The Saunders Family

Broken bones!!

2009-07-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we officially have our first set of broken bones. Tuesday night Ryan fell off his bike and broke 2 bones in his arm!! We were shocked considering how many times he's fallen off his bike in the past. I guess he fell "just right" this time!! He has to wear his cast for at least 5 weeks, so hopefully that will be enough time for it to heal. Thank goodness it's waterproof so at least he can still go swimming for the rest of the summer, otherwise it would be a loooong 5 weeks. He seems to be getting used to it and hasn't complained yet, but I'm sure he'll get tired of it real soon and want it off. Guess this is just the beginning of many broken bones in our future!!

Cousins

2009-01-15T11:36:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post a picture of all the cousins. Boy did they all have such a wonderful time playing while we were at Nanny's house!

New Years Eve!

2009-01-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

This year for New Years we headed in to Roanoke to see Kevin's family. We went over to some friends of Kevin's from high school and all their kids and of course the cousins. We had a great time and the kids had a blast. We all stayed up till midnight and let the kids watch the ball drop, although I think they were more excited about getting to stay up! It was lots of fun and the kids actually did really well considering they didn't go to bed until about 130!!!!

Here's all the kiddos - and check it out Ryan is the only boy for once!!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-15T11:25:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A post of many colors!!

2008-10-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we had the privelege of attending a triple birthday party!! Anderson, Jacob and Josiah all celebrated their birthday with one big bash at Hunt Club Farm. It was so much fun!! The party was lots of fun, with many wonderful things to eat and there were so many activities for the kids to do, they could have stayed all day!! Ryan enjoyed many bounce houses and slides while Emily had fun climbing up and down the big pile of hay!! The boys had fun throwing the hay at each other for the longest time. That's a thought - just get a big pile of hay for the backyard!! That would be hours of fun!! :-) Kevin had to leave early to go out of town, so the kids and I went to pick out our pumpkins before we left. We couldn't leave the farm without getting our pumpkins, we were looking forward picking them out!! It was a wonderful day and I will definitely go back there next year!!

Ryan has officially begun his first sport - soccer!!! We decided to sign him up for soccer at the Y and he is loving it. Of course it helps that his best bud Anderson is on his team too!! He's still not quite sure what he's exactly supposed to be doing, but he's having fun running around and kicking the ball (sometimes in the wrong direction). It's quite hilarious watching all the kids running around clueless as to what they are doing!! I think the ball spent more time out of bounds than it did in play!! He's having fun and we look forward to a wonderful season!!

Go Sounders!!

A few weeks ago we headed down to Corolla, NC for a marriage retreat. It was wonderful to be able to spend time away from the kids and enjoy some time as a couple. We enjoyed shopping, lots of eating, time in the hot tub and many other relaxing things. Thanks to Mike and Denise for being our "speakers" and sharing their words of wisdom for marriage and communication. Already looking forward to next year!!

A few weekends ago we met Kevin's parents at Busch Gardens for the day. The kids had never been and it had been a long time since our last trip so we decided to make a day of it. The kids had so much fun and were completely exhausted by the end of the day. We stayed for about 8 hours and rode as many rides as Ryan could find. Of course he thought he was big enough to ride the really big roller coasters. He was very disappointed when we told him he wasn't quite big enough! Both he and Emily had a blast and especially loved riding the train around the park. I think Kevin enjoyed the train just as much as they did!! It was a fun day and we look forward to going back next summer! I only have a few pictures because my batteries died about an hour after we got there. Bummer!!

I'm back!!

2008-10-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

I know, I know!! I am so far behind in blogging it's not even funny. Time has just gotten away from me lately and now I am trying to catch up on so many things. I have also started doing Facebook which is just crazy! I've enjoyed hooking back up with people I haven't seen in years, but it's just one more thing to keep up with. What's one more thing, right!!

Well, I am going to do a super post tonight. Kevin is gone for the week so I am catching up on many little projects around the house that have been put off for too long. Hope you enjoy a months worth of posts all at once!!

1st Day of Preschool!!

2008-09-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Ryan's 1st day of preschool and he had a blast!! It was a crazy morning trying to get everybody up and out and make sure that we had everything taken care of. Kevin took the day off of work so that he could come too which Ryan was very excited about. We have been talking about school for so long that to Ryan it was like he has been doing it for a long time. He was up early and ready to get dressed and go. There was so much that I wanted to do, that we ran out of time and were running a little bit late so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked.

Ryan eating his 1st day of school cinammon rolls on his special plate.

Emily just being silly as usual.
I wanted a picture standing somewhere other than the back of the car, but we ran out of time. He was so ready to go!
Check out his backpack! I bought the backpack 2 years ago knowing that one day he would need a gator backpack for school. (his school mascot is the gators) We had his name put on it and he loves it. He was wearing it around all morning while waiting to go.
Getting ready to go into his classroom. He barely had time to stop and take a picture, but I made sure. I do wish I would have gotten one with me in it, but the moms are usually the ones taking the pic's.
Ryan and Mrs. Jessee. I had her son in my class when I taught 5th grade, so I know that he will have a fabulous year in her class.
Emily in the car while Ryan was at school. This girls cracks me up!!

Ryan had a great 1st day of school. He barely even hugged me goodbye, which I guess is better than him screaming and crying. He was just so ready to be there with all his friends and hopefully ready to learn too. He has a few friends in his class that he already knows so that helps a bit, and we have visited school many times over the years so it is very familiar to him. I did much better than I thought I would, I didn't even cry. I guess mostly because the school is like a second home to me. I've been a part of the school as a student, as a teacher and now as a parent. It's so exciting to see him go to the same school that I went to and I know that he will love it as much as I did. I feel so comfortable having him there with so many people that I know so well. What a relief it is to know that he is surrounded by people who know him and love him and who are going to teach him all about Jesus. I couldn't ask for a better place to send my sweet boy!

Labor Day Weekend!!

2008-09-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

Our weekend was busy but filled with lots of fun activities!! Kevin had no schoolwork to do (woo hoo!) so we had a lot of family time!! Saturday morning we headed off to get Emily's hair cut for the first time. She was watching Ryan get his cut and kept asking for her haircut. When it was time fo her, she just hopped up in the chair and was ready to go. She did fabulous and kept smiling for the camera every time I took a picture. I guess she's seen Ryan do it so many times she just knew exactly what to do. I remember Ryan screamed through his entire 1st haircut so I guess I was expecting the same thing with her, but definitely not the case!!

