Camping Adventures

Last weekend the whole Decker family decided to go camping at Deckers (fitting name I know).

It was quite the adventure getting there...6 hours, some bees, angry cows, and an empty tank of gas but after we figured out where we were at and eventually had everyone together on Saturday it turned out to be a great camping trip.

Friday night, it was just Tyler and I and the kids and once we stepped out of the car all the craziness from that day melted away when we realized we were in a beautiful spot and remembered how much we love camping.

We have only been camping once since we had kids when Rilyn was around 5 months old and I don't know what we were thinking....SO MUCH FUN!

Friday we just made a little dinner, had a dance party, explored, read books by the campfire, and enjoyed the sunset.  It was pretty perfect!

The next morning we ate pop tarts for breakfast a.k.a cookies according to Ryder and Rilyn took a little time to warm up.  She's looking pretty grumpy in the pictures ha.  Tyler went to meet his parents in town and call Ryan and Carly to make sure they could find us.  The kids and I went for a little walk and played lots of hide and seek.  Of course, the kids are not at all afraid to hide well in the forest since it looks like our front yard and they were even making me a little nervous because of how far they were going when my eyes were closed.

The next day we got everyone together finally and had some good family bonding time.  The dogs (9 total) 5 of which were Chihuahuas lol played and played and played.  Rilyn and Ryder spent most of the day bugging Carly and Ryan and playing (destroying) their truck.  It rained that night so we had some early bedtimes and it was a little disappointing we didn't get to hang out by the campfire all night, but there's always next year!

Ryder loved getting dirty, and he took full advantage of the camping "lifestyle."  I've never seen a kid get so dirty so quickly.  At one point he had Cheetos and dirt covering his teeth, which of course made Carly squeal and Yvonne went with it and kept telling him to give Carly kisses.  Poor Carly was a champ with all that teasing :)  Let's face it, Ryder still drools plenty so imagine his slobbery kisses with dirt and Cheetos yum!

Ryder and Rilyn had so much fun and too be honest camping with 3 kids wasn't all that much work. They love to be outside and entertain themselves well with dirt and sticks.  Rilyn told me her favorite part was sleeping in the tent and Ryder told me he liked playing the mud.  We can't wait for the next Decker camping trip!

Yikes...Trying to Catch Up Again!

The story of my life right now...catching up.  O'well we are in the 2nd week of our bible study at church and I've completed ALL the homework both weeks so I guess thats a good thing...a month ago there was no way I would have got it all done so I know the overwhelming busyness of a newborn is about done with.  Not that I want Sawyer to grow up anymore but it is nice having a smidgen of time to myself!

Okay, back to catching up...here are some things we've been doing around here lately...

Wearing our colors to cheer on our team.  According to Tyler, "the most wonderful time of the year."

With 3 little ones there are sure to be some early mornings.  I used to dread the early mornings but now I love them.  I get some one-on-one time with a kiddo and I love the sounds and sights that sunrise offer.  Sawyer decided to get up a little before 5 the other day.  So we made muffins, drank coffee, listened to Worship Hymns, and enjoyed the sunrise.

Lots of bike riding

And our kids are pretty much still obsessed with eachother.  Really they all get along great and are always snuggling and loving up on eachother.  Granted we have plenty of sibling rivalry but at the end of the day it's obvious they are bestfriends.  The other day, Rilyn got dressed and Ryder looked at her and said, "You look nice sissy." Cue melting of this mama's heart.

At the Zoo with the Cousins

The Nelsons came in for labor day weekend and we were lucky enough to spend a whole day with them!  We spent lots of time at the zoo, had dinner, and then spent the rest of the evening at the park. It was a great day and the kids were the most exhausted they had ever been!

All the Nelson's are so good with Rilyn, Ryder, and Sawyer and they LOVE when the get to spend time with eachother.  It's so nice that even though there is quite the age difference they all still get along so well and will have lots of great memories.  

Sawyer at 4 months

Well, Sawyer is actually about 4 1/2 months now but we will pretend that I'm actually a good mother and I'm getting his 4 month post up on-time... 

Sawyer's sleeping is still pretty much the same as it was last month...horrible.  He is co-sleeping 100% of the time at night and up every 1 - 2 hours so I can put him back to sleep.  He is consistently getting better in the evenings and goes to sleep around 6.  He usually is up within an hour or two for a feeding and than goes another two hours before he starts his up every hour so mommy can put me back to sleep fun.  He is also taking all his naps in the swing still.  


He has really started to become interested in his siblings and think they are pretty fun.  He loves to watch them and if I'm busy Rilyn can always entertain him.  She is so good with him and even Ryder is pretty obsessed at this point.  Ryder tells him he loves him before bed and asks me a lot to see his brother.  Sawyer likes toys and the exersaucer and is pretty easy as long as he is not hungry or tired.   

He laughs a lot, loves being outside, and still thinks the carrier is the best place to be.  He is always content in the carrier.  His newest trick is rolling over.  He is very good at it, but hates being on his stomach so pretty much he rolls over, screams, and I flip him back.  He also started getting excited when I pick him up from grandmas.  


He is nursing every 2 hours during the day still but takes a bottle great!  We are so lucky to have grandma take care of him because she was so patient while he was figuring out this whole bottle thing.  He definitely made her work a few a days!  He only drinks between 1 - 3 ounces so I'm guessing that is why he nurses so often still, and I'm totally fine with that (during the day).  

His stats were interesting this month...they were much lower than they usually are.  He is 14 lbs 15 ounces (45%) and 24 1/8 inches long (50%).  He is healthy and doing everything he should be doing!

He is a pretty fun little guy and it's interesting to see his personality develop.  He is such a snuggle bug and I hope he never outgrows the carrier because I feel pretty empty when he is not snuggled up against me.