Friday Fun

It is Friday, and we are getting excited to see our family and friends to celebrate Reed's birthday.  I have been running off a checklist for the past two days, and it is getting close.  We ran errands early, and the housekeepers arrived to clean up the house.  Reed was taking a nap, so Ryland, Grand Pop, and I hung out in Ryland's room.  I finished up a report, and Ryland played with the camera on my iPhone.  The pictures he took made me laugh.

 

Cheesy Ryland grin

 

His first stuffed animal, Dave

 

A partial close up

 

Ceiling view

 

Mommy working on the computer

 

Mommy

 

 

Collection of airplanes

 

Cooper relaxing

 

He even caught Gran Pop snoring.

 

 

Fun with family

 Ryland and Reed absolutely adore their cousin, Ally, and they love playing with her.  I have no idea what they are doing in these pictures, but they all look happy.

 

 

After completely stuffing ourselves on delicious cuisine, we laughed and joked at the contents of our Christmas crackers.  They all had something different inside, so it was fun to share.

 

Reed got paper dominos.

 

Ally isn't a fan of the crown.  I had the camera ready to snap the quick shot before she ripped it off.

Ryland's cracker had fancy, silver, sparkly watch.

 

Ally must really like tea.  She got 2 singing tea sets.

 

Not to give away a future gift, but the boys like their new helmets.

 

The kiddos also opened new books.

 

Happy Merry Christmas

Ryland liked to tell everyone "Happy Merry Christmas" instead of the more common Merry Christmas; however, it was completely perfect tonight. We celebrated Grandpa Dave's birthday and Christmas. We sang Happy Birthday and opened gifts. The boys picked out a wonderful gift of Weber grill starters. How fitting!
Reed enjoyed some dancing and a teething ring while entertaining us all.

Ryland loved the Cars gift bag! He dug right in and pulled out tissue, clothes, and ......

a remote control truck!

While Ryland was pre-occupied with opening gifts, I noticed Reed had wondered over to his brother's track hoe. He was seizing the opportunity to explore.

Family comes to visit

We had a house full of family and friends today. It was awesome to visit and catch up with them all. Reed and I smile for the camera.

Nana brought the boys Halloween treats. They each had glow in the dark swords that were the big hit of the night.
Uncle Clint, Grand Pop, and Donna

Ryland and Chanda look through the treats. I love how she is 41 weeks pregnant and holding Ryland. I think she is trying to go into labor! I can't blame her.

Reed is on the move. I can tell the fireplace is his desired location. He is now trying to pull up, and the sharp stone looks like the perfect place to learn how.

Uncle Clint and Aunt Kristi hang out. Only a month left before they are parents.

Weekend in Georgetown

My dad finally moved back to Texas, so we headed to Georgetown to visit for the weekend. I am so happy he is now only three hours away. Some of my crazy uncles and my cool aunt came over to visit and play with the boys.
It looks like John Chris wore out first, but Reed isn't far behind.

Slip'n slide

I have been telling John Chris that Ryland needs a slip n' slide since the beginning of the summer. I have had several other things going on, so I haven't had a chance to actually find one. I was shopping at Marshalls for a bathing suit appropriate for aqua class when I saw a slip n' slide out of the corner of my eye. I probably looked like a complete nut, because I got so excited. I showed it to Ryland, and he got super excited too.

I made him take a nap as soon as we got home, so he would be rested to play outside. The second he woke up, he wanted to slip n' slide. The kid had no clue how or what to do. He just wanted to slip n' slide. We set it up in the backyard and turned on the water. He ran down the slide and splashed in the water.
He was laughing and giggling. He loved it!

After explaining that he was supposed to slide down it, he decided to get on his stomach. He crawled up the slide! Gosh! I was afraid of hurting myself, so I decided not to show him by example. I tried holding his arms and dragging him down the slide, but he kept sticking to the plastic. Hmmm. Nothing a little bit of joy soap can't handle. I squirted an ample amount of soap over the slide and slung him down it quickly. He loved it.

John Chris joined in the fun as soon as he got home. He and my dad took turns throwing Ryland down the slip n' slide. John Chris changed into his swim suit and demonstrated the correct way to run and slide down. Ryland loved this but was still a bit hesitant to run and jump head first. Maybe he will always be this cautious. Doubtful.

Lake trip

We spent the afternoon on Uncle Clint and Aunt Kristi's new boat. Ryland was pretty hesitant at first, but he quickly got over it. He wasn't a big fan of the life jacket, but who really is. We cruised around the lake for a bit and then stopped to hang out and chat. We let the boys take off the life jackets to enjoy a snack. Grandpa Dave, Ryland, John Chris, and Reed looked too cool in their sunglasses.


Poor baby Reed is such a trooper. The infant life jacket was such a bulky contraption with the neck float. He didn't whine or cry though. He was happy and content as always.

Aunt Kristi held on to Itsy as we cruised around. Notice that Itsy has a life jacket on as well. Whatever works!

Visiting with Grand Pop

My dad came to visit and meet Reed. We had a great visit and always enjoy catching up. Since Ryland was sick, my dad was a huge help in keeping the boys apart. He is awesome with babies, and Ryland adores him.

We pulled Reed's swing over to the table, so he could "eat" dinner with us. He can now see the owls on his swing, and he was mesmerized.

Ryland LOVES bubbles! He can't get enough of this bubble blower, and Cooper can't get enough of chasing the bubbles. I am not kidding when I say we spend hours blowing bubbles. I really mean hours.

Grandpa Dave's birthday

We celebrated Grandpa Dave's birthday tonight will a little gift. Ryland was happy to help tear into the package. He was all smiles and grins until...

he sees the gift isn't a toy. He was disappointed until he had an opportunity to get his hands on the bottles of cologne. He played with the bottles and lids for a while until he figured out how to operate them. He now is a cologne maniac. He smells like a little man.

Grillin' with the guys

All the guys were grilling tonight, and it was a good thing Ryland got a new grill for Christmas. We had so much food to grill, and he had to help out. My dad is notorious for grilling extra large portions of meat. We had bacon wrapped shrimp, chicken, boneless pork ribs, sausage, and tuna. It was all delicious, and we have leftovers for days.
Ryland had a blast copying the big dudes. He was sure to flip his food to achieve even cooking. We were amazed at his awareness.

Not sure which guy he learned this trick from. Any guesses?

Saturday in Florida

It was nice to sit outside watching Ryland play and help with the grill. Ryland totally car jacked Sienna's ride and wanted everyone but mommy to push him around.
It is Grandpa Dave's turn to push Ryland for a few laps around the house.

Guess who was a daddy's boy all weekend? Yes, it was pathetic. He nearly wore John Chris out with the whining and needing to be held. He was a daddy's boy.

Aunt Kristi takes Ryland for a few laps in Sienna's other car.

Between working on our house, moving, carrying Ryland around, grilling, and a few beers, John Chris starts to drift off for a nap. A perfect ending to a wonderful day in Florida.