Vacation 2011 - Table Rock Lake (Part 3)

Tuesday we headed out to Table Rock Lake for a day of fun. The weather was perfect and it was such a relaxing time! This was Elijah's first time on a boat and he was in heaven. In fact, the next day he kept saying he wanted to go out on the boat again. Think it is safe to say that we see more boat adventures in our future.
Our boat captain for the day
Such a sweet picture
Pam and Gil were wearing life vest because neither one of them felt comfortable with their swimming abilities. :) And an added plus was that it made Elijah feel better to know he wasn't the only one having to wear one. We were shocked that he didn't ask one time to take his life vest off.






Byron and Elijah even braved the super cold waters to take a little dip.

Vacation 2011- SIlver Dollar City (Part 2)

We decided that since we were in the area, we could check out Silver Dollar City. When we got to the theme park on Sunday, things didn't start off smoothly. Elijah was really scared by an unexpected LOUD noise and it took him awhile to settle down from that. Poor baby! But once he did, he was fine and had fun. And another factor that played into our visit not going so well was the heat. It was HOT! But we made the best of the situation and kept on going. Our friends Pam and Gil met at Silver Dollar City while working there and later they married.

The dogs in this show were amazing and an extra bonus was that it let us cool down for awhile.




At the end our adventure, Elijah had fun playing in the Lego area at the park. Note to self: All future visits to amusement/theme parks will be in the fall - especially Disney World!

Vacation 2011- Our Home Away from Home (Part 1)

This year we decided to head to Branson, MO for our family vacation. We both had been wanting to see what this area was like. We stayed in a small town outside of Branson called Spingdale. That is where our cabin we rented for the week was located.
The view of the back of the cabin
The living area
Some artwork around the grounds
Our backyard critters :) They came out every afternoon and were funny to watch



A short walking distance from the cabin was a play area that Elijah loved going to.



Having some fun with our friend, Gil.

Say Cheese...

...as in Chuck E. Cheese. Before we left for our vacation (yes, this posting is getting done late), Mrs. Liz and her 2 daughters invited us to join them there for some fun. This was Elijah's first time to Chuck E Cheese and he had a good time. He was more into riding things than playing the games. But he did earn enough of tickets to get two prices. Plus we stayed cool instead of dealing with the summer heat.

Questions and Answers - Father's Day 2011

This year I wanted to do something different for my Father's Day post. I wanted to hear Elijah’s perspective on this Father's Day. My goal was to create a post that Byron and Elijah could read for years to come and that would hopefully bring a big smile to their faces.
So below is the question and answer session that Elijah and I had about his Dad.
*No prompting was done by me to help Elijah with his answers :)

Me: What do you want to say to your Daddy today for Father’s Day?
Elijah: I love him
Me: How much do you love your Daddy?
Elijah: This much! (As he stretches his arms out as wide as he can)

Me: What are some things you like to do with your Daddy?
Elijah: Build towers and knock them down, go to the pool, go to HEB, go to Lowes and ride the lawn movers, take out the trash and recycle, help him cook, and just play with him.

Me: What do you like about your Daddy?
Elijah: He makes me laugh, reads me bed time stories, takes me places, let’s me help him make his coffee, let’s me push his lawn mower, and he helped me get the yellow ball from the machine.

Me: What is so special about your Daddy?
Elijah: Mommy and Me
Me: What do you mean Mommy and Me?
Elijah: Daddy loves Mommy and me! (This answer is priceless!)

It was a wonderful Father’s Day. We started the morning off with presents, went to church, and then had lunch at the Swinging Door. That is Byron’s favorite place to eat BBQ. The rest of the day was relaxing and spent being together as a family.
Byron, you are amazing father! Elijah and I are both blessed to have you in our lives. Happy Father's Day.We love you SO much!

Random Pictures and another Milestone

Got ice cream?
Helping his Daddy decide what they need to get from HEB
Downtown with Daddy checking out the demolition of the YMCA
Looking cute wearing his Daddy's safety glasses
Enjoying some chicken with Alyssa on a play date
Having fun with the mowers at Home Depot

The milestone? Well, it's actually a milestone for Byron and I. Elijah was left with a babysitter for the first time on Tuesday. Yes, I know those of you reading this are saying, "Are you kidding me? First time?" We hear that a lot, but... :) We have left with family member's before but never someone outside of the family. I was lucky enough to have a friend's college daughter keep him. He loved her and they had a great time! We were so proud of how we did. And yes, she will be keeping him again some this summer.

Have You Ever... Part 2

The fun continues...


Byron getting ready to pull the rib cord. We both were surprised that he got to do this. Too neat!
Coming in for the landing



Elijah on the way home wearing the crown he got at Burger King that morning. He was SO great the whole time we were there (which was several hours) and had a lot of fun too. Such a big boy.

We are excited that we ended up with so many great pictures (this is just very few of them) and the video we got made rocks! In fact, Elijah loves watching it over and over.