14 Months!

On Christmas Day Owen turned 14 months old! I am not sure how time has gone by this fast. Some days literally seem to drag on and on but then weeks and months go by fast as lightning. It really makes no sense. Last Christmas I had a tiny little newborn who was starting to sleep long stretches at night and really never made a peep. This year I have a toddler who is into everything. He is really working on all of his gross motor skills. He has walking down pat and seems to be trying to run or at least speed walk already. He loves to climb on everything, he loves to bounce and jump.

Owen is working hard on developing his language but he quickly becomes frustrated by the fact that he isn't able to communicate exactly what he wants. My baby who never ever cried now screams a lot. I think it is mainly due to the fact that he is frustrated about communicating his wants though. His patience is short. He has a few words and he has his own "words" or sounds for other things.

Owen loves to eat. He can out eat Ryan and probably me at most meals too. When the food runs out and he's still hungry he gets MAD!!!! Luckily he eats very nutritious foods and will eat pretty much anything that I give him. Despite the fact that he is an eating machine, I actually think he is thinning out. Probably due to the fact that he is always on the go.

Owen is still a cuddler. He loves his special cuddle time and loves to give hugs and big, wet, slobbery kisses. He is happy as a clam almost all of the time and really just goes with the flow. He has been cutting teeth non-stop lately. He is now up to 5 teeth. He loves to read books, loves to rock in the rocking chair and loves to feed himself with a fork and spoon (he is surprisingly skilled at it too).

Owen is curious about everything. He loves to do whatever Ryan is doing and really could care less about the "baby toys" and baby things we have. He wants to be a big boy just like Ryan. He is still taking two naps a day but sometimes the morning nap is very, very short. I am somewhat dreading him giving up the morning nap. :( He is wearing 18 month clothes and 2T pajamas (he's huge) and a size 6W shoe!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I found this basic recipe on Allrecipes.com and tweaked it a bit to add more flavor and reduce some fat. It was absolutely delicious and is now on our usual winter rotation.

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

1 pkg long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet

1/2 tsp salt (I omitted this as it was plenty salty with the seasoning packet)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/3 cup flour

5 tbsp butter

2 cups milk (I used low-fat, but skim would work well too)

2 cloves garlic - chopped

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1 onion chopped

Olive oil

1. In a large pot over medium heat add a swirl of olive oil to pan. Add garlic, onion, carrot and celery and sautee until tender (5 minutes). Then add chicken broth, water and rice. Cook for 15-20 minutes (per directions on rice).

2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter. Reduce heat to low and add in flour, salt and pepper slowly to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.

3. Stir cream mixture into broth and rice and cook over medium or low heat until heated through (10-15 minutes).

4. ENJOY!

Snow Day

Today we had our first real snow of the season. We took Ryan to school this morning and then ran into Target. When Owen and I went in the store there were a few flurries in the air but when we came out of the store the ground was totally covered in snow. By the time we picked up Ryan there was probably about an inch or so on the ground! The boys were too excited about the snow to take their normal naps so we headed out to play. Ryan would have stayed outside for a very long time, but as soon as Owen actually touched the snow he was done. He definitely takes after me. LOL!

First off -- this snowsuit has gotten plenty of use! It is a bit big on Mr. O but he didn't seem to mind. LOL at all of our snow gear in the chair behind him. It takes a lot to get two kids ready to play in the snow.

Really happy before

A few minutes later -- not happy about the snow -- not one bit!

But this little boy loved it. He wanted to stay and play but since it was just me with a screaming 13 month-old, we had to go back inside!

Stomach Bug and Snowflakes

I think most of you know that the Abbott house was hit with the stomach flu of 2010. From what I have been told from friends and family it is going around everywhere right now! YUCK! Owen was the first to come down with the bug and it was pitiful. He recovered very quickly, thankfully. Day 2 was my turn. It seems that we were able to quarantine ourselves enough to not spread our ick to the rest of the family though. Ryan was super-sweet when I felt bad. He would sneak into our room and give me hugs and Jeff taught him to say "feel better Mommy". He even came to take a nap with me. He is such a sweet little boy!

The same day we had our first round of snow. Luckily it was nothing like our first round of snow last year! We had a very, very light dusting that only lasted for a couple of hours. I do not like snow or winter for that matter so I am hoping for lots more snow-free days!!!

Catching Up..

