Hmmmm....

...so if your 17-month old son swallows a 1/2" screw that his dad left around, should that set off some alarms?

He's acting normal, eating dinner, etc. The ER would just tell me to watch his poop anyway, right?

Hmmmm.....

(I don't have the energy for this today!)

UPDATE: May 4th. Ryan is fine, we didn't dig too hard, but nothing that resembled a screw showed up in his diaper. Of course...there's always 10 years from now when he breaks his arm playing ball or something and they find it in an x-ray! Now THERE'S a story to tell! heh

My next calling at Church

After today's all-day and night events at Church, I pray that my next calling to serve is the "Ward Parking Attendant"; only needed on Sunday mornings for 3 hours. I always remind myself thought that it could be worse and that I'm glad I'm not a Bishop!

Ric

Love/Hate Relationship

Ric asked me last night what I liked about being pregnant. Hmmm.... he caught me on a day that I was fighting a head cold (that HE gave me!), on one of those emotional "down" days, and on a day that I had almost run out of patience with Ryan. Could I think of anything I liked about it?

What do I like about being pregnant? Well, it's a LOVE/HATE relationship...here's what I came up with...

THINGS I LIKE/LOVE ABOUT BEING PREGNANT

• The first thing I thought of was that I love to feel the baby move - but there are times that I don't like it either! (Especially when "someone's " toes tickle - HA -my ribs!)
• I also love knowing that our family will be even more complete than it already is!
  
• I'm especially excited that Ryan will have a little brother or sister to torture and love! :)
  
• I love the fact that for me, I lose weight when I'm pregnant! (Yes, I know...it's a little strange, but it's true! It happened with Ryan too!) My doctor asks me every week if I've changed my eating habits, which I haven't. The baby just sucks the fat off of me! (Woo Hoo!) As long as the baby is healthy and growing, my OB isn't concerned - and neither am I! (Now...if I could only figure out what it is that makes this happen and do the same thing when I'm NOT pregnant!)
• I love how Ric thinks it's just the coolest thing that my belly is getting so big! (Some days I don't think it's so cool, but Ric still does!)
• I love it when we ask Ryan where the baby is...he knows. He kisses my belly all the time. Of course before he does that, he pulls my shirt up and insists that I have my stretch marks showing!
  

THINGS I HATE OR COULD DO WITHOUT

• I have to PEE WAY too often! Especially this 2nd time around! And when I do, hardly anything comes out! And forget it if I sneeze or cough! Some have said that Kegel exercises would help, but I haven't had any luck with them!
• It's almost impossible to turn over in bed at night. I feel like I need a crane to help me over! When I don't turn over, my hips and legs ache from not moving all night!
• Mood swings...enough said.
• Breaking out.
• Being SOOOO tired! (Maybe that's just because I have a 17-month old to chase around all day - at least that contributes to it!)
• Baby Brain COMBINED with Mommy Brain. I don't know what happened to my otherwise "sharp" brain! *sigh* I used to be so...."with it!" :)
• Clumsiness - we are looking for a new laser printer because of my "graceful" nature lately.
  
• Forgetfulness - what did I come in here for?
• Stretch marks - on top of the stretch marks I had from Ryan! Eeeek!
• Being out of breath - ALL the time! It's so funny when I answer the phone lately! So many people have asked me if I had just run in from outside (or something like that) - nope, I just got up to get the phone! hehe
• A gag-reflex that is intensified because of this baby! (Yes, I already had one - always have, but this time it's MUCH worse! Maybe it's just because Ryan's diapers are much worse!)

But you know...even though these things are annoying (some more than others), I wouldn't trade it for anything! My only anxiety (and it's a small anxiety) right now is how this baby will come into the world. Even though I was not too happy about the intense pain with Ryan because he was so quick there was no time for any drugs, I think want it to be the same way the 2nd time around! Once it was all over - I felt great! (Relatively speaking....) I didn't have to recover from an epidural, or C-section. The nurses were only concerned about hemorrhoids and not how a scar was healing. I was up and about shortly after it was all over. Yes, it was intense, but I hope that this baby experience is just as quick and wonderful. :)

No more curls...a sad day for mom...

Ryan has a new look! I finally got the "nerve" to cut off his curls. He was working on a serious baby-mullet. I just couldn't let it go on any longer! So....I took out the scissors, and cut. I think I did OK, but I ended up making a few "adjustments" a couple of days later and he looks much better.

