Our Little Family

Surprise...You're (Almost) 30!

2012-02-12T08:20:00.000-08:00

On Friday night we headed out on our way to what I thought was a surprise birthday party for a friend. When we got there, I noticed a friend of my family walking up the sidewalk....and quickly realized my suspicions were true....this was a surprise party for ME! Jake tried to play it off, acting like it was no big deal. But it was too late, I already had an idea and seeing our friends walk up confirmed my suspicions!

Here are some pictures from the night - huge Thank You's to Debbie, Mom & Dad, and Jake for putting so much thought into this party for me, I had so much fun! :)

Even though it wasn't completely a surprise, it was a fun night out! OH, and I'll officially be 30 next weekend! Thanks again to everyone who made it to the party, you all made it such a special night.

Cool Parents!

2012-01-31T08:48:00.000-08:00

This was Ryan laying in bed with me watching tv last night. Right after this picture was taken, Jake came to bed and he and Ryan has this funny little exchange:

(Talking about school.)
Ryan: Today at Kloee's school (the girl that Ryan and Nanny pick up at Kindergarten every day), a kid had a dirt bike backpack!
Jake: Oh yeah? When you start school I'm going to get you a cool Metal Mullisha backpack!
Ryan: I already have one, it's Spiderman.
Jake: Don't you want a Bubba Stewart (Supercross) backpack?
Ryan: No....that's totally lame!

TOTALLY LAME!? Holy cow. Where does he learn this stuff!? I would hate for Ryan to go to Kindergarten with a totally lame backpack...that would make us totally lame parents! :)

Do You Hear The Music in Your Head?

2012-01-30T13:14:00.000-08:00

Bright and early (7:15 a.m.) Saturday morning:

Ryan: Holding his head..."Ugh. My head won't stop it."
Me: What's wrong? What is your head doing?
Ryan: It won't stop playing music with my teeth!

HAHAH!! Ryan has been grinding his teeth a lot lately and he thinks that the grinding is "music"! He also thinks that his head controls it and he can't stop doing it! I'm looking into what type of mouth guards he can wear during the night, if any at this age, to protect his teeth.

Ryan's 4 year old Dr. visit

2012-01-30T12:51:00.000-08:00

Last week Ryan had an appointment with the doctor for a 4 year physical. It ended up being a really informative appointment and I'm glad Jake was there to get to see all that Ryan got to do.

He sat really still with the nurse while she checked his vitals. When she put the blood pressure cuff on, he asked for the pulse monitor on his finger too!

Ryan weighs 48.8lbs. and I forget how tall he is.....ooops....should have wrote it down! His blood pressure was great too.

After those stats, we walked down a hallway where Ryan had his eyes checked. He stood against one wall while he read the letters from the chart on the wall across from him. The nurse asked if he knew his alphabet and I said "Yes!" proudly. Then I was afraid Ryan may not be able to recognize his letters under pressure....but he did SO WELL!!! He was able to read all the letters in the top 4 or 5 lines, until the print was so small that even Jake and I couldn't read it! Way to go buddy!!! :) The nurse was impressed with his ability to recognize his alphabet out of order - she even commented that most kids his age aren't able to do that!

Next we went into a little room where a hearing machine was set up. I can remember these machines from when I was in elementary school. (I was afraid to take a picture in there, I didn't know if the nurse would allow it!) Ryan had the headphones on and each time he heard the beep, he had to point to which ear he heard it in. After the test, she commented that Ryan did a wonderful job!!

We finished out the appointment with the Doctor. He said that Ryan is very healthy and that we should continue reading to Ryan and encouraging Ryan to learn as much as he can before he starts school!

The end of the appointment was the only bad part - he got 3 shots! He opted for the shots in his thighs instead of his arms. He was really sore for the next few days. Overall Ryan did a great job with the appointment. We are proved he is healthy and happy, just as a 4 year old should be!!! :)

2012-01-27T09:17:00.000-08:00

Check out what Ryan's been up to lately...

That's an iPhone he's got in his hot little hands...and headphones plugged in to listen to his music! Holy moly...my 4 year old knows how to operate an iPhone and I don't even know how!

(Jake's friend gave him this old iPhone because the screen is cracked and the volume doesn't work - unless you plug in headphones - so Jake set it up with music and games for Ryan.)

Yes, he's obsessed with playing with it. And yes, he has limits for how long each day he can have it.

Love this kid!!! :)

Elfie has been busy...

2011-12-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

Elfie has been pretty busy the last few weeks at our house.

Recently he was found in Ryan's bathroom, looks like he was trying to brush his teeth!

Ryan got a surprise...

2011-12-12T16:26:00.000-08:00

...when Ryan came home from Grammy & Papa's house on Saturday afternoon, look what he found!

He actually didn't like the fact that Elfie had been in his room while he was away at Grammy & Papa's...so he picked up all of his monster trucks and put them back in his room! HA!!

That crazy Elfie...

2011-12-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

This morning....this was the mantle. (Can you see Elfie?)

Silly Elfie, he was playing Play Station while we were sleeping!

Ryan thinks Elfie is pretty smart!

Is 9 the Appropriate Age for Having a Girlfriend?

2011-12-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Let me set the scene for you, and prepare you for the conversation that took place in our house last night.

I was in the kitchen making 132 meals/snacks/cake balls for upcoming Christmas Party Potlucks (ok, only 3 different meals but it felt like more than that!) and Ryan and Jake were eating dinner in the living room - Don't Judge!!! It was pretty quiet in the house, except for the tv and Ryan gets up from his seat at the coffee table, walks over to Jake and the following conversation occurred:

Ryan: (In a sad face/tone) Dad, when I'm 9 will I have a girlfriend?
Jake: When you're 9? Maybe.
Ryan: Cause I really want one.
Jake: (Fighting back laughter) Oh really?
Ryan: Yeah. Do you remember (said someone's name but I couldn't hear him)'s girlfriend? She was hot! I want a hot one!
Jake: LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY!
Me: LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY!

I'm pretty certain that school years are going to be lots of fun with this outgoing, funny, lady-charmer kid of mine! :)

New York City

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning we were all buckled in the car and backing out of the garage when I noticed that there was frost covering the ground and all the houses in the neighborhood.
The following conversation took place:

Me: Look at the frost on the neighbors houses.
Ryan: (Being as serious as can be) That's where the neighbors used to live, but they moved mom.
Me: Yes, they moved. But someday we'll have new neighbors there.
Ryan: Where will they come from?
Me: I'm not sure. They could be from anywhere I guess!
Ryan: Hmm....maybe they'll come from New York....City.

HA! Maybe he's right. Maybe our new neighbors will be from New York City!? We'll have to wait and see!

Meet Elfie!

2011-12-06T08:07:00.001-08:00

Meet Elfie!

This is Elfie, our Elf on The Shelf that comes to visit during the holidays, to keep an eye on Ryan and report back to Santa Claus on how well behaved Ryan has been!

This is Elfie having a little fun while we slept last night, having a snowball (marshmallow) fight with his bear friends! Ryan thought this was hilarious! :)

Our Schedule

2011-11-30T08:42:00.001-08:00

Our routine for Ryan while we're working is that he goes to his Nanny's house (my Mother in Law) until Jake gets off, and then Jake picks him up. On Jake's days off (they rotate weekdays off) he will keep Ryan home with him, and of course I'm off on the weekends. Ryan is very aware of the days that he will be home and the days that he will be at Nanny's. Last week as I was explaining that he would spend 4 days with me, 2 days at Nanny's and 2 days with Daddy, he cried that he didn't want me to go back to work! I said something along the lines of, "I HAVE to work. I work so that we can have a house, food, clothes, toys, and a bed for you to sleep in." He responded with, "I don't want food!" HA!

This morning he was laying in bed watching cartoons while I was getting ready for work and he said, "Momma, I don't want you to go to work." I told him I had to and that he would have a good day at home today. He said, "But I don't want a house!" Oh my, this kid!! I sat on the bed and said, "Well, if you don't want a house and don't want food...then it looks like I'm going to lay back down and not go to work!" He laughed and when I got up and said, "Just kidding, I have to go to work today" he said, "I knew it, you were just joking!"

Today I am thankful for having a JOB that helps us provide a safe and loving home, food on the table, warm clothes on our bodies and beds for us to sleep in!

Spiderman.....at Chruch?

2011-11-27T13:27:00.001-08:00

Last night as we were talking about going to church this morning, Jake thought it would be a good time for Ryan to check out Sunday School. We tried once before but Ryan usually likes to sit with me in service. This morning as I was getting ready for church, Ryan was so excited to be going to Sunday School today! He was glad that he's a "big kid" now and wouldn't have to go to nursery with the babies.

I walked Ryan into the 4-5 year old class, got him signed in, met our friend Miss Kristin there and she tried to help encourage Ryan that he was going to have a really good time. As we walked through and got the run down on what would be happening, Ryan whispered in my ear that he did not want to stay there. He was pretty sure that he didn't like it already. Miss Kristin told him to just try it out today and if he still didn't like it, he wouldn't have to come back again. Nope. He wanted nothing to do with it. I didn't push him. I decided that if he was ever going to stay, it would need to be his idea. He went with me to service today. The only downside to him not going to Sunday School was that I didn't come prepared with coloring books and crayons. :( So he was quite wiggly.

Of course we had a laughing out loud moment in church! After we were settled in our seats, a young man came and sat down in our row. Ryan was really watching him. This particular young man was dressed all in black, wore a hooded sweater and had black, fingerless gloves on. Ryan reached up and whispered in my ear... "Spiderman is at Church today!" Ahahaha!!!! Not sure how all black and fingerless gloves relate to Spiderman but it was hilarious!

Happy Sunday!

Commercials

2011-11-22T14:54:00.001-08:00

Ryan is so funny! (I think he watches too much t.v. - but it made for a great blog post today!)

Ryan and I were watching t.v. in my bed last night, and sharing miniature marshmallows, which has nothing to do with this little story, but it's a little something special we do when we lay in bed watching t.v. together! Anyway, back to the story. As we're laying there eating our marshmallows, I must have not been paying attention to the commercial that was playing but a second later I hear Ryan say, "Pier One Imports. Find what speaks to you." HAHAHAHA!!!! He must have heard that and repeated it! I didn't question him, I just told him I needed to take his picture because he looked so cute laying there next to me, fresh out of the bath in his Spiderman pajamas.

(Excuse the camera phone quality!)

Love from me and my marshmallow eating buddy!

8 Years!

2011-11-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

1 - How many little ones we've parented!

2 - Number of places we've lived together!

3 - Number of fish that have been a part of our family!

4 - How many cars Jake has driven in last 8 years!

5 - How many cars I have driven in last 8 years!

6 - How many times I change clothes before leaving.....to go Anywhere!

7 - Number of nieces and nephews we currently have!

8 - NUMBER OF YEARS WE'VE BEEN MARRIED!

Happy Anniversary Jake! It's so hard to believe that 8 years have flown by since we walked down the aisle and said "I Do!" Doesn't it seem like just yesterday??

Thankful we have each other to lean on and help get us through all the tough times. And there are way more FUN, SILLY, EXCITING times in our house anyway - you never go too long without cracking a joke and now Ryan is following in your footsteps! I love being home with the boys. Life is good!!

