Give Me Your Forever

Happy Anniversary Shane.

This is the part where I would write something really cheesy about how much I love you...but you already know. I love your voice in my head and that you are you. Keep smiling and laughing with me; it's only uphill from here. Remember, when everything in life sucks...we still have each other.

The day I met you is the day my life started and when I said forever, I meant it.

We have been given an opportunity to start over once again. And I look forward to leaving all the negativity in our lives behind us and growing as a family. God blessed us with a beautiful child. One that makes our lives and this world better by only waking up every morning. Each day that passes makes us stronger people, and in the end, I know everything will be OK because we have each other and this family to fall back on.

I Love You.

Pink Eye

The past few mornings I have noticed that Ryan has a crust in both his eyes. This morning it started taking on a different, more infectious color so I figured I'd better be safe than sorry and take him in to see Sara. She examined him and came to the conclusion that he has pink eye, and needs to be kept out of daycare for a few days. So we are just going to hang at home until the little guy is eye goo and bacteria free.

Mom Works at the Human Zoo!

My schedule has changed again, for the 3rd time this month. This time it is only temporary, or at least it is until the next time it gets changed. Work is crazier than ever. I work at a human zoo, and I dare anyone to compare crazy work stories with me...I WILL WIN. It just gets better and better everyday. I didn't realize that these type of people existed. I got my new glasses today. They are completely different than the picture in the catalog that the eye doctor showed us. Oh well; that's my luck. I still love them, and wouldn't change anything about them. I am getting finger paints and stencils tomorrow so me and Ryan can paint fish on the walls of his new bedroom. He is very excited and that's all he talks about! J/K. We set up Ryan's pool last weekend, strapped on his new monster truck swim trunks but then the wind started blowing like crazy and we had to pack it in. I'm hoping that this weekend will bring beautiful weather and allow us to go swimming. I bought Ryan a bubble machine and he is absolutely terrified of it. Apparently, bubbles just aren't his thing. Ryan is getting better at walking everyday. He still has a long way to go, but I think he should be there in a few weeks. His freakish strength and curiosity helped him develop these skills at an alarming rate. I wasn't ready, and I cant keep up!! I am going to try to post more if and when my schedule permits it.

Hangin' Out

He Never Stops Going...and Going...

Life of the Party

Now, That's a Tired Little Guy

>>TURN UP THE VOLUME & LISTEN CAREFULLY, YOU CAN HEAR HIM SNORING!

Happy 8 Month Birthday Ryan!!

Ryan's check up with Sara went well today. He's 19.5 lbs. 90th Percentile for length and 50th percentile for weight. He is up to date with all his shots now...Now I just hope he doesnt get sick again!

An Introduction...

Friends & family...meet the new glasses. Glasses...meet the friends & family. My frames are actually red and black. They are GORGEOUS! Andrea helped pick them out. She loved them so much, every time me and the sales lady needed them; they were back on her face. It's about time I dropped some hard earned cash on myself! Worth every cent.

A Day Off with the Kid

I love my days off. I feel like a housewife, by getting all my around the house chores done, and then I usually get the grocery shopping taken care of. I decided about 3 months ago that I don't make for a really good stay at home mom. In a perfect world I would be home with my kids baking cookies and singing songs by the piano all day, followed up with a little craft project in the afternoon. But in my world it just doesn't work. I wanted to be all the things to my kids that my mom wasn't...I think that's what every mom wants for their children. In our reality, we need 2 incomes and Ryan is doing very well in daycare. So now that I'm a working mom, I enjoy pretending on my off days that I live this fantasy world. Today...I'm going to pick up my dear friend Andrea, who yesterday had a tragic death in the family & I want to be there for her as much as possible, then ikea to purchase some much needed storage and other odds and ends for the house. After that we are going to my dads for a visit and to pick up a lens for my camera. Tomorrow we are doing some family portraits...just for fun.
BTW: Countrywide has made an offer to keep us out of foreclosure. The guy on the phone implied that we "wouldn't have a problem with the amount", keep in mind, they know our very bottom line. I have a feeling the price tag will make most people cry. Maybe there is a BIG FAT HUGE pot of gold at the end of this rainbow.
>>I love the picture of Ryan. To love him is to love every booger that comes out of his nose!

