Can You Tell the Difference? I can't!

The First of Many!

As I mentioned below, Ryan had his first Christmas singing concert yesterday. It was SO me cute!

(Much better than the Primary Program a few months ago where he snuck down from the stand to avoid his part!)

After the program, the kids brought hand made ornaments to their parents. I'm sure that this ornament and the Christmas Concert is the first of MANY more to come!

(Why he didn't smile in the picture, I have no idea...)

Enjoy - it's in two parts since the file was so big my dinosaur of a machine wouldn't convert it! (About 3 1/2 minutes each)

Happy Birthday Ryan!

SO BEHIND! I can't believe that Ryan is FOUR! He had been talking for WEEKS about his birthday. Always wondering how many more days he had to wait.

FINALLY it arrived and he was pretty excited.

We were pretty low key on his actual day, with some gifts and cupcakes. The REAL excitement was going to be the NEXT day with a party at Chuck E Cheese!

Ryan's favorite birthday gift has to be his new drum set. This kid has rhythm in his blood and will always go around tapping some kind of pattern wherever he is. Soooo... since he's taking after Mom, (YAY!) we decided to get him something to drum on! He loves it!

------------------------------

Now for the Chuck E Cheese festivities. You'll probably notice in this slide show that Megan is not in the pictures. That's because Megan ended up with a really high fever and wouldn't have been able to enjoy the party. Of course, Ryan chose to have Dad go with him to the party, which was probably best since Meg was a little clingy. So I stayed home. :(

From all accounts, everyone had a great time!

Just the way we like him! :)

I happened to come upon this little scene a few months ago and snapped a picture (and never posted it!) What other little boy do you know who falls asleep on a half inflated bouncy house with a can opener in his hand? Hmmm....

What's this kid thinking?

I'm so glad that I listened to the advice I read somewhere about only purchasing the SMALLEST package when it comes to school pictures. Since you only get one chance at a good picture, who knows what you'll get?

So now I'm wondering...what was this kid thinking while the picture was taken? First of all, his shirt is all bunched up - and I didn't think it looked THAT big on him when I sent him to school.

Oh well...good thing I'm planning to take both kids in to have pictures taken in December! :)

PS - I'd like to know what you think that the caption should be for this photo. Leave a comment!

Let the Demolition Begin!

Since we've moved into our house, we've planned to make half of the garage an office/studio for my business. With the replacement of our oil tank, we thought it was a good a time as any! (Plus, the kids are getting bigger and need a little more space!)

The garage is not the prettiest place (is anyone's pretty?) Most of it had a blue paint over some sheetrock that wasn't put up very well. There's no insulation in the walls, so it's really hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

It's been REALLY easy to pull down the walls - messy too! Ryan LOVED this part and did his best to help.

It's going to be a slow process since we don't have a chunk of cash to put down all at once (anyone care to donate? heh) so slowly, we'll do a little here and there. At least we don't have to live inside of the garage as we're working on it!

More pictures in the next post - and Mom, I PROMISE, I'll have pictures of the kitchen up too! Just a few more cabinets to do and we'll be done with that project! (I need to stop reading This Old House Magazine!)

Mrs.Campbell!

Ryan starts pre-school next week. Eeeek!

This past Thursday, his new teacher, Mrs. Campbell, came over for a visit. She's very nice. :)

She had Ryan draw for her while she asked questions to see what he liked to do. We're looking forward to the Open House on Friday night and then Ryan's first day next Wednesday!

Stay tuned for the updates!

PS - Meg says "Cambow" when she sees her picture now.

PPS - I think that Ryan is just a little apprehensive in this picture, what do you think?

More Photos by Ryan - and a Few by Meg!

Enjoy!

(Yes, they are upside down on purpose. Ryan put the camera on the floor and took the pictures! Pretty "artistic" if you ask me!)

Happy Father's Day Tie!

Do you LOVE this? A few weeks ago, the Primary asked for old ties so the kids could make a special project for Father's Day.

This is the result. First, get past how handsome my sexy hubby is in his new "readers" (heh) and TAKE.A.LOOK.AT.THAT.TIE!

Ryan carefully glued all the feathers, letters, sequins, and especially googly eyes on just for him. I LOVE IT! (So did Ric.)

All the dad's at Church with Primary kids were sporting their new ties - it was hysterical!

Here's a closeup of his fine handiwork...

Ric promised that he'd wear it every Father's Day. We'll see...

Frosting Overdose

Just a random picture from Saturday.

If you look closely, you can see an empty bowl of pink frosting. Ryan just happened to pass out on the floor after cleaning out the bowl.

It's just too funny not to share! hehe

Our 'Rock Star' - 'High Fever' Weekend!

We had a crazy weekend . We were hoping to make the best of it since it was Ric's last few days off, but no such luck with two kids!

Ric was able to take Ryan to get his hair cut, flipped up in the front, and some fun color added to the "flip." A girl from Church works at SnipIts now, we they went specifically to see her.

When they got back, Ryan immediately got on to his tricycle and rode around like a "rock star" - how do I know?

All he kept saying was..."I'm a WOCK STAR" as he was riding around in circles in front of our house. Hysterical!

Megan - on the other hand was not so lucky. On Thursday, she ended up with a really high fever (103ish.) She's really lethargic and clingy. We called the doctor and made an appointment for the morning, and were told to just try alternating Motrin and Tylenol to control it.

This started a roller coaster of ups and downs. Down to normal, then back up to 101 or 102. Megan's doctor said that she was seeing a lot of her symptoms and it was basically the flu. We just had to make sure that she was drinking fluids.

We all ended up staying home from most of Church on Sunday - just in case. (Though I did play the organ for Sacrament meeting and then left right after.) I even bowed out of a FAB Girls night out on Saturday since I didn't want to take the chance of spreading any flu germs around.

Doesn't she look miserable in these pictures? Poor thing! Since the Motrin was bringing the fever down a little, but it would spike back up, we decided to let the fever do its job and kill off whatever virus was there.

One idea I found was to take her socks, soak them in white vinegar, and put them on her to hopefully draw the toxins out. I don't know if that's what did it, but finally today her temperature is back to normal! (Though her feet smelled like pickles! heh)

Today she's just coughing and sneezing all the gunk out - so hopefully soon, she'll be back to normal! :)

So much fun - hope your weekend was better than ours!

On the Job Training

Who knew that following the Verizon FiOS guy around for 6 hours meant that you were ready to do it yourself!

Ever since he left, Ryan has been plugging things in, out, and all over the place. Maybe he has a future in electronics?

What's in a Name?

So I have to say...my kid is wicked smart! :)

I'm sure that every parent says that, but I'm sure mine is smarter than yours! hehe

We've been working through a preschool workbook that I picked up at Job Lot (LOVE THAT STORE! In fact, I've picked up quite a few workbooks and stuff that we can do at home together.)

He's learning things like writing his letters, getting ready to read, math prep and stuff like that. It's just amazing to see what he really comprehends and can figure out himself! (I'm sure he gets it from me - heh!)

