Merry Christmas

Okay, this year I might have gone a little overboard on Christmas. But, by the look on his face, Ryan didn't seem to mind.

At least the gifts for Ryan. In my defense, last Christmas Ryan was only a few months old and slept most of the day, so this year I was ready to make Christmas a little more memorable for him.

The plan was to have Ryan open a few gifts throughout the day. After opening the first couple of presents it was clear that Ryan was somewhat overwhelmed. I should have realized Ryan would have the attention span of a 15 months old which is equal to that of a knat.

Ryan was more than happy to give his Mimzy & Poppy their gifts, most of which consisted of items to adorn the shrine to their beloved grandson.

I have never cooked a Christmas dinner so A & D came over and together we made a feast. I say "we" but A & D did most of the work.

Happy Thanksgiving

We spent this Thanksgiving at A & D's house (Scott's parents, Anthea & Dan aka Mimzy & Poppy). They prepared an excellent meal that we all enjoyed. Being the President and Vice President of Ryan's fan club they made their favorite (and only) grandson a batch of homemade mashed potatoes. Ryan, being a potato connoisseur, was especially happy to give thanks for the meal.

After enjoying a meal together, we gave Poppy a guitar (his belated birthday present). Anthea had researched guitars and shopped around for the perfect one. I think Dan was genuinely surprised. I think Ryan going to start his own fan club for Poppy's new solo career.

Busted!

This is what happens in our house to little boys when they misbehave. We are in the process of teaching Ryan what "no" means. When Ryan doesn't do what he is supposed to we tell him that he has to go to jail. Here he is in jail with Tigger (his lawyer). He gets one free phone call (on his toy telephone) and he has at least learned when to call his attorney ;)

Happy Halloween!

We live in a great neighborhood that has a lot of young families with kids. That being said, we knew that we would have lots of kids ringing our doorbell wanting candy. This year we thought Ryan might want to join in on the fun. He dressed up like a cute little puppy dog that was carrying a frog in his mouth (he was teething and wanted something to chew).

Of course Mimzy & Poppy came over to join the fun. We only went to three houses but Ryan had a blast. He is so sociable. Not to mention he loves the ladies, what a little flirt!

A Day at the Ft. Worth Zoo

Scott played hooky today so we could take Ryan on his first trip to the Ft. Worth Zoo. Talk about fun! Ryan would look at the animals and get the funniest looks on his face. He especially liked the otters. He followed them as they swam in the tank. He was so cute.

Of course we had to take a ride on the train. When we were kids, both Scott & I used to love riding on the train at the zoo. Apparently Ryan is a fan of the train as well. On the way out of the zoo we couldn't resist stopping by the gift shop. As soon as Scott spotted the stuffed otter named "Ozzy " we knew we had to get it to commemorate our first trip to the zoo as a family.

PTT's

One of our favorite restaurants is a Vietnamese place called PTT's. We usually meet Scott's parent's there for lunch and this past Sunday they brought there camera. Ryan was such a little ham I just had to share.

As you can see, Ryan just is now an expert with his sippy cup.

He likes to eat the noodles and shrimp from our soup.

He also likes to play with the noodles.

Here he is posing with what his Mimzy and Poppy

affectionately call "noodle fangs".

I just love my little man and big man so much!

We are one happy family.

Ryan's 1st Birthday

We celebrated Ryan's 1st Birthday today with a small party.
I think I can safely say that Ryan likes a good party!

He liked opening his presents...

and playing with his new toys.

He was patient while we put some of his toys together.

He even tried a piece of cake...well sort of.

Thanks to everyone who helped make Ryan's 1st Birthday a great one!

Mommy's Weekend Out in New York City

Thanks to my good friend Alex I was able to take a Mommy's Weekend Out to New York. I met Alex on Saturday at the Westin in Times Square. She had to do some work that day so an old friend of mine who lives in Conneticut met me in the city. We went all over the city, Little Italy, Central Park, Times Square, the Village, the works. We walked so much that by the time we got back to the hotel I had blisters on my feet.

On Sunday I went with Alex and her friend Paul to shop in China Town. That was an adventure in and of itself. It was so much fun! We came back on the red-eye Monday morning. This was my first time away from Scott and Ryan and I really missed them! While I love New York City it was good to come home to my family.

Swimming Lessons

We started Ryan in swimming lessons last week. The first day was somewhat disappointing because Ryan cried when we held him and got him wet. He was the youngest in his class (all the other kids looked like they were at least 18 mos.) but, by the third day he was kicking and having a good time.

Ryan's 1st Haircut

On Ryan's 11 month birthday we decided that it was time for his first haircut. The one time that Scott and I tried to cut his hair ended in disaster. Poor Ryan looked like a pair of trimmers had attacked him. This time we decided to spare him any more haircut trauma by taking him to a professional. I took him to Cool Cuts since they specialize in children. His chair was a little taxi car and he was such a good good little boy. He wiggled and fussed a little but after ten minutes his haircut was complete.

Now he looks like a little man...well he does when he doesn't have his turtle hanging out of his mouth!

Blue & Green?

Many people have asked who Blue and Green are. Well, they are my cats. I adopted them from Operation Kindness in October 1993. They are sisters. The reason for their names is this. When I got them I couldn't decide what to name them...Thelma and Louise, Bonnie and Clyde, Wilma and Betty, etc. They were wearing Blue and Green collars so that's what I called them. It was only supposed to be temporary but the names stuck.

