We had a joint birthday party to celebrate Rylan turning two and Ava (Rylan's cousin) turning three. Their birthdays are just two days apart, so we thought it would be fun to celebrate together. It turned out so well, and we all had so much fun, that we've decided to make it a tradition (or at least until the kids decide they want their
own party)!
We invited all our family over to our house for a pizza party. Here are all the cousins, plus Auntie Bre, enjoying their dinner.
It was so fun watching the birthday girl open her presents! She was so excited!
Rylan was thrilled with his presents too! In fact, he loved every present so much that we had a hard time getting him to open the next gift...he was too busy playing with the one he just opened.
Grandma gave him a whole bunch of new cars and this big mat that he can drive them on. He loves it and plays with it for hours every day.
Uncle Jerimiah, Auntie Jenna, Jada, Ty, and Ava gave Rylan this slide. This has always been one of his favorite things to play with at his friends' houses and now he finally has his own. I can't even begin to count how many times he went down this before he was ready to open the next gift. =)
Mimi, Papa, Aunti Bre and Uncle Jeff got Rylan a new winter outfit (he was too busy to try on the snowpants and gloves). Now he's all ready to go play outside in the cold, wintry weather. Doesn't he look so cute in this outfit?
Rylan and Ava shared an icecream cake...one side was decorated with tools and the other side with princesses. It couldn't have been cuter or more delicious!
Within seconds of putting the cake in front of the two birthday kids, Rylan was dipping his fingers into the frosting and eating it while Ava was sitting there patiently like a princess until we cut her her own piece. What a doll! These two are such good buddies that they even decided to hold hands for this event.
Rylan's birthday was on a Tuesday this year, so we threw his party the Saturday before. The day of his real birthday was pretty low key. We had our friends, Brian and Lara, and their two little ones, Blake and Claire, over for dinner. Blake is one of Rylan's best buddies. We had hotdogs for dinner (Rylan's favorite meal) and then Rylan got to open more gifts. Thanks for the fun new toys Blake!
Mommy and Daddy got Rylan a new train set. It makes noises and has flashing lights and came with lots of train to drive around the track. He's loved playing with this every day.
We ended the evening with Rylan's favorite dessert; chocolate brownies with icecream. Can you tell he's just a little bit excited?
Happy birthday sweet boy! It is so fun to watch you grow up!
We're already starting to prep Rylan for this big change in our family. We've been reading him books about being a big brother and what it will be like to have a little brother or sister. He's shown a lot of interest. Sometimes he even points to Mommy's belly and says "Baby in there." He's going to be the best big brother ever!
"What's inside that pumpkin Daddy?"
"Oh, it's squishy, slimy orange stuff. Interesting!"
"I'm not sure I like the idea of putting my hand in there. Can you get out the pumpkin seeds for me Daddy?"
"Oh, good...you found me a spoon. I'll just scoop the seeds out instead. This is much more my style!"
Happy Halloween!
...pet the goats and the ducks,
play in the giant chickpea box (it looks like a sandbox, but is really full of chickpeas),
go for a ride around the apple orchard,
pick a few apples,
and search for the perfect pumpkin.
"There are so many to choose from Mommy. I just don't know which one to get."
"I found the perfect pumpkin. Please no one take it! This one is for me."
What a great way to spend a beautiful fall day!
We invited all our family over to our house for a pizza party. Here are all the cousins, plus Auntie Bre, enjoying their dinner.
It was so fun watching the birthday girl open her presents! She was so excited!
Rylan was thrilled with his presents too! In fact, he loved every present so much that we had a hard time getting him to open the next gift...he was too busy playing with the one he just opened.
Uncle Jerimiah, Auntie Jenna, Jada, Ty, and Ava gave Rylan this slide. This has always been one of his favorite things to play with at his friends' houses and now he finally has his own. I can't even begin to count how many times he went down this before he was ready to open the next gift. =)
Mimi, Papa, Aunti Bre and Uncle Jeff got Rylan a new winter outfit (he was too busy to try on the snowpants and gloves). Now he's all ready to go play outside in the cold, wintry weather. Doesn't he look so cute in this outfit?
Rylan and Ava shared an icecream cake...one side was decorated with tools and the other side with princesses. It couldn't have been cuter or more delicious! 
Within seconds of putting the cake in front of the two birthday kids, Rylan was dipping his fingers into the frosting and eating it while Ava was sitting there patiently like a princess until we cut her her own piece. What a doll! These two are such good buddies that they even decided to hold hands for this event.
Rylan's birthday was on a Tuesday this year, so we threw his party the Saturday before. The day of his real birthday was pretty low key. We had our friends, Brian and Lara, and their two little ones, Blake and Claire, over for dinner. Blake is one of Rylan's best buddies. We had hotdogs for dinner (Rylan's favorite meal) and then Rylan got to open more gifts. Thanks for the fun new toys Blake!
Mommy and Daddy got Rylan a new train set. It makes noises and has flashing lights and came with lots of train to drive around the track. He's loved playing with this every day. 
The carousel was one of his favorites. He rode it again...
and again!
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! 
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.
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.