We had a really busy weekend here in the Abbott house. Jeff's parents came to visit which was WONDERFUL!!! I will upload a few pictures from the visit later today, as well as a recap of the visit.

The boys went and had their picture with Santa on Monday. The choices were limited because we could not get both kiddos smiling at the same time, but I love the little look on Ryan's face here.

Everything is going great and we are busy with Christmas preparations, crafts and treats! I hope to get lots of photos in the next few weeks and lots of blogging done. :)

I love Shutterfly!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Accommodating Food Allergies

My good friend Julia posted this article on her blog today. I have copied and pasted the majority of it below. It is a great resource for info on accommodating Ryan's food allergies. I have changed the first paragraph of her posting to reflect Ryan's allergies.

Back in March Ryan was diagnosed with food allergies. He is allergic to peanuts, pine nuts and pistachios (a tree nut). We were told to avoid all kinds of nuts due to the likely cross-contamination. Therefore, we cannot eat peanuts, pine nuts, pistachios or really anything that has been produced in a facility with peanuts or tree nuts.

How do you accommodate such allergies? There are three things to check for: ingredients, processing facilities, and food preparation.

Ingredients
This part is pretty straight forward. We just check the ingredient list for peanuts or tree nuts. Tree nuts include macadamia, brazil, cashew, almond, walnut, pecan, pistacho, chestnut, beechnut, hazelnut, pine nut, ginko nut, and hickory nut. For tree nuts, walnuts and cashews are the two nuts that cause the most reactions.

Processing Facilities
By law, food manufacturers must list allergens on the label. The hard part is remembering to look at the label. Then, it's one thing to know that there are no nuts in a particular food; it's a whole other thing to check non-nut items to see if they were processed in a facility that processes nuts. For example, although the following foods do not have nuts in them, they are often processed in a facilty that processes nuts:

Candy
Chocolate
Pancake batter
French onion soup mix
Cookie dough
Cake mix
Boxed mashed potatoes
Rice mixes

Ice Cream

For every food item I buy, I check the ingredient list and then check the processing facility.

Food Preparation
The last part of accommodating a food allergy is the way the food is prepared. Even if the food doesn't include nuts and hasn't been processed in a nut facility, it must steer clear of other nut foods during preparation. For example, a child who is allergic to peanuts cannot have sugar cookies that were baked on the same cookie sheet or plated on the same platter as peanut butter cookies. Same goes for the cooking utensils. Cross-contamination is a fairly easy problem to avoid in the house; it is a much larger problem when we go out to eat.

I recently came across chef cards that alert chefs to allergies. The cards put all these instructions on one small business card:

WARNING! I am severely allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame. For me to avoid a life-threatening reaction, I must avoid all foods that include these ingredients. Please ensure that my food does not contain any of these ingredients and that any utensils and equipment used to prepare my meals, as well as prep areas, are thoroughly cleaned prior to use. THANK YOU!

Here's another one:

WARNING! FOOD ALLERGY ALERT! I have a severe food allergy to nuts and all foods made with nuts: almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios, pine nuts, Macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, filberts, hickory nuts, and pralines. This also includes nuts in sauces, spices, salad dressing, flour seasonings, pesto, flavored extracts, pastes, topping, cooking oil, desserts, and baked goods. If I eat nuts or any food that has been cooked with them or touched them including food preparation surfaces and utensils, I will need immediate medical attention.

Food allergies are on the rise, and restaurants are getting better and better at accommodating allergies. Just the other day, IHOP cleaned one whole side of their griddle so we could be sure to have nut-free pancakes. We love IHOP! We're crossing our fingers that Sydney and Cole grow out of their allergies, but until then, we will have to accommodate them as best we can!

You're Gonna Miss This..

When Ryan was first born the song "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins was on the radio at least 10 times a day. I know this because I was trying to teach him the difference between day and night and had the radio going all day long. When I would rock him to sleep, totally sleep deprived myself I would often find those words coming through the radio.

I have this blog primarily as a way for me to look back and remember things because I have a terrible memory. There are so many little things that I do not want to forget. Ever. But I am afraid that as time goes by that I will. They are the tiniest little things, every day things that most people would take for granted. Things like...

• The funny way Ryan smiles when he says something that he thinks is funny.
• How Ryan laughs hysterically at the littlest things. One of the things that always makes him laugh is giving Ducky Kisses with a little toy duck.
• How Owen loves to cuddle and if I am home you can forget anyone else rocking him before bed.
• How Owen's head fits perfectly into my hand when I am rocking him and his long lashes flutter on my cheeks.
• How Owen laughs just because Ryan is laughing.
• How Ryan loves to help with anything (dishes, laundry, making a sandwich, using tools, you name it and he will help!)
• The sweet and cute things that Ryan says. When he wants to be held and cuddled "I want to hold you, Mommy" When he is tired of walking, "Care-up, Mommy" When he is curious about something, "how this works Daddy?" When he changes the ending of a word - for instance, eating Kix cereal, he picks up one and says "I got a kick" or he was putting a cow puzzle together and said "I got two cowses".

Thankful

Holidays are hard for me when we are far away from our families. This year we were gearing up for Thanksgiving on our own (I go all out still cooking up a storm), when a friend invited us to Thanksgiving with her family. I don't think I can express how much that meant to us. Thanksgiving is and has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love the gathering of friends and family, the yummy food and reflecting on the wonderful things in our lives. We had a great time celebrating with our friends. I hope that in the future when circumstances do not allow us to spend time with our family on Thanksgiving that we are able to spend the day with dear friends.

We have so many wonderful things to be thankful for this year. Some of the people that I am most thankful for are below...

Me and my little guys..

A sneak preview of the boys Christmas photo shoot...

Slow Cooker Asian Chicken

As I mentioned before, I am going to start sharing other things on the blog besides family updates. I got this recipe from a friend and boy is it good! For those of you that don't know, I love my slow cooker. If it weren't for the slow cooker, we would probably have a whole lot less home cooked meals. I love the ease of this meal and that I can easily throw all of the ingredients straight into the crock pot and that I am not spending forever trying to cook!

I serve with rice and stir fry veggies and it is a hit!!!

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2/3 c soy sauce
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c water
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t ground ginger
2 cans sliced water chestnuts ( I skip these b/c Jeff doesn't like them)
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Place chicken in slow cooker. Mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, garlic and ginger. Spread water chestnuts and green onions over chicken and pour soy sauce mixture over the top. Cook on low for approx. 5 hours

It's that time of year...

It is no secret that I love pictures. The fall of 2008 I had family pictures taken for the specific purpose of getting a holiday photo card! I have ordered photo cards from a couple of different places but my favorite is Shutterfly. Their holiday cards are high quality (I prefer the card stock cards) their designs are fantastic and they arrive quickly. Even better --- they are on sale for up to 30% off! Shutterfly has become one of my favorite gift giving destinations and has wonderful ideas for proud Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles. Some of my favorites are their calendars (also on sale and they have some fantastic new designs this year) and coffee mugs that you can personalize with your favorite pictures!

Now the big decisions of deciding exactly which card we will use this year.

Here are a few cute ideas...

The traditional folded card. You can even customize this card with photos on the inside and there is plenty of room for text.

A flat card that combines the photograph with a bulleted list (update on the letters that some families send) - a really cute and fun way to recap the year.

Super cute and festive design in a flat card.

Meet Fluppy Dog!

A week or so ago we took the boys to the Build A Bear Workshop for the first time. We let Ryan pick and make the animal he wanted. His choice, a very soft and cuddly dog. He was a little confused at first, and mainly wanted to push these sound buttons -- his favorite being the Star Wars theme song. I believe that you put the little sounds into the animals paw and press it later...we opted for an animal with no sounds. ;)

I didn't get as many pictures as I had hoped to get. I also realized that I don't need to carry my professional camera with me on these outings because when I switch it to the auto mode it really annoys me. Random focal points, horrible lighting and takes up a ton of room...time to get a little point and shoot!

Not sure what to think when he was filling up the dog with stuffing. I am pretty certain he was wondering what exactly the lady was doing to his puppy!

Bath time --- Ryan loved this part and would have bathed his puppy for an hour if we would have let him. He liked brushing the dog, and drying him off with a blowdryer. I got no good pictures of this event...

Then it was on to naming dog. Ryan picked the name "Puppy Dog" or at least that is what we thought he chose to name him. Little did we know that we put the wrong name on the birth certificate, his name is actually FLUPPY dog. I wonder how much it costs to get a name change form?

Proud of his new puppy..he loves Fluppy's house too!

He wanted to carry Fluppy home just like this..

Loving on his two favorites, Fluppy and monkey.

