family time

We recently had family come in to town and enjoyed spending time with them.

 

These two little guys were fun to watch together. They would take toys from each other, but without getting upset.

Riley got lots of attention from his cousins...

 

 

Spending time with Grandaddy.

 

We've taken Riley in the pool a couple of times now...this was his first time.

 

the weekend

We spent most of this past weekend in Miami visiting Joe and Amanda. We had a lot of fun with them and enjoyed seeing more of Miami. 

 

We visited an old estate near where they live. The grounds were gorgeous and the houses were really neat.

 

A beautiful view of the ocean from one of the houses.

 

It was a perfect day to go to the beach with the hot sun and cool water. We went out to Key Biscayne and the water was so crystal clear.

It took Riley a little bit to get use to the water and then he loved it!

 

Miami skyline

 

On Saturday night, the guys were determined to get some coconuts out of Joe's trees in the backyard. Joe first stood on a ladder and threw an extension cord in the air trying to hook one of the coconuts. After that didn't work Matt climbed the tree and loosened them. In the end I think the extension cord was what brought down two coconuts. I tried coconut milk for the first time--it wasn't bad. I wasn't too impressed by the fresh coconut though as it didn't have much flavor and was soggy. I didn't get a chance to try it once it was dried out.

Black Point Marina

The rest of the weekend and holiday was spent in Tampa. Riley drank his fill of saltwater by sucking on his hands at all times in the water. Of course he also didn't mind the taste of sand.

Baby Boy -- 9 months

My baby boy turned 9 months last Thursday! He has already used his first tooth to do some damage and is working on cutting his second. He eats until you stop feeding him (I can't imagine what he's going to be like when he's a teenager). He pulls up on everything including the radio, which he can turn up and down.

 

I snapped these pictures of him as he was frantically crawling around his room after his bath. I love that his curls show up in these pictures!

Mother's Day

Matt took me out to dinner for Mother's Day on Saturday night. I didn't know he had plans until I asked him what he wanted for dinner earlier in the day.

 

 On Sunday, we spent the afternoon/evening at my mom's house. It was a small group this year due to sickness and other engagements. We also went by and visited with Matt's mom later in the evening.

 

Riley really wasn't in the mood for pictures on Sunday evening, but we still got a few of him and I together. We found a beautiful spot along side the road where the phlox are in full bloom.

I love my little baby boy so much and am thankful to be his mommy. He is growing up too fast! Some days I wish he was a little newborn again that just loved to be cuddled all day, but I do love seeing him change and learn new things.

Graduation

It's hard for me to believe my oldest niece graduated from high school this year. She graduated along with four other young people from the church. Also one other guy graduated who was not able to attend.

 

Three different groups sang or played specials for the day.

 

And the speeches...

Somehow I missed getting a picture of Simeon doing his speech. :( 

 

Tim and Jen's family with Charity

 

Some of Hannah's children with their cousin Charity...

and us with the graduate.



I didn't get a great picture of all of the graduates together, but I still like this one since they're all in it.



Instagrams -- April

Riley swinging at the park... silly kid... he learned to sit up in bed...

finishing up clutches for a wedding... riding a carousel at the fair... I had gotten my hair done...

hanging out with dad at work... pulling up for the first time... practicing for the canoe race...

sporting his new shades... mowing the yard with our redneck mower... happy baby... Brandon got a ride with the guys... morning of the canoe race... our little garden...

Krispy Kreme

Recently we made a trip to Krispy Kreme. I had never been inside of one and seen how they make the doughnuts. It was neat to see how the process works. The hot doughnuts did not disappoint and were amazing!

 

Riley loves food and was so excited when he saw the doughnuts. He got to try a couple of bites.

He wasn't so sure about the first bite, but then he wanted more.