Landscaping

When we bought our house and agreed to put in the yard ourselves (though with a lot of help from family!), we knew that it would occur in many stages. Last fall, we put in the edging and planted the grass, trees, and shrubs. By early spring, everything was still growing and doing well--including the weeds that we didn't plant! Unfortunately, we don't have any "before" pictures that document how bad the weeds became--out house almost looked like a foreclosure! But we were eventually able to put down barrier fabric and stones to help keep those weeds at bay--hopefully for many years to come. We also planted some flowers, put up a small retaining wall by the AC unit, and had gutters put onto the house. We still have a lot of work to do in the backyard, but that will probably be next years project.

Helping Daddy put some mulch in the backyard

It's always time for a wheelbarrow ride!

Making sure that the grass level :)

Side of the garage

Front of the house

Corner with Kyler's redbud tree and the small area for planting flowers

Side of the house with the small retaining wall Ryan built

It looks pretty good!

Much delayed announcement of Baby Bebej #2

So most of you already know that we are expecting another little one around October 26. We found out in June that this little "Bean" will be Kyler's baby brother, and we hope they will have great times playing and exploring together. Just like Kyler, this little one has given his mother terrible morning sickness, which required fluids given through IVs to rehydrate. We have been truly blessed to have family close by to help out on the most difficult days, and Ryan has really been amazing. Please keep this little one in your prayers as we prepare for life with two wonderful little boys!

Here are some of the 20-week ultrasound photos:

Bean's little face

His profile

He already has long legs!

Kyler -- June 2013

Kyler had some fun events this month, including his baptism, 18-month checkup, first time watching Daddy play softball, and finding out that he is going to have a little brother. We decided to wait to have Kyler baptized until we felt that we had found a church home. In Bourbonnais, we were still settling in when Kyler was born and hadn't yet decided on a church. Then, once we started to settle down, we were not sure we would be staying in Illinois due to the job opening at Calvin. We moved back to west Michigan last July, where the prospect of "shopping" for a church is daunting due to the number of churches in the area. It took a while for us to find our new church home (Fairway CRC), and then it took even longer for our membership to officially transfer (from Ann Arbor CRC). So this June, we finally baptized a fairly squirmy 18-month-old in front of our friends, family, and new church family. Kyler did very well, and we are truly blessed to have him in our lives. After the baptism, we had a nice family cookout to celebrate, and Kyler and KayLynn had fun playing with all the outdoor toys.

Kyler's 18-month appointment went really well. He is going to be a very tall boy, already measuring almost 3 feet tall (35.25 inches)--the height of some 3-year-olds, according to the pediatrician. He was pretty upset being cooped up in the examination room though and continued to cry the entire appointment until we left the building. I guess he does not like to be confined... Kyler also got his second haircut, and this time we just held him still through all the crying and flailing limbs so that it would just finish quicker. We headed out to watch Daddy's softball game one night, but spent most of it playing on the playground. At a local strawberry farm, Kyler had a great time meeting a little bunny; he squealed with delight anytime it touched him!

During our first month of summer, Kyler already accumulated more time in the water than some people do in their lifetimes! Kyler loves his kiddie pool, but does not think about the shoes he is wearing. So we bought a pair of water shoes and some sandals that he can wear outside and in the pool since they dry so quickly. Part of the fun of the kiddie pool involves throwing rocks (from the landscaping) into the water and making large splashes. I am never surprised to see him reaching into the water to take out rocks from a previous play time, but one morning I was surprised--more like stunned--to see him lift up a dead chipmunk by its tail! That was quickly removed, and the pool was promptly emptied! Kyler also had a lot of fun playing by and in Grandpa and Grandma's pool. He loves to throw things into the pool, and before long, he became brave enough to jump into our arms off the side--typically with his trademark lifted leg. Later in the month, Kyler even started to jump off the diving board into our arms. We have a brave little boy on our hands when it comes to water!

Family photo after his baptism

Grammy and Papa came up for the baptism

Kyler pushing KayLynn on his cart--the poor little kid gets so red when it is warm out!

Action shot in the kiddie pool

Everyone loves to play in the cupboards, right?

"Super" cute shades

Laughing on the bench at Grandpa and Grandma's

Superboy! Had a great time at the Summer Stroll for Epilepsy

The blue balloon dog!