Fluppy has been right by Ryan's side since he came home. He eats with us at the dinner table, he has been added to the animal collection that Ryan sleeps with, he is Ryan's tv watching buddy and I must say he is the easiest puppy we have ever had!

What a difference a year makes...

then there's this. I wish we could just slow down a little bit....

Going Greenish

No, we don't have a hybrid. No, we don't always recycle everything we should. I am making the switch to all natural cleaners! We have been using vinegar to clean things for a while, but I have decided to take the plunge and get rid of a lot of my store bought stuff in favor of making my own. With little boys who like to eat off the floor, crawl around and the like, I figure it is much better for them (and us). A couple of weeks ago our cleaning lady came. When she left I had to open up all the windows and we actually left for a little so that the aroma of cleaning products could actually diminish. I don't know if she mixed things that didn't need to be mixed or if the cleaners were just overly potent that day. I figured that it was not healthy for me and it surely couldn't be good for the boys to breathe that stuff in.

My new cleaner works like a charm! It costs pennies to make an entire bottle and it leaves most surfaces looking great! I am on the hunt for a glass cleaner (or recipe), but this all purpose cleaner is fantastic! It's amazing how much a little vinegar and a box of baking soda can do! :)

All-Purpose Cleaner

• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. baking soda
• 1/4 gallon (1 liter) hot water
• a few drops of essential oil (optional)

Combine the ingredients, stir, and let cool for a few minutes before pouring into a spray bottle. Tea tree essential oil has antiseptic properties, making it a winner for cleaners. But my favorite aromas come from orange, lemon, and lavender essential oils. Use and enjoy!

Look-a-likes!

Everyone keeps telling me the boys look like twins (seriously I get asked if they are at least 1 time per week). I think they are kind of right, these boys are looking more and more alike! So CUTE!!!

Chop, chop..

Yesterday the boys got their hair cut. I think I cried, the boys however did not. Jeff thinks I am being ridiculous because they "needed to get a haircut, it was too long" but I love(D) the way Ryan's hair curled the slightest bit behind his ear. The picture above makes me miss their casual, slightly out of control, long locks. The lady even put some sort of styling agent on my baby's hair. It was precious but seriously, gel on a 12 month old?! My boys look so grown up now and as soon as I recover from the shock of their new look, I will post pictures.

Side note - we are going to attempt family pictures afternoon. I am praying for one, just one good picture for a Christmas card. Wish me luck!

Thank you Jeff

for capturing little images like these. I don't think you know how much I cherish these sweet, candid moments.

Joy

This picture makes my heart happy.

and makes me think these boys need to get their hair cut.

maybe that will be an activity for this weekend.

10 on the 10th..

I realize that today is actually the 11th, but I had every intention of doing this post yesterday. I think I might start it as a monthly thing, maybe.

1. Ryan recently discovered the difference between a horse and a donkey. He thinks that the word donkey is hilarious. Even more hilarious - the sound a donkey makes. The child just laughs and laughs anytime you say "Heeehawww".

2. Ryan was given a great book "What is Christmas?" from his friend Emily last year. He has really gotten into it in the past few weeks. There is a nativity scene in the book and he knows Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the wise men and then there is the shepherd. He calls the shepherd "Bo Peep" because he holds a shepherd's crook just like she does in Toy Story. It is just funny when he lists off all of the people in the nativity scene and then gets to Bo Peep.

3. I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious. My friend always posts recipes on her family blog and it makes me think that I might try doing the same sometime. If I ever get time.

4. Owen's favorite game is peek-a-boo/hide and seek. He hide behind the curtains or behind a chair and peeks out over and over again. It is so much fun to play and I could sit there for hours with him and never get tired of his big grins and laughs.

5. Having 2 little boys not feel well at the same time is no fun at all. The only positive is that hopefully they will both feel better around the same time and we can have this cold out of our house faster!

6. I have decided to take a sewing class next year to learn how to use my sewing machine. Don't worry, I don't plan to sew any clothes -- maybe a pair of curtains or something. --- random I tell you!

7. Ryan has been wearing his "I moted" (I voted) sticker on his jacket for over a week now. He is so proud of it. It is losing all of it's stickiness and is starting to roll up around the edges. I should have asked for an extra.

