It's been a while. . .

Hello, strangers! Sorry for my recent absence, but it has been a very busy time here in the Cryer home. As many of you may know, Ryan has left us girls behind to deploy to Iraq for a year. It sucks a WHOLE LOT isn't the ideal situation, but we are adjusting well and we're already ticking the days off the calendar (even though the real countdown hasn't even begun yet).

Ryan's Mom and Dad spent 3 weeks with us before Ryan left. We spent a few days down in San Antonio and did some touristy things. We visited Sea World (SHAMU ROCKS!) and visited the Alamo and the Riverwalk. We enjoyed it all so much! I think Ryan and I are going to try to go spend a weekend (baby free) on the Riverwalk once he returns from Iraq. Ryan and Grampy kept busy with some home improvement projects. We added a chandelier in the entryway and over our jacuzzi tub, tiled above our shower, added a fan/light combo above our shower, added tilt outs to the master sink false fronts and built a swing set for baby Caroline. Everything turned out so well and I'm enjoying all of it!

One thing that deserves a paragraph all its own: I've got a story for you. Ryan's Mom ordered some jeans off the internet and had them shipped to her home in Alabama. The night we returned from San Antonio (it was VERY late), she was chatting on the phone with Eric (Ryan's middle brother) and he told her that he'd shipped her the jeans since he knew she'd be here for a while and would want to have them. He sent them UPS and thought they might've arrived already and told her to check the front porch. When she opened the door, he handed her the package! He and Shawn (Ryan's oldest brother) drove ALL.DAY.LONG on Friday to surprise their brother. It was wonderful having them here (even though they were only able to stay the weekend) and we put them to work while they were here. Shawn helped Ryan tile the shower and Eric spent lots of time spoiling his niece. I think fun was had by all.

On to Caroline. She is 7 1/2 months old now and growing like a cute little weed. Her first Easter was a huge success. . .the Easter bunny tried to hide her basket in the oven, but it wouldn't fit! He left it for her on the kitchen table. She's now almost crawling. She's "inchworming". =) She took her first "crawl step" this afternoon, so I'm sure she'll be all over this house in a week or two. Her first tooth is breaking through as I type. Lots of exciting things are happening!

There have been lots of pictures taken over the last month or so. Instead of posting them individually, I'm just going to post them in slideshows (some of my photos were too large...these will have to do) . Now, for what you've all been waiting for...

Sea World

The Alamo and Riverwalk

Home Improvements/Easter