Big Boy

Daddy took Ryan out to get in some more time on his new bike tonight.
Big 2 year old on his new bike


I know I have not given Ryan's birthday it's proper due, but I have been at meetings or not feeling well most of the last 2 days. I plan on giving him a proper tribute as soon as I feel better.

2 Years Old!

My Dear Ryan,
Today you are 2 years old! An amazing little explorer and wonderfully sweet little boy. You are growing so fast. I love you so much!

Happy Birthday Sweet Bean

Love,
Mommy

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

Ryan's last day as a 1 year old

On Ryan's last day as a one year old Grandpa helped him ride a bike for the first time. What a cool gift from Grandma and Grandpa! Although he is carrying the little Percy they gave him around everywhere and when he doesn't have him he is looking for him. "Where a you Percy?" So, I think Ryan might think the coolest gift was Percy. Anyway, He has really enjoyed his birthday celebrations.
Ryan's last day of being 1

Birthday Party for Ryan

I think Ryan's birthday party was fun. Trying to come up with fun crafts and activities for 1 1/2 to 2 year olds was a little challenging, but with the parents helping I think everyone managed to have fun. It is so fun to watch fathers helping their boys do projects. I really love watching Jay with our boys, but I was surprised how much I really enjoyed watching Tom with Ben. Tom and Jay are both great dads. It was sweet to watch them all together.

I'll be adding more to this post(including pictures), but right now I need to go feed the boy lunch.

Lonely

It's amazing how a couple more hours than normal alone with a toddler can seem like an eternity. Jay didn't come home last night. He went straight to church for a youth retreat(he is a leader, not a participant;-) ) The extra two hours between when he usually gets home and bed time dragged on forever! I even broke out the Baby Bach which I never do in the evening. Today has not seemed bad so far. It just feels like a weekday.
On the bright side, Jay called this morning:-) It was very sweet. They had a 5 minute restroom break and he used it to call me:-) I also get to look forward to seeing my parents tonight. They are coming up for Ryan's birthday and a retirement ceremony in VA.
I also found out some big news yesterday, but I want to let the person's whose news it is spread the word a little bit before I go announcing it on my blog:-) It's not Erin, so don't go there!

Keep Your Stupid Cat in the House!

Dear Neighbor,
Keep your stupid cats in your house! I like you- I do not want to have to call animal control on you. But if your cats wake me up at 6AM with their cat fighting and screeching again I will be forced to take action. If your cats drive my dog crazy in our own house because they think under our truck is a good place to hang out, I will let my dog out and I hope she catches your stupid cat and teaches it a lesson it won't soon forget. If you think you will then be able to call animal control on me because my dog was not on a leash think again because it's the law that cats have to be on a leash when outside too. Besides, I was just heading outside and my dog ran past me...she must have been excited by the cat under our truck-OOPS. I've also been thinking of getting my son a disc shooter or BB gun. I'm sure he would get bored with stationary targets quickly. I'm sure your cat will wonder into his hunting territory at some point and well...cats will be cats and boys will be boys. So, just keep your stupid cat in the house where it belongs!

Thank You for Your Cooperation,
Your Concerned Neighbor

Picture Slacker

I've been a picture slacker lately. I guess because I have not been feeling well. So here is a picture of Ryan getting into my kitchen cabinets. It's very fitting that he is wearing his Mommy's Little Monkey shirt from Erin's e-store.
Mommy's Little Monkey

The Lion King

The Lion King was great. The costumes were the best I've ever seen. The way they made those animals walk, prance, run, etc. was amazing. I think the best part about the costumes is that they didn't try to hide the people in them. Whatever parts of the people playing the animals worked with that animal they use for the animal, but the rest just kind of blended by wearing the same color. It might be one of those things you have to see for yourself to really know what I'm talking about, but trust me the costumes were impressive. Most of the costumes didn't cover the faces of the actors at all. The hyenas faces were hidden a little bit, but still visible. I think having the faces visible added to the characters because the facial expressions of a human face just can't be replicated with a mask very well.
I loved the way they used people dressed as scenery(grass, plants, etc) to create the illusion of big motion on a smallish stage. The whole thing was just amazing. It's a great show. No wonder the matinees sold out so fast. I wish we could have brought the kids.