Love you Jake!

"Knee"osporin

2011-11-18T16:18:00.001-08:00

So the other day Ryan scraped his toe on the fireplace when he was running (barefoot) to his room to get something to show me. He laid on the floor and cried and cried and cried. I told him I'd put some Neosporin on it to make it heal faster. He didn't want any. A few hours later he asked for some medicine for his toe, so I put the Neosporin on it.

The next day when I asked how his toe was feeling, he said "It's fine, it's just black." LOL! It was black from the fuzz from his socks!

Then he said, "Oh mom. I just got hurt and I need some medicine." I asked where he got hurt and he said, "On my knee. Do you have some more of that "Kneeosporin?" HAHAHA!!!! :)

Pumpkin painting!

2011-11-11T20:46:00.001-08:00

We took our pumpkins to a friends' house to paint with Kinedy this year. Here's Ryan, Kinedy and Kaylyn painting their pumpkins (and Kaylyn painting herself)!

Happy Halloween 2011 from our little Pirate!

Natalie Turned 2 & The Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-11T19:59:00.001-08:00

Last month we traveled to the coast for Natalie's birthday party, I only got a few pictures from the party, but thought I'd share them anyway.

Cute cupcakes Michelle made!

Ryan playing ball with his buddies!

Grammy & Papa had a pumpkin patch with their friends this year so we got to have some family pictures made at the pumpkin patch. These are a few of the pictures we took on our camera. Picture overload but I wanted to get them on here! :)

(Notice Rhys in the trailer behind Natalie's tractor!)

I Love the cousins pictures!!

Cell Phone Pictures

2011-11-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

The latest going-ons in our lives -- courtesy of my cell phone pictures!

Ryan is playing pee wee soccer again this year. Doesn't he look so grown up?

Ryan's other favorite thing to do is play baseball in the house. Not sure of this outfit...but this is what Ryan does nearly every day (yes, those are soccer shin guards and a baseball hat being used as a catcher's mask)!

A few weekends ago we took some family pictures on a little pumpkin patch. Here is Ryan before we left, trying on his new overalls.

And here's 1 picture of all 4 kids (Michelle & David's daughters and Kevin & Shannah's son).

And lastly, Ryan was plain ol' wiped out from a hard day of playing (probably baseball from the looks of ~~his~~ Jake's socks) and I couldn't resist getting a picture! LOL!

That's a glimpse into our lives from my cell phone lately! I'll upload Halloween pictures soon.

A new Addition to our Family...

2011-10-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

We decided to add on to the family this week....

What do you think?

It's a Nissan Murano. We traded in the Altima and were able to get a great deal on this mid-sized SUV. Now maybe, just maybe, we will actually add on another little person to our family someday! Haha! (I'm totally joking. We didn't get this car so that we could expand the family. Although, having a little extra space might be helpful IF we decided to make Ryan a big brother someday!)

Disneyland Vacation

2011-10-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

Last week we loaded up and headed to Southern California for a few days of vacation at Disneyland and California Adventure! This was Ryan's birthday gift and first trip to Disneyland.

He did pretty well with the rides. Some of them he was too afraid to try, and that was ok. We did a "parent swap" and we each got to ride the major rides we wanted to, while the other parent sat out with Ryan. Ryan was brave and got on Splash Mountain ride! He also rode the Thunder Mountain Railroad, which was a pretty quick-moving train ride! His favorite "ride" was the Monorail! Ha! We rode it both days, at his request.

Here is our trip in a few pictures!

Ryan on the Teacups

Meeting Mickey for the first time

Jacey and Ryan with Minnie

Chip 'n Dale

Mickey for the second time, this is Safari Mickey

Us!

In Toontown

Using his muscles!

Stuck in Toontown jail

Ryan and Pluto

World of Color show

He wasn't afraid of the characters at all! He is still upset that we never saw Donald Duck or Daisy Duck. We got autographs of all the characters we did see, and have a nice memory book with the autographs and photos will go in as well.

I have more photos but Blogger wasn't cooperating with me last night. I'll update more soon. For now, it's back to work!

Cotton Fields

2011-09-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

I don't want to forget this!!

Last night we were driving to meet some friends at the Farmer's Market in Hanford. On our way, we passed several cotton fields. Ryan said, "Mom, do you know what that white stuff is?" Wanting to know what he thought it was, I said, "No." He said, "It's sunscreen so the plants don't get burned." HAHA!! Such an imagination!! Then he said, "That's what Papa told me." :)

Mickey Mouse Birthday Party

2011-09-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we hosted a birthday party for a few of our family and friends to celebrate Ryan's 4th birthday! If you ask Ryan, it wasn't a "birthday party," it was a "celebration!" And he still wants to know when we are having a "party!" HAHA!!

My awesome Office Manager made this adorable cake for Ryan!

I made the cake stand, cupcake stand and the cupcakes.

Ryan and his friend, Preston!

A few of the kiddos (Natalie, Kinedy, Preston and Ryan).

Kaylyn.

Family sitting under the tree watching the kids play.

Our family!

Ryan opening his gifts. He was totally spoiled and got some really nice things!

I'd say Ryan had an amazing 4th birthday ~~party~~ celebration!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RYAN!

2011-09-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday Dear Ryan,
Happy Birthday to you!!

Ryan is 4 years old today! I have no idea where the last 4 years have gone...Ryan keeps us entertained and on our toes all the time. He's loving playing baseball (in the house) almost daily and playing the drums that go to the PS3 Guitar Hero game. He's not sleeping in his own bed much these days, but it's all right. I don't mind! He's learning how to write his name and besides occasionally mixing up the order of the "Y" and the "A", he's got it down great! He can recognize the letters of the alphabet out of order, writes a lot of letters on his own now and sings the ABC song almost perfectly (gets a little tongue-tied around "L, M, N, O, P"). Ryan loves to draw and color and tell stories. He still has his imaginary friends, Guy and Rita, around the house and in the car with us. When he does something he knows he's not supposed to, he now blames Guy for influencing him to do whatever it is! Ryan brings us more joy and more laughter than we ever imagined! Ryan, we love you to the moon and back!! xoxo

We had a little birthday party yesterday at a local park with some friends and family. I'll post pictures soon.

We leave for Disneyland next week!

Lots going on in our little corner of the world. I'll have a more detailed post up soon with pictures of Ryan at his birthday party.

Elbow on a Stick and Mold!

2011-08-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

Ryan has been saying THE FUNNIEST things lately! Before I forget these latest two stories, I need to blog about them!

On Friday I was driving Ryan over to Grammy & Papa's house for a sleepover. We were almost to their house when this conversation took place:

Ryan: Momma, I wish I had a elbow arm.
Me: An elbow arm? Well, you have an elbow ON your arm!
Ryan: No, I wish I had a elbow on a stick!
Me: (Laughing!) What!? An elbow on a stick? What is that?
Ryan: It's just imaginary!

Whoa - it's just "imaginary!" Quite the little thinker, huh? :)

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Last night we had tickets to go see a Grizzlies baseball game in Fresno (free from work, thank you boss!). We rode to Fresno with our friend, Jeri and her kids Jacey and Brody. In the truck, Ryan and I were sitting in the back seat with Jacey and this conversation took place:

Brody: I'm going to marry Brooklyn!
Jacey: Brody! That makes me feel old!
Jeri: Imagine how that makes me feel!
Ryan: You're MOLD!

Ahahaha!! I don't know if he meant to say "mold" or "old" but we laughed until our cheeks hurt!

Such a funny kid!

Sunshine, Softball & Smiles (Part 2)!

2011-08-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Jake's co-ed softball team had to be at the softball fields in Morro Bay at 8:00 a.m. We loaded up early from Pismo and headed to Morro Bay. It was a long day at the fields! Jake's first game was at 9:00 a.m. and they were guaranteed a second game at 2:00 p.m.

In between that time, David & Michelle came out to watch a game and hang out with us some more.

Ryan mostly played in the dirt.

He recruited Uncle David and Natalie to play some baseball with him too.

Beautiful baby girl!

We had a beautiful view of Morro Rock while Jake played ball.

We had a really long day! Jake played at 9, 2, 6 and 8. Their team won their bracket and played in the semi-final game. Unfortunately, they lost the semi-final game and were eliminated from the tournament. However, this wasn't such a bad thing for me because if they had won, they would have played at 9 p.m.! We finally got on the road and headed home around 9:15 and crawled into bed at 11:45 p.m.! All in all it was a wonderful weekend, we're all rested (and sunburned) this evening. :)

Sunshine, Softball & Smiles (Part 1)!

2011-08-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a last-minute, quick-planned, short coast trip for us! Jake's co-ed softball team signed up to play in a tournament on Sunday in Morro Bay so we decided to make a short getaway of it and headed over to the ocean air on Saturday morning!
First stop: Avila Beach!

When we got there the fog was still in, but you wouldn't have known it by the number of people crowding the beach. By Noon the sun was shining and we were enjoying watching the kiddos play in the sand. David & Michelle brought the girls out to meet us (and thank you David for setting up the EZ-Up to give us a little break from the sun).

Ryan and Natalie played in the sand. Uncle David graciously carried buckets of water from the ocean to their little play spot several times (no pictures of that but it was nice to not have to be right down in the water the entire time - it was COLD!).

Rhys hung out with her momma and Auntie in the shade, while Ryan had some fun on the swings!

We cleaned up at the beach and headed back to relax at the hotel for a bit. Later we met David, Michelle & the girls for dinner at, where else, Quarterdeck! Michelle told us about a place in town called "Yogurt Creations" that she suggested we try. Um, yes please!

You get to choose your flavor of frozen yogurt and then top with whatever toppings you want! Can you guess which one was Ryan's? Ha!

Natalie was loving the frozen yogurt - look at that messy face!

Just for fun - Ryan loves taking pictures now so he took over the camera duties for a minute.
Here's Jake!

Uncle David!

This was just day 1 of the fun-filled, busy weekend! Part 2 to follow.... :)

Our Camping Trip

2011-08-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

I mentioned that we went camping a few weekends ago but am just now getting around to posting the pictures from our weekend. We had so much fun!

Ryan and Jake got to Riverland while I was still working that day, and got camp set up.

We met some really nice people camped next to us, but sadly didn't get any photos of them or with them.

We spent some time at the lake fishing and enjoying the sunset.

It was a wonderfully relaxing (although HOT) weekend! We will definitely go back for more camping there.

My little buddy

2011-07-29T11:27:00.001-07:00

Last night while baking a cake for making cake pops tonight, Ryan was my little helper. I placed a chair right up next to the counter so he could pour the cake mix into the mixing bowl, add the water and oil (I did the eggs) and then he held the mixer while we combined all the ingredients. After it was all mixed, he was really excited to lick a beater! I took one off for him and licked the other one myself. At one point, he started to say something and at the same time I said, "Mmm...this is good!" He smiled really big and said, "I was going to say that! Are you thinking what I'm thinking!?" Haha!! He's such a cutie - and such a good little helper in the kitchen.

I think it really is true that if you let kids help you cook (and bake?) that they are more likely to eat the food. After we made the cake and got it put into the oven, I made dinner and Ryan stood up there at the counter the entire time playing in the sink, "washing" dishes and then ate his dinner standing there. :)

I'm hoping to get an update with pictures from Rhys' birthday up soon. For some reason Blogger doesn't want to work on my laptop so I'll have to figure out a different way to update. Coming soon!

