4th of July

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend!  We decided to celebrate low-key this year by inviting my mom over to play with Ryan and to watch the fireworks from our balcony.  For us, it is more relaxing to enjoy the fireworks from the comfort of our own place than trying to fight the mobs to get into DC.  From our balcony, we can see the DC, Maryland, and Virginia fireworks.  We actually see about twelve different sets of fireworks.  I guess that living on the seventeenth floor is good for something!

 Top  30 seconds  of our  4th of July! 

Haha, does anybody remember that song?  I know that my baby boy sure loves to eat his peaches! It also appears that Ryan is an energizer bunny.  He flings his arms and squeals with delight at everything/everyone that catches his attention. I can’t wait until this little guy is old enough to play sports, because that is where all of his energy can be let out.

I’m so glad that my mom was able to spend time with us today, helping me to recover from surgery, helping with Ryan, and experiencing all of his unique little personality traits.  She is still receiving chemotherapy treatments every week, and she amazes me with how well she is doing.

We've never had any 4th of July decorations, so I was determined to make one this year.  Barry took me to Michael's for a shopping spree.  I seriously could spend all day in that store looking for crafts. Since I don’t know how to sew at all, I chose the easiest way to make a wreath.

How to Make a Holiday Wreath (no-sew)

Materials: 

six pieces of different colors of felt

scissors

circle template (or paper plate)

wide ribbon 

Directions:

1.  Cut the felt into 8-inch strips.

2.  Tie each strip, one at a time, onto the circle using a knot.

3.  Complete the pattern all the way around the circle.

4.  Tie the ribbon into a bow & attach it to the bottom of the wreath.

These wreaths could be made with any color combination, for any holiday, and by any age group of kids.  (Although, my 9-month-old was a little too young since he was only interested in tasting the ribbon and felt).  The child basically just needs to know how to tie a knot. This project was inexpensive, took about 25 minutes to make, and turned out to be a cute little addition to our laid-back, “festive” holiday weekend.

In this picture, you can see that Ryan is focused on taking those first steps. But if we let go of his hands, he won't walk on his own yet.  He will only "cruise" by holding on to furniture, or anything else that he can get is hands on.  I have heard that some babies stay like this:  being on the verge of walking, but not actually doing it for a long time.  Although it is exciting to think about Ryan learning to walk, I don't want to rush him with anything.  I know that he will walk when he is ready, on his own terms.  Besides, when Ryan does start walking, it will be even harder for us to track him down and keep up with him!