Here's the before picture! It was so long and ratty in the back.

Hey, this is fun!!
Cheese!
After haircuts we headed to the pool for the morning and played in the pool with daddy which is a rare treat for us. We ran into our friends the Palmers and got to hang out with them. We don't see them too often so it was a nice surprise. After the pool we came home took a very quick nap and then we headed out the ball field for the last game of the season. Or so we thought! The guys actually won their 1st and 2nd games of the night which put them in the championship game. Unfortunately they didn't win, but they had a great night. There's always next year!! Emily enjoyed getting completely filthy and having me chase her all over the place. Ryan just hung out with the guys in the dugout, which is nice for me!!
Coloring (or eating) with sidewalk chalk.
My little baseball boy
Sunday morning we headed to church and then lunch with some friends and then home for naps. After naps we headed over the the Palmers house for dinner. We decided Saturday at the pool that we should get together since it had been so long. So here the kids are playing trains in the sandbox.Sweet Emily trying to give Caiden a kiss goodbye. He wasn't too interested! Could it be because she kept taking his ever beloved trains all night!
Monday morning we joined the Maggiores at the bay. It was a beautiful day, there were a few more waves than usual which Ryan thoroughly enjoyed.
This was right before we left. She finally decided to sit down and play by herself with only a few minutes left. Go figure!!
We had just cleaned all their sand off and made them sit in the chairs to dry off. They looked so cute just hanging out!!
After naps we headed to my parents for dinner. The weekend was filled with lots of family fun which I had hoped for Ryan's last weekend before school started. I don't think we could have fit anything else in. We had great times with family and friends!!

Our trip to Charlotte and Roanoke!

2008-08-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We had a great time on our trips to Charlotte and Roanoke. It was a whirlwind of fun for everyone and we were able to make lots of wonderful memories. We left town on Saturday morning and headed to Charlotte to see the Walters, some very special friends that are more like family to me. We spent Saturday thru Monday boating, fishing, eating, visiting and chasing kids (between 3 of us girls there were 8 kids, including 3 3year olds!!) We had a wonderful time and always look forward to going back! Thanks Walters for a fabulous time, we can't wait to see you all again soon!

Monday when we left we headed to good ol' Roanoke because Kevin had to be there for work till Wednesday. So the kids and I were able to spend time with his parents while he was at work!! We were able to visit with a lot of Kevin's family and had a great time swimming and hanging out. Wednesday morning Kevin had to take a train ride back to Norfolk, so we were able to go down to the tracks and see him as the train came by. Ryan thought it was so cool to see his daddy riding the train! Kevin's parents headed back home with me to come visit some more and give me a little help on the ride back. It was nice to finally get home and sleep in our own beds. We enjoyed our visit with Nanny and Poppy and were sad to see them go on Friday.

All in all it was a fun trip! The kids slept good (even Emily), mostly because they were so exhausted from all the fun! School starts in 2 weeks so we'll pack in some fun before the school year begins!!

The perfect beach day!!

2008-07-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

Aren't these two just too cute together!!

Daddy's girl
Natalie, I know you will love this picture!
Emily so badly wanted to hold Madeline......so thank you Sue for obliging!!
How many boys can you fit in a tube?
Enjoying the refreshing bay water.
Boy did they have fun with the boogie board!
I think he's ready for one of his own!!

What a great day we had at the beach!! The kids had a blast and played so well together, the food was yummy, the fellowship was great and a good time was had by all. Thanks to Dave for the mommy boat ride and the dolphin show, it was so much fun!! Already looking forward to next year!!!

Check this out!!

2008-07-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some photo albums at my parents the other day and came across this picture. This is me at 21 months old.
Now this is Emily at 20 months old.

What do you think? Does Emily look a little bit like her mommy?

I showed my picture to Ryan and asked him who it was and he said Emily!!
Although we might look alike my mom says that I was not nearly as busy and mischievous as little Emily has turned out to be!!

A nice surprise

2008-07-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night when I got home from church this beautiful vase of roses was waiting for me!! No occasion really, just a thank you from my hubby for putting up with all the work he's been doing for school these last few months. He's been so busy with schoolwork and regular work that he hasn't really had much free time on his hands. Which left me and the kids sort of on our own quite a bit. Thankfully he's finished with his work, but the downside is that he leaves Sunday to go to Colorado for a week. Oh well!!! Tomorrow night we are headed on a date by ourselves! It's been quite a while and is completely overdue....looking forward to some quiet time with my hubby before he heads off!!

A busy 4th of July

2008-07-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

We had a very fun-filled busy 4th of July. We spent the morning at the beach with the Judd family and then headed out to their house later that evening for food, fellowship and fireworks. The boys had a blast playing in the sand on the golf course and playing baseball (thank you Natalie!!) I don't have any pictures of fireworks and not many of Ryan due to the fact that I have run out of room on my memory card. Guess it's time to head to Sam's and print some pictures!! All in all we had a great day and I am sure you can see lots of other pictures from the cookout on Natalie, Sue and Heather's blogs!! Thanks Judds for having us over, it was a blast....already looking forward to next year!!

Isn't Carter just too cute! He's always smiling!!

My bathing beauty

My beach bum

The boys having fun in the water

My little sparkler!!

Check out these bubble boys! :-)

I was able to catch one shot...

Emily and Reagan - aren't they too cute (born just a few weeks apart)

Emily enjoying some of daddy's cake - yummy!!

Emily, Carter and Avery enjoying a dip in the whale pool...

A trip to the museum

2008-06-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

All our little builders

Emily building with the huge legos

Ryan pedaled so hard to make the crane move up

Working on the assembly line

This boy loves his tools!

Move out of my way!!

My little worker!!

We had a great time at the museum with friends yesterday!! Ryan got to pet a snake for the first time and really enjoyed it. Story time was sort of a bust considering none of our kids were listening to the story, so we moved on. The little builders exhibit as you can see was a big hit with everyone. There were so many things for them to do it was hard to know what to do first!! Ryan could have spent the rest of the day in that room!! We had a great day with friends and can't wait to go back soon!!

Memorial day beach trip

2008-06-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures from our day at the beach! The kids had so much fun even though the water was freezing!! Thank goodness for the pool, the little ones sure did enjoy it!! Can't wait to go again!!!

