What a KNOCK OUT!!

What an exciting day yesterday was! Bryan knocked out a wall in our kitchen! In the next few weeks we will be finishing our basement, and we wanted to knock out this wall and put in a stair rail to open up our kitchen even more. We are so excited about all the planning and shopping involved with this project. Wait until you see the end result-- we are going to have one sweet looking basement with a sweet looking bar! I can't wait! Until then, I will be dealing with lots of construction and dust! But it will be well worth it! I'll try to keep you updated on the progress.... or perhaps I should make you wait and be surprised with the end result!!

Happy Birthday Tyson! (Party 2 of 2)

Tyson and Kate holding Sadie!
Tyson on his new bike! What a big boy!

Tyson had a fabulous birthday party on Friday night with Bryan's side of the family. Grandma Kathy, Aunt Toni, Uncle Tim, and all the cousins came for the celebration. Tyson got a cute outfit from Aunt Toni, a big boy bike from Grandma, and a rider toy from Mom and Dad. He sure is turning into a little boy! It seems just crazy that my baby is 2 years old already. But what a joy he is! He has such a sweet personality, yet he definitely lets us know his opinions. He is attached to Daddy at the hip and loves his brother and sister. Lately he has been calling Aunt Maria his "mommy!" He loves to read books even more than Rylee ever did. He has 3 favorites that we read over and over again. As many of you know, Tyson has been quite delayed in his speech. He recently had his observation by 2 speech therapists from RPS, and he does indeed qualify for speech therapy. So this is exciting news for us. He will attend a "play group" on Tuesday mornings from 10-11 at Meadow Ridge Elementary. I will stay with him, and there about about 5 centers that we explore and do different activities. There are about 8 kids in this group. Then one of the teachers will come to our home on Wednesday afternoons to work on different exercises to do to improve his speech. He will continue this therapy until summer, and then most likely start up again in the fall! I am just thrilled that Rockford has this service (and it's free!). It will be so nice when Tyson can communicate his ideas through words (although he is doing really well at signing and it's lots of fun!) Happy Birthday Tyson! We love you so much!

Meet Ava Kelly

My dear friends Abby and Brian have a new addition to their family! Ava Kelly Petersen was born on Valentine's Day, and what a LOVE she is! She is so calm and sweet and obviously BEAUTIFUL! Rylee and I got a chance to go visit and snuggle with Ava. What a sweetheart! Congrats to Abby and Brian and big brother Brandon!

February Birthday Party

Saturday night we hosted the Wyatt Family February Birthday Party. Tyson will

be 2 on the 27th, my brother Carl will be 30 on the 20th, and my cousin Andrew will be 22 on the 22nd. Tyson was a little unsure when we sang "Happy Birthday" to him. He got nervous and reached for Grandma Jean! I made him the snowman cake (it took me FOREVER), but it turned out pretty stinkin' cute. He got some great gifts, including some neat books that he just LOVES. The kid will sit and look at books for hours if he could! Happy Birthday Carl, Andrew, and Tyson!!

Welcome Sadie Noelle Thorpe!

My new niece is finally here! She was born on February 11, 2008. She weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was 19 inches long. I got to go visit her on Friday night and she is just precious! So tiny and so sweet! It is such a blessing to have her as an addition to our family. And since my baby will be 2 next week, it is so nice to get my dose of newborn baby! I can't wait to watch her grow and learn! Congratulations, Toni and Tim and big siblings Noah, Bailey, and Payton! She is a keeper!!

Mini-Vacation to the Great Wolf Lodge

We spent our Valentine's Day/night at the Great Wolf Lodge! Our whole family went along with Aunt Maria and Jaden. What a great time we had! All the kids LOVED the waterpark and staying at the hotel. It was a perfect little get-a-way from this snowy, cold, Michigan weather! Everyone was so exhausted that they slept the whole way home!

Dress-Up Time!

Rylee loves to dress up with her cousins Bailey and Payton! Don't they look dazzling?? :)

Happy Valentine's Day

Rylee's New Haircut

Rylee with her best friend Kaylee.
The new cut from the back.
She is such a cutie!

Aunt Maria gave Rylee an ADORABLE new haircut. Everywhere we go, Rylee's gets so many compliments. She really does look super cute... and about 2 years older!!

Celebrating 25 Years!

This Saturday we had a surprise 25th Anniversary Party for Bryan's parents, John and Kathy. It was a blast! They were totally surprised (until they ran into some friends in the parking lot!) and we had so much fun! I have been planning this party for a month and a half, and it was by far the biggest party I have ever thrown! We had great appetizers, lots of beer and wine, a DJ, a slideshow of pictures, yummy cake, beer pong (kind of strange, but entertaining), and at one point there was pole dancing! :) We were so happy to celebrate the past 25 years of John and Kathy's life, and we look forward to the next 25! Thanks to EVERYONE who helped make this party a success-- Bryan's siblings, aunts and uncles, and friends of Kathy and John! Congratulations again, John and Kathy! We love you guys!