Summer Fun

We have tried to squeeze in as much camping as we can this summer, and yes, we've even gone in the rain! We load up the camper with the bikes, ropes, bow and arrows, BB gun, plenty of targets, lots of food, and throw in the horses sometimes too! Camping is the best part of summer and I can't get enough!

Remy loves his "spotted horse" Coyote.

I still get to do most of the thing I used to....just in "mommy fashion"--ya know, short horse rides, skiing on the bunny hill, slow hikes.....but I wouldn't trade it for a thing. We are so lucky that the kids are learning to enjoy all of the same things we do.

Eric and the kids have spent a lot of time practicing. The target they shoot at is a deer, and always makes passer-by's take a second look.

Yep, boots and capris!

Cave Falls

Russel and Wylie...I'm not sure who is dirtier!
Kinley and Jesse....playin' in the dirt. She is every bit a tom-boy when she is with those cousins!

Adam and Robbi brought Jimmi into the wilderness and the jungle we create when we all get together! She had a great time and is getting so big!

Remy roastin' smores! Probably the best part ever about summer!

We finally took the training wheels off Remy's bike...and he took to it like a natural. The boys (really Eric) decided to get the trailer level out and make a jump. Eric had as much fun as the kids!

Every year, we try to take an annual Williamson camp trip. This year, we headed North and ended up just outside of Cave Falls. It was the warmest weekend of July, and we had a great time playing in the creek, riding bikes, horses, and just being together!

Bear Lake

Buildin' castles in the sand...or wait....on Eric and Jeremy. We were actually trying to bait in those crazy birds. We put crackers on top of the boys to entice them...but it didn't work very well. So much for those two being stealthy.

The cave was fun, except Kinley had to pee the entire time!

Yep, even ridin' the bikes in the lake!

So much sand....so little boy!

We had a great time in Bear Lake. The weather was perfect! We took some time to go up to the cave, and spent plenty of time on the beach too!

Future Rodeo Queen?

Okay...so I know I am biased, but isn't she the cutest little cowgirl ever! Kinley did so great in her first rodeo queen contest. She really didn't even want to win because she would have to ride her horse in the parade and she wanted to get candy instead :-s. She didn't win, but she did get up in front of a crowd, perform her speech perfectly from memorization, answered all of her impromptu questions, modeled her clothes, wore a teeny bit of makeup, let me do her hair, and did a reining pattern on her horse...we are so proud of her!

We're still heerreee.....

Yes, we are still alive...wet, but here! I just haven't seem to have found the time to blog (besides, my computer is really slow and it takes too long!). Here are a few updates- minus the pictures, but I'll try and upload some soon!

It's been raining...

Kinley's last coach pitch game is tonight. She has had a blast and hits at least once every game.

Remy follows us to baseball...although he always manages to come away with some of the treats meant for the players. He is super glad to have Kinley home from school. Dad finally pulled one of the dude horses out of winter pasture, now Remy has his very own paint horse named "Coyote". He told me, "Now I'm so happy because I've always wanted my own spotted horse and now I have one!"

It's been raining...we're starting to grow webbed toes......

Wylie is huge! I don't know how much, I was waiting until his 8 month well-baby...but they've changed the immunization schedule so he doesn't have to get shots again until 1 year old, so we won't be going into the doctor (at least any planned visits). He did take a couple of steps last week too! Its' horrible...he has three bottom teeth, and one on the top trying to come through....he had an ear infection and pink eye...is over baby food and likes to eat whatever we are having....has discovered how to clap his hands (on purpose) and now really likes Pee-A-Boo!

It's been raining...now we're growing webbed fingers......

We've started swimming lessons, spent 5 days in Oregon....had a ballet recital...the rodeo queen contest is this weekend...tried camping (got wet)....been riding horses as much as possible...been on three hikes, one 8 mile mountin bike ride....and looking at the treadmil...working...keeping up with the mud.....

Oh yeah, and did I tell you its been raining! Oh well, I think we've finally cowboyed up...the kids are playing outside in the rain right now!

Hope all is well with everyone...

Smiley Wylie

My favorite thing about Wylie is his smile! He smiles with his mouth wide open. It's our little joker grin!

Wylie

Wylie is getting so big--literally and figuratively! He is 17 pounds and growing! He thinks he is older than he is, crawling around all over the place, and now pulling himself up to a standing position! The kids and Eric keep encouraging him to walk, but I don't. I would love it if he would just stay little....

Cute Cute Kids

I LOVE it when my kids play together. Kinley and Remy have always played together really well. Probably because Remy will play what Kinley wants, he is easy to boss around which makes Kinley happy. They usually play Jessica and Beau (nope, not very original) or Mom and Koda (you know, the bear on the movie Brother Bear). Remy is usually stuck being the baby...ummm, not a real stretch for him.... but now, Wylie is getting big enough he can play too and he gets to be the baby! They put him in the doll stroller, play with him on the floor, make him "take naps" and include him in their fun. They love each other so much.

