moving forward, looking back

as we get ready for a brand new year, i want to tell you a little bit about my new baby brother, oliver.

this summer we spent a lot of time getting ready for his arrival. my mom decided to let my dad keep his table saw, since he was able to build this cool closet she designed...

this time, the baby's room was ready for the baby. since i was born almost 2 months early, mine wasn't quite ready for me...still, oliver is almost 4 months old and he hasn't even slept in there yet!

here I am with my mom during the first week of school in august. her doctor said her blood pressure was so great, she didn't have to miss any days...even though she felt so big and tired!

i kept asking when baby oliver would get here...

then, on september 8th we had a false alarm...that's when you think the baby's coming, but he doesn't. i got to spend the night at grandma and grandpa's, and my mom got to skip one day of school. turns out she just had a fever, and that was making her tummy ache.

exactly one week later, on september 15th, this guy was born. he cries a lot, but he doesn't cry quite as much as he used to...

while mom stayed with oliver at the hospital, i stayed with dad at grandma and grandpa's house.

oliver had jaundice, so he got his very own tanning bed! he looked like a glow worm.

i'm a great big brother, now!

merry christmas

i had such a great christmas with my mom, dad, and baby brother oliver. i hope your christmas was great, too!

summer project 2011

every summer my mom and dad do a big project. remember how last summer we got a new backyard? well, this summer i'm getting a new basement and a new room for my baby brother.

who ever knew we had so much stuff? we had to clean out the basement, and now we don't have any room for any cars in the garage!

how many toilets does it take to potty train a boy like me, anyway?

i've been working with my dad to help my mom...she's a little stressed out. here we are fixing the doors--so that they're all the same height.

i can hammer great. everyone at home depot and floor and decor sees me play with tools, trim, and tile, and they say i'm going to be an engineer one day...

this week we got lights, paint, and tile. i can't wait until my playroom is finished!

as if watching over the basement project isn't enough work, my dad is also making my baby brother's room perfect.

he put this wood up on the walls and painted, too.

hopefully all these projects are done soon!

backyard fun in the hot, hot sun

even though we've had weeks of temperatures in the 90s, i'm making the most of the great outdoors. i showed aunt molly how you can catch a cool breeze if you swing high enough.

i love racing my dad on the slip n' slide...

he's bigger and slower than i am, so i got the special prize every time.

one day my mom even turned our deck into a backyard beach.

nothing like a sprinkle of cool water on a hot summer day.

greetings from paw paw...

...where the weather is cool, the air is clean, and the fishing is fun!

just got back from visiting my cousins in michigan. i showed off my casting skills to uncle nathan, and i caught two fish!

me and my cousin bryson got to go outside in the mornings and play in our pajamas,

and when it warmed up we got to cruise on the jet-ski.

bryson's mommy and daddy can drive really fast! my aunt aimee is a real daredevil.

my mom says she never knew such pretty green grass grew next to lakes. it was so soft under my feet.

baby ryland didn't like his life vest very much, but we had to wear the kind with the head flap for safety.

me and bryson were great navigators. we told uncle josh and uncle nathan when to turn the boat.

cheese! here's to cool summer breezes and family fun.

captiva, here we come!

nobody could keep claire from joining in on the pool party...

she let us get a head start since boys are slower than girls.

shoveling sand helps use up energy...that's something i have a lot of.

then we wore uncle jimbo out with a good old fashioned game of hit the clown.

me and charlie practiced our skills during the mosquito feasting hour.

a sunset beach walk just before bedtime. can you tell we're still not tired?

i love my mommy and my grandma.

it was my longest time away from mommy ever (since she had to fly home early for her class). that made me sad, but she threw me and daddy a welcome home party with cupcakes, balloons, and streamers.

what a fun trip!

what the world looks like...

...from a 3-year-old's point-of-view.

these are the first pictures i ever took, and i think i'm getting very good.

hoppy easter everybody!

this easter i dyed easter eggs for the first time...

my grandma even showed me how to color on my eggs with crayons and then dip them into the dye.

aren't they beautiful? i did a much better job than marcie did on the charlie brown easter beagle episode.

i don't think many kids get to go on an easter egg hunt all by themselves. it was different than what my mom remembers...when everyone else got more eggs than she did.

it took me a minute to figure out what i was supposed to do, but my aunt molly was a good helper.

afterwards i sorted my treats and shared them with everyone.

happy easter!

a garden party

we had a blast celebrating mommy's birthday at grandma and grandpa's house.

you can't eat that much ice cream, uncle jimbo, or it will give you a tummy ache!

my grandma cooks the best pie in the world!

happy birthday, mommy.