Nielsen's Nostalgia

Family Photos!!

2011-11-12T16:11:00.014-07:00

We had our family photos taken back in October! Let's be honest, with a one and a two year old, I was a little worried about how they'd turn out. :) I'm glad to have it done with and to have captured them at such a fun age! Here a few favorites...

This captured what Rylan truly was like for the hour. He didn't want to sit still, he just kept picking up random things off the ground to play with. Such a boy!

And I had to add this one... This was towards the end and Rylan was over it! It makes me laugh when I see the look on Addilyn's face... She's like "What on earth is your problem?!" Love her facial expressions! :)

Halloween 2011

2011-11-09T11:30:00.021-07:00

The week before Halloween we went to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins to carve...

Rylan was really into it, except he wasn't searching for the perfect pumpkin. He was searching for the perfect rock! It was pretty funny to see him walking around all of the pumpkins picking at all of the dirt, rocks, and sticks.

It's hard to see, but that's a rock in his hand...

He did eventually pick a little pumpkin all by himself...

Rylan & Addilyn taking a break...

Addilyn found the perfect size pumpkin for her! She held on to it so tight and wouldn't let go!

Standing in line to buy her baby pumpkin...

We carved the pumpkins for family night.

I had Addilyn help me clean out the inside of my pumpkin. She wasn't very willing at first, but eventually came around...

Rylan was really into all the pumpkin goo and seeds last year so I was excited to see what he'd do this year now that he was a little older. Sadly, he didn't want one thing to do with it. The following photo is the closest he got to touching it. He had a scoop in his hand and just poked around in it. He wouldn't dare touch it without. Still, he has the look of disgust.

Addilyn with her baby pumpkin all decorated...

For Halloween we went to Kyle's work. Every year for the last few hours of the day, they open all the buildings up at ebay for families to go through and trick or treat through the departments and cubicles.

Addilyn was a little duck...

Rylan was Woody... in whom he Loves!

We look forward to going every year. It's always fun to go and see where Daddy works all day!

Vernal & The Park!

2011-11-09T10:43:00.014-07:00

The weekend before Halloween we made a quick trip to Vernal to visit my brother and sister and all of their kiddos. While there, we went to the coolest park! I'll have to admit that I tried out a couple of the "toys" there and it was a lot of fun! Like this weird swirly seat thingy...

I took Addilyn along for the ride! It was a weird shaped looking seat and when you sit on it, it spun around and around... guess you'd have to have tried one before to get what I'm trying to say. It was cool though, ok!? :)

I don't know when it happened, but my little girl grew up way to fast! She was so independent at this playground. I was amazed, excited, and sad at the same time.

There was one slide in particular that she Loved! It was just the right size for her! She'd go up the stairs all by herself...

Step up to the top of the slide all by herself...

And then she'd get down to the seating position all by herself...

In order to scoot herself to the edge and go down all by herself...

When she'd get to the bottom, she'd walk around the slide, back to the stairs and start climbing up all on her own to go back down again. She did this about 7 times all by herself without any encouragement from Mom here! I know you are probably like, "Yep- that's how you go down a slide!?" But I had never seen her do this before and she seems so little to me still. I was proud of my little 15 month old not needing me at all to go down the slide. :)

Rylan had a great time too. He loved the slides as well and did the following route a couple of times.

Up...

Crawling over the rock wall...

And down the slide all on his own... (he still goes on his belly)

But check out the look on his face after getting off the slide...

The look of "I did it and that was awesome!"

Oh the joy of the simple things in life! :)

October Happenings!

2011-11-08T10:13:00.021-07:00

It's been two months since my last post? Really!? Well, we moved during the month of September. We bought our first home after looking for what felt like forever!! No pictures yet though... And as for October, it was a busy month! Here's only half of it...

Kyle's sister Kristin who lives up in Wyoming made a last minute decision to come to Utah for a quick weekend visit. We hadn't seen her for over a year so we were really excited! Their little girl was 2 months old the last time we saw her. She's now 18 months! Kristin was around 7 1/2 months pregnant and within 24 hours of getting here to Utah, she went into early labor and had her baby girl!! It was quite a surprise, but we were very excited to be able to see the new little addition. She's been in the NICU for the last three weeks though with different issues (to keep it simple). She's starting to get better and is a beautiful, healthy, little girl. Meet Emily Michelle Davis....

With all the excitement of the baby's arrival, little Carson needed someone to watch her. My sister in law and I have been switching off. It's been so much fun getting to know Carson and letting her spend so much time with her cousins Rylan and Addilyn. We've had three kids ages 1- Addi, 1 1/2- Carson, and 2- Rylan for two weeks now. It's been really busy, but a lot of fun! This is sweet Carson reading books before bed one night...

A week later my sister Chrissy came into town to visit. She had been planning to come to go to some fun Halloween festivities in the city. So although we had to change a few plans with Kyle's family being in town with the new birth, we were still able to get out and have some fun!

We went to Thanksgiving Point's Cornbelley's where they had everything! Lots of jungle gym type things to climb all over...

A corn box...

This was one of Rylan's favorites. He and his cousin Kooper having a corn fight...

A jumping pillow...

They wouldn't let go of my hands, I was having a hard time keeping them up.

A cow train ride...

Duck racing...

And miniature corn mazes as well as an adult sized one, and so much more!!

Addilyn on a tractor...

Rylan in the pumpkin patch...

Rylan with his cousins.... Left to Right- Rylan, Kaylee, Khloe, Kollin & Kooper!

We've gone every year for the past three years and it's always loads of fun!

We also went to a place called Gardner Village. They decorated the entire place with witches for Halloween. It's always fun to go there and walk around. While there, we discovered the pony rides. Rylan was in love!! He had a the sweetest smile the entire time.

I wore sandals that evening and it was pretty poopy to say the least....Thanks Chrissy for walking with him so I wouldn't get any on my toes! And thanks Grammy for the ticket!!

What a sweet kid, petting his pony.

On Saturday we went up to the Snowbird Resort to ride the tram and hike back down. When we got there we discovered that the tram was closed for the day. Luckily, they were having a customer appreciation day and had a bunch of different activities to do right there. They had a ropes coarse, rock climbing, bouncy castles, and so forth... the one thing that Rylan surprisingly did was this no gravity jumping thingy. He barely met the weight limit.

Every time I'd try to let go of his hands, he'd scream like crazy... so my arms got a pretty good workout.

He was really happy though as long as I was holding on.

It's always lots of fun when Chrissy and her kiddos come to town! They keep us busy, but we love it and make lots of good memories! Next up... Halloween Weekend!!

Addilyn's Mischief

2011-08-30T22:10:00.010-06:00

Here are a few pictures that I wanted to share of my little mischievous Addilyn over the past two months. She is walking, still crawling, and has just begun the climbing! I'm surprised at how high she can get sometimes! She is into everything and everywhere! See for yourself....

She crawled under here all on her own!

Clearing the book shelf and then fussing because she got stuck.

Discovering what was under the bathroom sink...

Unrolling the toilet paper roll...

I don't even know how she got up here... but don't worry, she was down as quick as she got up!

And she loves anything electronics!

She is very secretive when she finds something she shouldn't be into. She gets very quiet... and that's when I know!

I love this little girl to pieces. Just look at that face!!

Visit from Nana & Papa!

2011-08-30T16:36:00.016-06:00

Kyle's parents came into town from Colorado for basically the month of August. They were here to participate in a number of events, part of which included Rylan and Addilyn's birthdays! It was great to have them here for so long and to spend so much time with them!

Rylan loves to read books! Nana had brought him some special Cars books which he was really into!

Robyn, Kyle's mom, graduated from BYU! We are so proud of her and grateful that we were able to be part of such an exciting occasion!

My sister Chrissy and her kids came from Vernal to visit during one of the weeks that they were here. We were headed down to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point and Nana and Papa were able to join us!

Rylan loved the museum and all of the huge dinosaurs! While trying to take a picture in front of one, he was already pointing at the next... (Papa & Rylan)

This is Rylan next to one of the legs of a dinosaur. It's hard to comprehend just how large they were. Rylan is only as tall as it's foot!

Nana & Addilyn next to an ancient sea turtle. (At least that's what I think it is?) :)

They had a water play area with running water, sand, and toy dinosaurs to play with. It was definitely a favorite!

At the end of the museum there was an area where kids could kick off their shoes and pretend to dig for dinosaur bones in the sand. Rylan the paleontologists....

One more of Nana, Rylan, Addilyn, and Papa.

They also went to Education Week while they were here and then ended their trip spending a few more days with their grandkids! The kids really warmed up to them and loved spending time with them! We are really looking forward to Christmas! We are going to Colorado this year to spend it with Kyle's family! Thank you Nana and Papa for all of the fun memories made during your trip out here to Utah!!

One More Birthday Celebration :)

2011-08-30T15:02:00.013-06:00

Rylan and Addilyn are exactly one week and a year apart. I knew it was asking a lot to have family and friends come over two Saturdays in a row to celebrate their birthdays with us. Plus, my Mom and sister wouldn't be in town for either of their actual birthdays too. So we invited everyone over at a nearby park in the middle of the week to play games, eat yummy food, and celebrate these two goobers below...

We played a couple of games between playing at the park, eating, and decorating sugar cookies in the shape of trains and ladybugs. Below is Rylan wearing the conductor hat as his cousin Khloe helps him play the game Red Light, Green Light!

Sweet little Addilyn!

My sister Kimberly made Rylan's birthday cake last year and she just happened to be in town again this year too. So she and her creative self whipped up this awesome train cake for Rylan! Such a neat idea!! The kids loved it!!

Both kiddos blew out their birthday candles...

And then we played a little more! It was just fun being able to spend the evening with family and friends. We were so grateful for those who were able to make it midweek to spend some time with us.

Addilyn loving her Tickle Me Elmo...

Rylan sporting his cool Thomas the Train sunglasses while opening another present... silly kid!

I am definitely content with enough birthday celebrations until next year! I am so grateful to be able to spend all day everyday with these two kiddos. They sure keep me busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Addilyn's First Birthday!!

2011-08-29T14:06:00.018-06:00

Addilyn turned one August 13th!! I cannot believe that it has been an entire year since this little princess joined our family. She surprises me everyday with the things that she does and the words that she is beginning to say. I guess it's because in my head she's still my little baby. She's growing up way too fast!

We decided to take Addilyn somewhere she could enjoy roaming free in a "safe" environment. So we went to the inside park at the mall where there were lots of soft toys to climb all over and even a cushioned floor to fall down onto. It was a very simple yet fun way to let Addilyn have some of her own little fun! The best part was that we got there shortly after the mall had opened so there was no one there!! I didn't have to worry about big kids running her over. She was able to explore that little world all on her own... and she LoVeD it!!

Daddy and Addilyn at the top of the slide!

Her favorite was to actually climb up the slide! And since there were no other children around to share the slide with, she was able to go up the slide as many times as she wanted to. You can tell by her expression in the picture below just how much fun she was having! She could climb from the bottom to the top all by herself!

After playing at the park for a little while, we went over to ride on some of the quarter rides.

I don't think she knew really what to think about it all. She sat pretty still without much movement as the rides rocked back and forth :)

My Mom wanted to take Rylan on the train around the mall for his birthday the weekend before, but she was out of town to California. So she met us at the mall and took both Addilyn and Rylan for the ride. Rylan has been chasing this train around the mall since he could walk- no joke! So he was pretty ecstatic to hop on board!

Rylan in front of the train!

I'm not sure what this picture was about, but I thought it was a cute one of Addilyn posing on her special day!

Later that night we had family over to celebrate. Addiyln didn't even bother trying to blow out her candles. She just kept looking at everyone, smiling! So Nana helped her out :)

Lucky duck got to have this little cake all to herself! It took her a little bit to dig in, but as you can tell below... she enjoyed herself!!

Although most of the pictures above don't show it, Addilyn was not feeling very well this day. She only made it half way through opening her presents before she started melting down. It was an early night for her, but it was a special day! Addilyn is such a ray of sunshine in our lives. She is the happiest baby and is forever smiling! I love this girl!!

Rylan Turned Two!!

2011-08-26T14:51:00.017-06:00

We celebrated Rylan's second birthday August 6th... he has an obsession with trains, specifically Thomas the Tank Engine. One of his favorite shows is Dinosaur Train as well and the list of his love could go on and on. We thought it would be fun to let Rylan ride a real train for his birthday. So we headed out to Heber Valley Railroad and spent the day.

Waiting to board!!

He was full of smiles! Especially when the train blew its whistle!!

