Ryan is FOUR!

A few weeks ago, Ryan was adamant that he would like a yellow rectangle cake with green dots.  I kept revisiting the cake idea in case he changed his mind, but it stayed strong.  So, to add a little more fun, I made some frog cupcakes to go with it.  And Evan thought Ryan would like the #4 candle.  So, here is what celebrating Ryan looks like.  :o)

 Ryan is so happy when people sing "Happy Birthday" to him.

 With one flame, it was easy to get it on the first try!  :o) 

 Ethan, a.k.a. Super Chunk, couldn't get the cake to his mouth fast enough.  My mom tried her best to fend off the spoon grabbing!

 Among great company and awesome gifts (new games, cutting activities, and Rio 2), Ry got his very own scooter!

 Of course, you can't have a birthday celebration unless Pop-Pop shoots off some bottle rockets.

While they're helping Daddy and Dad-Dad build a wood shed, the boys collect the wood scraps and made themselves a wood store.  Don't bring your wallets though - everything is free.  :o)  Evan wrote on the blocks "Free. Help Yourself." or "Free. Please let me help you."

 Not that a wonderful party wasn't enough to celebrate turning four, but Texas Roadhouse gave Ryan a free kid's meal.  Ryan was also super excited to sit on the saddle while the whole restaurant wished him a happy birthday.  Such a ham, that one!  :o)

Evan is in Kindergarten!!!

I will be extremely cliché in saying that I honestly cannot believe that my baby is in kindergarten!!  Evan is hardly a baby, as he will be 6 in just a few weeks, and he is such a sweet, caring, helpful boy.  He was beyond ready to start school, giving the first day two thumbs up! 

 Surprisingly, there were no tears from me either on the first day.  I was a slight mess on the inside but tried my best to look brave and excited on the outside.  Evan's ethusiasm is probably the only thing allowing me to keep it together!  :o)

 All the kids were shuffled into the gym, where they found their teachers and sat with their new classmates.

 In his classroom, Evan found his seat and all of a sudden, he was a kindergartener.  He hopped up and gave me a hug and told me to have a nice day at work.  So I left...  and I felt a little lost leaving my boy behind.  But he did awesome on his first day, and has had a blast every day since!

 I think one of the reasons Evan has such a great day every day is because he starts off in Daddy's classroom.  He helps him fetch breakfast for Josh's class, and he even has his own desk where he can do his "work" and some reading before school each day.

We are so proud of Evan and can't wait to see how much he will grow this year - we have already noticed such a difference in how much he's grown up in the first few weeks!

Rounding out August

Josh took the bigs up to see Jared and Gina's crew before the summer got away from them.  Ryan and Anna continuing on with their fondness for each other by enjoying a tandem tricycle ride.

 Ryan and Evan helping Mr. Ed stack his wood for the winter.

 Library dudes!  They absolutely love going to the library, and I had to negotiate them down to checking out four books each.

 During their final beach day of the summer, Kate buried Ev in the sand.

 Ryan was finally convinced to try the "up and down thing" (a dropping ride, where it takes you to the top and drops you, letting you bounce up and down several times), and went crazy once he realized he liked it. 

Evan learned to tie shoes!  He was also riding his bike; hence, the helmet...  :o) 

My Middle and my Little drawing "Easter eggs" in August. 

 Evan showing off his new classroom at kindergarten open house.

Both Evan and Ryan are expressing interest in their doctor kits lately (probably due to Doc McStuffins on Disney).  So when Ryan's leg hurt, off to the check out room they go to check it out. 

My happy-go-lucky Ethan got his first cold and a doozy double ear infection.  Nothing makes him happy like a warm bath, where he can splash and go nuts.  The mini-Mohawk was for my benefit...  :o) 

Westmoreland Vacation 2014

We went to Westmoreland State Park for vacation again this year, kicking it off with Ethan's first birthday (see previous post).  Apparently, we had to go all the way to Virginia for Ethan to experience the beach for the first time.  He was definitely all eyes!

 Experiencing a little bit of cabin fever...  :o)  Not really - we had beautiful weather, but once the boys were clean for the evening, they were stuck inside coloring.

 Showing off their muscles!!

 Leah and Isaac were kind enough to share their scooters all week, and Evan and Ryan absolutely loved them.  Ryan is showing off some of the tricks he learned.

 Kate, our resident baby sitter for the week, pushing Ethan in the stroller.

Mom-Mom enjoying some sandy time with Ethan.  The pacifier did it's job at keeping the sand out of his mouth too!  :o)

 Pool dude #1:

 Pool dude #2:

 

Pool dude #3:

 The crew at Kings Dominion.  Jared and Gina went with the bright orange method of tracking their children; we went the tie-dye approach. 

 Six colors to code the height requirements for rides.  Six kids riding.  Makes sense that each one would have their own color! 

 Roller coaster time!  Mixing up the pairs - Aunt Jenn with Isaac; Ev and Kate; Mommy with Ry; and Uncle Josh with Leah.

We also helped Leah celebrate her 6th birthday during the week! 

 Sparklers for Leah's birthday!

 Family picture with the view of the cliffs behind our cabin.

 The vacationers for the week:

 On our way home, the boys got some fancy hats at the Chick-fil-A.  What a great week!  :o)

Happy 1st Birthday, Ethan!

We started off Ethan's birthday with a trip to Smith's for breakfast.  Our Ethan Jacob is such a happy, sweet boy with a personality all his own.  We've had our fun with all of his reflux, but he's been a trooper about it, and about a week after his birthday, we finally weaned him off his medication!

One year, say what?! 

 Ethan's birthday kicked off our Westmoreland vacation, where he got to experience his first cupcake.

 It got a little messy...

 So he got all cleaned up in the kitchen sink!

This little boy is quite determined at one year to do things his way, and I am excited to see the great things he will accomplish!  His brothers are his biggest fans, and Ethan loves them both to pieces.  I honestly do not think we could be more blessed!



Wrapping up July

The dudes taking a dip in Uncle Tim's pool to cool off.

 At the State Fair, we found the sugar glider display to be quite a hoot.  Ryan got to hold out his fist while the little guy jumped off a few feet to his landing area.  Very cute!

 Ethan's first parade experience.

 Evan and Ryan riding ponies at the Fair.

 A dude picnic with Daddy at Brown's Branch Park.

 Ethan taking a ride on the lion.

 Ry-Ry the Bug Guy practicing drawing his insects.