Late July

Bike Safety Night

Tonight our local police department and the town of Sylva put on a bike safety community event. The parking lot was blocked off and made into an obstacle course for riders and the kids got to visit different stations. Our favorite was the helmet station where each child was given a brand new helmet! Even Ella got to leave with one- very exciting! Carson spent most of his time getting in good with the officers while Ella just walked around in her new pink helmet eating snow cones and popcorn, I guess she figured the best way to really be safe was not to get on a bike at all... just stroll around and eat. Tyler had a great time weaving around the cones on his new bike. And a guy from the bike shop was there to give each rider a free bike inspection- he was able to tune up the hand brakes on Tyler's bike in about 30 seconds! Maybe best hour we every spent at a community event.

Happy 6th Birthday Tyler!

Birth-age 6. The world's fastest growing boy is celebrating his birthday today. Unreal. Loves: Soccer, baseball, dancing, singing, rafting, bike riding, swimming, wii, pizza, drawing, reading books, friends and family. Dislikes: Early bedtimes, hearing no, having to be still or quiet. A perfect day in the mind of Tyler would consist of: Waking up early to homemade blueberry pancakes while watching Phineas and Ferb followed by riding his bike and picking wild blackberries with an after noon swim. Skipping nap and just reading some books or playing wii. Pizza or grilled hot dogs for dinner and then either going to play in the river or having a scavenger hunt around the yard. Yep. That is Tyler. Loud, funny and eccentric- telling jokes and being the first to laugh at them. A great friend, the one at the party dancing in the middle of the room and just a fun kid to be around with all of his affection and quirkiness. Tyler, you are so loved and you are the best big brother. Happy birthday Tyler!!!!!!

Looking Back On All Of Tyler's Parties...

Ma

I could post 100 pictures and tell 1,000 stories but nothing I put on this blog would ever completely capture who she was, what she stood for or what she meant to any of us. When I close my eyes and think of how her role throughout my life changed over the years, it makes me smile. Strict yet guiding when I was younger and a soft nurturer as she grew older. You can see the kindness on her face as she held my children for the first time. I have been putting off this blog for weeks just trying to come to terms with her passing and taking some time for reflection. I have never felt at such peace. As much as she is loved and missed, I am so happy for her to be in a better place and know I will see her again. I prayed for comfort and grace these past few weeks, and He has answered. Ma loved me and she loved my children, and this is something I will always hold on to.

Tyler's Birthday Weekend

Tyler's 6th birthday weekend finally arrived! Family traveled over and friends arrived to help celebrate his big day. Tyler said the party was great- the theme was "Dance Party"- which was fun until you started to dance and realized it was 90 degrees outside. I made a giant cookie cake and ordered pizza hand sent all guest home with a party cd of music Tommy burned for the party. Tyler especially loved his big surprise at the end...a new bike from all the grandparents!

Carson also enjoyed himself- poor Ella got sick on the way over and did not get to stay and enjoy the festivities.

Today, Tommy's parents stayed the night with us so we got to have a big lunch- grilled BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, baked pineapple casserole and salad...cookie cake leftovers for anyone still hungry.

Parting shot before they went back home, and yes- you can see Ella is very under the weather. After nap this evening we opened up the slip and slide birthday present from our friends the Perry's. Both boys had a blast. I love weekends where I get to see both friends and family!

Baseball Season

I am playing major catch up on the blog- it has been a crazy two weeks and I am way behind. Tyler wrapped up baseball season a few weeks ago. This year was different that what we had expected. Apparently, the league feels like up and coming 6/7 year olds are not prepared enough when they play their first year, so instead of having a real season of practices and games- they have set the first "season" to be just skills drills. And they have the kids hitting off of a t. Which is fine, but Tyler has been hitting coach pitch since he was about 3 years old from a wooden bat. Tyler had never hit off of a t and it took him a second to get used to it. Tyler had fun and enjoyed getting out there and they did get to scrimmage on the last day. He was extremely proud of his metal that he earned.

Fourth of July Scavenger Hunt

This Fourth of July we decided to have friends over and do a scavenger hunt for the kids before grilling and fireworks. Clues took them all around the yard and ultimately lead them to the treasure map. Poor Tommy was not that successful burying the treasure the first time around and unearthed a nest of yellow jackets (the swelling is just starting to go down after 3 days). All is well that ends well and everyone got to share the loot of ring pops, hula necklaces, fake gem stones and coins. Maybe a new tradition...