Nebraska City..Here We Come!

You can find a pumpkin on every porch, fresh apple crisp on menus, and there's a chill in the air....which means...It's FALL!!!! We decided to take advantage of this gorgeous weather and head to the Lied Lodge in Nebraska City for the day! We headed out this morning with Nana Kathy for a day of fun!

The foliage was just bursting with color and just immediately got you in the 'fall mood' :) We arrived at the Lied lodge and looked around their beautiful set up that's nestled in as if it was just meant to be there. Kathy treated us to a delicious lunch along with some of the BEST apple cider we've ever had! It tasted just soooo fresh!

Next on the agenda was to hit the family fun activities, but not without a trip to the gift store! And of course Sawyer convinced Nana Kathy of just how much he desperately needed these "noculars" :)

We embarked down one of the trails in high hopes of some pretty views and a memorable family stroll......but instead ended up in a full fledged competition of who could spot the 50 yellow wooden birds that were hidden along the trail! Nana Kathy held the lead with Bill close behind and then I would only play whenever I would see one. (And when I was about 8 behind the other two, which was most of the time, I just claimed that I was't playing!)

Figuring out just how to use these noculars....

One of the main attractions along the way was the 50ft. tree house and look out deck! It was a stunning view but a little unnerving as the whole thing would sway if you rocked it....

Any place that Sawyer spots to jump off of, he does it-be it stairs, poles, the gigantic red balls outside of Target or tree stumps!

Now jumping from one stump to the other took a little convincing from Daddy and I think I over heard some bribing of a dollar in there at some point :) But in the end he did it and looked very proud of himself!

Yes.....I did the entire two hour hike in high heel boots! Who says you can't be stylish in the woods? :)

Bill and Sawyer climbed up into a fort that some boy scouts had built and were contemplating jumping out of this little window but decided against it...thank God!

Sawyer reminding Daddy to keep all the safety rules in mind :)

There were a couple of these really neat bridges that were made of cedar and smelled SO good!

Trying to spot more of the yellow birds....

The BEST Mother-In-Law EVER!

We stumbled upon the chairs of the three bears....they must have still been out waiting for their porridge to cool.....so we took a seat!

We can add huge wooden chairs to the list of Sawyer's jumping off launch points!

We stopped at a few antique shops and an apple barn for apple cider doughnuts on our way out of town! It was just such a memorable day to spend together and something that I would like to become a yearly tradition!

Nana Jane's Surprise

Sawyer has been dying of curiosity about this surprise Birthday gift that my mom had sent...

She ordered it online and had it shipped to the Walmart near our house. Bill picked it up and assembled it and kept it hidden downstairs in our storage room. We tried to use our i-touch with my mom so that she could watch the unveiling, but unfortunately it wasn't connecting.....

What in the world could it be?!?

Sweet!!! A BIKE!!!!!!

Look out world! The streets are no longer safe!

And Sawyer's Great Aunt Mary sent him some money to go and pick out a new helmet and any other bike accessories! Safety first! :)

It's a Family Affair!

Sunday Evening we had the great honor and fun of having Sawyer's extended family over for another birthday celebration! We had chicken enchiladas, Mexican rice, grilled veggies, salad, chips, salsa, queso dip and guacamole!

We spent most of the evening down in the basement where there was more room for everyone to spread out! After dinner, we headed out to the garage to carve some pumpkins! (I recruited Bill and two of his friends to hollow them out the evening before so we didn't have to get messy!)

Sawyer and Daddy working on their master piece!

Aunt Lynn, cousin Halie and cousin Ashley hard at work!

Uncle Bruce and cousin Mya (She and Sawyer are only a few months apart and just have the best time whenever they get together!)

(L to R Top: Great Grandpa Rick, Hailie, Ashley, Papa, Daddy, uncle Jeff & Aunt Lynn.

Bottom: uncle Mike, Nana, Sawyer, Uncle Bruce & Mya)

Time for Presents!!!! He opened up the card that Mya brought and when it opens, it says, "Happy Birthday Super Hero!" and being as how Sawyer, LOVES talking cards, it totally stole the show! Every other card after that just couldn't hold up :) He got completely spoiled with all the wonderful and thoughtful gifts that he received! (puzzles, jammies from Maine, Handy Many construction kit, dominoes, matching games, leapster map and an awesome game system from Nana and Papa!)

The other big gift that he got was this fun train table that his great grandparents got for him!