It's been a while....

2008-05-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged, there has just been so much going on. Here's an updated blog of some miscellaneous activities we've been up to lately!!

Both Ryan and Emily are taking swim lessons at the Y and it's been so much fun for both of them. The first week Emily cried for the first half of the class, but now she is enjoying every minute of her time in the water! It's a good thing since we'll be spending a lot of time at the pool this summer!!

Here's Ryan with some of his classmates and his teacher. They both have the same teacher and she is fabulous with the kids. Can't believe he's big enough to take lessons without daddy this year! He loves, loves, loves the pool and is doing a good job listening to his teacher.

Last week we went strawberry picking with the Judds and Maggiores. It was so much fun and Ryan had a ball picking out, stepping on and eating lots of yummy strawberries. Emily had more fun just running up and down the rows and having mommy chase after her. The weather was perfect for picking and picnicing. Afterwards we went to Bergey's Breadbasket and got some delicious sandwiches and ate outside. It was a perfect day!

This past Sunday we headed to Massanutten to spend a few days (more like 36 hours) with my parents at their timeshare. We arrived around lunch time, did some shopping and had a nice dinner and just relaxed. That is until Emily decided to get up at 2 a.m. and stay up for 2 1/2 hours. It was a rough night but Monday we spent the day at an indoor water park and it was a blast!! My mom took most of the pictures with her camera, but here are a few snapshots of our day. Both kids had a blast and there was so much for all of us to do. Kevin and I even got to go down some big slides on our own, a little scary for me but still fun. We could have stayed longer but we had to head home; I am sure we will do it again next time!!

Our trip to Colorado!

2008-04-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

Driving through the snow on our way to Breckenridge!

It was very hard to see where we were going yet people were just flying by us.

OK, does this not look like a postcard? This is a picture of the town taken from the window in our hotel room our first night. Isn't it gorgeous?!!!

Here's an idea of how much snow was still on the ground in April. They said they have had over 300 inches of snow this winter! Can you imagine??

Here's another picture of the town, it's just so cute!

It snowed a little every day that we were there.

Just taking a walk through town doing a little shopping.

We didn't ski while we were there, but we did take a ride on the gondola which allowed us to see a better view of the mountains.

Look how much snow is piled up on this little building!! :)
Here's pictures of Kevin and I overlooking the town.

On our last night there we took a dinner sleigh ride. These were our horses....Ted and Spike!

We enjoyed the sleigh ride, but it was soooooo cold!
This is where we ate dinner.....it's called a Yurk. Never heard of one, well me either!

We had a fabulous time on our trip to Colorado! It was eventful from beginning to end and still going! Wednesday night (at 6:30, still not packed at this point) before we left I took Ryan to Patient First because he was acting strangely and he said his ear hurt, come to find out he had strep throat. Got some meds, came home and put him to bed. I have to say that it was the quickest visit to PF that I have ever had.....we were in and out of there in 45 minutes, that must be some sort of record!! Kevin's parents were watching the kids Thursday and Friday so his dad took us to the airport at 800 so we could get on our 930 flight. Sadly due to fog (first time all year we have had fog right!!) we didn't fly out until 1215. We missed our connection and had to rebook and finally made it to Denver around 500....at this point I was already over the day, but we still had a 2 hour drive to Breckenridge. Got some food, hopped in the car and drove.....straight into a little snowstorm. People were just whizzing by us as we were going about 25 miles/hour, you could barely see. We finally made it to our hotel around 700 at which point I was ready to go to bed considering it was really 900 at home (also had been up with Ryan some the night before and a sore throat myself). Went to bed a little late and at about 1000 our heater started shooting sparks and smelling like smoke. Well then we had to call downstairs to have someone come check it out, so there I am in my pajamas half asleep while some maintenance guy checks our heater. Turned out to be nothing big and thankfully we didn't have to change rooms.

Friday we woke up to snow and just spent the day walking around town checking out all these neat shops and eating at fun little restaurants. We also got to take a nap with no interruptions....it was fabulous!! Saturday I went to the doctor first thing, but thankfully no strep throat, just sinus stuff. We spent the day shopping at some outlets that we passed on the way in, it was so much fun (for me anyway, I am not sure how much fun Kevin had!) That night we took a sleigh ride up the mountain (with snow falling) to the Yurk and had dinner with about 20 people we didn't know! It was a lot of fun talking to people from all over the place.....including Scotland!! That night at 900 they set off fireworks while it was snowing, it was cold but oh so much fun!!

Sunday morning we packed up and headed off to the airport. I had to leave that afternoon, but Kevin is actually still there until this Sunday. I hated flying back by myself, it's so boring!! Got back around 915, my dad picked me up and came home to sleeping babies. Was awaken early in the morning (around 315) by a crying Ryan, figured he was still not feeling 100% although he was finished with his meds. Monday was a little rough for Ryan and he fell asleep on the couch at 600, so I put him to bed at 630 to which he didn't argue. At this point I knew we would be visiting the doctor the next morning to see if the strep was still lingering. Beginning at around 1000 I was awaken by Ryan crying from his room, I visited his room at least 10 times during the course of the night. By morning I was exhausted, Ryan was exhausted and feverish and we were headed to the doctor. Emily went to my moms, and we were off to hear the dreadful news that my boy has a double ear infection. Not surprising, but not welcomed either! Went to get more meds and he is doing so much better now. Can't wait to be done with the meds (he hates taking it and I hate giving it) and can't wait for daddy to come home!

Good friends

2008-03-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

This past week I watched the Judd boys for a few days while Anderson was on spring break. On Friday Jen brought Erin and Anna over for a play date. We all had a great time enjoying the beautiful warm weather!! Here's the big kids enjoying a snack before the all the fun began! It is such a blessing to know that Ryan has such wonderful friends to hang out with and I know Emily, Carter and Anna will be best buds too!! :)

Happy Easter!

2008-03-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous Easter spending time with both friends and family. We had lunch with my family after church at my aunts and then headed over to the Ratz house for an Easter egg hunt and more yummy food. It was a long day with no naps, but the kids did great and we all had a wonderful time!

Emily looked so sweet all dressed up!

I love this picture with the sun shining on her.

One of very few pictures with both of them. Notice that Ryan has no pants....he had a little accident so we had to wash and dry his pants and socks before we could head over to the Ratz house!

Emily enjoyed her first egg hunt! Once she figured out what to do she was on a roll!!