*sniff* No more baby curls! He looks like such a little boy now! I can't believe he can be even cuter than he already was! :)

These pictures are sort of blurry, but you can see the results. (Yes, I did save some of the curls - for his scrapbook!)

You Lose...

It took a long time, but we can set our clocks now by Ryan's schedule. He wakes up promptly at 6:30 every morning. Ric and I would rather get up closer to 7:00 or 7:15. (Yes, that extra 45 minutes DOES make a difference!)

When Ryan wakes up, he starts to talk to himself and then yell for us. Usually it's nothing we can understand. But as soon as he figures out that we haven't moved to get him from his crib, he starts calling us by name.

This morning, we were laying in bed, HOPING that Ryan would lay back down for just a little while longer. Nope.

He was yelling something we didn't understand. Then he yelled "mama."

"You lose..." was all the Ric said as he turned over! *sigh*

Thank you Diaper Fairy!

We don't know who you are, but we REALLY appreciate the diaper deliveries lately! :)

*hugs & love*

Helping...

This weekend was so nice that we were able to spend some time outside. I've been itching to get out and rake up the dead stuff and make our yard (such as it is) a little more presentable. But first...we had to contain our little "wanderer" who likes to run immediately for the street once he's let out the door!

So...we took some metal poles (or whatever they are called) and used wire ties to attach the "chicken wire/garden" stuff to them. We did leave a place where we could go in and out if we had to. But once we had done that on both sides, Ryan was safe! Woo Hoo! (And Ric and I could both do a little work in the yard!

Now don't worry, I'm just raking - I can't even think about bending over to pick up what I rake! (I might fall and not be able to get up! hehe) Ric gets that job!

Ryan was helping too - when he wasn't in his swing. Here's proof:

Yes, he took the downspout off the gutter and carried it around like he knew exactly what he was doing! (We don't have it permanently attached so we can mow around it!

He was so amused with it, he'd walk around for 20 minutes just carrying it from place to place. Too funny!

(Notice the green "fence" we put up to keep him contained! Someday we'll have a nice deck and fence, but for now this does the job!)



Forget "Bob the Builder" it's "Ryan the Builder!"

Treasures

When we bought our house in Warwick, we had no idea how close to the water we were. In fact, we can walk for about 7-8 minutes and we're on the beach of Apponaug Cove, a little inlet off of Narragansett Bay. Our neighborhood has its own private beach entrance and it's so nice to walk down there in the early evening to watch the water come up over the sand (when the tide is lower), or even watch the sun set.

Ryan had been to the beach many times, but Saturday night was the first time we let him walk around by himself. You would think that the kid died and went to heaven! He was wearing his fake baby crocs, and looked so cute! The look on his face was priceless! (Did we bring our camera? No! :( Oh well... I'm sure it will be his favorite summer place!)

One thing that we've tried to do every time we walk to the beach was to bring back something to put in our "bowl of treasures." Most of the time we find sea glass, which is broken glass that's been tumbled and smoothed over by the ocean. We've actually found some really neat pieces - some from VERY old bottles. (I even found an old apothecary bottle with the cork still in it on time!)

This time we found a small white piece of glass and a lavender piece. I also found an orange scallop shell. Unfortunately, the shells are in pretty rough shape by the time they get up to our shore, but sometimes we find something worth taking home. And Ryan picked up his first Quahog shell, and thought it was the neatest thing!

The first one he picked up he thought needed a second chance, so he threw it back into the ocean. But he found another one that we brought home. We'll add it to our outside collection and tell him when he's older that it was his first souvenir from the beach!

Noo....nooooo....noooooooo....

Why is "NO" one of the first words a baby learns to say? Is it because we parents say that to them just as they are learning to talk AND get around? We're usually trying to keep Ryan out of trouble most of the day. Unfortunately, I say "no, no" more often than I would like to, but how else am I going to keep Dad's bathroom magazines from taking a swim in the toilet? :)

Yesterday at Church (see previous post about the 3-hour wrestling match), we had decided that it was going to be a good Church day. Ryan was going to be cooperative and pretty much behave. (I say pretty much because he's still going to act up a little - that's what he does!)

My newest calling is Church Organist, which means that Ric has the job of sitting with and controlling Ryan most of the meeting. The meeting was actually pretty quiet and uneventful until after we sang the Sacrament Hymn. The Deacons and Teachers are passing the bread around and all of a sudden we hear: "Nooooo...... nooooooooo...... noooooooo...." Of course I know who it is right away. (Isn't it funny that mom's can pick out their kids voices, even in a crowded room?)

