A letter from a boy...

Tyler just loves his cousin Tanner.
My sister and their family live in Arizona...so we only see them once a year or so.
However, Ty doesn't forget...and often...

He randomly comes out with a drawing, or a letter, or a book he has made for Tanner.
Here is his lastest one.
It is so funny and adorable.
I can't read it without breaking into tears.
(as an explanation....Tanner calls everyone Hobo. He got it from the Nickelodeon show, I-Carly. Tyler just thinks it is hillarious...and somehow over the last year, it has just stuck as Tanners name of adoration from Tyler. :))

I just love, that even though they have never lived close...and have never had major amounts of time to bond...that they just love each other.
It makes me very happy that Tyler just randomly thinks of him.
I have such a nice little boy.

He makes me so happy!
I love you!

Departure day....

The kids took the last opportunity to play before heading off for the airport.

They had so much fun together, and I know Tyler is very sad to see Tanner go.

He held it together all of the way to the airport, and even said goodbye just fine. We drove home and were just about to get off of the freeway and I looked at Ty in the rear view mirror...and he looked SO SO sad...and I said...honey, what is the matter, and he said...I don't want Tanner to go..and BURST into tears.


Oh it was so sad. He cried like that when his daddy left the country on business last year. I find it to be a very mature emotion for a five year old...to show sadness like that.

Losing his built in buddy proved to be very hard for the next 24 hours...

He now just keeps asking when he is coming back!

Just a Little Bowling in the Livingroom!

While My sister and Nephew were here, they were turned on to the JOY that is the Wii!!!!

What a wonderful, friendly, cousin filled evening...

What a wonderful bunch of competitive, smiley children...

Memories!

I find the Wii to be platform for a myriad of wonderful family memories...

We challenge each other to bowling, golf, and baseball...we can compete in the Olympics...and right now, the favorite, all around, is car racing in Mario Kart.

When else could my, just turned, three-year old, five year old and my sixteen year old play on the same level of a game, and laugh, and roll on the ground in pure belly laughs.

Where else would a daddy be able to play right next to his five year in a round of golf...AND...get his pants beaten off of him!

When else might you see a husband and wife compete in an Olympic Race (in their living room) running as fast as possible and laughing and squealing the whole time as though they were back in Middle school, for the pure competition of it all.

I have never been a proponent of video games, EVER...but...in it's very limited quantity that we allow...this has been nothing but GOOD in our living room!

Ahhhh...and...it is a great bribe for bedroom cleaning...staying in bed at night...and a great reminder to stay well-behaved at a store.

A Long Awaited Visit

My sister, Sandy and nephew, Tanner came and visited for a couple of weeks! They live in Arizona, so we don't see them often.

Our boys are 18 months apart, so it is really fun to let them, and watch them play together.
(Posing, of course)

The evolving of time is right under my nose, when I think back to Tyler's birth and Tanner being 18 months old...they seemed like worlds apart...but now, as a kindergartener and a first grader they play wonderfully...as if they lived next door to each other forever...

Truth is, they have really only seen each other about 8 times in their entire lives. You would never know it though...they interacted like brothers...and Tyler was SO sad when he left.

Tyler has some great friends, and plays with Makylie amazingly well...but having a built boy in the house to play with 24/7 was so much fun for him!

So the weather was a little bit "Seattle" while they were here. They flew in to snow on the ground, with another 2 inches to follow that night. School was even cancelled! Tanner has more-or-less never seen real snow, so it was GREAT for him, he LOVED every second of it!

So even though they were here for a visit, Tyler and Karman still had school, Karman a full day, so she couldn't join us for our outtings, and Tyler only goes for a few hours, so we could work around it and make the most of the time we had available...because of that, some of the days were just going out to lunch or to the mall...we squeezed in a couple Target and Kohls runs as well! :)

(FYI: Not only school for Karman though, they happened to be here right at her final two weeks in debate. She had her last two tournaments at that time. She also went to state while they were here...so she was pretty busy with her commitments and missed a lot of what we were doing.)

We did go get our pictures taken one of the evenings as well!

(these are pictures of the pictures...)

We did have TWO whole sunny days...so we took advantage of those, and took the kids to the Zoo, and then to Pike Place the next day...

(Here is my sister and the kids at the zoo)

(Makylie and an otter)

It was cold, but actually turned out really nice! It was a couple really fun days filled with great memories! The kids had a great time, and I know mine at least, have not stopped talking about it...especially the zoo!

(web climb at the zoo...)

We went bowling one afternoon. It was really fun, but it is quite a slap-in-the-face, when your kids kick your can all around the block. Next time, I want the bumpers up too!

On one of our last days together we took the kids to the Children's museum. That was a lot of fun...they had a few new exibits since the last time that we had been there, and it was great for the boys' age group especially! We also did Makylie's birthday party a little early on this evening.

One night my sister and I got to enjoy a night out alone...Kevin offered to keep the kids and do a family movie night. They watched Madagascar2 and got pizza...and we went out to dinner and then SHOPPING...

We had a great time, and we miss them terribly, already. I so loved having my DOUBLE-FISTED mocha partner...another TARGET junkie, and someone to teach me the beauty that IS KOHLS...Of course having someone to talk to late in the night, complain with, contemplate with...there is nothing better! I so wish that we lived closer, so our kids could really experience everyday life together, and so that the good time that we had, could be anytime instead of only once in long while. The trip felt far too short...but that is how the story goes...now we just anticipate next time!

I do miss my sister though...