~Fun with the Cousins~

Rylee just absolutely LOVES any chance she gets to have friends over to play. After two hours of playing at the park with her cousins, while my sister and I tried to visit, they begged to come and play afterwards at my house. I ended up bringing Jayde, Jayslin & Trayton with us to play for a few hours. They all had so much fun together and get along so well.

Luckily Rylee has so many swimsuits that they could all get in their suits and play in the sprinklers. They had a ton of fun with that. Then they all played in the sandbox, held Bella, did cartwheels, colored, and then we all played some baseball. When Shanda came to pick them up, she walked in my house for just a minute and by the time we came back outside, they had already hid Rylee in the backseat of their vehicle. Kids are funny. What really makes me laugh is that I remember doing that ALL the time when I was little. I remember thinking my mom would actually just forget about me if I was hidden and accidentally leave me there to sleep. It never turned out that way, but it was always worth the try. And even though we caught Rylee in the backseat, I decided to let her have a sleepover (her first sleepover ever). It was a  huge step for me, even though it was just to her cousins house. The next day Jayde and Jayslin were asking to sleep at our house. So, that night they came to have a sleepover. We got ice cream, watched movies and the next day made a big breakfast and played outside. I love seeing Rylee have such a great time with her cousins!

Dax's 1st Haircut!

My lil boy is growing up so fast, and its already time for his 1st haircut. I am not sure why, but it kind of made me sad. Just knowing he is growing up so fast. It really seems like he was just born and he is already starting to seem so big to me now.

His hair has always grown sort of like a mohawk. He doesn't grow as much hair on the sides as the center, so he has always had a little fohawk hair style. It was definitely starting to get too long, so we decided it was time to get it cut.

We took him to the salon on 5/25/10 for his first haircut. He was such a big boy. He wasn't quite sure about everything they were doing, but he was so good to sit there the whole time.

Here is my lil stud with his new fohawk....

Congratulations Brinne...

On May 25th, 2010, my sister-in-law Brinne received her High School Diploma. Since she became a mommy and a wife before finishing her senior year and graduating, she decided she wanted to finish up her credits and earn her diploma. So she did!

Great Job Brinne & Congratulations!!!

You are completing a wonderful journey and I am proud of you and all that you have accomplished. Reach for the stars and you will find your dreams.

~Rylee's Preschool Program~

I cannot believe the school year is already over. Although I know Rylee will miss it all summer, I am looking forward to spending some fun days with Rylee without any distractions. Just great summer fun!

On the other hand, it makes me really sad to think about. Wow! My baby girl is already 4 years old and has finished one year of preschool. Its so crazy how fast time flies by. She is such a sweetheart! She has grown SO much this year and is extremely smart. She can write her name and so many other words. She loves to sit down and draw pictures of our whole family and then write all of our names by them, including Bella. She can count forever. She usually stops at 50, but once you know how to count that far its pretty much the same after that. She of course knows all the alphabet and can identify every letter when she see's it. She is always sounding out words and trying to read. She loves her teacher Mrs. Nelson and has grown so much this year. Mrs. Nelson has been such a great teacher and did so many fun things with the kids. That is why we plan to put Rylee with Mrs. Nelson again for the next school year. Rylee has one more year of preschool before she is old enough for Kindergarten.

For her last day of class I brought Bella in for her show-n-tell. She was so excited. She got Bella out and stood up there telling them all about her. Then she passed Bella around to the kids that wanted to hold her. It was obvious that she talks a lot about Bella because the class knew exactly who she was. It was so cute watching her get excited while showing her little friends her favorite pet. Then they had a party that Friday where they practiced the program, played games, and had snacks.
This past year Rylee had preschool with two of her cousins, Trayton and Kailey. They are all the same age and will be in the same grade, which will be fun for them. We figured while they are in preschool, we might as well let them be in the same class and have fun together.

The preschool program was titled "My Favorite Things". They compiled all their favorite songs that they had learned throughout the school year and sang them for all the parents. Then each kid got up and told their name, age and a few of their favorite things. A lot of kids wouldn't talk, and some would talk with Mrs. Nelson telling them what to say, and then Rylee got up with no worries at all. She acted so excited for her turn to come. She went right up to the microphone and said, "Hi my name is Rylee Schaugaard and I am 4 years old. I like to ride my pink scooter, hold my pet Bella, play with my grandma's kittens, and dance. These are a few of my favorite things." She was so cute! We couldn't be more proud of her.

We love you Rylee Bug!!!

Another Birthday....

...or Two! On May 22nd it was my wonderful mother-in-law Judi's birthday and then on May 23rd it was Grandma VilaDean's birthday. Grandma VilaDean just wanted everyone to come and do a few hours of yard work and get her A/C and everything ready for summer. That is what she wanted for her birthday, so while Rylee and I were at the baby shower, Daddy and Dax went to Grandma Dean's and did some yard work. Afterwards we all gathered at Grandma Dean's to celebrate both her and Judi's birthdays. We had cake and ice cream and hung out for a few hours. Its always nice getting together with the family. I just want to tell them how much we really love them. Viladean just loves the kids so much and cannot get enough of them. I know she wishes I would bring them by more, and if I had the time I would do it every single day. She always gets so happy when she gets to see them. And as for my mother in law Judi, I don't know what we would do without her. She has always been so good to us and has always been so supportive of everything we have done and been there to help us out in any way she can. She is so good to us and the kids love her to pieces. She is definitely someone I can always count on!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUDI & VILADEAN....WE LOVE YOU!!!

Its A Girl...