This train ride took us through the Deer Creek Reservoir and then along the Provo River. It was a very laid back scenic type of ride.

I've heard others call this the Heber Creeper and I figured that just meant it was old... but I quickly found out that this train literally crept along the path. It was slow enough for them to leave windows up and Rylan to stick his head out for the entire time. The picture below is Rylan for the first hour basically. He just sat there with his head out the window watching everything pass by.

Kyle got a shot of him by sticking his head out another window. Rylan got a kick out of it.

Kyle's parents came from Colorado to spend a couple of weeks here in Utah with everyone. We were so glad that they were able to make it and join us on the train ride. Below is Papa, Nana, Addilyn, and Rylan.

Afterward we went to eat at the very popular Dairy Keen - Home of the Train. I had heard about it, but had never been there before. It was seriously delicious!! They're milkshakes would be worth the 45 minute drive out there. They had a little kiddy train with tables to sit at. We actually sat inside where it was a little cooler, but afterward they came out and played around on it.

Addilyn on the train!

We did cake and presents later that night. Rylan was so excited to blow out the candle!

I was surprised that he was eating his cake so neatly, with his fork especially!

But it didn't last too long. He dug right in after tasting the first bite.

Rylan got a train table from us for his birthday! Anytime we go somewhere with a train table whether it be a friends home, doctors office, or wherever it might be... it is very difficult to pull him away without any tears. We found a great deal on one and he was so excited!!

I can't believe this little guy is two! He's full of so much energy and I love being able to have short conversations with him now that he is talking in sentences. I love his sweet kisses on the cheeks and bear hugs and can't imagine life without him!!

Fun in August with the Ashcrafts!

2011-08-23T13:37:00.030-06:00

My sister Chrissy and her four kids from Vernal came to the city to hang out for two weeks. We had so much fun hanging out with them each day!! How I wish they lived closer!! Here are a lot- really... a lot... of pictures from some of the things we did each day!

We went to a really neat pool up in Bountiful with lots of water toys!! Rylan of course stuck to his favorite thing to do at most water parks we've visited over this summer, which was to run back and forth over and over through these water fountains!

However, on this trip, Rylan did find a new love. He was able to go down the big water slide on my lap. He would smile and squeal the whole way down only to scream "more, more" as soon as we were off at the bottom! I lost count of how many times we went on this water slide. He absolutely loved it! (Hard to see, but this is Rylan and I coming down.)

He also loved crawling around in the shallow end... He did this forever as well.

Addilyn got to chill in her floaty. When she could touch in the shallow end, she would push herself along the floor of the pool. She'd get this huge smile as she realized what she was doing.

Another day we went downtown to the Discovery Gateway children's museum. We've been here many times before, but Addilyn wasn't as mobile. So it was fun to see her explore a little on her own.

This was one of Rylan's favorites... riding the tractor all around!

Addilyn's first time on a horse.... love that it's not real! She's so tiny up there!

Afterward we walked over to the water fountains at the Gateway. The kids all brought their swimsuits excited to get wet! Rylan was in heaven!

Little water fountains before "the fountain music show".....

When the music starts every half hour, the water fountains get much bigger and go along with music of course.... I know it's hard to see, but check out Rylan's face. He looks so overwhelmed with excitement he doesn't know what to do!

Addilyn enjoyed a little of it too. She sat on the edge where there were little spouts of water that splashed her every now and then. She's a pro at walking now...but when this picture was taken, she was practicing a couple steps. She loves to clap at herself after she does. :)

This was a funny picture to see most of the boys together.... sunbathing. Even Rylan had to join in.

Another day we went over to the Kennecott Utah Copper Mine. It's one of the largest copper mines in the world and was quite a site to see!

These are the trucks that drive up and down to transport the material. Although they look quite small from a distance....

This is how big their wheels were. HUGE!! Rylan, Addilyn, and myself are so tiny compared to it!

Inside their small museum, Rylan of course found trucks! He stared for a couple of minutes like a little boy in a candy shop! He's so funny.

Mommy & Addilyn

On August 11th we celebrated Chrissy's birthday! She picked Outback for dinner which was delicious... below is a picture of all minus one child that sat at our table! We had six kids and five adults. Good times! I'm glad we were able to celebrate it with her!

Rylan is in love with anything trains. So Chrissy thought it'd be fun to go ride the UTA FrontRunner. We rode it up a little ways, got off, did some shopping, and then hopped back on. It was so simple and so much fun!

Myself with Addilyn

Chrissy & Rylan

Chrissy's kids, from the left... Kaylee-Khloe-Kollin-Kooper

Ryland & Addilyn checking out the tracks!

We ate lots of yummy food throughout their trip... Below is at Firehouse Subs. This is Addilyn and her cousin Kooper who was trying to get her to sport one of the free, cool, fireman hats. It made me laugh, so I thought I'd throw it in there too.

There are probably a hundred more photos.... we had so much fun and although after two weeks I'm sure they were ready to head back home... we were sad to see them go!

Virginia Beach Trip

2011-07-31T15:28:00.025-06:00

Wow... life just sort of happened these past few weeks and I haven't had anytime to finish my posts on our summer vacation to Virginia. We've had a lot of family in town and celebrated Rylan and Addilyn's birthdays... I'll post about those later... Although it's more for me, I'd like to finish a few posts about our beach vacation this past summer. We got home 4 weeks ago today so it seems a little outdated, but the memories are all still there. It was so much fun!

For the last few days of our Virginia trip we headed down to Virginia Beach, Virginia. We stayed in a hotel right on the boardwalk which meant that our hotel overlooked the beach. It was absolutely beautiful and tons of fun to be so close!

The view from our balcony...

This is Rylan pushing Addilyn in the stroller as we waited for the very slow elevator to arrive. Addilyn was laughing as Rylan ran into the walls and played peak a boo from behind. We were on our way to the beach for the very first time for these two little ones.

Rylan loved it!!

Addilyn... didn't want anything to do with it!

Eventually, she got used to just sitting in the sand.. she explored it for a little bit. Poking at it and digging her finger into it...

She was so cute as she'd pinch some of the sand and bring it closer to her face to get a closer look. Can you see that look of disgust on her face in the picture below? Lol... She's thinking... "What is this stuff?"

She started laughing and clapping her hands (her signal for fun)!

So I figured she was comfortable enough and thought I'd try sitting closer to the water. Surprisingly, she crawled to me...

Life was good until water from a wave had reached us....

Then we had to start all over again... but by the second day at the beach I'm proud to say that she enjoyed splashing around in the water and playing in the sand!

Rylan didn't have any problem with the water or sand. His favorite thing to do was to run through the shallow water that went over the shoreline after the waves had crashed. He'd run into the water then turn around and run up to beach and then run back into the water over and over again. He was in heaven!

Rylan playing with his dump truck...perfect toy for the beach for this little guy who is obsessed with his cars.

He had no problem playing in the sand. He'd fill his bucket and then dump it over and over. He did enjoy throwing the sand though... frustrating to get him to understand why it was a bad thing... he sure didn't mind getting the sand all over him though :)

We took a walk down to the pier. Rylan of course loved running around the poles. I love how he looks so content in every one of these pictures.

Look at this stylish Mother of mine down at the beach! I'm so grateful we were able to spend that time with her! She was such a huge help with the kids too!! I couldn't have done it without her. Thanks Mom!!

Rylan, early morning, walking on the boardwalk!

Although we spent a lot of time down at the beach.... we did do a few other things while we were down there. That will be in the next post though... so yes.. more to come of our Virginia vacation :)

Eating Crabs, Bike Riding, & More Play

2011-07-31T15:19:00.034-06:00

We only stayed at the beach for about two in a half days. This was towards the end of our trip out to Virginia and we were short on time. So we crammed a lot of fun into each day! The following post is all in one day!

In the morning we drove towards Norfolk, Virginia which wasn't too far from the beach. My Mom grew up there and they had a large family get together for lunch. They decided to have crabs, very appropriate with being down at the beach :)

This is what I saw when we walked through the door. They cooked the crabs to perfection and then threw them in the middle of the table. A free for all basically. It was a funny sight to me because I had never seen anything like it before. This is my Grandpa in the corner working to get some lunch.

My Mom grew up crabbing (the kind where you'd throw a chicken attached to a weight and a rope over the boat, let it sit for a little bit, slowly pull it up and swoop a net underneath to catch the crab that was nibbling on the chicken bait.) Luckily enough, when my grandparents were still living in their home in Norfolk, my Mom was able to take us out a few times to experience "Crabbing." I have lots of fun memories of it, but it had been many many years since I had tried crab.

Check this guy out!! Yikes!!

We had to get our meat out of this freshly cooked crab. For some reason this was a different experience then I had remembered it being. Not sure if its the fact that I'm older now and have more of an idea for what I'm actually doing in cracking it's back open and snapping it's little legs off (basically ripping that sad little crab to pieces). I guess to sum it up, it's a lot of work to get that crab meat out! But some who love the taste say its completely worth it :) I still haven't decided myself yet, but it really was a fun experience!

Addilyn's first meeting with a crab...

Rylan ironically didn't want to touch it!

After lunch and visiting we stopped at Mount Trashmore. Mount Trashmore is exactly what it sounds like. They covered up what used to be mounds of trash with lots and lots of dirt, grew some grass, and made a fun recreational park out of it with a trail around a man made lake and all. My family lived in Virginia Beach from when I was in 5th grade through 9th grade (I can't do the math in my head right now of how many years that actually was). They had a large wooden park that we used to play hide and seek at for hours with cousins and friends. I was sad to discover that they knocked that awesome park down and built it with a more updated park. It was still fun for the kids though. They didn't know what they were missing out on. It was still a cool park, but not like the classic wooden park with its awesomeness that once stood there.

This slide was meant for little ones. It had little bucket seats you'd slide into on your way down the slide. Addilyn's facial reactions tells me she thought it was a silly idea. :)

Rylan sliding down a big slide. He had no fear!

This is a picture of the kids running up Mount Trashmore... Can you find little Rylan in the middle of them?

Once at the top, they decided to roll down the other side. This was something that Rylan had never done before so Grammy took him for a ride...

Not sure if you can tell in the picture, but he was laughing and having the best time.

Grammy actually gave him a piggy back ride back up to the top. I have no idea where this woman gets all of her energy. I sure look up to her... she's such an awesome Grammy!

Addilyn got to enjoy the view at the top with Mommy... I love her face in this picture, it's as if her thoughts are "I don't get these people? Rolling down hills?"

Later that evening after dinner we went back down to the boardwalk. They had parks that were on the actual beach to play at. This is Rylan surfing...

We rented a bike with my Aunt Jenn and her kids. We rode it down the boardwalk. Rylan and Addilyn were the lucky ones to get front row seats and be able to just sit there and enjoy the ride while everyone else peddled.

It didn't take Rylan very long to fall asleep though...

He was out and eventually his head slid into Addilyns lap. She thought this was so funny. She was laughing and smacking his head. Ironically, this did not wake him.

After a cool treat, returning the bike and walking back down the boardwalk to our hotel... Rylan was exhausted. He slept real good that night!

We had so much fun down at the beach! It was the perfect way to end our Virginia vacation!

Visiting with Family

2011-07-27T22:01:00.011-06:00

I hadn't been back to Virginia since before Rylan was born so this was the first time that my Dad and sister Melinda were able to meet my children. We met my Dad at a duck pond. Rylan had never fed ducks before and I was so excited to see his reaction as the ducks gathered around while we tossed them little pieces of bread. However, these ducks were definitely spoiled and must be fed a lot. It took a while to convince them to come over and still, then they only took a couple of pieces of bread. So Rylan's first duck feeding didn't go over so well but it was still fun to be able to have them meet their Grandpa. They both warmed up to him very well.

Grandpa and Rylan sneaking up on the ducks...

I gave Addilyn a piece of bread to "drop" by the ducks, but she felt the need to taste it out herself. At least someone there was eating the bread!

We were able to meet up with my sister Melinda later that week at a local park. It was so hot, but the kids couldn't tell a difference. They were full of giggles and loving it!

Who knew swinging could be so much fun!

Sweet Rylan has become quite a little shadow to Addilyn. He'll get down and crawl right beside her and follow her to wherever she's headed. He'll even come and kneel (while she's standing) beside her at a table or the couch and just look at her and laugh. This is a picture of him following her (crawling like she does) around the gazebo.

Rylan and Addilyn coming to say hello to Aunt Melinda!

My Dad and Denise were able to stop by the park as well and we were able to visit with them again! Addilyn was super excited about something- pointing and babbling away. I thought this was a cute picture because she definitely got both of their attentions. :)

Mommy & Addilyn chilling out in the shade.

