Ryan and his Grandparents

I can't tell who looks happier!

He is so lucky to have such loving grandparents! They usually squabble over who gets to hold him next. I am so glad that they are close by and so eager to help out and watch my kids grow up!

Easter, a week late

Ashley and I were both sick Easter weekend, so since the Easter Bunny herself (Marsha) was working, and it was a rainyday anyhow, we decided to wait for the following weekend to have our Easter celebration. The Easter Bunny came over early in the morning and left two beautiful baskets on our doorstep:

Ashley wasn't quite sure what to make of this unexpected bounty on our front porch! Once she found out that there were "treats" inside, though, she was loving the Easter Bunny!

Ashley in her Easter "Cinderella" dress

Trying to get the girls together for a picture:

Emma looking cute:

I'll be darned if I can squat down to get a shot without having them squat down too! Such copycats!

Once they got the idea of looking for eggs and putting them in their baskets, they were total pros:

After all that hard work... the rewards!

Sunny Day


Hooray! The sun was out today! It was the first really nice day in weeks and we enjoyed a morning at the park. Ashley was fearless on the slides, even with all the traffic (there was a good dozen kids there). She is such a tag-a-long... she copies everything the big kids do, including running away across the field!

She isn't the least bit shy around the other Mommies at the park. If there happens to be a Mommy standing near her as she goes for the stairs on the jungle gym, she'll just grab her hand and drag her over, as if she needs help. And if any kid is running/playing towards another Mommy, Ashley will join in, even climbing up into a lap, or hugging around the leg! All the ladies think it's cute, so far... I just hope they don't think she doesn'y get enough attention from her REAL Mommy!

How cute are we??

Ashley just loves her little brother so much, as you can see. She is so proud to be the big kid and to help Ryan when he is "sad". This means that every time he makes a peep, she tries to feed him or change his diaper, cover him up or give him a toy.

Oh yeah... and she thinks that I make "Cockock" milk from my breasts. Every time I nurse him, she points and says, "Mama's milk. Cockock!" Because she prefers chocolate milk, why shouldn't Ryan?

On the road again.

We took our first road trip this weekend since Ryan was born. My friend Diana had a baby shower up in Salem (4 hours away) and I really wanted to go and "be there" for her. The drive up was fine, thanks to the portable DVD player. We really need to get headphones for Ashley, though... Chris and I could barely talk for the sounds of "Little Bear" in the background. I had been excited to do some furniture shopping in Eugene on the way up-- sort of a pit stop for all of us-- but Ashley was just done by the time we got there. She had one fit after another, no matter where we were. Those public tantrums-- makes you feel just great about your parenting skills. Ryan was a total angel, as usual. We gave up on shopping earlier than I would have liked, and finished the trip to Salem, where we got a room at the Super 8, which was suprisingly clean and comfortable. Nice. First off, Ashley gave herself a bruise in the middle of her forehead from hitting the headboard because she was jumping on the bed. This matched perfectly with the almost-black-eye that she got from walking into a table at the furniture store earlier in the day. Now we looked really great in public--- screaming kid, bruised and battered, frustrated parents, yelling through clenched teeth, "Just wait til we get to the car, young lady!"

But Ryan was an angel.

Sunday was a better day, at first. We had breakfast, then wandered around the Capitol Mall and downtown Salem and found an awesome playground that had Ashley in total kid heaven. She was so happy, she even mastered her fear of slides and went down every slide there, even the big twisty one! I couldn't believe it. She really is the kind of kid that you can't push to do anything she's not ready for. Once she makes up her mind, though... she is great at it. After the park, Chris dropped Ryan and I off at the shower and ran a couple errands with Ashley so that I could see Diana. Everyone loved Ryan, he was so alert and smiley-- I was very proud.

Then it was back on the road, after a stop in Eugene for dinner. Unfortunately, I was having some "Rotor Rooter" issues, as Chris likes to say, and I ended up having to stop every 20 minutes for the first 2 hours of the trip. I hate gas station bathrooms...

Poor Ryan also had some gas problems and by the time I started feeling better and not needing to stop; he got very unhappy and was either crying or whimpering for the rest of the trip. We stopped at least 3 more times to try to comfprt him, but it was one of those situations that wasn't going to get any better until we got home! One sweet moment worth remembering was that Ashley ended up holding his hand, and talking to him, which made him stop crying. She didn't get that he wanted her to keep on holding him, though, so every time she would let go, he would fuss again. Poor Chris was twisted around trying to hold Ryan's hand, but Ashley's was the only thing that would keep him quiet. They love each other so much already. Anyways, Ashley kindof redeemed herself on the trip home; she didn't fuss or object that everyone was getting out of their carseats but her, so many times.

I'm glad that we went, but I was SO glad to be home.

My new haircut. Shorter than I wanted, but starting to grow on me. Even got highlights... I told her subtle and you can barely see them! I got what I asked for, though...

