And baby makes three...

Disney World!

2011-11-09T07:46:00.000-08:00

Well, our trip has come and gone... And it turned out a million times better than I expected. It was supposed to be in the upper 70's the whole time, and it ended up 80-85 the whole week. It didn't rain once during the day, and we enjoyed the warm sun! Here's how our week looked--

Fri.- Our first full day (we all got in late the night before) we went to Animal Kingdom. Last time we went it was so cold that we saw less than half of the park. This time we explored everwhere and went on all the thrill rides that we hadn't before. The park is gorgeous, lush and green, and has different areas that resemble their respective continents extremely well. There was Africa, Asia, Dino USA, Camp Minnie-Mickey. Walking into Africa and Asia, you forgot you were in Florida, really. And Expedition Everest is a roller-coaster including an encounter with a real life Yeti, for real. ;) It was so fun!! And the park was not crowded at all, so we all enjoyed 3 rides in a row! The Kilamanjaro Safari ride is amazing, seeing all types of African wildlife, and we did that first thing in the morning, so the animals were all out and roaming. That was the best part!

Sat.- We spent the day at Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure...where, wait for it....The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is!!! Yes, it was amazing! And yes, we all want to go back! It really did feel like walking into the books, or like we were given a VIP tour on the set of one of the movies. One of the best parts, besides the Butterbeer and general wizardy feel of the park and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride (there were a lot of "best" part!) were the outfits the workers there wore. I'm kicking myself that I didn't take pictures, but they were very authentic looking to what you see in the movies and would expect, plus their little crooked wizard pointy hats were just awesome! I want to work there just to wear those and not look crazy! We also saw an older couple with their daughter (in her 40's) dressed up in full Gryffindor uniform and robes, and they looked like teachers who just wandered out of the teacher's lounge from the castle. It was pretty cool! The Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride has been named the best theme park ride in America, and it really was! The technology they use uses what is called a Kuka arm, and Disney was bidding to buy this technology before Universal swooped in and bought it. Also, what is called I believe Musion eyeliner technology which is a high-definition video projection system which created images of Dumbledore in his office, that looked like he was right in front of you. Also, later Harry, Ron, and Hermione appear from under the invisibility cloak and it appears to be completely real. Crazy! Frozen butterbeer is amazing, according to Marie pumpkin juice is not good at all, and the shepherd's pie at the Three Broomsticks was yummy and I felt like I was eating somewhere where the wizards and witches were going to discover at any moment that a strange muggle was amongst them. My only complaint was that there aren't many shops and that that section of Universal is too small to me. I wish it were lots bigger! But it was one of our favorite parts of the trip! Not just the Harry Potter World either, there was also a Dr. Seuss Land that felt like you hopped into those books too. And Ryder wouldn't get off the Caro-Seuss-El! Oh, I forgot to mention that Ryder went on his FIRST roller coaster, Flight of the Hippogriff, which was a pretty good coaster without any loops, but up very high and pretty fast! Ryder compared the fun he had on rides to the speed they were compared to that ride. Some were too slow after that... I think we have a thrill ride junkie in the making.

Sun.- We spent at Epcot, which is split up into Future World and World Showcase (where all the replica countries are). We spent most of our time in Future World where the Finding Nemo & Friends ride is and lots of aquariums are. The Mission:SPACE ride was there, where you go on a mission to Mars, and feel 6 G's and they worked with NASA to make the ride as realistic feeling to riding in a rocket as possible. It was really fun! Also, Test Track was fun where you go through similar tests that test dummies do for cars. We had tons of fun there!

Mon.- We spent all day at Magic Kingdom, eating there, then starting at Fantasyland, which is undergoing the hugest expansion ever at Disney World, tripling the space it's in now. The princesses will be housed here, with a new restaurant Be Our Guest, also a huge mountain or two, and multiple castles... It looks like it will be beautiful! It should be done by the end of 2012 or sooner. We love MK the best of all the parks, and had a ball going on all the rides!

Tues.- Again we went to MK to spend the day, and finished seeing everything, then later that night we went to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party!! We were Buzz, Jessie, and Woody! And Marie was Mary Poppins! Everyone stopped her and couldn't believe how good she looked! And she created the costume from scratch... It was awesome! We went to the Boo to You! parade, trick or treated, rode some rides like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean (multiple times). It was really fun to be there for a holiday, and they had lots of fun decorations, villains, characters in costumes, and creepy, Haunted Mansion-type music was playing throughout the whole park. We were really glad that we did the party. We also took pics with Buzz, and it was so funny how he reacted to us. He was dipping me, kissing my hand, holding my hand, etc. and also wanted Paul to fulfill his duties posing for pics as he left with me and Ryder...We had really good luck with all the characters, they were fun and expressive, and they spent a good amount of time with us.

Wed.- We spent some time at Hollywood Studios and some at Epcot. At HS we went on Tower of Terror, Movie Ride, Rock'n Roller Coaster, etc. The streets are all made to look like the early age of Hollywood, and Ryder got to meet one of his favorite characters, Oso at a character dinner there. We had a lot of fun there. Later, at Epcot we spent the rest of the time in World Showcase. We visited most of the countries, plus the Epcot Food & Wine Festival was going on until Nov. while we were there. We were able to have beef empanadas from Argentina and cheese fondue from Germany too. And we bought some nice perfumes in Italy, and food and candies in Japan. And while we were there we passed by right after Boyz II Men had just finished a concert...Dang it! But we all loved going around the World!

Thurs.- It was the hottest day, at least 85, when we left... I wanted to stay another week!! I just knew going back to 40-50 degree weather was going to be so much fun!! No, but I was pretty sure I would get sick as soon as we got back, and did the following week... I swear, people in FL must not get sick very often and are pretty healthy. That's how that weather made me feel, really good, and we were all healthy during the trip despite waking up super early and going to bed super late!! But it was all worth it and I would highly recommend it!!

The happiest place on Earth!

2011-10-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

We are getting really close to visiting one of our favorite places in the world: Disney World! I have to say that we have been dying with anticipation of our trip, which is right around the corner. Our first ever trip there was right after Ryder's 1st birthday and was a lot of fun!! We had a great time despite the freezing (okay 40-ish degree) weather and rain (hey, there were less crowds)! And also after having gotten into a car accident on the way to the airport.

Then after planning for 2 years to go to Disneyland with my whole family to celebrate my parent's 30th anniversary, Ryder became the sickest he has ever been, for a wedding in Utah then Disneyland. He was literally like a bump on a log, just laying there and in so much pain. After an ER visit, multiple Dr.'s appts., etc. they finally figured out he had a bacterial AND viral infection. It was the WORST! He hardly enjoyed the happiest place on Earth!

Now, after a crazy year with lots of ups and downs, we are heading to Walt Disney World! Say it with me now "Third time's the charm!" Right? Let's hope. So, come rain or shine, sickness or health, we are coming Orlando! And we're gonna party like it's 1999!! Or something like that...

Ta-Da!!

2011-08-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

It's like magic....I'm finally blogging again!! Hopefully I can keep up more consistently now. We shall see.

I decided I better post pics of our new place. Here are pics of the temporary furniture first, which we had since May until a few weeks ago, when we got the new stuff. The tan couch and black dining set were what we got right after the tornado, and the brown furniture is our new stuff. And the bedding is our new bed set we have now. (Sorry the pics are in weird order.) I will post more pics soon of our whole house.

Well, this summer has been quite eventful and busy, but we have been able to do some fun stuff too. Here's a quick recap of our 2011 Summer:

Moved into our new rental home, which we really do love, and replaced an entire home's worth of stuff. (Not such an easy task...)

Paul's mom and my parents and sister Marie visited. Paul's mom Tracy helped us get moved from our hotel in Joplin to our house in Miami, and helped us get set up. Then my parents and sister visited and continued to help. It was really great!

Most of June is a blur, as we ran around trying to figure out how to get everything situated and set up. Purchased 2 new vehicles, Honda Fit & Pilot, and got those registered, etc. (We had just bought a new Honda Pilot in March, and registered both our vehicles into Missouri to then do it all again 2 months later in Oklahoma this time. And I wonder why I'm so confused and forgetful lately.) Remember, we had just moved from a house in Nov. 2010, spent 6 mos. in Joplin in an apartment, to then have to do it all again in Miami (but in a house this time, luckily.) Crazy! I don't recommend it. ;)

Ryder started gymnastics in June, and LOVES it. It's been really great for him to do that every week, and he loves his somersaults!

We spent my birthday in Oklahoma City at the temple, it was really nice, and we really needed it! And I got a GPS from Paul for the Pilot for my birthday!

Towards the end of July our friend Spring and her kids visited from UT. (Paul went to school at the U with Spring and her husband, then when we moved to Ames, IA they were in our ward! Small world, I know. And now they live in UT again.) It was so fun to have them here, and Ryder totally loved it! We did Ride the Ducks in Branson which is a bus/boat that you get to ride the lake in. Way cool!

August has been busy too, but a less crazy busy. We've been settling in and adjusting pretty well to our new ward and home and area. It's a small town with only 13,000 people. The ward is very small, but it has a lot of great people in it. Ryder, as always, loves Nursery! Paul was called to Elder's Quorum, and me to Primary. A little tidbit about our Miami Ward, before they made it a ward, (which I'm guessing happened within the past 5 years or so) it was the Commerce Branch, and it was the oldest branch in the Church, anywhere in the world. Interesting, right?

And most recently Ryder is now potty trained! He was ready to potty train prior to the tornado, and following wanted nothing to do with it. But he has been ready for awhile to do it, and we were slowly introducing the potty seat, and a couple weekends ago he went for it! We're super proud of him!

After everything that happened this year, including a trip to Disneyland where Ryder was so incredibly sick in February, and especially due to the tornado, we decided we needed a vacation!!! So, we are going to Disneyworld next month before Halloween! We're super excited and this will be Ryder's 2nd time there (we went right after his 1st birthday) but he should really enjoy himself and the rides this time! Fingers and toes crossed he will be healthy during this trip. Also, my sister Marie is coming along too! I feel very blessed to be able to go on this fun trip and to have such a wonderful family here to do it with! We will celebrate being alive and well! What more could we ask for?

Apartment after the Tornado

2011-05-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

After the tornado was over Ryder said, "My house is broken". The morning after he played with his cars as usual, only this time he turned them all upside down. Here's some pictures of what he saw.

This was Ryder's room.

This is the closet where we weathered the storm. When the tornado passed, this was the only room in the apartment that still had a ceiling. It collapsed shortly thereafter from the rain.

Surprisingly, a lot of the books in the master bedroom were still in good shape.

The mirror in our kitchen fell but did not break.

The living room is completely covered with debris.

My little builder

2011-04-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

So, I was cleaning the tub and shower the other day and Ryder was getting into everything he could, as usual, when I turn around and see that Ryder has built the coolest little tower with our shampoo, body wash, and bubble bath bottles. I was soooo proud, and I was freaking out, so that Ryder wasn't sure if I was mad or not. So I said to him that was cool and told him to follow me. We went and got the camera and I took a picture while telling him not to touch it. Then I told him to go stand by it and caught THE cutest picture of him saying "Cheese!" He was pretty proud too. My boy is awesome!

UT & CA trips...

2011-03-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

"You can fall in love at first sight with a place as with a person." -Alec Waugh

Thanks Alec, those are my sentiments of California... :) Of course, I've been here many times, but I fall in love every time.