Family shot with Grandpa (my Dad)!

It was so fun to be able to see my Dad, Melinda, and Denise. It had been way too long since we had seen them last. I can't wait to be able to spend more time with them... hopefully sooner then later. :)

Virginia Safari Park

2011-07-27T13:45:00.023-06:00

Next up from our trip to Virginia is the Safari Park. My family had been a number of times before when we lived in Virginia, but somehow I had missed every trip? I had never been to any kind of Safari Park and had heard stories about the huge animals in your face, the smell, the drool, the mess... but it didn't mean anything to me until I experienced it for myself. :) It was amazing and disgusting all at the same time. I'm not the biggest animal lover and if you know me at all and my perfectionism then you know why. It was really cool to be able to see and sort of interact with these animals up close though!

I was amazed that we were able to drive right up next to them, and that's with the window rolled up...

Antelope

White-bearded Wildebeest

Rylan had a few moments of laughter while we were passing all of the animals (safely outside of the car).

...But the fact that we were also able to roll our windows down...

... and feed them was insane to me!!

And this is where Rylan became very mellow... he stayed put in the middle of the car and anytime I'd ask him a question, he'd just point to the animals with a solid face- no reaction.

We drove along the path and had made it through feeding a couple of different animals. I soon discovered though that when you pull up next to them with the window down and you don't have any food... that's when the real craziness begins. They'd stick there heads into the vehicle, some as far as their necks would allow them in search of food...

Okay a cow...not too bad, very slobbery though.

Then my mom decided to feed these psycho ostriches that would not go away. They have super long necks as I'm sure you already know and when she took away the bucket of food, they ducked their heads even further into the car looking for more. She didn't know what to do but to roll the window up and then she ended up rolling it too high so that when they finally pulled their neck back out, it's head was stuck in the car! Later we read in the guidebook they gave us that we were not to roll windows up while an animal was feeding, instead to slowly drive away and then they'd move out. It was the freakiest yet funniest experience. It was amazing to see them so close!

I didn't notice until looking at the pictures afterward that this little guy was trying to get a little taste of Addilyn. Check out that tongue! I'm sure her hand was resting there on the window sill to hold herself up. Addilyn wasn't spooked at all by the way. Every now and then she'd push away from the window, but for the most part she was fascinated by these creatures and wanted the window spot. She'd stare and scream with excitement like she does to everything!

It was a long ride and Rylan eventually fell asleep.

Just in time for us to drive by a Bison (Buffalo) who wanted to say hello. Poor kid woke up at the perfect time! I've never see Rylan move so fast!

He too was looking for something more... His head was bigger then our window, what a sight to see in real life!

I love this expression on Rylan's face... perfect to explain the entire experience.

After the drive, they had a Safari Village that we walked through. Rylan did a lot better here with all of the animals safely behind wired fences. He even fed some of the goats all by himself!

Addilyn- So happy!!

She was pointing away at all the different animals throughout the entire walk! I love how excited and vocal she gets about things that she sees now.

Rylan and Sevvy (Sevvy is one of my cousins- he came along on the adventure with us.)

Zebra Addilyn

Camel Rylan

Super cool experience! Well worth it!! :)

Hanging out at Grandma & Grandpa's in Virginia

2011-07-25T12:28:00.020-06:00

July 13th was a special day. It was not only my Grandma's 74th birthday...

Look at how beautiful this woman is!! She is definitely one of my favorites! By far the coolest Grandma ever!!

July 13th also marked my 4th year wedding anniversary to my dear husband Kyle!

Oh if we only knew then what we know now! Anytime I try to express the feelings I have inside for this amazing man, I become speechless. So.. when I say that I LoVe this man... I LoVe this man!! He's more then I deserve and everyday I am more grateful then the last that he chose me! We were able to celebrate before we left on our trip to Virginia. However, he still surprised me and sent flowers on this special day.

Addilyn playing with the balloon that came with it...

We visited with so much family while we were there and in between everything we did in Virginia, it was great just being able to hang out for a couple of hours here and there at my Grandparent's home.

This is my Mom and Grandma playing "Bull Frog" with Addilyn and Rylan (Hopefully most of you know what song I'm talking about- bouncing on the knee and then having them falling in?)

They were both giggling so hard.

My Grandpa was amazing with these two. They both didn't do very well taking naps while we were there. So there were many melt downs. But my Grandpa was so patient and helpful with both of him. I had never seen this side to him before. He was always playing with them! It was the sweetest thing.

Addilyn and her Great Grandpa

Rylan and Great Grandpa watching some morning cartoons.

Addilyn swinging with Grammy. She wasn't so sure of it at first (check out her face below).

Then she loosened up and was loving it!

Rylan watching Grammy play a game of pool! He sat in this chair for most of the game, watching very closely. It was pretty cute!

They had two cats. One in particular was very friendly and would come up to you nudging you and circling you until you acknowledged it's presence. Addilyn and Rylan were in love that this cat didn't run from them, instead it came to them!

Addilyn has been walking along the couches and tables for a while now. But while we were in Virginia she started standing up on her own, holding on to nothing. This was one of her favorite things to do. The air mattress was perfect for the job. She'd push herself up and stand holding on to nothing for a good 15 seconds.

Then she'd throw herself onto the bed.

And then start giggling.

It was such a fun game to her. She's not walking on her own yet, but she can balance on her own two feet all by herself! What a sweetheart!

"Just Keep Swimming..."

2011-07-24T20:56:00.019-06:00

Between all the things that we did each day in Virginia... the pool was always on the list. We did a lot of swimming! There was a neighborhood pool at the home that we stayed at so we basically went everyday. Rylan has always been pretty clingy when we've gone swimming in the past. We went a lot like I said before and I think that helped because by the end, he got pretty comfortable in the water. He loves the water!

Rylan practicing his kicking... He thought this was so funny!

Addilyn chilled in the shallow water with Mommy. She loved to splash the water and get it all in her face. She was laughing, clapping, and yelling away with excitement.

We visited the stairs on the deeper side of the pool. I have no idea why, but once again Addilyn was so excited. She screamed and splashed like crazy! (You can see her mouth open mid yelling in the picture below).

Addilyn lounging in her baby float. She was so happy!

Rylan's all time favorite thing to do at the pool is to jump in from the side to someone. He could do this for hours! I started backing away a little each time and he didn't protest to jumping completely in before I grabbed him. He loves the water! (Ignore my silly expression, it was the best picture of him jumping though.)

Rylan and Grammy coming out of the mushroom water fountain.

One of the days we were there, we went with my Aunt Jennifer and her three children to a really neat pool with all sorts of water toys, slides, and fountains. There was so much to see and do... Rylan was everywhere!

He ran through these floor water fountains back and forth, letting them hit his face and stepping on them too. He did this alone for about a half hour or more. As simple as they were, it was one of his favorite parts!

They had a baby pool as well that was gated off to the side. Addilyn loved it! She would walk along the edge walls and every so often bend over to splash in the water :)

Addilyn chilling on a log while Rylan was running through the fountains.

Rylan eventually was brave enough to go down one of the slides...

But I think he was most comfortable in the baby pool. He was happy playing with the water toys and running around in knee deep water.

Addilyn was exhausted by the end. I sat her down to gather our things when we were about to leave, I look up no more then a few minutes later and I find her like this....

To be able to fall asleep while sitting up... poor little girl was wiped out!

Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

2011-07-24T15:31:00.011-06:00

We took a trip to Smith Mountain Lake. My uncle had just bought a boat of his own and offered to take us out on it. It was the first boat that Rylan and Addilyn have ever been on. The weather was perfect and I think the best part was just watching there reactions, especially as the boat was flying through the water and the wind was blowing so fast past their faces. Here are a few photos...

Addiyln & Grammy

Addilyn wouldn't move. She froze anytime that boat was cruising and the wind was blowing. I don't think she was very sure about it.

Rylan on the other hand loved it. He had this smirk (in the picture below) the entire time.

This is my Mom and Rylan, with my Grandma... who didn't want the wind messing up her hair so she sported a cute little hat the entire ride. (Hard to see, but two of my cousins are tubing behind them).

We stopped for a little bit to go swimming. Rylan wanted to get in the water so bad! He tried so hard to open this gate.

Grammy eventually got in with him while I stayed on the boat with Addilyn. Although a little unsure at first, he was full of smiles!

Addilyn started to relax a little. She loved hanging out on the boat. She was babbling and screaming away pointing at everyone swimming in the water. (Isn't this the weirdest, bulkiest little life jacket... at least I knew she was safe?)

This is my cousin Sevey. Rylan loved being his little shadow. He followed him everywhere and anywhere. Here they are enjoying a cool drink on the boat.

After the other kids went tubing my Mom offered to take Rylan out on the tube. My uncle promised to drive super super slow! Rylan did so awesome though (although he looks a little terrified in the picture below). He was even waving to me on the boat. What a brave boy!

Next up... lots and lots of swimming!

Summer Trip to Virginia

2011-07-22T15:13:00.008-06:00

I was lucky enough to tag along with my Mom to Virginia for her summer vacation this year! We left a few days after the Fourth of July and just got back this past week. I had not been back to my home state of Virginia for about 2 1/2 years so I was so glad to be able to go with her! It had been way to long!

I'll be honest though. I was a nervous wreck about the airplane ride there and back! One of the flights was 3 hours and 49 minutes and I had no idea how my almost one and two year old would handle it! Thank goodness my Mom was crazy enough to hold one of them in there laps so that I would not only have the extra help, but I could get away with getting all three of us out there for the price of just one airline ticket. However, my opinion on this idea has now changed! I'll share details later though.

We had bought a Buzz Lightyear backpack packed with lots of new gadgets, toys, and a portable dvd player that we made sure Rylan did not see any of until he was on the plane. This is Rylan walking through the Salt Lake City airport. He looks like such a big kid to me! (Can you believe they were okay for him to sit on a lap?!)

While we waited to board our first flight, Rylan was in heaven checking out all of the airplanes. It was the closest that he had ever seen them!

Addilyn even thought it was pretty cool too!

I had to get settled before we took off so my Mom bravely held both kids for a couple of minutes. Ohh... sigh.. I'm so glad this is all over now as I'm remembering all of the details of our travels :)

The long flight didn't go as badly as I thought it would. Rylan watched movies, and was thoroughly entertained by all of the new things he found in his backpack. I had Addilyn with me and although she was super wiggly and into everything, she eventually fell asleep.

Addilyn at the Atlanta, Georgia airport stretching her legs before we boarded our last flight!

This last airplane was a very small plane with two seats on each side of the isles. I did have someone sitting next to me, but after they closed the doors to the plane, she saw an empty seat and jumped over to it while she still could. Although I felt bad for scarring her away, I was so grateful. It was really cramped with Rylan on my lap, not to mention this meant he got his own seat all to himself. He loved it!!

Rylan "reading" me a book... telling me all about the pictures :)

He swapped me seats so he could check out the window!

After we got in the air, I put on a movie, and he was out! Luckily he was able to stretch out a little.

So in the end, our flights out to Virginia were not that bad. Addilyn was really wiggly, but that's just her, nothing keeps her attention for very long. And neither of them had a meltdown or were itching badly to get out of their seats while the fasten seat belt sign was on. The flights back home, well... that's a different story! But I'll save that for later!

We had so much fun out in Virginia between all the swimming, visiting different family, the Safari park, and going to the beach.... I took a lot of pictures! So I thought it'd be better if I broke them up into different posts. Check back soon!

4th of July 2011

2011-07-21T10:26:00.028-06:00

This year for the 4th of July I started the celebration a little early. Saturday I got to join my Mom and sister Kimmy at the Stadium of Fire. I went last year with my mom and we loved it enough to go back again this year!

Sister Kimmy & I waiting for the show to begin!

Three other guys before this man parachuted (is that a word?) in to the stadium during a performance of The Star Spangled Banner. It was a pretty neat site to see.

David Archuleta was the opening act! You can make as much fun of me as you want, but I love this kid! I don't own or really listen to any of his own music, but I love to hear him sing! Especially the patriotic music that he did...it gave me goosebumps. I went to a Christmas concert of him last year as well.... and it was beautiful!! He has an amazing voice!

Then the real fun began! I love country music and therefore I love Brad Paisley!! I can't put my thoughts into words right now other then to say it was aMaZiNg!! Love, love, love him!! I wanted to jump out of my seat and start screaming along to all of his songs...but I withheld the urge as to not embarrass those around me (okay and myself).

