Thursday, April 3, 2014

Spring Forward!

It’s been a busy and fun winter!  Ryan and his little sister have kept busy both inside and outside the house.  They both had some great adventures with mommy and daddy and their grandparents too!

Ryan started the year out nicely by celebrating mommy’s birthday with her and Grandma and Grandpa for a lunch date! 
Someone enjoyed the stickers while he waited for his lunch …




And he also enjoyed his hamburger!  First time having a burger and it’s a hit!  Guess he’s not vegetarian like his mommy!



It was a lunch full of smiles and fun.  I could not have thought of a better way to spend my birthday!

February was an eventful month starting with Ryan’s flu bug … such a rough go, but Ryan got through it like he always does - getting through it with a smile!

Hanging in there …



Thankfully Ryan recovered in time to celebrate Valentine’s Day.  Mommy and daddy were very lucky to get such beautiful Valentines …




… handcrafted by the cutest Valentines ever!




As usual there are lots of adventures to be had at home … here are a few from February and March!

Ryan’s gentle start to potty training … the big boy pants are making an appearance soon – he’s ready!




Eleanor loves “standing” with her big brother! 



… though it didn’t take long for Ryan to figure out how much fun it can be to spin his sister around …

Ryan loves to balance on one leg and do an “arabesque” like mommy did in her skating days!



Eleanor is trying to keep up with her big brother … she went from sitting around …



… to pulling up and standing!




Ryan loves to play with his sister … admittedly he also likes to smack her on the top of the head, but for the most part they get along great!









The one day it rained in CA, Ryan enjoyed his walk afterwards … rainy days are an entirely different world to explore!  Here we are checking out a snail who ventured out with the rainfall …






March started off with quite a big adventure!  Eleanor went off to her Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Craig’s house for a 5 night stay – and Ryan went to his Grandma Cec and Grandpa John’s for a 5 night stay when mommy and daddy went on a trip to Mexico!  Daddy won a sales award with his work and such winners get to go on a wonderful trip including their spouse or friend. 
It was a great break for us – first time away from the kids … we took advantage of the all inclusive resort best we could!  And we also got a lot of sleep :)

Ready to go … taking a red eye flight!



Here is the stunning view from our luxury hotel room!



Scott had some team building exercises during the trip … here’s his team’s sand castle!



Of course there were many happy hours had ..



At the awards night!




Eleanor had a great visit with her grandparents, auntie, uncle and cousin Alexis!  Some very cute cousins!

Ryan had a blast with his grandparents, auntie, uncle and canine cousin Freida!  They had quite a few adventures – keeping him busy and very happy!
He even went into the city for a day – had a nice visit with his Tio Sean, Tia Leslie and Cousin Fredia!  The highlight was easily the bus ride! 

Ready for a day of adventure! … he found mommy’s childhood favorite buddy!



Helping grandma and grandpa rearrange their furniture



Helping Grandpa shop at the store!




One of his day adventures … story time at the library …




Back from vacation and since the Spring-like Winter continued, Scott and I thought it was a great time to take the kids on a fun filled day trip to our local children’s park and zoo!  Eleanor enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells as we went through the park – and Ryan tried out everything he could!  It was a blast and some great time together after our separate adventures!

Ellie ready to go!



Let’s go on the carousel mom!



… we weren’t too sure at first, but it didn’t take long to find the fun in this!





Mommy and daddy were so proud of our big boy – he rode on the car ride all by himself!  Ryan’s first drive of many we are sure!




In addition to cars, trains are also a big hit around our house.  Ryan loved the Dragon Train – and so did Ellie.  We all got to ride on it together!





Ryan’s favorite animal is called a Capybara and it’s the world’s 2nd largest rodent.   Great pick Ryan!  … although mommy admits it’s pretty cute …





The petting zoo was a fun place to be – Ryan was a little cautious but also quite curious of the roaming goats.  We checked out a few and said hello …





Ryan also wanted to help this guy with his snacking …




March ends with a tough night when Ryan had another sleep study!  Mommy and Grandma had a long night helping Ryan through – but we made it!  Hopefully we get some good data from the Z’s that Ryan was able to get!