On Saturday, May 22nd, we had a baby shower for my sister Andrea and her soon-to-be new baby GIRL. We have been planning it for some time. Originally Krissy & I started talking about giving her a baby shower, then Kiley and Alicia mentioned they wanted to help, so us four were planning it and then a few weeks before, Jadie also said she wanted to help. We all met together and went over everything. We had such cute ideas. And because Andrea has SO many friends between working two jobs, having bunko, and then just friends she has had forever, there were a LOT of invitations to be handed out. So we decided the best thing to do was to have an open house baby shower. It worked out perfect! I wouldn't do a baby shower any other way now. I couldn't believe how well it worked out and how much better it was than a traditional baby shower.

We all went in on different food items, desserts, decorations, favors, etc. and once we got it all together, everything was SO cute! So many people complimented on how well it looked and how well everything came together. We did a guest sign-in on cute scrapbook paper, along with a guessing sheet for the babies weight and length. Those are always so much fun to look back at. As the guests came in they signed and filled out the fun stuff, then would take their gift over to Andrea, where she would open it and then we had tables set up just for the open gifts. This way everyone could see everything she got. Then everyone had food and hung around and chatted as long as they wanted. It worked out so great!

For the thank-you favors we had hershey kisses in different colors of tulle and then tied on a tag that said:

Thank you for sharing this special day,

I'm sorry I had to stay away.

But I may be a little longer,

Cause I have to grow much stronger.

Thank you for your love and wishes,

I'd like to shower you with kisses.

Love from baby Noyes.

They turned out really cute. We also did a drawing for everyone that brought a package of diapers. I think this is such a great idea also because anyone that is a mom knows how much diapers can cost and how many diapers a baby can go through in a short time. So not having to buy diapers for a while is very nice for the mommy.

Everyone brought so much cute stuff for baby Londyn. She will be one spoiled little girl. Especially with those two big sisters and big brothers. They cannot wait for the arrival of sweet little....

LONDYN NOYES (still working on a middle name) but possibly Londyn Gracee Noyes,

and neither can I.

So thanks to everyone that helped put together such a great baby shower for my wonderful sister Andrea and thanks to all her friends that came and brought such cute stuff for baby Londyn. Andrea was so excited that she had such a great turn out and so thankful to everyone that came!

~Sprinkler Fun~

This last few weeks have been a bit crazy with us moving to a new house on top of the craziness that May brings anyways. The last few weeks we have hustled from baby showers to birthday parties and packing, moving, and unpacking. Just a whole lot of BUSY!

So we decided we needed to take a little break and enjoy the little things. Plus, the sun was out! Which is a bit rare these days. So we turned on the sprinklers and let the kids run through it and have some fun. I think we had just as much fun watching their HAPPY faces and listening to the sound of their SWEET giggles.

We can't wait for more summer days like these....

Wow...look at me grow!

I cannot believe my baby is already 14 months. He turned 14 months on May 17th. It's unbelieveable how fast the time has passed. And words cannot say how much I LOVE this sweet boy of mine.

Dax LoVeS.....

to observe everything around him.

to dance to music, and boy does this kid have rhythm.

his bath time.

his BIG sister Rylee and he gets so excited to play with her.

playing in the sandbox and just being outside.

drawing on paper and the dry erase table.

water! You name it-pools, tubs, sprinklers, dog dish, fish pond. Where there is water, there is Dax!

balloons & balls! And he calls them both "balls".

fruit! This sweet boy cannot get enough fruit. Oranges, apples, strawberries...you name it!

food in general. He is definitely a good little eater and will try anything.

4-wheeler rides, stroller rides, and bike rides.

kitty-kitty's.

climbing inside boxes and bins.

his daddy! He is starting to be as equally a daddy's boy as he has been a mommy's boy.

making MESSES!

On Mother's Day I got two balloons from the lady at the grocery store and I gave one to each kid. Dax absolutely loves balloons and wanted to take it everywhere. For days he would take it in the car when we left home and even bathed with it. It was pretty cute! Thank goodness I was able to get it away during naptime.

He absolutely loves fruit. I cannot cut into any fruit without him begging at my feet for some. Which I am glad to share! He will eat an orange wedge down to the peel and not leave a drop of orange on it. He also LOVES strawberries. The only fruit he hasn't cared too much for is bananas.

He is always so happy and loves to explore. He always has been and still is so observant. Its cute watching him observe everything around him with this curious little look on his face. I LOVE it!

He has been off of the bottle since 13 months and also started sleeping through the night at 13 months. Which I have to say has been WONDERFUL!

More sleep for all of us = happy mommy and happy baby!

He is so good at nap time and bed time and has always went down so good for both. He actually enjoys them. If he is getting tired and I ask if he wants a nap, he will shake his head yes and get so excited to go to bed. He knows how great it feels to nap. He is one smart little cookie if you ask me.

He tries to repeat just about any word I tell him to say. This is definitely the time you need to mind your p's & q's when it comes to words you say around your kids. They are soaking it in like a sponge and repeating it all. Its a good thing we aren't in the city with all those crazy drivers cutting people off.

Dax loves playing on the scooters outside and riding on his ride-on toys he got for Christmas and his birthday. I love that I can put all the kids toys in their closets in toy boxes and he knows where to go to find just what he wants.

He LOVES toy trucks, cars, and motorcycles. Anything he can push around while making the "vroom" sound, surely makes him happy. We have the little peoples bus, airplane, and car, along with the barn and house and all the little people to go along with it. He could play with that for a very long time and be entertained. Especially when Rylee plays it with him.

I could go on and on about my SWEET little Dax boy! He is growing up so fast and is so smart. We love having him in our lives. I just love him to pieces. So for now...these are a few things he enjoys at 14 months!