The fireworks were of course amazing as well! Basically front row seats! I've learned though that it's a literal term, Stadium of Fire. You could feel the heat from where we were sitting!

Just another shot to show you how hot it got in there with all the fireworks they were shooting off!

I definitely want to make this a yearly tradition! Although my Mother has been lovely and kind enough to treat me each year to this event, I would say it is well worth the money!! Not only are the concerts amazing and the fireworks the best, they do such a great job before all of that stuff starts with recognizing and remembering why we are celebrating the Fourth of July in the first place.

I was definitely a lot more emotional this year. Not sure if it's the fact that I'm a Mother of two or what, but every song sang about our country and the pictures and videos of the real men and women past and present who have sacrificed and do sacrifice their lives so we can enjoy the freedoms that we live with daily.... my eyes just kept feeling up with tears the entire time we were there! I guess I'm getting old :) All in all... it was another amazing experience to be able to go! I definitely plan to go next year. This time I'll have to get Kyle to go along with us though (sweet hubby has stayed home the last two years with the kids so that I've been able to go). Great way to start the Fourth of July holiday though!!

We spent Monday (Fourth of July) with Kyle's family. They had a delicious BBQ in which Rylan discovered Watermelon! He had more then a couple of slices!

We basically hung out playing and visiting while we waited for it to get a little darker for fireworks. Here are a few photos of the "haps" that afternoon...

Rylan got to play with a big dog. Hes met this dog before and loves to follow her around for a little while until he eventually moves on. They make good friends though. :)

Addilyn was so happy to just be outside. The weather was perfect!

Rylan of course found a train and car to play with... Completely content!

My sister Kimmy and cousin Tiffany joined us later for fireworks. Kyle was the one lighting them all so it was a good thing they showed up. It took Rylan and Addilyn some time to warm up to the loud crackles and pops and I didn't have enough hands to comfort two kids and take pictures to remember the moment :) (Thanks for the back up girls!)

This was Addilyn's reaction for most of our "little firework show"...

Until one really loud one scared her good! Oh this picture breaks my heart... She did not like it!

Rylan found a cool firework that was like a tank engine that Kyle let him hold for a little while. He was really in to it, driving it on the driveway and all... until they took it, lit it on fire, and it blew up...

But then it was time to play with sparklers! Rylan liked these! He mostly liked holding and watching it. Maybe next year he'll learn to wave them around for a cooler affect.

Aunt Emily helping Rylan with his first Sparkler.

These were also the only ones Addilyn wouldn't cry over.

Eventually Rylan got bored with watching on the side lines. He wanted to see what Daddy was doing out there. So Kyle helped him light one (Brave Daddy)!

Believe it or not, towards the end, Addilyn stopped crying at every firework that went off. She was content with her box of Sparklers! (Addilyn and Aunt Kimmy).

Before we left for the night we were able to enjoy some yummy ice cream with brownies and strawberries! Another favorite part to Rylan and Addilyn's night... they were all over me when I sat down to enjoy it!

I would have loved to see the big firework show, but this was a good start for the Fourth of July this year considering Addilyn's reaction to such little fireworks. Can't wait until next year though!!

Addilyn (almost 11 months) :)

2011-07-06T15:36:00.012-06:00

Addilyn is growing up so fast! I cannot believe she is almost 11 months old! Now that she is on the move, her silly personality is really starting to shine!

I found her under here one day banging on the tops of the chairs.

She loves to eat! She'll try anything new you put in front of her!

Not only is she a super fast crawler, she is pulling herself up on to everything now as well. She's starting to walk along the tables and couches!

A small glimpse of her sassy side...

I haven't taken pictures of her doing it yet, no worries because I know it'll happen again. But she's emptied out a couple of our cupboards in the kitchen already and she's also cleared the book shelf too. Tub-aware, pans, and books....EverYwheRe!! It's so funny seeing her do all of the same things that Rylan did when he started moving and discovering the house.

I love these two kiddos! Lots of randomness and play around this home...

After the bath...

Rylan playing in the couch cushions.

Even when they're not playing together, Addilyn is always right next to him. This was a silly reaction I got after calling her name to get her attention.

I am the luckiest to be able to stay home with these two all day long! I love it!

Swimming @ the Rec Center

2011-07-06T15:08:00.013-06:00

The Rec Center that we joined for the summer months has a huge indoor pool. I love it not only because I don't have to worry about the kids getting burnt and having to put on sunblock, but it also has a ton of things to do compared to the average square swimming pool. It has a fun lazy river, a bunch of water toys to play in, a big slide and a toddler type of slide, a fun little baby pool all to itself, and much more! Here are a few pictures of one of the trips we have taken there this summer so far!

Addilyn checking out the water...

Okay, it's safe to move about.

Crocodile Rylan moving around the shallow end on his tummy.

Rylan hiding in the middle of these water spouts.

His favorite thing of all was to be in Daddy's arms though. Daddy loved to throw him in the air really high! Rylan would laugh and keep saying more, more!!

They went around the lazy river together.

And Daddy was totally fine being there for Rylan for the 34th time wanted to jump into the water from the side. He loved doing this and did it forever! He'd count out loud even... 1, 2, 3

And then jump right in. I love Kyle's facial reaction mid splash here...

Addilyn and Mommy had fun over in the baby pool while Rylan and Daddy were being big boys in the other pool. They had these cool swings to sit or stand in. Addilyn was yelling, jumping, and squealing the entire time.

She loved this shallow part of the baby pool. Clapping her hands....

Rylan came and joined us eventually. He loved going up and down these two steps over and over.

Addilyn and Kyle (Daddy)!

This pool is absolutely perfect for their age. Rylan and Addilyn love the water and are so happy the entire time we are there.

Addilyn's Sunday Discovery

2011-06-28T21:40:00.008-06:00

Sunday at a nearby park, Addilyn discovered more of this thing we call grass with her Grammy. Here's a little photo sideshow of how it played out.

She was left sitting by herself in the grass (not on Grammy's lap), tried to crawl back to her, decided she didn't like how it felt, sat back up and squealed while she reached for her, and then after realizing that it wasn't that bad...she started clapping her hands and smiled pretty for the camera. This little girl makes me smile! (A thank you to my sister Kimberly for the photography!) :)

Trip to Vernal, Utah!

2011-06-27T21:27:00.037-06:00

Last week we went to Vernal. My sister Chrissy had told me that she was having a yard sale and if any of you know her at all..her home decor is beautiful, she has tons of stylish clothes, and she's super crafty. She and her husband have also decided to not have any more children (I mean that in the nicest way, as in they are happy and content with the four beautiful children that they have)...which means she was getting rid of tons of baby/children clothes and toys and items from her stylish home and closet full of clothes. So... I was all over going to Vernal to go through her stuff!! In the process of that and getting ready for the big yard sale day on Saturday...we also had some fun going to the lake, dinosaur museum, pool, and park! All of the kids also had a lot of fun (and I mean a ton of fun) just hanging out and playing in the yard and at home. So warning!! There are a lot of pictures from our trip to Vernal, Utah.

Rylan reading books with cousins Kooper and Khloe. I thought this was such a sweet picture!

The small town of Vernal has there very own dinosaur museum. Rylan (being the boy that he is)... loves dinosaurs. So this was a fun adventure for him!

Me with all of the kids.

What a scary looking dinosaur! I'm surprised he got so close!

Diggin' for bones!

I'm not sure what this tunnel looking thing really was, but Rylan was loving it! He just kept running in circles through it laughing and smiling.

Addilyn strolled along with us. This was a cute facial expression. It makes me wonder what she was thinking when I took the picture.

My sister Christy and her girls Khloe and Kaylee.

They had a small room with lots of little dinosaurs and games to play with.

Addilyn excited to get her own dinosaur to hold on to!

We also went to a nearby lake while we were there. I was excited, but nervous for this one. I wasn't quite sure how Rylan & Addilyn would handle it. It was the first time for both! Rylan was pretty still at first. He walked in ankle deep and just stood there for a while.

After discovering a bucket with Toy Story characters on it (He loves Buzz Light year!), he started to come out of his shell and move around a little more.

He found a hole that someone had dug out in the sand. His cousins were playing in it and thought it looked like fun...

Too much fun though!! He sat down and started splashing that water happy! I guess it was great tasting water too because he sure didn't mind sticking his tongue out to get some of it. He eventually scared his two cousins out of the hole too. They came back though after this spastic episode was over. :)

(Mid Splash)

Can you see the mud/sand all over his head, dripping down his face?! Of course when you get that sandy and messy you've got to wash up some how before getting back into the car. This part he wasn't too fond of though, but what was I to do? :/

He laid like this for the next half hour completely content wrapped in his warm towel.

How did Addilyn do?! Well, after eating some good food she was happy as could be sitting on the towel...

And poking at the sand...

But eventually it was time to see what the lake was all about. I barely dipped her toes in the water and she started crying! Poor little girl didn't want anything to do with it, not even standing up in the sand.

This was her look for the next hour...

Addilyn has mastered crawling! She's been on the move for about 3 weeks now. Although it's been about a month, I was still shocked when I saw her trying to climb up the stairs!

Look how happy this girl is lounging on the couch with her feet up on her cousin Kollin!

We played outside a lot too. Rylan loved the skateboard! We did this one for a while back and forth in the driveway.

Mommy & Addilyn discovering the grass! She didn't scream like Rylan did when I set him in the grass for the first time, but she also didn't move at all (except her arms). :)

Cousin Khloe with Adidlyn

We visited the park that they referred to as the firetruck park as I'm sure you can see why. This is Rylan sitting in a wheel. He's driving his car up and over in this photo (he always has a car in hand where ever we go).

Check out that smile. This kid was so happy the entire time!

Addilyn having an afternoon drink at the park.

Vernal has a really nice rec center with a huge indoor pool with water slides, a water play park area, and even diving boards. I was excited to have Rylan try out the arm floats while we were there. After getting used to not having me hold him the entire time... check this boy out!

(This was only for a couple of seconds so don't think I'm crazy. I didn't let him go off on his own or anything and I still carried him in the deep areas, staying right next to him. It was nice though to let him feel what it was like to float in the water and start kicking his feet.)

This is Rylan after jumping into the pool from the side. He Loved this!! I can't even tell you how many times he did this, over and over and over.

Addilyn... well, she liked chilling in her baby float. She looks soo relaxed!

While waiting for everyone to get dressed and ready, Rylan discovered that he was just the right size to fit inside these lockers. :) Silly kid!

We had SO much fun in with everyone in Vernal and we can't wait to go back soon!! This is Rylan on the way home. He fell asleep with a sucker in his mouth.

Thanks Ashcraft family for entertaining and letting us stay with you...plus all of the awesome stuff I scored from your yard sale!! :)

Sidewalk Chalk with Kimmy

2011-06-26T15:03:00.007-06:00

So back in May (I know that was two months ago :/)... but my sister Kimberly came over and we decided to go outside and let Rylan discover sidewalk chalk for the first time. He did a lot better then I thought he would and it kept his attention for about fifteen minutes before he left us for the park instead. :)

Kimberly tracing Rylan's body...

Rylan...not really sure what was going on.

Drawing the face on his body...

I didn't trust little Addiyn with a stick of chalk so she sat on the blanket and chewed on my camera case instead. :)

Kimberly is the artistic one in the family. This is her having her own little fun with sidewalk chalk!

She'll be moving in with us soon, so you may see a lot more of her in our photos. We're excited to have her come stay for a little while!

Happenings in May & June

2011-06-24T22:09:00.007-06:00

I can't believe we are less than a week away from July! May and June flew by! What have we been up to you ask?!? Well, Kyle and I went to Vegas for 5 days with his brother Jeff and Sister Kristin with hubby Seth. My sister Chrissy watched Rylan & Addilyn for a week while we were gone. It was the longest that I had ever been away from them. It was the first time away from Addilyn and only the second time away from Rylan (in almost two years)....so to say the least, it was time! It was an adjustment, but needed and we had a blast in Las Vegas! I really appreciate Chrissy taking on six kids total (4 of her own plus my 2 little ones) all under the age of seven...crazy, right!?

Anyways, we've had Kyle's parents come to visit as well from Colorado. Rylan eventually warmed up to them. He had so much fun.... this is Papa giving Rylan a horsey ride, he had the biggest smile on his face the entire time!

Reading a train book that Nana & Papa bought him. Once again, he was so excited! Look how into this book he was. He didn't move at all.

I swear they spent time with Addilyn too. They apparently must have all of the pictures on their camera though because I couldn't find them. We loved having them visit. It had been way too long since we'd last seen them!

My cousin Mike got married over Father's Day weekend and we had a lot of family come in from out of town for that too. It was so fun to see everyone!! I then decided to go to Vernal this past week to visit my sister Chrissy. We had a great time with all six kiddos and I plan to post about that trip separately...lots of cute pictures!!

And in between all of those big events, we've been busy making memories playing at home. Here are some random photos over the past two months to prove it :)

Rylan climbed into Addilyn's crib after her nap one day. He was so excited! They were yelling and laughing and having so much fun. (It took two pictures to get both looking and smiling at the camera though).

My mom (Grammy) came over to visit one evening. This is her playing "Bull Frog" with both Rylan and Addilyn on her lap at the same time.

It may be hard to see, but they both are smiling and laughing in this photo! Lots of fun with Grammy!

We do a lot of laundry around this house. Rylan likes to walk around with the empty laundry baskets on his head? (I didn't teach him that...I seriously don't know where he learns all of this stuff from.) He got inside the bigger one for a minute and I decided to throw Addilyn in too to take them for a little ride around the house.

We've had a lot more randomness go on, but we'll end there for now. July is a busy month with the holidays in the beginning and end of the month, our 4th year wedding anniversary, and my trip to Virginia for a week and a half (I haven't been back since before Rylan was born). Busy, busy summer... but we're definitely soakin' it up!

Daddy Daughter Lovin'

2011-06-24T22:01:00.003-06:00

I came across these sweet pictures of Addilyn with her Daddy (Kyle) and had to share!

Rylan's first set of stitches... and hopefully his last!

2011-06-24T15:37:00.008-06:00

About a month ago Rylan was climbing around like he always does over the couch and the end table next to it. Some how he slipped and he either hit the picture frame that was sitting on the table or bit his lip when he landed (all I know is that the picture frame fell to the floor)? There was a lot of screaming and crying, but after calming him down...all was well and he went about his usual business of playing and running around the house. The only problem was this small cut on his lip....

Do you see how tiny that little cut is! Who would have thought something so small would cause such a huge ordeal?! It concerned me enough to take Rylan in to make sure that he didn't need stitches and sure enough he did. However, with his age (21 Months- Not even 2 yet- Crazy kid!) and the spot where he cut it (right over his lip line (some lip and some skin) the doctors wanted to sedate him so that they could make sure they lined up his lip just right.

In order to do this they had to put an IV in his hand... and all I have to say is DRAMA!! Screaming of bloody murder and probably the worst part of the whole process! But in the end he got a cute little wrap around his hand so that he wouldn't mess with it until they were ready to begin.

He wasn't a fan of it. He poked and picked...

And when that didn't work, he even tried to bite it off...

The whole process took forever and seemed much more dramatic then it needed to be all because of where he cut his lip at and the fact that he was so young. The following picture shows a little of the bed and room that they did it in. Just proof that this was going to be one expensive bill :)

(Rylan recovering after they finished and slowly waking up out of the sedation.)

He got three stitches that day.

All because of a simple fall over something that he does everyday! Life sure is never boring! Great story to tell though to his friends and own kids some day! Rylan is definitely all boy!

Rylan Loves....

2011-06-24T15:12:00.007-06:00

Rylan has turned into little boy overnight I swear! The things he loves to do and the way he reacts to situations just amazes me sometimes. Where did my little baby go?! This post will show a few pictures of what Rylan loves most.... CARS! :)

He will sit at this Little People Raceway forever putting the cars at the top and watching them come down. He's even makes the noises of the cars as they drive and as they crash (I didn't teach him this so I love hearing him "vroom" as he plays).

Rylan playing with Aunt Kimberly's remote control jeep... He LoVeD this!!

And over the past month he has collected a ton of Hot Wheels thanks to his Aunt Kimberly once again... Another thing he'll sit and do forever...drive his cars back and forth on this little road.

He also loves to drive them on the couch too. He'll go from one end of the couch to the other, back and forth, over and over making all sorts of sounds as they crash, fly in the air, and drive under pillows. :) You'll always find a car in Rylan's hand... and in his bed too. Yep... he won't lay down for me unless he has at least one with him and then somehow by the end of the week he has like 8 in his bed?!

Rylan is still a little goofball though....This is a random picture I got of him with the shopping cart as he tried to drive it over our bed? He put the cart up there all by himself too. I heard him laughing in the back room and when I went to see what he was doing...this is what I found...

I love this little boy!!

Addilyn - 9 Months Old

2011-06-24T14:58:00.006-06:00

Here are a few pictures of Addilyn at 9 Months Old. Mind you, she is well into her 10th month... but I'm a little behind in updating pictures. :)

Addilyn loves to help Mommy around the house!

She loves to chew on everything.

She loves to clap!

And she's trying all sorts of new foods. This was her sweet reaction to me giving her the really good stuff....ice cream! (A little too cold for her I guess, but she was loving it!)

I caught her mid-babbling... She is loud! She squeals, yells, laughs, and talks a lot!

But boy oh boy does she love to sleep! I'm often the one waking her up. She'd sleep all day if I'd let her :)

Discovery of Daddy's iPhone & Hat

2011-05-11T21:15:00.001-06:00

Rylan has recently become very interested in Kyle's iPhone. They like to watch movies and play games every now and then on it. Here are two different times that I have caught Rylan sitting still (a rare thing) and watching whatever it is on Kyle's iPhone!

Just had to throw this random picture in here.... Love this girl!!

Rylan found one of Kyle's hats! Once he discovered how to wear it and saw himself in the mirror, he walked all over the house wearing it like he was the coolest thing. He even had a little hop in his walk... it was pretty funny!

Addilyn was watching Rylan so intently with this hat. So I couldn't resist letting her join in on the fun!

After putting it on Addilyn's head, he tried to put it on his stuffed dog's head too. Such a smart little boy!

Who knew that hats could be so much fun!! :)

Discovery Gateway Museum

2011-05-08T14:48:00.015-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum in Salt Lake City. We met up with my sister Kimmy since she had the day off from work! I'm soo glad she came because it would have been almost impossible to keep up with Rylan in this place! There was so much to see and do! We had a lot of fun, but I'll let the pictures tell you all about that!

They had a huge ball area with all sorts of chutes and tunnels taking balls up, down and all over!

Rylan watching where the ball went.

Water Play... Rylan's favorite!

Addilyn had to join in the fun... cruising in her first car!! :)

They had a little farm area where Rylan picked his choice of crops to put in his little tractor!

Addilyn wanted to help too!

Driving away...

Addilyn riding her first "horse." She looks like a natural :)

Then we headed over to an area more fit for Addilyn's age. I know I keep saying it... but Addilyn had a lot of "firsts" on this day. This was her first slide she's ever been on... all on her own too. I love her face!

Rylan even got to sit in a helicopter!

We had a ton of fun! And there were a lot more pictures taken of huge blocks to build with, shopping at the grocery store, and much more.... but we had to leave eventually! This is Kimberly and Rylan in the main foyer area before we left.

Easter Weekend!

2011-05-01T14:23:00.018-06:00

Saturday-

This was Rylan's first time dieing Easter eggs. Last year he basically just watched (which is exactly what Addilyn did this year). He loved it and was so excited about everything. Yes... basically every egg was cracked from him literally throwing and dropping them into the colored cups...but they were still edable :)

He loved pulling them out of the colored die. As soon as it would surface he would say "Ohhh...Ball!"

He also enjoyed putting stickers on some of the eggs after they were dry. He was really into it and afterward would point to each sticker and just smile.

Daddy was such a trooper :)

Easter Sunday-

Addilyn - 8 Months Old

Rylan - 20 Months Old

(This kid was not in the picture taking mood! He would not sit or stand still for even a second!)

Mommy & Addilyn in our Easter dresses :)

When Rylan found his basket Easter morning, the first thing he saw were these Cars pajamas from the movie Cars. We bought it on Blu-ray about two weeks ago and he's basically watched it everyday since. It's the only thing that he wanted and it took us a while to get his attention back to the other things in his basket.

Addilyn got a book in her basket...I love this reaction after we gave it to her to hold!

She was really into it! She's recently started pointing at things when we read books to her. Before she would just smack the page and want to "taste" it. I love how she really looks and points at the pictures with her little pointer finger now.

Later that day we went to dinner at my Mom's and celebrated my sister Kimberly's birthday. My other sister Chrissy and her family were there too. It was a great way to spend our Easter afternoon!

(I don't think she liked them on her head very much.)

Utah's Hogle Zoo Trip

2011-04-24T13:59:00.015-06:00

Two Saturdays ago we went to the zoo. It was suppose to be a pretty decent day, but we ended up wearing our coats the entire time. We still had a blast though! All winter long Rylan has been really into animals and animal noises! So we were really excited to take him to the zoo to see them real and up close! :)

Rylan made new friends!

Addilyn chilled in the stroller most of the time.

Family photo with the Rhinoceros.

Mommy & Addilyn in the Reptile Building (Nice and warm...and smelly too :/)

The Giraffe's were pretty friendly! So close!

Mommy & Rylan outside the Great Apes House.

Addilyn- Smiling as always!

We met up half way with my Mom and Chrissy's family. This is Rylan with his cousins Khloe and Kooper. They were so sweet to hold Rylan's hand as we walked around.

Before we left, Grammy paid for all of us to ride the train. It took us around to see more animals. Rylan LoVeS trains! He was pretty quiet throughout the ride, but I knew he was LoViNg it!!

(I have no idea what I'm saying in this picture, but check out how cute that little boy is.)

Addilyn was excited for the ride too!

Even after the ride, Rylan couldn't keep his eyes off the train.

He saw it drive by while we played at the Discovery Land Park.

We saw lots more of course. I'm such a first time Mommy at the zoo. I probably have a picture of Rylan with every animal. :) We had a great time and will definitely be going back when it warms up again!

The Big Tub

2011-04-20T15:29:00.003-06:00

Addilyn has graduated to the "Big Tub" ... and she is LoViNg it!! :)

Play Time!!

2011-04-10T14:33:00.005-06:00

Play, play, play... lots of play time around our house! We've had to learn to be creative with our play with Rylan needing attention and entertainment more and more and Addilyn getting older and sleeping less throughout the day. We basically spend a lot of the day playing since we also don't have a car to go anywhere until Daddy gets home. Aside from toys galore, we read lots of books, do puzzles, draw and color, run and dance to music, go through drawers and cabinets (Rylan loves to discover new gagets still :), kick and throw balls ("ball time"), and much much more. The photos from this past week are mostly the two of them playing. So nothing too exciting to see, but lots of fun to do! This is basically all that we do all day everyday! Can't wait for warmer weather and to start exploring the world outside of our home!!

Addilyn has been sitting up for a while now and she's getting pretty comfortable with making her way to all the toys on the floor. She's basically beginning to discover that there are more then just rattles and rubber ducks. :)

We build lots of towers and walls with the different blocks that we have. This past week Rylan discovered he could put things inside. We built a tunnel for all of his cars to go in and out of (I told him to smile and this is what he did)...

Rylan found a comb in Addilyn's room...he sat down right beside her all on his own and started brushing her hair (no prompts from mom either) I thought it was pretty cute!

Story Time

2011-04-03T14:37:00.006-06:00

Kyle was reading Rylan and Addilyn a quick story before bed. It was cute how into it they both were...

Towards the end of the story Addilyn got bored and decided to entertain herself by grabbing Rylan's hair. (You can imagine that this didn't go over too well.)

Rylan is usually the one crawling all over this huge elephant. I decided to put Addilyn on it for once and she LoVeD it! She started screaming and laughing...

Sweet little girl...

This past week...

2011-03-27T21:33:00.004-06:00

Smiley Addilyn!!

Rylan- dumped the blocks, pushed the bucket all the way to the kitchen, turned it upside down, climbed on top, opened the drawer, grabbed the hot pad... all on his own. :)

The Garbage Truck!

2011-03-18T15:01:00.007-06:00

Okay... I can't believe that I'm actually going to post about this, but Rylan gets soo happy and excited every time I just had to.

So you know how pathetic your life is when watching the garbage truck has become a normal part of your routine every other day. We live in an apartment complex with no vehicle during the days to go anywhere. Kyle takes our only car to work which honestly hasn't been so bad with it being winter and freezing outside (I don't really want to go anywhere). So with no vehicle we've had to become creative with our days. :)

Over the winter it has become a tradition in a way around 10:00am to watch the garbage truck. Right outside Rylan's window is a perfect view of the nearest dumpster to our apartment. In our living room and kitchen we can hear the garbage truck for a little bit stopping at all the other dumpsters before it gets to this one. When Rylan hears the loud noise and banging of the dumpsters he goes running to his room to where he can see it!

