Smith Reunion

Every August we get together with my mother's maternal cousins for a little reunion.  Here are a few pictures from this year's adventure at the park, courtesy of the family photographer, Brooke.  We rotated through watching the boys play on the park.  The majority of the crowd was over under the pavillion.

Caden (er, Ryan) won the guessing game for how many Starburst were in the jar.  Eric was thrilled with the prize - a small bouncy ball.  Eric loves balls, especially small ones that will fit in his pocket.

Fly Like an Eagle

Ryan has spent the last two weekends (Thursday morning - Saturday night) at Woodbadge.  Woodbadge is a Boy Scout leader training camp.  Ryan's experience was somewhat unique in that our Stake President decided he wanted all the young men leaders, bishoprics, and members of the High Council to attend, so this session was attended and staffed 95% by members of our stake.  Although Ryan was dreading the training, it turned out he had a pretty good time and learned some valuable skills.  To finish the program he has to complete 5 Tickets (long term goals) over the next 12 months.  Ryan was made a member of the Eagle Patrol.  This picture, taken on the last day, is of him with the other members of his patrol.

Sunday Drive

Caden and the neighbor boy going for a Sunday drive on our newest toy.

2 Months and 2 Years

Eric and Kyle had well check visits today.

Eric's 2 Year Stats
Length: 34" (39%)
Weight: 23 lbs (6%)
Head: 47 cm (8%)

Kyle's 2 Month Stats
Length: 24" (82%)
Weight: 13 lbs 3 oz (79%)
Head: 40.9 cm (69%)

Yup, we've got one at the bottom of the growth charts and one at the top.  Go figure.

Turning 2!

[Its official.  I've lost my camera.  After searching for nearly 2 months I'm afraid it was thrown away by a well meaning 2 year old.  So this post (and many others) has no pictures.][Found the camera.  It got left in the truck after the birthday party at the park.]

Our cute little Eric turned 2!  We had a low key birthday for him.  I pulled a muffin out of the freezer, stuck 2 candles in it, and we sang happy birthday.  He loved blowing out the candles and wanted to do that again.  When he finally went to eat the muffin he stared at it, glanced at me, then back to the cupcake and announced, "I need a fork!"

After cake we did presents.  Caden helped me wrap them during Eric's nap, so he was plenty happy to distribute them.  "Here you go, Eric.  This one is a book.  Open it.  See!  Its a book!  Want the next one?  Its a bean bag game!"

Then it was off to Highland Glen Park where we took advantage of the rental canoe for Lake Powell that we hadn't returned yet.  The kids love going to the little pond and got a big kick out of chasing the ducks in the canoe.

Lake Powell

After Kyle's blessing we took off for Lake Powell with my Grandpa Loveridge and my cousins.

My dad brought a kayak that, for the most part, my boys enjoyed riding in.  They weren't so thrilled with being splashed by the paddles.  Ryan and dad paddled the kayak all the way from the launch ramp to the buoy field - no small feat.

Caden thought he was so cool driving the houseboat.

The kids carried on a tradition from when I was young, and Caden put on his own 'war paint' (aka, colored zinc for sunscreen)

Ryan spent most of his time tying a hammock.

The boys loved swimming with Aunt Kellie, Grandma, and Grandpa.

Eric was a little intimidated by the water, but still wanted to be part of the action, so he would ride around in our inflatable boat.  When my mom was busy, they would swim with 'Other Grandma' (aka my mom's twin sister).

Here are my boys relaxing after a playing hard.

New Hardware

After another trip to the ER due to Caden helping himself to food, we've locked it up.  He simply thinks he is no longer allergic to food and doesn't believe us when we try to tell him otherwise.

Despite the potential for aiding in weight loss by cutting down on mindless munching, somehow I don't think gate hinges and bike locks are really going to take off as kitchen decor.

Kyle's Blessing

Today we gave our little Kyle a name and a blessing.  His middle name is after my uncle Wally, a man who is generous, kind, and funny.  We hope our little Kyle will emulate some of these great qualities in his namesake.  Ryan was voice for the beautiful blessing, and we were lucky enough to have lots of family join us. 

This family picture is so telling.  The chaos is exactly how life is with 3 kids - 3 little boys doing 3 different things.