My boy and his fishing pole

2011-07-25T14:10:00.003-07:00

This past weekend we went on a little camping adventure. On Friday Jake and Ryan took the trailer and set up camp at Riverland Resort in Kingsburg! I drove over after work and we had the best weekend together. Of course only being 30 - 45 minutes from home means the heat was just as horrible camping as it would have been at home (102 was the high on Saturday, I believe) so we spent lots of time in the swimming pool! Ryan did a little fishing, didn't catch anything but loved learning how to cast the line out.

I'll update with more pictures once they're loaded to the computer from the camera. For now...this is my little man fishing on the lake - what a simple reminder of how blessed I am/we are. :)

An Opportunity

2011-06-22T13:04:00.001-07:00

Grammy and Ryan - he "jumped" on her and gave her a big hug!

Grammy has defined the term "opportunity" as the chance to get a big hug from Ryan! She'll say, "I think it's time for an opportunity!" and he will run up, arms raised, and jump in her arms! :)

Father's Day!

2011-06-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

(Ryan and Papa reading on Father's Day!)

A sweet reminder - life is good! :)

Not going to Kindergarten

2011-06-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot the best part of my morning today! When Ryan woke up and came into my room to watch cartoons while I finished getting ready for work, something sparked his memory and he came running down the hallway where we had a conversation that went a little something like this:

Ryan: I don't want to get a shot to go to Preschool!
Me: What!? What do you mean a shot?
Ryan: That's what Khloe told me. (A little girl at Nanny's daycare.)
Me: Well, I think Khloe is wrong. (Trying to take his mind off of it.)
Ryan: But....when do I have to get a shot? (With a really puzzled look on his face.)
Me: Oh, maybe for Kindergarten!
Ryan: YEAH, that's it! Well I'm NOT going to Kindergarten!

HAHA!!

Oh the Funny!

2011-06-07T08:43:00.001-07:00

This morning Ryan was in rare, funny form! These are the funny things that my child said on the 4 minute drive to my in-laws this morning:

Ryan: Mommy, that truck lost it's back!
(Telling me that a big rig didn't have a trailer!)
Me: You mean a trailer?
Ryan: Yeah, a trailer back.

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

Me: Ryan, are you feeling better today? (Had a stuffy nose and little cough past few days.)
Ryan: Yep. I don't hear any coughing!

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Ryan: Time to go to Nanny's!
Me: Yep. Mommy has to go to work today.
Ryan: I have to work too. After you take me to Nanny's I'm going to get Mitch.
Me: Mitch?? Who's Mitch?
Ryan: My worker.

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

And there you have it - the conversations we have in the car on the drive to Nanny's each morning. I wish I would have taken a picture of Ryan this morning. He wanted to stay in his jammies so instead of putting on a sweater, he put on a long-sleeved, hooded t-shirt AND his zip-up, Ugg like boots! Ha! Yes, it is June in California...why do you ask!? :)

2011-05-19T10:42:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we took the training wheels off Ryan's little bike.

Today he starting riding!

Good job, Ryan!!

Mourning the loss...

2011-05-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

Sadly, Elfie (or, Chad) the fish has passed away.

After I got the text from Jake, I called the house to find out what was going on. Ryan got on the phone and said, "Mommy, Elfie is sideways!" I tried not to laugh much because the way he said it was so cute so I said, "Sideways? What's he doing?" Ryan said, "Um....maybe killing." (I think he meant dying.) And then he was sidetracked by the snail on the sidewalk and didn't want to talk anymore.

We noticed yesterday that Elfie was swimming a little slower and not really reacting to the fish food sprinkled in his bowl.

And so we move on...maybe more fish are in our future!?

Homecoming Parade Fun

2011-05-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the Kings County Homecoming festivities, including the ever-so-fun Homecoming Parade! Ryan LOVES parades! He likes the bands the best because he likes to watch and hear the drummers.

Here's my little goofball being silly before the parade started.

And me with my friend's daughter, Jacey.

The kids had a blast watching the parade (the horses, bands and clowns were all a hit)! After the parade we spent some time in the park at the Civic Auditorium. All the kids won a gold fish playing a game in the park. Ryan first named his fish "Chad Reid" which is hilarious if you know Ryan at all. Chad Reid is a motocross rider! And he's the rival of Jake's favorite rider! Haha! Anyway, now the fish is named "Elfie" because yesterday Ryan saw a picture of our family from Christmas time and our "Elf on the Shelf," Elfie was in the picture with us!

I'll post pictures of Ryan and Elfie soon! :)

Let the Swimming Begin

2011-05-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Ryan's first swimming lesson! Since we started talking about swim lessons at the beginning of the year, Ryan has been "afraid to go under water" and I was a little nervous about how well he would to on his first day. Swim lessons start a little after I get off work so Jake has to drop him off. But I made sure I had no other plans after work last night so I could be there to pick him up.

I sort of figured that Ryan would cry a little. It was pretty much the first time we were leaving him with strangers (parents cannot be there to watch until the last 2 days of lessons next week) and he already had a fear of going under water.

So when we got there to pick Ryan up and we heard crying coming from the pool area, I was pretty sure it was my kid. There were about 4 - 5 mothers standing outside the gates when we walked up. I was concentrating listening to determine if it was in fact Ryan doing all the crying. One of the mothers said, "I think that's my girl." I said, "Nope...pretty sure it's my kid!" I felt SO BAD that I couldn't just bust through the gate, scoop up my kiddo and take him home with me right then! When the instructors called "Towel Time" that meant we could go through the gate and (rescue!) pick up our children. We were the last parents in the gate and there sat my child, crying with a red face, sitting on the step in the pool. One of the instructors was sitting at his side trying to calm him. Jake asked, "Did he stop crying at all?" She said, "Um, for about a minute. But it's all right." I scooped him up, wrapped in his towel, threw his sweater on his head and got him in the car.

Needless to say, he didn't so much like swimming lessons. We bribed him with a "big swimming pool" for our backyard if he would continue the swimming lessons with no more tears. His response to this bribe, "And you'll get me a dirt bike?" HAHA!! Yeah, sure, why not!! :)

He will be going back to swimming lessons today. Swimming lessons will last for 2 weeks. I cannot wait to see how much he learns and progresses over the next 2 weeks! I'm really hoping he does better today. I think that we talked it up enough last night that he should be fine after today's lesson. Stay tuned for an update with pictures!

A Fabulous (Mother's) Day!

2011-05-08T18:42:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful day today - Happy Mother's Day to my mom, mother-in-law, sister and sisters-in-law!

This morning I was up early to finish some of the things we were going to enjoy for lunch after church. I went to church with my Grandma while Jake and Ryan stayed home and finished cleaning the house a bit for me. It was a great service at church today and I was so happy to be there with my Grandma!

After church, Mom & Dad, Grandma and my friend Jeri and her kiddos came over for lunch! We had such a great day! We BBQ'd burgers and enjoyed some fun in the back yard. (I am TERRIBLE) about taking pictures. I never remember my camera anywhere we go...even in our own back yard.) Just imagine you're looking at some cute pictures of Ryan playing with Jacey and Brody, playing baseball, golf toss and washers! Even us adults got in on the action and had some washers fun!

I hope all you mother's had a wonderful day enjoying your families and little loves!

Happy Mother's Day 2011.

2011-05-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

Last night while we laid in bed watching the breaking news about the death of Osama Bin Laden, Ryan played with monster trucks not paying any attention to the tv. At one point I started to get a little emotional about the news and Jake asked if I was stressed out. Ryan heard Jake say this to me and out of nowhere says, "You're stretching ME out!" HAHA!! So thankful for a little one who can ignore the sad news stories and make me smile when I am "stretched out"!

Pictures & 100th Post

2011-05-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

Wow, 100 blog posts? Already? Ok...so I've been slacking in the blog post area of life lately. Other things have been keeping me busy.

For example...

This cute little guy!

Ryan is full of energy and personality! DAILY Ryan plays with his monster trucks and dirtbikes. He will line them up, race them, make them climb over the couches, race them on the "track" and even take them outside and play with them in the dirt!

Ryan also rides his "dirtbike" everyday. He usually puts on his rain boots as riding boots, wears a helmet and even puts on knit gloves as riding gloves! This kid loves to ride!

One night a few weeks ago when Ryan slept in his own bed, I said "Please sleep in your bed all night. When the sun comes up, then you can get up!" He took my statement quite literally. The next morning when he got up, he came into my room with sleepy eyes and said, "Momma, it's cloudy outside, the sun didn't come up!" Ha! Poor kid, he was patiently waiting for the sun to come up/shine through his window so he could get out of bed!

We were able to leave the house a few minutes early last week and made a stop at Starbucks before dropping Ryan off at Nanny's house. While waiting in the drive-thru line, Ryan said, "Momma, you're the best!" Awe....I Love this kid! It was totally unprompted and I didn't even get him a Hot Chocolate and I'm still the best!!

Ryan has been busy playing outside since the weather has started warming up. He does not like to come inside in the evenings. One day last week he had been playing in the flower beds with his shovel and rake and had dirt everywhere...even smashed in his hair! I'd say his least favorite part of the day is having to wash his hair in the bath. Any suggestions on how to make that an easy task? I just try to hurry, get the least amount of water in his face, and let him cry it out! I use Johnson's baby shampoo on him, "No More Tears" and he still cries because he doesn't like the water in his face.

Easter was really fun this year! We had an early Easter celebration with the Fagundes family on Saturday. It was fun to watch Ryan and Natalie dye eggs on Friday night and then see them hunt the eggs on Saturday. Next year will be super fun when Liam is able to run around with them and hunt eggs too and the new baby (Michelle & David's!) will be the baby in the highchair!

Sunday morning Jake and I went to church (Ryan spent the night at Grammy & Papa's because it "wasn't fair that Natalie was staying and [he] couldn't"). It was a fabulous service with the Easter choir singing and tons of people there to celebrate! After church I picked up Ryan in Hanford and we came back to town for Easter with the Avila's. It was a fun day with all the kids. We played washers, golf toss and basketball all day and into the evening. There was no shortage of fun to be had that day!

This week Ryan will start t-ball and he is really, really excited! Then the following week he starts swimming lessons everyday for 2 weeks! I think this week is the beginning of a long, busy summer for us.

{Last Day; & Magic Word}

2011-03-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a few funny things that Ryan has been saying lately, and to put them on the blog as a "scrapbook" of sorts.

I've noticed for a while now that when Ryan refers to something that happened in the past, be it yesterday or weeks or months ago, he will say, "Remember LAST DAY when I (fill in the blank)?" Whatever it is he wants to talk about, "Last day" is a common reference term for the little guy!

This weekend Jake, Ryan, Grammy and I were driving to a birthday party and on the way Ryan was whining and pointing to his cup in the front seat but wouldn't say what he wanted. So I said something along the lines of, "I didn't hear the magic word." He asked "please," I gave him the cup and we moved on to another topic of conversation. A few minutes later Grammy asked Ryan, "Did you get your room all cleaned up?" To which Ryan responded, "Nope. My mom hasn't said the magic word!" I'm pretty sure we all laughed for a minute at that response! :)

Funny kid!!