He loved it so much, but it did not last very long

Helping Mommy water the lettuce

Sitting with Daddy on the hammock

A daily task for this little boy: lining up his cars

Whatever it was...he sure liked it!

Jumping into the pool... "Catch me, Grandma!"

One stylish dude!

Just looking cute...but never underestimate him!

Eating at the table like a big boy!

Family picture at the pool

We might have a sugar problem...

Kyler -- May 2013

May can probably be best described as a month of "going." He always seemed to be going somewhere or doing something lately, which thankfully was fun to keep up with. While outside, he keeps us on our toes with all the toys he puts into the road. (Thankfully, Kyler has learned that he is not to go into the road himself, but I am not ever willing to chance it.) We enjoyed going to the park with cousins KayLynn and Mekinley, but the "K's" seem to have little fear of heights and would climb to the top of the tallest slides! Kyler started going down the slides without his Mommy there to go with him or catch him at the bottom. What a daredevil! We had a great play date with my friend Jen and her three boys. Kyler was not the best guest, as he only wanted to sort or play with their toys and became jealous whenever anyone else sat in his Mommy's lap. Sorry, kiddo, but that is how it goes!

Many of our fun times outside were spent doing landscaping. Kyler loves to help in anyway that he can, but especially if it means he can get dirty. With the weather getting warmer, we started to enjoy a little water time in the new kiddie pool on our back patio. When it rains outside, Kyler does not seem to mind a bit and protests whenever he has to go inside. One rather chilly Saturday, Kyler was part of his first Fifth Third River Bank Run competition. We again had lots of visitors in town to participate with us, and Kyler was able to ride around in his stroller during the 5k walk. He had a great time looking around, though at times it seemed to take a village to keep him from getting lost in the crowds. But it was a lot of fun to see him enjoying himself.

Kyler continues to learn quickly, surprising us each day. He started to identify letters of the alphabet from a set of foam tub letters, and he will often bring us letters when we ask for them. His favorite letter by far is "W," which he has a special "dikka-daw" noise for. Often, when the letter is upside down (an "M"), he will turn it over to make it a "W." He loves to run around the house when we say "Go!" and will say it back in return. When we are out in the stores, he will continue to point out letters, especially "O," and smile or clap. His climbing has continued to develop, and now the inside of the tub has become a place of exploration.

Hanging out in the pantry, his favorite little spot before...

...the tub became the new place to play

Up close and cute!

Someone likes his hat!

Trying to fill Daddy's shoes

Who doesn't like to ride in the wheelbarrow?

All the mulch is gone now, leaving nothing to play in!

Before the start of the 5k walk

Kyler doing some exploring on his own!

This kid loves to run around

Sitting with Grandma and waiting for Daddy

Just enjoying some snacks

Kyler -- April 2013

Once the weather became nicer, Kyler became much more an outdoor boy. During the spring, we often spent a couple hours outside in the morning and then usually some family time outside after dinner. Kyler loves to meet all the neighborhood dogs, showing absolutely no fear of them, which can be good and bad. He loves to walk up to any dog and just let them "kiss" him, but he has gotten knocked down occasionally by an overly zealous dog. We had fun going to many spring garage sales and finding "new" toys, especially many outdoor thing. We enjoyed time at nearby Hager Park, including a nice outdoor picnic with Grandma.

Of course, we still had a lot going on inside as well, including becoming very good at doing puzzles and sorting shapes. Kyler loves to jabber all the time, though words are still usually hard to understand. He is still a cuddler, which I hope never changes. I love when he comes to snuggle with me in bed or on the couch. Kyler does seem to take after his Dad and Mom when it comes to being organized. He often likes to take groceries out of our pantry closet and line them up in so many different ways. Its fun to see the designs and patterns he likes, before he changes his mind and does another. I cannot wait until he can verbalize what his little mind is thinking.

Someone thought Mommy needed to organize her purse...I hope I find everything!

A "new" toy treasure from a garage sale...boy, are they loud!

"It's story time, Mommy!"

"What do you mean I have to go outside?"

Such a snuggler...and cute in his jammies

Lookout spot at the park

Kyler is really great at remembering to duck when he needs to

Kyler loves to run on the bridges!

"Hi, Mommy!"

Still loves to swing!

Sorting the drinks from the pantry

Now time to sort the boxes.

Hydrating before the Calvin 5K

Great running, Daddy!

Not sure if he is supposed to step on the yellow line

So proud of his Daddy!