Ally Turns Four

We couldn't miss Ally's special birthday celebration, so we hoped for the best with Ridley and made the drive.  Everyone had a fantastic time playing with all the children and the loads of toys.  Happy 4th Birthday, Ally!

Thanksgiving Take 1

We traveled to Texarkana for our first round of Thanksgiving with family.  We had a great time visiting and playing with cousins.  We even managed to get all 5 of them to pose for a picture.  They had the best time with each other.

Ridley couldn't make it any longer.  She was loving her sweet cuddle time with Daddy.  

Thanksgiving Take One

We started our Thanksgiving celebration with my side of the family.  We had a great time visiting, laughing, and catching up.  My mom had started decorating for Christmas, and she had her life size singing Santa out.  Unfortunately, he wasn't making any noise.  Good thing my brother and John Chris love little projects.  They completely dismantled Santa and brought him back to life.   

 

We spent the evening playing Logo Party, and the two little ones had to be right in the middle of the action. 

 

 

Fun times

The boys continued the fun trip to Texarkana.  They played with Nanna and Papaw, and they got to hang out with their favorite cousin, Baby Ally.  I heard that these three were a complete handful.

 

 

A fun project for one day was planting strawberries.  A cute project that was interrupted because the boys wanted to actually wear the boots.  They saved the boots from becoming a permanent planter with holes and dirt inside.  Their cute creations came with instructions to re-plant the strawberries very soon, so they could where the new rain boots.

 

 

The boys played outside and enjoyed their new summer tank tops.

 

 

They had a great time playing at the park.  I also heard a story about feeding the ducks.  Ryland said that they were feeding bread to a few ducks in the water, when all of a sudden a million birds came over for a snack.  He said it was really fun.  Check out all of the geese.

 

 

 

Taking a ride with Papaw.

 

They modeled their new Harley shirts, which they LOVE.

 

 

Leaving the boys

Ryland and Reed are going to have a blast!  They are staying in Ruston for a few days and then heading to Texarkana to finish up the week.  John Chris and I packed the truck to head back home to Southlake.  We gave lots of kisses and hugs and said our goodbyes.  It is always hard to leave them, but I know they will have fun.  I also think the grandparents will really enjoy their time with the boys.

Christmas in Texarkana

We headed to Texarkana for some family Christmas time with my side of the family. The boys love the total craziness and all the noise. Since my brother broke his foot, he is in a wheelchair for a while. Ryland wasn't really interested in going for a ride at first, but he eventually warmed up to the idea.
Nana and Reed enjoy playing on the floor.

Ryland was in full silly mode with his hideous SpongeBob shirt on. He loved Nana's snowing Christmas tree.

Reed loved all the scattered snow. It was a constant fight to keep it out of his mouth.

Ryland, Reed, and Ally with the great grandparents, Poppy and Grandmother Sue.

Family shot

The boys loved their new toys.

Ryland's favorite toy was the ride on track hoe. Since he is really into tractors right now, this was the perfect gift.

Meeting Ally

The boys and I made a trip to Texarkana to meet Ally. I am thrilled to have a niece, and she is absolutely precious.
Kristi and Clint are great parents and are obviously in love with their daughter.

Ryland gives his cousin, Ally, a kiss.

Uncle Clint entertains Ryland

Reed is a crawling machine.

Visiting with Uncle Clint and Aunt Kristi

I headed to Texarkana with Ryland and Reed for the weekend. It was great to hang out with Uncle Clint and Aunt Kristi. The boys enjoyed playing and wrestling with Uncle Clint.
Time for silly faces!

Ryland snaps a shot of mommy being silly.

Uncle Clint, Reed, and Aunt Kristi playing cars.

Fun at Nana's house

Ryland and Reed spent a few days at Nana's house, and from the pictures I can tell they had a great time.

Visiting family

While in Texarkana, I wanted to take the boys out to see the Great Grandparents. They had never met Reed, and it had been awhile since they had seen Ryland. Grandmother Sue enjoyed holding and playing with Reed.
Ryland heard a few train whistles while we were visiting, and Poppy would take him outside to watch the trains go by. Poppy also knew where some new baby birds were. He showed Ryland the nest with the new babies, and Ryland thought they were cute.

Nana and Ryland "cheesing" for the camera.

We had a great visit, and I am glad my grandparents were able to see the boys. It was very difficult to get out of town with 2 little ones, but it was worth the ordeal. I now need to get both of them to Ruston to visit with their other great grandmother, GiGi.

4th annual crawfish boil

Clint and Kristi held their annual crawfish boil this weekend, so we all headed to Texarkana. We were loaded down and looked like gypsies in John Chris's truck. Brad and Chanda came with us this year to share in the fun.

Ryland loves sugar cookies. We gave him half of one, and he indulged.

Ahhhh! A cold drink in a floozy coozy washes it down just right.

We picked up a golf caddy set at Walmart while out getting some last minute supplies. Ryland loved it!

We also found this SpongeBob hat to keep Ryland's head covered. To our surprise he actually wore it.

Thanks Aunt Chanda!

Nanna tried to take away the water hose. Bad idea!

Full meltdown starts.

This is a new expression. When Ryland gets upset and is just devastated, he puts his hand over his mouth. I think it is too cute.

The fit must have worked, because Ryland has the water hose back in no time.

Nice mohawk! This is what happens when you put sunscreen all over. Ryland's hair was able to stand straight up.

Grandpa David, Uncle Brad, and John Chris.

I have no idea what John Chris is doing. Ballet? Or just trying to stay standing up?

Friend, Uncle Pat, Uncle Clint, and William

Hanging with the fam

Crazy Uncle Pat is always a ton of fun.
Great Grandma Bobby gives great hugs.

We stopped by to see Great Grandmother Sue, and she was sweet enough to help feed Ryland.

These guys would not give me smile. I guess it is a guy thing.

Great Poppy Ben and Ryland