Driving, Flying, Smiling Machines

We surprised Phoebe last week with a new jeep - call it a belated birthday present - and she LOVES it!  I left off some of the Barbie decals and believe it's only a matter of time before she decorates it herself.  Now if only the rain would stay away, we'd get outside to drive it!

On Thursday, Ryan finally used his Father's Day gift from last year - a one-on-one helicopter lesson.  Doesn't he look sexy standing there?  He said it was MUCH more difficult than he ever imagined but he had a great time.  Now if we only had about $40,000 to get his commercial license...

Friday, Phoebe got to ride a BIG bus to go on a field trip to the Indianapolis Zoo with her class.  It was very hot but I don't think the kids noticed at all. 

Phoebe was doing something weird with her mouth - licking her wrist, squishing her lips, etc. the first 20 minutes we were there (nervous habit?) but we got it under control and had lots of fun!

Saw the tigers, bears and bats up close.

And all the moms indulged their kiddos in $3.50 worth of sugar water.

Phoebe hung out with Mattie (who has been getting to spend a few weeks at home while her grandma is in town visiting).  It was good for the girls to catch up!

Got to feed the giraffe again.

I think they were wishing they could swim with the elephants by the end of our visit.

Saturday, we'd stopped by YiaYia and Papou's to drop off some Greek food we'd ordered for Father's Day and stayed long enough to see Uncle Steve arrive from Chicago. 

The last couple of years, Ryan and I have made Saturday our respective "day" and then spent Sunday at my parents' house. We didn't hang around much longer and made our way to a park Ryan discovered while out at a job site earlier in the week.

It constantly amazes me how BIG Phoebe is getting. 

We ended the night at one of Ryan's favorite places - Shapiro's.  Phoebe loved checking out all their fabulous desserts.

Here we are back at YiaYia and Papou's to celebrate our fathers!  I truly believe that God made Ryan JUST for me and in turn, JUST for our two children.  He's a man of integrity.  He's easy going, can laugh at just about anything, including himself.  He dreams big and loves bigger.  We couldn't be MORE blessed to have him in our lives.  Life with you is half as hard and twice as good.  Happy Father's Day, honey!

I think it's so fun that the Wallis name continues. 

I've been so lucky to call this man my father for 33 years.  He's a man of principle, tradition, and a deep faith.  He's instilled those characteristics in me and I hope when our kids hit their 30's they'll say the same about us.  It's been so very fun to watch him embrace his role as "Papou" - I hope he knows how very much we love him!  Happy Father's Day, Papa!

Of course, Phoebe had to help open up presents!

Among a few cds, some Swedish fish and a reserved copy of Modern Warfare 3, he got a book I put together for him.  It wasn't an easy task to do at home while he was gone - because it meant I had to edit and design it with two children also demanding my attention.  For a first attempt, I'll call it a success - either way, it was a fun surprise.

Uncle Steve getting some stolen minutes with Maverick.  Phoebe demanded a lot of Uncle Steve's attention - from playing in her princess tower to playing with her dress-up dolls.

You could say the boys were pooped!  You can see Phoebe didn't get the napping gene, but neither did I!

And I just had to share a couple shots YiaYia took of Maverick.  We love this little guy's smiles!