Ryan had a great time looking for heggs as he likes to call them. Thanks to daddy and Mr. Chris, I think we ended up with more eggs than we should have!! :)

A Day at the Zoo!

2008-03-04T17:15:00.000-08:00

Everyone should have a huge spider web at home.

The boys had so much fun climbing all over this web!!!

Never seen a llama up close and personal until now

and I have to say that they aren't that attractive!

Here's the little ones (Emily, Hamilton & Alayna),

they did so great sitting in their strollers!

Check out these giraffes, aren't they gorgeous!

You could literally smell the elephants before you saw them.

I am not even sure what this was, but the boys sure enjoyed climbing all over it. This one's for you Sue....Ryan and the python!

We found a great climbing tree, soooo....here's the boys! (Bradley, Ryan & Alexander)

We spent Monday morning at the zoo with Heidi, Sue and all their kiddos. I have to say that it has been at least 15 years since I have been to the Norfolk Zoo and it has changed quite a bit. We had so much fun checking out all the animals and just enjoying the gorgeous weather! The boys had a great time just running around (I think Ryan enjoyed hanging with the big boys more than the seeing animals), and the little ones were surprisingly content riding along in their strollers. We had a great morning and then enjoyed a nice lunch outside before we left! I know we will definitely be taking a trip back to visit very soon.

Potty training

2008-02-20T18:24:00.001-08:00

Well, it's official we are in the midst of potty training. I decided last Friday that it was time, I was tired of both changing my newly 3 year olds diapers and buying them. So I decided that on Friday he was going to start, so that morning we began every 10 minutes going and sitting on the potty. At first he was a little annoyed at the fact that he had to stop playing and go sit, but then I started setting the timer and when it went off it was "Potty Time"! I tried to make such a big deal every time he went hoping that would encourage him to want to do it more and I think it worked. I am sure that the M & M's I promised were a little bit of a motivator too. He went potty quite a few times that day (probably from the gallons of juice I made him drink). Ever since he had done amazing, better than I could have hoped for. Of course we are still working on getting through the night and staying dry, but no more diapers during the day just big boy pull ups. Here's hoping that this is the beginning of the end of diapers! I figured this probably wasn't the kind of post that needed pictures, but I did take one of his first poop....what can I say, I was so proud!

Happy Valentines Day!

2008-02-20T17:43:00.000-08:00

I know that I am a little behind on this post, but haven't had the chance till now. Valentine's day the kids and I went and had lunch with daddy up at the mall and then fixed him his favorite meal for dinner - enchiladas!!! Daddy brought home roses that night for mommy and Emily but the rest of mommy's present hadn't arrived yet. I was given strict instructions not to check the mail or answer the door if a package came so as not to ruin the surprise. I couldn't imagine what he could have ordered or what I may have asked for! Friday when Kevin got home from work he checked the mail and there they were - 2 tickets to see Michael Buble!!!!!!!!! I was very excited and couldn't believe that he remembered my mention of the concert a while back. Way to go daddy!!!! I am so looking forward to it and can't wait for a date night with my hubby!! We finally had our Valentine dinner out without the kids on Monday so that was also quite a treat!!

The Family birthday party

2008-02-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

This was Ryan's baseball cake. It's supposed to be a baseball glove and ball!The birthday boy enjoying some fried chicken.
Ryan had a blast wrestling with his cousing A.J.
Ryan huge fire truck that he got from Papa and Mawmaw.
Both Ryan and Emily have enjoyed this piano that Nanny and Poppy got for him. Thank goodness for the on/off switch!! On Sunday we had our family birthday party for Ryan. There were 17 adults and 6 kids. I didn't realize my house could hold that many people! It was so much fun, and Ryan had a blast playing with his cousins that he doesn't get to see that often. We enjoyed lots of food and cake and Ryan got so many more cool toys and clothes. I love the fact that all of my family and Kevin's family (including Ryan's great-grandmas) always come and celebrate the kids birthday's with us. What a blessing it is to have them so close by that they can come and share in these special celebrations. We did take many more pictures including the opening of gifts and Ryan blowing out his candle, but my memory cards on my camera were full so I will have to download the pic's from my moms camera and post those at a later time. I enjoyed every minute of planning his parties, but I am sure glad that they are over until next year! Thanks to all our family for coming and sharing this special day with us, we love you all so much!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Ryan!

2008-02-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

As you can see Ryan's 3rd birthday was a baseball theme!

Here's a few of the parents and kids that joined in the party.

The birthday boy complete with his baseball jersey on!

As you can see everyone enjoyed opening the presents.

Ryan got the cutest pig baseball bank and it even had some money in it!

The birthday boy blowing out his candles.

Can't believe that my little boy is already three years old. The time has gone so quickly! Ryan had a baseball party this year and it was so much fun. Tried my best to serve lots of baseball type food to keep the theme going. Although I don't think that they serve mac 'n cheese at baseball games! We had lots of fun with lots of friends. I believe there was a total of 23 people, 12 adults and 11 kids. It was quite a house full! Thanks to all of Ryan friends for coming and sharing in his birthday celebration, he had such a wonderful time!

Merry Christmas 2007

2008-01-15T17:52:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone and a Happy New Year!!
I know I am so behind on blogging but here I am to update you on everything that happened during the holidays. We had many exciting and interesting things happen, some wonderful memories and some things I would rather forget!

Ryan, Anderson and Erin at our annual Christmas get together. We had a wonderful time!

As you can see Emily was not at all thrilled to be sitting on Santa's lap. She cried the whole time so this is the best picture we could get. Even her paci didn't make her feel better! Ryan was so excited to see Santa, he hopped right up on his lap and told him what he wanted for Christmas. This was our fourth visit to see Santa (4 different Santa's!) and he was still so excited each time we went. It was so much fun to take him this year since last year he screamed when we tried to put him on Santa's lap.

Anderson, Erin and Ryan all sitting on Santa's lap. As you can see Erin just cuddled right up to Santa, Anderson bravely made his first attempt sitting with Santa (guess he felt more comfortable with his friends there too), and Ryan just hopped on up for one more visit with Santa!

My parent took us to dinner at the Founders Inn when my brother came in town for Christmas. Here we are in front of the huge Christmas tree right outside the Swan Terrace. There was a wedding taking place right next to this tree in the courtyard when we arrived. It was such a nice evening!!

