Wyoming Vacation

We took a road trip to Lander, Wyoming and Jackson Hole, Wyoming at the end of June.  My cousin Lane was having a graduation party and then we joined my family in Jackson.  It was so much fun!  Emmett loved being around all of his family and exploring Wyoming:)  I didn't get any pictures while we were in Lander unfortunately:(  My camera card wasn't working but I did find a card for Jackson.

My Aunt Jane, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Beth, Uncle Dennis, and Grandpa met us in Lander to see my Uncle Clark, Aunt Tammy, Lane, and Will.  We went to the local park where Emmett sat on the swing with his Great Grandpa. We all explored Sink's Canyon and fed the huge Trout at the bottom of the river.  Everyone met up for dinner parties every night in honor of Lane.  It was a great weekend in Lander!

We joined Aunt Beth, Uncle Dennis, and Grandpa in Jackson for a few days.  Aunt Tammy and Uncle Clark came up for a few days too!  Mike and I stayed right in the downtown area so we could explore the shops and restaurants everyday.  It was so relaxing.  We drove up to ski town and took the gondola to the top of the mountain.

Turning Two

Emmett turned two on May 1st!  It has been such a wonderful two years.  I have been thinking over these past two years of my favorite memory with Emmett.  There are so many! We have had such a fun and busy couple of years!  Emmett has been on so many plane rides and adventures, I can't even begin to count.  I think my favorite memory has to be all of the wonderful trips we have been on with this little guy.  We have been to California, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Illinois, Atlanta, Minnesota, and several mountain trips.  Our first vacation was to Salida and then we went to Steamboat Springs.  What a ride it has been!  I loved seeing him experience the ocean for the first time in California.  The first time he pointed at the mountains and said "mountain!" with so much enthusiasm was so sweet.  His first boat ride at Grand Lake in Oklahoma is a memory that is forever engrained in my mind:).  He loved riding in the tractors and combine with my Dad on the farm for the first time.  It was so special to see him experience a part of my upbringing.  These are the memories that I love to look back on and think about.  Emmett is such a sweet blessing.  I am so grateful God has brought him into my life.  He is a wonderful little man and I can't wait to see what the future holds for him!

-Loves anything with wheels!  Trucks, cars, tractors, trains, are his absolute favorite.  He can't get enough of vehicles!
-Has started riding a training bike and is starting to get the hang of it.
-The neighborhood pool with his friend Paxton is a favorite afternoon activity.
-He loves his play lawn mower and is really into imitating his Dada
-Emmett is jumping off of everything and anything
-He loves kicking the soccer ball, shooting the basketball, and pretty much anything that invokes activity

Wild West Extravaganza

Emmett turned two on May 1st.  I can't believe how fast these two years have flown by!  I was looking back at baby pictures the other day and it goes by so fast.  We have gone on so many adventures and had so much fun with this big two year old.  I can't imagine what life was like before him:)

We had a big party again this year for Emmett with friends and family. It was so much fun!  My sister, bro in law, and nephew came from Minneapolis.  My Mom flew in from IL and Mike's parents came in from Tulsa.  There were lots of family and friends that all came to celebrate from the Denver area too.  It was a blast!  I decorated the dining room and kitchen in Wild West theme and had cowboy hats and vests for the kids to wear. The little boys ended up making a fishing hole out of our pond in the backyard, pretty funny;)  I love doing theme parties!  Ever since I was a little girl I enjoyed planning them out.  I think I missed my calling as an event planner!

I found a lot of the ideas on Pinterest on how to decorate for the party.  Between Party City, Dollar Store, and Hobby Lobby I found all the materials

I had this vintage Coca Cola bin from when I was a kid.  I put cowboy hats, vests, and sheriff badges in the bin.  These were the party favors the boys could take home after the party.

The vests were a bit big so we had to duct tape them on:)

I love balloon bouquets!!!! I painted flower pots and added on bows with gift packaging inside.  I just love the cow balloons!  They added some flair!

The kitchen was made into a wild west feeding area!  We had homemade chili, hot dogs, and cornbread.  

I painted jars and had flowers in them throughout the house.

The flowers added a bit more of the West theme to the party

The bucking Bronco area

Everyone had a turn on the Bronco!

My friend's little boy just loved sweet Hannah!

Dada and his boy opening presents!

The boys got in on the gift opening too!

The tool table was a hit.  The little boys started swarming at this point:)

My friend Lisa helping Emmett put on his bicycle helmet

We are so thankful for everyone that came to help us celebrate!  It was also a bit sentimental because it was our last party in this home.  We moved to a new house several weeks after the party.  It was a great last shindig!

Family Spring Photos

April and May have been a whirlwind of activity!  As soon as we returned from our Easter trip to Tulsa, we started getting ready for Emmett's 2nd Birthday party!  The big news of the month though was that we sold our home!  It was a crazy month of house searching and getting ready for the move. I will post more about that all later.

We had family photos done for Emmett's 2nd Birthday.  I have gone to Target Photo Studio for a few family sessions now and I could not be happier.  I love the photographers that have come to our home and done sessions but I'm a fan of Target too.  It's fun to change it up.  I'm a big fan of documenting the family throughout the year.  I can't say Mike is all that into it;) He's a good sport though and goes along mainly because he doesn't have a choice.  Ha!

Easter in Tulsa

Emmett and I flew from Minneapolis to Tulsa for Easter.  We had been in Minneapolis for Alex's birthday party.  Mike drove into Tulsa with Barley and met us there.  It was a really busy week of traveling for all of us.  Emmett was such a great traveler.  We had two plane rides in one day and my little guy was a champ:)

We were in Tulsa for a few days before we went to the lake for Easter. It was a fun week!  We spent time with all of the family and enjoyed being at the lake.  It was a bit cold and rainy so we didn't make it out on the boats.  (We are looking forward to some boat rides this summer though!)  The kids sure didn't mind the Easter Egg hunt in the rain.  I'm such a wimp! I went inside after about 5 minutes.  

Uncle Mark reading books with Emmett was a hit!

Kid line up youngest to oldest for the Easter Egg Hunt

The baskets are always waiting out on the hot tub:)

Grandma Jones was a trooper in the rain

Go Emmett Go!  The egg hunt is on!

Emmett loved searching for eggs

I loved his outfit:)

We had to do family photos inside this year

This is the only picture Emmett didn't cry

There's a bit of a pattern with Emmett screaming in every family photo

Alex's Birthday in Minneapolis

My nephew turned two in March.  Emmett and I flew to Minneapolis for the birthday party.  We had so much fun!  Emmett was great on the plane ride. My Mom, Dad, and Grandma drove in town from Dwight.  Emmett loved spending time with his family.  Him and Alex played non-stop! I wish we would have had more time there but it was great weekend.

Kate and I went to pick up the birthday cupcakes.  This cupcake shop was amazing!!!

The birthday boy wasn't sure what to think of all of us!  He woke up from a  nap to a room full of people.

My sweet boy

He's a professional traveler 

So happy to have his own seat on the plane!