The second week of February my whole family (Mom, Dad, siblings and their families) headed to DISNEYLAND! I can't express how much I love that place, and just even more so since I had Ryder. It was lots of fun! Ryder was getting over being sick for most of that week, but still enjoyed much of the trip. We played in Disneyland, Universal, San Diego Zoo, and a tiny bit at the beach. (It was chilly and super windy when we got a chance to hit the beach.) It was awesome! Except, it went by way too fast.

The weekend before our trip to CA, we headed to Utah for my brother-in-law Spencer's wedding. We were excited to be there for that. It sucked big time though because Ryder was the sickest he's been in his life while there. He wouldn't really move much and was hurting so much. That's just not him. He usually acts fine even when he's just normally sick. But it was too much...turns out he had a bacterial and viral (possibly multiple viruses) infections. He received an antibiotics shot and that helped a lot. But alas, he had NO fun in UT! So, here's hoping next time Ryder's like 110% better...

So, it was a crazy month in February, and super stressful, tiring, etc. Now we're looking forward to a less sick rest of the year! (Knock on wood.)

My January so far...

2011-01-25T07:21:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things I've been into this month. Florence and the Machine are so unique sounding and fun to listen to. Ryder loves to hear it too, and see the weird videos. I love Netflix, especially the TV shows I have access to that are no longer around, plus lots of great kids' shows and movies for Ryder. I don't know how I never heard of Rilo Kiley before, but again I really love, especially Silver Lining. :) I'm loving reading about the history of Disneyland in the Disneyland Encylopedia, and have gotten great ideas and tips from the Unofficial Guide. I'm cramming for a test I know I'll have to take once there. ;) I know this is all about some new loves of mine, but I heart the Killers and always have. Now I really heart Brandon Flowers and appreciate his voice even more with his solo stuff. And I bought Paul the book "127 hours Between a Rock and a Hard Place" thinking he'd really like it, and he hasn't read any yet, so I've been reading it, and it's very interesting. It's definitely stranger than fiction to me. But I'm liking it.

This month has flown by, and I've enjoyed the chances I've gotten to read and listen to music especially. Ryder is learning and growing at lightning speed and all I'm doing is trying to keep up with him. He was really sick all weekend and now has antibiotics and is doing better, but we've all been lacking sleep. I'm hoping we can catch up quick. I'm also trying to get everything in order for our upcoming trips and not go too crazy. Next week will be super nuts though, so I'm trying to take it easy until then. Missouri weather has been extremely wonderful, and the best winter I think I've ever had as far as that goes. It's so mild down here, and has only snowed twice, and it melts very quickly. Which is great, because any amount of snow or ice and no one goes anywhere since the roads are bad (which in Iowa's terms is maybe normal) so the clear roads have been wonderful because it makes Paul's commutes safe.

Well, that's all I can think of, but I hope the remainder of January is wonderful for you all!

(Oh, and sorry for the double pics of the book, it's the same book, different covers and I couldn't get rid of one of them.)

The best part of a birthday in 8 pictures...

2011-01-14T08:18:00.001-08:00

A new year

2011-01-10T19:40:00.000-08:00

Or is it? It doesn't really seem so new to me, or maybe I'm just not ready to be in a new one or ready to acknowledge it. It's so weird anyway. I remember distinctly being so overwhelmingly pregnant with Ryder 2 years ago--praying he would come in December, then finally getting there 11 days into January. I can't believe my boy is so big! When people would say "they grow so fast" I just thought that was something you said once you had kids. I didn't really believe it. But I find myself wishing the days would last just a little longer, that the weeks wouldn't just be gone. I picture myself sitting at his high school graduation too easily. I know that seems so far off, but I literally feel the days pulling away from me. It's like the more I want more, the less they stick around. I try to enjoy every day, though, just bask in the point in time Ryder's experiencing now. I love that he's grown in so many ways, and am so proud he's just as smart as Daddy, and beyond eager to learn. I think of how it was to hold him for the first time, see him sit up, crawl, walk, run, and do everything inbetween for the first time and I never knew love like this before. I don't know what I would do with out him in my life.

Ryder is my angel, my life, my love, my miracle, my son, and most importantly mine. Paul and I are overwhelmed each day that he's really here in our lives. We feel like one day we'll wake up and it will all have been a dream. He's amazing....and crazy, busy, persistent, determined, stubborn, dramatic, and I love every bit of him. He's so handsome, too, so I could just stare at him all day. I can't believe he's my boy!

I love you beyond words!! Happy birthday in exactly 14 hours!!

Giving Thanks

2010-11-24T19:13:00.000-08:00

So, tomorrow is Thanksgiving, right? And what do I have to be thankful for? Well, let me see here....

*my family

*my friends

*a roof over my head

*my angel son

*my amazing and supportive husband

*to be healthy

*for a healthy family

*the ability to grow, learn, and change

*my cutie pie dog Jewel

*my eyesight & hearing (lately I've been super grateful for this, and cannot imagine a world without it)

*for Paul's new job that he loves

*clothing on my back

*music

*modern technology

*modern medicine

*living in a free country

*for 2 reliable cars

*food

*time to spend with my family

*new experiences in new places (to live and visit)

*movies (and TV shows, thank you Doctor Who, you are amazing and such a nice break from reality!)

*a good night's sleep

*that Ryder is such a good, sound sleeper

*for a loving Heavenly Father who knows me and my situation and my life

*and of course the Gospel goes hand in hand with this

There is so much more and I could go into miniscule details of this and more; like the feeling of the warm sun in my face after a long and dreary winter, the beautiful way a day starts and ends, the chance to travel, for my favorite song to play when I have a bad day, the way Ryder wants me to hold him at the end of the day when he's getting ready for bed, for a husband who looks at me and truly sees me exactly as I am and still chooses to love me and show that he does, and so much more.

I wish a happy thanksgiving to you all! May you spend it with loved ones and have a full day of love, laughter, and fun.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-10-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

It's just about that time. As many of you already know, Ryder and I are making the move to Joplin, Missouri very soon. Paul's been there since the first of this month.... Life has been in upheaval for awhile now. We've felt the change coming since early this year, and it has been very slllloooowwwwwly happening. This change of job, home, location, etcetera, etcetera is good. Paul's new job is going very well and he's enjoying it and there's stability and room for movement, and that's all a huge blessing for us. We feel really grateful that everything has fallen into place for all this to happen. We don't know what's in store for the future, but we're so happy to finally be in the same city permanently in 2 1/2 weeks. Paul's weekend trips have been short to say the least, but worth it. We're so excited for this new chapter to begin and watch it unfold as it may.

I have to say that I have loved to travel my whole life. I spent my time growing up dreaming about it, fantasizing about it, and so excited when I did it. Now that I'm older, it's on a whole different level, since I have Paul and Ryder. And I want so much for Ryder to see the world, and learn about other places and people firsthand. It's been really good for us to live outside Utah and experience new things. Hard, but good. And our end goal is to live there again. But the more I travel, the more I realize that the world just keeps getting bigger.

This year has been so uncertain and had lots of ups and downs, and we're so happy to know where we're going now. I have quite a bit of anxiety in getting accustomed to a new city and new people, and I am scared that I won't fit in or it won't feel like home. Ames has been amazing, and such a great place to live and call home. But I love learning by being somewhere and just taking it all in. So, as we move, I am optimistic and hopeful that everything will eventually fall into place...

Fun fact for all the McFarlane family--Billie Jean lived in Ames, Iowa while she got her degree at Iowa State, and she also lived in Joplin, Missouri!! Crazy, huh? She literally just lived down the street from where we live now in Ames. I have been joking that London's up next for us! Well, at least for a visit sometime..... ;)

Here are some quotes that reflect my feelings on travel...

"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." -Robert Louis Stevenson

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain

"Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen." -Benjamin Disraeli

Just the best day ever!

2010-09-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

So, it's no secret that Ryder is a Thomas the tank engine fanatic! When I say fanatic I mean, he goes around saying "choo choo" just for the heck of it all day. He doesn't want Thomas to ever think he's forgotten about him. He's so thoughtful like that. :) Well, the Boone Scenic Railroad is just a town over from us, in Boone, and every Sept. they have a Day Out with Thomas for two weekends. We were out of town visiting Joplin, MO, where we're moving soon the first weekend, and I knew I had to get tickets for the last weekend. So on Saturday we made our way to Boone and enjoyed what was Ryder's favorite day ever, I'm sure. It was in short, his Disneyland. It's not like he didn't just go to Disneyworld for his 1st birthday or anything, no, I'm sure that's long been forgotten.

Anyway, there were different stations where there was storytelling & videos in a train car, a real life train to ride, pics to take with Thomas & Sir Topham Hatt, a play station with wooden railways and huge tables with lots of trains to play with, and a gift shop. He was in HEAVEN! We literally had to drag him away kicking and screaming at the end, but we left with a prize (a Thomas view finder) and some goodies.

We had so much fun riding the train and seeing all the fun train stuff! It rained the whole time, but it didn't matter because it was the best day ever! Also, he has a conductor's hat, train whistle, and medallion he can wear and he looks all official! He's also a Jr. Engineer now, we have the certificate to prove it. And he's going to be Thomas for Halloween, so I'll post those pics next month.

I bet you can't tell what our world revolves around now, can you?? ;)

Leandra & Brilee's Iowa Visit!

2010-09-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

I am so behind on blogging... But I wanted to post pics from the visit my sister-in-law Leandra made with my niece Brilee also. My brother couldn't make it out, so they came for a week and we had a blast. It was their first time to Iowa and visiting our house. We did the Omaha zoo, Iowa State Fair, Mall of America, and fun stuff around town. Literally the entire time Ryder and Brilee were giggling and cracking each other up. They LOVED being together! It was lots of fun! And just a nice, laid back break. Thanks guys!

Our Bike Ryder :)

2010-08-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

For my birthday, my brother-in-law Shaun and his wife Ashley gave me a gift card for Amazon, and I decided to get this child's bike seat I'd been eyeing for awhile. So, I used their gift card and got it, and here are the pics. We've been trying to go every day, but some days are so hot and humid, even well into the evening that it's just so uncomfortable. But we go whenever we can! Ryder just loves it, he points, and oohs and aahs and generally just has a good time! ;D Enjoy!

P.S. I will be taking video and adding that soon...

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow...

2010-07-29T12:11:00.001-07:00

Let me just say, I LOVE Ryder's curly hair! And I've loved watching it grow and I loved it long. But I had been thinking lately that I would cut his hair soon (his first official haircut) since his hair was starting to get harder to style and getting in his face, BUT like I said, I LOVE his long curly hair! So I was waiting until I felt ready to let go...Besides, it will grow back anyway! I wanted him to be cooler for the rest of the summer too.

I woke up this morning, and immediately told Paul, "I'm going to go get Ryder's haircut today." And he kind of laughed and was like, "Okay." It just felt like time. And I do REALLY miss his curls already, and it's shorter than I thought I would have it cut for the first time, but his faux hawk is back! Here are the before and after pics of his first official haircut!

Oh, and he did awesome! We went to Great Clips and he sat on a booster seat on the chair all by himself. I wish I had taken my camera inside, because the cape was penguins and surf boards--way cute! He was really pretty still and curious during it, but didn't put up a fight. Phew! ;) The lady who cut his hair gave me a few of the pieces she cut with a card saying today was his first haircut. Plus, he got a sucker afterward and devoured it, so I think he'll enjoy future haircuts. :)

New Words!

