4 | happy birthday Ryan

31 lbs

3 feet 2.5 inches tall

Ryan, 

My sweet boy, my monkey man, my super hero. You are FOUR. You are amazing and I can't believe we have had you in our lives this long. I can't remember what my life was like before you. You are my world and I love it.

Four might be my favorite age so far- just don't mention that to Weston ;) You are the perfect amount of independent and dependent. You can get up in the morning and get some breakfast and play a bit on your own. You are can put on your own shoes and buckle your car seat. But you still let me carry you and want me to cuddle with you before bed every night. You still take naps and want me to help brush your teeth. I also want to shout from the roof tops despite the fact that this will embarrass you when you are older- you are TOTALLY potty trained. You started #1 on the toilet when you were 18 months old, it wasn't until after your 3rd birthday that you decided to wear underwear full time. Well it wasn't until last week you when you thought it would be okay to take care of your #2 business on the potty instead of in a diaper while you slept. Thank heavens that is taken care of, we all feel so liberated! We have had many celebrations and I cried happy tears. SO proud of you dude.

You are a good friend and a good brother, you take care of everyone around you. You help out and make sure everyone is happy! Weston looks up to you so much and you are learning how to make good choices so he can grow up having a great example. Keep up the good work!

You are about to wrap up your first year of preschool! I can't even believe it. You are almost reading and counting to 100. You love science and math and always bring home the best art projects. Our goal is to have you reading books on your own by the end of the year, you are so ready for it! It has been so great to watch you blossom. You were super nervous about being at school and it was great that Miss Kim would text me with updates and pictures as to how you were doing. I loved when I got a message that you played with someone else, that you talked a ton turning lunch time, and that you DANCED. You dance at home all the time but it took a while for you to be comfortable with dancing around other people. I am happy with the growth you have been making there it is so fun to watch.

Along with dancing you sing. All the time. About everything. You make up songs about power rangers and monsters, you sing to your food, and to your brother. We love it. You recently decided that you love beat boxing as well. After watching it on tv and hearing it on the radio you were hooked. I made a beat boxing station on pandora for you!

Your best friends are still Yia Yia and daddy. I know I am in there somewhere ;) but I am glad you love other people too since the first year it was all about mama time. You love papa and mimi and papi too! Grandparents are a huge part of your life. We talk to one of them pretty much every day and see them all regularly. You are so blessed to have them close and to have a strong relationship with them. Daddy and I both grew up close with our grandparents and it is important to us that you and your brother have the same thing. 

My favorite things about you are your laugh, your dimple that is just like mine, the way you say good morning every morning on my side of the bed, the way you say lellow (yellow) your love for your taggy, the way you still like me to cuddle with you, our talks in the car and over lunch, your love of sunshine and fresh air, that you want to start going on runs with me, your deep love of restaurants and target, the way you say your prayers and help out in class at church, your logic and 2 cents about everything, everywhere, all the time, the fact that you are still a little timid of new things and take your time, how you want to grow your hair out "long like the other Ryan at school" your fondness of personal hygiene and the way you dress, and your sweet but fire cracker personality.

I am so excited to see what this year hold for you little man! You are one incredible kid and I thank Heavenly Father daily that he trusts me to raise you right. We love you!

love,
mama

happy birthday weston t.

My dear sweet Weston,

Tomorrow is your first birthday! A year ago from right now I was sitting with your dad and your brother out to lunch, counting each contraction and getting anxious and excited for labor to pick up. It would be almost 24 hours later until I finally held you in my arms but you were well worth the wait my love. The way you came into this world is the way you have been these past 12 months. Magical and calm all the time. I love you so much for that gift you bring into our home every day. Your birth was one of my favorite experiences of my life and something I relive in my mind regularly.

Everywhere we go people stop to smile at you and you always smile back. You make everyone happy! I hope that is a talent you will be able to use throughout your life. When you were first born I noticed your magical ability to calm the mood and bring the spirit into our home and into my life. That can be such a blessing for you in your life and your future family.