8. It is my sister-in-law's birthday today and I wish we were there to give her a big birthday hug and eat some cake!!!

9. Ryan learned a blessing at school and he sings it before he eats. "God our Father we thank you, for our many blessings, for our many blessings, (and then mutters something that I cannot understand)" then he finishes by exclaiming, "Now let's eat muffins!" He refers to cupcakes as muffins and obviously they have been getting a lot of treats at school lately.

10. Ryan calls iced tea "teet". It is hilarious for him to run around saying "I need teet!"

11. Bonus - ever since our trip to Disney Ryan will say things like, "Go take a nap, wake up, go to Mickey Park, ride rocketships and see castle?" or he will say go to shiny ball, ride Nemo. I just think it is neat that he remembers so much from our trip! Can't wait to take him back again!

Simplifying

A couple of weeks ago one of my Mommy friends shared this link on Facebook. I read the article a few times and it really hit me hard. It caused me to take a step back and reevaluate things. It made me want to simplify my life, check to make sure the priorities I claimed to have were actually the same ones that I was living. I am now making an effort to go through all of our things and get rid of the things that really are not serving a purpose. It is a great article and I highly recommend it. :)

Project Simplify is in full swing here in the Abbott house. Jeff made a trip to the dump this morning to get rid of a bunch of junk and I have toys, clothes, kitchen gadgets, extra utensils and more heading to the donation center this afternoon!! Next up - our home office.

Silly

Revamp

I noticed my header picture was over a year old...my oh my how the boys have changed. I am working on updates and plan to start blogging more. The new stuff is not perfect but it will do.

:)

We voted!

We voted (well Jeff & I, not Ryan). Hoping to get the gears of "change" moving in the right direction for this country.

Disney Trip

I am way behind on blogging. At the beginning of October we took a week-long trip to Disney World with Jeff's parents. We decided to drive for a variety of reasons. The drive down was not bad at all but the drive back frankly sucked. The kids did great but we were gone for 10 nights and I was just ready to be back in my own bed. We broke the drive up into 2 days and it really was not bad at all -- just seemed like we were never going to get home.

The boys had a wonderful time in Disney and I think that Jeff and I had an even better time than they did! Ryan loved everything about the Magic Kingdom except for the loud fireworks shows. We tired him out every single day by 1pm. It only took 3 weeks of being back home for him to stop asking to go to "Mickey Park" 3 or 4 times a day. Now he likes to look at all the pictures we took on the trip instead and talk about all of the things he did while he was at Mickey Park. Owen was a trooper and as usual was in a great mood the entire time.

Here are a few favorite pictures from the trip. We are already thinking about when we will go back. Next time though we will stay on the Disney property in a hotel that has quick access (boat or monorail) to the Magic Kingdom.

Ryan met Pluto the moment we walked into MK for the first time. He was SO excited that we had to hold him back in line.

Ryan's first glimpse of "Mickey's Castle"

Mid-air on the rocket ships, one of Ryan's favorite rides

Waiting on the train at the Animal Kingdom

Pluto was the hardest working character at Disney, we saw him several times a day, every day.

Our date night, we cancelled our dinner reservation in favor of a night out at Magic Kingdom

Fun night at Mickey's Not-So Scary Halloween Party and Ryan's FAVORITE ride, Dumbo.

I love all the pictures with the castle in the background.

Love!

Mickey Ears!

Happy Birthday Owen!

Owen is ONE! Can you believe it? My sweet, little boy is a whole year old already. Owen has changed so much in the past month. Thankfully he is still my little cuddle bug and loves to give hugs, be cuddled and rocked to sleep on occasion. Last night while I was rocking him I found myself quickly in tears, holding my sweet little boy and savoring every single second of that special moment. Tears filled my eyes as I thanked God for giving me such a wonderful gift and blessing more tears as I prayed for Owen and the person he would one day become. :)

Now on to the milestones!!! Owen loves to wave Hi and Bye-Bye to everyone. He says hi and waves hysterically to pretty much anyone we see. He loves to point out every single tree, bird and airplane he notices. When I sing he starts clapping like crazy the second I am done. He loves to play peek-a-boo (especially hiding behind the curtain), he loves to do anything and everything that his big brother is doing, he has a 2nd tooth, he eats as much if not more than Ryan at every single meal, he has started taking steps here and there but his favorite method of getting around is the crawl (he is very speedy), he thinks going up the stairs is one of the coolest things ever, he gives hugs on request and he loves to dance when he hears music.