I look over to see Ric with a dumbfounded look on his face. He's looking at me for help, because he has no idea what Ryan is complaining about. Neither do I - I'm not sitting with him! Well, Ryan doesn't stop! This goes on for what seemed like a really LONG time - only to stop briefly when the bread came closer. Then it started up again. "Noooooo..... nooooooo...... nooooo....."

Of course, everyone else can hear this and the people who sit around us were giggling. There was nothing I could do - just smile, shrug my shoulders and shake my head.

Oh well...at least Ryan provided a little levity. (At the most inappropriate time!)

The future's so bright...

...he's gotta wear shades!


We're always trying to keep our sunglasses out of Ryan's hands. All too often, he's got them in his mouth, or bending them out of shape. (I know... put them out of reach! Do we remember to do that all the time??? Nope!)

I finally pulled out these that I got for him over a year ago when we were getting ready for our cruise. At that time, they were much too big for his little peanut head!

Now they actually fit him! The best part? They are all one piece and VERY bendy! (Is that a word?) So he can drool, bend, and do anything with them. Sometimes he even gets them on his head just right! (Most of the time...they hang out around his neck.


By the way...Ryan's new thing is pulling EVERY diaper out of the package and telling us which Sesame Street character is on the front of it! *sigh* So we usually have a few diapers hanging out all over the house in various places.

Oh well...

BIG BABY!

I had my 32 week OB appointment this afternoon. I still haven't gained any weight, BUT, the baby has! (Which means that I'm actually losing weight! Nope, she isn't concerned about that at all!) In fact, my doctor said that I was measuring MUCH bigger than I should, even though everything 4 weeks ago was normal. Hmmmm....

I did test negative for Gestational Diabetes this time (YAY!) and she was toying with the idea of testing me again (YUCK!) but decided to just do some weekly non-stress tests instead.

Well, I could have told her that the baby was BIG! I can feel every ounce of it some days! It's moving around like crazy - some days I wonder if there's more than one in there! So I'll be going in weekly for the tests and we'll have an ultrasound in a couple of weeks to get an approximate weight.

Stay tuned for updates!

PS - I lost weight with Ryan too. Being pregnant seems to be a great weight loss plan for me! Too bad this is the last one we're planning to have! hehe :) (Ryan was a week early and weighted 8 pounds 5 ounces.)

After the storm....

...whew! What a night! We had strong winds, driving rain, power outages, stuff blowing all over...it was a mess! Today is a little better, but still a good day to stay inside! (Except for my OB appointment!)

We took a walk to the park behind our neighborhood on Saturday...it was chilly, but a fun diversion BEFORE the storm arrived! Enjoy the pictures!

(You may have to scroll down for the pictures...blogger is doing some funky formatting!)

I love this...both Ryan and Ric have the same "huh?" look on their face!

Make sure you don't lose that "bink" while you're swinging!

Ryan has been on a slide before, with our help, but this is the first time he scooted over the edge on his own! He couldn't get enough!

Good thing Dad is at the bottom to catch you!

That's ONE way to get to the bottom!

Wheeeeeeeeee!!!

Too funny...Ric and his "mini-me" :)

Going wherever Daddy goes!

I LOVE THIS FACE!

It's a GOOD thing you're CUTE!

I find myself saying that a lot lately. Maybe it's that Ryan is getting older and starting to figure out that he's his own person, so he's going to do anything he wants to do. Or maybe it's my preggo hormones. Or maybe it's a full moon. It's probably a combination of all three!

I've been REALLY grumpy lately - especially with Ryan! Not really grumpy-mad at him, but frustrated. Yesterday we went to a 1st birthday party for Michael, one of Ryan's friends. Michael's mom and I swap child care a couple of times a week, so Ryan is very familiar with him and his mom. Since they live in the next neighborhood over from us, I put Ryan in the stroller and we walked over for the party. (Luckily the weather was nice! Not like today!)

When we arrived, there were balloons and cookies, and snacks - the perfect situation for a little boy's party! BUT, Ryan turned into a different kid! All of a sudden, all his talking about balloons became a HUGE anxiety about balloons! He didn't stop saying "Booon" - and whenever someone brought him one, or he got close to one, he freaked out! It was the most bizarre-schizo thing he's done! Of course I went through the usual checklist of what could be wrong, diaper, hunger, naptime, etc. But everything was "normal" as far as those things were concerned.

