Trip to Grandma's

We made a trip to visit Grandma over Memorial Day weekend. As always, we ventured to Rylan's favorite spot on the beach in Puget Sound. Cousin Anderson got to come too and the kids had a ball!

Snack time

Ayla won't keep her sunglasses on so this is the only picture I have of her wearing them. Pretty cute!

Play time with Daddy

In mid-air

She loved the sand on her toes.

Our little beach explorer.

Rylan is already counting down the days until we get to visit Grandma again.

Long Awaited Visit

Our good friends, Jenny and Joel and little Trevor, came to visit us in May. It had been a long time coming. After they moved from Spokane to Nevada several years ago, we made a deal that we would find a way to get together once a year. Well, kids came along and before we knew it several years had passed by without seeing each other. Finally, they made a trip to visit and we were thrilled to see them!

We visited their favorite park in Spokane; Manito.

We also took the kids to Mobius. Maneuvering this excavator was definitely the highlight for the boys.

Ayla enjoyed drawing in the art corner.

Ry also thought the Lego wall was pretty cool. I'm thinking about making one of these for our playroom.

Since their visit, they welcomed their second baby, Tyson, into the world! We miss you guys! Wish we could see you more often!

Happy Birthday Ayla!

It is hard to believe that our baby girl is one already! It seems like she was just born yesterday. I'm not sure where the time goes, so I'm trying to cherish every moment with both children. We celebrated Ayla's birthday with our family and close friends, the Whitman's.

Rylan helped make Ayla a giant funfetti cupcake. What a sweet big brother!

Our pretty birthday girl.

Ayla was happy to celebrate with her best friend, and cousin, Kiyana.

As always, Rylan and Papa had a ball together.

We love our little family!

Ayla wasn't sure what to think of her giant cupcake at first.

But, it didn't take her long to dive right in again and again!

She ate the top of the cupcake first. Yummy frosting!

She didn't quite know what to do with all the presents so Mommy and Rylan had to help her open most of them.

She immediately wanted to play with her new shopping cart from Grandma.

And, she's spent a lot of time riding her new horse from Mimi and Papa.

Ayla, we are so blessed to have you in our lives! We love your sweet spirit and your beautiful smile! You light up our world! This past year with you in our lives has been so amazing. We will forever cherish your snuggles, kisses, and giggles. We look forward to many more special times with you. Love you more than words!

Bloomsday

Bloomsday 2011-Rylan's 3rd Bloomsday (if you count the year I walked it while pregnant with him) and Ayla's 1st Bloomsday. We started the tradition of doing Bloomsday as a family several years ago and hope to continue it every year with our kids. Grandma Suanne (Bryon's mom) joins us every year too!

We rode the STA bus downtown to the race. Ry thought it was a pretty sweet ride!

Here we are in the stroller section waiting for the race to begin.

And, we're off!!!

Rylan even got out of the stroller a few times and enjoyed walking with us. What a trooper!

We did it!!! We crossed the finish line!

Unfortunately, they don't have Bloomsday shirts in toddler sizes. But, t-shirt or no t-shirt, we sure had fun! Rylan is already looking forward to next year!

Cousins

We had a long cold, rainy spring this year which meant a lot of time spent indoors. Yuck! Instead of being stuck at home, we tried to get out of the house and enjoy some fun outings. Many of those outings were spent with Rylan and Ayla's cousins. They've all had so much fun together these past several months. Here are a few of the highlights:

We enjoyed several days at Mobius!

Peek-a-boo!

Look how many fish we caught!

Speed Racer Rylan

Craft time

Ayla had fun in the kiddie corner.

Wanna buy some candy?

The kids got to spend lots of quality time with Auntie Bre and cousin Kiyana. Bre's been watching Rylan and Ayla while Mom's at work.

Bryon's brother Brad and his son Anderon came for a visit in April. The boys had tons of fun together!

Ayla watched as the boys played in the dirt.

Breakfast time

Tool time

We also had fun with cousin Ava and Auntie Jenna during Open Gym at Spokane Gymnastics. Ry loved this huge pit of foam squares!

Our little monkey.



Auntie Jenna was a gymnastics coach at one time so she gave Rylan a few pointers on the bars.

And, she helped him practice his beam skills too.

Ayla loved tumbling around on the mats.

Bouncing on the trampoline was pretty fun too!

We are so thankful that Rylan and Ayla are blessed with amazing cousins that we see on a regular basis. They will grow up being great friends!

Play Time!!!

During the long, cold winter and spring, we've had a lot of fun playing inside together! Ayla is getting to the age where she loves to play with Rylan and he loves it just as much! The two have a ball together! I'm so glad they love each other so much! I've enjoyed just sitting back and watching the two of them interact. Rylan is so sweet and gentle to sis and she just adores big brother. I thought I would highlight a few of the memories of our inside days at home:

Playing with Ayla's new kitchen.

Hiding under the kitchen sink.

Photography by Rylan.

Playing in forts built by couch cushions.

"Cruising" around the house.

Hanging out under the table.

Snuggling up for a morning of cartoons.

Making music together.

Braving the cold .

Going on wagon rides.

Enjoying the company of friends, Blake and Claire.

Movie time!

My love bugs!

I cherish the small moments we've shared together!