Easter 2012

Easter was so much fun this year!  The boys and I went to my parents ward in the morning and then came home and had a nap.  When Jayson got home from work we headed over to his parents for a roast dinner and easter egg hunt.  We also waited to give the boys their baskets until he got home.  Brody was so excited!

We had fun playing outside and finding candy and playing with cousins.  Ryker loved the slide and trying to keep up with the big kids.  Spending time with family and celebrating is the best way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  Happy Easter!

Ryker's First Birthday Party!

WARNING: Picture Overload... I couldn't pick just a few...

Ryker's Giant Cupcake...

Fabric banner I made...
Maybe I went overboard with the appetizers.
Caesar Salad Bites.
Banana Split Bites.
Oreo Pudding Cookies.
Baked Potato Chips with Chipotle Ranch Dipping Sauce.
Creamy Avocado Yogurt Dip with Veggies.
Mango Chicken Salad.
Tres Leches Cupcakes.

Before devouring his cake...
"Why are all these people staring at me and singing?"
First taste...
"This is the most delicious thing I've had in my whole year of life!"



"Okay, maybe I'm starting to feel a little sick."







He was literally covered from head to foot.
Happy to be clean and open presents...

Ryker's first birthday party was so much fun! I planned for about a whole month before hand and I think it turned out to be quite successful. It was our first big event we held in our new house and it was so much fun! My favorite part was planning all of the food. I knew I didn't want to do a big dinner for everyone, so I settled on doing just appetizers, but I might as well have called it dinner because I think I got carried away. The menu included: Caesar Salad Bites, Mango Chicken Salad, Baked Potato Chips w/Chipotle Ranch Dipping Sauce, Creamy Avocado Yogurt Dip, Roasted Edamame(not pictured above), Oreo Pudding Cookies, Tres Leches Cupcakes, Banana Split Bites, and then I also made Ryker's giant cupcake. I did a lot of prep work the day before, and thank goodness my mom and sister Hannah were so willing to come over before the party and help with last minute preparations. I had so much fun though, and I hope everyone liked the food.

The highlight of the party was, of course, Ryker eating his cake. I knew he was going to love it. If he didn't end up eating it, I was going to be so disappointed. Brody wouldn't even touch his cake and I was so sad. After Ryker's first bite, he was not afraid to totally dig in. After a big bite, people would giggle and then he'd act shy and put his frosting-covered hands down his belly and into his lap...so after he was done he was COVERED! He would also try and share bites with his cousins and hold out his hand with a big blob. It was so cute. I loved watching him eat his cake!

We gave him a bath afterwards and then he opened presents. He was so tired by the end of the night and I'm surprised he even went to bed at his normal time with how much cake I let him eat. But he even slept in the next day. I think he had a fun time. :)

Thank you to all of our family that came! We love you all so much! I'm also so thankful that my sister Megan and her husband Dan were able to come up from St. George to celebrate with us...they came up just for that. Thanks guys! I still can't believe my baby is a year old. And now, time to plan Brody's 4th birthday bash! I can't wait!

12 Month Check-Up

Ryker had his 12 month check-up this past Friday. Everything is looking good. He weighs 18 lbs. 14 oz., which is the 4%tile; he is 29.72 in., which is the 47%tile; and his head circumference is 18.5 in., which is the 68%tile. I'm glad to see that his body is catching up to his head...haha. He is still a skinny little thing, but he's staying on his curve, so his pediatrician isn't worried.

I really hate the 1 year check-up as far as what shots they have to get. Brody didn't do well with the MMR or Chicken Pox vaccines, and Ryker didn't either. He seemed fine during the day, but once it was time to get in the bath, I noticed a huge, red lump on his thigh where one of the shots was given. Around the lump, and up around his belly he had a rash. The lump was really bad, and I'm still not sure if it was a reaction, or if it was just how the shot was given. The rash was gone by the next day, but the lump took a couple of days to go away.

Well, now that it has been a week since his shots, he now has a fever. It stayed pretty low grade until today...it got up to 104.3. Talk about scary! I called the pediatrician and he said with the reaction he had within the first 24 hours and then a fever a week later is textbook to what would happen if they were to have a reaction to the shots. Great. Luckily the fever has come down, and he's been sleeping a lot...he should be fine. I just hate to see my baby so sick.

Other than this reaction to his shots, he's been doing great and is very healthy and right on track. I love my little Ryker D.!

1 Year Old

Too tired for pictures...
Really tired, yet still trying to smile.




Cinnamon beard.

This is what happens when Brody takes toys away. Then, Brody will make the same face after I take it away from him. Oh the joy...
Big boy!
He's a goofball...he forces himself to laugh and already has a cheesy little grin.
Tickling Daddy's leg...

Today is such a bittersweet one for me. My baby is 1 year old. I love seeing him grow and learn, and he is so much fun, but I'm sad at the same time. He is becoming more of a toddler and less of a baby, and part of me just wants him to be brand new again...so tiny and sweet. BUT, he is becoming more and more fun!

Ryker is still so sweet and happy and, for the most part, easy-going. As he's getting older, he's learning he has to compete with his older brother a little bit if he's going to get his way. Ryker has learned that his older brother doesn't really like to share anything with him. He'll have something that he's playing with and if Brody comes anywhere near him, he immediately holds tight to the toy and pulls it away from his direction. Poor Ryker. We're working on sharing. Even though that part of brotherhood has been hard for them, they really do get along very well. One of the sweetest things that has been going on lately between them is when Brody is finally ready for breakfast, Ryker has already eaten and is getting ready for his nap. But almost every morning Ryker will crawl over to Brody at the table and sign "eat" to him. Brody is very sweet and bites off a piece of his toast or bagel and will give it to him and say, "here you go brother." It melts my heart.

They've already started wrestling each other and I know it's just the beginning. Brody is careful for the most part and Ryker usually just laughs the whole time, but other times it ends badly. I think Ryker just gets mad when Brody won't let him sit up. