4th of July/Fun at the Lake

We celebrated the 4th of July out at the lake cabin! Most of my family was there, making it extra fun! We have several traditions on the 4th:

1) Watch the annual boat parade-Rylan's favorite part is the fire boat that shoots a huge spray of water.
2)Make and eat homemade ice cream. Yummy!
3) Watch the fireworks show from across the lake. This year Rylan also had fun with pop-its and Sparklers.

4) And, most importantly, have fun!

This was Ayla's first trip to the lake cabin. I'm so excited she'll be able to join us in all the fun festivities every year!

We have spent several other weekends at the lake too! It is our favorite place to go in the summer. We've had all kinds of fun there including:

feeding the family of ducks that come visit us every summer,

fishing,

floating,

swimming,

sunbathing,

and roasting marshmallows on the campfire to make Reese's Peanut Butter Cup s'mores.

Dad Is For...

Happy Father's Day Dad! We love you!

Dad is for making me smile and laugh,
Dad is for buying candy bars and giving me half.
Dad is for hugs, kisses, and squeezes,
And saying "bless you" after my sneezes.

Dad is for saying "I love you" each day,
Dad is for baseball, soccer and other games we can play.
Dad is for wrestling and tickling all over,
And teaching me about forklifts, backhoes, and dozers.

Dad is for telling "Big Brown Bear" stories at night,
Dad is for piggy back rides while I hold on tight.
Dad is for going on errands, just us boys,
And buying me really cool, manly toys.

Dad is for building me a sandbox and playset,
Dad is for cheering me up when I fret.
Dad is for being my best buddy ever,
My Dad is the best, I will love him forever.

Love, Rylan

I have eyes for you, Daddy! I love you to the moon and back!
Love, Ayla

Backyard Addition-Part One

This past winter we purchased some land behind our house. Bryon was so excited for spring to come so he could begin working on adding this piece of property to our current backyard, making it bigger. It has been a fun project for him. The first step was fencing the new piece.

The poles are set.

The back is finished...now for the sides.

Time to tear down the old fence to connect our property.

The fence is complete.

View from back corner of new property.

Now that the fence is done, it is time to build a playset for Rylan. Nick, one of Bryon's good friends, was kind enough to spend a weekend helping put it together. Thanks Nick! We owe you!

Getting closer...

All done and already having fun!

View from the back.

Rylan's favorite part of the playset is the climbing wall.

Now it is time to add playground wood chips.

Rylan has been Daddy's big helper throughout this whole backyard makeover. He loved shoveling the dirt from Daddy's truck into the wheelbarrow. I have been so impressed with my boys...they are such hard workers. Bryon has done an amazing job with everything. He always impresses me with his skills. He can do anything he puts his mind to.

Check back for Part Two of Backyard Addition to see our progress. We have big plans for our new yard!

Inseparable

These two adore each other. Rylan takes such good care of his little sis. You can tell he thinks the world of her. He even tells her he loves her on a regular basis. Ayla adores him just as much. She watches him with intense curiosity and gives him the biggest smiles you've ever seen. She must know how lucky she is to have such a sweet big brother who watches out for her.

Hanging Out

Since Ayla's been born, we've done a lot of "hanging out" around the house. Between learning to juggle two children, working around two different nap schedules, and having a baby who doesn't like to sit in her car seat for very long makes it difficult to get out too often. So, we've been spending a lot of time at home. It may not sound very exciting, but we sure have been enjoying ourselves. We've enjoyed just being a family! So, I thought I'd share some of our favorite pictures of our days at home.

My amazing mother stayed the first week with us after Ayla was born. She was a huge help! I don't know what I would have done without her. She cooked, cleaned, and helped with the kids. Rylan just loved having her here and so did I! Rylan got special attention from Mimi and got to be her special helper while making cookies. Rylan was thrilled that Mimi let him eat the dough!

Rylan is so fascinated with his baby sister. He loves to lay next to her and just watch her every move. How sweet!

Ayla in her modeling shoot wearing her new outfit from Mimi and Papa.

Snuggle time with Grandma.

Whenever we put Ayla in her swing, Rylan likes to hop in Ayla's bouncer and sit next to her. Obviously, Rylan is a little too big for the bouncer, but we think it is so sweet that he wants to sit next to her so we let it slide.

Too cute for words!

Daddy and his little girl. Daddy sure looks happy!

Bath time!

We've had a lot of friends come and visit. Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of most of them. But, here are four of my good friends (Aimee, Liza, Devri and Josie) that came to meet Ayla. They also brought us two delicious dinners that we enjoyed very much!

Tummy time!

Baby feet are so sweet.

Rylan likes to end each evening in our bed reading stories. Ayla joins him every night now. We will often find him holding her hand.

Bryon and Rylan have been spending lots of time together while I'm taking care of Ayla. One of their favorite things to do is to relax in the hammock in our backyard.

Sleepy time.

One more cute picture to leave you with. Can you tell we've been having fun? Children are life's greatest treasure. There is nothing better than spending time with them!

Mother's Day

To celebrate Mother's Day, we spent the day out at my parents' house with our whole family. We enjoyed a delicious brunch! It was a special day because not only was it Ayla's first outing (other than going to the doctor's office) but my grandma, nieces, and nephew were also able to meet her for the first time.

Here is my grandma as she sets eyes on Ayla for the first time. She couldn't stop talking about how beautiful she is. We couldn't agree more!

Her cousins just adored her too! They are all going to have so much fun growing up together!

It was a beautiful day outside and the cousins enjoyed hanging out in the backyard together!

Mother's Day was extra special this year because, not only do I have a wonderful son, but I was also just blessed with a sweet baby girl! We love and adore them both and are so thankful Ayla is now a part of our family! I feel like the luckiest mom in the world to have such precious children.

Home, Sweet Home

We were so excited to bring Ayla home for the first time. As we pulled into the driveway, my mom, Bryon's mom and Rylan were waiting to greet us. Rylan was holding a cute sign that said "Welcome sister Ayla". He was so excited when we took her out of the car and brought her inside and insisted on holding her right away.


He also took it upon himself to count her little fingers to make sure they were all there. Big brother is already looking out for his little sis!!!