{:) 4th}

This has been quite a week! It started off pretty rough on Monday - Dylan woke up with a 104 degree fever. He had spent the entire night awake in bed with me, tossing and turning. We immediately called that morning and got him in to see the Doctor. He had a yucky virus, but all we could do was wait it out and keep him cool.

Much of our days were spent just like this...

As the middle of the week approached, Dylan got better!! The bug lasted about three days and we were so happy to see it go. Our bubbly, silly baby was back! The same day we noticed improvement in him, I started feeling miserable. I progressively got worse, even losing my voice for several days. We spent the entire gloriously long weekend at home. Ryan and Dylan have taken such wonderful care of me!
While we didn't get to bask in the sunshine, enjoying friends and family, picnics & lake time like we had planned, we still had a fun time together! Our weekend looked like this...

Dylan wore Daddy's socks around the house, and did his best Tom Cruise impressions, sliding across the floors...

Then we worked on his new skill = climbing! We have been finding him in some pretty funny places lately. When the house goes quiet, Ryan and I know to go peek around the corners to see where Dylan has ended up. This time it was on top of an Amazon box...

We had plenty of "dirty time" in the backyard. We spent time together exploring the backyard in the mornings and evenings when it wasn't unbearably hot. He is learning to move things from one place to another. Here we worked on getting all the dirt off the ground and on to the top of the electric meter! I'm pretty sure he could have worked on it for an hour if I hadn't peeled him away. He is a very determined kiddo!

We also enjoyed the cool air inside and took a relaxing break to listen to some tunes...

Although I wasn't feeling too wonderful, my Mom invited us over for a delicious dinner with her and my Grandma. She was excited to show off the latest project of her home renovation - her new patio! Dylan did so great at the dinner table, trying roast and potatoes for the first time. GreeGree couldn't resist the occasional cheek squeeze...

We eagerly went outside after dinner to see what we could discover. Dylan found two trash cans with birdseed and a scoop in them. He worked for thirty minutes, determined to get seed from one can to the other. Scoop/transfer/scoop/transfer. He loved it! Then we got some use out of the great new patio, playing in the sprinkler - aka. Nana's Splash Pad...

As part of her kitchen renovation she got a neat giant granite sink. They couldn't resist giving him a bath in the same place they gave me a bath many years ago (in a much smaller sink!) He loved it!

Later that weekend we gave furry sister (Chloe) a bit of exercise and fun! Dylan LOVES to throw her toys for her, and she doesn't complain one bit! Here she is, airborne, chasing the ball he threw for her...

Then Daddy & Dylan went corgi fishing. They caught a big one!!

Reeling her in...

In a blink, the weekend was nearing its end. The Fourth of July was here! Daddy and D went on a grocery adventure and then came home and cooked a delicious feast. We canceled cable (best move ever!) a couple weeks ago, and since then we have been enjoying dinner at the table. We knew we wanted to implement family dinners when Dylan got older, but why wait? We have truly enjoyed our new tradition.

Daddy & D put on their party hats and we spent some time in the back yard...

Transferring again! Water from one cup to the other...

mmm fun AND it tastes good...

Aww look what they made me...

We tried to get a picture of D in his hat. He squealed with elation as I chased him around the yard...

Success! Baby Abe says "Happy Fourth!"

It took D a little longer to fall asleep. He stared at me with wide, inquisitive eyes as I nursed him to sleep. What the heck was all that noise outside?? Chloe came running in and took shelter under Dylan's crib. But before I knew it, his eyelids grew heavy and he was asleep. Not a single firework woke him all weekend! Ryan and I snuck outside and nestled up on his tailgate and watched the colorful and noisy celebration in the night sky. What a lovely end to our weekend!

While the long holiday weekend didn't turn out the way we had planned, we still had lots of fun! Thank you to my boys for taking such good care of me over the past few days. I love you two SO much!