Maybe I should read the manual!

Ryan and his friends at daycare have learned a great deal about sharing this year as they have shared pink eye, gastroenteritis, flu,croup, strep throat, ear infections, and currently the hand-foot-mouth virus. This poor little guy is building up his immune system!

So far this year I have rescheduled his two year photos three times because he has been sick so I figured we would spend some time today practicing "CHEESE!" He actually did a great job and was patient with mommy, who has never taken the time to learn how to use the awesome camera she just had to have. Here are just a few of the pics.

Ole!

Some people have a lazy susan in their cabinets.....I have a lazy Ryan LOL!

He has two hideouts in the kitchen and I have to check it regularly because he leaves food, toys, and stolen items in them!

Probably need to work on lighting....

That's a wrap!

Move Over Jonas Brothers!

Bieber Dwieber......Jonas Smonas.....The Fry Guys are whats up!



Grant is such a big kid! He had the Sesame Street toys synced up for a jam session....

Ryan, of course, pursued the spotlight with his outstanding solo of "Itsy, Bitsy, Spider."

Yep, it is still the only song he knows.

These two crack me up!



Classic Wheels

Ryan has an obsession with three things.....doors, shoes, and anything with wheels! And while the toys with doors are limited, he has quite the collection of shoes and wheels. When the weather finally started warming up I couldn't wait to get him his first tricycle so we could hit the sidewalks. I spent about an hour in the store trying to decide if I should be the cool mom and get him the Cars tricycle that lights up and makes cool revving noises or if I should stick to the classic metal red tricycle. I finally decided he has enough plastic toys that make noises and have tons of buttons so I went classic!

Ryan was at daycare so I picked him up early and had his new wheels sitting on the porch. He noticed it right away when we pulled into the driveway and started clapping. He jumped out of the car and raced over to it and jumped on. The wind outside picked up and the clouds rolled in very quickly so I new that our time outside would have to take a rain check. He tried his best to use the petals but gave up and took the Flinstone route and used his feet. Grant spent a lot of time picking Ryan up off the ground when he would fall off the driveway onto the grass. This was quite funny for mom to watch.

Ryan insisted on bringing his newest love into the house and he played on it a little longer until mom picked a battle that she quickly lost. I obsessed over teaching him to use the pedals so he decided this isn't fun and jumped onto his battery operated four wheeler, smiled at me, pushed the little button on his four wheeler, and took off with a look that said, "I win." Ryan has learned very early in life to "work smart, not hard."

Once he realized mom backed off he jumped back on his Radio Flyer and propelled himself all over the house.

Happy Birthday TWO you!

It is so hard to believe that our baby boy turned two today. We waited a long time for our second miracle to come into our lives and we feel so blessed that God chose us for him.

This week has been a rough week at our house as we all have been going down one by one with illness. When Grant turned two he was so sick and was in the emergency room the night before his party. Remembering how rough that was, we decided to move Ryan's party to next weekend when we all are back on our feet. This morning he made an effort to get out of bed to go with daddy to get breakfast. Even though he is sick he still likes to go, go, go.

It just wouldn't be right to have a birthday without a cake and a few presents so we had a little celebration with just mom, dad, and big brother.

This is about as far as he got with the cake. He just has not been up to eating much. He played with the cake and then it fell in his lap. He was eager however to open up his presents!

He had us laughing because he will only open up one gift at a time. You have to unwrap it, take it out of the box, and let him play with it before he will move on to the next gift. This could be a very long process at his party next week but to see our little guy smile after having such a rough week was well worth the wait.

Love that smile!

(We try to keep clothes on this kiddo but we always find them on the floor.)

This is his serious game face.

He was cracking us up with his punching bag. He has some pretty sweet moves and is not afraid to demonstrate for all to see. He even adds sound effects for good measure. Notice the roll of bread in his hand. This child eats his weight in bread every day so I find this to be hilarious that he will not put the bread down while he is playing.

We ended the day with us all piled up on the couch under a blanket watching movies. JR and I feel so blessed for the gifts that God has given us and we look forward to watching them grow up.

 (not too fast though!) 

Front Page Story!

"Mom, Santa came!"

JR and I packed up the family and headed to Missouri for our yearly Christmas trip. We usually stay two weeks but with our work and school schedules we cut it down to five days. Even though it was cut short we were able to pack a lot into those five days and we enjoyed seeing everyone for the holidays. This year Santa mailed Grant and Ryan very special certificates for making the Good List and the boys were excited for his arrival. The milk and cookies were set out and the stockings were hung, and they went to bed fairly easy. On Christmas morning I woke up to those sweet little words that I know will end too soon, "Mom, Santa came!"

Ryan saw his battery operated Cars four wheeler and nothing else mattered! It was so cute to see him hop right on it and take off. He did doughnuts in the living room until it was time to go.

Grant was excited to see that Santa checked his list very thoroughly and brought him just what he wanted!

We were able to make all our rounds to visit family in those short five days and the boys had plenty to keep them occupied!

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas this year! We are so blessed and want to keep in mind all those who are struggling this holiday, have loved ones they cannot be with, and to say THANK YOU to all the troops and their families who are serving overseas this Christmas. May God bring you home safely to your loved ones.

Costume hunting!

It may only be the middle of September but I am on the hunt for Halloween costumes. Grant always picks out a warrior type costume and he once again has stayed within that theme. This year he wants to be a zombie soldier. We picked out a soldier costume and with a little makeup I think I can make him Zombified!

Ryan is a little harder to shop for. He doesn't say much yet so I have no clue as to what he wants to be. I know he loves to open and close doors so I could make him a little doorman costume. However, that would involve sewing and we all know that it just won't happen. I stumbled upon this costume and thought it would be perfect since it is his favorite song to sing!

The Itsy Bitsy Spider!!!! This year will be a lot more fun for Ryan since he is older and understands what candy is. We all know he can knock on a door and ring a mean doorbell so now all I have left to do is to get him to say "Trick OR Treat"