So today, he was practicing his name - and he wrote it by himself for the first time rather than following my patterns! I love how the "R" is upside down and that his "n" has an extra piece!

Can you tell I'm a proud mom? :)

Hi Daddy...

I've taught Ryan some things that are important...

1) He knows our home address.

2) He knows that he should look for cars when he crosses the street (though he often still forgets)

3) He knows how to call Daddy at work...oh boy...

For safety's sake, I taught him the buttons to press to call Ric at work (the number is stored in the phone.) Now he just does it for fun, because he can. How do I teach him that he should only call when I say it's OK or if there's an emergency?

Sorry Ric, I think you'll be getting a lot of "Hi Daddy, What are you doing?" calls in the meantime! :)

Random Ryan

My Big Boy

I'm not sure how I should be feeling right now. It's so hard to describe. But I'll explain what's been happening the past few days and maybe sort through it.

We live in a great neighborhood. There are a good number of kids, but ours are the youngest. Just a few houses down from us and across the street are two kids, Mason and Brody. Ryan has decided that Brody is his best friend. Apparently, Brody has also decided the same thing. The thing is that Brody is about 4 years older than Ryan is - and watching them play together is pretty funny.

Ryan now watches out the window and if he sees the neighbors garage door opened, he knows that Brody is out playing. It's been up a lot this week because it's Spring Break around here. As soon as he sees that the door is up, he grabs his shoes and wants to go outside to play. He's completely obsessed with playing with the big boys.

Two days ago, while Megan was taking her nap, I went outside with Ryan - of course he saw the the other boys playing and wanted to play too. So I let him. We talked about how to cross the street safely (not that he gets that yet) and to make sure that Brody says it's OK play. While I sit in a chair on our lawn, Ryan goes across the street to see the boys.

He stood on the street for 15 minutes in front of the house before he got the courage to go on the lawn and get closer to the boys. I could almost see his thought process. He wasn't sure he wanted to ask, but he really wanted to play too. (I was still sitting in my chair, just praying that he would be brave and say something.) Mason, Brody's older brother, had noticed that Ryan was there, but didn't do or say anything.

Finally, Brody came out from the back yard and saw Ryan. He instantly put his arm around him and brought him into the group. I cried. It was the sweetest gesture that Brody could have made. Ryan played for about an hour with the boys and had a blast!

He still doesn't understand that if Brody has to go inside or can't play that he'll get to play with him later. In fact, the next day I let him go over again, and when Brody had to leave for an appointment, Ryan came home crying. He thought that it was all over. He said, "But Brody is my best friend ever!" I'm not sure that he completely understands yet how it all works, but right now, he LOVES being with the big boys. Brody and his mom both know that Ryan is still learning about crossing the street and all that stuff, so they watch out for him - thankfully!

So how am I supposed to feel about this? I love seeing Ryan having so much fun and learning to be social with the other kids. But at the same time, I don't want to see him go there. Maybe it's just that I don't want him to grow up. First we sign up for pre-school in the Fall and now he's playing with the neighbors. What next, driver's license and mission call? eeeeek!

Such a good helper!

Ryan just wants to help.

All.The.Time.

About half of the time, he's really a help. The other times...not so much.

Today, I was shoveling outside so that Ric could get into the driveway tonight. (I know, I just had surgery 2 weeks ago - I was taking it easy Mom!) Megan and Ryan were both out with me. Ryan was ALL OVER in the snow - LOVING it! Megan just stood there watching me while her little nose and cheeks turned pink.

After about 15 minutes, Megan had enough and started to let me (and the rest of the neighborhood) know about it. So I left Ryan outside and brought her in. A few minutes later, once she was de-layered, PJ's back on (it's a snow day - no clothes allowed!), and sitting in front of Blue's Clues, I headed back out to check on Ryan.

At first I didn't see him, but I heard scraping. He had opened Ric's van door, climbed in (there's snow evidence on the driver's seat and floor) and got the scrapers out. He was so proud that he was helping Daddy clean the snow off the car. Unfortunately, he only got up about 4 feet high, but I helped him with the rest.

He's such a little "turd" sometimes - but then there are others, like this time. He's the sweetest boy anyone could know. It's a good thing we have those times! :)

(Can't wait until Ric sits on the driver's seat! hehe He took my car today since I wasn't going out and it has the new tires!)

Should've Majored in Civil Engineering

No one told me that I would have to be able to create cities, roads, train tracks and all that stuff when you have a boy! Isn't that something they are born with? (If so...why does Mom have to help build everything?)

(Heh, not bad if I do say so myself! Maybe I should have gone into Civil Engineering instead of Computer Science! OK...maybe not!)

PS - Dad, notice in the bottom right corner...this city has a helipad AND it's own little helicopter! (You might have to click the picture to see it close up.)

What's Wrong - Take II

Since it was a little tricky to see what was wrong with the first picture...here's a closeup.

Can you believe that this kid INSISTED that he have a popsicle while he was outside AND while it was snowing?

(Yep - Dad gave in on that one. Mom would have said otherwise...though it did create a great blog update!)

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Just taken moments ago...

Leave a comment if you can figure it out!

(It's really not THAT hard, but funny! And no...it's not the fact that Ryan is standing in the sled and not wearing gloves!)

Happy Birthday Ryan!

I can't believe he made it! Ryan turned THREE YEARS OLD yesterday! (Yep - just a little late putting up the pictures!) Both Ric and I had our doubts about it, but somehow he woke up yesterday morning with a smile on his face - AND the decision to wear his PJ's all day. Fine with me - it was HIS birthday!

(OK, we have "PJ Days" more than just birthdays - but no one knows but you!)

Just to PROVE how smart he is now, he actually typed his name into a Lego game he was playing online! I watched him do it - no prompting for the letters or anything.


After I got home from school with balloons and Ric got home from work with pizza, we had a little party for Ryan with some friends.

Ryan had fun opening presents - especially the Mickey Mouse bowling set (that Mom picked up for only $5 on a whim at Walgreens! Who knew that the cheapest present would be the most loved?) In fact, both Megan and Ryan love it so much they've fought over who plays with it already!

GiGi made the cake - it matched perfectly with his PJ's! (No...we didn't plan that one!) We had to use a candle from last year's cake (Nemo) since we forgot to get candles. *sigh*

It was a lot of fun and chaos, but Ryan had a special day!

Happy Birthday Ryan! Dad and Mom LOVE YOU very much! We're so proud of you and can't wait to see what being 3 years-old means! :)

ps - just had to throw in the cute picture of Megan - she loved wearing Ryan's birthday crown, which is a Burger King "knock off!"

Halloween Preview

I have to say - I'm quite pleased with how these costumes turned out! The best part? BOTH costumes together cost LESS than $10! Woo Hoo! I used pink, orange, and black felt, a little bit of fake fur, a foam hat (that was covered in felt), a plastic club (which Megan liked to hold), and a bag of bones!

Megan even kept her barrette in her hair all night and I was able to get a few cute pictures at the annual Ward "Trunk or Treat!"