Workin' Out

One of the kids' favorite things to do is get on the treadmill. I know, it is a total safety hazard and every time they get on, all I can think about is one of their little fingers getting caught! But we turn it on at a slow speed and let them go. When Eric gets on the treadmill, he usually puts on his hiking boots and fills a pack with weights (yeah, I know...he puts me to shame). So now, when Remy gets on he wants to be just like dad. He gets his "huntin pack" out and fills it with toys and puts his "huntin boots" on and away he goes. Who knew exercise could be so much fun!

Remy

OOPPS! I don't have anything recent of poor Remy..my bad. But here are a few updates on my buggy:

*He has stopped wearing pull-ups at night and so far so good. He was ready and kept asking me if he could just wear undies, so I figured he was ready. Too bad I just bought two big things of pull-ups!

*Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Easter candy. I bought a bunch and stashed it in my own private stash so it wouldn't be raided by you-know-who. Well, the other day Remy was in the kitchen and I hear, "Ah Ha! That is what I wanted!" The little stink found me out! It was pretty cute.

*He found a bow of Eric's the other day and he says, "Wow, look at that beauty!" He goes out almost every day (weather cooperating) to shoot his bow at the target by himself. He loves it best when Eric goes out with him, and he informed me the other day he would teach me "how to shoot a bow and arrow!" Eric's dream is coming true!


*Remy and Grandpa spend a lot of time together. They go feed the cows and then Dad takes him for doughnuts. They have even been to "saddle town" a couple of times (the local feed/tack shop). Remy can't wait for the weather to get better so he can go ride the horses!

Finally, he is such a loving boy. Loves to kiss me and give me hugs, play with my hair, and tells me nice things all the time. He is so kind to our family. He asks about Kinley all day, and plays and loves Wylie too.

Kinley

To catch up on one pretty girl:

On the last day of winter sports, the school always has a ski race. The Evan Floyd Memorial race was a couple of weeks ago, and Kinley won first place! I was probably more nervous than her, because I thought she missed a gate! I really down played it, but in the end she did really well. I was so proud of her because she was such a good sport and kind to others.

Thanks dad, because none of us would be able to enjoy skiing as much as we do without you. I am always proud of the things you have accomplished in your life and grateful for the many, many opportunities you have given all of us. Doesn't she have the ski racer look? Too cute!

Her school jump-athon was last week. If you ask her, she won. But what she fails to say is that she tied with two other girls AND she only held the jump rope in her right hand while jumping AND by the end she was barely even lifting her feet off the floor! They allowed that, but I felt like she was cheating because she can do it the right way....I guess it was a good thing I wasn't a judge!

I was remembering how I blogged about Kinley bring home 2 whole books to read at night....ha! The rest of you were probably laughing! She is bringing home 5 or 6 books a night! But now she reads them all by herself so it's not so bad! She loves to read, and I am very grateful for that.

Wylie

Wylie is 6 months old (and a couple days). He is still such a sweet boy and so happy. At daycare the other day he wasn't feeling good and I asked if he was fussy. The daycare teacher replied, "Well...as fussy as Wylie can be!" Here are some of his milestones lately:

*He is sitting up all by himself which he really likes. It gives him a whole new perspective on things

*He is almost through the vegetables. I have never had a kid eat so much. I remember throwing out hoards of food with my other two kids, but Wylie will polish off the baby food and then some!

*He is around 16 pounds. Exactly where his brother was....at one year!

*He has noticed that if he drops something....mom will pick it up....and it is so fun to drop it again!

*He got his first tooth! It has been the only time the poor boy has been a bit of a fuss-bucket

*He is almost crawling. He gets on all fours and lifts his bum in the air (just like that yoga position) but can't figure out the forward movement

Such a joy and oh so cute!

Jimmi Lynn

Jimmi Lynn Williamson was born March 1. Robbi had to have a C-Section, we were all so excited! For me, it was really hard to watch other nurses and doctors take care of her and the baby....I don't like sitting back to watch. Kinley could hardly keep to herself, all she kept saying was how excited she was to have another girl around and since Wylie wasn't a baby sister, Jimmi Lynn could be her baby sister! Remy was so quiet, he didn't get to see Robbi at all the day she had the baby or right after because of the section, and all he could say was "Is Robbi alright?" He loves her so much.Now I know Wylie isn't so small. Jimmi was actually bigger than Wylie was when he was born, but she seems so little! Amazing how quickly we forget.
Remy loves to give "cheek hugs".

Finally, a baby sister.