101 uses for Mommies

Have you ever heard of the book 101 uses for Duct Tape? My son using my legs as a road for his toy cars this morning prompted a thought- I bet there are 101 uses for mommies. Of course there are the traditional things moms do; feed, dress, read stories, chauffeur, tutor, referee etc. That list is probably endless. I was thinking more along the lines of the creative things kids use moms for. So here is a list of some of the things my kids have used me for so far.

1. road
2. train tracks (okay, kind of the same idea, but it counts)
3. target practice (diaperless boy, need I say more?)
4. drum
5. jungle gym
6. ladder
7. flipping post(where they hold your hands and climb up your legs, then flip over)
8. horse
9. trampoline (unsuccessful attempt-would not recommend)
10. cup holder- while he drinks my drink

I'm sure there are many more. Any other uses you have on your list?

On a Mission

Zach came down with a watch on and a backpack full of walkie talkies, a compass, a small telescope binoculars and probably some other stuff I don't know about. He announced in grand fashion that he is going on a mission. Apparently he is on his way over to his friend Andrew's house and they are going to look for gold(leaves) together. Now this is the kind of creative play I like to see. I told him not to go missions that are too dangerous. He thought that was funny. As he left little brother wanted to come along and Zach told him, "This mission is too dangerous for you."

Lion King

I finally get to see the Lion King tonight! I've wanted to see it since Rosie's show was out and she used to talk about it all the time. It really has been a long time. I don't even know when that show went off the air, but I really have not seen anything about Rosie in years. I guess she made enough money to retire. I really would have liked to take Ryan, but Jay doesn't think he would last. Besides all the matinees were sold out and there is no way I'm taking my kids to a show that starts at 8. I'm sure there are those of you who are scoffing at my prudishness, but you don't know how those kids are when they don't get enough sleep. Let me tell you...it's not pretty. If Ryan doesn't get to bed on time none of us get enough sleep because he wakes up every hour or so.
We are taking Ryan to his first show soon. Sesame Street Live in September. I'm really excited to see how he likes it. Jay and I are both going because neither one of us wants to miss his reaction to bigger than life Elmo, Grover and Ernie. It should be a fun time.

I'm off to scour my closet for a nice outfit that still fits.

$53.11!!!

OH MY GOSH! I just paid $53.11 for a tank of gas. I think I am going to go out and buy a couple horses and a covered wagon tomorrow. Do you realize that if gas prices go up at the same rate as the past 2 years, then 2 years from now I will be paying $100 for one tank of gas?! That's craziness.

Sing, Sing a Song

Ryan has been singing up a storm lately. He just randomly starts singing. He likes to sing some old favorites, "Jesus Loves Me", "This Little Light of Mine", "lalalala lalalala, Elmo's World", "We Just Got a Letter" and more that I can't think of right now. In the past few days he has been making up songs. There are two that are very clear:

Friend Ben, friend Ben,
Friend, friend, Ben, Ben.
Friend Ben!

and

Jason, Jason,
Jason, Jason, Jason,
Jason!

I guess I invited the right friends to his party. Speaking of his party, another song he loves singing right now is "Happy Birthday". I'm not even sure when he heard it that he would remember it. The last birthday in our house was in May, but I'm not sure we sang happy birthday.

rut-roh

So that last bit about deciding whether or not to wake Ryan after 2 hours didn't really matter. I didn't have to decide at all. Right after I finished my post I went up to take my own nap. *I* slept until 2:15. Oops. I didn't even want to get up then, but I forced myself. Ryan was laying awake in his crib singing to himself. I have no idea how long he had been awake. I was very grateful to him for letting me rest though. I think I need to go to bed early tonight.

Things that make you go 'Hmmmm.'

