July 4th & 24th Celebrations

This year we spent the 4th & 24th of July with my family doing small town celebrations. The 1st of July was my birthday; I didn't get any pictures this year, but it was a pretty good day. Bryan took me to Pizza Factory for lunch, then we drove over to stay with my family for the holiday and had a BBQ topped off with cake and ice cream.

For the 4th (which was actually on the 3rd since the 4th was on Sunday) we enjoyed sleeping in, having breakfast with the family, then took some family photos when we were in our red, white and blue.

Our cute family.

Lexie had a great time going and playing some games at the town park. She got some fun prizes including her awesome sunglasses.

After games at the park they had free swimming at the town pool. Lexie was excited to go to the pool and swim with Jen! She did stay close to the edge but still had fun.

I didn't get any pictures in the evening, but we went to Kanab for our traditional dutch oven dinner and fireworks at my aunt Merilee's house. It was awesome as usual--great food, great family, great fireworks, and a great Independence Day party! Sunday we went to church and relaxed with the family. On Monday we decided to have another family get together at the Hoyt ranch. We went out and had a BBQ/Dutch oven dinner and Lexie was in heaven playing in the great outdoors with plent of dirt, rocks and sticks.

We also had a fun Pioneer Day on the 24th! There is nothing quite like being in a small town with a rich pioneer heritage to really get you into the spirit of the holiday. I have fond memories of the 24th of July in my hometown. In the morning we got ready and headed down the street for the 20 minute parade.

Waiting for the parade to start. Hoyt had a really nice time.

Bryan and Lexie watching the parade & Lexie with her candy!

Primary float with Jen & Lexie waving to Aunt Mickell and Aunt Jodi on the cheerleader float...or golf cart I guess.

We went to the park after and got some lunch and Lexie and Jen learned how to make homemade ice cream in a bag.

Later in the evening we went up to the town park for a free awesome BBQ/Dutch Oven town dinner which was really good. We are grateful for the founders of our country and the pioneers who settled here for all they sacrificed to give us such a great place to live! July is always fun to celebrate, be with family, and show gratitude for our blessings!

Lexie Loves Summer!

Lexie definately loves summer! I was excited to get out all of her cute summer clothes and we tried out some new hairstyles. She's such a cute little girl!

Being outside is Lexie's favorite thing. Every day we go outside to check on the "plants" in our garden and she enjoys picking up rocks and sticks. She especially loves going to the swings and slides. She is obsessed with playgrounds and gets really upset when it is time to go. Here are pictures from one of many trips to playgrounds this summer.

We decided to get a pool for our backyard this summer. Lexie isn't sure exactly what to think about pools, but she loves swimming and playing in the water. It also has been hard to get her to leave once she is in!

And what is summer without sunglasses? Lexie decided to try on Grandpa's shades and Jen joined in wearing one of the teenage girls' glasses. So cute!

First Bath & 1 Month Old

Hoyt's first bath didn't come until he was 4 weeks old. Lexie's cord fell off in 5 days, but Hoyt's cord waited until the day before he turned 4 weeks old so he was a little slower.

Here is a before and after picture.

Here he is ready for the bath and then getting a bath. The cloth covering him is not only for modestly, but to save us from getting sprayed!

Here he is enjoying the bath. As much as he hated being cold, he really loves baths!

The day Hoyt turned 1 month old we went over to visit Uncle Pete who just got home from his mission. While there, Hoyt got to meet Great Grandpa & Great Grandma Hoyt.

Hoyt inherited the Lyman trait of sleeping with his arm on his head. I had to take a picture.

Tummy Time!

Gotta love the tongue sticking out.

He's such a sweet little guy!

A Name and Blessing

On June 6, Bryan was able to give a name and blessing to our little Hoyt Riley Lyman. I wanted to share a little bit about his name. I have always wanted to name a son after my maiden name because I think Hoyt is a cute boy name. We weren't sure what to do for a middle name so I told Bryan I wanted him to choose a family name from his side that he liked and sounded good with the first name. He decided on Riley which was his Grandpa Swanson's name. Bryan never met his grandpa because he died before Bry was born, but we know he was a great guy. The thing that sealed the deal for the name was when I looked up the meanings for both names: Hoyt = spirit and Riley = valiant. So he's our little Valiant Spirit...I loved that! The blessing Bryan gave was sweet and I know this little guy is so special and will do many amazing things in his life.

Here he is in his little blessing tuxedo posing for us.

He was so tired, but he looked handsome!

Hoyt with his Daddy who gave a great blessing!

Hoyt with his Grandparents and Great Grandparents.

Our family.

The entire group at the blessing.

Hoyt family at the blessing.

Lyman family at the blessing.

We want to thank everyone who traveled to be with us for Hoyt's special day. We missed those who could not be here and want to thank you for your well wishes, thoughts and prayers. It has been such a blessing to have our little boy here; he makes our home so much more complete. I love being a mother and I'm grateful for having Bryan who holds the priesthood so we can be blessed by having that power in our lives.

A Little Catching Up

I have a lot of catching up to do. It isn't very easy going from 1 to 2 kids and takes some getting used to. I would say so far it's not as hard as I expected but that's not to say it's super easy. Lexie loves her baby brother and wants to hold him all of the time. She never intentionally hurts him, but likes to bounce a lot around him. He has been partially fallen on and kicked in the head a few times but nothing serious...he's tough!

These pictures are funny. First Hoyt sticks his tongue out at Lexie then he looks over like "Mom, are you sure this is a good idea?"

At his 2 week checkup Hoyt weighed 7 lbs 12 oz (21%), was 21 in (60%), and head was 13.5 in (7%). He is healthy and strong and has been lifting his head since the day we brought him home. This morning in bed he rolled from his side onto his stomach and he loves to push up with his legs when you hold him. He is a happy kid unless he is cold (when you change his clothes or diaper), or hungry. We still don't know exactly who he looks like, but we know he is super cute!

Giving me the "I love you" sign. Little genius or just coincidence?

As far as sleeping goes, some nights are better than others. He usually only gets up to eat around 2:30 and 6 a.m. and has gotten better at sleeping in his bassinet most of the time, but unlike Lexie who has never slept a night of her life in our bed, Hoyt has spent part of many nights in bed with us which has not been fun. I do love how cuddly he is and love spending many hours each day just holding him and snuggling and not caring that my house isn't getting cleaned or I don't get showered until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. These babies grow up so fast and I am enjoying my time with a tiny baby for as long as I can!

Hoyt at 3 weeks old giving me smiles.

Cute boy being good getting pictures...and then he's done.

My 2 kids! They are both super cute and I love the one where they are looking at each other. Lexie is such a great big sister and Hoyt is sweet!

For Memorial Day we went on a picnic and let Lexie play on the slide. I forgot my camera so we didn't get pictures, but she loved the slide and went up and down, up and down, until we had to go and we had to drag her out of there kicking and screaming for more. She is loving the warm weather and begs to go outside every chance she gets so she can pick up rocks and help water the plants.

June 1^st my brother Pete came home from his mission in Houston, TX. We traveled to St. George to see him fly in. This was the first time Pete got to meet his niece and nephew and Lexie was excited to meet another uncle!

Lexie had fun playing with her aunts and uncles at the airport.

Great Grandma Mickelson got her turn with the baby.

Here is Lexie meeting Uncle Pete and our little family with the new RM.