Friends!

2011-03-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I made a cute (and easy) Easter centerpiece for my kitchen table. It was so easy and I had a few supplies leftover that I decided I would go back to the store for a few more supplies to make 2 more baskets/centerpieces!

Today I brought 1 to work with me to give to my friend and co-worker. She was so happy! Her husband is deployed right now with the U.S. Navy and she's missing him terribly. It's nice to be able to do something small for a friend knowing that they will appreciate it so much! :)

And the 2nd basket/centerpiece is going to be delivered to Grammy & Papa's house tomorrow, an early gift from the Easter Bunny!

A ghost!

2011-03-15T16:14:00.001-07:00

This morning when I woke Ryan up to get dressed and hurry out the door (I was running late due to....well, nothing really, just too much time fixing my hair I suppose!), and let me remind you that Ryan is STILL sleeping in our bed, this is the conversation that took place:

Me: Good morning Sunshine, time to get up!

Ryan: No, I'm still sleeping.

Me: Well, you better wake up quick! I am running late and you need to get dressed before we leave.

Ryan: (Taking his sweet time rolling over/standing up/moving at all...) Momma, someone kicked me last night.

Me: What?!

Ryan: Yeah, in the night, someone kicked me.

Me: I can't imagine that happened Ryan. Maybe you kicked someone?!

Ryan: (Very serious look on his face.) Nope. It was you, or daddy.

Me: (Laughing.) Ryan. Daddy and I didn't kick you. It must have been a ghost!

Ryan: OH, YEAH. It WAS a ghost!

We are continuing to choose our battles and the bed in which the child sleeps, is not a battle I choose to take on at the moment. I know that if I ever want a good night's sleep again, I will eventually need to bite the bullet and put the child back in his own room. For now, the middle of my bed is just fine. Maybe we'll discuss the fact that big boys sleep in their own big boy rooms again tonight....but it usually doesn't get us very far!

3 Girls and a Guy

2011-03-10T14:51:00.000-08:00

3 Girls and a Guy: Meaning, my sister, Michelle, her 2 DAUGHTERS!!! and David! :) Michelle and David found out yesterday that their little bun in the oven is another Girl! Yay! Very exciting for them. I'm glad they have everything they will need for baby girl #2, and can't wait to see how great the girls play together and get along, growing up so close in age. Congrats again Remillard family!

We're not up to much new this week. Ryan is still sleeping in our bed (really, is that a surprise to anyone??) and still being such a little goofball! Ryan has had imaginary friends for a long time now. "Guy" was Ryan's first friend. Guy went everywhere with us and Guy had to have all the same things (juice, blankets, toys) that Ryan had. Then we were introduced to "Rita." Rita is Ryan's girlfriend! Rita came into the picture after a trip to Chuck E. Cheese and it was no surprise that Rita worked at Chuck E. Cheese too!

Lately, Ryan has been riding his tricycle (or, dirt bike as Ryan calls it) in the kitchen/dining room while I'm either making dinner or folding laundry. Ryan has been talking to some new friends too! Now we have "Coocoobutt" and "Singy" as Ryan's friends that ride dirt bikes with him! On Tuesday night we called G.G. (my Grandma) to chat for a few minutes. While on the phone G.G. asked Ryan how Guy and Rita were doing. Ryan skipped over talking about them and told her about his new friends. This was the first G.G. was hearing about Coocoobutt and Singy! So G.G. asked again, "Where's Guy?" And Ryan's response......with a very serious look on his face......"Guy died." WHAT!? I tried not to laugh because I was honestly a little disturbed that my son's imaginary friend has died, and he's the only one of us who "sees" Guy. Should I be worried!?

I think I'll ask Ryan again tonight where Guy is at, see if I get the same response. :) Never a dull moment at our house!

Bedtime Conversations

2011-03-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

Backstory: For the past few months Ryan has been sleeping in our bed only on the weekends, Friday and Saturday nights when we will be off work the following day. Lately, Ryan has been finding his way into our bed in the middle of the night. Last week, Ryan never even started the night out in his bed, he slept in our bed all night long! Last night were were going to put Ryan back in his own bed. This is the conversation we had in our bed at 9:30 p.m.:

Me: 2 minutes and you're going to bed.
Ryan: My bed? I'm gonna sleep there all night long?
Me: Yep!
Ryan: Ok. I'm not gonna get up all night. When the sun comes up, then I come up!
Me: (Laughing) Ok. Or else I'll wake you up when it's time to go to Nanny's.
Ryan: (To Jake now) You want me in your bed?
Jake: I thought you were going to sleep in your bed tonight?
Ryan: Just say yes.
Jake: (Laughing) No.
Ryan: (To Jake) Come on, just say yes! This is your bed but I want to sleep in it. (To me) Mom, you want me?
Me: I always want you, but your bed misses you. You need to sleep in your bed tonight.
Ryan: But do you want me?
Me: Yes.
Ryan: (To Jake) YAY, I get to sleep in your bed, momma said!!

HAHA! Then I asked Ryan if he knew how to say "Pushover"! :)

Good for you!

2011-03-04T09:44:00.000-08:00

I've been having some issues with shin splints lately and for the last month or so, have really been trying to avoid wearing the high heels to work, instead favoring the flat/ballet type shoe. This morning when I went to pull my black flat shoes out of my gym bag to wear to work again today, Ryan was standing near me. I said, "Ugh, these shoes really hurt my feet..." And Ryan responded, "But they're good for you mama!" :) Yes, son. Yes they are!

Ryan has been saying THE funniest things lately. I keep meaning to write them down so I won't forget. I'll update with more funny Ryan moments as I think of them!

Happy Friday!

Honesty from my 3 Year Old

2011-02-15T12:12:00.000-08:00

This morning as I was getting dressed for work, the finishing touch for my outfit was a necklace. As I put it on and Ryan stood in the bathroom watching me, we had the following (quick) conversation:

Me: Does this look pretty?

Ryan: Yes, Mommy you look pretty but your pimple is kinda pink!

Then I proceeded to laugh hysterically at his quick response (and applied another layer of makeup)! Great, thankyouverymuch!!!

2011-01-30T15:46:00.000-08:00

A conversation with my little man (and a little from Daddy too):

Me: Hey Ryan, what's your favorite color?

Ryan: Umm, black.

Me: Black? Really?

Ryan: Yeah, cause it's my favorite. And red is your favorite, right?

Me: Right!

Ryan: So what are you going to tell me?

Dad: What's your favorite number?

Ryan: Six, or five. (Now doing some sign language with his hands!!)

Mom: Who's your favorite dirt bike rider?

Ryan: (Laughing) I can't tell you.

Mom: Why?

Ryan: I don't know.

Dad: Is it Ryan Dungey?

Ryan: Yeah, Ryan Dungey!

Dad: Or Bubba Stewart?

Ryan: Yeah, Bubba!

Mom: Do you like to sing?

Ryan: A, B, C, D..... A, B, C, D..... (and then he sang the entire ABC song!!!) :)

Mom: YAY!!! Ok, now tell me a story.

Ryan: One day...a dirt bike came and I was on a dirt bike and I ride it and I slammed. That's what I want to talk about.

Mom: Ok. What else?

Ryan: Well maybe... No, don't text it! (He wants me to stop typing!)

Mom: Are you done talking to me?

Ryan: Yeah, can I text Momma? Please?

Mom: OK.

Ryan:pkmm66yyytttttrrrrrrreeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaxxxxxxdddddddddddddddddddddx

That's it for now! I'll be back soon with a real update when I have something to actually talk about! :)

Soccer Player

2010-10-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

Last week Ryan started Pee-Wee (Fundamental) Soccer!

He plays with other 3 year olds!

He was actually really good!

He was the first kid to ask for a water break!

Then he showed us his skills with stopping the ball.

And showed us how he can run and "dribble" the ball!

Such a cutie-pie! THEN, this week, he decided he didn't really want to play after all. This soccer "league" is only 1 hour each Thursday for 4 weeks. He says he will be ready to play again next week. We shall see!

Happy 3rd Birthday Ryan!

2010-09-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

Today is Ryan's 3rd birthday! Can you believe it, 3 years ago today I was in the hospital, anxiously awaiting the arrival of my baby boy!

Ryan: Happy, happy birthday little man! Mommy and Daddy love you so very much! You bring so much joy and excitement to our lives, we don't know what we would do without you here to keep us smiling and laughing. Your good manners make us proud and your fun, outgoing spirit make us happy. You are always dancing, talking and singing. We're sure you're going to be an actor when you grow up, because you can put on a show anytime you want! We hope that you enjoyed your Spiderman birthday party, even though you woke up today asking "When is my other birthday party" which I'm sure you meant, "when is your 'next' birthday party?" and the answer is not for 1 whole year!!
Happy birthday my Love! Enjoy being "3" because it's going to go by so fast!
XoXo, Mommy & Daddy

Yesterday afternoon we had family and friends over to the house to help celebrate and wish Ryan a happy birthday. To say he had a great day would be an understatement....he slept until 9:30 this morning, which I'm sure was a direct result of all the fun had by him and Preston until late last night.

I promise to update with pictures soon. Right now, I'm going to get all of Ryan's new clothes out of the bags and tried on him so I know what needs to be exchanged and what can be washed and put away.

More to come soon...

Go Faster, Momma!

2010-07-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

I have a tendency when driving to talk to the other drivers around me.

For example, last night Ryan and I were on our way to Jake's softball game in Hanford and we were running approximately 10 minutes late, so I may or may not have been in a hurry! I was telling the cars in front of me, "hurry up cars!" so that Ryan would hear me because everytime I say that, he will start talking to the cars too! So Ryan starts saying, "Move cars! Awe, man, the cars are in your way mom!" I was laughing so hard! After we got through a red light in town, Ryan said, "Go faster Momma, there's no cars now!" Oh my, that kid definately learns these things from me....as I'm pretty sure his daddy doesn't talk to the other cars on the road!! :)

Weight Watchers

2010-07-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

I have been neglecting the blog for so long....I miss it! I have been waiting to have something good to blog about, something that I thought my friends and family might enjoy reading...and I have a few drafts saved and almost ready to go, I just need to update some photos for your viewing pleasure!

I wanted to share a little something that I've touched on only briefly on the blog. In January I joined Weight Watchers. I've gone to my Tuesday night Weight Watchers meetings religiously with the exception of 1 week of vacation at the coast! As of tonight's meeting, I have lost a total of 25.6 pounds!! I am super excited about this accomplishment!! I have a goal set and I am getting closer every week. I am hopeful I will reach goal and be able to maintain that weight by the time my 1 year anniversary with Weight Watchers rolls around. It takes a lot of discipline and hard work but I know I am worth it!! :)

Finally, all of my hard work and time away from my family spent at the gym the past several months, is paying off. I was able to go shopping last weekend and purchase clothing 2 sizes smaller than I was wearing in January!! Hooray!! The good news is that I have tons of clothes from a few years ago that I will be able to fit into shortly....no need to purchase an entire new wardrobe!