Ryan just got his nuky and blankie(aka- pacifier and special blanket). He sat down on the couch next to me and went to sleep. It was only 11:15. The boy has been taking his nap at 12:30 for months and months now. I wonder why he's so tired. I mean besides the fact that he got up at 6:30 this morning instead of 7. Weird. I wonder if I should let him sleep longer or wake him up after 2 hours like I usually do. This is a critical decision as it could affect how much sleep I get tonight. If he takes too long a nap he might wake up every hour like he did Monday night, but if he's tired enough to fall asleep so early on the couch he must be more tired than usual.

Be Right Back

One of Ryan's favorite new games is his "Be right back" game. He comes up to me and usually gives me a hug. Then he walks about 5 feet turns and says, "Bye-bye, Mommy. Be right back." Then he will go out of sight, usually in the kitchen and come right back and say, "Hi, Mommy." He gives a hug and starts from the beginning. This cycle repeats many times until he is distracted or he just stays with me and cuddles. I'm not sure why, but I like his little game. It's sweet.
This is one of the things I think I will never forget, but time passes and soon all those cute little things that you thought you'd remember forever don't seem as vivid anymore. I want to write about it here because there are so many wonderful things I want to remember. I want to be able to look back at my blog to bring back these memories if they are ever to fade.
I want to remember how Ryan likes to line up all his cars and anything else with wheels and then rearrange them in a different line. How he asks for hugs and kisses. How much he likes to show me the clues in Blue's Clues-"Look, Mommy, a clue, right there, right there, a clue!!!" He is so fun.

Ugh!

Next time I decide to go to the grocery store on a 90+ degree day because "my morning sickness is not that bad today" SOMEBODY STOP ME! It may not have been bad when I left, but just loading the groceries into the car was enough to put me over the edge. On top of that I knew I had to unload them and put away all the cold stuff as soon as I got home. Come on second trimester!

Blue Hot

Blue hot is what Ryan says when he thinks something is very hot. I find it very interesting and quite observant of him. Many people say red hot, but Ryan seems to realize that blue is the hottest part of the flame(unlike my SIL's high school science teacher who told them blue was the coldest part?!) He says it about the oven, water, anything that he thinks is(or will be when he touches it) very hot. Fascinating. Maybe not to you, but to me:-)

PS I put up a picture of the oreo licking. Scroll down to see.

I can't believe it worked!

I made it out of the house yesterday. I really had no choice. We were getting dangerously low on baby wipes. You really just don't want to run out of wipes. So we went to Target. I was feeling decent so we made our way over to the toy section after I got what I needed. I wanted to look for a specific favor for Ryan's party. They didn't have what I wanted:-( While we were looking we saw some Thomas the Tank Engine toys. There was this one Duplo one that really caught Ryan's eye. He said, "Mommy, I want that one." I was a bit shocked at his consumerism. He has never asked for anything like that in the store before. Sometimes he would point or fuss, but this was a breakthrough. Not one I was looking forward to, but definitely developmental progress. I could see this turning into a 2 year old I-want-my-way tantrum. I didn't think he would understand, but I tried the old, "Maybe for your birthday." It worked. I couldn't believe it, but it worked! Then I told him his birthday is coming soon and how he is going to be 2. He giggled. Am I crazy or is my little boy really starting to understand language?! Did I just say little boy instead of baby?! Oh, he is growing up so fast.

Is she serious?!

Okay, I'm not about insulting people or anything, but I just have to ask this. Does Jessica seriously think that people know the words to "These Boots are Made for Walkin'" because of her album?

On CBS this morning Jessica sings her "new" song, "These Boots are Made for Walkin'".
Interviewer comes over. He says, "The audience seems to know the words."
Jessica says, "That's good because it just came out last week."

She was joking, right? She knows that she is covering a song that came out in the 70s and has been played ever since. She also knows the other song that she sang is a cover too, right? "Son of a Preacher Man"(I think that's the name, it's the chorus at least). What's up with a famous star singing a bunch of cover songs and saying she really wanted to feel like this she owned this album?

