Silverwood

We recently took Rylan to Silverwood Theme Park. He had the time of his life! We weren't sure how he would react to all the rides, but he wanted to go on all of them! We would point to a ride and ask "Do you want to go on that one?" and he would quickly respond by saying "Yes!" with a big smile on his face. So, we took him on all the rides that he was allowed to go on, which included some big, adult rides (like the Ferris wheel and the log ride for those of you who've been there). He loved every single ride and wanted to go on them multiple times. He even got sprayed with water on the log ride and he thought it was funny! I was so proud of the little man!

The carousel was one of his favorites. He rode it again...

and again!
And, smiled the whole way through!

We enjoyed some yummy theme park food which included a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich for Rylan.

Rylan and Daddy rode the kiddie train rollercoaster. It doesn't look like much, but that thing sure did go fast.

We took that train that takes you on a ride around the park. We got to see some bison along the way.

Rylan even got to meet Garfield. As you can see, he was a little too close for comfort!

We all had so much fun! We were hoping to spend some time at Boulder Beach too, but Rylan was so exhausted after doing all the rides, so we headed home for a much needed snooze.

Silverwood is already on the agenda for next summer!

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

Now that summer is officially over, we are already looking forward to that crisp autumn air, the leaves turning color, picking pumpkins, and going to football games. But before we welcome fall, we just wanted to share a few fun, random memories from our summer. We had a lot of fun family time!

Rylan liked to welcome each summer morning by swinging from the trees in our backyard.

We enjoyed family bike rides on warm summer nights. Rylan really likes riding in his trailer but isn't a fan of wearing a helmet.

We went to the park at least once a week. This is one of Rylan's favorite park toys.

Rylan loves helping Daddy mow the lawn! He's such a nice helper.

Check out this future basketball star. He sure knows how to slam dunk the ball!

We got to spend a lot of time with our family just lounging at the lake. Rylan and Ava liked to relax in the bed in the loft of the cabin. They have so much fun together!

Rylan had all three cousins spend the night one weekend. Here is just one snapshot (with Jada and Ty) of the many hours of fun they enjoyed together.

Rylan likes to try walking in my flip flops. Maybe we'll have to get him a pair next year.

Hooray to summer fun! Bye bye flip flops! Hello sweaters, scarves, and boots!

Lake Roosevelt

We finally got to go on our first camping trip of the summer! We drove to the beautiful Lake Roosevelt on the Columbia River. We took our time getting there and stopped at several spots along the river to play on the beach and have a picnic.

Running along the beach was quite a thrill for Rylan. He searched for sticks and rocks along the way. He enjoyed running barefoot in the sand too.

Rylan explored every inch of our camp site. He found lots of bugs, flowers, and more rocks and sticks. There was never a dull moment!

We rode a ferry boat across the river to the campground. We couldn't get out of our cars, but we enjoyed looking at the water, boats, and the beautiful scenery along the way.

Rylan got really excited when we set up the tent. He seemed to think it was a big play fort. He even liked sleeping in it because he could look out and see the moon at night.

Camping is always a hit for Rylan. We're looking forward to our next trip!

Rylan's New Hiding Spot

Peek-a-boo!

Water Fun

Rylan loves the water!!! We've spent a lot of time at our lake cabin and when we're on the beach, there's no stopping him...he'll run right into the lake. I'm glad he likes the water so much, but sometimes I wish he weren't quite so confident. I don't want to witness any near drowning experiences.

"Get me off this floaty thing. I don't need this to help me float."

"Look everyone...I'm floating by myself. I'm such a good swimmer!"

Another beach favorite is playing and digging in the sand.

Rylan made some new friends on our last visit to the lake. These ducks hung out near us most of the day. Rylan got to feed them and some even ate out of our hands.

Rylan and I went with some friends to Gonzaga's annual Sprinkler Days. Rylan got to meet Spike (their mascot) but was too scared to get close enough to take a picture with him.

The sprinklers were pretty big so Rylan was a little intimidated of them. He spent most of his time playing with this blow-up hammer that they gave away to all the kids.

We enjoyed our own sprinkler day in our backyard with a much smaller sprinkler. It proved to be just the right size. He ran through it a few times, then decided to pick it up and water the flowers. That was much more exciting!

It was a really hot day...perfect Popsicle weather.

"Watch me! I'm such a big boy!"

I sure wish summer would last forever!!!

Havin' a Ball (No Pun Intended)

Warning: Do not try this at home. Serious accidents could occur. Our actor, Rylan, is a trained professional ball flipper.

*Note-No, he did not get hurt on the cement as the camera stopped rolling but it was a close call.

Weekend Trip

We recently drove to Seattle to visit Bryon's family and some of our friends. It was a quick weekend trip, but we managed to squeeze in a lot of fun during our short time there.

We took Rylan to a park near Bryon's parents house. He loves the swings and asks almost daily if I'll take him to the park to swing. He's also started playing on what I call the "big boy" equipment (the big slides, etc.). He's climbing up the equipment by himself and sliding down the big swirly slides all by himself too. He's getting so big!

Another favorite activity at the park is picking dandelions which he calls "monos" (his word for flowers). Don't ask me where he came up with "monos". Most of his words sound pretty close to the real word, if not exactly like it, but for some reason he prefers "monos" over "flowers". Silly little boy! Another silly Rylanism is that after picking the "monos" he finds the closest drain and drops them in one by one. He constantly makes me laugh.

Bryon's parents took us to their favorite nursery where we enjoyed looking at all the beautiful flowers and even enjoyed a delicious breakfast in their cafe. Rylan loves playing "Hide and Seek" and these giant pots were the perfect spot to do so.

"Bet you can't find me!!!"

"Boo! Here I am! Didn't I pick a great hiding spot?"

Rylan liked these flowers the best because they were so big.

There was a big pond at the nursery filled with huge Koi fish. Rylan watched them for quite a long time. He even got to feed them and touch them. They would come right up to his fingers when he'd put them in the water.

Rylan enjoyed lots of snuggle time with Grandma on the couch. He certainly gets spoiled when he visits his grandparents. They had new books and all kinds of yummy snacks for Rylan.

We also got to visit our friends Nick and Stephanie and their two kids, Elyssa and Nathan. We had a fun filled evening with them and enjoyed a delicious meal at their house. They live on acreage so there's tons of room to run and play. Rylan enjoyed chasing their chickens around the yard.

Elyssa liked pushing Rylan around on the tractor.

Rylan was even lucky enough to go on a real tractor ride with Daddy! Rylan loves tractors (vehicles of any kind for that matter) so this was a real treat.

After playing outside all evening, the kids were filthy. So, we decided to give them a bath. Here's Rylan and Nathan hanging out in the tub.

What a fun trip! Can't wait to see you all again soon!