To everyone that already knew about my WW journey and that has been supportive thus far, thank you, thank you! Mom & Dad, having you watch Ryan on Thursday nights (and a few Saturday mornings) so I can get away to the gym, has been a huge blessing! I truly have the best friends and family anyone could ask for! :)

I promise to update with more photos of Ryan and some funny videos and stories very soon.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-19T22:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to my Dad! I know my Dad doesn't normally read the blog - but here's just a few little facts about my Daddy!!

My Dad is a very hardworking, loyal, honest, fun-loving and fun guy! I can remember growing up, when Dad was working long, late nights, us kids would get to trade nights going out to work with Dad while he was baling hay. I remember laying across the seat of the truck, watching a little black and white tv, head on Daddy's lap and listening to the baler making a very repetitive sound. I remember hanging out in the yard, taking rides on the old red tractor up and down the driveway. I remember going with Dad to the bowling alley to buy or turn in lottery tickets, just me and him. I loved taking rides with him on the back of his motorcycle, in the evenings just to fill it up with gas. Dad was always there for all of our softball practices, games, band parades and concerts! Now Dad is "Papa" to our children. He is the greatest Papa to Ryan...letting Ryan water the trees and grass (and occasionally himself!), reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear in his own special way that Ryan prefers to my reading of the story and sharing fruit snacks and frosted animal cookies!

Dad, we love you very much! Happy Father's Day - we hope you enjoy your day doing something you love to do!

************************************************************************************

Happy Father's Day to Jake, too! I love to see you interact with Ryan...he loves spending time with you, mowing the lawns, riding the 3-wheeler/or quad, watching sports on tv and being just plain goofy together! You're a good daddy and Ryan is lucky to have you! :)

A home-run hitter in the making!

2010-05-31T08:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever...

seen a baseball player...

as cute as this?

*Notice the must-have items here are a baseball hat (check), sunglasses to block the sun from the outfield pop-flies (check) and batting gloves (or winter gloves) (check)! I think Ryan may have a future in the big leagues!

What we have been up to

2010-05-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am neglecting the blog lately - and I guess I have been. But I have good reason - or at least I have a busy schedule that will explain why I haven't blogged much lately. Our weekly routine goes a little something like this:

Monday: Jake is up and out of the house early for work. I get up at 6:00 a.m. to get myself ready for work, get Ryan up and we're out the door by 7:25 (usually). Work until 5:00. Yoga at the gym 5:30 - 6:30. Home to make dinner, clean the kitchen, get Ryan in bed, and then head for bed myself.

Tuesday: Same morning routine. Work until 5:00. Weight Watchers meeting 5:30 - 6:30. Jake has softball at 1 of the following times, 6:30, 7:45 or 9:00. Make dinner, clean kitchen, get Ryan in bed, and then head for bed myself - sometimes while Jake is still at softball!

Wednesday: Same morning routine. Work until 5:00. Zumba at the gym until 5:30 - 6:30. Home to make dinner. Bedtime routine.

Thursday: Same morning routine. Work until 5:00. Get Ryan dressed and packed to spend a few hours with Grammy and Papa. Zumba at the gym 7:30 - 8:30. Rush to get Ryan home and in bed at a decent time. Jake has softball at 1 of the 3 times listed above. Usually in bed at the same time Jake is coming home from softball.

Friday: Same morning routine. Work until 4:00. Usually some sort of shopping trip (WalMart for groceries/household supplies) then I pick up Ryan. We head home to decide what fun activity we will partake in to start the weekend!

On any given day during the week, dinner may or may not consist of a drive-thru meal and I may or may not actually clean the kitchen! Once the weekend hits, throw in housecleaning, laundry, going places, keeping Ryan entertained because he is NOT a home-body (unlike his Momma!) and we are just exhausted by the time Monday rolls around again!

This weekend will be busy visiting with family. My Uncle Augie (Jr.) passed away last weekend, so Saturday will be spent at the funeral and then gathering with all our family to celebrate his life. Although it is sad that we have to see everyone because of a death, it is so nice to gather with all our extended family. Papa & Shirley are here (Ryan calls him Big Papa because my Dad is Papa!), Aunt Jackie is coming in on the train tonight, David, Michelle, Natalie, Kevin & Shannah are all driving in to be here too. It will be a busy weekend, but what's new!?

I'll update with pictures soon. I just got some good pictures of Ryan off the camera and onto the laptop - now just to find the time to load them to the blog!! Happy Friday, all.

A message from Ryan

2010-05-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

Today is Auntie Michelle's birthday! Happy Birthday, Michelle, we hope you have a great day!

Story Time

2010-05-13T21:37:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share a funny thing that Ryan is doing lately - so that I don't forget!

Last night I let Debbie host Bunco at our house. So there were 12 of us girls at the house, and as we were just about finishing up, Jake brought Ryan home. Ryan came and sat on my lap watching me roll the dice and this is a conversation we had:

Ryan: Mommy, want to hear a story?

Me: Ok.

Ryan: Jaylynn locked me in the closet and then the witch came in.

Me: What? (Apparently not paying enough attention...) Jaylynn locked you in the closet? That's not nice!

Ryan: No. That's not nice.

I went on about playing Bunco until Jake asked Ryan, "Did you tell Mommy a story?" And come to find out he had been story telling all day. The deal is that he starts telling a story (it's always the same story) and it always starts out like this: "One day...Jaylynn locked me in the closet. And then the witch came in." Then he laughs and thinks he is so funny! And he is! :)

Where has the time gone?

2010-05-04T14:23:00.001-07:00

Wow - I used to love blogging - and I still do I just haven't had anything interesting to say lately!

Had a great weekend. Michelle & David and Kevin & Shannah came into town this weekend for Shannah's baby shower. On Saturday Jake kept Ryan for me so I could have some "girl time" in town with my mom & sister, and Natalie of course! We had lunch at Panera with a long-time family friend. (Hi Chris!) Then we hit up Target, Michaels (I went to Old Navy) and back to Target! Thanks, Jake, for letting me have some ME time this weekend. It was much needed and much appreciated!

On Sunday I had 2 baby showers to attend, they started 1 hour apart and there were 10 miles in between them! I ran by Tracy's shower for a short visit but ended up mostly watching Ryan run around outside. Then we headed to Hanford for Shannah's shower. It was nice to catch up with an old friend and see some family there too. Shannah and Kevin got some really nice gifts and I bet are totally overwhelmed with getting the final touches on the room and baby's closet/dresser! We are really excited to meet our new nephew, only a few more weeks! (By the way, nephew, Uncle Jake and Auntie Patty are on vacation from work the week of June 21 - if you decide to make an early appearance, that would be a Great time!! Haha!) Sorry no photos from the weekend - I forgot the camera at home.

Ryan is on a second round of antibiotics - ear infections didn't quite clear up the first time (2 weeks ago). He's having some trouble with these stronger meds and it's causing me some anxiety about whether to continue the meds and deal with the side effects OR quit the meds and pray the ear infections clear up on their own (is that even possible??). Ugh! I just got off the phone with Ryan's doctor and he pretty much said the decision is mine to make but that if I discontinue the meds, Ryan's ear infections are not likely to clear up and could possibly get worse. It's times like this that make this Mommy job really difficult! I hate to see Ryan in pain and it was hard to drop him off this morning knowing he wasn't feeling 100%.

I look forward to keeping up with the blog now, will update with more pictures soon.

The dreaded "double ear infection"

2010-04-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

I took Ryan into the doctor this morning because since Easter morning, when he woke up a little feverish and was not all that into Easter festivities, he has been not-quite-himself. He has been skipping lots of meals, sleeping more and then the runny nose and coughing ensued. This morning after Jake left for work, Ryan would not stop crying from his room. I could hear him, through the sobs, saying "I want out of here." So I told him to come to my bed. He crawled in bed with me at 5:45 a.m., we turned on some cartoons and then we both went back to sleep. I figured it was going to be a "sick day" so I just turned off the alarm clock and ignored the fact that I should have been up getting ready for the Friday workday.

I called in sick to work, called my Mother-in-Law to let her know we wouldn't be coming today and then called the doctor's office. Ryan got in early and as always, freaked out when the nurse wanted to weigh him and take his temperature. I am not sure where the fear comes from but he absolutely hates going to the doctor! OH and then when the doctor comes into the exam room and pulls out the stethoscope, you would think he was pinching Ryan with how loud Ryan screams!

We got through the appointment to find out that Ryan has ear infection in both ears. We were prescribed some antibiotics and sent on our way with a follow-up appointment in 2 weeks. For most of the day Ryan has been napping and generally not feeling well. Besides some pancakes for breakfast, Ryan really hasn't eaten anything today. He's just fallen asleep on the couch next to me so I think it's time for medicine and bed.

I hope everyone else is healthy and enjoying the weekend ahead! Say a little prayer that by Noon tomorrow (24 hours on antibiotics) Ryan will be on the uphill mend from this ickiness!

Missing in Action

2010-04-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

I'm still here! Since Jake asked tonight why I haven't blogged lately, I decided I better at least pop in and say hello!

We are just doing our normal, everyday routine around here. Jake is back to playing softball two nights a week, I'm attending Weight Watchers once a week and trying to get back to the gym a few nights a week too. It's been busy, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

Ryan is doing well - he's cracking us up everyday. I love to hear his little voice talking so much! Lately, every time I give him something he responds with, "Thank you Mommy" and when I ask him to do something he says, "Ok Mommy" and it's just the best feeling! We are still experiencing amazing bedtime routines - no fuss and usually no tears! Ryan is still sleeping through the night in his big boy transition bed (thank you God - I love my sleep!). One thing we have been having a little fight with is eating. Ryan has not wanted to eat dinner much lately...I try everything I can think of! Tonight I stood in the kitchen listing off all the things I could make for him for dinner "Do you want Chicken? Macaroni & Cheese? Oranges? Pears? Hot Cereal? Cold Cereal?" and every thing I listed, Ryan just shook his head and said, "No." I am out of ideas for this child! He has not really been picky until now. Do any of you have any food ideas I could try? When I do cook (not just heat up frozen food!!) I let Ryan sit on the kitchen counter and help me "cook" so that he is part of the process...but he would prefer playing in the back yard lately.

Anyway, as you can see, not much new going on. We're just hanging in there living life!

Body Pillow

2010-03-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

Ryan gives the term "body pillow" a new meaning!!

This is how I find Ryan sleeping most mornings when i go in to wake him up. It's hard to see in these photos but because he's so tall and does not fit across the bed, his feet are both through the bed rails and up against the wall!

All that bed, and he only likes to sleep on top of his pillow! :)

Here's a glimpse...

2010-03-13T13:52:00.001-08:00

...at what I am working on in the craft room.

If only I were a better artist, this would be an easier project!!

Monster Jam!

2010-03-13T13:38:00.001-08:00

Do you know...

Who LOVES Monster Jam???

Do you know who sat through a few hours...

Of watching Monster Jam and Megasaurus???

Do you know who LOVES Grave Digger???

And loves loud nosies and things that go VROOM???

If you guessed...

Ryan, you would be correct!

We're so glad our little man does so well with the loud noises and big trucks!

She's the Princess

2010-03-13T13:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had a great little visit at Kevin & Shannah's house with them, Michelle, David, Natalie, Papa & Grammy!

Here I am - Ryan on 1 arm and Natalie on the other. She eyeballed Ryan's sippy cup the entire time!

She finally got the cup in her mouth - and Ryan thought that was pretty funny!

