Watch out everyone...here I come!!!

"I took my first steps weeks ago, but I am much better now. I can take ten or so steps before falling now, and then I get right back up again and keep going. I'm so proud of myself. I'll be running before you know it!"



"I also love to walk behind my fire truck because I can go really fast!"

Laughs with Libby

There is nothing better than the sound of a child laughing.

FYI-We don't normally feed Libby from the table, but everyone breaks the rules sometimes, right?

Thankful on Thanksgiving

We were fortunate enough to have two Thanksgivings this year! We spent Thanksgiving day at my family's lake cabin in north Idaho. It is so beautiful there no matter what time of year, and always so peaceful. We had so much fun just enjoying each other's company and watching all the kids play together. We all fit perfectly around the dining table and the food was delicious! The only thing missing was my sister, Breanne. We sure missed you! It wasn't quite the same without you and we're excited to see you in a few weeks!We couldn't fit everyone in the picture. Bryon, Rylan, and my dad are missing.

We had to get a four generation picture while we were all together. Here's me, Rylan, my mom, and my grandma.

Our next day of celebration took place on the west side of the state with Bryon's family. It was the first time in two and a half years that Bryon and his two brothers and their wives were together at the same time. It was very nice to all finally be together. We enjoyed a delicious meal and had a blast playing games together!

"Hey Uncle Brad, it's me Rylan! You are so fun! I loved how you swung me around and played with me. I can't wait to see you again. I'm excited for my new cousin to arrive too!"


This was the first time Uncle Brett and Aunt Laurie got to meet Rylan. They live in Virginia so we don't get to see them very often. We were so glad they could finally see our precious boy in person. The wait was worth it...Rylan enjoyed every moment with them!


During our visit we spent one evening in Bellevue watching the Christmas performance in Bell Square. Rylan enjoyed the music, the big friendly bear, and the candy cane suckers, but wasn't too sure about the real-life toy soldiers. They walked on stilts and their height seemed to frighten Rylan to the point of sticking out his bottom lip.


As we do on almost every visit, we took a nice walk along the beach. Rylan found some seaweed, some shells, saw some scuba divers and seagulls, and enjoyed hanging out with this big whale.

Many times over the course of our two day celebration I found myself feeling so thankful for our wonderful family! We feel very blessed to have so many people who love us! Thanks everyone for making our Thanksgiving so fabulous!

Animal Sounds

"I am so smart! I can make several animal sounds and I'm pretty good at it too! Watch and see! This is one of my favorite games to play with Mommy and Daddy. I get so excited when I see these animals in real life. I even try to talk to them in their language."

The BIG 3-0!!!

Yeah, that's right...I just turned 30. I don't feel any older but that number sure sounds old. I guess I can starting using the old line "I'm 29 and holding". When I look back on the last 30 years of my life, I realize just how blessed I am. I have such amazing family and friends in my life who have been there for me during the good times and the bad. I have so many fond memories and so many things to be thankful for. I can only hope the next 30 will be just as grand! To celebrate my birthday, my parents took me out to dinner at The Melting Pot. It is a yummy fondue restuarant! We had a great time and enjoyed three courses of fondue with lots of things to dip with. Thanks Mom and Dad for making my birthday so special!

Bryon, Rylan, Sara (me), Dad, Mom, and Jeff

The following evening, Bryon took me to Clinkerdagger for dinner. I had the best scallops ever! My parents watched Rylan so we could have an evening alone. Bryon also surprised me with an iPod nano for my birthday!!! Believe it or not, I've never owned one before. I know I'm probably the last person on earth to finally own an iPod, but I didn't really think I needed one before. Now that I have one, I don't know how I ever lived without one. It's kind of like cell phones, high speed internet and DVR...once you have them you just can't imagine how you ever survived before. Anyways, I guess I'm caught up with the times now.

Lastly, thanks to all my friends and family for the nice cards, gifts, e-mails, and phone calls! You really brightened my day! I love you all!

Shiner

"Hey everyone! I hope you are having a better week than I am. I slipped and fell in the bathtub and hit my cheek bone. I woke up the next morning with a nice shiner. Don't you think it makes me look tough? That's cuz I am...I barely cried! But, I guess I shouldn't be so crazy in the tub anymore. I'm also in the process of getting at least two new teeth, so sometimes I'm a little bit cranky because of the pain. Thank goodness my Mommy and Daddy give me Tylenol. It helps for the most part, but sometimes I wake up at night because it hurts so bad. I haven't gotten enough sleep this week and neither have my parents. At least I have some good news to leave you with...I'm really close to walking. I have taken two steps on my own and am getting better every day. I'll post a video soon so you can see what a big boy I am!"

Tiggers are Wonderful Things!

The most wonderful thing about Tiggers is-Tiggers are wonderful things!
"Happy Halloween everyone! Tigger here. Hope you all had a fun and safe holiday and that you ate lots of yummy candy. I sure had fun passing out candy to the trick-or-treaters that came to my house! It was a fine day for meeting friends. I met a cowboy and cowgirl, some grapes, a princess, a dog, Spiderman, and many others. It was t-rific!"

"You should see me bounce. I'm really good cuz my tail is made out of springs!"

"Now where did my Mommy and Daddy put the candy? Tiggers like chocolate too!

Pssst...don't tell anyone but it's really me, Rylan, wearing a Tigger costume. Bet you never would have guessed!"