Meg would have NOTHING to do with it at first. Don't you love this face? It was cold, windy, and a little drizzly. But the kids really had a great time. We probably had most, if not all of the Primary kids there who were in town. Those adults who were adventurous, decorated the trunks of their cars and everyone handed out candy. (Now...we just have to keep it away from them so it's not all gone in just a few minutes!)

When the kids were all done, they just hung out in the back of the van and played with all their loot! Ryan's little friend Michael joined them too!

It was fun for the kids - now on to Florida where we'll be able to trick or treat without coats! Yippeee!

Feel like your memory has been erased?

THIS is what's left of our perpetual calendar. Today, Ryan thought it would be a good idea to erase the red numbers...so he did.

Ric came into the office a few minutes ago and said: "I think we have a problem" and showed me this.

Ummm....I feel like my memory has been erased! Eeeeeeek! We put ALL appointments, my school schedule, party schedule, church schedule, etc. on this board!

Good thing I have a lot of it on paper - or we would be LOST!

Thanks Ryan...thanks a lot.

p.s. THIS is what it's SUPPOSED to look like! (Yep - we're WAY too busy!)

Handsome Levett Boys!

Since we're going to a wedding when we go to Florida this weekend, Ryan needed an official "church-going" tie.

Here he it - with Dad - SO HANDSOME!

Our Guitar Hero

And this...is what Ryan learns from the Young Men in the Ward! :)

I don't think it's your shade

Last night I was on the phone in the office with my new friend (and downline) Tanya. Usually, Ric makes sure that the door is closed so that kids aren't wreaking havoc while I'm trying to get things done.

All of a sudden, Ric comes in holding Ryan's hand - dragging him in too. This is what I saw and here's what Tanya heard next: (BTW - Hi Tanya!)

Mom: What's all over his face?

Dad: Your lipstick.

Mom: How did he get that?

Dad: You must have left it somewhere. (Yep, I must have...)

Mom: Hang on Tanya, I have to take a picture.

Fun stuff at the Levett house! :) No Ryan, it's not your shade! (Not mine anymore either!)

Ta-Da! NO MORE BINKY!

Which means.... a NEW Tricycle! YAY! Look how big our little boy is!









We found the COOLEST trike for him. It's a Radio Flyer Twist Trike. Once he's old enough, we can twist it around and it's a "chopper" (big wheel) style trike. Cool huh? (It also comes in pink, so Ryan wanted to know if Megan was getting one too! Not right now. By the way, the pink one is more expensive, what's up with that?)

Right now, he barely reaches the pedals, and doesn't really get the idea of one foot at a time, but watch out! He'll be pedaling down the street at record speed within a week! (or less!)



We're so proud of him! It was rough at first, going cold turkey, but within a few days, he didn't ask for it anymore. (Megan didn't really care either since she wasn't as attached.)





So...all the "b's" are gone (except the Red Sox one that I'm putting in his keepsake box, but he can't read yet, so he'll never find it - heh.)






Oh... and in case you weren't aware, there's nothing better than a blue "paw-sickle" while riding your new trike!





------------------------

And this was the scene this morning...Tricycle and YouTube. Life is good!

DJ Busta Ryan

Just needin' some 'BLING'! (Complete with diaper hanging out of his shorts!)

Edited: The Utah Jazz hat has been in a box of mine for YEARS! It's probably worth something now since it's the old logo/colors! Hmmm... make an offer! :)

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's...

Super Ryan!

A Lose the "B" Update

Well, it's Thursday. Last night, for the first time, Ryan went to bed without asking for his "B" - YAY! BUT, he woke up this morning looking for it.

He did find a long lost one yesterday - and I didn't fight him for it as he went down for a nap. He did trade it to me for some more YouTube time later though!

Yes, we're making progress...the Tricycle has been ordered and hopefully on the way soon. The Sticker Chart is almost full - we'll keep that going until the trike is delivered.

One step at a time - I'm so proud of Ryan, even though he's reluctant and doesn't really understand what we're doing, he's doing SO WELL!

By the way, he's dressed himself (shorts and a t-shirt) two days in a row! BIG BOY! :)

Dancing Pickles!

Ryan is officially obsessed with YouTube. It's all he wants to see on the computer (in addition to PBS Kids and Noggin of course!) YouTube will keep him occupied for a good amount of time, which is great for me at times!

He usually starts with Mana Mana or Willy Was a Whale, and then starts clicking on related videos. Sometimes he finds the funniest things! This one...he calls the "Dancing Pickles!"



(This song reminds me of my senior year at Utah State - and my bestest friend ShellyBean! Ahhhhh...the memories! hehe)

COLD TURKEY!

After one last all out tantrum because we couldn't find the "purple B", they are GONE!

I had HAD it! Yes, I know that the binky is like crack cocaine to this kid, but he's now in REHAB!

So here's my strategy. First, neither Dad or Mom are going to mention the "B" anymore. If he happens to find one that had previously been lost. (Believe me, there are quite a few around here!) We'll just wait until he puts it down and then "lose" it permanently.

Second, when he asks for one, we'll suggest he find a book to read or his favorite toy. Distract him with something else, right?

He did have his nap today without one - the babysitter put him down with a stuffed "Bob the Builder" and though he whimpered a little, he did fall asleep.

WHEN he makes it to Friday...he can have a Tricycle!

Wish us luck! :)

PS - as of just a few days ago, Megan doesn't want anything to do with her binkies, so this is the PERFECT time!

An Artist in the Making

I have to say... I think my child is an artistic genius! :)

Maybe not, but when I asked Ryan to draw a picture of Daddy for his birthday, this was his result!

I can definitely make out eyes, a nose, a mouth, and feet. (But that's because he told me they were feet.)

Everything else...I dunno! What do you think?

This can't be comfortable

Before you say anything, I know it's a terrible picture! I had to point my camera into a dark room and use the flash! (And hope for the best!)

At least the flash didn't wake Ryan!

So check this out...Ryan is sleeping sideways in his bed with one leg over the little "keep the toddler in the bed" rail. I'm sure that's not how it's supposed to be used...AND I'm sure that's not comfortable!

Oh well...he's napping, AND without a fight today! Yippeeee!

Overheard this afternoon....

Ric and I were talking about some music that he'd like to download...

Dad: Yeah, it's from the new Ryan Adams CD, I only want that one song

Ryan: (walking away from us down the hall) I'm not Ryan Adams!

-----------------------------------------

Before we left for Utah, I took these pictures. Ryan has to be just like his Daddy! I especially like the one where you can see our neighbor (Hi Aaron!) across the street mowing too! hehe

Fun in the Police Car

My brother-in-law, Matt, is a Utah Highway Patrolman.

When he finished his shift this afternoon, he brought Ryan over to check out all the "buttons" on his car! (And made him a Junior Patrolman in the process!)


He was just as excited about turning the headlights on as he was the lights on top of the car!

With the flashers going.

There's Matt & Ryan! Ric got to ride along with Matt for a couple of hours this morning before Church. I'm sure he'll post his own experience, but he said that it was really interesting.