He'll wait and wait....
Rylan waiting for the garbage truck.

Until it finally appears!! I love his reaction every time!

This is what he can see from his window. :)

On this particular day Addilyn was actually watching and really into it (she normally just looks around the room or at Rylan).

She was so funny, she giggled every time there was a loud bang noise. I'm just glad she was smiling rather then crying.

I asked Rylan what he was looking at out the window. This is him grinning as he said "tuck" (truck).

I guess it's not that pathetic. Rylan loves to watch the garbage truck and calls out "more, more" every time after it drives away. It's just silly how something so small to us, like the garbage truck picking up trash, is soo exciting in the eyes of a little boy!

2011-03-16T13:45:00.015-06:00

February 22nd we celebrated Kyle's 26th birthday! Of all the days both children could have been sick, they picked Daddy's birthday. However, my mom bravely came over that evening to watch the two of them so we could go out to dinner to celebrate his big day! A few photos:

Sick little Rylan fell asleep on Daddy.

This was Rylan... allll day long. He has never been so sick to where he slept on the couch literally all day only waking up for 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there. It was so sad. He's usually bouncing off the walls and can barely sit long enough to eat all of his lunch.

That evening after the medicine set in, Rylan and Addilyn both woke up enough to watch Daddy make a wish!

Addilyn enjoying Kyle's birthday balloons!

Rylan is now 19 months old. He loves to try to sit in Addilyn's things around the house like her bouncer, Bebe pod seat, her toycastle (an exersaucer), and even on her blanket. He thinks it's so much fun!

Rylan is really into trains right now. He'll make a train out of everything. Here he is lining up his cars to make a "car" train... Everything that drives is "Choo choo" to him.

Addilyn is 7 months old. She has two teeth now on the bottom (hard to see in this photo, but they're there)!

This is Addilyn's signature look! She never took a binky ever since she was a few weeks old. She'd spit them out and her fingers would slip right in. The funny thing is that it's only her two middle fingers...every time! I find it frustrating (because I can never take those cute little fingers away like I could a binky when she gets a little older) but for now, she's pretty darn cute!

She is still constantly full smiles and such a happy baby!

I love her expressions! This photo makes me smile!

Rylan is finally learning to share a little with her. He's learned to ask nicely instead of just yanking every toy she has away from her. He loves to hold, hug, and try tickling her. And he greets her every morning with a very high pitched "Hiiiiii" when he sees her for the first time. It's the sweetest thing!

Reading some books before bed. I couldn't believe I got everyone to smile at the same time.

I taught 5th grade for three years before I quit to stay home with my two adorable kids. Every March 14th our grade would celebrate pi day (3.14). We'd do some activities in math to teach what pi was and depending on the class I taught we would even practice some pi math with measuring circles and so forth. The kids would bring in pie that day and at the end of math we would stuff our faces with yummy slices of a variety of pies.

Well, I couldn't pass up this fun excuse to enjoy some yummy pie so we celebrated pi day this year too for dessert. Rylan LoVeD it!! He kept saying "Mo Peese" (More please) over and over and even after I took him down from the high chair, he came over to me for another bite and then to kyle and so forth. It was a fun little tradition to start even though I'm no longer teaching.

Sweet Addilyn was just staring at me as I ate it and I felt awful. So I couldn't help myself; I had to sneak her a little taste. Oh man... she LoVeD it!! Look at that smile!! :)

My two luv bugs :)

2011-02-16T14:39:00.007-07:00

It's been a pretty quiet month thus far... Kyle and I celebrated Valentine's Day early on Friday thanks to Uncle Greg and Aunt Emily babysitting. On Valentine's Day we spent it with my mom, sister Kimmy, and niece Khloe (her parents are on a cruise). We had a delicious dinner and a special Valentine's Day family home evening. It was fun to be able to spend the day with family and celebrate our love for one another! We do a lot of hanging out here at home so once again.... here are a few random pictures of the past few weeks.

Rylan & Addilyn

Rylan had a huge smile in the picture below, but you can't see it. He thought it was so cool to be able pull his sister around in the wagon.

Rylan is also going through the phase of constantly wanting to hold Addilyn. It's super sweet, but also a tad annoying. He'll decide in a split second that he's done and shove her away and then cry because he wants her back? I don't understand, but I think it's some game he likes to play. So here he is during the sweet part of it :)

Rylan and his boots... he'd walk around in them all day if he could.

Rylan also learned how to get into Addilyn's toy castle.... All on his own might I add!

Addilyn has started to sit up on her own this month with no support! I can't believe that she is old enough to do this already. She sure loves it!

Next week we get to celebrate Kyle's birthday!! More to come....

Our little Addilyn!

2011-02-02T22:25:00.001-07:00

Love this girl!!

The January Scoop

2011-01-19T15:02:00.006-07:00

Nothing new is really going on around here. I just thought I'd post an update though. Enjoy the random pictures! :)

Addilyn is 5 Months old now- Where oh where did my little baby go? :( I love her expressions...

We bought snow boots for Rylan this winter so we could go out and play in the snow and go sledding too...he loves them! I think they may make him feel taller or something? He is constantly bringing me these boots throughout the day and he'll walk all over the house in them. :) Too funny!

We've been working a lot on animal sounds lately and I pulled out Kyle's stuffed elephant that he's had since before we were married. This is Rylan's new best friend! He runs and tackles, hugs, and lays all over it! It may have to become a permanent decoration in the living room :)

Rylan has had so much fun with Addilyn these past few weeks! He is so attentive to her! Whether it's tummy time or she's just sitting there with her toys, Rylan will sit right next to her and start babbling all sorts of things. He tries to tickle her and he'll play with her toys and then hand it to her. It's sweet when she starts to fuss too because he'll go over and pat her on the head (What a sweetheart!) Addilyn's eyes follow him wherever he goes in the room as well. I can't imagine how much fun they will have together when she starts crawling!

Fun with Rylan

2011-01-02T20:58:00.009-07:00

Rylan has this Tickle Monster book that he's had for a while, but lately he's been really into it. The tickle monster paws are for the parent to read during the story...I decided to put them on Rylan one day after reading and he went crazy with them. He ran around the house tickling everything...such a goober!

Rylan also got a bunch of Mega Blocks for Christmas!

He mostly loves to dump them out and then put them back in the bucket, but he's beginning to get into the building part of it all.

I started to build a fence the other day and he added with his tall tower below.

After we built for a little I pointed inside the fenced area and asked him what we should put inside. I suggested for us to get his little farm animals, but as I got up to get them...he stepped inside and decided to have a seat.

He had a pretty big smile as I asked him what he was doing... :)

Random Photos:

Playing in the blinds...

Lounging in Addilyn's bouncer...

We absolutely love, love this little man!

Christmas in Vernal!!

2010-12-30T13:35:00.035-07:00

So before we left on our Christmas vacation to Vernal :) I celebrated my 25th birthday! Kyle made me breakfast and then I got to spend the day with my adorable kids and wonderful husband who picked up some Chick-fil-A for lunch! That evening we went over to Uncle Billy's home for a delicious steak dinner and cake and ice cream!

Rylan sat on my lap as everyone sang Happy Birthday...he was so funny with the biggest smile on his face and clapping the entire time. I think he thought they were singing to him.

The next day we left with my Mom to Vernal, Utah. We stayed with my sister Chrissy and her fun family...

After dinner we all opened up our new pajamas (a Christmas Eve tradition for all of us). Here's "Grammy" with all of the grandchildren in the house.

Rylan, Addilyn, and I sporting our new pajamas. If you're wondering why my smile is a little scary, this was the third take and holding both children at the same time isn't light. :)

After opening up our pajamas, my Mom put together a few games to play from the "Minute to Win It" TV show. We all had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs. I even took part in one of the games.

One game for example is to tie a tissue box filled with small ornaments around your waist and jump up and down, wiggle, or whatever as fast as you can to get the ornaments to fall out. Who ever gets the most out in one minute wins! After everyone had a turn, Rylan wanted to try. He was super cute moving his feet around really fast and he even tried to jump some too. He didn't get any ornaments to fall out, but I was super proud of him for doing exactly what he saw everyone else do.

Trying to Jump

Another game they played was to be the first person to blow their ornament into the designated square and to keep it there.

Addilyn enjoyed the show to a bottle...Here she is with Daddy on the couch...

Rylan loved playing on the stairs...favorite seat in the house.

After playing a few more games, all the kids got ready for Santa to visit. They put some yummy cookies on a pan to cook and somehow Rylan grabbed one off before it got into the oven... sneaky little guy (he takes after his Mommy).

After they were cooked, they put some cookies on a plate and made some strawberry milk for Santa. They even decided to put out some carrots for Santa's reindeer. I don't think Rylan gets who we're putting the snacks out for because here he is eating again...

Lucky Addilyn was the last kid in bed :) She was so cute and cuddly in her new pj's!

Chrissy's super cute Christmas tree they cut down themselves!

In the morning Rylan woke up to all the kids excited from there gifts left by Santa. When he came downstairs, he new exactly what was his and walked straight over to his new Little People Wheelies Toy..

Rylan was a pro at opening presents this year! He knew there was something inside so it was self motivating (whether he cared for what was inside or not).

I love the following picture...I'm not sure who was more excited Rylan or Daddy?

Rylan pushed this shopping cart everywhere and still does even now that we're home. It's cute to see what he finds to fill the basket with. Thank you Nana & Papa Nielsen!

Addilyn got a Toy Castle. She absolutely loves this! Her legs automatically go straight to standing every time I put her in it and she just smiles and smiles! I guess it's nice for her to see the world in a different view.

I also have to add that Rylan loves it as well. He'll walk around her pushing the buttons and all. It's a good thing too. Addilyn is entertained by it since she can't quite reach nor understand how to get the different things to make noises yet.

Later Christmas day we went sledding. We bundled Rylan up pretty good. The snow had basically turned to ice though. Rylan wasn't the biggest fan of the loud crushing rumbling noise as I pulled him on the sled (Not to mention it was nap time too). It was a good start though. You can see that he's not too sure by the look on his face.

Kyle enjoyed playing the piano at Chrissy's house. He even learned how to play a new song.

We had a wonderful time in Vernal for Christmas! Chrissy's family made it feel like we were right at home. Sadly, we didn't get any pictures with them... but we also got to visit with my brother Timmy and his fun family! My Mom was great company to have as well! She always makes things so fun! I feel so very blessed to have been able to spend this holiday season with so much family!

Now it's time to reflect on this past year and all that has happened as well as celebrate the start of a new year! I love this time of year to start fresh, organize, and set new goals! We're excited to see what this year has in store for us! Bring it on! :) I love my husband for working so hard everyday so that I'm able spend all day with my two energetic and adorable kids. Life is good!

Rylan!

2010-12-26T21:35:00.007-07:00

A few days ago I came across a couple of photos of Rylan when he was about 15 months old (so about 2 months ago). I never posted any of them so I thought... it's never too late, right? I love this little man! He's growing up too fast!!

Sweet and innocent?!

Trying to fit into Addilyn's seat.

Playing "So Big!"

The best seat in the house.

Say "Cheese" :)

November & December Updates!

2010-12-20T14:05:00.024-07:00

Here we are five days away until Christmas and I thought I'd better hurry and post about our Thanksgiving! We spent it near Big Cottonwood Canyon where our Uncle Billy lives. My brother and sister along with all of their cute kiddos from Vernal came out. We even got to have a few cousins over too that are out here for school. My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is getting to spend literally all day with family (cooking, eating, lounging, playing games, etc.) We had a great time!

Rylan getting festive with the holiday!

Uncle Billy cooked the turkey on the grill which was delicious!! Look at that beauty!

Daddy and Addilyn waiting for dinner!

This year Thanksgiving was in town and we didn't really have to travel for it. Because of this, I got to help out a lot with making all the side dishes and desserts. I told my Mom I'd make a cute dessert for the kids to enjoy so when I found these cute "turkey cookies" I thought perfect! Oreos with a mini Resees cup and some candy corn sticking out...how difficult could it be? Yeah.... whatever! This was totally not my thing apparently. I had the hardest time making them. Luckily my knight and shining husband came to the rescue and offered to help. He did such an amazing job, I completely turned the entire project over to him. I of course helped by unwrapping the candy and handing him the pieces. :) Here's an example of the difference in talent.

