Karate Program

The girls' karate class at Risen Savior has come to an end.  Their instructor owns a karate studio on Riggs Rd. and they put on a program at the studio.  The girls have really enjoyed their karate lessons and this was a great way for them to show off all the moves they've learned.  They did their performance and at the end received a certificate and a Jr. yellow belt.

Reese is a mini ninja and was so precise with her form.  She takes it pretty seriously.  Ryan is really strong and she really got into the moves towards the end.  It was so much fun watching their performance.  I can't wait for more karate next year.

 Reese is in the blue socks below and Ryan is wearing the stripe socks.  

 Bowing to Sensei Shannon when she gets her Jr. yellow belt.

 So proud of my little girls and their yellow belts.

Our little ninja warriors

Remembering Chandler

Today we celebrated the life of Chandler Michael Dobson, our sweet little friend that went to be with Jesus last Monday.  He was the sweetest little boy with the biggest smile and was so full of life.  My heart has been breaking for the Dobsons this past week as they mourn the loss of their precious little boy.  The funeral was an amazing ceremony with beautiful music, photos & videos, and his favorite color orange everywhere.  It was a testament to the wonderful life he had for three short years.  Sweet Chandler, we know you are up in heaven in Jesus' arms and giving him some good belly laughs with your sweet smile.  We love you and will miss you dearly.

Rock Van Gogh

Ryan really wanted to paint rocks.  I love our little picnic table where they can do these kinds of projects and it all gets hosed down.  She picked out some of her favorite rocks and went to town with our glitter and tempera paint.

 She had a little helper along the way.

 So pensive.  I love it that Ryan did this little project all on her own.  Usually Reese is the little craft kid, but not today.  Ryan was in full artsy craftsy mode on her own.

Easter eggs

We love dyeing Easter eggs each year.  The girls get really amped up about it and it's a fun family event for us all.  We dyed a few dozen tonight and then they'll do some at school tomorrow, and again on Saturday at Auntie CeCe's house.  That should be enough to get their fill for the year.  One of their favorite parts is dropping in the color tablets to see what colors will appear.  It's all SO exciting!

 Ryan couldn't wait to get started.  

I'm know it's weird she's in her undies but she didn't want to put clothes on and I didn't want to try to get dye out of her outfit.  It's really nothing new to see our kids in their skivvies.

We love mixing the colors up and Cory tries to get the tie-dye action going with the eggs.

 Ryder was our cheerleader from his high chair.  

Strapping him in was the only way we could keep the eggs safe.

 Some of our finished work.  

Now we're going to decorate with stickers and a few egg wraps.

 I told Cory that I'm always behind the camera and there's never any good photos of me.  So he grabbed the camera and snapped this photo.  Thanks, Honey.  Just the lovely snapshot I was hoping for with my bikini strap hanging down out of my cover up.  So classy.

The girls decided to eat the eggs that were cracked and Reese wolfed hers down but Ryan decided she didn't care for hard boiled eggs.  She ate almost all the yolk and then spit it out in Cory's hand.  Lovely.

 Ryder is so excited to show Mimi our Easter eggs. We had so much fun!

Mimi in the rain

Here is Reese's latest drawing.  It's Mimi walking a dog in the Rain.  I'm not sure why she put Ryan's name on it.  I love these little drawings and we have a pretty substantial pile around our house.  My favorite part is the dog with the leash, floppy ears, and a big bone next to him. 

 

Grandma perks

Mimi posted this on Facebook and I'm reposting it:

Today I stopped by Lisa's and it was my shortest visit ever; I could have left the car running! Ryder was beyond tired (a hot mess as Lisa puts it), Ryan had her XL-I-can-do-it-myself crabby pants on, Reese was running around in her underwear getting lost in the shuffle, and the house was in a wee bit of disarray. It's such a nice grandmother perk to tap on your watch and say, "Look at the time! I must scoot. Toodles!"

Dare I say we're in a rough patch right now?  It's true.  Ryan is a wee bit challenging right now and is testing everyone's patience.  She told me the other day that she knows she should like me but she just doesn't right now.  I have a pretty good sense of humor about it, but it can take it's toll after awhile.  She's just in her little difficult phase right now and I feel like she's going through some of the same issues that Reese dealt with last year when Ryder was born.  We really hope it passes soon.  Reese is doing fantastic right now and she's such an angel.  I feel bad sometimes because my expectations for her are pretty high right now.  When Ryan is acting up I expect Reese to be perfect, and she usually is, but sometimes she wants to melt down too.  There have been moments often when all three kids are crying at the same time.  I have to excuse myself for a few deep breaths and tell myself, 'This too shall pass".  