Here's the family (I was the photographer).

Ryan was checking out the plate with Santa's cookies and milk. We had fun making cookies and putting them out for Santa. He was so excited to see that the cookies and milk were gone!!

Doesn't Emily look so cute in her pink and purple cozy coupe?! Santa brought her this special car. First thing she did when she came downstairs Christmas morning was open the door and hop inside her car. (Let's just call this the before picture.)

Santa brought Ryan this cool Radio Flyer scooter. He has been wanting a scooter since this summer and was so thrilled when he saw this waiting for him. He rode it all around the house sporting his new helmet!

Ryan enjoyed opening both his and Emily's presents!

Emily was really trying to open this Veggie tales movie.

Look at her little face she is so serious!

We'll call this the after picture! Here's the story: Sunday morning before Christmas she woke up with a little bit of a cough but otherwise seemed alright. Well on Christmas Eve she still had the cough so I figured I better go ahead and take her to the doctor while I could. Well the diagnosed her with croup(sp?) and gave her a prescription of steroids to help open up her airways and help her breathe. I was very hesitant to give her the steroids for two reasons, first I didn't think that her cough was that bad and secondly I knew what Anderson had just experienced with his steroids. So I didn't give her the steroids on Christmas Eve which leads us to Christmas morning. This picture was taken about 20 minutes after the picture of her sitting in her car. All of a sudden she just sort of crashed. She had a fever of 103 and had the chills (she had purple lips and purple hands she was so cold). She just sat down on my lap and layed her head down. She just looked so pitiful! I layed her on Kevin and bundled her up and in minutes she was asleep. Later on I did end up giving her the steroids although I don't know if they really did help much. She reacted fine and had no problems at all. She was still sick throughout the day but nothing like the morning.

Christmas night we headed over to my parent's for dinner and more presents. Ryan is actually playing with Emily's farm, he seemed to enjoy all of her presents quite a bit. We had a great time and got many more presents to take home. Ryan got many more tools to add to his collection along with a very cool tool belt.

She looked much better that night and was playing with toys and having a good time. She got her very own fancy shopping cart!

CHRISTMAS IN ROANOKE

We were supposed to leave the day after Christmas to go see Kevin's family in Roanoke. Well Emily still wasn't feeling good so the day after Christmas I took her back to the doctor to have her checked before we went out of town. Well surprise, surprise she had a double ear infection!! So off to the pharmacy again to get a new prescription. Of course it was cold and rainy that day and I had to drag her out to the doctor and then to Target to get her med's. So we didn't leave until the next day so she could get some good rest in her own bed and I was nowhere near ready to go anywhere.

Ryan and cousin Ashlyn playing nicely together!

Emily playing with some of Nanny's pretty beads. She was feeling much better at this point. Amazing what medicine can do!!

Opening presents at Nanny and Poppy's house was crazy yet lots of fun. There was so much family and all the cousins had their piles of gifts to open. We separated all the gifts and then waited till everyone was ready and then they all tore into them at once. It was so hard to keep track of who got what and who gave it to them and what belonged to each person, and trying to take pictures and video at the same time. As you can see he waited so patiently until it was time and then he had a ball!

Emily had no idea what was going on and was having fun just walking around playing with whatever. I ended up opening all of her gifts with a little help from Ryan.

Here's Ryan with all his cousins: Kaitlin, Ryan, Carson and Ashlyn. He played so hard the whole time we were there, I barely saw him. Except for the many times he got into trouble. I think he was just overtired and was having a hard time listening.

Now Kevin had this fabulous idea (I am being sarcastic) that while we were in Roanoke we should hike to the top of the Peaks of Otter. Now anyone who ever went to Liberty I am sure has hiked the Peaks at least once. I am not saying that I didn't want to do it, it was just a cold and a tad bit rainy day. There were many times that I told Kevin I just couldn't do it, but my sweet pushy husband dragged me all the way to the top. And wouldn't you know it that when we got to the top we couldn't see a thing, there was too much fog in the way. I did enjoy myself although I admit I wasn't too excited along the way, and it felt good to finally make it to the top.

We returned from Roanoke the Saturday after Christmas at 10:30 p.m. We put the kids to bed, unpacked our things and went to sleep. Sunday morning we all slept in until 9:00, so obviously we didn't make it to church which turned out to be a good thing. I went to get something out of the freezer for breakfast and noticed and puddle at the bottom of the freezer. Our refrigerator was slowly dying!!! The puddle was the carton of ice cream along with a few other items. Everything was thawing out and nothing was very cold on the refrigerator side. We threw everything into trash bags and Kevin carted it over to my parents to put in their fridge. Thankfully we were able to save most of the stuff, but now I didn't have any food in the house for the kids. Of course it had to be Sunday so nobody was open that could come fix it. We ate lunch at my parents and had a party to go to that night so that wasn't a big deal. You don't realize how much you depend on your fridge until you can't use it. Monday morning Kevin called Sears and they said they couldn't come until Thursday. I told him that I couldn't wait that long so he would have to call someone else. He called and they said they could come that afternoon - Hallelujah!! We ate breakfast at my parents and we came home to wait for the repair men. They came and were able to fix it for a nice fee, but at least we didn't have to buy a new fridge!

While they are fixing the fridge I decided to go through all the gifts under the tree so I could put them away. As I was doing this I notice these little brown spots on some of the gifts and all under the tree. The were so tiny, about the size of a grain of pepper. I touched a few and they smeared, so I thought they were just pieces of the branches. Well I touched a few more and they moved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! I was totally freaking out because it was then that I realized I had bugs in my Christmas tree. I dragged Kevin inside and told him the tree had to come down now and we discovered as we were doing this that they were everywhere. On the tree skirt, on the gifts, in the tree stand water. So we tore the tree down in a flash which just completely grossed me out. After the tree was out of the house, I just vacuumed and vacuumed and vacuumed over and over again. I felt like they were just everywhere. We got the carpets cleaned too which made me feel a little better. Come to find out they were spruce spider mites, nice huh! So much for that big, beautiful tree we chopped off the side of the mountain! An artificial tree is sounding pretty good about now.

Kevin had to go back to Roanoke for business on January 9th so we all hopped back in the car and Kevin went to work and we stayed with Nanny and Poppy. We had a great time and even got to spend one afternoon at Chuck E Cheese's. This was Ryan's first time and he had a ball. He couldn't do a lot of the games, but oh he sure did try. His cousins got to come along which made it so much more fun.

