Happy Birthday Ryan!

He's 3. It's hard to believe that our little boy is already 3. We enjoyed the day with family and friends at the bowling alley. What a hoot. The kids had a lot of fun. Some got bored with the bowling after a while, and others enjoyed the game until the time was up. Ryan threw as many balls as he could. He hopped up and down with excitement each time. (When he didn't get a strike he would turn around with a sad face. I guess he's a little competitive already.) We really enjoyed the day.

Today we are staying home to enjoy our new toys. Our house if full of new challenges and Ryan is determined to give each equal play time. (Daddy's really getting good at Pac-Man and Basketball Shootout too!)

I'll post some pictures soon. What a wonderful season.

Holiday

Woo Hoo! I'm on vacation until January. There's no better feeling. Ok...there's probably a better feeling but no one has delivered my million dollar check yet;) We're going to the zoo tonight to see the lights and I'm hoping it helps to get me in the spirit.

This week was very stressful at work as we were informed of impending layoffs that affects a large number of people at my plant. Some are already worried about how they will pay their rent or feed their kids. Please pray that our economy turns around soon. Enough said.

Hey, I wanted to share a peek of my Christmas cards that I really enjoyed making. Anyway, I may get caught up in life during my vacation so I may not be blogging much. Hope your holiday is happy.

A Sound as Jolly as Jingle Bells!

Today's message is intended to give Ryan a big shout out! Congratulations Buddy for going PeePee on the Potty.

Discussing bathroom noises goes against all rules of etiquette. However, in our home, and the homes of almost all of our acquaintence, the rule is broken at every gathering. This year, we will definately be breaking the rules and bragging about our little guy who is doing a great job going to the potty. The sound of tinkle in the can is as sweet to my ears this year as the sound of jingle bells;)

We're so proud of you buddy. Keep up the good work. As a reward, we'll be spending Ryan's 3rd birthday at the bowling alley with a few cousins and friends. We can't wait.

(Special thanks to Ms. Char and the rest of the gang at daycare who have helped us encourage Ryan along.)

Peek-A-Boo

Here's a picture of Tyler peeking out of the window of his car seat cover. It is so cute. It reminds me of a little Eskimo baby. I love this contraption. I throw a couple of blankets on Ty and cover him up and we are off and running with no fuss.

I kinda enjoyed the snow day yesterday. Jim and I got a lot of chores done. I feel bad for Jim though. He spent 3 hours shoveling and snow blowing. He even cleared off my truck so I wouldn't have any problems Monday morning. (Thanks honey.) Ryan wanted to help badly, but we haven't bought boots for him yet. Last years boots were a size 7 and he is now in an 11. Wow. I promised him I would stop at the store to buy some today and maybe we will venture outside.

It looks cold, but it looks like fun too.

Hand Sandwich

Here's our little cutie, eating his hand and wishing his mom would quit doing whatever she is doing and just feed him! It's been a long, stressful week and I am so glad it is Friday. We really look forward to the weekends at home with the kids.

Hope you have a great weekends. Try to find something fun to do. We're going to "wrap" up our Christmas shopping figuratively and literally, I hope. And, the kids are feeling pretty good and we are going to get Tyler's first pictures and Ryan's 3-year pictures.

Take Care!

Zzzz Zzzz Zzzz

Sleepy baby's are especially sweet. Tyler sat playing all morning last weekend watching Ryan and Daddy play. He is really finding his toes these days. All of a sudden we looked over and saw our sleepy baby! It doesn't look very comfortable, but Tyler was very content for his morning nap.

Swimming

My neice Hailee Victoria celebrated Birthday #4 at the pool. Ryan is still asking if we can go back! Do you think it sounds too cold to swim? I agree...and so did the kids lips. They turned blue and they chattered, but they sure did have fun. (Jim caught a cold from spending 2 hours in the water with Ryan. What a sport!)

TGIF

Busy, Busy, Busy. I'm swamped at work and I haven't been able to sit down at home until 7 p.m. or later each night. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. Ryan and Ty are a little sick and I think Jim is too. He was sleepy last night;)

I hope everyone gets well soon as we have a lot of fun planned for the weekend. A holiday party, Hailee's B-day party at the pool, and Jim and I are taking a class at the community college.

Last night, I worked on Christmas cards and hope to send them soon. They are really cute.

Have a great weekend.

I'm Here...

I'm not being a very faithful blogger. Here is a cute picture of the boys from last month that I didn't already share. We are doing well. (A little boogery though) It is cold and we are trapped inside. I better find some fun things to do.

The quest for the perfect picture. Impossible!

I'm Thankful

I'm thankful for you. Thank you for checking up on me and paying attention to the adventures of my little ole family. I hope the holiday brings happiness and thankfulness to your lives. Here's a cute little song (sung to the theme of pop goes the weasel) that your little ones may enjoy. Ryan really likes the end!

The Turkey is a funny bird.
His head goes weable wobble.
He knows just one funny word.
Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!