Date night with Reesie

Reese & I had a sweet little date night together.  I love having one on one time with our kids and Reese is my little shadow right now.  She couldn't wait to spend alone time with me and Ryan is all about daddy, so that worked out great for her.  Reese & I headed to GAP for some shopping with our gift card (it was actually Ryder's bday gift card, but he needs clothes like a hole in the head so we decided we'd get some girly clothes :)  I picked out two shirts and Reese picked out two.  They've grown so much lately that the toddler sizes don't fit anymore and the little girl sizes seem so grown up, but there she was buying size 6-7 shirts.  We decided we were hungry and wanted something quick so we could go get frozen yogurt.  I decided on Subway because I knew it was something we'd both eat.  We shared a footlong and Reese tore it up!  She loved the spinach on the sandwich and kept telling me that she loved salad.

 

Then we headed to Orange Leaf for some self serve frozen yogurt.  We mixed up our flavors and sat in the barstools by the window.  I LOVE frozen yogurt and Reese seems to be following in my footsteps.  This place is fantastic and so clean.  We were instant fans and will be back often for some delish desserts.

 

She didn't let one drop go to waste.  Hilarious!

To my little Reesie, thanks for being my best buddy and spending special time with me.  I love you, your company, and the sweet moments we share together.  Can't wait to spend time with you again soon. xoxo, Mom

So much fun

We had one of those great days where it just leaves a smile on your face.  I had good intentions of taking photos but I was too busy living life to capture it today.  I'm sure my lack of photography had nothing to do with chasing around a 15 month old monkey boy.

The day started off with a playdate with Mistelle & her boys coming over.  The girls have been asking about Zackary and Lane for awhile and we were so happy that it worked out since baby Chloe could arrive any day now.  The kids had so much fun playing outside for hours and we enjoyed a nice outdoor lunch.  We were sad when it was time for them to leave.

Later in the afternoon we had some impromptu visits and it turned into a full fledged cul-de-sac party.  My mom was watching the kids while I ran a quick errand and when I returned Auntie Cece stopped by with Keira and they were all playing in the front yard.  Casey dropped off Haley & Romelo to spend the night, then Jessica & William came over to play & Uncle Eddie was the last to join the party.  We ate snacks on the grass and watched the little ones play, while the big kids rode bikes, trikes, & plasma cars (yes, we have two of everything).  It's so much fun being with family & friends and enjoying these amazing days.  We are so blessed!

Cousins

These two little guys are buddies.  Mimi brought Will over while Jessica was at work and they were having so much fun together. 

 They really know how to tear things up.  Gotta love two toddlers together.

Flaco

Ryder is our little Flaco (that's Spanish for skinny guy).  I took him for his 15 month checkup and he's barely on the chart for weight, just below 5%, weighing in at 20lbs. 3 oz.  He's 32" long and has grown 1 1/2" in the past three months, but only gained one pound.  His activity level combined with his lack of desire for whole milk = a very skinny boy.  The doctor didn't seem too concerned.  She did tell me that we should try to push the whole milk a bit more and not let him "snack" breastfeed.  Must have dedicated nursing times and not make the boob available whenever, wherever.  Okay, I can handle that.  I told her that he's a pretty good eater (except when he's throwing food off the tray) and I think he's just going to be built like daddy.  She said that being thin is not a problem and he's perfect in every way.  I completely agree.

My kind of day

I love when it rains.  It's been a steady stream at our house this morning.  I'm soaking it up because I know it's only here for the day.  The girls spent the night at Grandma & Grandpa's house, Mr. R is napping, and Cory is working so I have the quiet house all to myself.  Such a great day.