The Saunders family elves!

2007-12-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

click on the link below and see what we can do!!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1151308036

Choo-Choo...

2007-12-03T11:40:00.000-08:00

Here's my little conductor having fun with his choo choo train. He got this train set last year and has had so much fun playing with it. What can I say, he's just like his daddy...fascinated with choo choo's!!

Oh, Christmas Tree...

2007-12-03T11:22:00.000-08:00

Ryan "helping" decorate the tree.

He was having so much fun looking at all the ornaments.
Just like his Papa, measuring the tree with his tools.
Here's the finished product!!
Sunday night after our weekend in Roanoke we brought our tree inside so we could open it up and let it fall since we were going to decorate it Monday night. We have a tradition with my parents that we help decorate each others trees, so they came over for dinner Monday night and helped us decorate our tree (we returned the favor last night and helped them with their tree). Ryan was so excited to get all the decorations out and had been begging me all day to put the lights on the tree. The guys put the lights on the tree and the ladies do the rest. Ryan had a great time...unfortunately I have no pictures of Emily because she wasn't feeling well and went to bed a little early. (Found out the next day the she had another ear infection and some other sort of infection that caused red bumps all over her chest.) We put the final touches on the tree after the kids went to bed (picked up all the tinsel off the floor that Ryan dropped), and finally it was done!

Thanksgiving weekend!!

2007-12-03T10:57:00.000-08:00

Ryan and cousin Kaitlin

Here's our Christmas tree, freshly cut!!
Ryan and daddy with the tree
Emily sitting in the car, it was too cold for her.

Ryan had a ball playing in the leaves with his cousins.

Friday morning we loaded up the car and headed to Roanoke to visit Kevin's family for the weekend. After the 4 hour drive there we were able to just relax and enjoy time with family on Friday night. Saturday morning we were up and out of the house early to go and cut down our Christmas tree. Every year we drive up into the mountains (close to Va Tech) to this Christmas tree farm to get our tree. You get to climb up the side of the mountain, pick out your tree, cut it down yourself and they wrap it up for you. We tie it to the top of the truck and bring it home. This year we even got my parents tree and brought it back for them. It was so cold, I think it was only about 24 degrees! That didn't matter to Ryan, he climbed up that hill and had a ball picking out his tree and helping cut it down and drag it to the bottom of the hill. He must have gone up and down that hill at least 4 times, and trust me it was pretty steep. Emily stayed in the car with Nanny since it was so cold, and she had her own fun staying warm and singing Christmas carols. We got all our trees and headed back to the house, it was at least an hour drive to get there. Ryan spent the rest of the day outside raking leaves with his cousins and having a blast jumping in the big pile! Saturday night we headed over to some of Kevin's friends house to have dinner and play with their kids. I don't think the kids got to bed until at least 10:00 that night. Surprisingly they did pretty well considering the late night. Sunday afternoon we headed home and the kids took good naps in the car, they were so exhausted from all the fun they had. We had a great weekend with lots more wonderful memories!!

Thanksgiving day!!

2007-12-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

Emily wanted so badly to go outside and play.

Ryan played ball outside with his cousin Christopher.
I know it has been a while since I have blogged, but you know how things get this time of year. We have been just so busy but now things have settled down a little and I am back on the blogging scene. We spent Thanksgiving day at my aunt's house right here in town. We have always celebrated at her house with my mom's side of the family. Ryan had some cousins to play with and had so much fun playing ball with them. Emily just begged to go outside and play too and fortunately it was nice enough so we spent a lot of the day outside. It was a wonderful day and we are so thankful for all our family that live here around us and all the cousins that Ryan has to play with.

These boots were made for walking.......

2007-11-20T10:41:00.001-08:00

It's official!!! Emily is finally walking. She's been taking a few steps for the last few weeks, and then she just took off on her own over the weekend. Now her preferred mode of transportation is walking!! A little bit of crawling here and there but she'd rather walk and even if she falls down she just gets right back up and tries again. She gets so proud of herself when she realizes what she's doing, and the cheering from me probably helps a little. Can't believe my little girl isn't a baby anymore, she looks so much bigger now that she can walk on her own.

(Jen, did you notice her outfit? It looks so cute on her...I love it!!)

Party #2!!

2007-11-10T18:12:00.001-08:00

Here's the birthday girl.....again!!

Emily's ladybug cake....the second attempt!!

Lauren and A.J.(Kevin's cousins) and Jameson (who came to party again).
Opening presents...she's getting good at this!
Who doesn't love cake two days in a row!!
These are pictures from Emily's 2nd party that she had on Sunday with all her family. Kevin's parents came in town and his cousins from Courtland came too. Ryan was excited to have some more kids his age to play with. I decided to make a ladybug cake for the family party so Saturday night after the 1st party I got started. Well something went wrong with the icing (it was sliding of the cake) and it turned out horrible. Kevin said it (aka Fred) looked fine, but I wasn't happy with it and knew that I would have to make another. So Sunday morning after we got home from church I made cake #2, I finally finished at 2:30 and the party started at 3:00. I was so happy that cake #2 turned out exactly like I wanted! The party was wonderful and we had a great time visiting with lots of family! Although I am glad that it is all over, I had such a wonderful time throwing my sweet little girl her 1st birthday parties!!

Happy Birthday Emily!!

2007-11-06T12:06:00.001-08:00

Here's the birthday girl!!

This past weekend we celebrated Emily's first birthday with 2 parties. Saturday we had her friends party and I think there were about 12 kids there ranging in age from 6 years old all the way down to three months old. It was lots of fun! We had make your own tacos for dinner and cupcakes and ice cream for dessert. As you can see from the picture above, Emily thoroughly enjoyed her cupcake. She enjoyed it so much that we had to take a quick bath and change her clothes. It was even nice enough outside that the boys and Erin got to go out and ride Ryan's tractor and run off some of their energy. It was a great night and Emily is so blessed to have so many wonderful friends!

Sunday was her family party which was lots of fun too! She even had 2 of her great-grandma's there to celebrate. This time there was a ladybug cake and subs to eat for dinner. I have lots more pictures, but my memory ran out on my camera so I ended up using my moms. When I get those downloaded, I will post them. It was a crazy busy weekend, but lots of fun with family and friends and hopefully lots of wonderful memories for Emily to look back at some day!

