April 2009

For my birthday last year, Mike bought me a new bike and carriage for the kids. It was such a great gift. Mike used my Grandma's old bike and we were able to go on fun bike trips. This year Mike and Pop-pop had the bike tuned up and repaired so I could use it all spring!

Here Pop-pop gives Ryan and Ryleigh their first ride together! The bike was a hit! We started riding to Ryan's preschool on it as well as to some fishing holes around our neighborhood. It was so fun! What a great gift. Thank you guys!

April was a great month for out-door activities. The Hutta boys resumed their games of baseball!
There's the pitch...
SWING BATTA!
Yes, that is Mike picking up the ball in the back-ground. But who cares when you can run the bases anyway? Go Ryan Go! Little Ryleigh claps on her picnic blanket!

Ryan Michael: still the Master of Cheese!

April was such an amazing month that I decided it was time to build a swing-set.

So I went out and bought the lumber with my little baby strapped to my back and Ryan in tow. I somehow got it all in the backyard and started working. I did this on a Tuesday after Mike flew out of the state for a three day business meeting. By that evening, I called my parents for help. I am not sure how I planned on using a power saw with a baby at my side.

So my beautiful plan went up in smoke by Thursday.

Well, it made for a wonderful Saturday morning family project!

Oops!

Thank God for a patient husband and a helpful son! But even Mike needed help with this HEAVY project....

... enters my Dad. But even my father needed help...

...enter my Mom. She brought a unique gift...

.. she brought snacks! Dad was all over it!

Ryan had to get his sun glasses while he was helping his Daddy work. He had to be just like his Dada. Mike looks to be the proud papa!

Thanks to Gma-Rissa... we have a record of Ryleigh and I being apart of the festivities!

Finally, after hours of work.. the guys were able to stand the swing set up.. we all were so excited!

.. and we were shocked. It looked like a gallows. Yup. We built a gallows in our back yard. We were stunned.. and then we laughed ! Maybe adding the swings will help to obscure its look. Maybe. We will see.

During April, we had a wonderful Couple's Game Night hosted by Dan and Nicole Ludwig. It was a city-wide scavenger hunt. We were able to partner with Patti and Glenn. We had a blast! We came prepared with everything and anything. Mike and I brought our wifi computer while Patti brought some great resources. We ran crazily all over. Here we pose with a bag of carrots at our first stop in this scavenger hunt!

Here is another picture of us on Mill Avenue posing for another picture. It took us a bit to get to this point. We got hung up at Ikea searching for the next clue. We scoured the store. We thought we were really behind as we encountered other teams racing out of the building as we were running in.. we had no idea they were running out to beg for an additional clue. Patti and I were completely lost. When we finally found the clue.. the other teams were running back into the store to redouble their efforts. They begged us for help, we told them their clue was literal and then we ran.

Here is our picture that proved we were on Mill. After this picture, we had to run to Boulder's on Broadway to dance and sing in front of the entire bar to get our next clue. The last clue stumped us for a few minutes.. but we finally solved it and ran downtown to the ball park. We parked the car and ran as fast as we could. Patti and I were laughing as we scrambled over the entrance of the park looking for any clue. Little did we know that we had won! And we won by a lot! We got to sit back and watch the other teams roll in.. it was so fun! After the game we went into the park and had lunch. While waiting for our food, Mike and I discovered a little dumb-waiter within the restaurant. We thought we would play with it.. and promptly got stuck right between floors. It was rather embarrassing, but funny nevertheless.

Ryan's interest in fishing steadily increased. So Pop-pop blessed Ryan with his own fishing rod. Ryan was elated! He couldn't believe it. They went right outside and practiced casting. Ryan was a natural. Pop-pop was beaming.

After receiving this gift, Ryan was sold on fishing. We fished everywhere. The pole was in the car, it was on the bicycle, he even had it with him when he went to bed. He taught his friends and cousins how to caste and he played in the cul-de-sac holding his precious fishing pole.

The month of April saw Ryan and Ryleigh's first bath together. Ryan was so excited to teach Ryleigh how bath time works. Here he has a innocent cup of water. I cautioned him on his decisions...

...so Ryan demonstrates how water is poured out of the cup on to his arm...

... then, with a new cup of water, Ryan assures me that he will be VERY careful as he bathes his sister...

...cautiously, he poured water over the back of Ryleigh's head. She was a champ. They had a wonderful time together!