Comic relief...

and just what I needed.  We had a girls night out at Kona Grill last night after we got the kids to bed.  It was great going to reverse happy hour and as we were finishing up around 10:30 wed decided that seeing the new movie Bridesmaids was a must.  Holly, Karen & I went to the 11pm movie.  This is crazy because it's waaaaay past our bedtime on a school night, but so fun being spontaneous.  The movie was SO funny.  I was laughing out loud in many of the scenes and it felt really good to laugh that hard.  Thanks to my sweet friends for a fun, impromptu, late evening out.  I paid for it today but it was worth it. 

Ready for Summer

The weather has been so cool and wonderful lately.  I am loving every second.  We've had a few hot days here and there and when it gets close to 100 degrees the girls are all about jumping in the pool.  They decide it's chilly after a few minutes and are promptly sunning themselves on the lawn.  I think they are so excited about the warm summer days where they can stay in the pool for hours on end.

William's 1st Birthday

Our little nephew William turned one today and it's hard to believe a year has flown by.  Jess & Jared had a luau birthday party at their house with friends and family and it was a blast.  We got dolled up in our Hawaiian gear and partied the night away.  What a fun party!!

 Birthday boy!

 We love cupcakes.

 Ryder & Daddy sporting the Hawaiian duds.

Me and Reesie doing our squish hug.

BBQ fun

You might remember that me and 2 of my besties were pregnant together and now our babies are all toddlers running around together.  Masey & Ryder were born on the same day and Kensley was born 3 weeks later.  We had everyone over for a BBQ and it was so much fun.  The kids all played so well together and we had a blast catching up with everyone.  I love my dear friends so much and it's so amazing to see them as mothers with their precious daughters. D&E--thanks for such a fun day!  Love you girls!!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was such a great day. We went to Jared & Jessica's house for bagels and coffee.  The kids played while the grownups sat around and chatted.  The girls were so excited to give Mimi her Mother's Day gift, a windchime and a fun bowl with 4 little froggies on it that we decided represented her 4 grandkids.  Mimi gave Jess and I Bath and Body Works tote bags filled with all kinds of goodies.  I love that stuff.

 Reesie loves her little cousin, William.  

She always wants me to take photos of them together.

 Mimi, Me, Ryan, & Reese.

Cute little cousins.

 Me and William.

I didn't take any more photos of the rest of our day but we ate lunch at La Stala and then headed to Uncle Chris' house to see Grandma, Grandpa, and our cousins.  After we got home we put the kids to bed and I went to see Water For Elephants with Karen & Holly.  I read the book 4 years ago and was really excited to see the movie.  The book is amazing and I thought the movie was well done.  It was fun getting out with my girls and was a wonderful ending to a perfect day.

16 months

 Ryder boy is 16 months old today and it's for me to grasp how fast he's growing up.  I vividly remember the girls at this age and he's so darn cute, just like they were.  We have a full fledged toddler on our hands.  He's busy, busy, busy, and into everything.  Never a dull moment with this kid around.  Here are a few highlights of our little man:

