Happy Halloween!

Brody trick-or-treating at his preschool/gym.
Brody with his preschool class.
Racing to get to the front of the line...

My cute little preschooler.
Bob the Builder at school.
Me and my boys on Halloween.
Me and Ryker...isn't he a cute little skunk?
Brody with his cousins. He was so excited to go trick-or-treating with them.
He was trying so hard to keep up with his cousins.
Brody was having so much fun!
Mickey Mouse was in our neighborhood. Brody was too afraid to say hi to him though.

Me and Brody...my little Bob the Builder.
Checking out all the candy he scored.
Ryker was done by the end of the night and was ready for bed. Poor little guy lasted quite awhile.

Halloween was so fun this year! The celebrations began on Thursday with Brody's Halloween party at school. He was able to wear his costume to school, (he was Bob the Builder...all his idea by the way), and he had such a fun time! They decorated paper bags for a little trick-or-treating adventure they went on in the gym. They also played games and had a little haunted house in the gym for their activity. The last 30 minutes of class they invited all the parents for a mini Halloween parade. We got to watch the class trick-or-treat around the gym and see all the cute costumes. Brody was so into it...he kept trying to make his way to the front of the line. It was so cute to see him so excited. He seemed so grown up.

This year was the first official year we took Brody trick-or-treating. He asked to go with his cousins Bryson and McKay. They are his best buddies for sure. Jayson will say to Brody, "You are my best friend." Brody will reply, "Yep, I am." Jayson will then say, "Who is your best friend?" He quickly replies, "Bryson and Kay." Haha. He loves them so much and he had so much fun trick-or-treating with them. He was having a hard time keeping up with them, but they were so sweet with him and made sure to wait until he caught up. It's also nice that they live in the same neighborhood as us, so we didn't have to travel far.

Ryker got in on the fun as well. I made him a skunk costume with help from my mom. It turned out so cute!! I plan on taking pictures of both of my boys in their costumes using my studio so you can see how cute their costumes really are. It took awhile to make the skunk costume, but it was so worth it! (And Tarah- you can use it for your little guy next year if you want...) The neat thing about Brody's costume is that he used Jayson's tool belt from when he was a little boy. He looked so darling in it!

Brody and Ryker both were little troopers. Ryker lasted for probably and hour and then I took him back to Doug and Kenzie's to feed him and warm him up. Brody and Jayson showed up maybe 30 minutes after that. Brody was saying that his legs were hurting and that he was tired. Jayson said he was starting to limp, so he knew his legs really were hurting...poor little guy. He loved looking through his candy and has enjoyed trying many new kinds he hasn't before. Halloween was so fun and I can't wait for next year!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

Picking out pumpkins...
He got it! He's a strong little guy.
Found a perfect pumpkin for himself.
Cheesy grin that I love!
Me and my boys!
"Look mama! This pumpkin has a sunburn on it."
The top half of the pumpkin was completely red...it indeed had a sunburn. Haha.
Ryker liked the wheelbarrow.

He wanted the pumpkin really bad!

He wanted to push the wheelbarrow.
Brody was mad that I made him put a shirt on over his clothes before painting pumpkins.
Brody sticks his tongue out whenever he's concentrating really hard.
Sweet face.
He had so much fun painting his pumpkin.
His finished pumpkin.
I had fun painting a monster pumpkin.

A few weeks ago we went to the pumpkin patch for our annual pumpkin-picking fun. We went to the same pumpkin patch that we've gone to the last couple of years. This year they really stepped it up a notch. They had chickens and goats, a corn maze and a great variety of pumpkins and produce. We each got a pumpkin, (4 total), and we also bought fresh apple juice and some peaches. I know I say this every year, but I'll say it again...I love fall! I wish it lasted longer.

Brody had such a great time at the pumpkin patch this year. He was very concerned about picking the perfect pumpkin not only for himself, but for Ryker as well. He kept saying, "Ryker will like this one. This one is perfect for him." Then he'd walk by another and say the same thing. It was adorable. We finally did find a cute, little pumpkin for our Ryker. Ryker loved sitting in the wheelbarrow to check out the pumpkins. Next year he'll enjoy it even more. Brody didn't want to pet the goats, but he did like seeing them. He also loved seeing the chickens, (kick-ens). Almost everyday since we went Brody says he wants to go to the "punkin patch" again. He also says every time I give him a glass of apple juice, "this is from the punkin patch?" Regular apple juice from the store isn't nearly as good...

