Wow, what a summer!

It was a great summer for the Beardsley family. We went to the beach for a week, the lake for a few weekends, Storyland and to the beach trailer! We got to spend so much time with our extended family which we do not take for granted. Calan and Ryan became fast friends and Kaelen is still best friends with Emma but really took to baby Nolan!

As always we are loving up our grandparents and they are spoiling us in return :) Nansi and Grampy Bill took us to the beach for the week and to a fancy hotel that included a trip to Storyland! Ryan had his Octopus party at the beach and everyone was there. He had a blast playing chasing games with balloons with all his cousins and friends.

BB and Kenny took us up to the lake for a few extended weekends. There was a lot of swimming, nature exploration (toad, lady slipper, blackberries and a woodpecker!), canoeing and kayaking! We visited Becky's Garden a few times and left her dollhouse some gems from Kaelen. We also had a mommy head laceration made by Kaelen jumping off the dock while mommy wasn't paying attention. That made for an eventful afternoon!

We visited the trailer park in North Hampton a few times this summer. We got to explore the rocks and play in the sand with Grampy Mike and Grammy Lynn. Kaelen hung out for an hour or so "sunbathing" with Brenna and her friends one afternoon! They loved the tide pools this year and started to make their way into the water but only for short stints! They always enjoyed a nice candy treat from Grampy :)

Now fall is upon us and we are transitioning back into school and routine. We will always have our special memories of the summer of 2011. Thanks everyone!

Biking down the hill and crash!

She handled this hill for a few runs and then I decided to video it... and you will see how it ends!

Kaelen the pitcher

Here she is tossing a ball to big papi (well, the big papi of our house!)

Sisterly Love

Ryan can't stay away from the markers. He especially likes writing on his hands while telling me he is drawing. I warned him about it and he did it again and got a time out. He was crying in his room when Kaelen came up to me and asked if she could have a "little talk" with her brother. I figured it would be interesting to see what she had to say.

She went in and closed the door behind her. I heard her tell him, "Papa, you can't write on your hands. Papa,  you have to write on paper only. Do you understand?" Then she comes out of  the room and shuts the door behind her and says that he is not done his time out. Wow, she has been listening to me. Maybe a little too much!

Kaelen is 4

I was hiking with my students four years ago imagining what it would be like to have a baby. Fast forward and I have a daughter that is going to be four years old on Thursday! Parenting Kaelen has changed my life for the better. Just tonight, she kissed me before going to bed and told me she loved me. That is Kaelen. She is loving, energetic, clever and bold.

While Ryan was sleeping today, she tried out her new art supplies from Grampy Mike. It was quite a process getting it all outside (it needed to be on the grass) and ready but it was really worth the effort. She truly enjoyed herself for at least an hour and loved being able to paint by herself. The works of art are now drying and will be on display very soon (they are both murals and one is a "storm").

She is such a character (especially now that she has a mimic in Ryan). She rides her bikes all around, blows bubbles, makes chalk murals, plays board games, draws, reads and plays with her brother. She includes him in almost everything now and is a really great big sister to him.

Her birthday party was a lot of fun. We had a backyard art party cookout with a pinata! There was a face painting station that only Kaelen and Emma really got to enjoy (and they got Auntie Brenna to help them out!). All the kids played with bikes, chalk, balls, and the pinata that Kaelen and Duncan really clobbered! It was a great day and Kaelen was a great hostess. I am very proud of the girl that she is at four years old and I can't wait to see what year five and beyond have in store for us!

Birthday Soup

This one's for you BB!

Calan and Ryan Cooking

This happened on the day that Calan welcomed his new baby brother, Nolan Edward Murphy. If anyone knows what they are talking about, let me know!

O-pus

My mom always told me that Matt didn't really start talking until he was two because I was always talking for him! Thus, I assumed because Kaelen talks so much, Ryan would follow in Matt's footsteps. Wrong. Ryan has exploded onto the scene verbally and doesn't seem to be slowing down. He is very strong willed and now combined with the words to go with it he is not easy to persuade.

"No", "Mama" and "Daddy" were early favorites. He then progressed to animal noises and now is naming all of the animals in his books! Our favorite Ryan word is "o-pus" which is slowly turning into octopus and he is obsessed with them. He goes crazy if he sees one or if someone draws him one, which Kaelen often does. We are going to have to get him to the aquarium soon so he can see a real "o-pus".

The two and three word sentences are coming together and it is so fun to watch him develop. It is especially funny to watch the two of them talk and play now because there is so much more they can do and say to each other (which is not always a positive thing but they are learning to work things out slowly!).

When did they get so BIG?

Ryan is almost a year and a half and Kaelen will be four in April! They are both developing into amazing little people and I don't want to forget all the little things that are happening in their lives. So I am going to write a blog AT LEAST every month telling about what KK and RyRy are up to, even if the writing is not as thought out as I would like.

Ryan has gone from a stumbling grunter into quite a motor mouth who is quicker than I would like at times. He loves to climb, run, read books and most of all do anything and everything "kk"is doing. He currently follows her around and grabs her things and says "mine" which she responds with a stronger "mine" and takes it back. He colored something today and was so proud that he did something like she does that he ran into the house holding it up to show his daddy. It was priceless. During the cold and snow we have found that he is not quite as Nordic as his sister, but I am sure that will change in time. I am not sure I would like all of that gear on me when I am just getting good on my feet. He has added some much needed comic relief to the house these past few months and I have really appreciated that!

Kaelen is developing faster than I could have ever anticipated. She is now really drawing pictures, writing words (her name in particular), swimming on her own (for a bit) and really working things out on her own. She can be quite a challenge but that comes with the territory when you have an independent child. I am most proud of how caring she has become with her brother. She reads to him, shows him how to do things and really watches out for him (now, I am not saying this is all the time...). I heard her say in a little kid voice, "You can't do that pappy, you could get hurt" when he was trying to climb something yesterday. She is always telling Kurt and I how well we do things (nice job daddy/mommy) and encouraging us when we are playing games, etc.

Parenting is no easy job but they so great and I am lucky to be their mom.