Unfortunately, we didn't stay long, he was just too off the wall, annoying me, and probably annoying everyone else with his constant whining about the balloons. *sigh* We didn't even get to have a cupcake! They looked so good! Bummer....

I guess things are changing - lately if he sees someone on TV get hurt, he gets upset. Forget about the Elmo's World where he talks about firefighters - lately, he doesn't even like Mr. Noodle! Maybe it's a part of getting older and learning to empathize with others, who knows. But I don't have very much patience for it right now!

All I can hope is that he stays as cute as he is right now...because it's a good thing he's is! It's the only thing that has kept me from losing it completely! :)

Ball...

To Ryan... EVERYTHING that comes close to being round is a BALL. (Except of course, the plastic eggs he got for Easter. Those...are "Bapples" -- See this post for a translation!)

Yesterday he found the Stop and Shop ad that we got in the mail this week. He carried it around for a little bit saying "Gaaa" over and over again.

It took me a minute to see that he was talking about the Cantaloupe! Yep - I'm going to have to chain up the fridge the next time I buy cantaloupe! Ryan will likely want to use it as his newest ball!

Baby Crocs!

Well....they aren't the REAL Crocs... but they're cute!

We've had these for a while, and now the finally fit! Ryan has used them as teething toys until recently. But since he's figured out that they are shoes, he brings them to us all the time when he wants to wear them!

How stylish! :)

Elmo & Easter

Happy Easter everyone! :)

In the Sunday paper last week, Ric saw this cute Elmo Easter basket - and since Ryan is more than a little obsessed with Elmo, we decided to et it for him.

It was small, and only held a few things, but Ryan loved it when he saw it! "oooooooooohhhhh," he said, and proceeded to dump everything out of it.

Ryan still isn't old enough to anything about the Easter Bunny, or Egg hunts, or Easter for that matter, but it was still fun watching him spread the plastic Easter grass all over!

I think that he was wondering what the big idea was. "Why are you making me sit with this stuff while you take a picture?" At least that's what he looks like he's thinking!

His favorite goodies from the baskets? The candy of course! (Most of it was for mom and dad, but he enjoyed crinkling the candy wrappers!)

By the way, Peeps are usually an Easter favorite. Have you ever tried them frozen? YUM! Ryan liked them too - but ended up losing many to the carpet fuzz.

We spent some time with family in the afternoon for an Easter "Brunch." The older cousins hid the eggs so the little ones could go out and find them. Ryan didn't quite get it, but it was cute to see him carrying his basket around! We tried to point out the eggs so he'd pick them up and put them in the basket, but most of the time, he just picked them up and dropped them back where they were.

One funny thing, the older boys were trying to help Ryan by putting eggs into his basket for him. He didn't like that one bit! At one point, he actually threw his basket down and had a little tantrum!

Doesn't he look cute with his little basket? The confused look on his face is priceless!



Hmmm....maybe if he's upside down, he'll find the eggs that are hidden way up high! (Just don't drop him Dad!)












Even though we were hunting for eggs, Ryan couldn't help but find some other treasures to put into his basket. Things like, golf balls, old plastic toy parts, sticks, rocks. They were all there for the taking!


So that was Easter, nothing too exciting, but we were able to get some cute pictures. Ryan had a good time playing with his cousins, and we enjoyed visiting everyone.

But....


....the real truth came out today...apparently, Ryan really didn't like the egg idea. look where I found them this morning! (Don't you just love our white and turquoise toilet? hehe)

Mother, come home...

I've finally found a few minutes to read some of the articles in this month's Ensign (Church Magazine.) They are always great to read, especially when you need a little "pick-me-up." One article in particular really hit home for me...and I highly recommend that you read it when you get the chance! (You can see the article here, if you don't subscribe to the magazine.)

The author writes about how she planned from the time she was a teenager to be the leader of a large corporation. She had planned her education and strengthened her resume to accomplish just that.

My mom had always taught me the importance of education, and I remember her saying that I needed to get my education first, because I'll always have it with me. Who knows what the future would bring with husbands, boyfriends, family, etc. But I'd always have a college degree to rely on in case I needed to. {I've always remembered that Mom - thanks! :)}

Back to the article, she says that while she was completing her graduate studies she found the person she was to marry, but she wanted to put kids on hold for a while because of her career. Of course that changed when she and her husband felt that it was time to have a child and start a family. In the middle of all of this, she was offered the job she had been preparing for her whole life. The money would have been incredible, the leadership opportunity was also incredible. But after discussing it with her husband and praying together, as hard as it was to do, she declined the job.