2010-07-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

So, Ryder has never been much of a talker, but always been good at babbling! Well, lately he's been mimicking us a lot and here are some examples of his favorite new words....
-----------------------------

Bird- he says "bir"

Uh-oh!

Cookie- he says "coo-ka"

No- he says "no-oh"

Bath- he says "bah"

Dog- he says "dah" & "Jew-eh" (for Jewel)

Mom- he says "Ma"

Dad- he usually calls dad "Ma" too, but sometimes "Da" (very rarely though)

Ball- he says "Bah"

Cracker- he says "Cah"

Snack- he says "Sah"

Truck- he says "Truh" (LOVES TRUCKS!)

Car- he says "Cahr"

Ouch- he says "Ow-chh"

Bad- he says "Ba-ad"

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

That's all I can think of now, but he's starting to say lots of words now! Just all out of the blue, it was time to talk! He's been at it for just a week or two now. I'll keep updating his new words as I think of them. :) We're so proud of him! It's so fun to see when he decides to do things and what he likes to do.

I should also mention, he's been signing for awhile, and he still chooses to do that a lot. Here are some of the words he signs all the time...

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

Milk

Water

Hungry

Please

Dog

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

Those are the main ones, I think. Those are the important ones for him anyway! ;)

July updates (so far anyway)

2010-07-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

My parents, last minute, decided to come visit for the weekend of the 4th, and boy were we excited! Especially considering they were just here the first week in May! And so they made the long drive from Ogden, UT to Ames, IA to see us. Ryder even made a sign to say welcome, since he was coloring at the time anyway. The sucky part was that I had just found out I had pneumonia and felt like absolute crap that week before they arrived, but by the time they got here I felt good again. So, I was really nervous that I would be too sick to enjoy their visit, but was very surprised and grateful to be feeling tons better! We had a lot of fun, staying around Ames. We went to a park, Fuji steakhouse (which was way yummy!) and played games and grilled at home. It was nice and laid-back. It rained on the 4th though, so no fireworks or grilling or being outside that day at all, but it was such a nice time with them! Ryder absolutely loved their visit and seeing Grandma & Grandpa McFarlane....
We went to the Omaha zoo one weekend and had a blast, we stayed overnight at the Hilton down there and except for it also being the same weekend as the Men's College World Series (we don't follow college sports) and traffic and parking being bad, we had so much fun! Ryder lost a shoe to the lemurs down below, but he loved it!....

Paul was out of town for work a few weeks ago in Portland (I was so sad we didn't get to go, but that's when we all started getting sick anyway, so it was better we didn't) and Ryder's hair is getting really long, so I decided to comb it straight back and see what it looked like. He got a kick out of it! I think he felt like a different person, he was laughing maniacally and being so goofy! It was so sad Dad missed it! :( But he ended up looking like Bond, James Bond, with his slicked back 'do... There are some pics included here. I just wish I had him in a suit instead of his doggy pj's, but it's so cute anyway....

Ryder had his 18 mos. check-up yesterday and did so awesome! He's always very curious when the Dr. pokes and prods and checks everything out, but he's very good and still which the Dr. was pleasantly surprised about. He had 3 shots, yikes! But didn't start crying until the 2nd one, and only cried for about 30 seconds. He just needs a moment when he's hurting, then he's over it! So not like his mom that way! I'm so proud of him, everything went well and he's healthy and all. He's 33" tall, weighs 27 lbs. 14 oz., and his head is 47 1/2 cm around. He's in the 71% for height, 76% for weight, and 42% for head. What a big boy!....

After waiting forever and deciding on the perfect haircut for me, I finally made it back to the salon for a cut and color. And it looks great! My hairstylist is awesome and always does a great job, and I walk out feel like a million bucks. It's such a splurge but the one I love and enjoy most! Hope you enjoy all the pics....

How To Eat A Nectarine, by Ryder

2010-06-22T19:47:00.000-07:00

1. Casually take a bite.
2. Show Mommy and Daddy how much you love the fruit.

3. Giggle because you can't help it.

4. Laugh out loud because it's just too good!

Repeat daily or until they're all gone! ;D

Love,
Ryder

May Updates

2010-06-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

I am way behind on my blogging, as usual... But it's about time I posted pictures from grandparents' visits. First, at the beginning of May my parents, brother and sister-in-law & baby came to see us. It's was lots of fun, especially since we got to show my brother and sister-in-law, Samuel and Nicole, some cool places; the Mall of America, Nauvoo, Des Moines (okay, not that cool, but hey, they'd never been there). We had lots of fun!

Then, over Memorial weekend Paul's parents came. My mother-in-law Tracy has ancestors who lived in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and she was able to find more info on them while we were there. The weather was awesome during both times and so we really got to enjoy being outside and they got to enjoy Ryder in action. Ryder LOVED seeing so much family last month! Now we will hopefully be getting a few more visitors next month (Leandra and Brilee girl) and that will be great too. Here are some pics from the visits. :) Enjoy!

Well, what do we have here?

2010-04-26T10:09:00.001-07:00

What to say, what to say? Lately I've been feeling kind of blah. Just unmotivated, tired, and lethargic. These things could all be due to the fact that I have a rambunctious, crazy wild, go-er for a child who drains all my energy. But part of me thinks that it's something else entirely... You see, I have all these things that run through my mind all the time; little things, big things, it doesn't matter, because the point is they're there. I'll stay up late one night and it will come to me. I'll be taking a shower or going for a walk, and it creeps into a corner of my mind. At times I'll brush it off, and at other times I'll think that I'll remember later and write it down at that time. But the time never comes that I do. And I wait. And I hope it will come back to me. Anyway, the point is that I have this creative juice flowing inside of me at times, and I need to do something about it. And here is the beginning point of this journey. Because I've decided it's about doing things now, the things you want to and not having to look back and regret blowing it all off. I think my lack of energy is coming from my not releasing this creative energy that's already circulating through my veins, but has not yet had a release, a heart to pump to, if you will. Here is to my new experiment--I'm letting go of all my fears regarding this thing, and moving forward. I'm going to climb my Everest, however long it takes. Wish me luck, because I will need it.

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

Here's a few recent pictures of the guy.

Always on the go.

Going for a ride in the wagon.

Here's some pictures from the Easter Egg hunt that was done with the church play group.

It's not easy being this cute.

House Updates

2010-03-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking of painting an accent wall in our living room, since it really wouldn't work to repaint our living room one color since the living room and kitchen and dining room are all one room basically. The first two pictures are not of our house, but examples of the color wall I want. I want a deep, dark, gray blue. I'm thinking of something like these pics of gray blue walls, but maybe darker than that...

Also, I have wanted to get new pillows for our couches for awhile, and I got these at Target. I had been looking for brown striped pillows in stores, online, everywhere! And finally found these and had to get them. Let me know what you think. I was going to go more with a teal color, but loved the bold blue!

So, I have been meaning to post pics of our new dining table and chairs for awhile, and now I am actually doing it! We got this table at the beginning of December. It's so nice to have more room and more chairs. It's our first nice table! Hope you all like it... I has an Old World feel to it. And I love the counter height look.

DisneyWorld...

2010-02-25T08:49:00.000-08:00

...was the FUNNEST time ever! We had so much fun! This was all of our first visit's to Florida and of course DisneyWorld. We knew we were taking a chance weather-wise, and were praying for mid-60 to 70 degrees. There are only a few times a year when it is the least crowded and mid-Jan. to the week before Valentine's Day are one of those times. So we really wanted to take advantage of that, plus we really wanted to see our friends Sean and Spring who live there, and we wanted to celebrate Ryder's 1st birthday (a little late, I know), and we again we were hoping for nice weather. Last year after having Ryder I told Paul we HAD to go somewhere warm this year, since the winters here are so depressing. The only bad part, which we tried to put out of our minds, and did a pretty okay job of, was we got in a car accident on the way to the airport. The weather was horrible that day, all the schools had been let out by about 1:30, and we headed out at about 2:30 for the airport. There were 2 cars facing the wrong way off to the left of the lane we were in, and everyone was slowing down fast and Paul went to slow down and nothing. We were just sliding... We slid right into one car and then another, and then our car wouldn't start. But we ended up with the NICEST highway patrolmen, tow truck driver, and eventually manager at the tow truck place who gave us a ride to the airport JUST in the nick of time to get right on the plane. I was SO stressed out by this point, but it went away when we got to Florida... We were just happy to escape reality somewhat at that time...

Anyway, we stayed at the Disney's All-Star Movies Resort, which had motel-like rooms, and each building was themed to a Disney movie. Ours was Fantasia. Each building had huge items or people from the movies. I didn't get to take many pictures of the buildings, but I have some here anyway. Our first morning there we had a character breakfast inside the Magic Kingdom park, which was SO fun! One of the only things I would have changed about this trip was that I would have had a character breakfast every morning. But we weren't sure how he'd react to the characters, so we just had one meal scheduled with them. He got to see Minnie, Pluto, and Chip & Dale there. He LOVED it! He was so curious and interested. It was really cute!

We were able to spend time in all 4 Disney parks at DisneyWorld...Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, & Hollywood Studios. The first day until noon the weather was PERFECT! The sun was out, it wasn't too hot or too cold, it was great. And I described all of this to my mom as we were experiencing it, and not even an hour had passed, and it started raining. It wasn't bad though, just mostly drizzling. We bought ponchos and those worked great. Lots of people left, and the park was that much more empty. :) Most of the days were cold, and we wore our coats (yes, coats!) most of the time. But with that we were pretty comfortable. The last day in the parks it down poured on us and we were drenched and freezing, but other than that the weather wasn't bad.

Our favorites were: Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story Mania!, Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, World Showcase at Epcot, Space Mountain, Rock'n Roller Coaster, and Winnie the Pooh.

Ryder was able to ride EVERYTHING, excpet for the coasters (which there aren't many) and any rides that had a lot of motion (maybe a handful). We were really excited and surprised that he could go on so much! It was fun to see his face and experience his first time there with him. He was curious and full of wonderment at a lot of it. However, he could have spent all day in the Pooh's Play Spot, which was a playground that he loved! He went down a slide for the first time and found out what he had been missing out on. We also got to spend an evening with our friends and their 2 boys, and they got to meet Ryder for the first time. It was so much fun! We only wish we could have stayed longer!

Our first DisneyWorld visit was really special and magical and all that you would expect and more. Everyone greeted us with a smile, and you could tell they were happy to be working there even. There were people from all over the world working there, and I met a lady from Australia and got to talk with her about where to go and what to do when you visit there, traveling, about currency (they have dollars and cents too, but not American, and they don't have any idea what a penny, dime, nickel, or quarter is), and I just just love accents, so it was fun to just talk to her. Ryder was zonked out at the end of every day, he really enjoyed himself. We ate a lot (too much!) and truly enjoyed our first visit. I hope we can go back again soon!

Happy Birthday to my love!

2010-02-15T07:59:00.000-08:00

It was almost 6 years ago that I met Paul, and then dated him, and then got engaged, and then married him, all within a few months. It's been a fun ride too! We've been through a lot of good times, and we have been able to travel a lot and experience new places together. So, I wanted to share some things about Paul today as it's his 31st birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAUL! :D

When I first met Paul he always made me feel so special and unique. He treasured me and all that comes with me (i.e. flaws, many). Ever since I met him, I knew there was something about him that I would never find in anyone else. And it didn't take long for me to know he was all I wanted.