Part of the fun was watching my little brother during the whole process. I have to say, my mom and Katie and I trained him well. He is such a good husband and father.....and uncle too! You can check out their blog too, I have it linked on mine.

Welcome, Jimmi Lynn to one crazy family!

Dress-Up Fun?

The other day, I found Remy in one of Kinley's leotards. I had to ask....."What are you doing?" "Playing wrestling, mom (duh)!" Boy, I'm glad I was wrong on that one! Eric is still not so sure about the leotard. I have to keep reminding him its just a stage and I have to keep reminding Kinley not to encourage Remy, she wants a sister so badly! But she makes do with Remy....any way she can.

My baby is 5 (1/2) months!

I can't believe time has gone so quickly. I promised myself to be more aware of the everyday little things that Wylie does. Sometimes, I think I'm really good because we just sit together and connect. I read somewhere that the best way to do that is by using all the senses...smelling him, (hopefully it's good), touching him (his cheeks are so soft and spongy), seeing him (his beautiful eyes), hearing him talk (yep, does that lots), and tasting (yep, when I kiss his cheeks :). He continues to be a good baby and we are enjoying him lots. We still don't have a great schedule, although I can count on atleast three good blow-out diapers every morning, but here are a few of things that have been going on lately! Enjoy!

Toys

He has a menagerie of toys, but likes his saucer most, I think because he can sit upright and it has lots of stuff for his mouth and like all babies, he likes to look at himself in the mirror. Heather, you'll have to tell your girls that the real baby likes it too!

Amazing!

He is definitely at this age where everything goes in his mouth. I don't know if he is teething or not, but he likes chewing on things. You know, fingers, pacifiers, spoons, rattles....and toes! Yep, Wylie also found his foot lately and LOVES to chew on it! So cute!

Wylie Eating

We started Wy on some cereal a couple weeks ago...I have never had a baby eat so good! It took him a while (naturally), but he devours it and tries to eat the bowl too. And if you're wondering, no, it hasn't made him sleep through the night...although maybe it has helped a little. We can now go a whopping 4-5 hours!

Video of Wylie

Wylie is so funny. He has learned to roll from his back to his belly, but can't get back over to his back! He gets so mad. But in the process, he is getting strong and almost trying to crawl. He gets his arms out in front of his, straightens them, and then goes up on his toes in the back. It looks like he is doing boy push-ups!In this video, it kinda shows how he is trying. Really though, I think he just gets high centered on his fat little belly! Aaggh! He CAN NOT crawl yet! Mom is not ready!

He continues to be such a happy, happy, boy. When he gets excited, his little legs move so fast, sometimes he looks like he having a seizure! This video is pretty cute, it shows him getting excited.

Skiing Fun

Last Saturday was a beautiful day and we went skiing. Mom walked around with Wylie in the pack (she's such a good sport) and let Adam, Katie, and I go skiing with the kids. We took Remy up to the top for the first time. He loved the "big lift" and kept saying, "This is totally awesome!" (Imagine that with his lisp :) He made it down in far better shape than I, all that snowplowing left my thighs were burning by the time we were done. It might have been a bad idea though, because all Remy wanted to do after that was go on the "big lift that goes fast!" (Again..with the lisp...)

We even took the edgie-wedgie off Remy and he does just fine...now to find a helmet for the little terror....

Kinley has absolutely grown by leaps and bounds in skiing this year. Last year, she was in a comfortable wedge, but she is pretty much paralleling now. Maybe it was because I finally gave in and got her some poles (I was worried about her riding the chair with them...guess I should just lighten up). Plus, she has been skiing with the boys for winter sports and they have given her a little incentive (hmm, do I see a little competetive spirit?).

In fact, when we were skiing, Kinley was following Adam on DreamCatcher, but he didn't know it and bailed off the ridge down the headwall. Well, guess who followed him? Kinley did. Apparently she stopped, looked, and just kept going (I didn't get to go, I was on the bunny hill with Remy). Although she did wreck, she made it down and out and just kept going. She made a couple more runs on the big hill, down Waterfall, and even a run on Sacajawea. She was so proud of herself too. Me, I'm not sure I'm ready for this confidence, but maybe now I'll have a ski buddy.

Toothless

Seems like everyone out there is loosing their teeth! Kinley is no exception. She lost her bottom three last fall, and filled the space with two more teeth (Yep, the orthodontist has already promised lots of work) The top four have been loose for months! Finally, she has lost three of them is the last week and is quite toothless. (She lost the third one after this picture). She laughs at herself because she can't make some of the right sounds. The first one hung by a thread for a couple of days, but the last one she was finally ready to pull out by herself. She was so excited. She is a little bummed at the toothfairy, however, as it seems to take her 2-3 days to find our house! Oops!