Hallelujah Harvest

2007-11-06T11:45:00.001-08:00

Our sweet little fairy princess

Our baseball player
Our church had its annual Hallelujah Harvest so we got the kids dressed up in their costumes and headed out to have some fun. Emily was our darling fairy princess and Ryan of course was a baseball player complete with his "baseball eyes" as he calls them. We ate hot dogs, enjoyed some entertainment and did lots of trunk or treating! Ryan had a great time going around and getting lots of candy, though I did have to keep reminding him to hold out his pumpkin so they could put candy inside. He was just so enthralled by all the decorated cars and everyone in their costumes. He didn't say much as we walked around getting candy, I think it was a little overwhelming. He did enjoy eating the candy though!! I do think the highlight of his night (just like Anderson) was riding the bus over to the church. He keeps talking about that bus!! The church did an awesome job and we had a wonderful time.

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the hayride! Doesn't Erin look too cool!!

I found my pumpkin Mom!
Hey mom, this pumpkin is heavier than it looks!
Ryan loved chasing the goats around.
So glad that Jen and Anna made the picture!!
I am sure that everyone has already read all about our trip to the pumpkin patch on both Heather and Jen's blogs, but I still had to post my own pictures. We had a wonderful time at the Taylor farm pumpkin patch last Saturday with our great friends, the Judds and Maggiores. It wasn't your usual pumpkin picking weather (a little too warm), but it was still a great day. There was hardly anyone else there so we sort of had the run of the place. What better way to spend a gorgeous fall Saturday!!

The Fire Hat!!

2007-10-08T07:25:00.001-07:00

Some of you requested to see a picture of me wearing the fire hat.......not sure why...... but here it is for those of you who asked!!! Don't I look so glamorous!! :) The hat was quite stinky (like smoke) so I didn't wear it too long, just long enough to take a quick picture.

A trip to the Firehouse!!

2007-10-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

This morning my mom and I took the kids to the one of the Norfolk firehouses to see some fire trucks. My mom knows one of the firefighters and he told us we could bring Ryan up so he could see the fire trucks. He was so excited to go and was talking about the fire trucks all the way there. Well when we got there he got so shy that he didn't want to even sit in the truck unless I did it too. I was expecting a totally different reaction, I thought he would be all over the place checking everything out. I think that it was all just so overwhelming. He had never seen a fire truck that close before and it may have just been too much to take in all at once. He did enjoy seeing one of the firemen slide down the pole and he was excited when he saw the pool table they have in the firehouse. :) We got to take a tour of the firehouse and meet some of the other firemen, we got to climb in the ambulance and the fire truck and I even got to wear the fire hat (because Ryan didn't want to). Guess we'll have to just try again in a couple months, maybe Ryan will enjoy it a little more the next time!!

All boy!!

2007-09-30T18:06:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-30T17:52:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-30T17:35:00.000-07:00

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.......

2007-09-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Here's my 8 things....

2007-08-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

1. When I was about 6 or 7 years old I took a clogging class (yes you read that right, a clogging class) at the Deep Creek rec center. Although I don't remember anything I learned, I remember really enjoying the class!

2. I HATE going to the dentist!! I love my actual dentist, just not having to get my teeth cleaned. I hate the noises from all the machines and all the scraping an poking they do on my teeth. I truly dread going, but fortunately it only has to happen twice a year.

3. Here's my fatal haircut story! When I was a sophmore in high school, I decided to cut my bangs. When I came home from school, I decided that I would cut my bangs before the game that night. I wet my bangs and cut them to what I thought would be a good length. Little did I know at that time that when your hair dries, it tends to shrink up a bit. The length was so short by the time it dried, it looked like I had no bangs. (The sad part is; I had a perm too, so the curl made them even shorter) My parents had not been home, but when my mom saw me later at the game she said that from across the gym she could tell that something was terribly wrong with my hair. I guess I wasn't cut out for giving haircuts!

4. That leads me to my next thing. I too like Heather was a cheerleader. I cheered all four years in high school. I was the captain of my squad my senior year and voted most spirited a few times. A few years after college I returned to my high school and became the varsity cheerleading coach for three years. I had a blast both as a cheerleader and as a coach!!

5. I am fascinated by old houses, buildings and even big boats I see that have been abandoned or run down over the years. I always wonder how old they are, what kind of history they had, who lived in them or why they might have been abandoned. I would love to go through and see what they look like on the inside.

6. In July of 2001 I spent a few weeks in Beijing, China teaching English to Chinese kids. I had never really thought about doing a missions trip, but the opportunity came up and everything just fell into place for me to go. It was an awesome experience and I am so glad that I was able to go and minister while teaching. By the time the few weeks were up I was so ready to come home and thankful for what I had to come home to.

7. For the longest time I have wanted to be a professional organizer. I am always trying to figure out better ways of organizing my house so that everything is where it should be. I know how good it makes me feel when everything is neat and organized, I am sure others would like to feel that way too. I just think it is so much fun! I also wouldn't mind being a cake decorater. I have had so much fun making Ryan's birthday cakes the past few years (and Emily's soon) that I would love to be able to do that for others.

8. I was born at the same hospital my mom was born at and I lived in the same house my entire life. My dad built the house a few years before I was born and my parents have never moved. The house has so many memories and is so sentimental to me, I couldn't imagine anyone else living there. It is so neat to see Ryan and Emily running through the house and yard like I used to!!

Summer or Winter?

2007-08-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

Ryan discovered his hat and gloves from last winter in the closet yesterday and insisted on putting them on. He figured it would be a good idea to go outside and play with his beach ball while wearing these items. Now notice that he has no shorts or shoes on but he does have the hat and gloves on. It was so hot outside, but he had the best time running around the yard playing ball! When I finally was able to wrestle the hat off his head, his hair was soaked with sweat. At least he's color coordinated, right?!

A Day at the beach

2007-08-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

ryan and his daddy in the water

the boys playing with the wheelbarrow
watching Charlotte's Web
emily loved playing with this fire truck
Sunday we spent the day with the Weissingers at Jen's parents beach house in Nags Head. We had so much fun, the weather was perfect and the kids had a great time. First we went to the beach and then spent the afternoon at the pool. It was nice to be able to do both, especially when they are right next to each other. Ryan got to ride Alex and Caleb's scooters, which I think was the highlight of the day for him. Emily took a nap and crawled all over the place. We grilled out hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner and then headed back home. Thanks Weissingers for a wonderful time!!

