Kylie's Birthday Party...

Saturday was crazy-fun!

We had sent out all of Kylie’s invitations (family, friends, and her whole class), forgetting to put RSVP information. So we had no idea how many kids would be coming.

We were worried about the weather as it was supposed to rain off and on during the day. We had no idea what we would do with a lot of kids inside if it was raining!

We ended up having about 15 kids there, and I had told the parents to drop-off so that I didn’t have to worry about entertaining them as well! My family was a huge help in getting everything set up!

It was not raining and warm at the beginning of the party, so John set up a huge treasure hunt, and we played some other games like red rover, red rover and relay races. The most annoying part was that we had some kids that just whined the whole time about the games not being fair, and one girl kept trying to walk home!

After the games we went into the garage for cake and ice cream and it started pouring! So we just closed the door and the kids ate their cake and ice cream. Kylie then opened everyone’s presents and then we finished with a piñata. Parents were there to pick up right at 5:00 and then it was time to relax! We had all of our family staying for a cook-out, so we threw some hamburgers and hot dogs on and sat around while the kids played. Kylie also opened all of her family presents at this time.

Kylie got some great presents and had a ton of fun. She was soooo tired that night! I want to give a HUGE "Thank You" to everyone that helped us on Saturday...we couldn't have done it without you guys!!

John giving the kids instructions for the treasure hunt:

More treasure hunting. See the dark clouds in the background???

Kylie got a pair of roller skates from my sister, so Joshie got a pair too. Here are my sisters trying to get them out of the package and onto their feet!

Ryan with Jody (my mother-in-law):

Happy 6th Birthday Kylie!

Princess,

I can’t believe that you are 6 today! This year has flown by so fast…I would give anything to make time stand still because I feel like in a blink of an eye I will be saying you’re turning 16.

This year was a big year for you…you started school! I still remember that first day…you wore your green “Paris” outfit and had your long hair in pigtails. Your dad and I walked you to school and you were so nervous and shy. What a difference a year makes! Now you have a whole class full of friends and act like you run the school!

Right after you started school you got a new baby brother! For such a long time you were hoping it was a girl. By the end though, we had you convinced that there were upsides to having another brother (like not having to share your clothes and toys!). Thank goodness we did because you received another brother! From the get-go you were the biggest help! And to this day you are so helpful with Ryan and so very protective of him. Whenever you hear him crying you try to make him feel better, and you always want to come with me when I feed him. Sometimes we’ll watch a show, and sometimes you’ll read a book to me, and sometimes you’ll just talk to me. I love spending time with you!

When I was on maternity leave this year I got a lot of extra special time with you. I was able to take you and pick you up from school, and I was able to meet you for lunch once a week. I got to meet all your friends and some of the teachers at your school.

Because of being in school this year, you can now read anything. And I mean anything! You read so well and I have so much fun writing you notes! You are also a fantastic writer! You and I like to play a game where I’ll start a story, and then you write a sentence, then back to me, and so on until the end. We have come up with some crazy stories!

You and Joshie are the best of friends. You play together all the time and 99.9% of the time are the best big sister to him. You take care of him and watch out for him. You guys are still sharing a bed (even though you each have your own room) and have no desire to have your own space….yet :)

You LOVE gymnastics! This past year you skipped two classes and are in the big gym with the big girls. You are now in a special class training to be on team maybe next year. You are doing cartwheels and roundoffs everywhere! And just recently you did your pullover and back hip circle all by yourself! I’m so happy that you like to do something that I know about and have done before!

You are so inquisitive and smart when it comes to the Bible and Sunday School. This year you are in Carlo’s class and are learning so much! For your party this year, you even requested that you open all your presents from your family after you friends left. You know why? Because you said that you always get such good presents from your family, and one of the commandments is “not to want what other people have” and you were scared that your friends would want your presents. What 6 year-old thinks that way??? My Ky-Bear!

Your favorite color is purple and you love The Littlest Pet Shop, baby dolls, Webkinz and pearler beads. You like to watch The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montanna, but you also still ike to watch Barney and the Berenstain Bears.

