Seven Months

Hard to believe Ryan is 7 months...so close to 1 already! This past month was a busy month for Ryan. He learned to sit on his own, got his first tooth, took his first (long) road trip to the Frio River, started eating 3 meals a day, ate his first Cheerio (1/4 at a time of course), tried Mum-Mums (which he loves), and even made some movement with his fingers to imitate a wave. He has been sleeping really well lately (except for last night when he decided to wake up once). He loves to giggle and smile, and all of his teachers rave about how good he is. He is such a joy!

Here is Ryan with the elephant for 7 months! He looks so much like Russ to me in these pictures.

The Gray Band

With a little imagination, we created our own band the other night before bed. Ryan played the piano while Kyle sung and played the drums. The boys had fun, and Ryan enjoyed watching Kyle dancing and banging his diaper genie. We've had similar performances over the past few nights. Last night we put some Bob Seger on and Kyle kept asking me to replay the "rock and roll" song, "Old Time Rock and Roll". An old hair dryer was the guitar, while daddy played the drums. Lots of crazy dancing ensued once again.
*The video didn't upload properly, so I will have to try again

The other Bee Gees - the Brothers Gray
Banging his drum

Father's Day

We had a pretty low-key Father's Day this year, just as Russ wanted it. We all took an afternoon nap and relaxed. Later in the afternoon we headed over to my parent's to celebrate Father's Day for my dad, where we swam and had a cookout. It was a fun time with family!

*Thanks Russ for being such a wonderful husband and father to our two boys. We appreciate all you do! We love you daddy!

Story time with daddy

Happy Father's Day dad - you are the best!
Ryan and Margaret
The "big-kid" cousins enjoying a movie

Busy Saturday

We had a jam-packed Saturday this past weekend. Kyle and Ryan got lots of "cousin time" with Nolan and Henry. The day started off at a Villanova Alumni event at the new St. Arnold's Brewery. We met up with fellow alumn for a couple of hours and enjoyed snacks and beer. Kyle enjoyed the sugary root beer they make, too. Later in the afternoon, we headed to a local splash pad and playground to beat the summer heat. Everyone else had that idea, too, as it was pretty crowded. Kyle and Nolan had a blast splashing in the fountains and playing on the large playground. We ended the night with a trip to Skeeters for some dinner. A stage was set up for a band where Kyle and Nolan enjoyed being silly on stage, dancing and singing.

Checking out the brewery, and the tie-dyed car

Being silly
Funny face
"Catch a wave"
Kyle did this a lot
Crazy boys
3-wheeled tractor
Sisters...and cousins at dinner

Funny video of the boys live on stage
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drussgray/5823023651/in/set-72157624944124660

Frio Fun

At the beginning of the month, we packed up my car and headed west to one of our favorite spots, the Frio River, in Concan, TX. We started going as a couple with a group of friends back in 2003 - back when we were all dating our husbands. Now, 8 years later, most of us are married with kids. We have only missed 2 annual trips in the 8 years - one in 2008 when Kyle was born, and last year when we were in Destin the same week. We look forward to continuing this annual tradition as the boys get older. Kyle had a blast this year and wanted to spend all day down at the river. It's a good thing we only had to walk down the hill from our cabin to get to the water! On our way to the river, we decided to check out Buc-ee's, a first for all of us, and needless to say, we are all fans! Kyle couldn't stop talking about going to Buc-ee's, so we stopped again on our way home, and Kyle got his own Buc-ee shirt, which he proudly wears.

Frio family photo 2011
All the kids...

...and their parents

Snoozing on the river

Water bed

Superstar pose

Snack time with buddy Luke

Happy boy

Sleepy boy

Showing off his new Buc-ee's shirt

Flashback Friday - Volume 21: Birthday boys

Over Memorial Day weekend, Gavin invited us over to play in his new bounce house/pool combo. It was considered a mini birthday celebration for Kyle and Gavin, whose b'day is June 5th, since we both weren't doing friend birthday parties this year. The boys had a blast in the huge pirate's cove pool and loved going down the slippery slide. There was lots of giggling and running, and of course some "brotherly arguing" over toys. Rachel took some awesome pictures of all the boys. You can check out even more here: https://picasaweb.google.com/redfernrachel/20110528?authkey=Gv1sRgCJTD4MCQ4vnwhwE#