Little Boy Blue


Ryan is just such a sweet kid! I can't stand it sometimes. He talks so much and so loud that he almost gags. One of those funny/sad moments that I think every parent can relate to. I took a couple of photos today, just 'cause he was so cute:

I'm a big kid now!


Ashley has been interested in the big girl potty for a few months now, but unfortunately, I'd been so tired/distracted with Ryan that I hadn't been brave enough to let her go through the "Uh Oh! Mess!" stage. Now that we've finally done it, it seems easier than it should be. All it took was a couple of days where I let her run around in underpants for a couple of hours, yes we had some accidents, but that's why we have hardwood floors!

Today, she only had a diaper on for bedtime and out-of-the-house time. I helped her remember to go every couple of hours, and it was a great success! She laughs while she "potties" and tries to watch it go into the toilet.

Of course, a good book always helps...

Tall enough to reach


Marsha's birthday was a few weeks ago, and Ashley "helped" make the birthday cake...
I went to the car to get the camera so I could get a cute picture of Ashley "helping" with Grandma's cake, and look what I found when I came back!



Can you guess it was a chocolate cake, or as Ashley says it, "Cockock!... MMmmmm"

Yeah... now she reaches up to the counters and finds all sorts of interesting things.. fun, eh?

The party was lots of fun. It usually is whenever you mix two toddlers a couple of young-at-heart grandparents and one yummy chocolate cake (taste tested, of course)



Emma:"This cake is pretty good.."
Ashley:"Can't talk now, eating cake."




Happy Birthday, Grandma!





"Grandpa's birthday is next week... can I make the cake??"

Chunky Monkey

Ryan is three months old this weekend and the sweetest baby on Earth. Its so tempting to compare Ryan to Ashley, but they are so different, I don't want to get into that habit. My little man is fat, happy and a real heart-breaker. We call him Chunky Monkey because he almost outweighs his big sister at her 6 month weight! I just love his chubby little thighs... *sigh*

He is sleeping really well these days, so I am getting a bit more rest, and so is Chris. I don't hold him 24/7 like I did with Ashley, so he's really good about sleeping on his own for a couple hours at a time. I'm hoping that really soon he'll start sleeping through the night in his own bed. That will be hard for me, 'cause I like to snugle!

Ryan is such an easy going little guy. And he has a killer smile, which he gives up with the slightest encouragement. Chris and I frequently comment on how he gives so much back (for an infant) His favorite thing to do is to sit on my lap, facing me, and just smile into my eyes and coo at me. It truly melts your heart to see it. I love to walk up to him while he's in his playpen, or chair, and see his face light up when he sees me. You can't help but adore him!

Last night, he had eyes only for Ashley. She usually scares him a bit, but yesterday, he would start laughing whenever she came near. I think they will be such good friends. I love that she is so sweet to him, too. If he's in his chair, she will often sit down in front of him and "read" a book to him. When he was first born and waking up at night a lot, she would sit up (she still sleeps in our room) and reassure him saying, "Sshhh.. it's ok... I know, I know." She was usually half asleep herself. She looks out for him already- if Chris leaves in the morning without kissing Ryan good-bye, she'll let him know and make him come back to kiss Ryan, too. Sometimes she can be a bit too rough, but it is always out of love and a desire to help Ryan, whether it's sharing toys, cups of juice or trying to change his diaper, Ashley is Ryan's biggest fan-- and I think it's going to be mutual.

Purple and Orange


Ashley is having a bad day today, which means we are all having a bad day today. I think it's her molars coming in and bothering her.

Its gorgeous outside after weeks of rain and cloudy weather. We spent the morning at the park where we had a good time in spite of Ashley's crabbiness. I chatted with a really nice lady who had two girls of her own there: Payton, a precocious 4 year old whom Ashley followed around and copied everything she did, and Quinn, a crabby 18 month old who reminded me a lot of my own little terrorist. I really hope to run into them and their mom, Heidi again. Its so hard to make grown-up friends...

Once we left the park and headed home, trouble started right away. Ashley is just a pill no matter what I do. Right now she is sleeping, thanks to her "purple". "Purple" is Benadryl and she is a junkie ever since a bout with the croup last month. "Orange" is Motrin which is all I intended to give her, but I reconsidered when I realized how much she needed a nap. Hey.. she was asking for it, right? I promise, I don't drug my children when we don't reallyreally need it. Today, Ryan and I need it!

Running like a lion...

Ashley is two now and even though this is supposed to be one of the worst times (for a parent) in childhood, I lovelovelove Two. She is bursting with imagination and excitement. Today, her favorite movie is "Madagascar" and we watch it several times a week, ad nauseum. She has started acting out different scenes, along with the movie. She raises up her hands imitating Alex the Lion doing the wave; runs circles around the coffee table when Alex and Marty are running down the beach, even slows down to do the slow motion bit. The funniest part is when Marty the Zebra tells Alex that he needs to run on all fours; Ashley now insists on "running" like a lion all over the house, up and down stairs, growling the whole time.