More Tree Fun

Ryder has been so facinated with Christmas lights this year.  On our way home from daycare two nights this week, we drove around the neighborhood (it was pretty much dark already) looking at lights because he was so in love with them - he didn't care how simple or elaborate they were...just loved every bit of it.

Since Shawn was out of town, I didn't want to do much decorating at home...I want to do it as a family.  So instead of doing our actual tree, we decorated the tree in Ryder's room with lights! 

It's funny - I was just about to paint over this tree for a baseball themed room, but now I'm having so much fun with it!  I think we need to make paper ornaments to add to it next!

We also made some paper decorations for the rest of our house :)

Love Christmas!!

P.S. So excited to be back online blogging since I am done studying for the month...and upgraded my Blogger storage so that I can continue to add photos!

Tree of Thanks *Updated*

Our art project on Friday included learning about Thanksgiving and talking about all the things we're thankful for.  I asked Ryder what he was thankful for and gave him one example, saying I was thankful for him! 

He responded "I'm thankful for....SKIING!" This was followed by: snowboarding, snowshoeing, Logan, Dad....and eventually, Mom.

We thought of things that Logan, Shawn and I are thankful for, too.  Topping my list were: coffee, naps and of course, family, friends and work (Ryder thought of that last one, but in this economy, it's something we're definitely thankful for!).

We added our leaves of things we're thankful for to the tree in his room :)

I am also so thankful exam #7 is behind me and I can enjoy life again!! Hopefully I only have ONE left!!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Playtime

Here are a few of my favorite playtime pics from the last week:

My boys are playing together!!

Logan watches Ryder jump, spin and burn some energy at open gym

Logan: 6 Months

Wow...where has this half-year gone?!  I sure know we haven't spent it sleeping! Lol!  Here are a few fun facts about our little guy at this age:

* Weight: 16lbs 11oz (25-50%), Height: 27 1/2" (75-85%), Head: 43.5cm (50%) (Ry's 6 mos stats - almost identical to Logan's, tho Logan apparently has a much smaller head!)
* He has started sleeping on his tummy - almost every night.  We can't keep him on his back.
* He has two bottom teeth!  They came in at exactly the same time late Oct.  He immediately started sleeping better afterwards, but they still seem to bother him at times.
* He maneuvers!  Lots of rolling, spinning, scooting and stretching to get what he wants.
* He can push up onto his hands and knees with his belly off the floor (for a mintue or so)
* He can sit (sort of a balance)
* He plays "peek-a-boo"! I love this! He'll cover his own face with something, pull it away and watch for a reaction :)  He likes when we do it to him, too, along with "Pat-a-Cake" and "This Little Piggy"
* He loves to eat solids.  We have yet to do much for variety, but he is now having 2 tbsp cereal everyday for breakfast and typically a vegetable for dinner (2 "ice cubes").  His foods so far have been: cereal, bananas, peas and butternut squash.
* He has started sleeping much better.  He goes to bed around 8pm, I wake him to nurse around 9 or 10pm, and he goes right back to bed until about 6 or 6:30am.  He rarely goes all night without making a peep, but typically we just have to pop his nuk in and turn on the "Soothing Sounds Giraffe" and he's back to sleep.  Or we just let him cry it out. 
* He's a boob guy (can I say that?!)...he does not like bottles.  It's a struggle for daycare to get him to drink his three 4oz bottles, but I know he eats more than that when nursing...He's exclusively on breastmilk (in addition the few solids)
* He wears 2 diapers to bed at night. This sounds crazy, but he had been waking every morning at 3 or 4am all wet & in need of a change clothes. 2 diapers (a size 2 & size 6) has been doing the trick!
* He can put his nuk back in! (And take it out)
*Ryder has trouble pronouncing the "L" in Logan, so between Dad's nickname of "Bear" and Ry calling him "Yogan" and "Yogi", we call him our little Yogi Bear :)

Always laughing at big brother Ryder

Look closely for two little bottom teeth!

Ryder always wants to play with you, help take care of you, kiss you

Getting better at sitting & handling your nuk!

Your first run this month! You loved it :)

And Ryder didn't mind sharing his Chariot one bit :)

My Boys

Love my boys :)

Anything Like Me

Have you heard the song "Anything Like Me" by Brad Paisley?  That's the song I thought of on our walk this week (relating Shawn and Ry).  Ryder was on his Scuut at Elm Creek, doing awesome.  He has the balance down and loves hills.  We like the small hills, too because that lets him actually cruise and learn to balance rather than just kick his feet. 

Buuut...we forgot how large this hill ahead of us was...Ryder went straight for it...no breaks...Shawn ran after him to try to grab him at the top, but couldn't keep up...Ryder was going faster than sprinting pace and getting further and further from Shawn.  I heard Shawn screaming and I couldn't see either of them.  I was thinking, broken arm, broken neck, road rash...my tiny fearless little boy...

(view from the bottom of one of the tiers on the hill)

I finally got to a point where I could see Shawn and Ryder at the bottom of the hill.  They both had their arms in the air and HUGE smiles on their faces!! Whew!!  When asked if he was scared, Ry just said, "No - that was super fun! I went faaaasssttt!" Lol!

And of course, Shawn gives me a look and says something like "Did you see how big that hill was?! That was sweet!" Then turns to Ryder and says "Now don't ever do that again - that was too fast (wink, wink)." 

I have a feeling he's going to be just like his daddy...rappelling out of windows, flipping on skis, jumping off double-decker pontoon boats...oh boy...

"I Was There, Too"

Inspiration from my first issue of Click Magazine:

"...We all talk about how important it is to document life, to capture memories for our families, to have a visual history of the day-to-day because the years are fleeting.  Well, I have news for you: You're a part of that. You need to be in pictures.
...What they will care about is that they can see what their mom looked like at 25, 35, 45 and 55; that she played with them, that she gazed at them lovingly, that she laughed with them...capture that for them. We need more than just memories.  We need pictures..." -Sarah Wilkerson

I am almost never in photos - my kids are going to grow up with a zillion photos of them, a few with dad and none of their mom.  I'm starting to work on that....For example, I jumped in the kids' pic during last Friday's playdate:

I was there...there loving every moment with the little ones and their moms.  Thanks for a great morning Jen, Everett, Cora, Christy, Leyla, Lori, Charlie and of course, Ryder & Logan!