{Summer Night Walks}

 After dinner we decided to head on down to the the lake trail and have a family walk/bike ride. It was so pretty to see the lake at sunset. It was a hot sweaty, buggy, sticky, fun time.

 It really is beautiful here in Guntersville. 

This is 5 mins from our house.

 "mama take my picture!"

Country Living.

{Sister Missionaries:: LOVE them}

Lets just start off by saying I look super gross after unpacking all day and spilling ice cream down the front of me. 

But really what this is about is how much love I have for sister missionaries. Both in Atlanta and Alabama I have been blessed to have so many wonderful sisters come into my families lives. I am grateful for a mom who taught me to always feed the missionaries and become friends with them. This was one of my favorite memories of us in New Orleans growing up. And the fact that we are still to this day VERY close with Matt Frandsen and his family {he served in NOLA and has known me since I was about Ryker's age}. These sweet sisters helped me pack up my house in Madison and unpack my house in Guntersville. Sweet Sister Millard and McDougal helped me a TON in Madison and then they happened to be in Guntersville 3 days after our moved and got to help me unpack. All of these sweet sisters will always have a special place in my heart. Feeding them dinner is like some good {and much needed} girl time for me. I hope I make friends here soon but until then the missionaries will be my friends!

{Happy Birthday Ryker :: 4 Years Old}

Dear Ryker,

Sorry this is so late for posting on the blog. Sadly 2 years in a row your birthday has fallen right in the middle of us moving. I hope that this will not happen again and if it does I hope it is not for many years {here is to hoping we will stay put for at least a few years}. You have really been looking forward to turning four. You would always tell me and daddy "Oh I can do that when I am 4" it was pretty cute. You are a sweet, kind, loving, helping big brother. I have loved watching you and Grayson the past few months become best buddies and you have been very sweet to him helping him with things and trying to teach him how to do new things and say new words. You are always pointing out new words that Grayson is saying and it makes you very excited. 

You have just recently {like since the move} enjoyed practicing your letters and wanting to learn the letters in your name {this is REALLY BIG for me}. You have also found a new love for drawing and coloring. You are very creative and we love to draw monsters together and color in coloring books when Grayson is taking naps. You got a bike with training wheels for your birthday and you are already VERY good on it and love racing up and down our drive way on it. 

You have become a MUCH better eater and this makes mama VERY happy! You love to eat things that are healthy and will make you grow big and strong like daddy. Often times that is how I get you to try new things and when I tell this to you your response is often "oh, I didn't know it was healthy" haha this always makes me laugh. 

You have become quite the animal lover. You love to go out back and pet the horses in our backyard, chase Adam and Lauren's chickens and puppies. I can't wait until we can get a puppy of our own for you and Grayson to play with. I love seeing how much joy being around animals brings you. 

We are so blessed to have you be in our family. We love you so much. I have a feeling you are going to learn many new and wonderful things this year to come. 

Loves,

Mama

 Despite the pure craziness of moving into a new home 3 days earlier and being 36 weeks pregnant we started this sweet boys birthday right. Present opening as a family.

 Then we headed off to have breakfast at the park with daddy before work. When I asked Ryker what he wanted for breakfast he said powder donuts {you know the gross processed ones at the grocery store} I asked him if he wanted to get donuts at the bakery and he said nope just powdered ones. OK easy enough.

 We played, ate and played some more. After daddy had to leave for work Ryker said OK lets go home I want to play with my new toys. He was VERY excited that he got Hot Wheels tracks and Lego's {duplo's really but they are the same to him}. He has played hours with both it is really fun to to his creativity when he is building.

We had a sugar filled day per the birthday boys request. We ended the night with pancakes with buttermilk syrup, berries, and cream followed up with ice cream cones for dessert. We were all in a sugar coma that night.

"mama take a picture of me with my best buddy!"

Today Ryker actually informed me that I was "training to be one of his best buddies" 

Love this kid.

I am glad that we were able to get a lot unpacked in the house and have a fun day celebrating our sweet Tiny man!

Happy Birthday Ryker Gabriel!!!! 