You are the light of my life and I’m so very thankful that God gave you to me. Each day you amaze me more and each day I love you more (which I still don’t understand how that’s possible). Thank you for being my special girl!

Love,
Mommy

Mother's Day and Ryan's Dedication

What a great weekend! I couldn’t have asked for a better Mother’s Day weekend (although it would have been nice if it were about 10 degrees warmer, but that’s a minor detail).

Saturday my sisters and I headed out to get my parents their present (this weekend we are also celebrating my dad’s birthday (it’s the start of the birthday week – his birthday is today, the 11th, and Kylie’s is next Monday, the 18th, so ever since she was born he has coined it “the birthday week”)). We ordered them a kitchen table for their new house (the one that is next door to us, that they only spend the weekends in, so there is not much furniture in it). We had a great time and found a table that we LOVED!

My sister Suzie with Ryan:

My sister Cindy with Ryan:

Suzie hanging out on the hammock with Kylie and Josh:

Saturday night we made my dad his requested dinner: Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, salad from Olive Garden, Fettucini alfredo and then a Heath Bar cake. It was so awesome! After dinner we played outside and just hung out.

Sunday morning Ryan was dedicated at church. So both of my sisters and my sister’s boyfriend and my parents came and celebrated with us! This was a very special dedication because Ryan was dedicated by a pastor that knew him. A pastor that had held him and played with him. A pastor that visited us in the hospital when he was born. This meant so much because for Kylie and Josh’s dedications we were just a number. One family in a sea of new babies. This was a special dedication.

After church we headed back to the house and John grilled out for us. We had a great lunch and tried to relax outside, but it was a little chilly because there was a strong wind. But it was very sunny! I gave my mom the photo book that I had made her along with the card I made her (I’m now into card making…I love it!). John and the kids got me a slushie maker! It’s the coolest thing! And they got me an extra cup and flavored syrups for my slushies!

My one sister left to go to her boyfriend’s family’s house to see his mom, and then later on my dad and other sister left to head home. Josh was so beat from the day that he went to bed at the same time as Ryan (7:00!), which happens so rarely! So my mom stayed with them while John, Kylie and I headed out on a bike ride to the park. It was so nice getting some one-on-one time with her!

I was so exhausted at the end of the day (and still really tired today!), but it was such a fun weekend! Kylie’s party is this coming weekend, so I’m excited that I get to do it all again and see everyone again soon!

My mom with Ryan:

Little Ry-Ry...

I feel like so much has happened over the past couple months with my little guy! He’s constantly amazing us with ways that he’s more advanced than the other kids were, and ways that he’s perfectly content at being way behind the “normal” – like with moving. Or teeth.

Everything goes in his mouth. If he grabs your fingers to play they are immediately brought up to his mouth. Thankfully, he doesn’t have a hard bite :) And he’s not a bad drooler so far, which is so nice! He has the biggest, most amazing blue eyes, and the little hair he has is very light blonde (which is so different from the other kids' dark hair).

The first way that he amazed us was at around 5 months he was able to take his paci out and put it back in by himself. Do you know how huge that is? When he’s sleeping, if he can find his paci, he’ll put it back in and go back to sleep! He also claps his hands...very well! He started this about 1 1/2 months ago and I don't remember the other ones doing that this early either.

And he is a talker! He babbles and babbles like crazy! About a month ago he said his first “word” – dadadadada :) My dad has a theory…dads are called dads because that is usually the first set of sounds a baby says, and when guys first hear those sounds, they decided that they should be called dadda :)

He decided that rolling over was a good thing around 6 months. Even though he had been able to do it since before he was 3 months, he just chose not to most of the time. But at 6 months he really did start rolling back and forth a lot. He also wanted us there with him constantly. I’d lay him in his little jungle-gym thing and go make dinner and he’d be fine for a few minutes, but then he would start screaming (not crying, screaming), and as soon as he saw me, he would smile and go back to playing. He just wanted me to sit there with him while he played :)

He only just recently has decided that sitting up is a necessary thing. A little after 7 months he really started working it, and that has made life so much easier! I can finally leave him sitting and go into another room without worrying about him too much. He’ll still topple over occasionally, so I have to set him in the middle of the room so that if he falls he doesn’t hit anything, but most of the time he’s good to go. Now I can set toys in front of him and he will play with them while I go and made dinner.

