Mr. Clean

Ryan loves to help Jeff and I out with whatever task we are doing at that moment.  Yesterday it was sweeping and mopping the floors.  I am sure this is short-lived.  I can only dream and pray that in 12 years he is still so willing and enthusiastic when it comes to helping out with chores. 

Here's the dust pan Mommy...

Such a big helper...

Look, I can even get the trash into the dust pan by myself...

Summer Days

Last week we had a few very hot days in a row.  One afternoon Ryan and I decided to play at home on the back deck.  We filled up the baby pool, grabbed a snack (watermelon of course), got the sand & water table set up and since it was so hot I grabbed us each a popsicle.  Ryan still hasn't quite figured out the proper way to eat a popsicle.  He makes a HUGE mess and gets juice everywhere.  Thankfully the baby pool was right there and we were able to rinse him clean when he was done.  

Ryan grabs the popsicle like this every time.  I have shown him over and over to hold it by the stick but he prefers his way...

Sticky leg...

Sticky fingers...

Coffee-aholic

This morning Jeff and I were trying to kill some time before Ryan's nap time.  We took him to the park to play for a while then we decided to head over to a shopping center with a pet store and Starbucks.  Jeff and I both ordered an iced coffee and the moment that I got mine Ryan started trying to grab it.  He LOVES to drink out of a straw because it makes him feel like such a big boy.  I thought, what the heck there is NO way he is going to like the taste of coffee.  So I let Ryan try it and well, he LOVED it.  He kept motioning for more and trying to attack the cup.  Who knew that our child would love coffee so much?  I only let him have a couple of sips and he let us know that he was very upset when he was not allowed to have any more.  

Sweet boy...

I had to run down here and blog this morning because we just had such a sweet moment and I don't want to forget it.  Anyway Ryan woke up this morning around 6:30 and was sitting in his crib playing with his glow worm and doggie.  After about 15 minutes I decided to go ahead and get him up for the day.  You could see his excitement the moment I walked into the room.  He started bouncing in the crib and a huge smile came over his face.  I picked him up as usual, said good morning and gave him a kiss on the forehead.  Ryan leaned into me for a hug and said "Dank you mama." SO SWEET!!!  The whole way down the stairs he kept saying "dank you."  My heart is so happy!!!! :) 

Happy Father's Day!

We celebrated Jeff's 2nd Father's Day this past weekend.  We actually celebrated the entire weekend instead of just one day.  :)  We took Jeff to breakfast on Saturday and then had a day of fun.  We finished up the evening by attending a local town concert and having some delicious cake.  Sunday we gave Jeff his Father's Day gift (a framed picture collection and golf lessons), went to lunch, played at the park, played in the sand box at home and cooked dinner on the grill.  It was a nice day that could have only been made better if we would have been able to celebrate with our dads too!  

Thank you so much Jeff for being such a wonderful husband and father.  You work so very hard to provide the absolute best for your family.  You are an incredible role model for our son and for our little one on the way.  I love you!  

Here are the pictures that we framed for Jeff for his gift...

Here are some pics from the weekend...

Ryan and Jeff in their "rally caps"

So sweet...

Wait Daddy --- I want your hat..

At the park --- Ryan is such a big boy now and wants to do everything by himself.  He even slides down the slide all by himself.  He is so grown up! 

Friday Fun

Yesterday was another busy day for Ryan.  We started off meeting some of our friends at 8:30a to play at a playground which turned out to be closed.  Bummer.  We let the kiddos run around for a little while then we came home for Ryan's nap.  After his nap we headed off to gymnastics class.  Ryan really seems to enjoy going to gymnastics.  He is able to run around and climb on pretty much everything.  After gymnastics we went to lunch with Ryan's friends (and my mommy friends) and then took the kiddos to play at the playground.  Jeff left work early and when he got home Ryan was just waking up from his afternoon nap.  We decided to go to a local water feature (literally 5 minutes from our house).  Ryan had so much fun!  We then put sand into his sand and water table and Ryan had a blast!!!  Ryan loves to be busy and so do I! :) 

Is it wrong to laugh when the water sprays your curious child in the face??  He didn't seem to mind.  

