2 Months Old

Hoyt is now 2 months old! He is growing up so fast and getting chubby. I wasn't sure how much he had grown until we took him to the Dr. Here are the 2 month stats:

Weight: 12 lbs 11 oz (75%)

Height: 23 in (55%)

Head: 15 in (13%)

He survived his first round of shots and didn't have much of a reaction.

Here's our cute little man!

I am seriously so grateful for this little boy and love having him in our family! He is really smiling, cooing and trying to laugh which is so much fun. He likes to be held and cuddled and is a really great baby.

Smiley guy!

Our handsome guy all dressed up for church.

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.