When he’s on his belly, he shows no interest whatsoever in moving. No pushing up. No rocking. Nothing. Nada. But that’s OK…the other kids were late on crawling too…

He finally, just a few days ago, cut his first tooth! I’m nervous because Kylie didn’t cut her first tooth until 8 or 9 months, and it was so hard teaching her to eat real food (we had a lot of choking scares). But Joshie cut his first tooth when he was 4 months and ate like a pro – not one single choking scare! We’ll see how Ry does!

He is eating like a cow! Does this surprise me? No…he’s big and fat! The other day he ate 5 jars of food and 2 8oz bottles while I was at work. That’s a lot of freaking food for that little belly! And since he shows no interest in moving, he’s packing on the pounds :)

At his six month check-up:

Height: 27 inches (75%)
Weight: 18 lbs. (75%)
Head: 44 cm (70%)

He does not like cereal too much, and loves just about every type of baby food they make (as did the other two kids). And he’s still nursing great! But I’m still counting down – only 4 ½ months of pumping!

About 1 ½ months ago I decided that I had had it with him sleeping in our bed. He gave up the bassinette at around 2 months when he got his first cold. Since then he was sleeping in my arms and you had to hold him to get him to go to sleep. I was waking up sore every morning and I was a grump! Now with Kylie, she was such a problem sleeper and stayed that way until about 3 (we tried to have her cry it out and she screamed for 3 hours every night and we finally just gave in since we needed to go to work the next day!). With Josh, at around 8 months we went right to the crib and had him cry it out – night 1 was 45 minutes and then after that it was 5 minutes and then he was a dream sleeper. We weren’t sure what to expect with Ryan, but at 6 months we started trying him with naps in the crib. He screamed, but sometimes he would put himself to sleep. So we went back and forth for a while, and then about 3 weeks ago the magic started happening…we put him down for naps and bedtime, and he would play for a little bit, and then go to sleep. At night he would wake up after about an hour, and then I would bring him to bed, but that hour at least let me get ready for bed and have some “me” time! And then he started sleeping for hours at a time, and now, he only gets up to eat, and then I can put him back in his bed!!! It’s like we have two new parents…who get sleep and aren’t cranky because they have a baby that sleeps! He’s definitely following in Josh’s footsteps and by 7:30 he’s rubbing his eyes and cranky, which is hard for this late-night family, but hopefully he’ll switch over in a while like Joshie did. It’s hard to only have 3 hours with him in the evening! This is why I really don’t mind too much that he still gets up at night to eat. Another way he is like Joshie is that now the only place he will sleep is his crib or in the car. So if we’re out, I can’t put him to sleep in my arms anymore. Which is a pain!

And all of this, the eating, the sleeping, and the sitting up, has left us with one incredibly happy baby! He’s so happy, and smiley, all the time. When I go in to get him in the morning (and in the middle of the night a lot of times), he smiles as soon as he sees me and starts kicking those chubby legs! He smiles when he sees Kylie and Josh too…he loves them!

To say I’m in love with this little guy would be an understatement :)

Where Have I Been?

I’m back! Unfortunately, my mind works in a very sequential way…things must be done in order. When I scrapbook? Yep, start with birth and go forward…you will never see me scrap a page out of order. So when it came to this blog, I had to get that vacation documented, which was taking forever. But there’s no way I could let myself write about what was going on in our lives until that was done. So thankfully, that’s done and now I can get back to documenting our day-to-day activities, which will be done in bullets to catch-up…

-I am feeling so good right now…I lost a bunch of weight and couldn’t be happier! I will write a separate post about how I did it, because it was so easy for me!

-Ryan is growing like crazy and becoming tons of fun! I will write a separate post with all of his updates as well.

-We had a wonderful Easter. We hid 72 eggs outside and the kids had a great time finding them. I have no family pictures, however, because when we got home from church Ryan was asleep, and for the first time in a long time, he decided to sleep for 2 hours, and by then, Josh’s cute sweater-vest was full of chocolate, and John had changed because he had to do yard work. But we really were a cute “blue” family before all of that!