It's All Fun and Games, Until Someone Gets Stuck in the Toy Box

Beware of Baby: He BITES!

I usually shrink my pictures down before I upload them onto this site, because they load in half the time. But I purposely left this one a bit bigger 'cause you can see Ryan's teeth! Oh they are gorgeous! I feel like I have been waiting forever and a day for these pearly whites, and I'm jealous because they are indeed that...white. I vow to keep them that way forever. After experiencing what I have with my teeth, I now know how important it is to see the dentist regularly.

>>Still experimenting with flash photography. Still don't get it. But the flash does make a really cool sound when it fires...like you flipped a switch and now you're waiting for something to detonate. Me and my dad are going to a photography seminar next month. I hope it sheds some light on the subject. (no pun intended) I need to get back to reading my books...I bet it would answer a lot of my questions.

**CLICK ON PICTURE TO SEE CLOSE UP**

Rise & Shine

The Keeper & Protector of My Cheerios

So in a failed attempt at cutting Ryan's hair so that I could style it into a "hawk", I cut it weird and had to shave his head. It kinda looked like Jim Carey's hair in Dumb & Dumber; shaped like a bowl. Bad Mommy!! I feel bad, but he looks so cute with his new 'do. My only job is to make sure that he's safe, well, dry and full. Make sure that the juice is flowing and the cheerios aren't stale. How do I expect to make it through the teenage years if I do stupid crap like this?

>>In Other News: Some random kid pet Ryan's face today while we were doing some shopping. The boy asked Ryan "Do you like me?" then asked Shane if he could babysit our baby. It's a safe assumption that the answer is a firm no. We left shortly after.

A message for mothers out there: It is not OK to let your kid touch my kid's face, or pet him like a dog.

We've Got a Biter!!

That's right! Ryan's got TEETH! 2 of them. I'm so proud of his mouth for doing what it is supposed to do!! I'm so excited that I have scheduled his first dentist appointment ; ). I tried to get a picture of the new additions at bath time tonight, but too much was going on. Ryan fell backwards into the water and spent a second or two below sea level. I don't think he enjoyed the water up his nose. I have started planning Ryan's 1st birthday party today. So expect invitations in the mail soon. I know its a few months away, but I'm trying to decide between a bouncy house or maybe a ball pit. I do know one thing, what ever I decide to get; cousin Carson will probably try to break or tackle anyone that trys to play in it.

Do You Have Sharks on Your 'Jammies?

Getting Into Everything

Ryan has been crawling for some time now, but it has really developed and he has gone pro. I can't figure out if its a blessing or a curse. He is definitely more independent and doesn't cry and whine for me to pick him up. But he is into everything. He is putting his finders into sockets, knocking stuff over, banging things together, throwing stuff onto the floor, and the worst part; he can get away from me and destroy things in other rooms. I have to constantly watch him. This is my punishment. You know the one that your parents tell you about?"This is what you get for being a brat when you were little!", I'm right smack-dab in the middle of it. It's so great that he can get around all by himself, but at the same time I wish he was still the little baby that just wiggled around on his play mat. I laugh everyday about the fact that he can crawl, he can pull himself up, he can cruise around holding onto furniture, but he still doesn't have any teeth! Don't worry kid...me and dad are looking forward to the day that we can add "He can bite!!" to the list!
For the sake of filming this little video, I let him destroy stuff...but usually I dont let him get away with it.

Our Trip to the Park

A Special Day For a Special Little Guy

We were going through the pictures taken at the hospital when Ryan was born. We both picked this one as a favorite. I always think of him as my funny little guy, and I knew it from the day he was born. This was my sign of the hilarity & shananigans to come...

>>We are going to the park to play on the swings in the morning. I will post pictures for the family. It so funny how different he looks only 71/2 months later. I'm so in love.