In the end, she finally came to the realization that she was supposed to stay home with her 5 children. It was much more important to raise them than to work outside their home. It was a sacrifice, both of her plans and money that she could have earned. She says it hasn't been easy, but Motherhood is worth it. I love her quote..."For this I went to college?" :)

This article hit me today - really hard. Here I am with a GORGEOUS son, who I love more than I can even describe and a FABULOUS husband who works so hard to provide for us who I'm more in love with every day. And, I'm home working to build a business that will eventually put an addition on our house - or just pay the bills right now! I do leave Ryan with friends a couple of hours during the week while I teach a couple of classes at New England Tech. But for the most part I am home.

Even when I was going to college, and working on my career, I always knew that I wanted to stay home with my kids. I've seen what a wonderful job my sister has done with her 6 kids, and I just can't see raising mine any other way. But there are times when I regret that I left my career with my almost 6-figure salary, especially on those days that I'm wondering if we'll make it to Ric's next paycheck because we have bills to pay (or bills that are late), and we're running out of diapers!

For this I went to college? Yes, it prepared me to manage my home, my Stamping Business, and life in general.

This article was a witness and confirmation to me that I'm in the right place. It's still hard, and it's still a sacrifice, but I'm doing the right thing. Because of that our family will be blessed, I'm sure of that!

The Weekly 3-Hour Wrestling Match

Sometimes I wonder why we do it...

...why do we put ourselves through the agony of trying to control a 16-month old during Church?
...we don't even hear any of the speakers, or enjoy the meetings.
...especially when it's right in the middle of nap time, which screws up the whole rest of the day!

Why?

Because it's TRUE! And it's the right thing to do! And how is Ryan going to learn if he isn't with us during Church every week? I admit, we've given in and just taken him out to the car to drive around until he falls asleep. Today, we took two cars and Ric stayed behind after Sacrament meeting to teach his Young Men. I brought Ryan home, who was asleep only 2 minutes after I left the parking lot.

I joked with Ric this morning that he was contributing to my "inactivity" by suggesting that we bring two cars so I can leave after the first meeting (and after I have to play the organ for the hymns) to bring him home. We usually try to stick it out, but we have plans this afternoon with Ric's family, and Ryan would be even more of a monster if he didn't have his morning nap!

*sigh* Yes, it's true. The Gospel is true, and I want Ryan to know that and learn it for himself. But what I want to know is how all the other parents out there who have raised their kids in the Church survived the weekly 3-hour wrestling match!

Words...

It seems like Ryan is learning to say a new word every day. We understand what he's saying, but usually we have to translate for others. So...for those of you who need a "Ryan to English" dictionary, here you go!

Ryan -->> English
Ma Ma -->> Mom
Da Da -->> Dad
Tee-Tee -->> Kitty
Meoooo -->> Milk -OR- Meow
Doh -->> Dog -OR- Doh! (Depending if the Simpson's are on!)
mm-Pubbie -->> Puppy
Cah -->> Car
Baa -->> Bath
Boh -->> Bob (as in Bob the Builder)
Sheeees -->> Cheese
Shuuuus -->> Juice
Bee -->> Binky
Ticka-ticka -->> Tickle - OR- Chicken (as in Chicken Nuggets)
Booo -->> Spoon
mm-Boo -->> Balloon (forget it if he starts saying this one...that's all we hear for an hour!)
Memo -->> Elmo (we think!)
Chee Chee -->> GiGi (his word for Mariann, his adopted gramma here in RI)
Bebe -->> Baby
Kee kee -->> Cookie (as in Cookie Monster)
Ka ka -->> Cracker
Toe -->> Toast
Gaaa -->> Ball
Me -->> Me
Bye Bye -->> Bye
Hieeee -->> Hi!
No -->> Nose
Nah -->> No
Toe -->> Toes -OR- Toast
Babble -->> Apple
Tee-tee-tee -->> Tweet tweet (whenever he hears or sees a bird)
Do Do -->> Jo Jo (as in Jo Jo's Circus on Disney Channel)
Pee-ka -->> Pizza (if the Pizza Hut commercial is on TV) -OR- the first half of Peek-a-Boo!

I think that's it - but we'll update you when we remember others!

Our little RAP star!

For the longest time, Ryan would have NOTHING to do with anything on his head...especially when it was cold and windy outside! You would have thought that we were torturing him to put a hat on so he would be warm!

All that changed recently. Whenever he finds a hat, it goes right on!