And here she is with her Grandpa! She was just hangin' out!

It was a great day at the coast. Natalie sure is growing and changing and soon (in a few months) we'll be meeting our newest nephew when Kevin & Shannah's boy arrives! We look forward to many more fun, family visits with all the cousins together!

Where's my Motorcycle?

2010-03-11T20:50:00.000-08:00

Hi Grammy!!

Check out Ryan's new motorcycle gear, on loan from our friend and neighbor, Bailey!

Ryan loves all things motorcylce related. In fact, his tricycle has become his new "motorcycle"!

I'm afraid I'm going to be a motorcycle mom instead of a soccer mom --- and that's ok, so long as there's enough Xanax within my reach!! HAHA (totally joking...well, maybe)!

Random Thoughts

2010-03-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

As I type this, I am sitting in the bathroom watching Ryan take his bath. For the past 3 nights, Ryan has insisted on taking a bath (usually we skip a day in between, unless he's played outside and really needs to wash!) and he will stay in the bath tub for an hour if we would let him!
I should be doing something productive while Ryan is in the bath --- like clean the bathroom counters and sort laundry (but I would rather blog!).
I started working on some CUTE Easter gifts for the kids. I bought a little inspiration today at WalMart and have some motivation to work on them this weekend.
Ryan just told me, "I'm filfy" (translation: filthy)! HAHA! So funny!
I have 4 no-sew fleece blankets to make in order to finish my obligation for Disneyland Give a Day, Get a Day volunteer project. I need to just take the time to sit down and get busy!
Tomorrow is Friday and that means we are going to Monster Jam this weekend! Ryan is really excited. Every time we see the commercial on t.v. he stops what he's doing and says, "I want to go!"
I need to make some time to see my friends --- Tracy, I need to see your baby belly before little Hudson makes his appearance!! But I am also working on a crafty project for Hudson and I want to finish that to give you A.S.A.P.
I have a lot to do! I better get going and do at least 1 more thing before I call it a night and sit down to watch American Idol results show.

Happy (almost) Friday everyone! I've got some posts almost ready to publish with some recent pictures of the goings on in the Avila household lately...I'll get them up soon.

Crafting

2010-02-21T18:18:00.000-08:00

I have got an itch to be crafty again! I have found a way to "mistreat" my windows and as soon as I can get to a fabric store, my living room and master bedroom will thank me!!

I've also got an idea for a really cute hand-made gift for a certain upcoming holiday. I am going to head to Michael's tomorrow to purchase everything I need for my newest craft venture. I can't be any more specific regarding what I will be making because I will be making them for all my nieces and nephews (including unborn Baby Boy F - he can save it for next year)! I can hardly wait to get them done so I can deliver them to you guys!

Ahhh --- I may just go ask Jake if he wants to go to Michael's right now!

We went to a graduation party today for a friend of ours who just graduated from the California Highway Patrol Academy. It was pretty cool to see the video of his graduation. A total of 117 Officers graduated. Congratulations Matt! I also have to brag on Ryan for a minute - usually when we go to outings Ryan is clingy on me and shy with the other kids. Today though, Ryan walked straight through the house and to the backyard where all the kids were playing. He was SO GOOD! After about 2 hours at the party, he was ready for a nap when we got home!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Stay tuned for the reveal of the new crafts!

My birthday weekend

2010-02-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

Today I am 28! I've had a great birthday day and look forward to my birthday weekend!

I woke up to a cute note left by Jake next to my purse: "Happy B-day, Love You!"

And a cute gift bag was left on my chair at work by my co-workers after I left the office yesterday...so that it was waiting for me when I arrived this morning. They know me well - the gift bag included Bath & Body Works lotion and shower gel along with some cute new earrings and a necklace! Love those girls -- thanks, girls!

A few hours into the day, I was called to the front lobby and a delivery person was standing in the lobby with an adorable gift. It was from a local Candy Boutique and there were 2 cupcake candles inside with some Hershey's Kisses sprinkled throughout. Thank you Debbie!

I LOVE my birthday! And, as Michelle reminded me, it is sort of a funny joke that it usually rains on my birthday! There is rain in the forecast for late this evening and the weekend - but it's held off so far today.

Tonight Mom, Dad, Doyle, Arline, Jake and Ryan took me out to dinner. Mexican food is my favorite so today has been my idea of perfect!

Tomorrow evening we are going to have a few friends over to watch Supercross. It will be my birthday weekend all weekend long! Hopefully I will get to sleep in a little and enjoy some family time this weekend.

Thank you, everyone, for all the birthday wishes on Facebook, e-mail and text messages!

Look out for the crazy driver!

2010-02-17T18:23:00.001-08:00

A little public service announcement to all our neighbors who like to enjoy outdoor activities that may involve walking and/or standing on the sidewalks:

Look out for the crazy driver!

Beware of sudden stops...

And reverse driving...

And for the next 14 (or so) years, the streets will be safe while Ryan drives on the sidewalks!

Valentine's Day Weekend Recap

2010-02-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

Our Valentine's Day celebration started a little early, on Saturday! Jake asked if we had any plans for the night and my usual response, "none that I know of." He informed me that we did, in fact, have plans and that I should be prepared to go somewhere. I was wearing my pajamas still and asked if I could go like that or should I take a shower and get "ready?" A little later that morning, Jake took Ryan with him to his parents' house to help replace a washing machine while I ran into town.

I met Jake and Ryan at his parents' house after I ran my errands and while there his mom asked if Ryan could come back later to have a slumber party with all his cousins. They had plans to order pizza and hang out playing games and watching movies. Of course that sounded like a fabulous idea so Jake and I could go out on our date.

A few hours later, after Ryan had a bath and we were all ready for our date, we dropped Ryan off with Nanny and Papa and headed to Hanford for dinner. We tried out the new Restaurant, Luna, and thought the food and the atmosphere in the restaurant were fabulous! Then we headed to the movies and watched Dear John - loved it! I decided I wanted to pick up Ryan and bring him home instead of leaving him to sleep there because I wanted him to be home on Valentine's Day morning to open his gift from us and to eat a big breakfast with us!

Sunday morning I woke up early, laid on the couch for 45 minutes reading my book and enjoying the quiet, still house. Before Ryan woke up I made breakfast - French Toast, bacon and sausage - and an English Muffin for me! Just as we finished eating breakfast, Ryan woke up and was sweet as could be!

Ryan opened his Valentine's Day present from Mommy & Daddy. Then Jake opened his gift from Mommy! (Jake had given me a Rose on Saturday.) Ryan finished off the sausage and spent the rest of the day playing with his toys and playing outside - the weather was beautiful this weekend!

Today, President's Day, was a nice, lazy day at home with Ryan. Jake had to work til early afternoon so Ryan and I hung out doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen and playing. I had to make a run to WalMart this afternoon and Ryan came along. While we waited in the checkout line Ryan wanted a bag of Doritos. He was so good in the store, not begging for anything, that I bought the bag for him. He started eating them in the car and as we were almost home I asked him if the chips were good. He didn't answer. I asked him again if he liked his chips. Again, no answer. I turned around and found Ryan sound asleep in his car seat with his hand still in the bag of chips!

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day with the ones you love! I'll be sure to add pictures to my next post - these picture less posts are getting boring!

"You're Here!"

2010-02-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to play Bingo with some gal pals for our February birthdays! Jake kept Ryan home while I got some much needed girl time in.

This morning when I went into Ryan's room to get him up, this is the conversation that occurred:

Me: (Not turning on the light because every morning he requests only the hall light be turned on!) "Good Morning Sunshine!"

Ryan: "Mommy! You're here!"

Me: "Yes baby, I'm here!"

Ryan: "I miss you!"

Me: "Awe, I missed you too!"

Ryan: "I love you!" (always with emphasis on the word love!)

Me: "I love you too baby!"

Ryan: "Me not a baby!"

HAHAH!!! I love him so much - he just melts my heart with the sweet things he says these days.

And that's all I've got for you today.
Happy Thursday!

Does that make me a bad Momma?

2010-02-02T19:45:00.000-08:00

Ryan decided to start potty training ALL ON HIS OWN last night - used the toilet 3 times before he went to bed, even! Today I am told he only used the toilet once while at his Nanny's house. Since I've been home from work this evening, Ryan has not asked to use the toilet at all. I asked him several times and he finally agreed that he needed to. THREE TIMES we have gone into the bathroom and waited, and waited and he still did not go. Five minutes after finally getting a diaper back on him, he decided he needed to go and my response, "You're wearing a diaper Ryan - I'm not playing around with you on the toilet!" HAHA. I feel terrible now that I think about it and can't believe I'm blogging it but I like to be honest!! :) I know we have a long way to go in the potty training adventure - I'm just looking for someone to be honest with me about how difficult it really can be.

It's about 45 minutes before Ryan's bed time - think I can convince him to go to bed early so I can go to bed, too?

Welcoming a Nephew!

2010-01-31T13:06:00.000-08:00

Kevin and Shannah are having a Boy! They invited the family down to Round Table Pizza yesterday afternoon for a Gender Reveal Party. We arrived to find pink AND blue cupcakes decorated on the table, with pink AND blue jelly beans to snack on as well. They had each of us hold either a pink or blue cupcake (depending on what we thought the baby would be) and take a picture as a group for the baby book. Then they told us we had to wait until after lunch to find out girl or boy. When they brought out the pizzas, we quickly saw BOY spelled out with tomatoes and olives on each pizza! (I forgot to take my camera - sorry, no pictures from me!) It was a cute way to reveal the sex of the baby. And they wrote down their top boy names and let us give our input on what names we liked and which ones we disliked, OR to give suggestions of spellings or our own name ideas for Baby F.

We look forward to Baby F's arrival in June.

Congrats to Kevin & Shannah - boys are lots of fun! :)

Movin' on up!

2010-01-27T20:54:00.000-08:00

For the past week or so, Ryan has been napping at Nanny's house on the big kids' beds. He comes home in the evenings so excited to tell me that he's slept on the big bed! So Jake and I decided that we would finally take the front crib railing off Ryan's bed and replace it with the convertible rail. He can now climb into the bed by himself and he actually got in the bed several times this evening to play!

We gave Ryan very firm instructions that he can sleep in the big boy bed as long as he stays in bed all night and only gets up when Mommy or Daddy comes in to get him up. Tonight was the easiest bedtime routine in a long time. We brushed our teeth together, I changed him for bed, he gave his bedtime kisses and then climbed in bed and told me "goodnight". When I closed the door, for the first time in weeks, he did not cry! And 30 minutes into bedtime, he didn't get up even one time.

Our little boy is growing, growing, growing! Now that he's into his big boy bed - well, not technically, it's still the crib but now he's not "locked in" - maybe the next big step for me will be removing the changing table from his room that he outgrew a long time ago!

If I didn't have bad luck...

2010-01-25T08:58:00.001-08:00

...I wouldn't have any luck at all!

One day last week on a trip to JoAnn's to purchase tulle for Kinedy's first birthday tutu, I found a cute Valentine's Day mug that I wanted to pick up for my Bonco secret pal. It was on sale and I only paid $3.00 for it! On my drive home I was imagining that I would fill it with Hershey Kisses and wrap it in clear cellophane wrap and take to our next Bonco in February. I was also imaging that on my way to the front door of Bonco, it would be my luck that I would drop it on the sidewalk and the mug would shatter and then my secret pal would find out who I was!