Thanks Matt for the pictures!

Ryan's First PawSox Game

From the time Ryan knew what a ball was, he's been Dad's companion on the couch when the Redsox play. He even has a pretty good pitch, with a windup and everything! (Left-handed too!)

We've been telling him that we would take him to a baseball game for a while, as a reward for good behavior (or something like that.) So when the opportunity came for Ric to take the Young Men in the Ward to the Pawtucket Red Sox game, Ryan got to go with them.

Just a few pictures of Nacho Boy at his first PawSox Game!

(For those of you outside of New England, the PawSox is the AAA RedSox Team.)

Trailer Art

I'm beginning to enjoy having this trailer around more and more! Now that the sides are up and bolted on, it's a GREAT way to contain a certain 2 1/2 year old! :) Of course, it's a lot more fun with sidewalk chalk!

Ryan's drawings are getting better and better. He mostly draws balloons or faces with eyes. Sometimes he'll even get a mouth or nose on there too!


Still a lefty - who knows how we'll teach him to write since we're both right-handed! (Anyone want to volunteer?)

I'm sure that Daddy will LOVE to see this when he comes home from work (unless he has the chance to check it out here first!) The best part? The next time it rains, it's all GONE!


Can't wait to see what you draw next Ryan! :)

PS - his name this week is "Scrape" - because of the scrape he got below his eye. He was just a LITTLE TOO CLOSE to the trailer when I was working on it a couple of days ago, and got himself a nice little boo-boo. At least it missed his eye! eeeek!

One big happy family...

Chalk drawings outside while Megan was napping this morning. I was "ordered" to draw the following...

Daddy with his new reading glasses.


Mom with flippy hair and big eyes.


Ryan with spiky hair.


Just Megan - that's supposed to be a bow in her hair.

ChiChi - Skinny Cat.


Fat cat - SuziQ

Ann Marie - the kids babysitter.



And last but not least...Bob, our neighbor. The only reason he ended up with his portrait was because he happened to come outside while we were drawing and Ryan asked for Bob's picture too. (Sorry Bob - it's the best I could do with chalk!)

Gotta love sidewalk chalk - it's good for at least a few minutes of fun! (Oh but wait...the artistry continues in the next post!)

Did something spill?

Today, I was bringing in some things I picked up from Target. Ryan, Ric, and Megan had just woken up from afternoon naps. (Tuesday is Ric's day off.) After bringing in the last of it, I noticed a "wet spot" on the floor. Almost as if someone had spilled juice. (BUT, there were no sippy cups anywhere to be seen!)

Here's how the rest of this scenario played out:

Mom: Hey - what's this? Did something spill?

Dad: (coming into the living room from the kitchen) I don't know, it wasn't there before.

Mom: Ryan, do you know what this is?

Ryan: Uh huh... (his answer for everything)

Mom: (grabs paper towels and starts to blot it up)

Ryan: From my leg...

**a quick note... Ryan says things all the time that we don't understand. It might take a few repetitions for us to finally figure out what he's trying to say. OR... sometimes it's much later when we realize what he was saying and put it all together.**

Mom: (sniffs paper towels) Doesn't smell like anything.

Mom: (patting Ryan's bum) Ryan, do you need a diaper ... wait a minute... Ric, I figured it out.

Ric: What is it?

Mom: (pulls down Ryan's shorts - where he's wearing NOTHING underneath and standing there in all his glory!) There's your culprit!

At that point, I finished cleaning up while Ric took Ryan by the hand, led him to his room, and put a diaper back on him. We have NO idea when he took it off! He even put his shorts back on himself!

It took us a minute, but we also figured out what he was trying to say. He pee'd down his leg! That's why the floor was wet and from his leg!

hehehe - I still can't stop laughing about it!

Playing Hookey

(Is that how you spell "hookey?")

Anyway...today was the annual "Touch the Trucks" event at the Kent County YMCA. I had heard that it was something a little boy would LOVE, so Ric and Ryan left Church a little early to check it out. Ryan had a BLAST - and I know that Ric will be posting more about it (I'll be adding video eventually too) but for now, here's a slide show of the pictures Ric took.



PS - I just figured out how to put in this slide show from a Picasa Web Album - VERY COOL if you have a lot of pictures you want to show!

My Sweet Boy

Yes, I know...I complain that he's a monster in all his 2 1/2-year old glory! But Ryan can be the sweetest boy!

I was making this card for a friend whose husband passed away last week. Ryan came in and said "What-choo doin' Mommy?" (That's his newest thing to say...over and over and over!) I told him that I was making a card for Denise because she was sad. He didn't say much, but went behind me and started rummaging around, which is what he usually does when he's anywhere near my craft stuff.

A little while later, Ryan brought out a little box he found that he had filled up with little wooden craft hearts I had stashed somewhere. Then he told me that he wanted to make a card for "Ba-neese" too. It was so sweet.

So I gave him some card stock and we pulled out the glue stick so he could glue some hearts to the card. Then he used my markers (with my supervision of course!) to color it. And here you go...the final masterpiece! I love it, and I'm sure Denise will too!

(By the way...this "cheese" look is what he does now when I ask him to smile for the camera...*sigh*)

All Boy

All these pictures were taken within 10 minutes. It's hard to keep up with this kid! :)






























































By the way, I didn't notice when I took the last picture, but as I was uploading it tonight, I noticed a tiny little caterpillar on Ryan's neck! Too funny!

Two Blond Boys

Ryan has a cute little friend from Church who is just a couple of months older than he is. Braxton comes over about once a week to play while his mom runs errands, etc.

I had the chance to take this cute picture during a rare moment when they weren't chasing each other all over the house.

Two little blond boys, sitting on a cardboard box, watching Tom and Jerry. What's better than that? :)

Ryan will definitely miss Braxton when they move to Montana in a couple of weeks! :(

An artist and his art

I just have one thing to say...."someone" needs a haircut!

Cutie!

WOW! Look at that blonde hair! And his eyes are as blue as his denim overalls!

This was taken at about 10 month old - the same age as Megan right now! Would you believe it took me THIS LONG to get the film developed? And even then, it was a free promo at Walgreens! (Just give them your email address and they'll develop for free! Well, I did, and they put it into their system incorrectly. Nope...not gonna say a word! Sorry, the promo was only this past Wednesday!)

Anyway...had to share this little cutie with you. (Though at almost 2 1/2 he wasn't all that cute today! And it came to pass......and it came to pass.....)

Beware the Lizard!

Yes, I know, I'm posting a ton of things today. Sorry for playing catch up all at once!

Ryan has developed a few new fears. One is that he wants to sleep with the light on at night. No big deal, the little lamp we have isn't all the bright, so he's still able to sleep most of the night.

Another fear is this Lizard! I think I picked this toy/fabric lizard up when I was traveling with my credit union system installation job. I must have been in the Southwest - where else would I pick up such a funky lizard?

It usually hangs on on my computer speakers, until Ryan found it and asked to see it. He won't touch it though! If we even put it close to him he jumps away like it might bite him!