15 months

Ryder is 15 months today and we've decided he's the coolest little boy ever.  Here are some highlights from the past month with our little monkey:

• Sleeping like such a champ.  No more night wakings (yay!  It only took 15 months to get him to sleep through the night.  Ha!)  Still taking a morning and an afternoon nap.  Tried pushing him to just one nap but it wasn't working.  He's sleeping at 10am and again around 2 or 3pm.  It's nice to get 2 breaks during the day and about 12 hours at night.
• Throwing food off his high chair tray.  I don't even know how much food he's actually eating because it seems he just throws it all and Muffin devours it before I can get it off the floor.  Like everything else, it's a big game and he thinks it's hilarious.
• We haven't had the 15 month appt. yet but I think he's grown taller in the past month.  His 12 month pants fit only in the waist, but the length looks like he's waiting for the flood.  I think he's about 21 lbs.
• Talking so much more.  New words include: hurt, light, all done, water, thank you, Papa, and what's that? 
• Still nursing.  Slowing down a bit.  Maybe 4 or 5 times a day, but I still don't think we're weaning any time soon.
• Like to color with his sisters.  He uses our stamp markers and he goes to town.
• We flipped his car seat forward for about a week because he's 20 lbs. and one year, but the day after we flipped it forward I saw a special on the Today show about leaving them backwards until they are two.  So, he's facing backwards again and he doesn't really seem to mind.
• He LOVES his shoes and we have plenty to go around thanks to Misty for some hand-me-downs.  He calls them 'Bahs'.  He carries them around and brings them to me to put on.  When it's time to take them off at the end of the day or nap time he screams and throws a mini tantrum.  It's pretty funny to watch.  
• He's climbing on everything as I wrote about in a post earlier this week.  It scares me but I'm hoping it's just a phase.  Yesterday I had to lay all the barstools on the ground so he would stop climbing.  It looked like a bomb went off in our kitchen.
• Loves getting dirty outside.  He's such a boy, playing in his sandbox with his trucks and cars.  
• His hair is getting really long and curly in the back and it's the cutest 'do ever.  We cut the girls' hair at 15 months but they had little mullets.  Ryder's hair is growing out nicely and Cory says we're never cutting it ;)
• And of course, he's still a Mama's boy.  Not really interested in anyone but me and Daddy when he gets home from work.  We love it.

Happy 15 month birthday, Ryder.  We love you to pieces.  You are such a special boy!

Cooking class

The girls took a cooking class today at Young Chefs Academy.  I have a few passes that we bought on Groupon and I figured they're finally at a good age to start using them.  They look a bit apprehensive but they were SO excited and couldn't stop talking about going to their cooking class.  Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting was on the menu. 

 They listened patiently while the teacher gave instructions.

 They weren't sure what to think about this kid crying in between them.  Ryan was looking at me and then back at him wondering if she should be upset too.  Reese didn't really care.  She just wanted to suck her thumb until it was time to cook.

 They made Easter drawings while the cake was cooking.

 And then it was time to eat the finished product.

 Delish!

Snip

It's time for the big snippy snip in our house.  Today was one of those days where I feel like it's hard to juggle three kids and I can't imagine adding another to the mix right now.  I'm on the web right now researching doctors and I'm going to have Cory set up an appointment.  I'll probably be sad when it's all over, but right now we feel like it's the right thing to do.

It's getting worse...

We have a full fledged climber.  He's on top of everything and it happens in a matter of seconds.  It's big stuff too, like the tall kitchen table, barstools, and counter tops.  He thinks it's a big funny game.  It's not.  I have to watch him every second.  He's so darn cute, but he seriously keeps me on my toes all day long. 

On a side note, will you please admire these curls with me?  His hair is getting long and so curly in the back.  We think it's adorable.  I'm pretty sure his first haircut is a ways off.  I want those curls to stay forever.

Our budding ornathologist

The baby birds hatched and Mr. R is pretty excited.  He stands on the cooler and yells and points.  It's kind of hysterical to watch.  Reese & Ryan like to play house outside and they use Ryder's Tonka fort for their resting area.  That's why you'll see them lying on the ground in these photos.  They are pretending to take a nap.  I wish they would stop pretending and really go take a nap.

You can see a tiny little head peaking out on the right side of Mama bird.  I need a better zoom lens.

 
PS<> This is that time of year where you'll be seeing our kids in their undies/diaper/naked quite often.  When it's over 90 degrees our kids are usually naked.  Just warning you that it's coming.

Road Trip

We took a road trip for the day to Prescott to watch Romelo's soccer tournament.  This is the only photo I took on my camera phone even though I had the Nikon with me.

 

Don't they look so excited?  We squeezed all 5 of us into Cory's Sonata, which was a slice of heaven.  The temperature in Prescott was great but it was SO windy and dusty.  I felt like a dirty dustball by the time we left.  It would have been fun to stay the night and hang out in the downtown square, but we headed back and arrived home around 6pm.