Once again Nana Kathy blew us out of the water with this awesome Jack-O-Lantern cake with glowing eyes and leaves made out of sugar cookies and chocolate molds! It was a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting! D-Lish!

We had such a fun time hanging out with the family and catching up on what has been going on! Thank you all so much for coming and celebrating Sawyer's 4th Birthday with us!

It's Party Time...McDonalds Style!!

Every little boy wants a Birthday Party at McDonalds at some point in their young lives, and this was Sawyer's year! He was so excited to make up his guest list and plan what sorts of things he wanted at the party. My friend Rachel, who is oozing with creativity, so graciously offered her services and created these AMAZING McDonalds invites! They were shaped like a Happy Meal but were called, "Happy Birthday Meals" :)

We wanted his friends to have a goodie bag with their name on it that was filled with some of Sawyer's favorite things: a sticker book, crayons, a paint set, a card game, capri sun, fruit snacks and a baggie of chocolate chippers from Paradise Bakery!

Saturday finally came and we headed off to McDonalds with our laundry baskets full of party supplies, a dozen helium balloons and a VERY excited Birthday boy! We covered the tables with plastic table cloths and each one had a container with crayons and markers and all sorts of stickers and sticky foam shapes.

Once the kids arrived, they got creative decorating their Birthday crowns!

Sporting the birthday crown!

The kids munching away on their happy meals :)

We were so lucky to have some friends from our Thursday Night Dinner group that came to celebrate with us!

Then it was on to the play place! They ran in and out and jumped and screamed and slid down the slides! They had such a BLAST!!!

Then it was time for cake!!! Bill's mom always makes these incredible cakes for Sawyer's birthdays and this year she really out did her self! She made this great hamburger cake along with sugar cookie fries and a side of frosting ketchup! It was such a hit!!!

Blowing out the candles!

Sawyer was SO cute opening up his gifts!! His little friends would come up and hand him the gift that they had brought and he would say, "Oh! Great!!!" then he would find the card and say, "Card First! Remember Mom?!?" then he would open it up and shriek, "OH COOL!!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS!!! Thank you so much!"

He made off like a bandit! He got puzzles, books, board games, clothes, a buzz light year costume, nerf gun, sword, shield and helmet, a dinosaur tower and a HUGE remote control car! (Daddy has taken then out for a spin in the drive way already!)

The party was a HUGE success and fun was had by all!

Four Years Ago Today......

Sawyer Bryon Rollins was born and our lives changed forever!

(6 lbs and 4 ounces and 24 inches long!)

In the wee hours of the morning, on October 25th, 2006, Sawyer came into the world skwaking like a baby bird! We spent the next few hours counting and re-counting all his fingers and toes and trying to let the reality of being parents sink in. He was the cutest thing I had ever seen and every tiny sound he made was adorable! Our little room at Methodist Hospital filled with friends and family, flowers and balloons over the next few days and then we got to take him home! As we were pulling out of the hospital parking lot with Sawyer tucked safely into his car seat, I couldn't help but think, "I can't believe that they are letting us walk out of here with this baby!! We have no clue what we're doing!"

(Some friends that waited at the hospital until he was born @ 1:15 a.m.!)

The next few days and weeks are literally a blurr......diapers, tiny fingernails to clip, nursing bras, no sleep, mommy crying, pumping, crying baby, doctor check ups, bottles, binkies laundry and love! :)

(Daddy giving you a bath)

When Sawyer came bounding into the office this morning shouting,

"It's MY BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!!", I couldn't help but be amazed at how far we've come! Bill and I have managed to keep this little guy alive for fo

ur years who is happy, healthy, curious, adventurous and loving! He has been the best gift we've ever been given*

Sawyer~ Mommy and Daddy have been praying for you for a long time~That each day you will grow in the confidence of being loved and accepted not just by us, but by the rest of our family and most of all, by GOD. We pray that each day you will grow in your understanding of Jesus and that it will develop into a life long love!

We pray that God brings godly friends and role models into your life. We pray that you will be a young man that is dependable, responsible, com

passionate, loving and giving to others. As you pray, may you learn the discipline of listening for God's voice and that there would always be a fire in your little heart and an unwavering desire for the things of God!

We pray that God gives us wisdom, patience and unconditional love for you during our very special years together before you go off on your own. Sawyer, we LOVE YOU SO MUCH and couldn't have asked for anything better than you!

Happy Birthday Buddy!