My turkey is on the left! As you can see Kyle's turkey (on the right hand side of the picture) was basically perfect so he made every single one of them! He did an awesome job! I never knew he had such a talent for decorating with food! :)

Khloe enjoying a yummy "Turkey Cookie" for dessert!

Now on to December! At the beginning of the month we went to an activity at my Mom's work. It was her Dickens' of a Christmas celebration! This is her below decked out in her old fashioned Christmas carol outfit. Super cute! She's the Recreation Director (I think that's what it's called) at an assisted living home here in the Salt Lake Valley. Meaning she basically plans all of the activities for the facility. She does an awesome job! She's super creative and seriously thinks of every detail! Love the outfit!

They had live music, tons of yummy food, a magician, carriage rides, and Santa Clause! Rylan was fascinated by this man playing the trombone. He literally just stood there without moving for the entire song!

This is the first year that Rylan met Santa Clause. Our first take was at our ward Christmas party. He didn't take it too well. He cried and tried to get down.....

He was okay with standing near Santa, but didn't want anything to do with sitting on his lap. Lucky Rylan though got to meet Santa for a second time at the Dickens' of a Christmas party at my Mom's work. When he saw Santa he starred for a bit and then walked over. Sweet Santa Clause shook Rylan's hand and then picked him up! I thought that was going to be the end of it for sure, but he didn't cry! He just sat there and starred at him....

Rylan has seen Santa a few other times as well and whenever he see's him now he points and smiles. I think it's sweet how Addilyn is just chillin' in Santa's lap in both pictures. I'm sure next year her reaction will be much different! :)

This past weekend I went to Vernal to watch my sister Christy's kids while she and her husband took off to Colorado. I got to play "Mommy" to a total of six children (my two children included). Growing up I always said that I wanted six children some day so it was fun to see if I could really handle it. Christy's kids were super good so they made it easy on me! Rylan loved all of his cousins to play with (Finally someone other than just Mommy!) and he also enjoyed all the new toys!

This is Rylan on the piano (Sorry Chrissy, I hope this was okay...I couldn't pull him away from it). He played it with such thought. Rather than banging the keys like you would think a child of his age would, he gently pressed the keys like he was really playing a song. Check out the concentration on his face!

Cousin Kooper loved pushing Rylan around in this miniature doll stroller. Rylan loved it too. He almost fell asleep a few times!

The weather was really nice so we got to play outside a bunch. There was so much room to run and play compared to our apartment! Rylan loved it!

Cousin Kaylee holding Addilyn!

Addilyn is four months old now! She smiles a ton and loves the sound of her voice! She'll just sit there and babble to herself making all sorts of noises.

She has the cutest expressions as well!

This was taken in the middle of one of her "stories" she was telling me. (If you can imagine her babbling and yelling with her mouth wide open.)

She can hold her head up really well while on her belly and she sits up with support now too! I can't believe how quickly she is growing! She's getting really strong in her legs. Here she is standing up...with support of course.

Rylan's still super curious about everything around him! He's progressed from emptying out drawers and cupboards to now emptying out closets....I found him in the front closet after coming back from laying Addilyn down. The pile on the floor are things that were neatly hung or put away in the closet.

He emptied out the entire cabinet of pots and pans at Uncle Jeff's house. It's amazing how things like this will entertain him longer then his own toys :)

Most recent....Chrissy drove us back to the city after our visit to Vernal and stayed a few days! We played, shopped, and had a lot of fun! We went to the Fun Center here in West Jordan where they had a huge jungle gym play area, bouncers galore, a skating ring, and much more! Rylan was unstoppable. He was all over the place and had the best time! I'll post those pictures later, but for a sneak peak....

Check out the look on his face! He loved crawling and climbing all over!

We are off to Vernal, Utah this year with my Mom to visit my brother and sister for Christmas! We are super excited to spend it with lots of family again! So for now... Merry Christmas!!

Everyday Life!

2010-11-18T14:27:00.009-07:00

Sweet Addilyn...

Loves to smile! She's 3 months old now!

Rylan...

Sweet....but such a goober...

And still into everything! (This was his doing below. He likes to clear all the shoes off and sit on the shelf.)

Gotta Love 'Em!!

Family Photos

2010-11-16T21:01:00.008-07:00

We took some family photos out in Vernal, Utah when my grandparents came into town back in October. Lots of fun....enjoy!

Grandma & Grandpa LeNeave from Virginia.

The entire group...

Halloween Weekend

2010-11-01T21:12:00.015-06:00

This year for Halloween we celebrated by first stopping by my Mom's work for their Halloween party on Friday. We enjoyed some fun music and treats. Later that afternoon we went to Kyle's work to trick or treat and then to our ward trunk or treat on Saturday. I'm not sure if Rylan noticed he was dressed up in a costume. I tried to show him in the mirror that he was a monkey. He just smiled and walked off though. So he may not have known why he was getting all of the attention and smiles, but he sure loved it! Here are a few photos of our Halloween weekend.

Rylan was a monkey!

Grabbing some candy!

Not the best picture to see her full costume, but Addilyn was a pumpkin!

Kyle dressed up as a Pimpdaddy (bling, bling)! :)

Rylan looking in his candy bag after trunk or treating.

Family Picture of Halloween 2010

Addilyn is starting to sit up (with support of course). She's holding her head up all on her own though. What a sweet smile!

I told Rylan to smile and this is what he gave me. Such a goober!

October Fun!

2010-10-25T13:18:00.024-06:00

We thought in celebration of fall and the month of October, we would head down to Thanksgiving Point to Cornbelly's. This place would be so awesome if Rylan was just a little older, but I think he definitely had some fun. They had bouncers, multiple playgrounds, kid haunted houses (inflated ones), a big corn maze and a little kiddie one, hay rides, pumpkin toss, pig races, and so much more!

Rylan inside this miniature tunnel made out of hay barrels (a little unsure).

Sitting inside a corn pit- like a huge sand box but instead of sand, filled with corn! Way cool!

Addilyn of course slept through the entire thing. Maybe next year! :)

We do have a ton of pictures of all that we did, but this will be a long post already so I kept it short. It was a lot of fun and I think a lot for Rylan to take in. He was asleep before we even got to the interstate (a 3 minute drive).

The following week we went to a pumpkin patch and picked out our pumpkins to take home and carve.

Rylan loved the baby pumpkins!

We couldn't leave without one...

And once again Addilyn slept through the entire thing! :)

Rylan did pretty well as we carved the pumpkins. He loved cleaning it out, but he also enjoyed putting all the seeds and goo back into the pumpkin as well.

By the time we had finished carving he was covered in pumpkin goo and seeds, but he was happy :) He was seriously entertained with this stuff for about 40 minutes (which is awesome for this kid).

Other new things this month: Kyle started school! He's got a pretty busy schedule, but he's enjoying it so far.

Addilyn, she's still eating.... and sleeping... and full of smiles when she's awake. Here's a picture of Kyle (Daddy) feeding her.

Rylan is so much fun. It's amazing to me how much energy he has. This boy just doesn't stop! His new favorite these past few days have been bubbles. I've shown them to him before, but he just sat and watched them fall. Now he actually tries to touch them. He laughs and laughs. It's pretty cute. He also loves to be chased. This was a picture of me taking pictures of him as I was chasing him around the table trying to catch him. He's such a sweetheart!

He loves to "wrestle" with Daddy on the floor too. He giggles the entire time and is so happy!

My grandparents from Virginia came to visit for the past two weeks. It was wonderful and special to be able to spend so much time with them! They got to meet Rylan and Addilyn for the first time!

Addilyn and Great Grandma!

Four Generation Picture

My brother Eric got married this past weekend in the Salt Lake Temple. It was great to see him again and meet his Ashley.

The happy newlyweds!

Most recent (today)... This is Rylan checking out snow for the first time. He had a huge smile on his face and touched it a few times. That was about it though. :) I think I was more excited then he was!

We also went to Gardner Village this past month and took a bunch of fun family photos around there. Our friend who took them still has them, so I'll probably be posting those in November. This month has been super busy with family in town and all the fun festivities. It's not even over yet. Halloween is this weekend! So definitely more cute pictures to come! :)

Picture Updates

2010-10-11T14:59:00.020-06:00

WARNING: Lot's of Pictures!! :) I decided to let the pictures explain what we've been up to these past few weeks!

Addilyn's baby blessing was on September 19th....

It meant so much to have all of our family and friends there!

That same weekend we went to a Luau at my Mom's work.

We'll start with Rylan's update first. He is at such a fun age! I love that I get to spend 24/7 with this little guy!

He found his way into a box full of packaging peanuts. When I asked him what he was doing...this was his reaction!

I had just taken dinner out of the oven and I put the oven mit back into the drawer. A few minutes later, this is what I find...

I don't even know how he got the mit out of the drawer in the first place, but he put it on his arm and walked over to the oven touching it with the mit. Smart little boy copying Mommy!

I know he looks sad in this picture, but it's right before nap time so I think its more of a tired look. Here's Rylan chillin' on the bed showing off his double chin! :)

He loves to walk around the house with Daddy's work badge around his neck...

Rylan loves Lemons! He puckers at the first bite a little, but then he just goes to town on them!

This is a picture after church one Sunday. Weird to think he'll be big enough someday to fill a suit coat that big.

Handsome just like his Daddy!

Addilyn is almost 2 months old now. She has been so fun these past two weeks! She still loves to sleep, but now she's awake for longer periods of time. I have a feeling she's going to be a chatter box as she grows up. She coos and aahs, and makes all sorts of sounds! She's such a sweetheart and smiles all the time too!

Chillin' in her bouncer...

She sure loves to sleep. Even after unwrapping her she still tries to curl up and stay asleep.

Here's a shot of Addilyn's cute little smile!

This isn't the best of Addilyn (not sure what kind of face that is), but I had to get a picture of the two together. Rylan was so excited to be so close to her. Here is Rylan at 14 months and Addilyn at 2 months...exactly a year and a week apart. Crazy at times, but so much fun! :0

Life is good...we stay pretty busy throughout the day! I'm trying to soak it all up...it feels like they're already growing up so fast!

Addilyn - One Month Old!

2010-09-14T11:12:00.001-06:00

Addilyn is now one month old. She still sleeps a lot, but is starting to stay awake more often and long enough to interact with. She's beginning to make those adorable coo and aah sounds while she's looking around the room.

We're slowly getting back to a somewhat normal routine after having a newborn and adding another little one to the family. Sunday will be Addilyn's baby blessing...so more to come soon!

A majority of the pictures I have of her, she's sleeping in... but here's an updated photo of her at one month old!

Addilyn Caroline Nielsen

2010-08-22T16:02:00.017-06:00

Addilyn was born August 13th. It's been a little over a week in a half now. The days are just flying by. I thought it was a little ironic that in my last post about Rylan's birthday, I ended it with saying I was still pregnant and that I was so ready for her to come.... I posted that at 8:51pm and then started having contractions early the next morning. She was born at 1:26pm that day. She was 7lbs 6 oz and 19 inches long. Rylan was the exact same length, but 7lbs 3oz...Weird how close they were!

After checking into the hospital, she was born about 2 hours later. It was a very fast delivery and a completely different experience then with Rylan's birth. I'm feeling great and it's only been a little over a week. Addilyn is doing very well too. She is such a good baby. She sleeps all the time which makes it easier to still tend to Rylan. Knock on wood- hopefully she'll continue to be a little angel! Here are a few pictures from the hospital and the first week being home.

First family picture with both kiddos!

This is what she looks like 90% of the day. Eyes closed... sound asleep!

Look at those eyes!

I will admit, I was nervous on how Rylan would interact with her. He has been doing surprisingly well though. He gets so excited when he firsts sees her and starts babbling in this high pitched tone. It's pretty cute... we are still working on how to be "soft" with her. He gets a little too excited sometimes and slaps or grabs at her. He loves to take off her socks (you can kind of see it in this picture).....

He also likes to help push Addilyn in the swing... if he only knew the purpose of what this kind of swing does (pushes on it's own), but Rylan gets a kick out of pushing her.

My mom helping Rylan give her baby sister a hug... I love her face, it's so squished. What a big, sweet hug Rylan!

We've been hanging out at home for the most part. I haven't attempted to go anywhere by myself with the two of them yet. Maybe next week sometime. :) For now I stay busy enough between the two of them! I'm having a lot of fun though. It's surprisingly not what I expected it to be like. Life is good!

Rylan Turned One!

2010-08-12T20:51:00.017-06:00

We celebrated Rylan’s first birthday last Friday, August 6th. It's crazy to think that it was only a year ago when we were in the hospital welcoming him into our family. Life has never been the same since, but we sure wouldn’t change that for the world! Here's a picture of Rylan the day he was born...

