Fun In the Sun...

We got to head to Louisiana for more fun with family over the weekend!

LOTS of pictures!!!

Of course, the first to love on Rhys...Aunt Tami!! And Rhys LOVES his Aunt Tami!!!! Rhys is evidently a dog person...very much liked Zeke, a very LARGE mix between Lab and Irish Wolf Hound!! Zeke is very sweet and obedient, well trained by Russell several years ago.

Time with Papa!! Rhys was SO entertained by Zeke! When he's on his jumper at home, he's mostly whiney, wanting our attention, but with Zeke right there in his face, he was so content and excited!! Does that mean we need to get a dog?!?!?
Rhys is literally jumping forward to Zeke below, trying to get closer to him!

Aunt Tami is teaching Rhys to be efficient here..."Use your hands and your feet to hold your bottle, Rhys!!" :)

And, of course, lap time with Grandmom!!

There's Papa again!

Then, we headed over to Russell's cousin Kristy's house for a fun day!! Jason & Kristy have three beautiful children, and they all let us come over to spend the day and evening with them...

We caught up inside and played with the kiddos...Kristy could not get enough of this little man!!! :) I love that! Doesn't every parent want others to go 'goo-goo-ga-ga' over their child!?!? :) Kristy has won my heart!

Then, we took the fun OUTside, to their SWEET pool!!! This pool is a salt-water, not chlorine, pool so it was like walking into soft, silky water, which was refreshing for the MANY hours of swim time!

Below, Brandon is diving, and, I promise, this child was in the pool from 1:00 that afternoon until about 7:30 that evening, with maybe a 30-minute break to eat a quick snack!! Unreal energy! I need some of that! :)

Katie had a great side jump that I finally had to catch on camera!

Mallory jumps with all of her might here. These girls are truly precious, and all of their children are so mindful!! Russell and I admire and appreciate how Jason and Kristy are raising their children to know and love the Lord with all their hearts, and this love evidently flows into the lives of others. This family held nothing back from us...their home is their guests' home!

Little Sierra Grace, Russell's little sister's daughter, was such a big girl jumping into the pool!!!Rhys got in some pool time just before a fabulously LONG :) nap!!! {Looks like he's screaming here, but he really loves the pool, and he's learning how to kick in the water!}Russell's 'kid' side definitely came out... He was in the pool from 1:00 to 4:00/5:00, NONstop!!A fun game they play is "Match."

One person swims to the bottom of the pool, 'places' a match on the pool floor, swims back to the top, and as the match rises to the surface, everyone seeks it, and all who find it JUMP to it, flailing and kicking and splashing along the way! :) Goal: To grab the match first, and call out "Match!!!"

Below, Jason, Russell and the kids TOTALLY got into it! Kristy did, too! In fact, she can 'out match' them all!! :) She's one tough cookie!Rhys got more time with Grandmom. :)

And just for fun...

We pass this sign each time we head to LA, so I finally grabbed my camera and snapped a shot! Great name for a town!I just got creative while playing with my camera here... Great subject, interesting camera setting...Hmmm...still deciding if I like it. Just different.