When the family gets together- Wedding & Reunion

We had our first Andelin reunion (just joe's immediate family) in WA this year! We don't get to see everyone much because we're all spaced far and wide, so it was great to have everyone together! (Besides matt and cozy who were on their honeymoon :)) Hayes especially had a BLAST and had so many babysitters to play and love on him.  He just loved to roam on the farm.  It was so fun to spend time with the Andelin fam, they are all awesome!  Here are just a bunch of random photos from our time in Washington.

Hayes getting ready for his first plane flight.  Thank you Benadryl.... Hayes slept the entire way.

Brotherly Love. Cute huh?

Hayes was so tired/sick/grumpy that day. But still so handsome.

Craft time!

Enjoying the beautiful weather! Sunday afternoon.

Four generations! (Joe and Hayes just woke up....clearly.)

Family night bbq!

Poor Hayes had hand, foot, and mouth disease all week.  (notice the sores around his mouth in some of the pictures.) Plus he was teething and got two of his back teeth a few days later.  Poor baby. Considering the circumstances he was pretty happy most of the time. Nights were rough though.

It doesn't get any cuter than that!

Grandma helping Hayes ride a bike.

Hayes just loves his uncle spencer. They were best buds the whole time. He also loved the swing set.

Visiting the horses across the street.

The whole crew.

Don't ask me what my hair was this day... it was just kind of a rough hair week all around.

So much fun at Kayak Point.

Look at those cuties :)

No such thing as too much swinging for Hayes.

Skipping rocks with daddy.  Love them!

Ross Lake

Joe, Hayes, and I headed to Washington about 2 weeks ago for Matt's (Joe's brother) wedding and a family reunion with the Andelin family.  All of the boys spent a day at Ross Lake while we were there. I'll post the rest of the reunion pictures later, but for now here is a look at the boy's day at the lake.

My 15 Month Old Cutie

15 months!? Since when am I old enough to have a toddler? :) Here are a few things to remember about my Hazey.

1. Hayes has these curly blonde locks that are to die for. Hayes is going to be a heart breaker, I'm sure of it.

2. Joe and I think Hayes is a baby genius. :) I swear, he is so smart. I don't even want to try and list all the words he says because I know I'll forget some and he says something new everyday!

3. He has definitely hit the toddler stage where, "no" is an all too common word around our house, and tantrums are an almost daily thing.  I'm learning patience.  He will be the sweetest little thing and then something doesn't go his way and BAM- he is a monster. haha. It's hard at this age because he's too young to understand a lot, but we are trying to teach him that whining and crying is not how we get what we want in life.  I thought I had some pretty proud moments in life, but let me tell you, those times don't even come close to the moment when I hear, "hep peas," (help please) from my little boy, instead of whining for something.  Seriously, these are the moments to live for people.

4. Hayes loves to please his parents and to make us laugh. He just beams when we tell him to do something and then praise him for it afterwords.

5. He is so funny and we just love playing with him and seeing what silly things he will come up with.  He surprises us all the time with how much he knows and observes.  The kid has so much energy, it is crazy.  He still just wants to go, go, go, 24/7. Sitting is not an option, and exploring everything within his reach is his goal. You can understand that grocery shopping and church have become quite the task.

6. He really is such a sweetie and gives out "loves" freely. He brings such a bright and loving spirit into our home.  I love that snuggly little guy.

7. Hayes is my best little buddy.

Being a mom is hard sometimes. Every stage brings new joys and new challenges.  I've learned I've got to be a lot more go with the flow than I normally would be.  I'm all about the schedules and stress out when things don't go as planned, but sometimes you just can't plan it all with a baby toddler.  I hear about other people's children and how perfect and well behaved they are and just think, "hmm. well my kid is crazy." haha. No, he really is a good little boy.  I can't think of a greater calling in life than being a mom, even with all of its ups and downs.  I know Heavenly Father helps me grow through my energetic little boy and Hayes teaches me the perfect kind of love.

Hayes keeps on growing for some reason, even when I tell him to stop.  He will, however, always be my baby boy.