Here we are ready with our own stickers!



Getting tired … almost time to get the doctor’s stickers …



After the long night – we made it to the morning – and Ryan is greeted with a special new toy from daddy!



It was a busy Winter full of fun and smiles!  We finish March off with Ryan’s 2 ½ year old “birthday”!  Already 2 ½ years old!  What a big boy!




… on to the next adventure!

Monday, January 6, 2014

Welcome 2014

The holiday season flew by very quickly in this household!  We ended 2013 in the best possible way - filled with adventures both outside and inside the home!

November began with a special trip to the zoo!  Ryan had a blast meeting all sorts of creatures!  We started with the penguins and watched as they had their breakfast.




We saw lions, giraffes, monkeys, birds, tigers, and more!  One of our favorites was this rhino - he was playing with a "ball" by pushing it around with his horns!  Ryan thought that was pretty fun.



Ryan and daddy



Eleanor tried cereal for her first time this November - she loves eating just like her big brother!  Their favorite is eating together!

Yum!




Ryan and Ellie are very lucky and have a wonderful nanny who takes care of them during the day.  She takes them out and when they spend afternoons at home, they are busy with all sorts of fun projects.   Here is their Thanksgiving art - complete with hand print "turkeys"!



It was Eleanor's first Thanksgiving and we enjoyed multiple celebrations as usual!  We spent a day at both sides of the family and created our own delicious spread at home too!  We are big on cooking in this house - and really enjoyed our quiet day at home cooking up a fantastic meal and spending the day together!

Thanksgiving buddies



As usual, we enjoyed a few extra adventures ...

Ryan's first "boo-boo" ... he tripped and his sippy cup cut his chin.  There is still a mark, so if it sticks we might have to come up with a better story!



Ryan has a very creative and silly side ...



Ryan helped mommy "decorate" Christmas cupcakes ...







Ellie loves Ryan's toys ... thankfully he is great at sharing ... most of the time!



We did more fun projects with our nanny!

Finger painting fun!


Christmas art!  The first foot is Ryan's and the second is Ellie's.  A very special piece of art!


After such busy and fun days, the kids really enjoy bath time together!  Ryan is working on teaching Ellie how to splash.  Not sure he will like the outcome of this!



We had a wonderful time at this year's LPA Holiday Party!  It's always a big event with lots of familiar faces and new ones too!  We enjoy great food and company - Ryan is starting to enjoy the other kids and as always, was quite the social guy!

Ryan and daddy



Eleanor and mommy



When Santa arrived on the fire truck, all the children chased after Santa ... except for Ryan ... all he cared about was the truck!  Lucky for him, the firemen were very kind and let him explore their truck!






Christmas isn't complete without a visit to Santa!  Both kids had no problem sitting in Santa's lap and we think they were able to tell him what they wanted for Christmas!

All ready to go!






We also did a visit to the amazing lights display in our area!  We opted to ride the park's train through the display - it was an hour long line, but worth the wait!  Ryan couldn't decide which he was more excited about - the lights or the ride on the train!




Before we knew it, Christmas had arrived!
We woke on Christmas morning to find that Santa came!

Eleanor helped mom and dad get their coffee going - she's our early bird!



Ryan was a little slower to wake ...

Good morning!


It didn't take Ryan long to warm up to the idea of Christmas morning!





Ellie loves her jumper!

Ryan is very excited about his Cars movie ... it's one of his new favorite activities!


He also enjoys his First Words flash cards!  ... sometimes he even looks at the pictures ...



Ryan's "big boy" bedding!  (Cars theme of course!)



We ended 2013 with a lot of great fun and wonderful family time.  The new year gives us a chance to reflect on a year well done!  It's been a fantastic year and we can't wait to see what 2014 brings.



... on to the next adventure!