Trip to Utopia

After the Sutherland Reunion in Uvalde, we went to visit Utopia.

Rachel and Grandma fed the catfish. There is a drought and the water in the tank is very low.

Rachel got to ride a horse for the first time!

Owen got to meet his extended family at Granny's house.

Rachel was sad to say goodbye.

Sutherland Reunion

We traveled to Uvalde this weekend for the Sutherland-Rogers-Witt reunion.  We all had a good time seeing the family.  Owen got to meet lots of his relatives for the first time.

Owen says "hello" from Chalk Bluff - it got to 106 there on Saturday!

Fortunately, the water in the river was nice and cool (although there was not as much of it as usual).  We  had to make Rachel take a break from swimming to stop shivering.  She was not thrilled with break time.

 

Owen enjoyed spending time with Mimi, GranDave and Aunt Mandy.

Rachel was very happy when we finally took her back in the water.  She loves to swim.

It was fun to see Uncle Travis

Taylor helped Rachel do craft projects

Despite the heat and the drought, there was a pretty good turnout for the reunion

We did not want Owen to get overheated, so I spent some time hanging out with him by the big fan.  Rachel enjoyed the breeze as well.

Uncle Travis is lots of fun

Eating dinner with Josh, Janel, Emily and Mandy

Rachel loves spending time with her cousin Taylor

Owen got a certificate for being the youngest family member at the reunion.  It is hard to beat 4 weeks and 1 day.

Planning trouble with Uncle Travis

Mandy, Wes and Owen

 

Three generations of Sutherlands

Last Week

Things continue to go well with two kids in the house.  It has still been very hot so our time is mostly spent playing inside or in the backyard pool.

 

Rachel enjoys helping Owen play in his play gym.  She gets it out for him and then joins him in it to play.

 

She is much better at reaching the toys but I am sure he will eventually learn from her example.

Owen seems to enjoy it when Rachel tends to his various "needs".  She likes to bring him bibs, blankets and various toys to make sure he is comfortable whether he needs them or not.

She also focuses much of her caring energy on her toys, including her bear.  She likes to make sure everyone has a bib to wear.

Owen likes to ride in his swing - very relaxing.

Rachel is always happy when it is time to play in the pool.

She is almost ready to learn to swim on her own.

Yummy kiwi - Rachel insisted on eating it whole.

Owen, of course, napped during snack time.

On Friday, we went to the library.  Rachel enjoyed playing with the puzzles in the kids' area.

We read some of the books she selected while Owen rested in the baby carrier.

Rachel was excited to read her books again when we got them home.  She loves to read!

 

Bath time again?!? 

 

Four weeks old

Happy Tuesday

Here are just a few pictures of how Owen and I spent our time today while Rachel went to the park with our nanny.

Good morning everyone!

Fascinated by his hand

Accidentally kicking the elephant can be fun, too

Not a huge fan of tummy time so far

Back to relaxing on his back

Rachel is a Gymnast

We tried out a gymnastics class for Rachel last weekend.  Wes got to help Rachel in the class while Owen and I watched through the window.  She had a lot of fun so we might take her back again sometime.

Practicing her forward roll

An expert on the balance beam

We did not have too much going on over the past week.  We enjoyed spending time at home - we only ventured out when it was not too terribly hot outside.  

Rachel likes to play with all of Owen's toys.  Here she is proving that she can still fit in a baby bouncy chair. 

Seeing Owen in the chair shows what a difference two years and two weeks can make.

Owen has been generally enjoying life so far.  He is still not quite sure about baths but he tolerates them well enough.

Here he is at three weeks old