He's a natural

I gave Ryan an Uh-oh Oreo and the kid is a natural Oreo eater. He took the top off and started licking the filling. All by himself. I never showed him that. I don't even eat my Oreos like that any more. I did when I was a kid, but I know I never ate one like that in front of him. The unfortunate thing is that he gets his face and hands covered in chocolate. He does look cute, but oh man if he gets his hands or face on anything I'm going to be in trouble.
Mmmm....chocolate creme!

It's gonna be Thomas!

I decided to do the home party even though it means I have to clean up the house and do all the work myself. It just seems to make sense with toddlers. So on one of the days that I felt okay I went to the party store. I picked up some things for Ryan's party:-) We decided on a Thomas the Tank Engine theme. I knew it would be something with things that go(cars, trains, big trucks, etc.) because Ryan loves them so much. We were looking at the favors and decorations together. We saw a set with big trucks, it was okay, but then we saw Thomas the Tank Engine. Ryan LOVES Thomas. So we are going with trains as a theme. I've thought of a few games and some activities. I'll be doing some prep work in my good moments. I'm pretty excited about the ideas I have. I hope the kids have as much fun doing the things as I'm having thinking them up! I also hope that my morning sickness is gone soon so I can do this well. I do have a very creative volunteer lined up to help if I need her. It's great to have good friends:-)

Where's Ben?

I think I need to set up a play date with Erin. Ryan just came up to me and said "Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben! Where is Ben?" This is just a shot in the dark, but I think he might like Ben;-)

Big Day

Today is the day that I announce to the world that I am having a baby:-) A few special people knew before now and some were even privy to my other blog. I wanted to wait to make the official announcement until I heard the heartbeat. I heard it this morning. Apparently this baby already likes playing games. Little Acorn was hiding from the Doppler. That munchkin had me worried! Even the midwife was talking about getting a sonogram if she couldn't find a heartbeat. But she did eventually find it and it brought much relief. Jay is of course upset that she didn't find the second(he is convinced AGAIN that I am having twins).
I'm testing out Acorn as a nickname. I'm not sure it flows, but I'm going to give myself some time to get used to it. Maybe as we get to know our little person one will develop naturally. Perhaps Peek-a-boo? ;-)

It's HOT!

This totally stinks. Our power has been out for almost 3 hours. Current temperature 89* feels like 94*. Inside temperature a breezeless 83* and climbing. I took a cool bath by candle light of course. That cooled me down for a little while, but that's over and now I'm hot again. How did people survive summers before electricity?! How did people survive at all before electricity?! Oh, I sound like a spoiled city girl, don't I?

Bible Adventure

I took Zach to Vacation Bible School last night. They really had the activity center done up! It was like a market square from biblical times. They even had a guy building something with old fashioned tools that made the cool clanking noise. All the adults were dressed up and lots of the kids were too. It looked like a lot of fun. Zach comes home singing every night. He really seems to like it. I love the children's program at our church. They make it fun and really teach the kids important lessons.

Zach's Bible Adventure

What to do, what to do?

::Warning-stream of consciousness::

Ryan will turn two at the end of the month. I am not sure what to do for his birthday. Last year we just did family. This year he is more aware and able to interact with his friends a little bit, so I'm considering a friend party. I want to invite 2 MAYBE 3 kids because after all they are toddlers and a room full of toddlers that I have to entertain just scares me. The problem is I don't know what to do. Do I have them here? Chuck E. Cheese? I was thinking about going somewhere with trains or fire trucks because he likes them so much, but would that be more like a play date than a party? Maybe we could go bowling...we'll just send the kids down the ally to knock the pins down;-) I think I learned my lesson about inviting adults to a kids party when I did that with Zach. I think the adults were just bored. So I think just parents of kids at the party. I guess that means I have a separate party for family? Where and when do I do that? OY!

Hi Mommy!

It amazing what a big happy "Hi Mommy!" can do for your mood. Especially in the morning when you have not slept well and that same voice rang out twice in the middle of the night in not such a chipper tone. "I wub you" rocks too:-)