I want you to know how much you are loved by your brother. From the moment I told him I was pregnant he has loved you. He would lay next to me every day and rub my growing belly and talk about you. When you two met for the first time it was brotherly love at first sight. Ryan wanted to hold you and cover you in kisses right away. You are his best bud and I think you are pretty fond of him too. You both spend your days playing with toys together and cuddling under your favorite blankets.

Your dad and I love you so much too of course. We sit and talk about you a lot, you came into our family when we weren't expecting it and you have been such a wonderful surprise the whole time. You are perfect for our family and we are so happy you belong to us forever. I can't believe you've been here a whole year already, it feels like it's been a month but then at the same time I can't remember my life before you.

Some of my favorite things about you are your laugh, you sound like a machine gun when you get going and its hilarious! I love your big toothy grin, I love the way you use sign language and make up your own stuff, I love the way you love your blanket and the tag just like Ryan does. I love how you are independent but still like to be cuddled. I love that you a great sleeper and eater! I love how you can sit and drive matchbox cars back and forth forever. I love how much you love to throw balls. I love that when daddy comes home you crawl as fast as you can down the hall to great him- he is your favorite person. I love how much you love your grandpas. and I love your golden brown hair thats finally starting to thicken up. I love your big sparkly dark blue eyes. I love everything about you.

While I wish you could stay my cuddly, nursing baby forever, I am looking forward to watching you grow up and see how your personality will blossom and see the great things you will accomplish in this life! You are my light, baby boy and I am so proud to be your mama.

Happy birthday my perfect baby boy! 

Love, 

Mama

countdown to 1

6 months of Weston for your enjoyment tonight. I am so excited to collage his entire year! I haven't done any themes or stuck with photographing him on a specific day of the week/month, BUT I have been really good at picking up my DSLR this year and taking tons of pictures with him. I have at least one a week his whole life. I love watching the changes, big and small in my little guy. 

I will have a huge print of this when it is completed in December and unveiling it at his birthday party after New Years.

half birthday interview

happy birthday to me

this is me and my mama, 25 years go! yup today I turned 25. To some that is still young but I feel old. Its weird age to turn and I am starting to panic as I inch closer and closer to 30! Oh dear. 

Anyway, it was a good day. It started out as a normal Tuesday- 3 year well child check for Ryan ( 28lbs and 3 feet 1/2 inch tall) I got a pedi with my sis in law and she did throw me a little family party complete with a unicorn pinata. It was pretty sweet. 

I was also showered with love on facebook! Thanks to everyone who made me feel special today :) 

btw who thinks weston looks like my twin in that picture above?! crazy!

Ryan-isms vol. 6 | birthday party photos

I am quite proud of myself for actually sticking to something longer than a week or 2. Remember Weston's photo a week?! Still doing it but just never label and post them here.

I have a post it note up on my computer that I will write these all down on its the easiest way to keep track as they all happen so quickly.

Anyway, onto the show..

His brother is now "the weston dude"

"Weston is laughing at me like a doofer!"

   whats a doofer ryan?

"Like a big kid!"

"MEEEEE to the rescue"

He is a food snob. He only likes really yummy things so its not all bad- we eat well! He only likes organic fugi or honey crisp apples. I never tell him what kind they are I just cut it up and hand it over. SO today I cut up what looked like a gala I found in my moms fridge and he ate a slice then handed them back stating "these are all gross apples mom"

After dancing around in a circle patting all his private parts he stated he was "doing the dance on my pen*s and my bum."

"mom I have this cute hat on, come take pictures of me with the window in your room" 

can you tell I am a photographer? hehe 

"no mom you stay here, I'm just going to go peek in on Weston" 

"I ate so much I have a BIG tummy now like you" 

sheesh thanks kid

_______________________________________________________________________________

and now for the birthday party, in photos. 

we kept it small this year, just close family and 2 of ryans friends that happen to be sisters with their parents. everything was yellow and he had a "naked cupcake" with no frosting per request. it was a great day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!

dear ryan | 3 years old

Dear Ryan,

Yesterday you turned three years old. It has gone by so fast, yet I cant remember my life before you were in it. Just as I have said the past 2 birthdays- you amaze me. You continue to make me stretch and grow. You help build my faith and strengthen my character. You push me to set and reach goals, you make me want to be better. I bet you have no idea that at only three, you could accomplish so much. 