Instead of carving pumpkins this year, I decided Brody would have a lot more fun painting his pumpkin. (Carving is still just too hard to do with a three year old in my opinion...at least with my three year old anyway.) It was a definite hit! Brody had a blast. At first he was mad because I made him wear a big t-shirt over his clothes so he wouldn't get paint on them. We used my nice acrylic paint I've collected over the years and that stuff does not wash out. He got over it quick and didn't want to stop...he had so much fun. I had fun too! Maybe our annual tradition will be to paint pumpkins instead of carving them...we'll see.

I'm sad fall is almost over, but it has been so much fun! Next year Ryker will be able to get in on the fun too! Happy Fall, everyone!

6 Month Checkup

Ryker had his 6 month appointment with his pediatrician last week. I'm always excited to see how much he's grown, but never excited for the shots portion of the visit. This time was really sad. They always do the shots last after the doctor has come in to look at him. So after the doctor left, I put his onesie and shirt back on so that I would only have to put his pants on after his shots...he was just laying there being super cute and happy, just smiling at me. Then the nurse came in and it's almost like he knew what was coming. I stepped off to the side and he started to whine and reach for me. She pinned his legs down with her belly and I held his hands...I can never look at his face, (I never could with Brody either). A few seconds later there was a blood-curdling scream. His face went bright red and he couldn't catch his breath. I'm sure most babies are like this when they get their shots, but it is always worse when it's your own child. I kept telling Ryker that it wasn't me that did it and I pointed to the nurse and kept saying, "It was her, not me." I don't know if the nurse thought it was very funny...

Anyway...Ryker looks great. He is now 15 lbs. 2 oz., which is the 11%tile. He is 27.76 in., which is the 88%tile. His head circumference is 17.7 in., which is the 81%tile. So basically, he's tall, skinny and has a huge head. Haha. He is the cutest baby ever, though! Brody was the same way at this age. The only thing the doctor wanted me to do is make sure I breastfeed him right after he eats solids to see if it helps chunk him up a bit...he's pretty skinny. I'm so happy that my little man is happy and healthy!

6 Months Old

Ryker is six months old today! He is growing up way too fast! The older he gets the more and more he looks like Brody to me. The only big difference are their noses and Ryker has super blonde hair...it's pretty much white it's so blonde...it looks like it might be a little curly now that it's coming in. How cute! His eyelashes and eyebrows are really light also and Brody has really dark eyelashes and darker eyebrows, so I hope that means Ryker's hair will stay light.

Here are some new accomplishments of Ryker's: he is sitting up all on his own, he reaches for toys while sitting up and is able to pull them to himself, he's eating lots of different fruits and veggies with his rice and oatmeal...his favorite thing to eat are bananas. He's also starting to put weight on his hands while on his tummy, but I think it will still be awhile until he's crawling and I'm in no hurry for him to start. He already wants to see and touch everything so I know he'll get into everything once he starts to crawl. He is a very curious little boy. Everything that comes within his reach he wants to touch and put into his mouth...everything! He explores with his mouth way more than Brody did which means he has way more slobber and therefore he goes through about five bibs a day. It use to be that he needed bibs for all the spit up...which still happens but now it's mostly for drool. He is one slobbery baby!

Ryker is the happiest baby on the planet! He rarely gets upset and usually when he does it's either because he's really hungry or tired, (he loves his naps and bedtime), or when someone else has him and he sees me. He's starting to get separation anxiety and I'm proud to say I'm his favorite person right now. Haha. He's happy with other people too, but there are times when he just wants me..I can't say I hate it...I love it. I'm sure as he gets older he'll be a daddy's boy just like Brody, so I'm taking advantage while I can. I love when Ryker reaches for me. It is the cutest thing in the world. He'll reach for me and once I'm holding him he'll cuddle into me. He's still my little cuddlebug and I love it!

Things he loves to do right now are: play with Brody and watch his every move, "pet" Dexter, (Dex will lay in front of him and Ryker will pat him and pull his hair. Dex is very patient and will just lay there. I think he likes any kind of attention he can get nowadays.) He loves to play in his bouncer and he loves to be held and just watch and observe.

I'm so blessed to be Ryker's mom and I love him so much! He is such a cute and happy baby and he makes me happy everyday! Happy six months, Ryker! We love you!