a wonderful time! Next we went to Cricket's for drinks, then off to Mallards for dinner. The food was delicious! It was nice to get away just the two of us as we don't get to do that too often anymore.

An ode to six amazing years of marriage and many more to come:

Bryon and Sara met each other through friends,
Got to talking and said "Hey! Our personalities really blend!"
So their first date was set
Did they have fun? You bet!
After dinner and a hockey game
Their lives would never be the same!

After one year together, Bryon proposed
Why wait any longer they supposed
They were perfect together, two peas in a pod
So happy to have each other, thanks to God!

The Bozarth Mansion was the setting of their beautiful day,
The ceremony, the food, the dancing, some may say
Are things to remember as time fades away
And off to Alaska for a honeymoon cruise
Was of course the destination that Bryon would choose=)

After a perfect retreat they were back to reality
Got jobs, an apartment...extra responsibility
The first year went by and things were going well
They decided to buy a house, boy wouldn't' that be swell!
Sure enough, they found their own place
Next came the dog, two cats, and furniture to fill the space.

Camping, hiking, and traveling is what they did
For five years of marriage before having a kid
Then suddenly life changed when they had their baby boy
He brightened their world and gave them so much joy!
Now the three of them live as one happy family
Six years of marriage and still full of glee!
They look forward to the future and more time spent together
And are blessed to have each other's love forever and ever!

Swimming Lessons

Rylan and Mommy have been taking swimming lessons this summer. Rylan absolutely loves the water! It makes him so relaxed that when he swims on his back he almost falls asleep. He seems to be a natural swimmer and he smiles and giggles continuously throughout each lesson. During swim class Rylan has enjoyed doing the Hokey Pokey, singing various songs, playing with water toys, playing with bubbles, twirling in circles, kicking and splashing, and jumping into the water.

Our friends Liza and baby Rowen are in the class with us. We've had such a great time with them!

"Daddy came to watch me swim! He was so proud of me! He thinks I swim like a fish!"

"My favorite part of swim class is when we get to jump off the edge of the pool into the water. I laugh every time! My parents sure think I'm brave!"

"Look at me on the kickboard!!! Aren't you impressed?"

Watch Rylan hold his breath and go underwater. I know what you're thinking..."What, she dunked her son underwater?" Trust me, that's what I thought when I first saw other mothers doing this. But, our swim instructor assured us that babies naturally know what to do when put underwater. She suggested that we blow in our baby's face right before putting them under so that they take a quick breath first. Reluctantly, I tried it, and Rylan didn't seem to mind at all. I was worried he'd come up out of the water gasping for air and coughing up water. To my astonishment he came up looking happily surprised and had a grin on his face! He's done it several times since!

Rylan's New Trick

About two weeks ago, we bought a big basket to put Rylan's toys in. Of course, Rylan was curious as to what it was and wanted to get inside and explore. He had fun sitting inside for awhile and seemed to think it was pretty cool. Then, he began to get a little more curious.

"Hmmmmmm...I wonder what I can see if I peek over the edge."

Meanwhile, the phone rang and I ran to get it. When I turned around this is what I discovered: Rylan was standing in the basket! He had never pulled himself up to a standing position by himself before, so this was quite a sight for me to see! My little boy is sure growing up!

"Look Mom! Aren't I a big boy! I had just been waiting to use those big muscles of mine to do something really cool!"

Weekend at the Lake

We have spent a lot of time at my family's lake cabin this summer. We've had a fun time soaking in the sun, swimming, fishing, hiking, cruising the lake in our boat, BBQing, and relaxing.

"Ahhhhh, the good life! What's better than floating on an air mattress on a hot, summer day?"

"I have this whole air mattress to myself! I think I'll sprawl out a bit."

We took Rylan on his first boat ride! He sure liked it!

"This life jacket is a little too big Mom, but I still get to go, don't I?"

"That boat ride tuckered me out. I say it's time for a nap. Boy, that cool breeze in my face sure feels good...it put me right to sleep."

Rylan's First 4th of July

Our family went to Seattle for the 4th of July to visit Bryon's parents. They sure showed Rylan a good time! He loved every minute of the trip and saw and experienced more in the four days we were there than he has in months! Rylan went to his first parade, saw fireworks for the first time, saw about 100 different breeds of dogs (Rylan says "da" for dog every time he sees one, so we got to hear him say this a lot on our trip), saw a train go by, saw baby ducks, squirrels, fish, a really big troll...and the list goes on.

On the morning of the 4th we went to the Edmonds parade. Rylan loved watching all the people and animals! His favorite part of the parade had to be the firetrucks. The sirens scared him at first, but once he was used to the loud noise, he really got a kick out of it.

Rylan was ecstatic that he was able to pet (more like grab) a bird. Luckily this bird was very tame and friendly and put up with a small amount of roughness from our little boy.







On the evening of the 4th, we went on a walk along the beach in Puget Sound. This was one of the many sculptures we saw along the way. Rylan was a little standoffish as he didn't know if these seals were alive or not. Later, we watched the fireworks show and he loved all the bright flashes of color.






We took a walk around Green Lake (3 miles). These ducks are just a few of the many animals we saw along the way. We even got lucky enough to see a Mama Duck with her babies. Rylan liked to hear them "quack".









We visited the troll that lives under the Aurora Bridge. Notice he is holding a real Volkswagen Bug in his hand. He looks mean and scary, but even after explaining to Rylan that he's actually really nice, he still wasn't sure that he wanted to get too close. Who can blame him?