Baby boy, I have never laughed so much, cried so hard, or prayed more often than this last year with you. At two, you were barely speaking and then last fall your speech took off like a speeding train. You talk non stop all day, every day. You are loud and proud for sure, even your whispers in church can be heard in the back row. Your sense of humor is to die for- you understand sarcasm too and that makes for a pretty great time. You ask so many questions and insist on full understanding everything around you- from why daddy is at work, to where milk comes from. Everything is coming in full, grammatically correct sentences now and you sound so very grown up. You are my problem solver, just like your daddy. If we are out of milk you will  insist I go get some at target (where you think everything comes from) or if Weston is cranky you will tell me he needs a diaper change or to nurse. Though it creates quite the controversy when you want me to fix a popped balloon by blowing it up again- like hello mom! 

One of the greatest parts about you speaking so well is your ability to pray. Nothing melts my heart more than hearing you pray to Heavenly Father and thank him for Weston, for our house, and to help us be happy.

You may be all grown up and three now but there are still a few innocent, baby, things about you that I love and will desperately hold on to every day til they are gone. You still love me to carry you everywhere, you still cuddle on my lap any chance you get, you still like to use sippy cups so you dont have to be careful when you are taking a drink, you still make us lay in bed with you every night before you fall asleep and just prefer to sleep in our room if you have your way. You still dont like to venture very far and spend most of your day by my side. And best of all you are still obsessed with your taggy blanket. Thank you for not growing up too fast. I dont know if my heart could take it. 

You have always been a smarty pants but with you talking so much now its very apparent. Combine that with the fact that you never ever forget anything and its so cool! You count to 15, know the alphabet, can do basic subtraction and addition involving numbers up to 5, know all the colors, days of the week, and how to cook your own scrabbled eggs. You can tell me how to get places in the car, like various target locations, church, yia yia's house, daddy's work and so on... You know the names to all your favorite restaurants and would eat out every meal if we let you. Of course you are also very tech savvy and know how to work a computer mouse and keyboard, run the apple TV, call your family members, and cruise netflix on the xoom for the fresh beat band.

 This year was huge for you in so many ways too. You full filled one of your greatest missions so far- you became a big brother. From the time I told you I was pregnant you have been over flowing with joy and love for Weston. You had been telling us for quite some time before then, that we needed to have another baby. I knew you were just waiting for him because your world seemed complete the moment you first held him in the hospital. Every day since then has been like a dream (sometimes a crazy one of course) you love him so much and he feels the same about you. You two love to play together and you are the best at making him happy when hes sad- especially in the car. Its a great mommy moment to look in the rear view mirror and watch you guys laugh at each other. 

Your personality is making its self known more and more- its explosive in every way. You are loud, crazy, and hyper all the time. You run around non stop all day and fight us to sleep every night. You laugh and yell, and are constantly moving. Sometimes just watching you makes me tired, I dont know how you do it. There is never a dull moment when you're around. You always have something to show me or something you need.  You also have quite the tempter and three might be more difficult than two! You seem to be very emotional over everything and its not uncommon for you to throw your self on the floor in a puddle of sobbing tears, even if its just because we are out of bubbles. 

But you are pretty flipping cute so its all good. Above is your "scowly" face. Kills me every time. Happy 3rd birthday monkey man, We love you to the moon and back. 

Love,

Mommy and Daddy 

happy birthday to the hubster

Happy birthday to the best guy we know! This year is going to be great you wait and see :) 

Thanks for modeling for me ;) I am glad you laughed at my fart jokes and inappropriate innuendo the whole time.

32 looks good on you babe.