He has never stopped making me feel special and wanted. He's always doing things for me and for Ryder, without once thinking of himself. He is very patient, and has shown that patience time and time again with me. He loves his family and my family, and of course our little family. He would do anything for me and for Ryder. He has such a good heart and is such a good person, that he makes me try harder to be better. He's not bossy and is always uplifting toward me, and doesn't ever put me down. I know that he wouldn't be who he without his great parents. And to them I am thankful for that! I am especially grateful toward my mother-in-law Tracy, now knowing what it's like to have a boy, and just to want the best for him, and I'm really glad she raised him to be such a good person. Today I have a lot of great memories to reminisce about, and relive in my mind all the wonderful things he's done for me and continues to do for me daily. He's so wonderful, and I'm so lucky to have him!

Utah Visit

2010-02-05T11:38:00.001-08:00

Paul's grandpa hasn't been doing well for awhile, battling several things at once. And he passed away about 2 weeks ago. He was such a great man, very loving, smart, and kind. It was especially hard for Paul because he was able to develop a close relationship with him when he was growing up. Paul lived and worked with him for a summer as a teen, and still tells lots of stories from that time. We will miss him...

We were lucky enough to all go out to the funeral, and everyone LOVED Ryder! He is so spoiled and it was cool for everyone to see him walking, which he has mastered so quickly. It only took him about a week and a half from the time he first started taking a few steps to the point of walking more than crawling. Now he'll only crawl out of convenience because of exhaustion. But he has really good balance, we're so proud of him!

We were so happy to see our families and spend so much time with them. We finally got to see a couple of movies, Sherlock Holmes & Avatar (which was AWE-SOME!) We had a really great time. Paul had to head home last Sunday, but I stuck around until Wednesday.

I was so worried about Ryder getting sick just from the sheer amount of germs he'd come in contact to on the:
plane, at restaurants, public restrooms, etc.

And sure enough, he has a cold. I am not a germaphobe by any means, but when we travel, which is a lot, I try to be extra diligant in keeping his hands sanitized, and keeping him from sick people, playgrounds, etc. He's been doing very well, though, just trying to sleep it off. He's been sleeping through the night and all. We're just hoping he's better for DisneyWorld. I could not think of a worse place and time to be sick! He would not get to enjoy it fully! And that would be just plain sad. :( So, here's hoping he gets better this weekend, and then we'll be off to the happiest place on Earth with our happiest boy on Earth!

We were SO happy to go back home, and it just rejuvenates us and helps us get our "family fix" until next time. Which, we are welcoming any and all Evans' and McFarlanes', come to our house, and we will love it! :D

Happy 1st Birthday!

2010-01-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

Castle blocks made by Grandpa Scott.

Lots of fun presents from Grandma and Grandpa!

New fun toy!

I love to tear the paper!

Opening his Busy Ball Popper.

My very own birthday cake, just my size!! And gone in a flash!

Birthday balloons.

1st Birthday All-Star Ryder!

Decorations.

Playing on his b-day at the library.

What fun!

Hey, it's my birthday!

At the Science Center.

Robot magnets, how neat!

WOW!

Yummy dessert!

Ryder's first big boy meal at a restaurant...and he wasn't too interested.

At the cave in the Science Center.

Jan. 11th was Ryder's 1st birthday ever!! We were so excited, and at the same time can't believe we now have a 1 year old. He's been walking for a few weeks now, and is getting better all the time. He is still more of a full-time crawler with a part-time job on the side of walking. He does enjoy doing it though and is proud of himself, as we are!

These are pics from the day, and also from this past Saturday when we went to the Science Center of Iowa and Mimi's Cafe for part of his birthday too.

Words can't express what Ryder has brought to mine and Paul's lives! He is such a blessing. We are grateful every day that we have him, he means the world to us!

Next month we will be going to DisneyWorld and visiting our friends Sean and Spring and their 2 boys. We're so excited to go! Neither of us have been to DisneyWorld or Florida, so it will be SO fun! It's supposed to be for Ryder's birthday, just a little late. But I don't think he'll mind. When I was young I used to say that when I was grown up I was going to live in Florida, this was like when I was 12. Very weird, I know. I just wanted to let my parents know that I would be living as far away in the US as I thought was possible to be, and that's where I thought it would be. Anyway, so it just brings back memories thinking of that, and we can't wait to go!

Ryder's birthday was great! And we just wish our family could have shared it with us too, sorry guys! But whoever wants to visit for his next one is more than welcome! :)

New Year, New Ryder...

2010-01-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's here in Iowa! Definitely as good as can be when we're so far away from loved ones. The only bad part was when my back went out the week of Christmas, but I am glad to say it's been getting lots better since then. Since it's been so cold, we weren't able to go out and play in the snow or anything like that, but we enjoyed being inside by the tree, hanging out together. We watched movies, played games, did puzzles (mostly Paul) and ate good food. Also, we got Lost, seasons 1-5 for Christmas and are now all caught up, and ready for season 6--CAN NOT WAIT! So, since then I've been watching Grey's Anatomy on DVD and getting into it to kill time before Lost starts again...

Now that it's a new year, we are looking ahead to some BIG changes! This past week Ryder started walking!! He is such a speed crawler and all that, that we weren't sure when he'd start going for it. But lo and behold, he started taking his first steps. First just 2 at a time from Paul to me, or the ottoman to the couch, and now it's 4+ steps at a time. He is so awesome! He still prefers to crawl at this time, and who can blame him? It's 10 times faster that way, but he's slowly building up the confidence and motivation to walk more and more. Here is a video of him walking. I tried loading another one with him playing with Jewel, but it didn't work. He LOVES to get down and be like the doggy! I will try again later on that...

And I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's!!!

This time one year ago...

2009-12-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

Would you believe I looked like this?... Yeah, I don't either. I was SO huge! Last night I was taking myself back to last year in my mind, and I can remember the pain in the last month of pregnancy. He was getting so big so fast and my body just couldn't handle it. He was due Jan. 1st, and I had been praying that he would come before Christmas, and that time came and went. Then I was hoping before the new year...and then nothing. Then I went in Jan. 2nd to the hospital thinking that was it, and it wasn't. As I was leaving I saw one of the ladies who I did Moms in Motion with (a water aerobics class) and she had just had her baby Dec. 31st and wasn't due until after me. I was very discouraged. I felt like my body wasn't doing what it needed to.

Finally Jan. 9th I was having really strange contractions. They weren't painful, but they wouldn't stop either. I would have one and my stomach would harden for 5, then 10 minutes and more at a time. Paul and I knew this wasn't normal. So we went and told my mom (who was staying with us) and we decided it was time to go to the hospital. As we got there we found out the contractions were definitely not normal, and that they wanted to keep me and induced me. I was so nervous. I didn't want to be there. I was freaking out at this point because I was terrfied to deliver, but yet I had waited so long that I didn't expect to be that scared. But I was induced the next night (because the hospital had 6 women in active labor the night before so i had to wait), started pushing early on the 11th and had Ryder at 11:53 a.m. My whole life my biggest fear EVER was of having a baby. I was terrified of it ever since I can remember. I never thought I could do it. I remember hearing cousins when I was younger having babies, and then thinking, "Wow, they made it out alive. It can happen." That's how scared I was. So, I couldn't believe that I, of all people, did it!

And honestly I had the Lord's help the entire time. I look back and wonder how I did it, and I know I couldn't have done it without Him. Paul was so wonderful! My mom was great, too. And I know I couldn't have done without my amazing Paul, and my mom was such a bonus to have her there. It was such an amazing day! And now Ryder is almost 1 and I wonder where the time went. I try to enjoy each day, each moment, because I don't want to look back and think that I wish I had. Ryder was my miracle baby, and I thank Heavenly Father every day that I have him. I can't imagine my life without him, and now I know that I would go through it all over again in a heartbeat.

As I think about the Savior's birth and life at this time of the year, I feel even more grateful to Him that I have Ryder. The Savior was born a perfect baby, and now I feel so much more grateful for Mary that she had the strength to deliver him into this earth, and raise Him to Redeem us all. What a wonderful example of a mother I have to look to. I'm so thankful for my family and mine and Paul's family, and we are truly so abundantly blessed in so many ways!

Blizzard of the decade...

2009-12-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

...that's what they say at least. Here's the the view I met when I had to go out our front door so that I could clear away the snow that was blocking the furnace exhaust. The furnace had turned off sometime in the night and it was about 62 °F when we woke up, which was fine for us, but Ryder doesn't quite understand how blankets work yet, so I was worried that he'd wake up at any moment because he was too cold. Here's a picture of the 2.5 ft drift I had to clear away from the driveway. It took me roughly 2.5 hours to shovel it all off (and I'm not one to take my time about it).

Ryder seemed very happy that morning. I think that he understood that I (Daddy) was staying home from work. Here's Ryder getting into the cupboard (One of his favorite pastimes).

Who Likes Bananas?

2009-11-14T08:03:00.000-08:00

Ryder's really taken a liking to bananas and he wants to tell you all about it.

Random

2009-11-09T07:54:00.000-08:00

So, I decided to post these pictures, but there's no connection between the two situations. The first set are from Ledges National Park, just 20 mins. or so west of Ames in Boone, I think. Anyway, we had wanted to go for some time, and last month decided to go when the weather was nice. It was still pretty chilly and windy, hence the blanket wrapped around Ryder, but he didn't mind one bit. Paul and Ryder walked around and looked at the stream and the changing colors and all. Ryder's mouth was wide open most of the time, he loves the outdoors and anything new.

The second part of pictures was from Ryder's first taste of spaghetti. Too bad we didn't have video, but the pics pretty much speak for themselves. He LOVES any type of sauces, especially tomato! Hope you enjoy the pics!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

Ryder's first Halloween started off a little bad. Our ward's Trunk or Treat was on the Wednesday before Halloween and he started running a high fever that afternoon, so we missed that. And the next day the fever was still around, and we were just praying he would get better quick since Paul's parents were in town late Thursday. And that didn't really go as planned either, since their plane was late leaving SLC, and they missed their flight out of Minneapolis. So they hitched a ride to Ames (by hitched I mean they met up with other passengers who missed the same flight and were going to Des Moines, and rode down with them). That turned out pretty good, but they got here very late Thursday night/Friday morning.
But, once Grandma and Grandpa were here, Ryder LOVED it! He got cool new toys from them that he loves, and he got to cuddle with them, which is rare for him. It was a hard weekend for him, trying to get better and all, but he did really well. We trick or treated down Main St., had his picture taken, ate yummy Great Plains pizza, watched Ice Age 3 (so cute!), watched Twilight, trick or treated around our neighborhood, and had Tracy's very yummy brisket! It was a good time. We can't wait to be in Utah again soon! Watch out, we're coming....

Vegas Baby!

2009-10-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

So, a couple weeks after going to Chicago, we took off for Vegas because Paul had a course to attend for work, which was 2 days, and then we stayed an extra day, too. We met my parents there, and stayed at Harrah's, which was at an awesome location in the center of the strip, next to Venetian and across from Caesar's. We had a blast! We shopped (when I say we I mean Ryder and me, and my mom and dad, as Paul was in class, and he wouldn't have wanted to go anyway) at the outlet malls, walked around the strip, went to MGM and saw the sleeping lions, hit some awesome buffets (with Paul too) and had a great time! Also, Paul and I went to the temple and that was an amazing experience. There's something special about visiting a temple for the first time. And the pictures I took of it don't do it justice, but there they are anyway... We also went and saw a medievel dinner and show with cool acrobats and fighting and pyrotechnics and all. Ryder didn't go but I know he will love that when he's older.