First of all, it's hysterical. I'm trying not to laugh and give him a complex that he'll need years of therapy for, but, admit it, it really is funny! It's stuffed like a bean bag and has beads for eyes! It's not more than 6 or 7 inches long either. It sure would be fun to just tease him, but I know it would probably do him more harm than it would entertain me, so we just try to encourage him to at least touch it and eventually play with it.

Maybe someday we'll have a breakthrough! :)

ps - he's also been talking a lot about monsters lately, so he's probably trying to figure out what is real and what isn't.

Not to be outdone...our Rock Star!

I wonder if he'll start his own band and call it the "binkies" or something like that? :)

We've been trying to get him on video with a guitar, it's hysterical with the head bobs and dancing around. But as soon as we pull out the camera, it's all over...he stops!

Soon though...we'll catch him!

It's Comin' Mommy...

...poopies that is. I guess it's not a good idea to put the word "poop" in the title of your post, I'd scare all of you away!

Ryan has been playing with us lately. Whenever we go to change his diaper, once we have the new one on, he says "Poopies comin' Mommy." Well, yesterday, I decided to take advantage of his "fooling around" and plop him down on his potty seat.

Nothing happened, of course.

After a few minutes, he said that he wanted to hold his diaper. So, not thinking, I gave it to him. In a split second, I hear the toilet flush and the diaper is nowhere to be found! In a panic, I take Ryan off the potty, and see his diaper swirling around, helpless!

Well, thank goodness he DIDN'T do anything, because I had to reach in, grab the poor diaper and save it from it's doom! I really wasn't thinking of the diaper, but our PIPES and CESSPOOL! There's no way that diaper would have made it through the pipes, we would have had to call a plumber for sure!

*sigh* It's funny now.... hehe :)

Big Boy Bed!

We're making progress - finally! Ryan slept in his bed last night, and will for his nap today too.

I rearranged his room yesterday, and asked him where he wanted things to go. We made his bed together with "Lightning" and "Mater", then played with the night light a little. (It can change colors!)

Then we put "Bob" and "Wendy" up at the top with the wall stickers he had on the door. He's so proud of his bed now!

Yipppeeee! A little "ownership" does the trick!

(Now for our next trick...moving Megan from the Pack and Play that's set up in our room to the crib. Problem is...she's still nursing at night, which means she sleeps with us most of the time! Hmmm...)

Maddie's Birthday!

On Saturday, we had the opportunity to go to Maddie's 3rd birthday party. It was held at the Providence Children's Museum, a place that's just INSANE! (BUT, it's a TON of fun for the kids!)

Here are just a few pictures - some are pics I took, and others I borrowed from Maddie's Mom. (Thanks Rach! SO CUTE!)

	Ryan "stole" the drum as soon as he saw it! (Taking after Mom, I think!) He carried it around for quite a while - until the M-n-M's were put out on the table!
	Again, the moving to the beat of his own drum - he had to sit at the FRONT of the room, not with all the other kids while they were reading a story!
	After animal stories, the kids all made their own masks. Ryan's ended up with just a few pieces of paper on it - call him a minimalist I guess! Then the kids all marched around the room with their masks and the leader beating the drum. Did Ryan follow along? Nope...he just did his own thing, marching in place.
	And here's the birthday girl! How cute is she? (And how cute are they holding hands?)
	I wish this picture wasn't so blurry! Just so cute to see them holding hands! (Notice Ryan's name tag on the back of his shirt...that way he wouldn't take it off!)
	Cute Megan, just hanging out while she takes it all in!
	Ryan was making sure that I knew there was a birthday cake on the table. He pointed it out a few times!
	CUTE CUTE Birthday Girl!
	Happy Birthday Maddie! Thanks for inviting us - we had a great time! (LOVE this picture! Look at how much fun she had with her cake!)

Look closely at Ryan's face...

...that used to be my eyeliner.

It's all over now...

...Ryan just climbed out of the crib by himself.

ps - Happy Valentines Day! Pictures of the festivities will be posted shortly!

Such a Brave Boy!

When we took Ryan to the Pediatrician for this 2-year checkup, she noticed that one of his testicles was larger than the other, so she referred us to a Pediatric Urologist to check it out. It ended up that Ryan had a hydrocele - or just a sack of fluid, which is usually harmless, but needed to be fixed.


Yesterday was the day. He was scheduled to have the procedure done at Hasbro Children's Hospital at 9:00 am. The day before we went to their "Pre-Op Program" to show Ryan the hospital and a little about what would be happening. He pretty much took it in stride, and eventually "owned" the room as he usually does when he goes somewhere new. I was really impressed by the program, they gave the kids dolls dressed in "johnny's" to color on and showed them what mom or dad would look like with scrubs and a mask on.

So Ryan couldn't eat anything after midnight - which wasn't really a big deal! He did ask for Juice and a Breakfast Bar, but didn't complain too much when we had to tell him he couldn't have it. We told him that we were going back to the hospital to see the doctors and nurses, and he talked about going to see the fishes in the aquarium and the Mr. Potato Head again. (It's Hasbro Children's Hospital, there's TONS of Potato Heads around!)

Everything went really well! We changed Ryan in to his tiger PJ's, and we played in the kids room while waiting for our turn.

Dad was "elected" by Ryan to go into the O.R. with him until he was asleep. Ric said that it was so quick and easy! Ryan just sat on his lap and smelled the "bubble gum air" and that was that! About 45 minutes later, the doctor came in to the parent's "holding tank" to tell us that everything was perfect!

A few minutes after that we went into the recovery room, where Ryan was propped up a little in the bed. He was pretty dopey, but was awake as he left the O.R. - all the nurses kept saying that he was the cutest little thing! (Well...of course he was!) We went in, gave him his Red Sox blanket and the doll he got the day before and waited while he sucked in oxygen and wasn't so "stoned."


Our nurse was saying that she was so lucky to have him as her patient! He was so good! No tears or fussing. (Though he did keep taking the pulse-ox thingy off his finger! For some reason he didn't like the E.T. finger-glowing thing!) Another 45 minutes and we were on our way home!

The one thing we learned is that this 2-year old is resilient! When we asked about his "boo-boo" he pointed to his hand where the IV was. He has a little scar about an inch long on his lower right hip that's covered with some glue stuff, but he hasn't really noticed it. We did give him some Motrin last night and this morning, but it's as if nothing had happened to him now! Unbelievable!

We're so happy that everything went so well! Ric had given Ryan a blessing the night before, which was probably for Mom and Dad's peace of mind rather than Ryan's! (He kept calling it a special prayer.) We know that all is well because of that blessing and the skilled doctors and nurses who took care of him.

Let's hope this is the first AND last time we have to be in the hospital with him! :)

Our Budding Artist...?

So as we were getting ready for Church on Sunday, Ryan decided to branch out from his little chalkboard on his arts and crafts set to the TV Cabinet!

Isn't this lovely? Luckily, it's just chalk and it wipes right off! Isn't the first time...and I'm SURE it won't be the last!