This is Blue, aka Boobers, Big Kitty and Luv Bug. She more stand-offish than her sister. When she wants something she has no problem letting you know it. She keeps Ryan at a distance, unless he catches her off quard.

This is Green, aka Green-Green, Little Kitty, Snuggle Buddy. She is more outgoing than her sister. She has allergies and her kidneys are starting to fail. Even though her health is failing she seems suprisingly content. She loves to watch the birds in the backyard from our bedroom window. She will actually hiss and bark at them! She is quite a character.

As you can see, she is much more brave when it comes to Ryan.

Pictures of Ryan...

I previously mentioned that most of our friends and family would like to see pictures of Ryan, I thought that I would accommodate their requests. This first one shows Ryan playing in his Bumbo seat with the blocks he received from his Aunt Gina, Uncle John and Cousin Grace. The seat is great because it helps him learn how to sit up on his own.

This picture shows Ryan playing in one of his favorite toys (drum roll) his (ta da) Exersaucer! This toy has been a God send. Ryan likes it because it makes all sorts of noises and devices to keep him busy (and chew/drool on). Scott and I like it because it keeps him busy just long enough for us to do a couple of things before Ryan wants us to play with him some more. It has also been helping Ryan to learn how to stand.

Our poor son! This is a picture his Mimzy and Poppy took of him. While we all think he looks so cute, he is giving us a look back that just says "Okay guys....really....funs over...where are my pajamas!"

Since it is getting late I will have to add more pictures later. I hope this will be enough for you to get your "Ryan fix" -- you know who you are. Either way you are just going to have to wait to see more.

Our Little Helper

This has been a very busy week for us. Scott has been working hard to get all of his classes grades turned in. He also just started teaching a Maymester class. Scott was so busy that he put Ryan in the box of projects he needed to grade. Scott thought Ryan would have fun playing in it. Judging by the look on Ryan's face I don't think he was amused for very long.

Ryan has been busy trying to crawl. He just learned how to sit up all by himself so I am sure he will be crawling on no time. Although somehow when he tries to crawl he ends up moving backwards. That's how he gets underneath the ottoman, I think. It's a mystery! What can I say, the kid has skills.

Like Father Like Son

I just had to share this picture with everyone! Yes these are the two men in my life, my "big man" Scott and my "little man" Ryan. They are quite a pair - here are just a few things they have in common:

- They both like to sleep a lot and usually with something covering their eyes.

- If you wake either of them up early you better have some food waiting for them or else!

- They are both easy going and generally happy people.

- They both like food and will eat just about anything.

- They both like to hog the remote.

- They both like to snuggle, take naps and hog the bed and the covers.

- When they make a mess, they both just look at you as if they don't know where it came from.

I could go on and on. They really are two of a kind.

Time Flies

I can't believe how fast time has been passing over the last few weeks. Time couldn't pass quick enough because just as Scott started back to school he came down with the flu. At first the doctor thought he had mono. After taking all of his antibiotics Scott still didn't sound or feel much better. But, when Ryan got sick and our pediatrician told us he had the flu we knew that Scott must have gotten it first. I was the only one in our family who didn't get really sick. It took Scott and Ryan about two weeks before they felt better.

Luckily, Scott was feeling better in time to celebrate Valentine's Day. Ryan went to see his grandparent's while we went to see the Cirque du Soleil show Corteco. It was a lot of fun and I was so happy because I could finally fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes :) I gained so much weight with Ryan (almost 100 pds) and my goal was to be able to fit into my clothes by Valentine's Day...and I did it! Needless to say, I was in a really good mood that day.

Ryan has been doing well too. He is almost 6 months old! He is teething right now so anyone who gets within range of him is usually covered in drool within minutes. Although he hasn't started crawling yet he is becoming more mobile. We used to be able to put him on his play mat and he would stay on it. Now you put him down and he is rolling off of the mat in no time. But you just have to love him....he is such a good tempered little boy. Not to mention he is so cute and such a sweetie that I just want to hug him all the time.

Now we are in the process of getting our house set up since we weren't able to get everything done before Ryan came. We found a really nice french dining room set at an auction so we now have dining room furniture. While Scott has been busy with wiring things and getting the TV hung from the ceiling in the study, I have been out shopping for fabric to decorate with. Although it is a never ending project, it has been a lot of fun working on the house together.

What A Year

Ryan is growing up fast. He is already 4 months old and weighs 14 1/2 pds. we are very fortunate parents because Ryan is a great baby. He doesn't cry very much and when he does it doesn't last very long.

Ryan is just starting to try solid foods. You should see Scott and I trying to feed him. Ryan usually gets more food on him than in his mouth. But it's okay, he's learning how to swallow food and that's what really matters. Ryan is also a big talker. He just loves to talk to anyone and anything (including his toys) that will listen. Now if we just knew what he was trying to say.

Scott and I are doing well too. Scott is almost finished working on a condo we just bought and right now he is working on wiring all of the stereo, VCR, and DVD components to our TV. I don't know where he gets all of his energy. As for me, I am getting over being sick for the past 2-3 months with the Epstein Barr virus. I am getting more and more energy back each day. I am lucky, I get to be busy every day just taking care of Ryan and trying to keep our home in some sort of order.

Who would have thought that in just one year Scott and I would get married, both move, buy a new home, and have a baby. All in all 2006 was a great year for us.