We were so lucky to have family in town to help us celebrate! My brother Timmy and sister Chrissy came with all of their kiddos from Vernal. My mom and other sister Kimmy were already here in Salt Lake.

Rylan probably didn’t notice anything different about his special day, but he sure enjoyed all of the balloons.

We took Rylan to the mall to ride on some silly fun quarter rides, then we went to the kiddy park with the soft equipment he could actually crawl all over. After a short nap, we met up with all of the family at the park for a picnic. Rylan still hasn’t had much interaction with grass, so he’s still getting used to it. I love this picture! It was taken at the perfect moment, check out that face!

My sister Kimmy used her awesome artistic talents to make Rylan's birthday cake. We decided to go with the Curious George theme. Rylan was very interested in what she was doing as she began to decorate.

She did a great job! It looks like we found our own personal cake decorator for years to come! :) The final product...

Rylan blowing out the candle.

Rylan was a little shy with his cake at first when it came to eating it, but after some help he learned how delicious the cake and icing were!

We opened some presents afterward… there were a lot of adorable pictures of how excited he was to see so many new toys, but I thought this picture would sum up his facial reactions of the entire process.

The next day we went to an awesome indoor/outdoor water park at the Rec center. We have lots of pictures, but with me basically 9 months pregnant and in a swimsuit in almost every shot... so sorry… no pictures will be posted of that event. :)

We had a great time celebrating Rylan’s first birthday. He definitely has his own little personality. He’s an active, busy little boy that has brought so much joy into our lives and soo many funny and happy memories. We look forward to another year as he continues to explore and learn about the world around him. He’s at such a fun age!

Before I check out, I wanted to let those who are still wondering, yes…. I am still pregnant. This little one is on her own agenda. We are very anxious for her to arrive! Here's one last prego picture....I am so ready for her to come!

29 Weeks Pregnant

39 Weeks Pregnant

Do you see that silly little boy at the bottom, smiling as I'm getting my picture taken! :) What a cutie!

Fun in July!

2010-08-05T14:56:00.015-06:00

I figured I'd post about a few things we've been up to these past few weeks before it really gets chaotic around here. My due date is August 17th, but my doctor says that I won't make it that far. He said I'm dilated almost to a 3 and now 75 percent effaced (sorry, a little too much information I know). It's just crazy to me because after having contractions for what seemed like all day before we had Rylan, when I checked into the hospital I was at a 3. So, she obviously has her own agenda.

Two weekends ago was Pioneer Weekend and before the excitement on the 24th happened, my mom took us to the Days of '47 Parade Float Show where you could help judge. It was pretty exciting to be able to see all of the floats up close.

Rylan reaching to touch with his little pointer finger :)

They had a marching band come through, Rylan seemed like he wasn't sure what to think of it. This is Rylan with Aunt Kimmy (my sister). She moved here from Virginia and is staying with us for a little while.

Then that weekend, we went to the actual Pioneer Parade in Salt Lake City. My mom and sisters camped out the night before to get a good spot. Although it sounded like they had a lot of fun, I don't think Rylan would have done too well. Not to mention me being almost 9 months pregnant! We got there a little before the parade started. All of Rylan's cousins (Chrissy & Kevin's kids) were so sweet to share their parade toys with Rylan.

Rylan waiting for the parade to start!

I'm grateful they stayed the night to get the spot. I was able to reap the rewards without having to pay the price. :) They got a great view right on the street. It was really cool to be so close and in the action.

Rylan liked the parade for the most part. The only part he didn't seem to like were the Police driving by on their loud motorcycles with there sirens going off. I guess that part was a little too loud for him. He loved all of the bands though! Everytime a band would come by, he'd clap his hands and shake his little head (that's how he dances).

Grammy & Rylan clapping to the music.

The parade was a lot longer then I had expected. All in all, Rylan's first parade was a hit. He enjoyed it and was definitely exhausted. He was out when he got in the car.

Later that night we went to see some fireworks. Rylan did really well considering how the 4th of July went. Pioneer Day was a lot of fun. It was great to have family in town to celebrate it with.

The following weekend was Kyle's brother's wedding. We've got to hang out quite a bit with Greg & Emily during their courtship and engagment, so this was an exciting weekend to be a part of. Here are a few pictures from the wedding.

Kyle's family with the happy couple.

Family picture at the Salt Lake City Temple.

Rylan looking like a total stud!

That night they had a reception at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Rylan got to spend the evening with Grammy and his cousins (Timmy & Brittany's kids). He had a lot of fun at the "Fun Center" where they skated and got to ride a few rides.

Riding with cousins Brooky & Allie.

He dumped the cup over and icy cold water went all over his feet. I thought this was a cute picture. Rylan has lots of silly faces. He shows his emotions and what he's thinking on his face well.

Before Kyle's parents left, we were able to visit with them one more time. We sure did enjoy spending time with the family. They're from Colorado so we don't get to see them too often. Rylan will be celebrating his first birthday tomorrow! They gave him an early birthday present. He loved the gifts! This was just another cute picture of his facial reactions I was saying he was so good at.

Well, depending on when our new little addition to the family wants to come, I may be posting more pictures from Rylan's birthday. We have lots of family that will be in town for the weekend to help us celebrate. So we are very excited!

Anniversary and June Update!

2010-07-13T09:23:00.028-06:00

Today is our third year anniversary! We were married on July 13, 2007 in the Washington D.C. Temple. As I was looking through our wedding photos to post a few, so many memories of that day came flooding back to me. It was a very special day and so much fun!

As we look at where we’ve been and where we are today, we realize we are truly blessed. I am so lucky to have Kyle as my eternal companion. Poor guy is stuck with me for good. :) I’m grateful for the time we have had together and the many years to come as well. My sister Chrissy took Rylan this past weekend so we could celebrate. It had been a while since it was just Kyle and I. We take Rylan everywhere we go because we don’t want to spend the extra money on a babysitter. Needless to say, we had a great time…thanks Chrissy!

The last time I posted was the beginning of June; I don’t know where that month went. We’ve been super busy with lots of family in town plus all of the summer events. Here are a few things we’ve been up to:

Rylan went swimming for the first time. He was pretty quiet at first, having a somewhat scared look on his face. It didn't last too long though, he got comfortable and began to splash, splash, splash! It was getting all over him, in his eyes and mouth. He didn’t even seem to care. No crying at all. He just splashed more and more.

Mid-Splash...

Kyle’s Mom and sister Kristin came into town from Colorado for the Nielsen family reunion. We had a lot of fun hanging out with them for the weekend they were here.

This is Carson, Kristin and Seth’s little girl. She was only a few weeks old at the time. She is adorably gorgeous and I loved holding her. It got me super baby hungry for our little girl! We are very anxious for her arrival…I am at least. :)

Rylan and Nana

My Mom moved out to Utah from Virginia about 2-3 weeks ago. It’s been great having her here and getting to spend so much time with her! Here are a few things we’ve been up to.

My Mom got tickets to the Stadium of Fire where we got to see Carrie Underwood perform. It was a lot of fun! The show was great and the fireworks seemed to never end. Kyle and I bought a few fireworks to do on our own with Rylan. It was still daylight because of his bedtime, but I think he got the idea. Any fireworks that made a 'pop' or crackling sound seemed to frighten him. However, he did okay watching the ones that lit up with minimal sounds. Here are a few pictures of our 4^th of July.

Rylan with his first firework...

No more fireworks please...

Chrissy and her kids came to visit from Vernal. We went to Big Cottonwood Canyon and had a BBQ.

Rylan trying to cook his first S'more.

Not the best picture of me, but needless to say Rylan loved the river! He took his eyes off of it for literally 3 seconds enough for us to get this facial reaction from him.

Rylan, Grammy, and a few of his cousins!

We also went to the Gateway mall when Chrissy was here. They have the Olympic fountain which is a water show set to music. Kids can run through and play in the water while it goes.

I wasn’t brave enough to go out there, I didn’t want to get wet. So my mom took Rylan for a ride.

Not so sure about the water spouts.

And here are some random pictures of Rylan from this past month.

He still loves to empty whatever cabinet or drawer he can get into! The mess on the floor is his doing...

Rylan loves to help brush teeth! No matter what he’s doing, he’ll drop everything when he sees one of us with a tooth brush. He’ll just hold on to the handle the entire time as happy as could be. We did end up buying him one of his own, even though he still only has two teeth. Hopefully this is the beginning of a good healthy habit for him. He loved brushing teeth before he was even one. :)

Rylan is a very happy and active child! I will admit that I’m constantly exhausted with being 8 months pregnant and trying to keep up with this little guy. He loves to be chased (crawling) and loves to play an easy game of hide and seek. He’ll watch us go down the hall and he’ll laugh as he crawls to come find us. Then he runs away screaming and laughing as we pop out and chase after him. He also loves to wave “Hi” and “Bye.” Although he's not walking on his own yet, he did take two steps without holding on to anyone last week. But that’s the most that we’ve seen from him. He’ll be turning one year old in about 3 more weeks!

2010-06-07T21:09:00.002-06:00

So I am on my official long-term summer break. Friday was our last day of school. I told my class that I would post all of the pictures I had taken that last week of school by Saturday. Sorry, I'm a little behind. It was definitely the best 5th grade school year yet! I will definitely miss this chapter of my life, but I'm glad I have so many wonderful, fun memories to cherish!

Almost Summer....

2010-05-31T15:17:00.012-06:00

Well here we are....tomorrow will be the first of June. This is my official last week of school. I won't be returning next year with two kiddos basically under the age of one. :) If I have our little girl right on time, that will make them 1 year and 1 week apart. It's been a rough year juggling everything and I just don't see how it suppose to happen with two. I'm grateful to be able to have the chance to stay home with my children. It's figuring out how to continue to survive while Kyle starts school and works part time as well. I know that the Lord will provide a way. I'm just curious as to how. :) Here are a few pictures to sum up these past two months. We've been keeping very busy with school, work, and church callings....but we've managed to have a little fun in between on the weekends.

Sweet Rylan at my friends Wedding Reception.

He has been on the move (crawling) since the end of April now...

Rylan has learned to open up cupboards and drawers. He thinks it's the best game ever to empty out everyone he can open.

Or even emptying the book shelf...

He loves to climb in, on, under and over everything he possibly can and often finds himself stuck...

Chrissy's family came in to visit from Vernal a few weeks ago. They invited us to go to the zoo with them. Rylan only seemed to be interested when he was up close and personal.

They invited us to a BBQ afterward...Being such a beautiful day, I thought Rylan would love crawling all around the yard. We discovered he didn't like the feeling of grass very much. We're slowly introducing him.

And lastly, for those who've been asking to see my prego belly...me at 29 weeks!

What's new with Rylan?

2010-04-04T13:33:00.017-06:00

Sweet little Rylan!! Like I mentioned in my last post, I've been on Spring Break. I can't believe there's only one day left. It didn't feel like very much when a weekend fell right in the middle of it all. I did say I'd post some updated pictures during Spring break sometime, so here they are!

Rylan has been so much fun, especially this last month. He is so full of smiles and laughs and just into everything around him. He's not crawling yet, but He bounces when he's sitting up and slowly moves toward an object he wants. When on his belly, the only direction he moves is backwards; He gets pretty frustrated when he's reaching for something in front of him, and as he moves trying to grab it he just gets further and further away from it. It's kinda cute though. :) He loves playing peek-a-boo and is really good at pulling himself up on things. Here's a picture of him standing and playing at the table. He looks mad, but he was in the middle of talking or should I say 'babbling' in this picture.

His first two teeth came in a few weeks ago. They're hard to see, but they make his smile just that much cuter....(capturing it on camera is another issue, even with all his smiles!)

We've been taking lots of video of him as well, but my computer is nearly dead and downloading anything more to it will probably finish it off, especially with the amount of video I have to look at. So I'm waiting for our new computer to come in before I show some of Rylan in action.

This past weekend we of course had the opportunity to enjoy conference in the comfort of our own home. It was a little different having to entertain Rylan throughout, but we made it through. He was really into it all. I'm not sure if it was the colors on the tv, or the voices, but we got a little picture of Rylan watching his first General Conference...

Easter morning was fun with Rylan being a little older. If only the Easter bunny knew he just needed to give Rylan a basket of grass to be happy, he could have saved some money :) Here's a picture of him when we first sat him down in front of his basket...

He made a mess pulling all the grass out, but he was happy! He also got a big yellow ducky which he just loved!

Rylan's first Easter!

Here's a few other cute, random pictures:

Like father, like son: