Backyard time

There are many things that we enjoy about Bryan's parent's backyard--the shade, the pretty trees, and the covered patio. One extra great place is the basketball court that has become a space for so many activites. One night it became a wagon track.

Papa pulled us around in the big wagon. It's a sturdy and smooth ride. We put some extra padding in there for comfort. 

I couldn't resist taking my turn pulling. There is just something about a cutie in a wagon. 

Oh, the cuteness.

Debbie has beautiful flowers in the backyard. 

Someone kept getting in my face. Casey just manages to be everywhere.

And here is Sarah. Sarah and Casey continue to be a funny pair. They can go from sleeping on the floor together one minute to pouncing on each other the next. They are good friends. 

Even Bryan tested the wagon. 

And Brandon pulled Makenah and MeMe too!

Bryan and his brothers did so many activities on this cement area in the backyard when they were younger It still gets used a lot to this day. He always says that he hopes our house someday can have a big area to play like this. That would be awesome!

Deer Day

I meant to post this two days ago, but got caught up in fun stuff I'll share about later.

There are lots of random days throughout the year that I can remember what happened on that day in years past. In addition to the usual things that come to mind like anniversaries and birthdays, I frequently find myself thinking back to other events that have effected me. (I often do this through pictures.)

One such day for us was June 25, 2008 when we had a head on collision with a deer. Bryan and I were on our way to Garden City where we were meeting up with his family to head to Colorado for the annual bike trip. We were about 20 minutes past Hutchinson on Highway 50, and a HUGE buck jumped out from the trees on the passenger side. Bryan had no time to slow down and we hit it going 65-70mph. It smashed into us so hard. Airbags went off, tires went flat, and it knocked out the computer controls to the jeep. Bryan had to keep us going straight on the road while traffic on the opposite side passed. He stayed so calm and got us pulled off to the side of the road.

We were both fine, just a little shook up. Especially me! Ha! (It wasn't funny at the time, but we can look back and laugh now at my reaction after the airbags went off and we finally got stopped. I did not know this then, but apparently the gas propellant that sets the airbag off smells terrible. I did not know what that smell was and thought the jeep was going to blow up! So, I was a little frantic.)

Long night made short, we called a tow truck that took us back to Newton. Poor Casey couldn't fit in the cab of the truck with us, so he was in the Jeep being towed. My Dad drove from Hesston to come get us. We spent the night in Hesston that night, and left from there for Garden City in the morning in my parents Explorer.

The Jeep was ALMOST totaled. We were relieved that we had good insurance coverage. Wow! It was in the shop for a long time, and got a big facelift. It came back as good as new, and now every time we pass that section of Highway 50 we think back to that night. How thankful we are for our safety.  

Guy stuff

Here's some guy stuff. 

Pictures of bikes, tires, and dirt. 

Bryan and his brothers have been working on their bikes, doing lots of fine tuning and maintenance. 

One night Makenah and I went out to check on what they were doing. 

Details of Bryan's bike. It's intense. 

My sweeties. 

Blake!!!

Here's what you do when you get a hole in your cup when you are out at the shop. 

Guy stuff is cool. 

The not so popular park

No, there was nothing wrong with this park. It was quite a cute park. It was even K-State themed. Makenah was not impressed though. She was a little timid, and preferred to take it all in from the safety of our arms. (No complaints here!) 

Trying the swing by herself. Can you see the grimace on her face. Not popular. 

She has swung in swings before: 

Flashback: Some of my favorite swing pictures...

It was much better just swinging together.

Safe in my arms.

We took her shoes off to stand in the sand barefoot. This was new, and she didn't know what to think. She stood on one foot, and held on the to bar and lifted her other foot, so it didn't have to touch the sand too. She had us laughing.  

In the end, it was just as fun to look at the flowers and listen for the birds with MeMe.

We'll have to try out the park again soon!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to a very special daddy!

Makenah is SO lucky to have a da-da like Bryan. What a blessing he is to us! 

Sweet, caring, kind, loving, and giving. 

Protecting, providing, leading, and serving. 

We LOVE him so much.

A picture from last month...

And a picture a picture from the hospital...

And Happy Father's Day to our dads, Dan and Steve!

(Or Papa Steve and Grandpa Billings, as we call them now!) 

We are so thankful for all you have done for us. 

Your love and support is so special.

We love you dearly!!

One of my favorites...Grandpa and the Ladybug.

And, with her Papa...

Happy Father's Day!!!

The tunnel

The other day we got the idea to get one of those cute expandable tunnels for Makenah. It stores small, and collapses easy. We thought it would be fun for her to crawl through. We were curious to see what she would think of it. 

So far, it's been a hit. We should get the tent that goes with it.
Let me take you through some of the pictures.

Checking it out. Not quite sure what this thing is.

It's sturdy enough to stand by...

(and can you see someone's legs sticking out the other end...)

Heading in!! That's daddy in there!

Being silly later. Uncle Brandon in the tunnel.

Hahaha! Love it!

Is he still in there?!

 The next day, we had to get the tunnel out right away! And, my favorite part, is that her baby had to go in too.

Correction: BOTH babies had to get in the tunnel too.

(Makenah is such a little mommy. She likes to wrap and unwrap her dolls in blankets, rock them and sing the "night night" song, and give them kisses. Wet, open mouth kisses of course.)

My favorite.