A day off with Dad!!

I LOVE the fact that Brad gets to take random days to spend with us. This morning the boys jumped on our bed and tackled us for a while. Usually they do that to just me because Brad is already up early, getting a fire started, getting ready for the day....this could only mean one thing.......Daddy's Day Off!! Hooray.... so I'm writing out of pure excitement and thanksgiving for a day like today where we can do....well......what ever comes to us, but the great thing is, we are together! Since I don't have pics of the day yet because it's just begun, I will turn this post into kind of a tribute to Art... it will seem random but you will see how it fits, hang with me....

On mornings that Brad hangs around, our favorite thing to do is sit together and have coffee and chat while the boys have breakfast and play...so we french pressed it up...

which got me thinking about our latte parties we used to have in the Atl.... one day our Artist friend Megan snapped some shots.... I wish I had a link to her artwork cause it's FAB but here are a few of her photos...

on another "Art" note...our table.....it's in the house!!   Yay...it's not completed so I'm not going to unveil it yet but I will show a peek as I showcase this beautiful arrangement that our friends Greg and Lu brought over the other night, which will lead you to more art...watch...

Greg is a very well-known Wildlife Artist out here and he is awesome!!...look at His stuff  HERE

One last thing... I am a follower of  Emily Smith's photography (she grew up in my neighborhood), She is amazing!. She has recently gone to Haiti with a crew to help with some relief and she also had a chance to document her time.. Look  HERE....... Her photos are definitely a work of art. She has a way of making even tragedies BEAUTIFUL...

Well that concludes my Day off turned into Art post!... after we decide what adventures we embark on today, I might share if I get some pics

A Park.. is a Park.. is a Park

We LOVE the Park...any park for that matter...Big and elaborate ones to small and modest...any where to run, jump, and play is good enough for us. No matter how many times we move to different cities, states, or how far away we are from home, we find a park and we've found those same old good times playing and swinging and having fun. The park was particularly important to us last year being in a loft-type apartment with no where to play.We found quite a few to visit and would often take picnics and play until the sun went down...

We were at the park ALL year round in Ga....these ones were actually on New Years Day!

this one we used to play at then watch Daddy play softball next door

this one was in our friend's neighborhood...

Well.....I'm happy to report that we HAVE found a park in town and although we wont be visiting ALL year long... on sunny/bearable days like today, you bet we are out there making those same sweet memories you always find at The Park.....

after all..... A park is a park is a park........with a few extra gloves and hats!

My Husband the....Carpenter??!!

We have certainly gone from one extreme to another coming from our year in Atlanta to Wyoming... CHANGE is the theme of these past couple of months as we adjust to new climates and new community. We quickly realized that Woodworking was something that you just....do! We have a wood stove in our living room that heats the house which cuts way back on the electric bill rather than running the heat and Brad has gotten used to chopping wood and stacking it up in our garage. He and Ry Guy have decided that it's a good father-son bonding time!

Brad has also decided that he wanted to delve in to the more crafty side of woodworking and start building things. The house that we're in has a great garage with a work station set up so He has been taking advantage of that. He has made a side table so far and helped make a bunk bed for Jimmy's kids...

Neither of the guys had much experience but they learned fast and worked hard....

look at this beauty!...pretty legit if you ask me...

Now rewind for a sec to last year in Atlanta...our apartment was just right for our year there- really small and cozy, right next to Rylan's preschool, and furnished with IKEA furniture that fit perfectly in our little place.

we brought all of it here and realized we have more room in this house than what we've ever been used to. The cute little kitchen table got pretty swallowed up in our new area so we decided that it will be used as a second table and get a new one. 

As we prayed over our new house, the Lord showed us that it was to be greatly used and opened up for fellowship and serving others by hosting and cooking meals...it was time to start thinking BIG since He gave us more space....So Brad decided to make a big dining room table!...We have currently been using this one as our main table while Brad works on the new one and the empty area has been serving as a good wrestling and ball-playing area for the kiddos

here's the future site of our Brad-crafted wooden table

wouldn't it be great of me to go in the garage and give you a sneak peek of the work in progress!....

there She is.....I am so excited to bring it in and start having plenty of gatherings around it.. We can't wait to continue opening our home to people as the Lord has so specifically guided us! I'm also thankful for my fabulous husband Brad- the Dad/Pastor/Carpenter that He is!...I'm glad He loves doing it, He said He actually feels closer to Jesus doing it... a man of carpentry himself :).... I will keep you posted on the progress!

THE FINALE!

Well Rylan's Birthday was quite a special day for Him AND the rest of us too!

We started off with a chocolate chip pancake breakfast (per request of the birthday boy)...then headed to Jackson for the day..... the drive is about and hour and a half with nothing but scenery and a little snowmobile resort midway that we ALWAYS stop to say hey and use their lovely facilities

this was the first day since we moved here that wasn't snowy so the Teton Mountains were in full view

We stopped at a turnout for Ry Guy to take his first "5"year old pic with the Tetons

and throw a snowball at Dad!...

Now how much fun for your birthday to go from bundled in the snow to chillin in your trunks by the pool!!.....so that's just what we did, we went to a rec center that had all kinds of pools and waterslides..

here are the boys getting all syked up in the locker room

the water was warm like a bath which was marvelous (does anyone else get instantly irritated in a cold pool?)

and the boys could not have had more fun....Rylan was in his element

Bridge was a skeptic at first....

but all it took was a couple trips down the waterslide with Dad and He turned into King of the Castle, fierce and fearless

Remember that insane hunger feeling when you were a kid after swimming ALL DAY LONG, well we ALL had it so we started driving around Jackson and decided to give Rylan an "un-biased" choice for His birthday dinner. So here were the three "Hey Ry Guy, it's totally up to you so would you like to go to El Abuelito, Shogun Sushi, or Billy's Burgers?"..now oddly enough he does in fact love all three kinds of food so we waited in quiet, hungry suspense...Brad's all time favorite is Billy's which is this tiny soda shop-like place that cranks out amazing burgers for those meat lovers...and me...well  I could eat sushi for all three meals of the day and meat I could definatly go without...but we kept quiet, trying to make the day as special as it could be for Him..."please say Shogun, please say Shogun"...................

 

Hey people I DID put a smile on my face ok!...

look at the salivation as He orders...me on the other hand told them to grill up some veggies and slap em on a bun....um did that come out in Spanish because they did not comprehend! :)

the birthday boy was pleased to finish his burger and fries as well as his bro's hot dog!...We had to find a place to light his #5 candle and sing before we headed back home  so we hopped on over to a BBQ joint and stuck it in a piece of pie to top off the night...

A Birthday Success!!!