We were visiting some friends in Barrington (Howdy Mr. & Mrs. W!!) last week, and Ryan found a bunch of ball caps. One by one they went on his head for a test run. It was the funniest thing to see!

This picture shows Ryan with Dad's bright yellow Ogio cap. He was playing with it while I was doing something in the kitchen. I turned around to see it on backwards! Of course I had to run for the camera! SO CUTE! :)

Poor poor Elmo

One of Ryan's favorite books is "So Big" - if you haven't seen it, it talks about Baby Elmo and what he can do because he's SO BIG!

Unfortunately, Elmo has required a little bit of surgery over the last few months. If you can't tell from the pictures, there's a TON of scotch tape covering the part of the book that pops up. I'm surprised and happy to report that Elmo has almost made a full recovery!

Maybe we should buy stock in the scotch tape industry for just this purpose!

Even funnier, though, is Ryan's "Dog" book. It's a fun book we found a Sam's club a little while ago. Parts of it move, like the dog that wags it's tail or scratches itself. Ryan LOVES this book and is always talking about the "pubbies!"

I was out one night and Ric was reading this book to him (for the ump-teenth time!) when Ryan reached out for the doggie that shakes his head because he just took a bath. He tore the head right off!

Ric said that the look on Ryan's face was priceless! He told Ryan that he "hurt the puppie." Ryan's little bottom lip came out and all he heard the rest of the night was "mmmm pubbie, mmmm pubbie, mmmm pubbie..."

The next day, Ryan didn't waste any time telling me all about it too! Even though we've fixed the book (Glue dots to the rescue!), we still hear the same "mmmm pubbie" every time he sees that book!

General Conference...

...the only time I miss living in Utah is during General Conference. Us Mormon-folk have the opportunity to watch/listen to the Church leaders live twice a year. Those people in Utah have it even better because it's on TV, Radio, and very accessible.

Those of us who live outside of the "promised land" have a couple of choices... If we have a Satellite Dish we can dial up BYU TV and watch it. We can stream the audio over the Internet, or we can dress up in our Sunday clothes and go to the Church where it is also fed through satellite.

No thanks on the 3rd option! For one thing, there are 4 different sessions (not including Priesthood session) each at 2 hours a piece! It's hard enough bringing Ryan to Church for 3 hours and keeping him in control - but 4 different times in 2 days? NO THANK YOU!

So here's our solution... The Internet. (Thank goodness Al Gore invented it, if ONLY for this reason!)

Ric dragged an old PC out from the garage (one that should have been thrown out a LONG time ago!), made sure that the wireless card still worked, then we snaked/hung a wire from the speaker jack on the PC in the dining room to the stereo in the living room. (I should have taken pictures!) From there, we can wear anything we want to, chase our adorable monster around, and listen to the conference sessions. (And Ryan could enjoy the Aquarium screen saver when it came on the monitor!)

Just like Utah Mormons! :)

Beef-A-Roni-Boy

Are all our posts going to be about food? Maybe, but these pictures are too funny not to share!

Ryan's eating habits are unpredictable lately. He's really picky! He'll love having toast for 5 days in a row and then decide the next day that he doesn't want it for a while. So it's a real gamble most days for his meals. (We do try though to feed him the same things we're eating, but that isn't always successful!)

Anyway, yesterday was one of those strange days... He hasn't wanted beef-a-roni (one of Dad's favorites) in a long time. All of a sudden, he can't get enough! He turned is face into a pumpkin and his high chair tray into a complete mess!


Then Ric says... "that's why I don't let him feed himself!" HA!! Are you kidding? And miss photo opportunities like these? I don't know how he does it, but it's a fight with me if he doesn't get to try to put the food in his own mouth!

(At least I didn't give him a spoon, then we'd be cleaning up beef-a-roni from the walls too!)

Our son...the squirrel

No idea about this one...

Ryan just started doing this when we give him a sandwich. Of course we cut it into pieces so it's easier for him to handle. But he then takes ALL the pieces and stuffs them into one hand.

Then one by one, he eats his sandwich. Hmmm...maybe he's been watching too many nature shows! It's like he's hoarding it away for later! hehe

1 year Temple anniversary

It was one year ago that Marni, Ryan and I were in Utah for our big Temple and General Conference weekend. The entire trip was great and it was my first "real" trip to the Provo and Mt. Timpanogos Temples. We were sealed together as an eternal family both in this world and the next on March 31, 2006. Happy 1st year Marni!

Love,

Ric