Yummy Watermelon

So I have a confession --- well two.  First, I LOVE watermelon in the summer time.  Secondly, I have always enjoyed taking pictures.  Since the birth of Ryan my enjoyment of photography has become more of an obsession or passion.  For my birthday Jeff bought me a fancy camera.  As a gift to myself next month I am going to take a photography class.  Then after that I am going to take a photoshop class (since I have photoshop but don't really know how to use it).  Anyway I am really getting into the photography but am very amateur and need to get some more basics under my belt.  

Yesterday I was in a very picture happy mood and took lots of pictures of Ryan as he stuffed his face with watermelon.  Evidently he enjoys watermelon as much as his pregnant, craving mama. 

One of my favorites!!!!  Oh and that is not sweat on Ryan's head, he had been splashing in some rain water. 

So....once I get my classes under my belt and take a few thousand more pictures I am considering doing family photography as a small side project because I love it so much! :)  We will see how all that works out.  

Daddy did what?!?!?!

Last night I was on the phone while Jeff was changing Ryan's diaper.  Jeff went to throw away the dirty diaper and when he came back I hear him saying "Shan he took his diaper off!"  Jeff ran into the supply drawer and got out a stapler, yes as stapler.  I had no idea what he was going to do with it.  Next thing I know Jeff is in the other room stapling Ryan's diaper together so it would stay on.  Jeff said well he only needed to wear the diaper for a few minutes before we changed him into an overnight so I didn't want to waste a perfectly dry diaper.  I was sitting there in disbelief.  All I could think was "my husband just stapled the diaper together so Ryan couldn't get it off...I need to get my camera and photograph this."

No worries -- no one was injured in the diaper stapling.  Literally 15 minutes after the stapling occurred I had changed Ryan into his overnight diaper and pjs and he was ready for bed. 

This is what can happen when a man changes a diaper.  

K is for Kite

One of the things that Jeff and I always remember about the Outer Banks are the gigantic sand dunes.  They are the largest sand dunes on the east coast.  Anytime you drive by the sand dunes you can pretty much count on seeing lots of kites flying in the air.  When we decided on going to the OBX, Jeff immediately told me that he wanted to take Ryan to fly a kite.  

We went to a kite shop, Kitty Hawk Kites and found a suitable kite and then trekked up the gigantic sand dune.  Seriously it looks like nothing but when you try to hike in blistering hot sand while wearing flip flops and carrying an insanely heavy diaper bag, (it was either the bag or Ryan and I chose the lighter of the two) it quickly becomes a difficult task.  Once we reached the top of the sand dune we realized that we had no towel or blanket for Ryan to sit on and the sand was HOT!  Jeff had Ryan sit in his lap and they flew Ryan's train kite together.  Ryan got the hang of it really quick and we had a great time! :) 

Ryan's train kite flying high...

It looks like they are in the middle of the desert...

Ok Daddy I got the hang of this...

Easy peasy, I can even do it with my eyes shut, see...

1/2 way there...

Well --- we have passed the half way marker for this pregnancy.  Actually we are more than past the half way marker as B2 will be born at 39 weeks!!!  I am still wearing my regular clothes (I think it must have something to do with chasing after a very active toddler) and as of my last appointment (6/9) I had a net weight gain of -1 pound.  B2 has been kicking and moving up a storm lately.  I LOVE feeling the baby move around in there though.  It is unlike anything else and simply amazing.  Jeff has been able to feel B2 moving and grooving for the past week or so as well.  He had been asking for months when he would be able to feel B2 kick so I know that he was really looking forward to it.  

We go back in 3 short weeks for another sonogram.  I will be monitored every 4 weeks via sonogram until around 30 weeks.  At 30 weeks we will start going weekly, just as we did with Ryan.  Going to all the appointments gets to be a bit of a pain --- since we have a specialist and a regular doctor, but it is so worth the peace of mind knowing that there is a healthy baby growing in my belly!   

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

Vacation pictures

Here are some more pictures from our vacation.  

We were up early every day --- playing on the beach before 8am. 

Ryan carried this shell around for quite a while...

Hunting sea shells with Daddy...

Kisses from Mommy on the beach...

Mommy please don't make me wear this hat...(Ryan hates sun hats but will tolerate caps just fine)...