How to dress a 2-year old

One way to do it!

Time for a Checkup!

Today was Ryan's 2-year checkup and Megan's 6-month checkup. Both are doing really well and both ended up getting shots. :(

Ryan's Vital Stats: 36" long, 27 pounds 12 ounces
Megan's Vital Stats: 27" long, 17 pounds 7 ounces

One thing we do have to do for Ryan is see a pediatric urologist. Apparently his left testicle may have a hernia. Hmmmm...how exactly does one get a hernia THERE? Our pediatrician said that it's actually very common and isn't an emergency, but will have to get fixed eventually. So we'll keep you posted!

Santa Guy

Yep - that's his new name...Santa Guy.

We'd been telling Ryan all week that we'd go see Santa today. (Kind of a reward for being good at the Doctor's office!) So he's been talking about "going to see Santa Guy" non stop!

I'm sure you can guess what happens next...he's completely excited when we see him from afar, but the closer we get, the more we hear "no, no, no" from Ryan.

So how did we actually get a picture with a smiling Ryan? Well...if you look closely, you can probably see that's sitting on MY lap! They were good enough to put a border around the picture and cut me out of it! Yippeee!

(Notice that Megan is just hanging out...nothing phases her right now!)

By the way, we went to the Warwick Mall to see this particular Santa because he's the best in the state! He looks like Santa all year long, beard and all!

Ryan's 2nd Birthday Party

I can't believe how far behind I am putting these pictures up! We decided to invite only family to Ryan's birthday party because we don't get together often enough! We had pizza, cake, presents and just a lot of catching up! Here are the pictures, in no particular order. :)

Pee Pee on the Potty

(Sorry for the blurry picture!)

If you can't tell from the title...guess what Ryan did today?!?! :)

Earlier in the afternoon I told Ryan that I was going to the bathroom (I have to announce these things or he thinks that he's going to miss out on something!) He ran ahead of me and said "Ryan do it, Ryan do it!"

Ummm...OK, I'm not going to miss this opportunity! So I loaded both kids in the car and went to the store to pick up a potty seat. (Elmo, of course!) It's all Ryan was saying in the store - "potty chair, potty chair"

So we got home, ate dinner (French fries and cheeseburger from Burger King) - and went to try out the seat.

The first thing he does is pull off his pants and shoes. When I sit him on the seat, he takes the little "boy guard" off the seat - and THEN he pees! (Mom had to aim for him since the guard has since been thrown into the tub!)

I can't believe how proud I was! And all he wanted to do was flush - over and over and over!

Who knows how long this will last, but we'll keep on trying! (Deep down, I think he just wants to flush the toilet! Not pee in it!)

PS - Unfortunately...I still haven't gotten any "boy" pull-ups. So, Ryan is now running around in "pink Dora" ones. Here's hoping we don't have an identity crisis! :)

Pictures!

I'm a little behind on my posts now that I'm a "postal widow!" (Ric is working nights for the next 3 weeks - all to make sure YOUR Christmas packages get to where they're going on time! Hope you're happy! hehe)




Anyway, I took the kids to get some pictures taken, and here are the results. Of course these are the low resolution versions from the website, but you can still tell how cute they are! :)






(Hopefully, I'll have some time today to update this site with Ryan's birthday festivities!)

Happy Birthday Munkins!

This kid doesn't miss a thing! He remembered from 2 days ago that we promised him munchkins on his birthday.

(Luckily, Dad had gotten up early and ran to DD to get them before he woke up!)

Happy Birthday to our 2-Year old!

Big Bro & Little Sis

Whenever Megan is on the floor, Ryan has to be right there with her! If she rolls over, he rolls over too.

(He's also there to steal her "B!")









Look at how she just adores him! (Let's hope that lasts!)

Munkin Boy!

It's his latest obsession? Dunkin Donuts Munchkins! Which one of us introduced them to him, we'll never know (dad), but now we're hearing all about them!

In fact, when they are all gone - THEN we hear "buy more munkins - big box munkins."

Hmmm...

Since there's a DD on every corner and in all the supermarkets around here, it's hard to get away from them! (At least buying a small box keeps him occupied while I'm shopping!)



But he can't just eat them....of course he has to play with them too!


(By the way, in case I haven't mentioned it before, Ryan wears his hats like that on purpose - I put them on correctly, but he turns them around.)

Cookies for Breakfast??

Some battles just aren't worth fighting...am I right?

Ryan "helped" me make a bunch of chocolate chip cookies last night. This morning...that's all he talked about - and since he's usually grumpy in the morning, he started throwing a fit when I told him he at least had to have milk first.

I wasn't in the mood to fight this fight, so Ryan had cookies for breakfast.

All I could think about while he was stuffing his face was Bill Cosby..."Dad is great. Gives us the chocolate cake." I remember listening to that album (YES, I said ALBUM!) when I was a kid!

It's a classic! Enjoy!

FREE to a Good Home!

23-Month Old Boy
(AKA Our toddler, who is in the middle of his "TERRIFIC" TWO's)

Name: Ryan

Hair: Blonde (VERY blonde)

Eyes: Blue

Height: about 36"

Weight: 27 pounds

Features: Incredible vocabulary (when he wants to use his words), smarter than his own good, REALLY cute (if we do say so ourselves), he even says "please" and "thank you" some of the time on his own (but mostly when prompted)

Other "Features": great at whining, screeching, tantrums, going from "angelic" to "monster" in less than a second, pushing mom and dad's buttons

Likes: Baseball (especially Red Sox Base Ball), being outside, his little sister (she's not for sale... give us a year or so), dancing, jumping, running, throwing (pitching) any ball, some TV shows (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jack's Big Music Show, This Old House "Norm")

Can't Be Without: his "B" (his binky at naptime and bedtime)

Interested? All inquiries will be SERIOUSLY considered! :)

Can We Build It?

Just a quick preview of Ryan's Halloween costume.

Cute, huh? The only problem is that the hat is WAY too big for him. Maybe we'll get lucky and find a smaller one before Halloween!

(Whenever I get the camera lately, Ryan either covers his eyes or turns away. I guess he thinks that if he can't see the camera, it can't see him!)

Laundry Helper

This is the kind of help I get with the laundry. Ryan usually climbs into the basket and throws things around.

In case you can't figure it out, that is my bra on his head. Luckily, it's blurred, so you can't see the details! hehe

Big Truck!

"Big Truck" is all that Ryan has been saying for the past few days. So what does he do when we get to take a picture on the big truck?

He was pretty much freaked out.

Many thanks for Richard, the guy operating the Excavator! :)

Who is this kid? Call him SPIKE!!!

Ryan had an eventful day today...can you tell?

Mom just started taking him to a weekly class called "Creative Kids." It was put together by one of my Stamping customers and her friend. I thought that he needed a little mommy & me time, so we've signed up for 6 weeks. We left Megs at home with a neighbor, and took off for a few hours!