So when I pulled my car into the garage that evening, I opened the back door of the car and grabbed my shopping bag from the floorboard. No sooner did I grab the bag, it slipped out of my hand and landed on the cement, breaking the handle off. I'm not even making this stuff up! I was so upset. After I finally decided that spending $3.00 on a mug was a good idea an entire month before Valentine's Day - I dropped it on the ground and it broke!

Moving on to Friday after work. I'm at WalMart picking up a few things and happened to walk by the Valentine's Day aisle. I ignored it at first but then turned my cart around to check out what items they had and to see if I could find a comparable mug for my secret pal. I found a mug! It was $5.00 but it had a stuffed dog in it that I could take out and give to Ryan and use the mug for my secret pal. I purchased the mug along with all my other items, loaded my groceries into the trunk and drove on home. Forgetting about the mug completely - I grab all my grocery bags from the trunk and lug them into the house. I place all my bags on the kitchen counter and hear a loud shattering noise. Yes, I broke the mug! Can you believe it? $8.00 on 2 mugs that my secret pal will never see!

I've decided I will not buy my secret pal a mug and fill it with candy. Instead, maybe I will find a plastic container to fill with candy! Ha!

New Addition

2010-01-19T19:11:00.000-08:00

My brother and sister-in-law, Kevin & Shannah, are expecting their first child this summer and we are so excited to meet him/her!

Kevin & Shannah --

When I asked Ryan, what do you think the baby will be, a boy or a girl?" he responded, "Yeah!" So I rephrased the question, "do you think it will be a boy?" to which he replied, "Yeah!" And then, "do you think it will be a girl?" and again he replied, "Yeah!" So apparently Ryan is still undecided on the decision! I, however, think we will be welcoming a nephew! Jake, on the other hand, thinks we will be welcoming a niece!

So will it be a a boy?
Or is it a girl?

Will we be buying trucks and tractors?

Or buying hairbows and tutus?

Whether we are wearing blue and welcoming our new nephew...

Or wearing pink to welcome our new niece...

We love you guys and can't wait to meet your bundle of joy!

Using his manners

2010-01-15T10:44:00.001-08:00

I am so thankful that Ryan is such a polite little boy! This morning as we backed out of the driveway and neared the end of our street, I reached down and turned up the heater and Ryan must watch everything I am doing because as soon as I turned up the heater he said, “Thank you Mommy” and went right back to drinking his juice! Every morning when I strap him into the car seat he says, “Brrr, its cold. Turn on the heater!” Haha!

A little Night Cap

2010-01-12T21:05:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share a few funny stories from Ryan over the last 2 days. He's so funny in the evenings when we get home from work.

Lately I've been giving Ryan a countdown (20 minutes, 15 minutes, 5 minutes, etc.) until bed time. By the time 8:30 rolls around, he's ready to lay his head on the pillow! Last night I was telling Ryan that he had 20 minutes before it was time to go to bed. Now, obviously, he has no sense of time but I literally laughed out loud when he responded, "No, me go to bed in 2 minutes" because he thought that was longer than 20 minutes! Haha!

Today I looked into a local preschool to get Ryan on the waiting list for the 3 year old class in September. When I got home tonight I was asking Ryan if he wanted to go to school and make some new friends. He was so excited, wide-eyed and asked, "Me wear helmet to school?" He is really into wearing my old quad helmet and apparently thinks that not only do you wear a helmet while you're riding quads but also that you wear a helmet to school! I laughed and told him that he won't wear his helmet to school but that he can wear a backpack. He thought that was pretty cool. I mean, what 2 year old doesn't want a "pack pack"?

I look forward to Ryan's first day of preschool this fall - I know, I know, it's only January - but I don't want him to miss this class! And this means potty training is now my goal for Ryan by the summer.

Up in the gym just workin' on my fitness!

2010-01-11T19:30:00.000-08:00

So today was an extremely busy day at the office and then my friend (and co-worker) and I finally got back to the gym tonight! It felt really good to get back on track and start working out today. The plan is to hit the gym again tomorrow night and then pick back up on Thursday. We're shooting for 4 days this week and the only reason I'm blogging it is to hopefully hold myself accountable to the workouts. It's a slow start but I'm feeling good about it tonight! Here's to hoping I keep at it this time!

This week is Bonco at my house so I'm planning on taking some photos and blogging about our Bonco group later in the week! I love Bonco night - it's a fun, one night a month where the girls can get together, eat yummy food, catch up on the girl-talk and try to win $30!

Sunday Drives

2010-01-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago while Jake was on a two week vacation (must be nice!!) we took a nice, leisurely Sunday drive. Can you guess where we were?

Although there is sand in this picture, we were not at the beach!

Ryan was pointing the direction he wanted to keep exploring!

We loaded up the car and headed towards Kaweah Lake and past Three Rivers. We drove to the gate at the Sequoias and then turned around and ate lunch at a nice little restaurant with a creek running along side of it. The picture above is of the blow-up Santa and friends across the creek at the restaurant.

We took a little photo shoot of Ryan hanging out on the rocks before we ate lunch.

We sat on the patio of the restaurant so Ryan could watch the ducks playing in the water and still see Santa and friends as well. For the most part, Ryan walked around the patio, climbed the stairs and hung over the railing while we ate our lunch.

After lunch we drove back towards Kaweah Lake and stopped to play at Slick Rock Recreation Area where we climbed the rocks and played in the water. Ryan LOVED splashing in the shallow puddles in his rain boots!

I was trying to explain to him why he couldn't just go run out into the water, he wanted to go in deeper.

He got to walk through the water between Jake and I and he had so much fun!

It was difficult to drag Ryan away from the water but I think we had just as much fun as he did! Next time we venture out for a Sunday drive, I think we will head for snow!

Did you know?

2010-01-06T19:23:00.000-08:00

Today, as I wait patiently for Blogger to cooperate in uploading my pictures, I thought I'd share some information you may find useless but nonetheless information about me that you may not have ever known! Sounds fun, huh? So here we go:

I am still afraid of the DARK!
I have good intentions of cleaning the kitchen and running the dishwasher every night but usually I'm too lazy and let the kitchen stay dirty for a night (or two)!
I love to wear cowboy boots and own both a black and brown pair.
I have no intention of ever going back to college - should have done it right after high school but wasn't too interested then either.
I used to want to be on the reality show, Real World.
Driving sometimes stresses me out - I am definitely a road rager!
I wonder if it's normal to remember phone numbers of friends from high school, 10 years later? And am I the only person who still has the same cell phone number 10 years later?
I used to always have a pack of Big Red gum in my purse. I wonder when I stopped carrying it and chewing it?
I laugh at something Ryan says or does everyday.
I love to experiment with my hairstyles and color. In fact, I'm having it cut tomorrow and will probably dye it soon after.
I am obsessed with checking Blogger and Facebook as soon as I get to work everyday (shhh, don't tell) but hardly ever comment on my friends' blogs or Facebook status.
I am so glad my kid likes to go to bed at night. At least we only have to fight him on what to eat for dinner and not when to go to bed.
As I type this post, Ryan is sitting next to me flipping through the channels on the tv, stopping on ESPN of all things (just like his father!).

Hope you've enjoyed getting to know me a little better! As soon as I can get my pictures uploaded, I'll post about our recent weekend Sunday drive. Stay tuned...

A late gift!

2010-01-01T21:06:00.000-08:00

This post is brought to you by MY NEW LAPTOP COMPUTER! Yay! Our friends were here celebrating New Year's Eve with us last night and their daughter brought her laptop to keep her entertained. I told Jake this morning that I was a little jealous that she could sit on the couch and surf the net and that I wanted to be able to blog while laying in bed at night. SO, Jake did some research and we headed for Best Buy earlier today. The end result, my brand new laptop! It's actually our little Christmas present to each other - since we didn't really buy each other gifts this year. I Love It! We're laying in bed, Jake is watching ESPN and I'm clicking away on the computer - I love technology that lets me be comfy in bed and stay connected to the world! Haha!

Happy New Year all!

Vacation Fundraiser!

2009-12-30T21:20:00.000-08:00

Please go visit my friends, The Buitenwerf's blog post today. They are the family trying to raise funds to assist in their adoption of a 2 year old boy from Ethiopia...they need our help! I've purchased 4 of the vacation raffle tickets myself (they were stocking stuffers for Jake's Christmas stocking!) and I urge you to take a look and see if it is something you may be interested in for yourself!

Thanks all and best of luck to all of us in the drawing!

Christmas Recap

2009-12-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

Oh how we love Christmas at our house! Christmas Eve is traditionally spent with the Fagundes clan! Christmas Day with the Avila's always changes location - this year was our turn to host Jake's family on Christmas Day.

First things first, we headed to Mom & Dad's (without a nap for Ryan) pretty early in the afternoon on Christmas Eve. David, Michelle and Natalie had drove in earlier and were there to greet us when we arrived. Later, Kevin, Shannah, Bruiser, Porky, Doyle and Arline joined the fun and festivities. The day was spent with lots of laughter, food, pictures, passing Natalie, watching Ryan dance and playing pool. Oh, and we let the kiddos open their Christmas presents! Ryan (and Natalie) were blessed beyond belief with thoughtful and wonderful gifts. Ryan's room and my house will never look the same! Here are some photos of the fun:

We capped off the evening with dessert before heading back home so Ryan could get in bed at a reasonable time and so Santa could get busy setting out Ryan's gifts!

Christmas morning was SO MUCH FUN! We had to wake Ryan up so we could open our gifts as a family before Jake's entire family came over for the day. Ryan was so excited to see what Santa had brought for him, sleepy-eyed he ran to the living room and opened his stocking. Our Christmas Day celebration began around 9:00 a.m. and lasted through the evening, I believe our guests left at 9:00 p.m.!

It was fun to watch all the kids opening their gifts and Jaylynn and Ryan playing with their toys together all day. My Mother-in-Law and I sat in the house and played several rounds of the board game "Sorry" while everyone else played washers out in the back yard. I started getting a head cold so I didn't want to be out in the cold all day. It was fun to sit back and play some board games, I wish we would have taken more pictures (I should not be in charge of the camera!).

Happy New Year!

Something interesting

2009-12-29T09:57:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about something interesting to post today -- I WILL update on our Christmas once the pictures are uploaded - but I wanted to say something funny and all I can think of is Ryan's bedtime routine the past few weeks. It will make you smile!

Normally Ryan does not put up a fight when it's time for bed. We ask him if he's getting tired, he usually says, "yes" or shakes his head in that direction. I tell him to go give daddy kisses (because I like to be the one to lay him in his bed) then if he hasn't already, he grabs both his blue blankets, I pick him up, give him kisses and tell him I love him, lay him in the crib and turn off the light. Then before I close the door he asks, "raining outside?" and I usually answer, "no" and he asks, "cold outside?" and I usually answer, "yes, it's cold outside" and he says, "love you!" and my heart melts and I say, "love you too. Good night."

I Love my sweet little boy!

2009-12-13T15:20:00.000-08:00

How can it already be December 13??

