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.

Ryan 2.5

I cannot believe that my baby is 2 1/2!! The same week that he started preschool he also turned 2 1/2. I have to say that while I might have over-estimated what he would or should be doing at a year old, that he has by far exceeded any thought I ever had for what a 2 and a half year old would do or be capable of doing. Ryan is such a smart little boy. He learns things so quickly and it seems like every single day he has something new that he is learning, saying or doing.

Ryan loves to read. In order to do so he must be sitting in your lap. He doesn't like having to share your lap with his brother (although he is great at sharing pretty much everything else) and he doesn't like to read with Owen because Owen doesn't sit still and Owen tries to turn the pages and skip to the end. His favorite books for the moment are Green Eggs and Ham, If you Give a Cat a Cupcake and a disney pixar book. He is starting to enjoy longer books more and more so I need to get a few more for our collection.

Ryan is a wonderful big brother. He asks about Owen all the time. He likes to check on Owen when he is taking his naps and he likes to help get Owen up and out of the bed. Ryan is very patient and doesn't get upset when he has to share toys with Owen. He doesn't mind if Owen accidentally pulls his hair or pinches him. He likes to share food with Owen and he likes to get Owen a pacifier if it falls on the floor. The other day Ryan even gave Owen his beloved Glow-worm. It is so sweet to watch the two of them interact. Oddly enough, Ryan is just now starting to want to hold Owen. Owen is almost as big as Ryan is though so it makes me a bit uneasy. Ryan will stand behind Owen and try to lift him off the ground in a bear hug style. Yikes!

Ryan has become quite a picky eater. I used to think he was a great eater -- but he is only a great eater if his plate is full of exactly what he wants to eat. He is not a fan of meat unless it is a chicken nugget, egg, hotdog or piece of turkey lunchmeat. He does not like combined food like casserole, but he will eat rice, chicken and peas separately. He loves muffins and pastries and it breaks my heart that he cannot have most of these items that he sees at the store (due to the peanut allergy). If you ask him what he wants to eat he will tell you a waffle, fries, or chocolate. His new thing is to tell you that he NEEDS chocolate. ha.

Ryan has started to say funny things too...

when he burps he says "scoots mees"

when we are driving in the car he says "green means go, red means stop, yellow means go FASTER, yay -- checkered flag". - do we see racing in his future?

I am trying desperately to hold on to every single moment because while everyone warned me that time flies, I didn't realize just how quickly they meant until Ryan was born.

Oh My! I have a preschooler!!!

Today was Ryan's first day of school. We had been talking about it for weeks, practicing his teachers names and talking about the 9 new friends that Ryan would soon make. He was really excited to go to school. We were the first to arrive and Ryan was just so excited. He quickly made himself right at home. He has 1 friend in his class that he has known since he was about 6 months old so I think that is probably good for him. Ryan and his friend Gabby seemed perfectly content playing with the play-dough so we left the room without even a good-bye and not a single tear from anyone.

At pick-up time I was told that after several kids in his class got a bit hysterical that Ryan too got upset. They said that he recovered quickly and that he did a good job the rest of the morning. Ryan says that he is excited to go back and play tomorrow too! :) I guess tomorrow will be the true test as he will know I am leaving the second he spots the building.

I can't believe how big he looks here -- where is my BABY?!?

It's time for an intervention...

Ryan is officially addicted to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or "Mickey's Clubhouse" as he calls it. A few weeks ago he started measuring things in "Goofy feet". Jeff and I were playing with the boys and all of the sudden Ryan starts measuring - with the tape measure - "one Goofy feet, two Goofy feet, etc". Then he named one of his ride on toys his "Rescue Truck", which is the newest fun addition to the Clubhouse. This afternoon we went for a walk and he told us that he needed a "mouseka tool" several times. Then he told us that the birds that flew over our head were going to Mickey Park. Finally as a van was pulling into their garage he says something about the van going into the "shoe garage".

I think it is time for a new show.

Breaking Through

Owen's first tooth that is!!!! Ryan was 1 year, 3 weeks and 3 days old when his first tooth came through, Owen 10 months, 1 week and 5 days old. It is so neat to see their differences and the different timelines that they are on.

My baby is growing up!

Dadada Baba

Owen has learned to wave, and day Dada baba (or what we think is Dada bye-bye). Yesterday we had someone over to the house and when they were leaving I was fairly certain that Owen was waving and saying "bye" (baba), but thought it could have been coincidence. This morning though as Jeff was leaving for work and I was telling him my usual "good-bye, hope you have a great day, love you" Owen started waving his left arm and hand around saying Dadada baba and he was SO excited and proud the whole time!

Happy Boy

Just a couple new pictures of my happy little boy!

Coffee Break

While on our beach vacation, Owen decided to take a little time to enjoy a morning cup of joe. It seems that someone else did this same type of thing a while back....

Oh and a cookie too --- or lens cover.

Coffee Break

Owen can draw!

Owen loves the chalkboard. The one item we must have in order for him to "draw" is the pacifier. Without the paci the chalk immediately finds its way into his mouth. I can't imagine that it tastes good but when you are 10 months old everything goes into your mouth!

Nothing going on here Mommy, just drawing...

Oops that's not what I meant to write...

When he gets really excited he totally lets go and stands on his own...til he realizes that he is standing alone..

Then he sits down for fun!

Oh my goodness....

I just stumbled across this when I was looking through the blog for a specific picture from last year's beach trip. My big boy is SO big now. I cannot believe how quickly he is growing and changing!!!

http://threeabbotts.blogspot.com/2009/10/such-smart-boy.html

Beach Trip 2010!

For the past several years we have gone to the Outer Banks in NC for our summer beach trip. I absolutely love the beach and going there with my family is one of the things I look forward to the most about summer. We had such a wonderful time on our beach vacation! We stayed at a very nice and new condo right on the beach. It was really easy to get the boys dressed and down to play without having to walk far or get in the car.

Both boys really loved the beach. Ryan had a great time playing in the "huge sandbox" as he referred to it. He seemed to enjoy throwing sand in his hair, running into the water and then rolling around in the sand, building and destroying sand castles and the last day or so he decided to get very adventurous and brave with the water! Owen also loved playing in the sand. Thank goodness the child likes his pacifier because that probably saved us from having him put handfuls of sand into his mouth! He was not a fan of the water though. The first day I stuck his feet in and I think between the waves, the noises and trying to take in all of the excitement of a new environment, he got spooked. He started crying really hard and it broke my heart. He liked walking along the beach and being held as we waded in the water, but he would hold on so tight to you at the same time.

Some of my favorite photos from this year....

with waves like this you can see why Owen was a bit frightened...

I love this one...such an independent and fearless little boy

building a sandcastle requires lots of concentration..

Our little bug or cuddle monkey as we commonly refer to Owen..

Flying the kite..

And our "little man" or bub, Ryan