He had a BALL! First, he colored a little and played with stickers. Then we sang songs and read stories about colors and danced! After that we had a painting project where Ryan took squishy toys and dipped them into paint and colored a white bunny. (I'll put up a picture of it when it dries - it's a little goopy right now!) After that, more songs and we said goodbye!

He just loved the books and projects. And he's not shy at all about other kids! I think it may be something we continue doing after the 6 weeks are through.

I decided that he also needed a trim, so off to SnipIt's we went! This was the result! SO CUTE! He looks so grown up now!

Now all he does is talk about the "monsters" he saw. (The cartoon "animals" that were all over the place where he got his hair cut.)

Don't you love the new look?

Who is this kid??? Can't imagine!!

(No, we aren't abusing him...the nice little bruise on his head is self-inflicted. His new thing lately is banging his head on the floor or wall when he's frustrated. Yes, I've looked it up - it's most likely a phase and will grow out of it when he can express his frustration better. Thank goodness!)

Ryan's 1st Kayak Ride

It's not a long video - and it's at the tail end of the ride, but at least Ryan wasn't screaming! :) (Actually, he had a ball! He almost lost his hat because he threw it into the water...but Dad rescued it before it was gone for good!)

Just lovely...

Whether it's my shoes or Ric's, Ryan has to try them on. He's usually shuffling through house in something different a couple of times a day!

We HAD to get pictures of this one though, fresh from the tub, at least he has a diaper on! Doesn't he look lovely in Mom's pink shoes?






In fact, he was playing with Ric's Teva's last night. Somehow he slipped them somewhere and we couldn't find them! If you've been to our house, you know it's not that big! Well, finally, after checking everything we could think of, Ric peeked in the clothes hamper - and there they were! Yet another place to check besides the bathtub or out the cat door if we're missing something!

Bock Bock Bock

Guess who knows the "Chicken Dance?"

This LOVELY "dance" is one that I put on the "do not play" list at my wedding. (as well as the Macarena, Electric Slide, etc etc etc.) But...here I am in the living room this afternoon kneeling down with Ryan doing the chicken dance!

Of course, I look like an idiot doing it - but Ryan is absolutely adorable! We have to get it on tape - it's hysterical! It will be the next YouTube sensation - You watch! hehe

ps - I did end up giving in on the Electric Slide, but that was because my dad said he would do it too! I couldn't pass THAT opportunity up, now could I? :)

Not sure if Ryan will miss this....

Look closely...see all the hair stuff?

Railee had a good time putting it into his hair. I'm surprised that he sat still that long!

:)

Nursery success - sort of

Yesterday, we had some success with getting Ryan to stay in the nursery at church. Although he cried at first and kept calling out for "daddy" often, he made it through the first hour and 15 minutes. Then, just as I was getting our Young Men's class underway, I was informed that Ryan had met his limit for the day and needed to come out. So, he spent the next 35 minutes in the Bishop's office with our class as "mascot" and practicing his "high-5's with the young men while I taught the lesson for the day. A limited success for now, stay tuned for next week.

Ric

Cupcake Mustache!

Do you think he liked it? :)

Bugged!

Well, I guess since Ryan is a boy, it was bound to happen...

I was sitting on the couch the other day feeding Megan while Ryan was playing by the front door. He came over to me with his hand held out saying "Bee, Bee" over and over. He held out his hand and proudly displayed a dead beetle.

Hmmm....

Of course I told him to throw it away, it was "dirty" (his new favorite word), but no...he kept on playing with it. Since I was stuck on the couch for a little while longer, all I could do was shake my head and laugh pitifully. Yes, he pretty much mangled it and eventually it was in pieces that could only be picked up by the vacuum. (Good thing I vacuum at least once a day now! It's the only way to keep up with the crumbs!)

It begins...a boy and his bugs! *sigh*

Wall Art

Isn't this lovely? We think it's pencil, but haven't tried to remove it yet.

No idea when or how it happened. How Ryan got a hold of something to scribble with is anyone's guess.

Magic Eraser to the rescue! :) (I should buy stock in that company...)

Mommy SHOULD have seen this coming!

Just wondering....does "Helpful Hints from Heloise" have a suggestion about cleaning cottage cheese from the carpet?

Does a person wait until it dries a little and then sweep/vacuum it up? Or does a person get on her hands and knees and pick up each slimy piece?

Hmmmm...so much for multi-tasking. I *thought* it was a good idea to give Ryan some lunch while I fed Megan. Well...from across the room, I couldn't do a whole lot to prevent this little scene from unfolding.


Usually he does really well with a spoon and lunch, but apparently, he wasn't too excited about his cottage cheese. It even ended up in his hair (which went VERY well with the jam from breakfast!), down his diaper (how that happened I'll never know), and as you can see, all over the floor.

*sigh* just in time for a stamping club meeting tonight!





If you look really close, you can see the white specks of cheese in his hair, on his face, and on his shirt!

UPDATE July 14th: If you let the cottage cheese dry a little (without letting anyone grind it into the carpet!) you can sweep it around to make sure it hasn't stuck and then vacuum! Now you know. hehe

Week of Firsts - First Haircut!

We finally got to the point where Ryan's hair was out of control! It was growing at all different lengths and just didn't look good. (Of course those different lengths could have been a result of Mom's curl trimming a few months ago!)

So...off to Kidz Adventure Cuts we went! They have the greatest set-up there! Each station has its own TV/Game station. We chose Sesame Street for Ryan to watch as he got his hair cut!











Lindsay started by blowing bubbles and playing with Ryan as she put the cape on him.












He sat there the entire time watching Elmo and his friends while holding the bubbles - for safe keeping, of course! Ric and I were completely amazed that he was so good!

Nothing even bothered him as the stylist was trimming up his "loose ends!"

(He looks like he's upset in this picture, but he's actually LOVING the TV show and telling us all about it!)



And here he is...our handsome little boy! (Mom even got a little *misty*)

Ryan & "Mei Mei"

Ryan can't give Megan enough kisses lately! He's just so excited to see her every morning. I think he's gotten over the initial shock that she's here to stay! He's always asking to hold her too - so with a little supervision, here they are! Megan doesn't look too happy about it though!

He's also found a way to say her name - "Mei Mei" - close enough! :)

If you look closely...you may pick out many different bumps and bruises on Ryan's head. All of a sudden, his nickname is "Scrape!" Overnight he became fearless and he has the bruises, scrapes, black eye, and bumps to prove it! People are going to think we've started to abuse him!

Into the water we go

Tuesday, we got to try out the "deep water" of the pool and as you can see by the photo, it's just right for Ryan's size. Since the pool was filled mostly on Monday and a little more on Tuesday before we got it to test it out, it was very cold! It took a long time to get used to and it just wasn't hot enough to want to get all the way into the water, so we'll have to wait a few days for the water to warm up and the sun to help out. Very soon we'll get him a infant life-jacket/vest so he can splash all around and not go under in the deep end ;-).

You've got to admit, the little pool boy does look pretty happy and excited to be in the water. Now, if we could just work on his tan a little and get rid of the albino-look.