• Loves playing peek-a-boo with anyone and everyone.  He thinks it's hilarious and it never gets old.
• Sleeping like a champ at night, about 12 hours and taking 2 solid naps during the day.  I was trying to push him to one nap but it was backfiring, so we're back to a nap somewhere in the 9 o'clock hour and again in the afternoon.
• He's pointing at everything and loves telling me which direction to go by pointing.  When I'm putting him to bed he's always pointing out to the family room like that's where he'd rather be.
• Saying more words and signing more too.  He can say Ryan's name and it sounds like "I-an".  I've heard him say 'Reese' once.  It sounded like "eese".  He signs please, more, hurt, all done, bath, outside.
• Loves animals and the noises they make.  He says, "moo, neigh, quack, baa, chirp noises for birds, & elephant.
• Doesn't want to sit in his highchair.  He would rather stand on the barstool next to his sisters or sit on the kitchen island so he's in the mix of everything.  He climbs on the barstools in 2 seconds flat and refuses to get down.
• He loves his belly button and everyone else's.  We ask him to find Mimi or Mommy's belly button and he's running right over to lift up a shirt and poke your belly button.
• His hair is getting L-O-N-G.  It's so cute and curly in the back.  The front is getting a little shaggy but we're still letting it grow.
• Ryder LOVES daddy.  When the door chime beeps he says, "Dada" and goes running for Cory.
• The last molar broke through and he now has 16 teeth, 8 on the top and 8 on the bottom.  I think the teething is over for a bit.
• Still our little skinny guy that can wear 6-12 month pants and fit into a size 3 diaper.
• I can tell that he's understanding everything we say.  I know his comprehension completely exceeds his verbal language and it's fun talking to him, knowing he's understanding everything we say.
• He has such a fantastic personality and we love watching all his adorable expressions.  His face lights up over the littlest things.  He makes his excited face and we all crack up.

We love you so much, Ryder boy.  You are SO much fun right now and we love watching you change and grow.  Each day with you is a gift that we treasure.

Our outing with Gammie

On Friday afternoon I received a call from our dear friend, Erica Butler.  She told me that she had invited my Gammie to her daughter's 17th birthday party and my grandma was trying to drive herself to the party.  Well, Gammie has no business driving her Buick boat to Tempe so Erica asked if I would drive Gammie to the party and bring the girls along.  Of course!  We were so excited to tag along and celebrate.

 Reese didn't really want to pose for a photo.  She decided to pick a winner instead.

 When Catherine was opening her presents she had two very helpful little girls right by her side.

 Catherine, me, & Gammie.

 Catherine & the girls.

Mother's Day at Risen Savior

 The girls hosted a Mother's Day Tea at preschool.  Mimi joined us and the girls served us food and tea.  They were so sweet.

Mimi was in charge of the camera and there were many photos like this one below where my eyes were closed but it was pretty cute of the girls.  I'll take one for the team.

Ryder boy came along with us and was his usual rowdy self.  It was prime nap time and he was a sport while we noshed and listened to the musical performance.  He really loves their preschool classroom and knows right where his favorite toys are stashed.

Their class made really cute clay pots with homemade flowers and a photo in the center.  They also made an adorable recipe book of all the kids' favorite recipes.

Here they are singing their hearts out.  They knew every single word and all the motions that went along.  I was such a proud mama.

Little cuties

I bought matching shirts for Haley and the girls.  They were so excited and they decided to put on a fashion show for us.  We announced them and they strutted their stuff down the hallway and posed in the family room.  Such little cuties.

Mama' Boy as told by Mimi

Lisa,

Your little boy loves you so much!

We were having fun together playing peek-a-boo among other things.  He went into the pantry and got each of us a juice pack.  I opened one and we shared it and when we were finished, I put him down to run around.  We were in the kitchen and he just stopped on the rug in front of the stove and turned back to me.  He had the saddest little face and started to get tears in his eyes, saying, “Mama?  Mama?”   He broke my heart!

As soon as I picked him up, he just laid his head on my shoulder and snuggled with me while I rocked him back and forth.  I talked to him for a while and held him, but he also seemed tired and I put him in his crib.  He didn’t seem so sad when I covered him with a blanket, put his little stuffed dog beside him, and told him you would be home soon.

He is so precious and loves his mommy more than anything.  That is so special; enjoy every minute of it.

Mom

Kisses for Daddy

Ryder loves giving kisses. And he really loves Daddy. So sweet together.

I'm trying

I'm trying to get back in my blogging mode.  I was doing so good and then I feel like things derailed in April.  It was a busy month but I've also been SO sad about Chandler's death and I'm having a hard time writing about the day to day stuff we do.  I have such a heavy heart for the Dobsons because they aren't getting to experience those day to day adventures with Chandler anymore.  There are no words that can comfort our dear friends.  I wish there was.