World of Wonders

2007-08-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning we headed out to meet the Judd family at the Botanical Gardens. The boys love to go to the World of Wonders part and play in the big fountains of water. Another successful day of summer fun!!

A Weekend in Charlotte- Take 2

2007-08-20T11:07:00.001-07:00

My friend Kimie and her sweet little boy Sam.
Emily crawling and getting into everything.

Ryan and his friend Jack in the tub after the boat ride.

Ryan loved riding Mr. JB's motorcycle (aka-scooter)
After spending Friday night visiting with Kevin's friends, we spent the rest of the weekend with some of my dear friends that I grew up with. We don't get to see each other very often, but we truly enjoy our times when we do get to be together. The weekend was filled with lots of good food, boat rides, motorcycle rides, lots of kids and wonderful times catching up. Ryan had a blast playing with some new friends and getting to do all kinds of fun stuff. He just made himself right at home and had a wonderful time. Emily had a great time just crawling all over the place, exploring and chasing after their sweet doggie. We had a wonderful time and were sad to leave but look forward to the next time we can be together. Thanks Walters family for another memorable time together!!

On our way back home we stopped by to see the Williams family. Beth was gracious enough to make dinner for us before we headed off for the rest of our ride. We enjoyed getting to visit with them and also Josiah who was staying with them for a few days. It was a very busy weekend, but filled with lots of fun times!

A Weekend in Charlotte

2007-08-18T13:39:00.001-07:00

Ryan and Madisen

I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have updated my blog, we have been so busy. Last weekend we went to Charlotte to visit some friends and had a wonderful time. Our first stop was to visit a friend of Kevin's that he grew up with in Roanoke that lives in Charlotte. We met him and his family for dinner on Saturday night. Here is a picture of Ryan and their oldest girl Madisen. Aren't they so cute together!! We had so much fun visiting with them and Ryan had so much fun playing with Madisen.

The Big "Hot Dog"

2007-08-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today we met Heather and the boys at MacArthur to let the boys play on the big hot dog. We figured it would be a nice way for the kids to play and stay cool. Unfortunately the air condition didn't seem to be working so it was very hot. The heat didn't seem to bother the boys, but Heather and I sure were sweating!!

Kangaroo Jac's!!

2007-08-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

Ryan bouncing on the dinosaur!
Anderson bouncing on the dinosaur!!
The boys heading down the slide!!

Tonight we went to Kangaroo Jac's with the Judd's and the boys had a wonderful time! I must say that it is very difficult to take pictures of two little boys as they are jumping and bouncing all over the place. I was able to catch a few moments of fun as they were playing. (unfortunately you won't see any pictures on Heather's blog due to the fact that the batteries in her camera died) Ryan and Anderson love all the climbing, jumping, bouncing and sliding. This is a great way to tire the kids out at the end of the day and then send them off to bed. Once again it was another fun filled evening with the Judd family!!

Rained Out....Take 2!!

2007-07-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

Playing in the water with my daddy!!
I love relaxing in the pool!!
We love to cut the grass!
Cutting this grass is driving me crazy!!

Wow!! Look at all these toys!!

Once again our attempts to spend the evening at the pool with the Judd's was cancelled due to weather. We were able to get in the pool for about fifteen minutes before they blew the whistle and we had to get out and leave. The boys were much more disappointed this time! We hated telling them that we had to leave, but with the promise of pizza and tractor rides they were a little more willing to go. We all headed over to our house for some pizza and brownies. We spent quite a bit of time looking for a missing shoe and were able to spend a little time playing outside! All in all the night turned out just fine.

Always a pleasure spending time with the Judd's, no matter where we end up!!

Here she is!!

2007-07-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

Here is the long awaited photo of little Emily in her bathing suit!! Doesn't she look adorable!! Heather was gracious enough to take this picture for me at the pool last night, since my hands were full. She loves to just sit and watch all the other kids play in the water!!

Rained Out

2007-07-27T17:28:00.001-07:00

Tonight we met the Judd's at the YMCA to spend a little time at the pool and to have a picnic dinner. We have been trying to get to the pool with them for a while and it seems like every time we try something happens that prevents us from going. We got there and were enjoying ourselves in the nice refreshing pool when it started to thunder and lightning. Unfortunately we had to get out of the pool and find somewhere else to eat dinner. As you can see the boys were still in good spririts despite the fact that we had to get out and leave!

The Simple Things

2007-07-26T19:05:00.001-07:00

This is such a cute story so I knew I had to share it with everyone. The little book that Ryan is looking at is a Target toy catalog from Christmas last year that we got in the mail. For some reason he is fascinated by all the different toys that are in this catalog. Periodically he will pull it out and just sit down for a long time and just study everything he sees. He doesn't usually say much, but every once in a while he will show me a certain toy or ask me what something is. He carefully goes through each page so as not to miss anything like it is the first time he has ever seen it. There seems to be just this look of wonder on his face as if everything he is looking at is just so exciting. I just love moments like these when you see that look of wonder and realize how sometimes it's the simple things that make life so wonderful!

"Fun in the Sun"

2007-07-26T18:46:00.001-07:00

Ryan loves running through and getting sprayed by the water!
Here's Ryan trying to see how deep the water is.
Sweet little Callie enjoying yet another day at the pool!
We met the Schrodt's at the pool today and had a wonderful time playing in the water. Ryan, Jacob and Josiah had a good time playing with their toys and running around getting wet. Emily and Callie were content just to be held and play in the water with their mommies. Ryan loves the water so much and would stay their all day if we let him. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of Emily in the water since I had to hold her while taking pictures of Ryan in the pool. Hopefully next time I will have a free hand to get some pictures of her in her darling little swimsuit!!

It won't be long!!

2007-07-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

Look at this darling little girl! She is starting to pull up on her own and will surely start crawling here very soon. She has such a sweet spirit and is always so happy.What a big difference there is between our rambunctious little boy and our calm, sweet little girl!

Oh, Oh, Those Summer Nights......

2007-07-25T17:42:00.001-07:00

What better way to enjoy a hot summer night than by eating a popsicle and riding a John Deer tractor!! Ryan enjoyed playing outside and trying to eat his popsicle before it all melted. I do believe that most of the popsicle ended up on the ground but he enjoyed it just the same.