I seriously have not bought 1.single.Christmas.gift.YET! Sorta waiting for that money tree out front to sprout new branches and start blowing dollar bills instead of leaves!

Anyway, I've been getting the e-mails recently asking what to get Ryan for Christmas. I really have no clue. My son is a die-hard quad and dirt bike fan! His new favorite activity is to sit on mine or Jake's lap and watch quad and dirt bike videos on YouTube. How did this new-found love of YouTube start, you may ask? Good question - he is only 2 years old and no, he does not control the computer on his own, but if he continues to beg and cry every time he wants to watch videos on YouTube, I might just teach him how to navigate the internet next week! I think it was an attempt by Jake to get Ryan to calm down one night when we couldn't decide what he wanted to do and offered to let him watch quads racing! That's where our mistake began, because the kid is smart! He knows that he can sit here for 20 minutes each day and never have to watch the same video twice!

Anyway, back to Christmas gifts...Ryan's birthday was only 3 months ago. He was stocked up with winter clothes and enough new toys to fill his already full toy box. So if I'm hesitant when I respond, "Not sure what he needs, really." it's not because I don't know my kid well enough to know what he likes, it's because I really do not know what he needs for Christmas! Fingerpaints, Playdoh...something fun!

I also decided today, December 13, that I would order some photo Christmas cards to get out in the mail approximately sometime before Christmas morning. Another reason I need that money tree out front to start branching out - so I can afford postage!

Happy Christmas shopping everyone! Who else will we see Christmas shopping at the mall next week??

Who wants a FREE Computer?

2009-12-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

That's right, I said a FREE Computer! Head on over to BooMama's page to enter a giveway for an HP Touchsmart 600. You have until December 24 to enter and will receive an extra entry if you blog about it! This computer looks like the coolest thing since sliced bread, I would love to win - Merry Christmas to us!! I can't even remember how long has Jake been dreaming about a new computer monitor. We can share!

So what are you waiting for??? Go...now...

OH, and cross your fingers that I'm the lucky winner!! haha!

I've Been Saving Up All Day...

2009-11-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

...that's what my Grandma says every year, "I've been saving up all day for this" as we sit down to eat Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. For the past few years we've joked about it as we all sit down and it's something we all wait for Grandma to say before we start eating!

This year at Thanksgiving I think about how thankful I am for everything and everyone in my life! I am so thankful for my loving husband and my awesome baby boy, Ryan! (OK, he's not technically a baby anymore but he's still my baby!) I am thankful that we are all healthy and happy and that in these difficult economic times, we still have full-time jobs! I am thankful for my siblings, sister-in-laws, brother-in-laws, for nieces, nephews and another on the way! I love the holiday season and look forward to spending lots of time with family in the coming weeks.

I'll update with pictures from our Thanksgiving festivities soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

He loves the water

2009-11-24T19:14:00.001-08:00

Tonight Ryan has washed his hands no less than 32 times, or something close to that! He has a stool in his bathroom that he can stand on all on his own and he loves to wash his hands, brush his teeth and just play in the water. Tonight I caught him on video singing the tail end of "happy birthday", making silly faces and cleaning the sink! Here's a glimpse of Ryan in action.

Oh Happy Day!

2009-11-21T15:21:00.001-08:00

Six years ago today was our amazing, beautiful and FUN wedding day! Here are a few photos of us through the years:

Dating in 2002 - 2003

Engagement Pictures

Wedding Day!

Me with Mom & Dad

Pregnant with Ryan!

Ryan's Baptism

Coast Trip in 2008

Happy Sixth Anniversary, Jake! I Love You :)

2009-11-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the comments on my Truth post. Really, it helped me to think about even more than I was already pondering.

I'm sad to report that I have not ventured outside of my comfort zone and attended church yet. I have, however, been able to be in contact with an old (in years, not age) friend that is very dear to me and we have agreed to be each others support and church attending partner! (Chaundra, if you're reading this now, I just realized that Sunday is our 6th wedding anniversary! Needless to say, I'm hoping to either get away for the weekend with the hubby or at least enjoy his Sunday off together. I may have to attend church on Saturday evening local and then meet up with you the following weekend...Life sure is busy these days!)

Tracy, I look forward to hearing more about your Beth Moore study. Keep me posted on how it's going!

Tamara, thanks for the comments. Our prayer time is coming along and yes I would love to converse with you about these issues! I'll be in touch soon.

Right now though, I have a 2 year old who is running through the house playing "hide & seek" with his daddy and I think I want to join in on the fun!

I'll post more soon with some pictures of our weekend birthday party and visit with family.

**UPDATED** Please know that I DO know when my anniversary is, I just didn't realize until I looked at the calendar that it is falling on Sunday this year! Just wanted to clear that up for anyone who may be thinking..."she doesn't even know when her anniversary is"!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

2009-11-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Mom!

Somehow we always say the least
To those we love the best
And hope our thoughts are understood
Although they're unexpressed -
That's why it means so very much
When days like this are here
To say how very much you're loved
Each day throughout the year!

Love you Mom, Happy Birthday!!

Truth

2009-11-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

Ever since we found out we were expecting with Ryan, I've always pictured us as a church-going, Catholic-practicing family. We had Ryan baptized but we have never made the commitment to going to church every Sunday. In the beginning of our marriage it was difficult to predict Jake's days off and I never wanted to take Ryan (who could, in an instant, become a crying infant in church) to church alone. I read a lot of blogs of Christian women who belong to small groups within their church family and who rely on their faith to see them through every day situations or trying times in their lives. I LOVE it. I am inspired by these women (most of whom I've never met in real life - but I stalk their blogs because I am so inspired).

I've also been reading a lot lately about Beth Moore Bible Studies - and don't laugh - but I don't know who Beth Moore is and I am so anxious to find out what it is that a Beth Moore Bible Study is all about!!

So I am going to challenge myself to attend church as many Sundays as possible this month even if it means I go alone or just with Ryan. I want Ryan to be familiar with and understand the Bible. I am also going to challenge myself to incorporate some new things into Ryan's bedtime routine. On top of putting on his pj's, brushing his teeth and reading bedtime stories, I want to start bedtime prayers with him too.

This might all sound really random to most people who know me but this is always how I dreamed my life would be and now that I'm responsible for my own actions and the way I raise my child, I guess I have no one to blame but myself if it doesn't happen.

I challenge you all to make a change in your lives, to do something you've always dreamed you would do but just haven't followed through with. Maybe it's something as small as being kind to strangers, offering a "good morning" to the co-worker that you never speak to, or foregoing the lazy, sleeping-in on Sundays and attending church yourself. If anyone wants to join me in going to church, the more the merrier!

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T13:12:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween from

Barney!

Here's Ryan trick-or-treating at Grammy & Papa's house.

And Ryan being shy and not wanting to be a part of the cousins picture on Halloween!

Here are the rest of the cousins (sorry for the blurry pic). Bryce the football player, Kayla the witch, Anthony the baseball player and Jaylynn the lady bug.

We took Ryan with his cousins to the church in town instead of our original plan of the church in Hanford because he skipped his nap and was really cranky. He wanted to be held the entire time. Here we are in line for the Cake Walk.

It was a good but long day. We're hopeful Ryan will be more active and interested in Halloween next year and we can enjoy the church activities a little more next year (Ryan says, "yeah, right!").

Hope your Halloween was fun too!

Pumpkin Patch Kid

2009-10-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we met up with our friends and Ryan's godparents, Jarrod, Michelle and Preston for a visit to the pumpkin patch. It was a first for both Jake and Ryan! (I don't have any pictures of all 6 of us - we were just trying to get each of our own children to pose for the cameras - which as you can see below, was not an easy task!)

Here's Jake and I on the hay ride...oops, I cut Ryan's head out of the photo!!

Isn't this the cutest Turkey you've ever seen?

And how about a picture of two little bunnies? Here's Ryan and Preston sticking their heads through the bunny cut-outs!

It was a fun time and we came home with 1 pumpkin which we look forward to carving this weekend.

Happy Fall, All!

We have a climber...

2009-10-18T11:13:00.001-07:00

...a crib climber, that is!

This morning when I heard Ryan calling me from his crib, "Mommy, up" and "Up Mommy" I opened his bedroom door to find him laying in the middle of his blankets and R6 (his new teddy bear from Build-A-Bear) smiling away at me. He quickly jumped up and our conversation went something like this...

Ryan: Shower?

Me: Yes. I just took a shower. Did you hear the shower?

Ryan: Yes! Shower!

Me: *smiling at my sweet "baby" boy!

Ryan: Out?

And then what I hoped to never see him do because after all he is still my baby, right? He CLIMBED over the side of the crib and landed on his two feet on the floor!! He looked up at me and just smiled and then said, "Mommy, up!"

So, unfortunately for me, because I am not quite ready for my Ryan to be a big boy yet, we will be removing the front railing of the crib tonight and replacing it with the guard/toddler bed rail instead. Hopefully Ryan will understand that he is not to get up out of bed unless we come in to get him up - otherwise I'm afraid we'll hear him on the floor of his room playing with his monster trucks after bed time!

Welcome Baby Natalie

2009-10-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

On Friday my sister and brother-in-law welcomed their first child, Natalie Faye, into the world! The whole family was there waiting for the word from Daddy David that Natalie arrived - it was 12:28 p.m. on 10/9/09, she weighs 7lbs 10oz and is 20 1/2 inches long! Mommy and Natalie were both recovering well.

I finally got my hands on her --- isn't she a cutie! Here's our first picture together; Auntie Patty and Natalie.

And of course we had to get a bow on her right away!

Here's a photo of Ryan holding his cousin - look at all that dark hair Natalie has (and what happened to my little baby? Ryan looks so grown up in this picture!).

We spent the weekend at the coast so we could check in on the new family as often as possible. We spent some time with Kevin and Shannah at their place, eating dinner, watching football and enjoying Ryan being his usual talkative, playful self.

Here's a picture taken while we walked the pier in Pismo with Grammy and Papa. Papa bought Ryan a seashell so he could "hear the ocean"! Ryan was intently listening to "the ocean" through that seashell!

We had a fun weekend with family and look forward to catching up with them all again soon to love on Natalie and see how much she changes in her first few weeks home!

Congratulations Michelle and David on a healthy, beautiful baby girl!

A Journey 4 Hope Auction

2009-10-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

My friend, Tamara Buitenwerf, and her family are hosting an online auction on their blog, A Journey 4 Hope Auction. The auction will be up until October 23, 2009. Please visit their blog, read their story, check out the auction items and bid on an item (or 2, or 3) if you find something you like! Thank you in advance for helping them out!

A Journey 4 Hope Auction

The Picture Post

2009-09-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

I've been lacking in posting pictures lately. Here are a few pictures from the past few weeks around here.

Here's the birthday boy on his birthday. He doesn't look happy here but I promise he was having a blast swimming with Addy!

The monster truck cake!

Opening presents ---

And playing with them as he went along ---

The big finale gift --- thank you G.G. for the new bike!

Wearing Uncle Kevin's cowboy hat and acting goofy for everyone ---

Giving Baby Natalie kisses! Next time we see Auntie 'Chell and Uncle David, it will be Natalie's birthday!

Papa and Ryan sharing a lollipop!

We had a busy and fun weekend. Now time for laundry and getting ready for the busy work week ahead.