Also, I didn't take pictures of our room and view since our camera's battery died and we didn't bring the charger, but it was way nice. The window was floor to ceiling view of the strip, and I love to have rooms with views. And we went to the Hoover Dam, which I've been to plenty of times, but was Paul's first time. He thought it was cool too. However, not cool enough to take a $30 tour of it.... Yeah, crazy!

All in all, it was a great trip! Ryder loved to see Grandma and Grandpa....and will seeing his other grandparents next week, what a lucky boy!

Chicago!

2009-09-28T16:12:00.001-07:00

Paul had a conference in Chicago a couple weeks ago, so Ryder and I went along for the ride. Here are the highlights, (in random order)....
Tuckered out w/Daddy.Making shadows and touching butterflies w/Daddy at the Children's Museum.

Making friends with another little guy at the non-walker section of the Children's Museum, which is the MOST awesome museum!! We're wishing we lived in Chicago! :(

Ryder playing with his new little buddy...

SOOO Tired!

Swimming at the Sheraton. Look at that studly little man!

Chewing on the camera case...mmmm!

Still chewing!

The view from the pool at our hotel...

Some cool building...

My little chocolate factory worker!!

Mmmm...L'Appetito underneath the John Hancock building...I know I'm making some Evans' jealous!! ;DHey, look at those handsome dudes!

My guy at Navy Pier.He just loves his big yellow chair at the Children's Museum!

Gorgeous view.

Picking his vegetables, good going Bubba!

Underneath the hollow tree.

Playing with Liam.

Playing with another new friend!

Chess, anyone?

Here he was!

Playing with blocks.

Chewing on blocks...

Messy boy!

On the road to Chicago, he was a VERY good traveler!

There's the Misssissippi River behind us...

And behind them.... :)

Well, our trip was awesome! We had good food, played at the Museum tons, saw the Harry Potter exhibit, had pool time, and enjoyed every minute! We definitely want to go back soon!! Thanks Daddy, for needing to go to a conference there, and letting us come! :D

My Drummer Boy

2009-09-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

Life here has been crazy! Ryder has officially become mobile. And when I say mobile I mean he crawls at lightning speed EVERYWHERE, you'd think he were practicing for a speed crawler race coming up. He is our crazy boy! Everything is SO interesting, especially if it's not one of his toys. He knows what he shouldn't touch and that's what he wants 99.9% of the time. He's showing more and more personality too. Lately he's been getting upset very easily whenever something doesn't go his way. (Not unlike his mom). And he's been pretty fussy lately, which I'm thinking has to do with his teething (he now has 2 bottom teeth), or he may be going through a growth spurt.

He's started to pull himself up against the coffee table, chairs, walls, and our legs; just whatever's convenient. One funny thing, on Monday me, Ryder, and Paul went out to lunch together and there was a little girl crying and screaming every once and awhile. And Ryder caught on, so then he starts yelling as loud as he can (which is amazingly loud) and it's not a mad yell, but a "I can do that too, see!" type of yell. Yes, he's very smart! And as I was saying before, he is into EVERYTHING, which I couldn't have imagined is as much as he has been getting into, because we try to keep things off the ground. But he's very clever, and you can watch him actually working things out in his mind if we move things or if something's difficult to get to.

We're going to Chicago next week, so I'm a little nervous for how that will go. Hopefully he won't be too frustrated, as we sightsee and he's in the stroller a lot of the time. But he's usually easily distracted by anything outdoors. I'm so excited for this fall, and for him to be able to see all the beautiful changing colors for the first time. It will be so fun! Now, since everyone's been asking for it, and I've really been slacking on posting one, I thought we should add a video.

Here's Ryder drumming away, with a little help...

Hope you enjoy!

Caughtcha!

2009-09-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

So, I laid Ryder down for a nap a couple weeks ago, and he was crying and fussing for awhile, and then all of the sudden there was nothing....

So I open the door a tiny bit and peek in and he's on his knees up against the crib smiling and enjoying himself, and these are the pictures I took.

Sneaky little guy! Love ya!

Grandpa Pete

2009-08-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

June 2008- My grandpa & me

Maggie girl- Grandpa's good friend

My dear Grandpa

It was a year ago today that my Grandpa Pete passed away in Ogden. It was on his and my Grandma Norma's wedding anniversary. She passed away two years earlier, and I know he was just waiting for the day to be with her again. He always lived such a full life, but I know his heart ached for his Norma when she was gone. But, I just wanted to write about some things on my mind as I think of him today, and most days, like I do my Grandma.

There's so much to be said about him. And anyone who knew him knows that. He was known, among many things, for his sense of humor, love of family, story-telling, kindness, tolerance, love of family and friends and especially his wife, my grandma. He also loved reading. I loved going over to his house and see the stack of books he was working on. Maybe that's partly why I've started accumulating my own pile to work on; I'm just hoping to be more like him. I will always take his and my Grandma's influences with me throughout my life.

I hope that Paul and I can grow old together like they did. They loved each other, stood by each other, and took care of each other as long as I've known them. Honestly, whenever I think of my Grandpa though, I don't believe he's really gone. When Paul and I moved to Iowa it was SO hard to leave our families. All growing up, my family with my cousins and aunt and uncle spent every Sunday evening with my grandparents. It's what I loved, looked forward to, and knew. I always knew, with the rare exception, that we'd do that every week. And it was such a big part of my life. Although, Paul and I lived in Taylorsville after getting married before we moved to Iowa, we didn't go over as much, I still longed to be able to visit him whenever I wanted. Which wasn't possible when we moved here. I loved calling him, though, and hearing how his day and week was, and what was new. He always had such good advice and was a good listener. Some days I feel like calling him, because all I need at that moment, is to talk to him.

In June of 2008 we went to Utah for my brother-in-law's wedding and I got to visit my grandpa for what would be the last time while he was alive, and tell him I was pregnant. I remember showing him pictures from our trip to Europe from the month before, and when it got to a picture with me and Paul, Paul said, "Doesn't Shari look pregnant there?" And my Grandpa just said, "Sure, sure." My dad then whispered that we were talking to him by his bad ear, and we should be louder. So a little bit louder, Paul repeated himself....And then I think I said I was actually pregnant. (By the way, I really didn't look pregnant in the picture, I was only a month along in the picture, so that's why it was so funny he said "sure" and nothing else.)

He was very happy for us. That first picture above was taken right after we told him. I will always treasure that picture. (I also included a picture of Maggie, his boston terrier, who actually died in July 2008, 1 month before my grandpa.) I do have to say that my grandpa was the BEST grandpa EVER. He was such a great person! I'll never forget his stories about his high school days and his crazy stories about his drinking and smoking days and all that he did back then. I'll never forget when he'd pop his dentures out at little kids, or "shove" his knuckles up his nose, as if his fingers were up there (his pointer and middle finger were missing on his right hand since he was very young). The looks on those watching was priceless. :) But his example most of all is what I'll take with me, and look up to. He helped so many people throughout his long life, including me. I don't think anyone who knew him had anything bad to say about him. He was one of the best people I've ever known.

So, to him I say not goodbye but so long for now, and God be with you till we meet again. And I can't wait to see you again!

5th Wedding Anniversary!

2009-08-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

So today is our 5th wedding anniversary! Five years just flew by it seems, but yet so much has happened within that time and so many changes have occurred, especially in the last year. But I still can't seem to believe its been 5 whole years. Lately I've been kind of going off on rants to anyone who will listen about how time and life are so weird. When I say that I mean it in a good way... It's just that when you're young time will not move fast enough. You're always waiting until you're 1 year older, and sometimes wishing you were done being so young. Then you get a bit older and you're wanting the hands of time to stop so you can catch up to everything. I'm constantly wondering where time's gone! But enough about this, because I could go on and on, (maybe I'll blog more about this later).

Now let me focus my sole attention to my husband Paul. He is the most awesome guy I know! Not only is he a hard worker, but he enjoys the work and especially loves to see the fruits of his labors. He's the best husband; when I say that, I mean to say that I have no complaints. Really! He's not the type where I have to ask him twice to do something or even AT ALL most of the time. He'll say, "I'm going to mow the lawn" every week and I'll say, "You're doing that again?" Or, "I'm going to work on the garden." And I think, "Wow, he's more dedicated to that than I would ever be." Anyway, I think you get the point.
Also, he is always helping me with anything and everything! Whether it's on the computer, cleaning, anything to do with Ryder, shopping, etc., he is just there for me. No ifs, ands, or buts about it for him. He has a great sense of humor, and is always teasing and making jokes and making me laugh or smile real big. He's gentle and understanding, and he's the best dad! He just loves Ryder to death, and the feeling is mutual. He is very spiritual and loves the Gospel so much.
He shares a love of traveling with me, also. We've been all over together: San Francisco, Houston, Vegas, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Cancun, Nauvoo, Winter Quarters, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Paris, Barcelona, Chicago....and we have so much fun together! We can't wait for Ryder to grow a love for it too.

Just thinking of him makes me smile. He is such a good, kind, laid-back, dedicated, amazing person. I couldn't have found anyone more perfect for me!

Happy 5th Anniversary, Paul! Here's to many, many more!

Love, Shari :)

Catching up...

2009-07-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

It's been 2 months since my last post, so I feel like quite the slacker. But I thought it was about time to add some new info and pics of what's been happening.

So, June came and went in the blink of an eye. Paul, me, and Ryder headed out to Utah on June 18th to surprise my mother-in-law Tracy the following day. My sister-in-law Michelle planned a dinner birthday party for her, and we were the surprise!! And boy was she surprised! It was so fun to see her face, and how quick she grabbed Ryder! ;) That was awesome! Then that Saturday my mom, me, and my sister-in-law Nicole threw Marie a Fairy Tale Room-0f-the-House shower at Mt. Ogden Park. The weather sucked, it rained throughout the shower, but we were under a pavilion, and lots of people came. Marie's so popular! There were Marie's friends, family, church friends, family friends, oh my! Lots of people and tons of great stuff, I was jealous!

After that fun weekend, Paul and I snuck away to the Anniversary Inn in Logan before he had to leave that next week. It was nice to take a break and to celebrate Father's Day and have Grandma and Grandpa bond with their favorite little guy. Then, Paul took off on the airplane back to Iowa, and Ryder and I stayed for 2 extra weeks before Marie's wedding. It was a lot of fun to be around my family and Paul's too. Everyone got to enjoy Ryder!

Then, Paul came back the day before Marie's wedding and we left the following Sunday. Her wedding day was so beautiful! She was a blushing gorgeous bride (Kagen's super lucky!) and it was so nice to be there for the sealing. My whole family's married and we all have kids (except Marie, but she has PLENTY of time!) and we're entering such a different part of life. It's way weird! I find myself constantly saying how weird life is, and how fast time goes by. But it's a good weird, it's just strange to see your siblings all grown up and with their own new families. But I love it! I'm so glad they have found their loves

Anyway, I could go on forever about all the fun stuff that we did, but here's just a few of the things: the zoo, a pool, the movies, Anniversary Inn (twice!), hiking trail, parks, shopping, hanging out with friends, taking family pictures, and I could go on and on! Our trip was awesome!