Tackle Football

Who says little guys can't tackle? Ryan's favorite new game is tackle football. Tyler enjoyed being on top for once :-)

Safe to say?

Well, the kids are relatively healthy and in good spirits and suddenly my life is a little more in control these days. I hope that is safe to say and that I didn't just jinx myself. Thank goodness. Yesterday was a beautiful day and Jim and Ryan played outside as much as they could before dark. Golf, sidewalk chalk, racecars...you name it, they did it. We also had fun last night at play school. Ryan is listening to us a lot better and his behavior makes us proud, most times. That's all for now. I don't really have any fun pictures to share just yet. Stay tuned.

Did you know who was who? Daddy Didn't!

Did you figure out which pictures were Ryan at 3 months and which were Tyler at 3 months. Daddy was stumped on one and to be completely honest, one day later...I am having a hard time remembering which is which.
Pictured:
1 Tyler
2 Tyler
3 Ryan
4 Ryan
5 Tyler
6 Tyler
Hope you enjoyed the game.

Don't ever compare your children

Every experienced parent will tell you not to fall in to the trap of comparing your kids to one another but I couldn't resist comaparing 3 month pictures of both of my boys. See if you can spot who is who. Our little guy, Tyler, will be 3 months old on Saturday.

Tigger Tyler and Ry Ry Too

Here's another couple of Halloween pictures that were too cute not to share.

All Dressed Up

I couldn't wait to share these pictures with you. Halloween was a lot of fun. Ryan enjoyed going door-to-door as well as handing out candy at Grandma's. Grandma was alot of fun as she posed as a friendly witch. We also enjoyed fun games at the church. Ryan even put on Jim's spooky mask, and it makes him look like such a big boy. I hope everyone had fun.

Happy Halloween!

Boo!

Hope everyone is having a spooky day. I'm feeling better because my babies are feeling better. Thank goodness. I can't wait to share the cute pictures of the kids with you. We are Trick-or-Treating at my mom's tonight, but the kids are dressed for daycare too. For now, here's a picture of Ryan's pumpkin creation and my sweetest day gift from my sweetie.

Take Care.

Stuffy

Another day. Another trip to the Doctor's Office. This time, Tyler is so stuffy he can hardly breathe. Poor baby. The doctor squirted 3 syringes full of nasal saline into his nose before he finally sounded clear. I did the same at midnight and again at 4:00 a.m. The little sweetheart still just looks up at me and smiles. I hope this crap clears up soon. All I can say is it is really hard.

Cute Costumes

Here's our weekend update:

For the most part, we stayed home this weekend to relax and to catch up with chores. The kids are very stuffy and have terrible coughs. Doc says it is just post nasal drip. YUCK. We did venture out for a trip to the apple orchard/pumpkin patch though, and the kids got to preview their Halloween costumes for the event.

Feelin' Feverish

Mommy stayed home with Ryan yesterday. He had a fever of over 102 degrees and really has us worried because Ryan never really gets sick. Tyler still has some type of rash in his diaper area and today will mark our 3rd visit to the doctor's in less than 2 weeks. (It's really scarry with all the talk of staff infections in the news. It's serious stuff.) Jim has missed 2 days of work to take care of Ryan and now he has a scratchy throat. I have missed 1 full day and several hours otherwise. I hope my boys start to feel better. (Even though they weren't feeling well, I secretly enjoyed the day home with my sweeties.) Please cross your fingers that the sickies go away and stay away for the winter. I don't know how I will deal with one more challenge!

Mommy and Me

Here's a picture of Tyler and mom enjoying the beautiful day. Last Sunday we went to Ann Arbor's Kerry Town for an artistic event. We had a lot of fun. Of course, Tyler and the rest of the family sported their favorite team's colors.

Orange Day

The boys enjoyed "Orange Day" at school the other day. Ryan was even convinced to eat some orange for lunch. Every time he eats orange at home we call it "Cheetos":)

Ryan is still loving little brother. The kisses are still flowing and he often wants to hold Tyler too. (A little scarry.)

We got Ryan's Halloween costume last night and I can't wait to show everyone how cute he is. Stay tuned.

Happy Happy Happy

Check out Tyler. He is starting to have a real personality!
(Sorry for the sideways view!)

Happy Birthday Jim!

Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Jimmy. Happy Birthday to you. Have a great day Jim.

Fun to come...

Ryan was so excited this morning. He returned to school. Well, initially he wasn't sooo excited. He really wanted his daddy and to stay home with daddy, but daddy is back to work too. When I reminded him of the pumpkin hunt at school today, he quickly recovered.

Tonight we will probably spend the evening in Addison. There is a parade for homecoming football. Last year, we had a lot of fun collecting candy and waving at the participants.

Can you believe the change in weather in just one week. I'll share some pictures of us enjoying the weather a week ago today. Have a great weekend.

Two Terrific Months!

Happy 2-Month Birthday Tyler! We couldn't ask for a better baby. You are such a sweetie.

Tyler continues to thrive. He smiles more and more and his baby coos are so cute. I want to remember them forever.