-I have been really enjoying our trampoline :) We got it last year and since I was pregnant I couldn’t jump on it, but now, Kylie and I go out and jump and I help her do gymnastics on it.

-I had my annual scrap weekend at my house and had a ton of fun! On Saturday we had 10 people there scrapping! The rest of the weekend people came and went, but as usual there were the “core” ones of us that were there the whole time.

-I also scrapped all day this past Saturday on National Scrapbooking Day. I had so much fun!

-Work was super busy and thankfully, has slowed down now.

I think that’s about it for now…I will be back to posting every day now…I hate that I have missed documenting a month of my kids’ lives!

The Last Days of Vacation...

Our last full day of vacation we decided to head over to the speedway. We wanted to do the whole Daytona Experience. We went in (and thankfully, it was not busy at all) and watched the 3-D NASCAR movie (which we saw when it came to theaters, but it was still cool to see again). Then we went out and John did a tire change and we walked around and looked at all the neat stuff (including playing on the “bank” of the turns that they had set up inside).

After all that we went outside for the track tour. We were loaded up on the tram (looked like a lot of golf carts put together) and drove around and learned a lot of interesting facts about the track. We got out and had our picture taken in the winner’s circle and drove through the pit boxes. On our way back, Ryan decided to spit his pacifier out and I had almost caught it before it bounced out of the tram and down turn 3 :) So we joked that when we watch the next race, watch out for a blue pacifier flying around :) But when we got back and told the guide (he was great, making jokes with us and the kids the whole time) he offered to go and find it for us. I told him it wasn’t a big deal, but he insisted. So he and John hopped in a truck and went out. Meanwhile the kids and I got some great French fries and took a break! Luckily, John and the guide were able to find the pacifier very easily!

That night we went to a restaurant on the beach with a racing theme. We realized it was because way back in the day, the racers used to race on the beach, and this place was called something like North Point Turn. Ryan was a pain (as he really had been at every restaurant), but I finally got him to sleep right after our food came (I walked circles around the tables for what seemed like forever). And our food was really good! Wonderful French fries!

The next day we packed up and cleaned the place up. We said our “good-byes” and headed to the airport. The flight back was easy…Ryan slept the whole time and the kids watched a movie.

The one bad part of the vacation was that we found out that John’s grandmother had passed away while we were gone. So we knew that we had to head to New Jersey the next day for the funeral. So we got home and got everyone to bed, and then the next morning we packed up and hit the road for the long drive.

On the way to NJ, we stopped at the candy store that John and his family stopped at each time they made the trip to NJ as kids. It was awesome! Rows and rows of bulk candy for $3.29 per pound. The kids were in heaven!

The funeral was nice and hanging out with family was great. We had a fantastic dinner Saturday night and then headed home Sunday morning. The kids were absolutely fantastic the whole time! Even with being in the car for almost 20 hours in 3 days!

A Day at the Beach...

Tuesday we went to the beach...all day! We ended up driving, even though it was only about 2 blocks away, but parking is so easy and it made it easier with all of our stuff. The beach was pretty much empty and the kids played in the sand all day. Ryan was great...he'd sit and watch everyone and then take a nap. John took him on a few walks down the beach to get him to sleep, so I got some good relaxing time in with the kids.

You are allowed to drive on the beach at Daytona Beach, but unfortunately we didn't see anyone doing that :(

By the end of the day we were beat...and sunburned! I felt horrible! We tried so hard to keep the kids protected, but both Kylie and Josh had some burn. Thankfully Ryan did not. So that night we slathered on the aloe :)

Day 5 of Vacation

Sunday we woke up and decided to head to the GIGANTIC indoor flea market that was just a few exits up. I had no idea what to expect…I’ve been to very trashy sales and I’ve been to really nice ones…this turned out to be a mixture of both :)

First of all, it was huge! We had a map showing us where things were. Even though I like to go to flea markets and garage sales, I’m not one to usually buy other people’s used stuff (although sometimes I will…it just depends on the item and the condition). But then we started getting to the booths of food, and I was in heaven! First there was the spice booth – tons of interesting spice combinations and fun things, so I got a few. Then there was the salsa booth – this couple makes all kinds of homemade salsas (we ended up getting a peach-chipotle one that is awesome!).