Paul's mom

shocked at her surprise...us!

Memorial Day Fun

2009-06-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm posting a little late, but I wanted to write about Ryder's 1st Memorial Day. It was a drizzly rainy day but we decided to make a tradition of going to the zoo like Paul did every year growing up. Or at least make a tradition of seeing animals on Memorial Day, as the next one we'll be at Yellowstone with my family. Anyway, Ryder was asleep for the first part of the zoo, then woke up for the last part. It was fun to see all the animals. Paul LOVES animals so much, so he was glad to take Ryder there even though he really had no idea about what was happening. But Ryder really likes to just be outside, so he enjoyed that.

Here are some pics from our day:

Ryder is DONE!!

Cute as a bug!

2009-05-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

I have to share these pics of Ryder because I was so lucky to even get them. He really doesn't like tummy time, although he's getting a lot better with it. But one morning I laid him on our bed on his tummy and he was being so dang cute. He couldn't stop smiling! I just love this guy so much!

Showing off for the camera!

I love this one with his finger in his mouth, what a little model for the camera!

Also, here are some pictures from Mother's Day! It was a really nice day outside, so beautiful! And church was very nice, instead of normal Relief Society there was a social in the cultural hall for chatting and eating little snacks and such. It was fun. For dinner we had barbeque pork ribs, mashed potatoes, rolls, and broccoli.

And I have to include these because Ryder's all dressed for church and he's lying on the quilt our friend Spring made us (we love it, Spring!) and it looks so good together....

Such a handsome devil!

Every day I wish that time could just stand still if but for a moment, so that I can take in everything about Ryder for longer. I want to remember him just as he is, but with each hour that passes he changes and grows and I fear I'll forget all the little things that make each day so different and wonderful than the last. He is my precious angel. I know that I am so lucky to have him.

And we just can't wait to be in Utah for everyone to fall in love with him like we have! To know him is to love him. I just can't believe he's actually a part of me! I'm so proud of him. He's starting to get a little shy or reserved I think. Some days he likes to babble and talk more than others. He's really observant and wants to look in the direction of whoever's holding him. He's going through a really fussy phase at bedtime. He hates going to sleep and fights himself to stay awake. He's still waking up in the night at least once. He has a hard time getting himself back to sleep...so we're trying to make him put himself to sleep in his crib, but he's usually gone before he's laid down. He LOVES to swat at things and goes to grab everything in front of him, especially at the dinner table. He does not like being on the floor in his bouncer or Bumbo while we're eating, he wants his chance to grab it all.

We just started him on rice cereal and he's so good with it. He already swallows most of it, so he's really not too messy. He gets so excited once he's had a taste and reaches his whole body forward for more. Right now he'll just eat about a teaspoon of cereal at a time, but he enjoys it. He's really starting to show more of his personality...we can't wait to see more too. He gets in active moods where he'll just kick and kick and flail his arms and when he's in his bouncer he'll whack the animals hanging down! It's the funnest game! He's learning and growing so much, we just love him tons!

Our 4th Bedroom

2009-05-20T21:48:00.001-07:00

So, here are some pics of the room Paul built in our basement:

I'm SO proud of him! He started it in October '08 and after that we started taking a lot of classes for the pregnancy and got really busy with all that. But, he's done so well and he had some help with some guys from our ward on the sheet rocking and installing the breaker, but otherwise it was all him. I'm amazed at his unending talent and love to fix and build things! Soon Ryder will be helping too!

Now we just need some visitors.... :)

Laughing the day away...

2009-04-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

Ryder loves to laugh! If you've seen the previous video you already know. But he won't laugh at just anyone or anything, no, but once you get him going he keeps going and going and going... He's so dang cute! Here's another video:

So fun! I just couldn't imagine a more fun boy! What he also loves to do is read, just check this out....Hmmmph...

Let's see what's on this page...

Cool book!

...Or should I say he loves to grab at books and he wants to slobber on them. But he loves being read to! I hope for him that he has a great love of reading when he's older. It's really funny because I loved reading growing up but hadn't done much for awhile, but January '08 I decided to start reading and my goal was to always be reading at least one book...which I have been trying to keep up with now too. And before that, about mid-'07 Paul and I read Harry Potter books 1-6 together, which was so fun! Here are some of the books I've enjoyed in the past year or so....

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I seriously read this for 3 months, only reading at my 15 min. and sometimes hour long breaks at work, because I didn't want it to end...), Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, The Alchemist, The Devil & Miss Prym; The Chronicles of Narnia books 1-3: The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe, The Horse & His Boy; Belly Laughs, Your Pregnancy Week by Week, a book of labor and deliver stories (can't remember the name), & countless other pregnancy books, and since I was pregnant most of '08 I can't remember the other ones I know I read.

Right now I'm in the middle of reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince again (for a refresher), Pope Joan (thanks for the recommendation Roberta!), and The Glass Castle (which I heard from my mother-in-law Tracy and Katie from ISU that it's way good)! So we'll see how long it takes me to finish...if I do. :)

Some updates...

2009-04-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

Ryder boy on Easter Sunday....
Hey good-lookin'! ...

Whatcha got cookin'?

Ryder hanging out...

The shirt says it all!

Checking out his new tummy time mat!

He's getting so good at lifting his head up high during his least favorite time, tummy time.

So, here are some pics of Ryder's finished nursery, it's been done for a few months, but I finally got around to taking some pics.

Ryder boy is HUGE!

2009-04-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

So, I have to say that we really wanted a boy SO bad when we found out I was pregnant, and when we found out we were having a boy, we were THRILLED! I feel so lucky to have Ryder boy! He will be an awesome older brother someday and look out for his siblings. He has such a fun and active personality. I never could have imagined I could be so lucky to have someone like him in my life. Paul and I both look at him often and one of us will ask the other if we can believe he's real, and we both can't.

He loves to react to most things with a smile, and if it really gets his seal of approval then it's a huge laugh. Without him my life would feel so much less full. He fills my heart with so much joy! Of course, Paul has always made me so happy and I feel lucky to have him, which explains why I can't get enough of Ryder...he's half-Paul.

However, he is growing like CRAZY! I picture that having a little girl means she's petite and tiny and stays that way longer than a baby boy. I know that's not necessarily true though. And you know, it's so fun to see him grow, but I wish that I could freeze this time in his life to last much longer. I won't miss the waking up in the night, wait, scratch that, I will, I will miss it all when he's older. I will miss it all because this time is so precious and it's flying by too fast! I just love him like crazy! He'll be 3 months old this Saturday! Someone please tell me where my newborn baby went? At a whopping 15 lbs. he's far from newborn...

Dad's excited for sure!

Mmmm...love those fingers!

So serious!

Being tortured in the too small bear coat, sorry boy!

Hanging out......

"What's up?" says Ryder boy

So tired!

Too cute for words!

Life goes on...

2009-03-25T09:21:00.001-07:00

...and on and on! I can't believe how big Ryder is getting. At his 2 month check-up 2 weeks ago he weighed 12 lbs. 3 oz. and now he's 14 lbs.!! Wow, right?! He's our big, big boy! He loves, loves, loves to eat! He is starting to really smile all the time, and loves to react to our talking and smiling and singing. Sometimes he gets into really talkative moods and goes on and on. His favorite place to do this is right on top of his changing table. It used to be his least favorite place in the world and is now his favorite. He loves having his yucky diaper taken off and a clean new one put on. For that he will kick his feet in happiness! Oh, and don't let me forget to talk about Dad... He loves him, he will always just watch in fascination at the faces Paul gives him. And he always has a smile waiting for him. Dad just ADORES Ryder! The feelings are mutual!

We sure love our little guy! He's the best! A mother could not ask for a better son. He is our world and we don't know what we would ever do without him! He is my precious angel!

Click here for THE CUTEST VIDEO IN THE WORLD...!!!

Getting Bigger

2009-03-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

Well he just keeps growing! Ryder has his two month doctor's appointment this week. He probably won't be too excited about the shots :'( But it'll be exciting to see how much he's grown. According to our home scale, he's now 12.5±0.5 lbs. What a good looking pair!
Ryder loves his mobile!

He just loves to smile!

He loves the swing too.

All ready for church.

Baby boy...

2009-02-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

Daddy and Ryder boy

Precious angel

Too handsome!!

Well, my little boy is growing! He's 6 weeks old as of yesterday. Definitely can't believe that! He's starting to get chubby too, mostly just in his cheeks; at 22 inches it'll probably take him awhile to fill out. He's so handsome though. I just can't get over it. A friend in my ward had said that being cute are puppies' and babies' defense mechanisms. It's so true! Ryder had been sleeping through the night for the first few weeks, and now he's so hungry he'll sleep for 3-4 hours at best. He is such a piggy too! I'll nurse him and then he's still not done! Yesterday felt like was one big, long feeding for him that wouldn't end! ;P I love him so much though!

Paul's parents were just here a week ago and absolutely fell in love with Ryder boy! They loved, loved, loved the time here! And my mom was here for Ryder's delivery and 2 weeks after that, then she came back to help more since I wasn't feeling that great. And the weekend my mom left my dad came with my sister Marie to meet the little guy! They loved him too! Now we can't wait to go to Utah and show him off more!

Happy Boy

2009-02-04T20:29:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lapse in updates. We've been very busy with Ryder! I can't believe that he's 3.5 weeks old now!

Isn't this a good looking boy?

Ryder loves his time with Mommy! (Click on the image above to see the video).

More Baby Pics

2009-01-14T18:22:00.000-08:00

By popular demand, here's more pictures of Ryder.

It's a boy!

2009-01-12T07:01:00.000-08:00

After years of waiting, 41 weeks of pregnancy, 36 hours in the hospital and 4.5 hours of pushing, he's finally here! Ryder finally made his debut yesterday at 11:53 am. I'll let shari fill you in on the details later. So without any further adieu, here he is.

Poor guy, he's been though a lot.

Proud grandmother.

I can't beleive he's finally here!

Ryder's had a very long day.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

Well, 2008's over and still no sign of Ryder... It's so strange to think that he'll be here so soon, yet he's not coming soon enough! We just want him here. But he's too comfy and cozy in his tight quarters. My mom came into town on Sunday and will be here for about a month. I'm very excited for her to be here! We wish all our other family and friends from Utah could be here too!

Yesterday I had a non-stress test and Dr.'s appt. At the non-stress test I laid on a big, soft recliner and had two monitors places across my belly. One was to monitor Ryder's heartbeat and the other to monitor my uterine activity. The nurse told us that they wanted to see his heartbeat go up to the 160 and 170's and stay there for awhile and then go back down at least a couple of times. I had forgotten to eat right before the appt. (which helps the baby be active) so I drank some oj and he started moving right away. He was moving quite a bit, then his heart rate went back down and he was ready to sleep. So the nurse used this little machine, it kind of looked like a handheld massager, and it makes a buzzing noise and vibrates a little, and she buzzed that for a second on the four quadrants of my belly. She said that that normally got the babies fired up and going, and it certainly did for him. He didn't want to stop moving!! So there are no concerns with him being in stress.

