San Diego Summer

I was lucky as a little girl to get to spend time at the beach on a regular basis every summer. Even though we live in Arizona I really want Austin and Ryan to get to enjoy some of the same things that I did as a child. Last week we packed up our car and headed on over. We spent a few nights with Gram and Grampa and enjoyed some great home cooking and company. The boys thought it would be fun to wear a hat like Grampa's.During the day we went down to see a couple of ships and spend time at the park with cousin Sarah and baby Jacob. The next day we headed to the zoo with Melissa, Charlotte, Mike and Aiden. The kids really enjoyed exploring the zoo. Later we headed up to Carlsbad to see our cousins again and Aunt Debbie. It was so fun watching them play in the ocean and they spent a couple of hours digging in the sand. The water temperature was colder than we expected but after awhile even Nelson enjoyed a swim. Someone let the kids borrow a couple of boogie boards and Ryan stood on his without moving but thought for sure he was doing something important with it! This is the first year of our family beach tradition and I am so glad that we got to see everyone! I can't wait until next year!

Gone Fishing!

Nelson was very excited to take the kids fishing for the first time. He bought them both tackle boxes and filled them with fishing goodies. He found a perfect site at the "Islands". We went this morning and found a nice shady spot before it got to hot outside. We could see there were fish right away but it took some time for anyone to catch anything. Ryan was the first one to catch a fish and it was "a big one". I didn't get a picture of it because he went back into the water pretty quick but I did get a picture of Austin's "little fishy". Although I do not care for fishing myself it was fun watching them enjoying it.

Last Day of Preschool

It has been a couple of weeks but I still wanted to put pictures of Austin's last day of Preschool. They had a water day celebration during the week and then a party on the last day. Austin loved every minute of his "fish party" and is still talking about it. Nelson was able to attend both days and enjoyed himself as much as the kids did. Austin LOVED his teacher Miss Katie and has talked to her on the phone a couple of times because he already misses her so much.

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter! We spent some of our day with the Flanagan family....thank you for having us! As with every holiday Austin and Ryan were so excited! We could hardly get them to sleep and then Austin woke up at 6:00! The Easter Bunny brought some toys and even two movies! Wow:)

The Zoo

So last week we decided to go to the Phoenix zoo. The weather was warm for this time of year at 90 degrees. Austin and Ryan were so excited to see all the animals. They really enjoyed seeing the giraffes, monkeys, lions and rhinos. They also loved the petting zoo and play area. Ryan was in the stroller most of the day and for some reason we only brought the single stroller with us and not the double. Austin was getting tired near the end so Nelson and I took turns carrying him. They thought it was great fun to go on a picnic lunch. Austin carried the map most of the day and talked about were we should go next. In the video below Ryan thought the Rhino was a monster:).

New Bed

A few weeks ago we converted the crib to a full size bed for Ryan's room. He was very happy about this and he and Austin helped their daddy put it together. What a cute team they made! Ryan really liked his new bed with all of the construction equipment on it. The very first night Austin wanted to sleep with him and they have been together ever since. I have moments when I am not sure this is a good idea because they sometimes play for a long time before falling asleep. For now they are keeping each other company and no one is scared.

The Little Patient

We waited a few days after Christmas to have Austin take his new bike from Santa out for a ride. He was loving his new bike until he turned in the neighbor's driveway and fell off. He was going pretty slow so we didn't suspect a problem at first but quickly realized his arm might be broken. We took him to the ER then to an Orthopedic Surgeon who said his arm was broken above the elbow and that Austin would need surgery. Our brave little patient and his two nervous parents took him to the hospital very early on New Years Eve to get temporary pins placed in his arm. He had a splint and a sling for three weeks and then the pins were removed (very easily without surgery). Austin is doing so much better now. He doesn't have full use of his arm but is getting closer to that. He is still restricted at the playground but he is doing great. He says he will ride his bike again but for now he is looking forward to riding his scooter. He will be wearing more protective gear than ever I am sure:)

I can't forget Ryan. He loves his new scooter that looks like a fire engine and makes sounds as he rides.