Owen loves everyone. He is one of the easiest babies I have ever known. I feel incredibly blessed to be his Mommy. Happy Birthday little man!

Never Grow Up

So today I decided to preview Taylor Swift's new album. I am not usually a big Taylor fan, but this song made me buy the album immediately. There are so many days that I just want time to stand still and to freeze these boys just the way they are forever. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ykXuRHXJSw&feature=related

Never Grow Up lyrics
You're little hands wrapped around my finger
And, it's so quiet in the world tonight
You're little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming
So, I took you in
Turn on your favorite night light
To you, everything's funny
You got nothing to regret
I'd give all I had, honey
If you could stay like that

Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
It can stay this simple

I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart
And no one will desert you
Just try to never grow up, and never grow up

You're in the car on the way to the movies
And, you're mortified
You're mom's dropping you off
At, fourteen there's just so much you can't do
And you can't wait to move out someday and call your own shots
But, don't make her drop you off around the block
Remember that she's getting older too
And don't lose the way that you dance around in your PJ's getting ready for school

Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
It can stay this simple

And no one's ever burned you
Nothing's ever left you scarred
And even though you want to
Just try to never grow up

Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room
Memorize what it sounded like when your dad get's home
Remember the footsteps, remember the words said
And all you're little brothers favorite songs
I just realized everything I had is someday gonna be gone

So, here I am in my new apartment
In a big city, they just dropped me off
It's so much colder than I thought it would be
So, I tucked myself in and turned my night light on
Wish I'd never grown up
I wish I'd never grown up

Oh, I don't wanna grow up
Wish I'd never grown up
Could still be little
Oh, I don't wanna grow up
Wish I'd never grown up
It could still be simple

Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
It can stay this simple

I won't let nobody hurt you
Won't let no one break your heart
And even you want to
Please, try to never grow up

Oh, whoa
Don't you ever grow up
Oh, whoa
Never grow up
Just never grow up

Birthday Boy!

We just finished up Owen's cake smash photo session. He loved the cake and I thought my friend did a fantastic job!! More posts and pictures coming soon, but in the meantime -- Happy Birthday Owen! I LOVE YOU!!!!

Busy!

We just got back from a very long vacation to Disney!!! We had so much fun and can't wait to go back again sometime. :) We are trying to get back into our routine and I have some blogging to try and catch up on soon.

Until then here are a couple of things I just wanted to say ---

Most nights before bed Ryan likes to look out the windows and find the moon. Once he finds it he talks about the moon and stars and after a few minutes he goes to sleep. Tonight we had the windows open. Ryan was looking out of our bedroom window and the moon was not visible from that window. He yelled out the window "Yooouuu-Yoooouuuu, oh moon, where are you?" Then Ryan crawled over to the window and Ryan showed Owen the airplanes and cars as they passed by. It was a really cute and sweet moment. :)

Next --- my baby boy will be 1 whole year old in less than 2 weeks. He still loves to cuddle with his Mommy and he loves to give hugs. The fact that I can still rock him to sleep from time to time makes my heart happy. I love that he is such a little cuddler. :)

Big Boy Bed!

This past weekend we spent some time working on Ryan's big boy room and moving him to a big boy bed! I was hoping to keep him in the crib as long as possible, especially since he is such a good sleeper and didn't mind being in the crib. But he was getting a little too daring and was going to get hurt trying to scale the crib so it was time to move on. I am really pleased with how Ryan's big boy room is coming along. We need to do some more painting --- we tried to touch up a few spots and the paint was not the exact same color. :( And I need to get something on the wall alongside his bed. He was running around like crazy today with excitement.

We kept telling Ryan that he was going to be in a Big Boy Bed and he has termed his bed "My boy bed". It is cute to hear him say that over and over. :)

Fresh out of the tub and ready to start the bedtime routine.

Apple Picking

Last weekend we took the boys apple picking. Ryan had an absolute blast!! He was so into it and loved picking the apples up and putting them into our bag. He tried to eat just about every single one he picked up, but we did our best to teach him not to do that. They did need a good washing. We stayed about an hour and ran around and had a great time. Here are a few favorites from the day!

love this little foot...so precious!

Running around with Daddy -- tons of fun and giggles!

Proud Dad!

Amazed...

Just the right height for Ryan!

Not digging it so much - I don't think he was feeling so hot either though.

Hunting for the perfect apple..

Thank you, Jeff for capturing this sweet moment.