The Dr.'s appt. went well. My Dr. had to run over from the hospital since someone else was in labor, but I was glad to meet with him. He measured my stomach and checked my dilation. Ryder's where he should be growth-wise and he has dropped even lower, but I am not dilated at all or anything. He said that some people just don't dilate until they're in labor. There's no concerns with Ryder's health or development, and I don't want to be induced, so I'm just waiting for him to come when he's ready...

Since there are no concerns, they would probably allow him to be 2 weeks late before they induced. I hope we don't have to wait that long though... The Dr. still thinks even if he's 2 weeks late that I'll probably have a 7 lb. baby.

That's all the progress with Ryder so far...he's still moving all the time! Paul and I had a great Christmas, even though we couldn't be with our families. We had a quiet Christmas Eve at home, and went and saw a movie on Christmas Day.

Here are some pictures from over the holiday...

Me and my sweetheart

Very big on Christmas Eve...

My bare belly

Christms cuties

Our Christmas table all set up

Photo Tag...

2008-12-07T12:01:00.001-08:00

I was tagged by Melanie (sorry to take so long to post on this)....

Rules:

1.Go to your pictures

2. Go to your 4th folder and upload 4th picture

3.post

Believe it or not, this is the picture:

It's a street performer in Barcelona from our trip in May of this year. There's a huge island in the middle of this one street in Barcelona, and they call that area La Rambla. It's a really touristy area, but there's a lot of stuff to buy there handmade from different vendors. It's really fun... I should post more pics of the street performers; some were good, but some were weird. He was definitely weird, I walked really far away from him, I didn't want him to jump out and chase me!!

Now I tag Marie, Spring, and Shaun...

Happy Posting!! :D

4 Weeks and Counting!

2008-12-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

My family came to visit for an entire week for Thanksgiving. It was definitely what we needed--we were starting to feel lonely since we last saw family and friends in August. Speaking of family, Paul's brother Spencer came home from his mission the day before Thanksgiving! Wish we could have been there to greet you home, Spencer! It was an awesome time with my family, though! We were able to have a great Thanksgiving feast, which my parents made. Marie and I made pies, apple and chocolate chip and the turkey was I think the best I've ever had!! :)
It was so nice to be with family! My work also threw me a baby shower, which was great. I work with a lot of women, many who are moms and grandmas and they all LOVE babies--so they got some really cool stuff for Ryder! He is set!! Below are pictures from that shower, and also pictures of the stuff from my shower thrown by Janelle from my ward.
WARNING: I DO LOOK HUGE!!!! (Don't say I didn't warn you...)
Also, we traveled to Nauvoo the day before Thanksgiving to check out all the houses and historical places run by the missionaries, we did a little day after Thanksgiving shopping, and went to the Mall of America. I am very proud to report that I walked ALL day, resting every so often, but at the end of the day I had no complaints; no backaches or problems or anything! I have been very, very, very blessed throughout this pregnancy to have no more than the occasional discomfort from a backache or my belly going through a growth spurt, or from Ryder's CONSTANT movments! Needless to say I feel very blessed and thankful! Paul had been getting over a cold when my family got here though, and I had just caught it, hence my red nose in most of the pictures...
I am most thankful in my life for my husband Paul, without whom I would be so unhappy, and with whom I love, adore, and admire! And I'm so thankful for all my family and friends who give us so much love and support, even from afar. It's hard to be so far from loved ones, but we're grateful for all the friends and support we have here.
As an update on the pregnancy--the Dr. said that he'd be surprised if I have an 8 lb. baby, he's estimating Ryder will be between the 6 and 7 lb. range-which I'm very happy about. I can't imagine delivering a huge baby! But we just want him to be a healthy boy, so whenever he comes, early or on time or late, we just want him to be ready and as developed as needed. (I'm still hoping he'll be born in December--even if it's the 31st)....
We love and miss all our family and friends, especially at this time of year!!

All the stuff Ryder got at the shower thrown by Janelle and her daughters...

Train bib that Janelle made--so cute!

Diaper wreath by Melissa--so awesome!

My work shower for Ryder--here are some presents...

Mom and me--can't believe how huge I'm getting...

Beautiful blanket made by Char!

What fun Ryder'll have in the tub...

My hot husband Paul, me, my mom, Marie, and Dad--with my Ryder pillow my mom had made for me!

Look at all this stuff, he's so spoiled already...

Baby Einstein blocks--he'll be a chemical engineer in no time, right Paul? ;)

My family with the oxen in Nauvoo--my mom was getting cuddly with her ox.

The most handsome guy in the world (and he's with me)!!!

So BUSY!!!

2008-11-10T17:40:00.001-08:00

We have so much going on this month, it's crazy! We are taking a childbirth class every Tuesday night, I have water aerobics twice a week after work, Paul and I both have mutual every Wednesday night, and we just started a marriage class a couple in our ward is teaching for the Ames wards (I promise there's nothing to worry about, but it's useful information anyway) ;) , plus I will be taking a breastfeeding course this week. Plus, I was just thrown a shower by one of the nicest ladies whose in my ward. Her and her daughters threw it and I got a lot of good stuff! I will post pics of the presents... It was so nice of her to do that and it was a really great shower!! Thanks Janell! :)
Life is busy! Not to mention Paul is working on a special project which some of you may know about, but most don't.... There will be more on that to come...once it's done! ;) This month will continue to be really crazy, but next month we'll have more time to relax and enjoy Christmastime, our favorite time!
Work is still going really good for both of us. Last Thursday we had another Dr.'s appt. I really like my doctor, he's kind of quiet, but he is to the point. He always answers our questions thoroughly, but he doesn't add anything unless I ask about it specifically, which is great. I want to know what I want to know, but I don't want to be told extra things that will freak me out. Everything's going really well with Ryder's development too.
Each visit is very routine and shall I say boring, but in this case boring is good. I get weighed (yikes!), have my blood pressure checked, have my urine sample checked, then the doctor answers questions, measures my belly, feels for his positioning, and checks his heartbeat. It always sounds so cool too! We love that part!! And it's always sounded like it should, never out of the ordinary. Ryder's continually been on track for where he should be and everything's really good with him as far as they can tell. He's still kicking a lot too! Usually that's all that happens at the appt. though. Although, each visit I think the Dr.'s going to get mad at me for the weight I've gained, and he never has, phew! But it's always a fear, but I guess I've been okay with that part so far. I have another appt. in a week and a half, then I think I'll be going every week after that. Very exciting!
Speaking of exciting, we're very excited for my family to visit very soon! Can't wait! Plus, Paul's brother gets home from his mission the day before Thanksgiving, and even though we won't be able to see him, we're so happy he'll finally be home! I know Paul's family can't wait to see him!!
Also, as many of you probably know "Twilight" comes out the weekend before Thanksgiving and we can't wait to go see it! Yes, Paul knows the story (from me telling him) and is excited to see the action, (trust me, he wants nothing to do with the love story aspect), but I guess there's something that guys find cool about vampires anyway. It'll be awesome!
So, lots to look forward to!!

Time is just zooming by...

2008-11-03T17:26:00.001-08:00

Can't believe Halloween has come and gone! Tomorrow are the elections and we start our first childbirth class tomorrow night. We'll have 4 classes to go to which are through the hospital in Ames we'll have Ryder at. I'm excited for everything to come but also nervous, of course! My water aerobics class is going really well... It's sooooo nice to be in the water and feel weightless, you almost forget you're pregnant. The minute you're out of the water you feel like 200 lbs. heavier, it's hard to get out.
Paul and I are getting so excited for my family (well, my parents and Marie) to come visit us for Thanksgiving! We're so glad they're coming and are praying for good weather! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...after they leave! ;) It's actually been unseasonably warm weather this past week or so, but by the end of the week we'll be in the 40's...noooo!
Ryder's kicking stronger than ever! At work I constantly find myself going "Owww!!" But then I tell him how good a boy he is to be moving around so much! I love the movement even if it's uncomfortale or painful, to know he is all right makes me so happy! All we want is a happy, healthy baby boy in 2 months!!
By the end of this week (my 32nd) he'll weigh about 4 lbs. I can't believe it! Paul and I couldn't be happier for everything that's going on at this time, and we can't say enough how lucky and blessed we feel to have Ryder on his way.
Paul's really busy at work right now, and they have some really exciting stuff coming up!! He loves his job so much and that makes me so happy! His company is moving to a bigger building in a week or so and that will give them all quite a bit more room.
Here are some pictures, since my belly has grown quite a bit more. I'm still feeling good, and except for the occasional back ache (mostly at night) all is going really well...
My ever growing belly

Close-up

Me and Jewel

Growing Baby

2008-10-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Ryder is growing and growing! Last night I woke up for my usual few times nightly bathroom breaks and laid back down and it seriously felt like Ryder was doing somersaults or something like it!! Paul was kind of awake so I asked him to feel it and see if he thought that felt normal. I was really worried that something was wrong because I've never felt anything like it. He has been kicking tons, but rolling is new for him, I guess. It was really strong and eventually I fell asleep, but man it was a funny feeling!
It's good to know that he's moving so much, that must be a good sign! Paul's mom was telling him that she's noticed that the more active the baby is in the womb the more active they usually are when they're born. Paul was a very active baby and child, so if that's any indication, then Ryder is definitely a mini-Paul. Can't wait to see him moving and grooving for myself, though!
We've also started playing a baby classical music CD for him nightly and he usually responds with several kicks where the headphones are on my belly. I don't know if he's saying he likes it or to turn it off!! But it's fun.
Last week we went to the doctor and I took the test for gestational diabetes, and haven't heard anything back today, which should mean that no news is good news according to the nurse. For the next 4 visits (8 weeks) I'll be having a prenatal Dr.'s appointment every other week, then I'll go every week after that. So, I'll be back to the Dr.'s next week... I really pray that all continues to go well! There haven't been any problems so far and we're hoping it doesn't change.
For now, every day is so different, he's growing and moving, and we're getting closer to him being here, and we can't believe it! My emotions are constantly changing, but mostly I JUST CAN'T WAIT!
I also started a water aerobics class, Moms In Motion, which is for pregnant women. It's nice to be in the water and feel weightless, it's strange. But it's cool to see all the other women and their different shaped bellies and hear all the experiences they're having.
Paul and I are enjoying the ride...

Baby Clothes!

2008-10-06T17:10:00.001-07:00

I said that I would post pics of the clothes I bought Ryder with the money from his shower, and here they are. I just HAD to buy the plaid red and black outfit--he'll look like a lumberjack. I thought it was so cute and Paul agreed, probably because it's pretty manly looking. Yeah, I can just picture the hair on his chest growing from that outfit! ;) Thanks again for the money for Ryder from the shower!! His wardrobe is certainly growing all the time... Can't wait to see everything on him.

As many of you know, Paul loves cars, so it's inevitable that Ryder will...

He will be THE Captain Adorable!

He'll look like a biker baby in these pajamas...

He'll look like my little lumberjack...

Also, we bought the crib mattress with part of the money from the shower! Thanks again!! :D

Belly Pics

2008-09-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

My belly is growing and growing! It's funny, because I'm getting so used to it that I look down and think it's not so big. Then I see myself in a mirror and it looks huge! It's so fun to feel all his kicks. He's very active most days. Yesterday he was kicking ALL day long, without very many breaks. I don't mind though, I feel so much better whenever I feel him moving. He's so strong! He's starting to kick and then drag his foot or hand or whatever part it is along my stomach. He likes to kick at the very side of my belly and smack dab in the middle most. I feel so connected to him whenever I feel those movements. I'm so grateful that I have been blessed to carry him and even though I'm seriously so nervous about giving birth, I'm so happy to have him growing inside me.
Paul loves to feel Ryder kick too, he can feel how active he is and how strong his kicks can get. I love to see the expressions on his face as he moves and jabs and it's just so cute!

