Tuesdays with Gavin

Yesterday was Tuesday, so as usual, Gavin came over to play.

Layla thinks she can just crawl over anything and everyone (she does it to Elv too)...

I thought it was cute that they were both reading "Goodnight Moon"...

"Look, Gavin, that's a really good page."

"It's so nice that we can have such serious conversations, Layla."

"Yuck, look at that over there, Layla." "Ick, that is gross."

They were quite relaxed snuggling together after their walk...

Who knew that pillows could be so much fun!?!

This was on Monday, but I thought it was funny. She just kept throwing things out of her cart onto Elvis. Most things would bounce off, except the tuppaware cover (apparently she found that in the cupboard). Elv is so nice, he just sat there while things kept bouncing off his head:-).

Tonight Layla made it all the way across the living room walking by herself! She doesn't take steps too often as she must think that crawling is quicker, so making it 15ish steps was a long ways for her (our living room isn't very big:D). She had found these giant straws in our cupboard (I have no idea where--I didn't even recognize them??) and was walking around with them. I think she thought those gave her extra balance walking:-).

Royce Gets Married

On Saturday my dad got married to Joyce. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful wedding! It was a small wedding with basically just family followed by dinner and drinks at Via Maria. There are quite a few pictures on this post, but it's not too often that we all get dressed up and take pictures so it was hard to choose which ones to post! :-)

Layla and Gavin were both well behaved during the ceremony. Layla kept entertained by snacking...

We are singing here, that's why our mouths look strange:-). One of Joyce's friends wrote a song for their wedding day.

Officially now Mr. and Mrs. Ron Buursma...

Layla enjoyed sitting on this chair for a bit...until she fell through the back of it that is:-(. Joe took his eyes off of her for about 2 seconds and I was putting my camera away and she slid through the back of it. I think it scared her more than it hurt her, but of course it had to happen in front of everyone!

The whole family...

(From L - R)

Joyce's daugther Gina and her girlfriend Laura, Joyce's grandson Tate, son-in-law Eric, daughter Kristina, grandaughter Kassia, Joyce, my dad, Gavin, Mike, Em, me, Joe, Layla

Future model?? :-)

Joe and Layla...

Us...

Gavin, Mike and Em...

Layla and me...

The wedding was at the park on 32nd Street (a Hope College park I think)--it was perfect for the wedding and for pictures! Layla still doesn't love grass that much (but is warming up to it) so that helps her stand longer on her own. A couple of times last week she even took a step. Then last night when grandpa and grandma were baby-sitting her she took two steps in a row and she did it again today for us!

Picking up leaves is fun...

Gavin and Em (don't worry, that is Layla's princess bowl, not Gavin's:D)...

My Aunt Linda (my mom's sister) and Uncle John...

Joyce and my dad got Layla this pretty bracelet for her birthday, but unfortunately she wouldn't keep it on. She would barely keep it on long enough for me to get a picture of it...

Chillin' during pictures...not real amused at me taking pics of him...

Royce and their grandkids...

Us again...

Joyce's daughter, Kristina, and her family...

At Via Maria...

Layla got Trix in her favor box (the adults did not get Trix:D)...

Listening to one of the toasts...

Their Mickey and Minnie cake (they got engaged in Disney this spring and bought them there)...

Enjoying the sourdough crust...

Us at dinner before Layla left. Joe's parents were nice enough to pick up Layla and Gavin and bring them back to our house to put them to bed. It worked great!

Mayor McGeehan was eating there too so he stopped by to congratulate them...

It was a great wedding and we now wish them the best in their new life together!

Holiday Weekend

We enjoyed a nice long holiday weekend! Friday night we didn't do much. I actually can't even remember what we did, so it must not have been too exciting:-). Oh, that's right, we picked up Boston Market and went and ate at a park with both kids (Elv and Layla of course). Saturday morning we headed to Hutchin's Lake for brunch with Joe's family.

Layla and her buddy Camryn playing (and often trying to escape) on the deck...

Layla and Uncle Steve playing together...

Little Miss Independent...that shirt sure does desribe her:-)...

Layla and Mommy...

She loves her monkeys from her barrel of monkeys...

On her first boat...no, not her first boat ride (they didn't go anywhere)...just hanging out on their boat...

Exploring the boat with Joe's cousin, Tim...

Practicing driving the boat for when she does get to go on her first boat ride...

Layla loves climbing on everything these days and she has no fear of falling which is trouble! She's only in a onesie since it was between parties and she didn't want to dirty her fourth outfit:-)

At night we went to Joyce's for swimming and supper and smores. This is the best pic I have of Layla and Gavin together:-).

Gigi and Layla...

Mike, Em and Gavin...

Us...

Joe had off for the fourth on Monday, so we just enjoyed a nice day working around the house and such. Elv and Layla enjoyed watching Daddy work outside...

Later in the afternoon we headed out to GR to look at a trailer that Em and Mike had found. We've been looking for the past month or so. After that we headed for dinner at Sonic (we had never been before!) and then to Menards to get some stuff that Joe needed for the basement. It was approaching Layla's bedtime by then (8pm) so Layla was getting a little testy in Menards. I was pushing her around in the cart while Joe found what he needed. We found a big bin of bouncy balls which she was very excited about. I gave her one to play with and she liked that for a second then pointed to the rest like she wanted all of them ("ba, ba" as she calls them). I then let her keep the one she had in the cart (she needs one for outside anyway--I don't always give in and buy her what she wants:D), she threw a total tantrum when we left the balls. She's been doing this at home with certain things too. At home, she screams, arches her back and throws her head backward into the floor. She has started doing that sometimes during diaper changes and while getting dressed and she's started hating baths all of a sudden. I guess she's just stating her independence:-). She likes to do things on her time:-).

Today Gavin is over and the kids are enjoying watching Michael Jackson's funeral. Okay, so they're not really enjoying it, but look back someday they can now know that they did watch it:-).

This is a lot harder to push with Gavin in it...

If Gavin can get in it, I must be able to too!

This works better to have Gavin push me!

Now if only we could both fit...

Like I said earlier, the girl has no fear of falling...

It's cute, if one of them lays down, the other often lays next to them...