Summer Blur

If pictures are worth a thousand words, I'd be out of breath explaining these summer pics. Enjoy! Pics and videos up at: http://picasaweb.google.com/bob.boyan

Florida Roadtrip!

After braving the first cold Indiana winter, we took a road trip down to Florida with the kids to get our warm sunshine fix, work on our tans, and take the kids to Disney. We stayed in Cocoa beach for 4 days. The family favorite by far, the hotel there had a kiddie pool complete with pirate ship and water slides. You can see from the pics and videos that Lyla turned into quite a water-baby there, bravely sliding down over and over by herself. She also would sprint into the surf at the beach attempting to outrun us and head out to sea. Mino was a bit more timid there, but he spent quite a bit of time at the second hotel in Orlando jumping off the edge of the pool to dive under water. I'm sure they'll both be fish within the next year or two.

Another favorite passtime the kids discovered there: distance running. Go figure. Cocoa Beach has a quarter mile nature trail loop through the forest. We discovered it while trying to wear the kids out after dinner one evening. They ran around the loop once and kept going for a second lap. Afterwards they slept like, well, babies.

And of course, no Florida trip would be complete without a stop at Disney World. We figured our timing would be perfect with Spring Breakers gone and Summer break yet to begin. On top of that, the Swine flu outbreak news was scaring everyone at that point. Surprisingly enough though, Disney was still packed. (Not according to Joy) Last year Joy and the kids had a annual pass to Disneyland in CA, so they knew all the good rides and places to hit. It was a fun day for all of us, but unfortunately the kids are too little to go on any of the cool rides there. Maybe in a few years we can hit up Space Mountain. We also spent a day at Disney's Animal Kingdom. If you're ever in Orlando looking for something to do, you can skip that one.

Enjoy all the pics and clips at http://picasaweb.google.com/bob.boyan !

...So, it's been awhile

Yes, we haven't updated the blog in quite some time, but we figured that most of the people that actually have any interest in us are those of you that we've been seeing on quite a regular basis lately.

If you've missed out on all the fun in the Boyan house, here's a quick recap:

We moved out of Oceanside, CA to Greenwood, IN in December. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Lyla turned 1, Joy turned 30, Mino turned 2. Happy Valentines Day! Happy Easter! We just moved again to the northeast side of Indianapolis and are busy getting settled in here.

So, with regards to the blog, we're trying something new. A picture is worth a thousand words, so we're just going to share our lives with mostly photos/video on our Picasa Albums. It's much easier for us to share this way, so we can upload more often. Also, you can easily download our pics if you want them for anything (like that picture of you & Lyla you want on your fridge, etc) It's a win-win for everyone. We may not keep this blog active, so if you want to receive updates anytime we post to Picasa, subscribe to the RSS feed here. (If you need help, email me @ bob.boyan@gmail.com.)

Here's a sample for you:



If you want to see the rest of the albums or check out the videos, the address is: http://picasaweb.google.com/bob.boyan

Where did November go?

It seems like only yesterday we were hanging out at the beach enjoying the long summer days. Now we're in the final stretch of our stay in California, and life has been hectic to say the least. Amidst all the busyness of packing and getting ready for the move, we've had plenty of time to enjoy ourselves & family life. Mino & Lyla keep us laughing everyday...

Mino shows Lyla how to sneak a drink from the shower. (We accidentally deleted the video of this. You should have heard Lyla's squeals of laughter. Mino's a great entertainer and big bro.)


Mino works the turkey dinner off on Thanksgiving by running around the lake behind Mary & Dave's. He has so much energy! Is it normal for a 2 year old to run a 5 minute mile?

Lyla and her Momma have many thing in common, like their taste in shirts. Ooooh, yummy!

You talkin to me?

Lyla and Momma at one of the final trips to Sea World. Lyla just loves the Sesame St. characters. Mino is scared of them though.

A Sunset Stroll

One of the biggest things we'll miss about living in Oceanside would be times like these...
It won't be the fish tacos at Rubios or nachos at Johnny Manana's. We won't miss the middle of the night booming of ammunition testing they do at Camp Pendleton or Norteño music from the barrio next to our condos. We definitely won't miss the traffic on the 5 and the threat of wildfires every October. What we will miss is the mile walk down to the beach to enjoy the evenings when the sun slips below the horizon and God paints a beautiful picture over the Pacific.

@ the Petting Zoo

"Indiana, here we come!!!"
These two California kids are ready for the Midwest. It's funny, when people out here find out we're moving, they usually ask one of two questions. Question 1: Isn't it cold there? Question 2: Are you going to grow corn and get a cow? We answer "Yes" to both.

"Hey, did you see my sign?"

Mino takes his first teeter-totter ride. I think he likes it.

Is daddy kissing that goat? No, he's just trying to fend off the little attackers at the zoo. They forget their manners when you've got carrots in hand.

"Here horsey, try this..." Mino kept trying to feed this pony bench. He didn't seem to care it was made of cement.

He's an official Boyan now!

Mino's adoption was finalized in court on Oct. 1 and we had a fiesta to celebrate the occasion last weekend on Oct. 5. Thanks to all of you who came out to help us commemorate this special milestone in the Boyan family. Here's a little video recap of Mino's big week. (Also, check out the explanation below for the meaning behind his new name.)

While we will most likely always know and lovingly call him by his nickname “Mino”, his full name, Aslan Maximino Robert Boyan, tells his real story:

Maximino – This name represents Mino’s past.
It’s the name of his biological father and it represents his heritage. The name means “the Greatest,” and in Mino’s case it refers to his great strength and ability to overcome no matter what obstacle is in his path.

Robert – This name represents the present.
It’s the name of his adoptive father and it represents a promise to always be with him, love him unconditionally, and welcome him wholeheartedly into the Boyan family. Bob (Robert Sr.) is honored to share his name with his son.

Aslan – This name represents Mino’s future.
The name means “Lion” and was used by C.S. Lewis to embody the central character of the “Chronicles of Narnia” who is the guardian, savior, and Christlike (Lion of Judah) figure in the series. This name is a promise that Mino’s heavenly father is waiting to adopt him, so he too can become a son of God through Jesus Christ.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." - Eph 1:3-6

COMING SOON....

The Apodotion of Mino will be Oct. 1st!!

...Stay tuned for pictures of this special day.

"Aslan Maximino Robert Boyan"

September days

Everyone wants Daddy when he gets home!

The famous (or not) Oside sign
Pretty girl

Sleepy girl

Last photo (day) w/ pacifier!
Playtime
"HELLO LADY"
Hey, I'm too big for this swing!

Even strapped tight she manages to try to wiggle out.

A fun day out with the babes!

Petting zoo... Mino LOVES feeding the animals, and enjoyed squeezing the bunnies... he lucked out with no bites!

Mino walking to momma's arms!
Fake out!!
Lyla's first highchair out-to-eat, she stood on the booth the whole time and loved it!

She has such a far reach that she sneaked 2 handfulls of hamburger while I wasn't watching... thankfully I caught little miss thing before she tried to stuff it in her mouth!

Lyla's cousin, Lola(21months), thinks she is her very own baby doll. I've never seen so much love and gentleness from one baby to another.