All boy!!

Those of you who know Ryan know how much he loves tools and "working" as he calls it. He loves to work out in the yard with daddy and it doesn't matter what it is. He will pull weeds, dig up pine straw, help plant flowers or whatever else needs to be done. The picture on the left is of him digging up the flower bed and then depositing it somewhere else around the yard. The other picture is of Ryan and my dad looking through Papa's tool bag. Papa has the best tools and so many of them to choose from. Tonight he got to play with this tool that tests to see if a battery has power. So when you put the two little wands(?) together it makes a beeping sound. Well he thought this was so cool, and sat there forever just beeping away. I hope that as the years go by he will still love to work with tools and that he is as good with his hands as his Papa is. Thank you Papa for indulging Ryan and his excitement for tools!!

Joe's Crab Shack

Saturday night we had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack with the Judd's, the Maggiore's, the Jackson's, the Nieter's, and the Williams family. I didn't realize that they had a play area outside for the kids to play on, it was perfect since we had so many little ones in our group. As you can see all the kids had a wonderful time playing outside! I think everyone made the picture except for Anna and Emily (they were with their mommies), and as usual you can see that Erin is the only girl among all the boys (or rose among a bunch of thorns). We had awesome weather so we were able to eat outside on the deck while the kids played. The moms actually got a chance to talk while the dads watched the kids playing (well, they were supposed to be watching). It was a great time had by all and we so enjoyed visiting with all our friends!

The Va. Marine Science Museum

Ryan loved watching the fish swim around the big aquarium.

Ryan wasn't so sure about this big snake.
Of course we had to take a picture in the mouth of the shark.
Last Monday Kevin and I took Ryan to the Marine Science Museum for the first time. Kevin's parents were in town so they happily agreed to stay home and watch Emily while we spent some time alone with our little boy. We have never taken him to the museum but he had a wonderful time. Unfortunately many of the exhibits were closed due to a lot of construction going on, but it was still a fun day. He wasn't too sure about the big turtles swimming around in the tank, I think he was a little scared at first when they started swimming toward him. After a few minutes he realized they couldn't get to him and he enjoyed watching them swim around. Everything to him was so exciting and it was so neat to see his face light up every time we saw something new. It has been so long since we went anywhere with just him, it reminded me how much easier it is to take only one child out somewhere. All in all, it was a nice day spent with just my boys!

It's Been a While.......

I know, I know I haven't blogged in quite some time, things have just been a little crazy around the Saunders household. The weekend after Labor Day we went to Roanoke to visit Kevin's family and to attend a wedding and a one year old's birthday party. The Friday before we left I took Ryan to the doctor because he wasn't feeling and wanted to make sure it wasn't anything major before we left for our trip. Well guess what?......he had a horrible ear infection. We got his medicine and headed out of town. Emily had been dealing with a cold for a week or so and then the Wednesday after we got back she woke up with a cough and fever so off to the doctor's we went. Guess what?......she had a double ear infection. We got her medicine and they both finished their rounds of antibiotics this past Sunday. On Monday Ryan still wasn't acting right and was complaining about his ear hurting so Tuesday morning we headed back to the doctor's only to find out that; Guess what?........he still had the ear infection and to top it all off he also had this hand, foot and mouth virus. So we got him some more medicine (for the ear infection only, there is nothing they can do for the virus). I did get Emily's ears checked that same day since I was already there and she got a clean bill of health. So, basically we have been in the house for the past 2 weeks trying to get better. Tomorrow is Ryan's last day of his antibiotics and I sure hope that he is all better. I am just so paranoid now that he still has the infection, since there is no way for me to tell if it's gone. Also, Kevin went to the doctor on Tuesday night and found out he has tonsillitis, so he was taking his own medicine. I am so tired of wiping noses, remembering to give medicine and dealing with cranky kids (and husbands). Hopefully sometime in the near future we will be able to get out and do something fun so I can blog about it. (and so I don't go crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)