I know it's been awhile...

As I sit writing this today, my little Ryder is sitting in his jump-a-roo playing and singing and laughing. He is such a happy baby. I have him for the entire weekend!! Three weeks ago he, I and my shih tzu, Roxy drove to Illinois to visit my family. Ryder got to meet his great PawPaw for the first time...




Big Cousin Rylie, PawPaw and Ryder
&
PawPaw and Lyllie


PawPaw isn't doing well, his health has really taken a bad turn, so it was very important to all of us to get Ryder down there to meet him. My daughter Aimee had flown down a few weeks earlier with Lyllie so PawPaw could meet her...so now he has been able to see both of his great grandbabies. Also--if he knew I posted these pics of him, he would ring my neck...so shhhhhhh!!! Nobody tell PawPaw!!!! These are very precious pictures to all of us. We all really love our PawPaw, and wish he was doing better...we don't want him to go...

When Aimee and Lyllie flew down, my mom had no idea they were coming, so she was really surprised. It did my mom a world of good to have them there as this has been very hard on her. My grandma, her mom, just passed away a year ago in September, and then three weeks later, PawPaw was diagnosed with a brain tumor and lung cancer.

Here is my mom when Aimee came walking in with the Lyllie...


What a wonderful surprise...great grandma meets Lyllie for the
first time...



Great Grandma, my niece, Rylie and Lyllie




Second cousins Rylie and Lyllie



I must say, Ryder did very well on the long car ride. We left just before nap time both ways, so I got half the drive in while he was sleeping both on the way down and on the way home. Then when he was awake, we stopped every two hours so he could get out and play and Roxy could go potty. It's normally an 8 hour drive, and this stretched it out into 10 hours, but overall it went very well. Was I ever nervous though driving that far with a baby!!

We were there over Easter, so Ryder got to go on his first Easter Egg hunt while we were there as well...

Ryder and Great Auntie Kari found an egg!!


Ryder's first Easter Egg

On the crafting front--I have been doing more crocheting than knitting. I am working on a log cabin afghan for me...done in squares to be crocheted together rather than one big square, and it is going to be huge...I want it to cover my whole bed and hang over the sides.

And I made this adorable hat for Ryder...

Ryder and his Daddy...my son, Zak...
two very handsome dudes!!! Just my opinion!

I also have made a super cute hat for Lyllie, and am just putting the finishing touches on a poncho, so will post pics of the outfit this evening, and will HOPEFULLY have pics of her wearing it to post after this weekend.

So I guess that is all for now. I just wanted to get caught up here, and am going to try to be better about posting again...life just gets away from us sometimes!!

Great Grandma, Ryder and Great PawPaw