{Kids Carnival:: Good Bye Friends}

I was lucky enough to have found Jessie Koerner and her sweet family in our short stay in Madison. We quickly became VERY good friends and so did our kids. It was perfect our kids are all very close in age and played perfectly together. Win Win in our book. We had a fun 6 months of playing at least once a week and more on good weeks. Jessie and I were happy/sad when we both found out that we were going to be moving with in a few weeks of each other. Sad because we would be moving far from one another but happy that at least we were both leaving so we couldn't be too sad about the move because the other one wouldn't be living there anyway.

 

Here is to good luck in Allen Texas {Dallas}and we are SUPER happy that you at least decided to move close to our family so we will still get to see ya'll when we make our Lewisville {Dallas} trips to see my brothers family.

 

 

We did one last night of fun with our families at the kids carnival. Our kids really did love it even though they were nap deprived and VERY tired.

 

 

Ryker was a brave guy and went on the "tiny" Ferris wheel all by himself.

 

 

Our boys were introduced to one of my favorite treats... cotton candy!!

Grayson at first was like "what is this stuff"

 

 

and then fell in LOVE with it and kept begging for more all night. Brady calls it a kids energy drink.

 

 

Sadly I think this is the only photo I have of me and Jessie together. At least we got one! I love you Doll and have been so blessed to have you in my life. Missing you like crazy already.

 

 

The Crazies!

 

 

I think it is safe to say Ryker and Carson are two peas in a pod. They are wild little boys together and Ryker misses Carson like crazy already and its only been 2 weeks. He keeps asking if ya'll are going to move back from Texas.

 



{Boots}

 

This little boy cracks me up with his LOVE of boots! He doesn't mind if they are his or Ryker's he will tromp around anywhere and everywhere in them... even to bed. Tonight he insisted that he wear Ryker's boots to bed and was so tired that they actually stayed on him all night. Silly baby. 

{Swimming at the YMCA :: Good Bye Friends}

We have LOVED spending hours upon hours here at the new YMCA pool this summer. Both Ryker and Grayson have turned into little fish. This was our last swim day {tear} with Jessie, Carson, Avery, and baby Brady. We sure miss them already and they have only been gone a week. I love when you meet a friend who's kids are the same age as yours and the kids play AMAZING together and you have the best friendship with their mama! It is heaven and I sure hope/pray I make another good friend when we move in 2 weeks. Oh by the way I don't think I have told ya'll we are buying our first home and moving to Guntersville Alabama in 2 weeks. {more to come on this...}

 



 

Grayson and Miss Avery are thick as thieves snack buddies.

 

 

Grayson LOVES baby Brady.... a LOT.... this new baby is going to get tough really fast I have a feeling. Any time anyone says "Brady" weather referring to daddy Brady or baby Brady Grayson's response is bebe bebe bebe!!



Jessie and I decided that it worked out nice that we are both moving this summer so it made leaving a tiny bit easier. The one nice thing about where they moved is its only about 30 mins away from Peter and Shellie so we can visit them went we go to see family. Win Win! 

{Happy 4th of July :: Madison AL}

Happy Birthday America!

We were a bit disappointed with the lack of festivities going on here in the Tennessee Valley. No parades... NOT one! I was shocked but I suppose it was OK since Brady had to work a half day anyway. We did get to have some fun family time at a BBQ with friends. We ate yummy food, relaxed in the nicest southern July weather I have ever felt, let the kids run wild, and had fun with fireworks. This was the first year we have actually set them off in the dark. Our boys LOVED it all!

 

 

Doesn't Grayson look awesome in his new shades?! This little fashionista  is obsessed with sunglasses right now.

 

Ryker's first experience with a slip n' slide... I think it is safe to say he enjoyed it since he was asking if we could get one.

 

 Gray baby officially wants/enjoys his picture taken.... he walks up and say "cheese" with a larger than life grin on his sweet face.

 Grayson was a HUGE fan of the sparklers and Ryker not so much.

 hahaha I just can not get over Brady's awesome face in this photo. It is my favorite... this is what you get when the camera flashes a million times and about blinds you.

 

I am grateful to live in a FREE country where we have the freedom to choose. I am so thankful for all of the men and women who protect our sweet country!

 

God Bless America!