Poor shark

Ryland and Reed were thrilled to open the inflatable shark.  They couldn't quite figure out how to ride it in the pool, so they made it a yard toy.  One of the boys would drag the shark while the other one would attempt to jump on or grab the shark.  We couldn't help but feel sorry for the shark, but it was hilarious and entertaining.

 

First VBS

We had a great week at White's Chapel!  This is the first year that we participated in VBS, and it was a ton of fun.  Ryland loved the crafts and playing with friends. Reed seemed to be happy as could be hanging out in the nursery.  They both were worn out by lunch and ready to relax at home, which I loved. I volunteered the entire time, and I was exhausted too.

We had so much fun our first year.  We plan to be back next year for more!

 

Footprint

The baseboards in the family room and kitchen were looking a bit worn, so I thought I would just clean them and add a quick coat of paint.  My assistant, Reed, was right by my side as usual, ready to help.  Not 2 minutes after I opened the can of paint, Reed stepped on the lid and started walking. He was very proud of his cute little white footprints on the tile.

Art

Ryland created this beautiful bird.  I love how he has mixed the papers and used an industrial medium - electrical tape.  The extra medium got brought into his creation when I told him that he had used enough Scotch tape.  He hung the bird by the garage door, so Daddy would see it as soon as he arrived home.

At some point, one of the legs came off of the body and flopped over.  Reed noticed that the leg had problems, so he decided to help.  He found a black Sharpie and drew the leg back up to the body.  Gosh, they sure make a great team and that is one pretty bird.

 

Scary

I can only imagine in a few years these two will be cruising around together.  I love how Ryland is serious and paying attention to his driving.  It is too bad that the pedal is on the floor, but at least he is trying.  Reed is just along for the ride.  I can just see his head hanging out the window laughing and screaming. 

What a scary thought of these two in the vehicle coming at you.  Prayers accepted!

 

Handy Reed

Paradise Pond is a wonderful, entertaining, indoor playground.  The boys were thrilled that they were invited to a birthday party, and I heard the whole week about how they could not wait to go to Paradise Pond.  So why is it that I couldn't find Reed playing in the bounce house, superhero dress up, dinosaur area, jungle gym, or even playing with the thousands of cars and race tracks?  I found him "working" on the wall on the far side of the building.  Oh my, what have we done to our children?  Maybe we have done too many projects around the house.

 

Tree Climbing

Ryland and Reed love to shake this white crepe myrtle tree that is planted by the parking lot at the gym.  Every day when we leave, the boys grab the tree and shake with all their might.  They love it when all the blooms fall off like snow.  

I mentioned that they should come home and try to shake our tree to see if they could make it snow.  Ryland was on a mission, and he went straight to the back yard to try.  He wasn't very successful, because our tree is a little bigger. Then the wheels started to turn...

I kept my eyes on him, because I knew he was up to something.  He drug the mini trampoline over and propped up a sand bucket.  He climbed up on the handles and into the tree.

 

Notice Reed carefully observing in the photo above, and now see how he has turned around looking for me. 

 

After watching Ryland, Reed attempted to climb the tree, but he needed a little help.  Daddy came home just at the right time to help lift him.  The boys shook the limbs with all their might, and it snowed purple blooms.

 

 

Swim Lessons

After Ryland took an unexpected swim, we knew he needed to freshen up his swimming skills.  We were lucky enough to get into Mrs. Sue's swim lessons after a close friend called in a favor.  The first day was a little nuts but something clicked for Ryland.  He is in love with Mrs. Sue, and he can't wait to go back again.

 

 

After swimming like fishes, the boys were rewarded with a treat of their choice.  Today their selection was a Tootsie Pop.  Yummy!

 

 

We came home and had a light lunch, and we went right outside to practice. I followed Mrs. Sue's example, and I was shocked when the boys did exactly what I told them to do. Within minutes, I had convinced Ryland to jump in and swim with his face in the water all the way to the steps.  I even got him coming up for a breath.  I was amazed! 

We were having so much fun playing in the pool, we didn't even hear Daddy pull up in the driveway.  He walked out the backdoor to surprise us, and we surprised him.  The look of shock on his face was priceless.  He wanted to know what happened at swim.  He was so proud of Ryland's progress! 

Superhero Saturday

The Fort Worth Museum hosted their annual Superhero Saturday, and I thought it would be a fun activity for the boys.  We found awesome Superman shirts, and they brought their capes to help them get in character.

 

 

One of the coolest rooms is all about flight.  We cut and taped coffee filters, paper plates, and paper cones to make the perfect flying contraption.  Reed placed his in the air tube, and it took off.  It flew in the tube for a long time before we had to think smart to get it down.  He loved this, and I hated to pull him away to explore the other areas.

 

Super fun!  This dino slide is created of industrial materials, and the boys enjoyed talking about the different pieces and where they came from.

 

The best part of the slide - the speed!  Ryland flew out!

 

 

The boys hanging out in a dino footprint.

 

Doing a little grocery shopping.

 

We also ran into some other characters.  Ryland was quick to pose, which really shocked me.  Reed wasn't interested.  NOT INTERESTED!

 

Look at that smile!  He was so thrilled.

 

After a morning of Superhero exploring and keeping people safe, it was time to refuel.  Reed was back to his normal self.

 

A deep breath ... of pure happiness!

I have stressed about this pregnancy so much since the miscarriage last year.  I have prayed and asked myself "what if" so many times.  As I waited over 45 minutes for my first ultrasound, I thought I was going to be sick.

I was so relieved to see my precious little baby and hear the heartbeat.  The baby measured right at 8 weeks and 168 bpm.  I can finally take a breath, because I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.  Thank you, God, for answered prayers.

 

Library fun

The Southlake library has a fun summer planned for the kids.  Today they hosted a Pirate Science demonstration that was all about buoyancy and ship building.  Ryland was very engaged and couldn't wait to get "hands on".  Who knew foil makes some pretty awesome ships?

 

Artistic expression

It was a beautiful warm day that was perfect for painting.  I had picked up a few little project items at Michael's in preparation for those long summer days.  Today we learned about the letter S.  Ryland painted a scorpion.  Reed painted a snake, and I painted a few stars.  We had a great time making the S sound and painting the letter S along with our wooden pieces.

 

The boys finished creatures.

 

A textured canvas was the perfect backdrop for our dry brushed stars.

 

Of course there was a ton of silliness too.  These boys figured out how to turn their shirts over their heads.  What am I going to do with these little messes? 

 

 

Rest

I needed to make a quick run to Lowe's to pick up some grout, when we happened across these adorable green adirondack chairs for kids.  The boys climbed up to "rest".  They went on and on about how comfortable the chairs were and how much they would really love to have them.  The crazy thing is - we have this exact chair in the backyard, and they have no interest in sitting in it.  I had to laugh at their negotiation skills and their outfits.

Fun outside

We started the day at Parr Park in Grapevine.  The boys were a little cautious of the splash pad when we first arrived, so we headed to the playground first. 

 

 

After sliding and climbing for a little while, the boys were hot and sweaty.  The splash pad looked a lot more appealing, so they ran over to cool off.  The first moment they hit the chilly water was too funny.  It was almost like they were in shock. 

 

 

We spent the entire afternoon playing in the backyard at home.  I love to watch them play on the swings and dig in the sand.  Reed ran over to say, "I love you to the moon and back the mostest".  (Our special little saying.) He then disappeared back into the sand box with his brother.  

 

We wrapped up the evening with a cold popsicle, and Ryland did a little jumping. It was wonderful to have Ryland and Reed at home.   I missed my boys so much, and I am so happy they are back!

Music festival

Since the boys were out of town having fun, John Chris and I planned a few fun activities for us.  It was really weird without our boys, but we kept busy with date night dinners, a movie, and event a music festival in Dallas.  We loved Matt & Kim!



 

 

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.

 

 

Fun with Lizee & Pops

Ryland and Reed had so much fun in Ruston while staying with Lizee and Pops.  They enjoyed riding the new mule and picking vegetables in the garden.

 

They gathered eggs and threw out scratch for the chickens.

 

Reed loves spaghetti!  He couldn't get enough in his mouth.

 

The big entertainment highlight was the huge dirt pile.  Both boys are still talking about where we can put a dirt pile at our house.

 

 

Reed helped Pops mow the yard.

 

Ryland the catcher.

 

 

I love this picture.  I know they had a great time, and I heard they spent about 10 hours playing in this dirt pile.  Simple joy!

1st Annual Memorial

In memory of JP, a large group of friends and family gathered at the Wetlands in Columbia, LA to celebrate his life.  It was a fun weekend away from normal life with fun folks and great food.  Corn hole was a constant competition, and I am proud to say my team whooped John Chris and Trevor's rear.  Just saying.

 

 

Hundreds of pounds of crawfish to peel and eat.  Yummy!

 

We took the boys fishing at one of the ponds, and we quickly realized we didn't have enough crickets or hands to help.  Both boys caught their first fish on their first cast.  Needless to say, their expectations were set way too high after that.

 

Reed shows off his first fish.

 

 

Ryland is proud of his first catch too.

 

This is the disorganized group shot of a bunch of people who couldn't stop talking and had been drinking too much.  We are on the porch between the center two columns.  It was an awesome group.

 

The boys and Millie Marie are worn out, and they are about to call it a night.

 

We stayed in one of the houses at the Wetlands, and it wasn't roughing it at all.  The house was super nice, and the boys enjoyed taking it easy for another day of fun. 

 

Reed made a new girlfriend upon arrival, and they loved to play outside.  Here they are playing a little soccer.

As if there wasn't enough to do, the kids had a 20ft water slide to play on.  The kids had a blast on it until the adults had to come try it out.  Ryland loved it and really enjoyed sliding and splashing in the water pool.  Reed wasn't a fan and was very upset when John Chris took him down the slide.  He screamed bloody murder.

 

Some of the guys found baby alligators and brought them back so everyone could check them out.  Reed was apprehensive, but he did pet one.

 

 

Ryland didn't want anything to do with the alligators.  John Chris finally convinced him to hold one.  A few hours later, when Ryland tried to pet it again, the alligator snapped Ryland's finger.  He can say he has been bitten by an alligator and lived to tell about it.