Ryan has gouged out his nose so badly that I had to take him to the Doctor's yesterday. Then we made a trip to the pharmacy. It is so hard to break away from the routine with 2 kids. To top it off, we got a call from the daycare at 9 p.m. asking us to keep Ryan home for 24 hours in case he was contagious. Jim had to call in to work. What a hassle! I hope my little guy lets his boo-boo heal.

Well that's all for now. Bye.

"Try" Cycling

Check out another activity that Ryan has been trying. He is starting to get the peddling motion down. Although he still likes to be pushed on his ultra cool U of M tricyle.

We're trying really hard to enjoy our Indian Summer. Last night, I am afraid, may have been our last boat ride of the summer. Today may be our last day of shorts :p

Ryan's daycare is sending packages to the soldiers and we went through our cupboards to send trial size goodies to those men and women who bravely protect us. I always save soaps, shampoos, sewing kits, etc. from hotels we stay at during the year. I also ask my dentist for extra floss and toothbrushes at my checkups. Usually, we donate these items to the women's shelter...but we thought this was also a worthy cause. Anyway, it feels good to be supporting our troops.

Mmmmm Sleeeepy

As if I weren't already convinced enough about how blessed I am to have such a sweet little baby...he goes and amazes me once more. Last night Tyler slept the whole night and called out to me 2 minutes before my alarm was set to go off. Ahhhh....Blessings.

Tired and Teary

Tyler and Ryan have the sniffles. Not only are the allergies setting in, but my little Ryan is tired and teary too. He loves talking about daycare, but he tells them that he misses his mom and dad and is sad at least once per day. (Mom and Dad miss you too RyRy.) This morning, Ryan woke up crying because he wanted to go to "play school", a program for kids at our local school. He said, "I miss Ms. Kathy." Luckily, the program operates on Tuesday nights, so I promised we will go tonight. Here are some pictures from our last daytime visit to play school.

Hopefully, we will get back into a routine soon. We have all been spoiled with at least 10 hours of sleep a night while we were on vacation. Now, it is difficult to get in 7 hours. No wonder we are all tired and teary.

At the Fair

We spent 2 days this week at the Hillsdale County Fair. Ryan can ride for hours. Luckily, Tyler slept for hours. That means, mom and dad ran for hours and snuck in a few snacks between riding rides and viewing animals.

We had a nice weekend. We also went to a pumpkin patch and Ryan went to a football game with his cousins. A good wrap up for the summer.

I went back to work on Thursday. Everything went well. The office is very busy and I hardly had a chance to worry about my boys...but I know they are in good hands.

Smiles from a Sweetie!

Today is Tyler's 6 week birthday! It seems like he has mostly been sleeping this whole time. We're finally seeing his baby blue eyes and cute little smiles. This was taken a few days ago...and his smiles are getting brighter. I'll keep you posted.

Time's a Tickin'

Yes, my little baby is over 5 weeks old and will be going for his 1-month checkup tomorrow. I will be going to my follow up exam soon. And I have received notice to return to work on Sept. 27th. Although I am sad to be leaving my full time mothering, I am grateful for the UAW for negotiating this time off for mothers. It has been a great way to bond with my new baby and to spend extra time yelling at my 2 1/2 year old ;) Just kidding...I mean, bonding with Ryan.

What's a blog without pictures? Check us out. Silly boys!

Who's Your Tiger?

Ryan, Jimmy, and I spent an evening at Tiger Stadium. What a blast! We went on UAW day and had top row seats behind home plate. Grandpa Ralph, Grandman Ellen and Papa T. went with us too. (Special thanks to my mom and Papa Dick who gave exceptional care to Baby Tyler.)

Ryan was a perfect angel. He sat on Daddy's lap nearly the whole time. We smiled and clapped and cheered on our favorite team. And we waited patiently for an awesome firework display.

Perhaps one of the best parts of the night was coming home to my baby boy. I snuggled with him the rest of the night and said a prayer of thanks for a family who has given me everything.

Oh yeah, Jim was only one of two fans who wore his blue and maize to the Tiger game on Saturday. He's true blue.

Quality Time

I'd like to take the time to give Kudos to a great program called Lenawee's Child. Ryan and I have been attending a play group weekly over at Addison Schools. Today was Tyler's first day and the 20 or so kids who were there liked seeing the "baby". Ryan is improving on his sharing skills. He has a lot of fun playing with different kids and an endless supply of toys. It sure does help keep him entertained.

Jim is officially back to work. We miss him. He was an awesome help for the last 3 weeks.

Two to the Zoo!

Hey, we braved the zoo with two kids and two strollers. It is Ryan's favorite activity. It's a good thing the day wasn't too busy b/c we couldn't keep Ryan in his wagon and he was free to roam. Not so easy keeping up with the kid trying to pull a wagon. He was pretty good, otherwise. Tyler enjoyed the day "strolling." It's amazing how much pleasure you feel when your kids are pleased. As you can see, having so much fun is tiring. Ryan fell asleep eating his pop corn. Here's a picture of Tyler too!