Sunday night campfire!

One of our summer projects was to transplant a ton of plants, clear the mound of dirt they were in, level it and make a patio for the fire pit (Ryan did most of it). It has been so much fun with the boys to have a special 'bonfire' together.

Weston's always in character, finding ways to utilize anything.

And this guy? He is such a stinker! But very, very snuggly. Love him.

The blessing of Grandparents!

We feel so happy that our kids have grandparents. Not just the kind who's picture hangs on the wall but grandparents who truly want to be an active part of our boys' lives. And how awesome is it for Weston and Merrick to have three sets of grandparents?! Plus a few more who may not be actual family, nevertheless, love our boys like their own. This weekend Grandpa George drove all the way down here to spend quality time with the boys, give me a much needed break and cooked us one of the best meals we've shared in a long time. Thanks Grandpa! With Ryan traveling A TON we really need to be intentional with family time. Grammy sent us out to Seaside for a couple of days to get away from the busy city and gaze out at the ocean. It's amazing what the ocean, sand, and sun can do for an anxious mind. Well, it is the Oregon coast so maybe not as much sun as I'd like. But the boys were loving every minute of the pool, Daddy, and managing to squeeze sticky sand into every body part. Do you think pictures like these will prove to the boys how dramatic they were even as infants? In an instant it turns from happy, best friend play to a scream which makes you think someone is being tortured. All in all, I'd say we had a pretty great time together. Thank you so much Grammy and Grandpa Bob!

Busy week!

It has been one busy and exciting week around here! My little ninja works very hard at his costumes...

Then we snuggled 'Bear', my friend's 6 week old baby. Weston was really into holding him and did a great job.

Weston's first day of PRESCHOOL! He woke up Tuesday morning, came running upstairs and said 'Mom, I'm so excited to go to school today! I would really like to wear something nice.' He picked out his outfit and insisted on buttoning his shirt all the way up.

He did great, but Merrick did not like leaving him at school. He cried and pointed to Weston's car seat. Well, only a few hours of being apart and they're back to being silly brothers.

Cousins

After Ryan and I got back from a phenomenal weekend running in the Hood to Coast relay, we got to spend the whole afternoon with some of our family! We rarely get to see Auntie Em, Uncle Rob, Maleah, Kalin and Hailey, (they're all the way in Louisiana now), so it was a very special day.

With the extra bonus of Meme and Papa who were kind enough to drive for umpteen hours to see us.

Merrick's expressions are never disappointing with these horrified faces for family photos :)

Weston works very hard. Any given day he could be a fireman, motocross rider, super hero, astronaut, or bull fighter. Today, he's our knight (with goggles).

What is he doing now?!

A couple of weekends ago (yes, I am behind), we had a wonderful surprise visit from some friends, Renny and her husband Chad. I used to live and work with Renny about 10 years ago and hadn't seen them in at least 5 years. It was so fun!!! Weston loved her; she's so great with little guys... she even got a wet one from West!

Our incredible babysitter, Alexi, has this sweet little dog Nika. Nika is the best dog with the boys and they LOVE her. Weston put on his super small dog costume from a couple of years ago and pretended to play like a dog. He seems to keep himself quite entertained these days.