This is one of my favorite pictures of Ryder this past year. It shows how much of a little boy he is! :) Handsome and filthy dirty all at the same time. And I don't care what anyone says, I LOVE his shaggy hair! 
In April we went to Toy Story on Ice with The Hackett family, and the boys had a blast! It is pretty cool to see Ryder's face light up the way it did when he saw buzz and woody in real life. :)
Playing at the splash pad was one of our favorite things to do over the summer! There is nothing better then hearing the kids laugh and play on a hot summer day!
Joshua and I finally picked a spot for our wedding venue and we are really looking forward to November 9th 2012!
Our trip to Colorado this summer was a trip that I will remember for the rest of my life. We had an absolute blast, and it was so much fun to take Ryder on his first vacation to the same place that I took my first vacation as a kid. Here are some more of my favorites from the trip.
My sister and I in Green Mountain Falls, Co.
The kids on Santa's lap at Santa's village.
My mom at the haunted house! This picture is priceless!
Our little family in front of Santa's Toy Shop.
This picture is one of my favorites because my sister and I have a picture under this same rock when we were kids. Also, because I carried ryder up that huge boulder while he slept the whole time... and he was still asleep when we got back to the bottom! :)
Even after the handoff to dad :)
This is truly one of the most peaceful places I have ever been. You wake up early to ducks swimming in the lake, the sun rising, birds chirping, and mountains litterally surrounding you every where you look. I would LOVE to own a house in this small town some day.
And this is the last of the Colorado pictures. This picture is a favorite for the simple fact that this is where we laid my dads ashes to rest. He LOVED the Rocky Mountains, to him this was his Heaven. May he rest in peace.
Having good friends was one of the best things that helped me get through this year with a smile on my face. Growing up, my parents were always the entertainers. We had parties at our house all the time. I guess that is where I got it from, because I love being surrounded by good people! Our Labor day party to end the summer was a total blast! We rented a giant water slide, and I think the adults had more fun than the kids did!!
Ryder turned 3 in September! It is so hard to believe how fast he is growing up!! He is like a little person now, no longer a baby!
In early October, Joshua and I had our engagement pictures done. I couldn't believe how awesome they turned out. I wanted it to be a camping theme, because Joshua first told me he loved me while we were camping :) and camping has always been a huge part of his life.
October is really my favorite month! It is the start of my favorite time of year; a time for family, festivities, food, and fun. Here are some fun highlights of the month.
And now there is one more reason that October is my favorite month! I married my best friend October 30, 2011!! We had such an intimate ceremony with just the two of us. Things may not of gone the way we planned them to, and I may have been attacked by mosquitos, but it was the perfect day and I will remember it forever!
We found the most gorgeous Husky puppy on our wedding night, and now have a fourth member to our family. Her name is Nina :)
To top off the end of our year, Joshua is now the co-owner an oil and gas company, and I couldn't be more proud to be his wife. He has always been one to set high goals and work hard to achieve them.
We ended the year celebrating Christmas with friends and family. Ryder got his BIG RACE CAR and monster truck that he had been asking for since October and was one happy camper! We got to celebrate with both sides of the family this year, and it really was a blessing.
2012 will be our year of adventure! We are moving to the country in Wallisville, TX and that will be an adventure itself. We have spent the last day of 2011 and the first day of 2012 working hard to fix up the country house to make it liveable again :) We have a busy month ahead of us! I look forward to what this year brings!!
