October 2007 Pumpkin Patch

On the 27th we went to the Pumpkin Patch. The kids had a blast. We felt pretty bad after we sent them on the barrel train by themselves. When we first saw it, we thought it looked like a cute little ride, nice and slow. So, since there was only one barrel available, we put them in together and said bye. Then we saw one of our friends and he asked where the kids were. We told him we sent them on the barrel train...he was shocked and said it goes kinda fast and can jerk them around a bit-but not to worry as long as the 4 yr old was holding the 2 yr old... They did not like that first train ride, after that it was "lots of fun." Lexie's favorite part was riding the pony. Joseph and Andrew's was the barrel train. We saw a real train going by and Joseph really wanted to go on that one, too. Rick's favorite part was feeding the ducks. My favorite part was everything. We are definitely doing this again next year.

October 2007

We went to Golden to visit my friend Jess and her kids. We played at what Lexie named "Too Much Fun Park."

Here's Lexie & her happy music ears!

On the 13th we left Lexie and Joseph in Kansas with Grandma and Grandpa Rytting while Rick and I went on a cruise with his family. This was Andrew's first plane ride and he was a trooper-even though our plane was struck by lightning. More pictures of the cruise to follow.

Much to our surprise, we got home from the cruise with this on the ground. What a rude awakening! Lexie and Joseph couldn't wait to get out and make snow angels and have a snowball fight.

Lexie's Joy School had a Halloween Party.

She didn't want to pose for one more picture with Joseph, she was ready for the yummy treats she and her friends made. We all had a lot of fun and Daddy surprised her by coming too.

Our sweet Andrew giving Daddy cute smiles.

Rick's friend Aaron came out to go to Monday Night Football (Broncos/Packers game). Even though the Broncos lost, they still had a blast. Lexie and Joseph sure loved having Aaron here. Here are a couple of pictures of Joseph and Aaron playing.We had an awesome Halloween. We had a fun Trunk or Treat at the Church. We carved pumpkins with the kids. They really enjoyed it and Lexie gave us good directions to follow to make sure we did them right. Rick took the kids Trick or Treating while Andrew helped hand out candy with Mom.

One of the first houses that the kids went to had a motion activated skeleton that lit up and cackled just as Lexie stepped on the doormat - it absolutely terrified Lexie and Joseph who went running and screaming back to dad. Even though they didn't make it close enough to knock, someone heard the screaming and brought candy to them. The rest of the night, Lexie was careful not to step on any more doormats because she thought it would cause another skeleton to attack.

Joseph was more excited about petting puppies than he was about getting candy. Every time he saw a dog he would say "I love puppies!" and try to pet them. One lady was holding her dog and had to pull back when Joseph tried to pet it. She explained to him that she didn't want her puppy to snap at him, so I told Joseph to make sure to ask before petting puppies. After that, every house we went to he would ask if he could pet their puppy. Some people were pretty confused, but others patiently explained that they didn't have a puppy. Poor Joseph. At least he came home with a nice stash of candy.

September 2007

This month started off with Lexie getting her 2nd ear infection of her life. We did the normal ammoxicillin. After five days on the medicine, she broke out in horrible hives all over her body. This is just how her hands looked.

One night we were getting the kiddos into their pjs and Joseph saw these ones for Andrew. We told him they used to be his, so he decided to put them on. It was kinda fun to see how much Joseph had grown in the last 2 years.

Three little ducklings all cleaned up.

This month ended with another blessing. On the 30th we blessed Andrew. It was a nice experience. We also enjoyed having Grandpa Rytting, the Barnum Family, Grandma & Grandpa Lee, and the Scott & Chrissy's Family all come for the blessing.

A family picture after the blessing. Andrew and Joseph both wore the same outfit Rick did when he was blessed many years ago...

We attempted to get a picture of the kids, some were happier than others.

Andrew just chillin' with Grandpa Lee. Andrew and Grandpa Rytting.

Grandpa Rytting and our kiddos. Lexie calls this her picture of her with Grandpa when she was sad. She had quite the meltdown when her Grandpa left. And yes, Joseph loves to play dress-up.

Grandpa with our kids and 5/8s of the Becca's children. As you can see, it's always fun for everyone when Grandpa comes.

August 2007

Lexie started Joy School on the 14th. She loves all of her friends and her teacher, Miss Jen.

August was a very special month. We welcomed Andrew Richard Leeto our family. He was born on the 18th. I was scheduled to be induced that night, but he decided to come on his own. I was having contractions most of the day. Finally we decided to go in at 4:30 pm and he was born at 9:29 pm. He was facing the wrong way, so it took a little more work to get him out. And in the end we needed to help vacuum him out. He weighed in at 8 lbs 15 oz and was 22 inches tall. He is such a sweet little guy. Lexie and Joseph absolutely adore him. We were so grateful to have my Mom come and spend a week with us to help us adjust from man-to-man to zone defense.

Our sweet little guy resting.

Cute Joseph playing with play-doh.

Mama's boys.

July 2007

Rick planted 10 trees in our backyard. The prairie dog, I mean Lexie, was a good helper with digging the holes.

We hope they never lose their desire to be missionaries.

Lexie turned 4! She is such a delight and has so much personality. We love her tons! (Thanks for decorating the cake Joyce.)Rick spent several late nights working on her big present....her own bedroom! It was all worth it when we saw her reaction.

A new bedroom and a new bike...what a great birthday!

Grandma Lee's birthday is the day after Lexie's...blow out the candles.

We went to a couple of Rockies games this year. Little did we know that this same team would play in the World Series.

June 2007

This month is filled with birthdays in our family: Grandpa Lee, Grandpa Rytting, and Rick (not to mention many siblings and cousins, too). Grandpa Lee sure was surprised when all of his kids and grandkids showed up in Idaho to celebrate his 60th birthday. We stayed at Aunt Stephanie's house. We sure had a hard time dragging Lexie out of the sandbox. Here's Grandpa Lee with most of his grandkids.Here's Rick with his parents and siblings.

Here's our family picture. Last one until we have our baby boy! And I just love this picture of my  Joseph. He is so grown up and just a cheese! Love it!

May 2007

We begin with a visit from our friendly neighborhood bomb squad. Should we be concerned with this in our backyard? Our chilly ducklings after bathtime.Joseph really loves to play dress-up. For some reason he had trouble hearing Dad when he was describing his "new" outfit.We couldn't tell what he was more excited about...his new big boy underwear or his sombrero. "Thanks for the big hat, Grandma Rytting!"