We walked around and got tons of samples of wonderful fruit – oranges, strawberries, etc. We also got samples of and bought kettle corn and sweet and spicy nuts. We had a great lunch there (tons of little “restaurants” within the place) of corndogs, fries and funnel cake. We spent a good ½ day there!

When we left it was raining. The flea market was by the speedway, so we went over there to see if there was anything we could do there. Turns out a good part of it was outside, so we decided to come back another day and do the whole “Daytona Experience.”

When we got back to the condo we just hung out. John went out and made friends with a guy that actually lives here in Columbus and owns a local chain of dry-cleaners! The kids were running around and playing, and after the “note” we received, I was trying my best to keep them quiet. There was this couple sitting outside on their patio that looked to be about my parents’ age (so much younger than the average age of the rest of the people there :) ). I was nervous because of the kids...

But then the lady asked me how old the baby was, and then she made the most amazing comment to me…“we love hearing the children run around and play…you keep letting them play out here.” I was kind of taken aback because it was so opposite the “note” and I honestly wasn’t sure if she was serious or being sarcastic. But then she, and her husband, told me that they love to hear the kids playing…it reminds them of their grandchildren (3 of which are Ryan’s age). So I pulled up a chair and made myself comfortable! These two people, one a retired doctor and one a retired professor, were the nicest people! They talked and played with the kids, offered me drinks, and brought us out cookies. I told them about the “note” and they told me to ignore it! They confirmed what I thought in that whoever wrote that must have never had kids!

After a while we decided to head to dinner. The lady was so nice and gave the kids a huge basket of toys to play with for the rest of our trip. It was so nice to experience this kindness after worrying about that stupid note!

We went to this awesome seafood restaurant right on the inlet for dinner. Our table was right by the window, and even though it was dark, we could see the water below us and had a pelican friend to watch. I got the most amazing dinner…crabmeat already taken out of the shells and soaking in butter! And even though Ryan was a pistol (tired but wouldn’t go to sleep), we still had a good dinner. John took the kids out to the car when we were done while I waited for the check, and the 2 couples at the table behind us started talking to me. They told me I had a beautiful family and that the kids were so good (and mind you, it’s 10:00 at this point!). They told me they had teenagers at home that they were worried were throwing parties and getting into trouble and wished they could go back to this “easy” time. I was wearing an “OU” shirt, and the one guy asked me if I went there. I told him both John and I did, and it turns out he not only went there too, but he also graduated from Athens High School! They live in Cincinnati now (2 hours from where we live). Talk about a small world!

It was a long and eventful day!

Disney 2009

We went to Disney on John’s birthday. We got up early, got everyone ready, and headed out the door for our 1 hour and 20 minute drive to “the World.”

The drive was gorgeous…the sun was out and it was a beautiful temperature. When we got into Orlando it was so exciting seeing all the billboards for the nearby attractions…we knew we were getting close! We then started seeing the signs for Disney World and drove through to the Magic Kingdom to park.

Once at the front gates we bought our tickets…which had to be done a little differently since there were extra steps to get John’s free ticket. The lady also gave him a button to wear that said “It’s My Birthday” that I told him he had to wear for at least ½ hour! She also gave each of us a button that said “I’m celebrating Daddy’s Birthday,” which the kids loved.

After we got the tickets we headed onto the monorail. It was so neat seeing the castle get closer and closer! Once we were there we went into Main Street and were in awe…the weather was perfect and it was just like it had been the previous year. The same show was even being performed in front of the castle as a year ago when we first entered!

We decided that I would take Ryan and go and get the Fast Passes for Splash Mountain while John and the kids watched the show at the castle. Afterwards we met up and the kids met Donald Duck and then we headed over to Fantasy Land so that the kids could ride some rides while we waited for our Fast Pass time. Ryan decided he was hungry, so John stayed and rode rides with the kids while I took Ryan to the baby care center.


