Sweet Baby Tyler

Today, Grandma Carol, Grandpa Pete, Aunt Julie, the kids and I went over to Ryan & Michelle's for lunch. Marilyn & Steve were there, too. It was the first time the kids & I got to meet Tyler in person. I thought his pictures were cute, but he was even cuter in person!!! I got to hold him for all of 15 seconds before Mattea was negotiating how her & the boys were going to get their chance to hold him. They each took their turns and I finally got Tyler back... but, not for long. Mattea wanted to hold him again. We stood around Tyler like the paparazzi -- taking pictures, oohing & aahing and admiring him. He didn't cry the entire time we were there. He was just an angel and was so easygoing even when we kept passing him around all afternoon. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch, Skyped with Jeff for a while and then played Foosball and air hockey. We had such a great time. We got a few more snuggles with Tyler and then it was time to go. Ryan & Michelle were such gracious hosts and were so generous with Tyler. We can't wait to see them all again!!!

Family Roller Skating!

My plan for Saturday morning was to take Mattea to Skate City to teach her how to roller skate. Alex decided he'd like to learn as well. Josh already knows how to skate and he was ecstatic to go, so it turned into a family affair. Jeff wasn't thrilled about the idea, but went along with us. I was surprised when he told me he was actually going to roller skate! I thought for sure, he'd be the official photographer/videographer instead of putting on those lovely roller skates (tan w/ orange wheels - just like when we were kids!). Mattea was excited to skate, but was hesitant to do it on her own. She clung to my hands and didn't really like it when I only held one of her hands. Within an hour, she was skating along the wall by herself and even ventured away from the wall a bit. When I moved to help her, she adamantly told me she could do it herself. Little Miss Independent! Alex got his skates on and immediately got frustrated. Jeff says he is just like me. He wants to be a pro right away and if he's not, he gets mad. Yeah, I can see that. But, he was a total trooper. He practiced a bit on the carpet and then hit the skating floor. Once he got comfortable with it, he was dancing along to the music. He's got some great moves! Josh tried to hang with us while we helped Mattea & Alex learn to skate, but I knew he was pretty bored. So, I made up a game. I told him to go skate and every time he came by, he had to tell me how many times he had lapped me and give me a high five. It worked like a charm. By the time he got to 20, he was done with that game. Jeff & I traded off hanging out with Mattea. He got a little nervous about skating with Mattea hanging on to him for fear that she'd take him down with her if she fell! But, that never happened. I was impressed that Jeff didn't fall! He was pretty smooth on those roller skates! :) We all had a really fun time!