Ric

This is your kid on Fluff

Ric thought it would be Ryan's destiny to try a Fluffernutter sandwich for lunch. For those of you that have never heard of it, it's marshmallow creme in a jar that you can use for just about anything, especially home-made quick fudge.

Growing up, Ric ate PB + Fluff sandwiches all of his youth, so it was only natural that Ryan inherit the legacy. Here's what happens when Ryan licks the sandwich clean (like an ice cream cone) instead of chewing it.

Dumb Daddy.

Play "Date"

Maddie L. was born just 12 days before Ryan. Of course her mom (Sandy) and I think that the "kids" are just so CUTE together! We got together this afternoon at her house for a play date. (AND her mom was nice enough to keep Ryan for an hour while I got my hair trimmed! Woo Hoo!)

Ryan is not shy about going down a slide. ANY way he can! He always has to be reminded to sit on his "bum" or go "feet first" - otherwise disaster will be the result!











There's Maddie peeking behind Ryan - waiting "somewhat" patiently for her turn at the slide!












Now THIS is where it gets funny... Ryan loved getting into the car, but will TWO 18-month old's fit? Let's see.....

Ryan isn't so sure!









Somehow, both of their cute diaper-bums fit!

"Now...let me show this kid how to drive!" Maddie says!










THIS is how you do it! :)

Go get your Jammies....

Ryan had been running around in a diaper for a while after his bath, and it was time to put some PJ's on him. I didn't feel like getting my ROUND self off the couch, so I asked Ryan to go get his jammies.

He did EXACTLY as I asked! Went to his room, and brought back ALL of his PJ's! I guess I should have been more specific! At least he got them! (Getting them on him is a different story - it's like pig-wrestling! hehe)

18 Months old means Nursery at Church...right??

So it's not the best picture, but here's Ryan on the right, sitting at the table for snacks during nursery today at Church. (You can see another little boy across the table who's just a few months older than Ryan with blonde hair and a black eye! That's Braxton - who we're hoping will be a buddy of Ryan's soon, maybe they can get through the trauma of Nursery together! They look a lot alike!)

So how did it go? Hmmmm.... where do we start?

Up until this point, Ryan would run for the nursery room door and practically beg to go in and play with the kids and toys. Now that he can officially join in on the fun it's a different story! What's up with THAT?

Well, there are a couple of problems with Nursery for Ryan right now. (Not with nursery itself, in fact, the leaders are incredible - and take great care of the kids! I don't know how they do it!)

Here's what's wrong...

• Nursery is right after Sacrament meeting, where Ryan has been "sitting/enduring" for an hour. OK, sitting is not really the right word, but you get the idea.
  
• Nursery starts shortly after 11:00 am - RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS NAP TIME!

So, by the time he's suffered through the first meeting, missed his nap, he's extremely tired, and now he has to go into a room with other kids who are pretty much in the same boat, it's doomed for failure!

I was talking with some other mom's who have been through the same thing, and they said that they often wondered why they even came to church for two years after they had their own babies! It was such a struggle! (And here we were hoping that Ryan would just sail right into nursery and be done with it!)

I think though, that we underestimated the anxiety it would cause because Ryan has been REALLY clingy since we've been home - more than usual. Maybe it will all be better after a good night's sleep! (We can always hope!)

Of course, this was only his first week, and he did have *some* fun playing (all the while watching to make sure Dad was still in the room, while Mom played the piano in Primary.) We'll see what happens next week. YEP - we're gonna do it all over again in a week! Woo Hoo! (Unless Baby #2 makes his/her appearance before then!)

*sigh* Since Ric was in there most of the time, I'm sure he'll have his own thoughts to add to this little saga.

I do hear (though I think it may be a nasty rumor) that all parents go through this and actually survive! Ahahahhahahaha :)

Big Boy Bed upgrade 1.0

This week while I was off from work, we took time to get Ryan's room cleaned and set up for his latest upgrade, the "Big Boy Bed". Here's the first picture that we snapped just moments after the bed was in place and Ryan figured out that it was going to be his. Of course, he also discovered that he could stand on the bed as easily as lay down on it (which is not what we wanted to see). We don't know when he'll be ready to use it and we'll possibly get him to try it out during naps, but for now at least it's out of the garage and set up. Next will be a new rug to place next to the bed to soften the impact of when Ryan discovers falling off of his bed while horsing around!

Ric

Beach Bums - with the camera this time!

It's a GORGEOUS day in Rhode Island! We're about 78 degrees with bright blue skies. Because we're close to the water, there is a nice breeze.

So...we went to the beach to walk for a bit. (Until I couldn't carry this baby any longer without getting a backache!)

Ryan LOVES it at the beach. He could walk around on the sand for hours! (Until he gets his feet wet, that is. It's a new sensation and he doesn't quite understand it yet.)



He's wearing his little baby crocs. They are the BEST thing for the beach! Once we get home, we just hose them down and no sand is tracked through the house - by him anyway!




LOVE this picture! Don't we live in a great place? This little cove is the neatest thing!











Ryan found a tent stake or something and immediately claimed it as HIS! He decided that he'd "make his mark" all the way back to the road. Meaning...it took us FOREVER to get him off the beach! He just wanted to keep on drawing in the sand with the stake! BUT... it was nap time, and we weren't going to miss that!

How cute is this kid?

I know...when he's older, he'll complain that we dressed him funny. But right now, he's just CUTE! :)

I took his shoes off and let him walk in the grass. He looked like a stork for the first little while - not knowing where he was supposed to put his feet! So funny!

Eventually, he got used to it, but preferred the pavement or concrete on his bare toes!

Ryan is chewing on his plastic golf club - we think he's working on some more teeth - canines? He's been drooling a TON again, and wants to chew on everything! Pretty soon he'll actually have a full smile!

Just call him SPIKE!

'Nuff said...

Just Like Dad...

...or should I say...it's ALL about dad. :)

We found this plastic Golf Set around Easter Time at Job Lot for about $10. Of course we couldn't' resist getting it for Ryan! He LOVES playing with it - and maybe one of these days he'll help to fund our retirement as a golf pro!

Anything Dad does, Ryan has to do as well. So here he his...playing "golf" just like Dad.




Where's my caddy? Someone needs to hold this Binky while I take this shot!













Great Shot! "Thanks," says Ryan















Hi Mom! :) (Mom just LOVES those baby blue eyes!)














Our little golf boy! Now...if he'd only figure out which club to use! :)

Eeeeee.....

We don't know if he's saying "swing" or "wheeeeee", but he loves being outside in the swing! But not before he shows us a "tiny" bit of attitude! By the way, HE is the one who puts his hat on that way - he changes it every time! hehe



You'll notice that he has his "B" in his mouth half the time - now it's just a game he plays with us. We ask him to take it out, which he does. But it goes right back in! We're working on the "only use the 'B' at night thing. He is going longer and longer without it during the day! Yippee!!


Hmmm....if I lean over THIS far, what else will I see?













Peek A Boo!














Look Mom - No Hands! :)

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!)

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!"

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...

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!

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)

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! :)

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!)