I just want to say I love Disney…really…everything from how stinking nice the employees are, to the fact that the parks are so clean, to the silly rules they have in place that make it an overall great experience. The baby care center was no exception. Inside I found 4 rocking chairs in a dimly lit room where I could peacefully feed Ryan (I was the only one in there for a while). I know there was a changing room somewhere, but I just changed him in the rocking chair room, which was nice. I just loved not having to worry about whether Ryan was going to pull the blanket down out in public, or whether I was exposing too much skin, or just being comfortable!

After that we headed over to Splash Mountain and Kylie and John went to ride while Ryan, Josh and I went down to the little play area below. Josh had so much fun playing there and I had fun trying to make Ryan smile :) Unfortunately Kylie didn’t have as much fun on the ride this time because she got wet right away :(

After that we decided to get some lunch. It was hot dogs and McDonald’s fries! Then the kids went on Dumbo with John and Ryan and I hung out. After that ride we went over to the Peter Pan ride – the kids had loved that so much last year! And it was so nice because I could take Ryan on it, so we got to all go!



We then headed to the front of the park to look for Kylie’s Minnie ears. She had been wanting them the whole time and she knew she wanted the ones that had a veil. So we found them and as we were going to leave, Joshie saw the “make your own” ears and you know what he said? “Hockey helmets!” The base part (the hat with no ears) looks a lot like a hockey helmet, and since we know he’s obsessed with hockey, he loved it!



After that we headed over to Mickey and Minnie’s house. The kids love playing in their houses because they get to touch everything! I had to feed Ryan again and this time it was not such a lovely experience, but we survived :) John and Josh went to ride Goofy’s roller coaster and then we got to do the parent swap so Kylie and I could go and ride (another wonderful thing I love about Disney). After that we headed to the barn and shopped around while Kylie and John participated in the parade :) Then Kylie spent the rest of her money on a baby Minnie doll (it’s so hard being a parent and trying to teach kids what are good things to spend money on and what aren’t).

Joshie was getting tired at this point so I carried Ryan in the sling and put Joshie in the stroller to nap. He fell asleep and John and Kylie decided to drive the race cars. They were in line for about 45 minutes, so I got an ice cream bar and planted myself in the shade. I gave Ryan some licks of the chocolate, which he loved, and just enjoyed watching all the people. After John and Kylie were done, we parent swapped and Kylie and I went on the race cars.


After that Joshie woke up and we spent more time in Tomorrowland (which was nice because we didn’t get here at all last year). We went to the Monster’s Inc. show and at the end when the little monster says “you want to know what’s cute?” they flashed a shot of me holding Ryan on the big screen and the monster says “a baby! And that one’s fresh out of the oven!” It was fun!

We took the tram thing around tomorrowland and got to see a lot of neat things (including the inside of Space Mountain with all the lights on because there was some sort of problem – it was neat seeing all the tracks!) Then we headed over to the Buzz Lightyear ride…it was so nice because I could take Ryan on it, so we all got to go as a family! It was a very cool ride…we got more Fast Passes to ride it again!

By this time it was starting to get dark, and cold. We forgot to bring in the kids’ jackets, so we were planning on leaving soon. We rode the astro-ship-ride-thing (parent-swap again!) and then I told John to take the kids back on the Buzz Lightyear ride while I went to feed Ryan one last time before leaving. Unfortunately I got up to the front just as the light parade was starting. I couldn’t cross the street! Luckily, Ryan had fallen asleep in his sling, so I wrapped him up in the blanket and watched the parade. When it was over I started to make my way up to the front, wondering how I was going to find John and the kids, and I happened to run into them! What are the chances of that? We also saw a guy wearing a Blue Jackets shirt (our hockey team) and Joshie yelled “go Jackets” and the guy yelled “go Jackets” back! We made our way back to the monorail and the kids got to ride in the front car which was a really nice treat for them! Back at the car we had two very sleeping kids and little man that wanted to eat! So I fed Ryan while John talked to his parents on the phone (since it was his birthday and all). The kids informed us that they were too tired to stop for dinner :) So we headed out and were back at the condo by 10:30.

It was a long day, but so very much fun. It was nice because the kids really didn’t have any interest in seeing any characters (we saw a line for some princesses and Kylie didn’t want to see them) so we didn’t waste any time doing that. We just rode the rides and relaxed!