Here's some pics of my ever expanding belly...
Me on 9/12 at 24 weeks

Me on 9/16 at 25 weeks

Me today at 27 weeks

That last one's not too flattering of me, but I wanted to post the most recent picture of my belly. I'll keep posting updates too.

First Nursery Pics

2008-09-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Paul and I have kind of gotten ahead of ourselves and a few weeks ago we painted part of Ryder's room in baby blue. Then this last weekend Paul painted the last wall chocolate brown. We had already ordered and received all of Ryder's bedding and coordinates to go with it and the crib. Paul put the crib up, and we put the bedding on. Now we're just waiting until we can put him in it...
As the days go on, I'm starting to feel a lot bigger. Up until this week I have felt like I have been doing things with the same amount of energy as normal and moving about the same as normal, too, but now I am really feeling weighed down and I feel like he's just growing so much! My belly will normally have growing pains once a week, but now I'm feeling them at least every other day! I guess that's a sign that he's growing and healthy, but I don't want to end up with a 10 lb. baby...
Anyway, here's some pics of his room, there's still a lot of finishing touches to do, but here's what we've got so far...
His crib, minus the drawers in the bottom (not installed yet) w/his zoo bedding...

Close-up on zoo bedding

Jewel chillin' on the striped rug

Decals on the wall

Ryder's closet

Brown wall

Comfy chair and rhino pillow

Side view of crib

Jewel just does not know what to think

Look at all those clothes! There's more where that came from!

My first baby shower!

2008-09-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

While we were in Utah for my grandpa's funeral, my Aunt Nancy and cousins Amy and Melanie threw me an impromptu baby shower! It was really fun and it was pretty warm that day, but it was nice under the awning at my Uncle Pete and Aunt Nancy's house. My mom, sister Marie, sister-in-law Nicole, mother-in-law Tracy and sister-in-law Ashley were able to make it, as well as my friend Jen and other family members made it. It was so nice to see all of them, and their kids. My cousin Melanie just had a baby, Quincy, and so had my cousin Ranae, Sabrina. So it was so good to see them! They're so cute!

It was such a great shower and I got so much great stuff... Thanks Nancy, Amy, Melanie, and my mom and Marie for putting it together! It was so fun to start getting all the cute baby stuff! We loved everything we got for Ryder! I will post more pictures later too of what I have bought so far with the money I got from the shower for Ryder boy... Here's some pictures for now:
Cute "Little Snapper" outfit...

Ryder's going to be "Mommy's Little Cowboy"

I obviously can't contain myself with all this cute stuff! :D

Kami, Malaya, and new mom Melanie

Marie, a smiling, happy, (and newly pregnant!) Nicole, and my Mom

My mother-in-law Tracy talking with Mindy and Aunt Nancy

Proud new Mom Melanie with adorable Quincy

Can't wait for Ryder to come out and be as precious...

My Grandpa Pete

2008-09-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

Some very sad news...my Grandpa Pete died on August 25th, just shy of his 77th birthday on the 30th. But he was reunited with my Grandma Norma on their anniversary. I'm sure he was happy about that! There is so much I could say about him. I looked up to him my whole life, he was the best grandpa! He was funny, always had a joke to tell. I will definitely miss those. And his email forwards... He was a kind person, non-judgmental and loving and accepting of people. He was the perfect match for my grandma and they were always so happy together. I have so many fond memories of him! He was the best!

Paul and I were lucky enough to see him in June when we came to Utah for Paul's brother Shaun's wedding. It was right before his dog Maggie passed away, who he really loved. Here are some pictures from that trip:
My handsome Grandpa!

Me and my Grandpa, after I announced I was pregnant!

His Maggie girl

Another one of Maggie...

We were so glad we were able to see him before he passed. We weren't able to get to see him right before he died, but we made it to the funeral, and that was so nice. Paul came with me and I was so happy for that! We were able to see his family too which was great, and spend time with mine. I love my Grandpa Pete so much! He will be greatly missed by me and Paul and so many more!

New Fence!

2008-08-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

So we had a fence installed on July 30th, after waiting a month or so. The posts were put up about two weeks before the fence went up. And the caps on top were just barely installed. We're really happy with it, though. Jewel just loves her freedom back there! :) And it will be so nice for Ryder to have all that room to run around and play with. We had to do the chain link on the sides so water can flow through our yard into the neighbor's drain. But we really wanted the vinyl so that we had a little more privacy from the apartments and the street from the front. Paul plans on planting a bunch of trees along the side of the fence that faces the apartments for even more privacy.... And there's other projects I'm sure we'll come up with too.

Lots of Updates...

2008-08-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we don't mean to bore you and hopefully we don't, but we have quite a few updates and pictures to post.... So yesterday Marie left on a plane back to Utah.
:( Very sad! It's been so nice to have her around and I'd just gotten so used to it that I didn't want her to leave! I think she had a lot of fun while here though, and even had the opportunity to visit Palmyra, NY and Kirtland, OH and various other places w/the youth from Ames and surrounding areas. We were pretty jealous about that! But she met a lot of people and dated quite a bit too. Here's us at the airport...

So we wanted to include the rest of our ultrasound pictures...

So those are the first pictures of our baby boy, and the next won't be until he's born. Well, my belly has been growing and growing... About a week or so ago I know my belly went through a huge growth spurt over the span of like 1 or 2 days. There was one day that I thought it was going to explode, it hurt so bad from the stretching and growing pains. Now it's pretty well popped out. Here's a picture of me from Friday, in my 17th week:

For my birthday Paul finally agreed to let us paint the house, well, the living room, kitchen and hallway for now. Then we'll paint the rest of the house one or two rooms at a time. We picked a nice neutral color, toasted almond is what it's called and we really like how it turned out. We painted the Saturday after my birthday and got it all done in 1 day! Impressive!! We did the 1st coat, then it was like 9 PM when Paul started the 2nd coat which he did all by himself. He's the best! Here are the results...

Jewel just went through her rite of passage of womanhood, or doggyhood, which would be going through her time of the month, or time of year for her. She's been wearing a diaper for pretty much all of July, and she's finally free from them! So we'll be getting her spayed here pretty quick, one Jewel is enough I think. Also, just learned that the name Jewel means "one who is playful, and/or a precious gem". That's our Jewel!

Since I don't have very many pics on here of me and Paul, here are some:
Us at the Fireworks in Chicago, we're thinking "Wowwww!"

Us at Gray's Lake Park in Des Moines.

Ultrasound Results

2008-07-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

So, the baby is officially a boy, with 90% certainty from the ultrasound technician. She said she would have given it higher percentage than that if he would have stopped crossing his legs. So we can finally start buying boy clothes and pick out the nursery colors and everything else. We are SOOOOO excited! Paul is so proud to have a son and a soon-to-be play buddy. He will probably be the world's youngest wrestler, so I hope he's preparing now... ;)

At the appointment today the technician explained where all the body parts were, and he was quite active for most of the time. He kept his legs crossed for awhile, until I guess he thought it was time to let us know. In one of the ultrasound pics there's proof, in the upper right one, there's an arrow pointing down and it says "male". It's a little hard to see though. The technician, Jill, let us know that he has 5 fingers on each hand, his heart has the 4 chambers and looks good, and we could see his little heart beating! His heart beat at 150 bpm was good and we got to see his spine, ribs, stomach (which was full) and bladder (also full at the beginning, but throughout the ultrasound it emptied and filled back up again, along with his stomach). He even had the hiccups, which we could see. Everything looks good, which makes us very happy! It looks like my due date is officially January 2nd, so I'm about 16 weeks along, so not as far as I thought.

It was so precious to see him moving and just to actually SEE him was awesome! I can't even describe it. I really can't wait to meet him. Throughout the pregnancy, Paul and I knew we wanted a boy, but would be fine with a girl. And I really didn't feel like I was having either one necessarily until 1-2 weeks ago, when I just knew that we weren't having a girl. I just didn't feel like there was a girl inside me. So I was just waiting for her to tell us it was a boy. It was a great day and it was really cool to have Paul there, and my sister too. I know she thought it was way cool to see. So, just a really great day!

P.S. Be sure to click on the picture to see the full view, hope it helps...

Okay, so this is what pregnancy feels like...

2008-07-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

So I'm about 17 weeks along, and in my second trimester now. I feel like a lot of things have happened in the last few weeks. The first trimester was pretty much a breeze for me; except for being tired a lot the week before we found out I was indeed pregnant, everything had been somewhat normal. I still had quite a bit of energy every day and didn't get nauseous or sick at all.....

The aches and pains started 2-3 wks. ago; waking up with back aches and a full bladder every night, pains in my stomach, which I know is my body stretching and making room for this new life. I have to say I'm not complaining because I was getting worried not feeling anything in the first trimester. I would find myself at work thinking, 'Just give me a little pain, just a little'. Trust me, I'm no masochist, but I just wanted some assurance that something was happening in my body, that I felt should feel very different from the start. If I had any doubts before, I definitely know with surety now that there is a baby inside me.

I've gotten nauseous only a handful of times, but luckily haven't had to throw up, and the feeling doesn't last very long. But I'm really nervous with my backaches since I really am barely showing, and it's only going to get better, right? :(

Oh, and to add the physical changes, there have certainly been emotional ones as well. I can go from happy to mad in...well, I'm sure Paul could tell you, in just about no time. Then I start crying and it's over; I'm gone!! Well, quick story, we went to Chicago over the 4th, and I left our brand new (3 mo. old) digital camera on a bench in a parking garage. Needless to say 30 mins. after we'd left and I figured this out, it was gone. I freaked! I would have pre-pregnancy, but I really did in pregnancy! Well, at least that was understandable... (Paul duly noted that he holds/keeps track of anything of value while I'm pregnant, again, understandable). Paul's the best husband and made me feel better about it!!

But I do have to say that I don't take for granted one minute that I'm pregnant. I truly do realize how lucky I am to be having a baby, and that I will go through anything for this little one. I'm so happy to be given such a wonderful blessing! We're so happy!

So, this Tuesday the 15th we have our 2nd prenatal appt. with the Dr. They'll check my blood pressure, weight, the baby's heartbeat, etc. and make sure everything looks good. Then if baby wants to cooperate we'll find out if we're having a boy or a girl!! The ultrasound is a week after the prenatal appt., the 22nd. Can't wait to find out! :D

Testing, testing

2008-07-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Paul and I decided to start a blog to share any thoughts, pictures, updates from doctor's visits, and anything else related to baby and anything else we can think of. Hopefully we won't bore you too bad...

One thing to mention that happened today; Paul brought to my attention that my belly button is starting to poke out a little bit..it's not such an innie anymore. That kind of freaks me out, but for the most part I am loving seeing my belly grow. Right now I definitely look more chubby in that region than anything, so I'll be very happy to see it grow to the point of no confusion over chubby vs. pregnant.

Oh, and Paul, me, and my sister Marie are going to Chicago on the 4th for 1 night only. We'll see fireworks, eat tons of good food (at Tastes of Chicago food festival) and generally have a good time! ;)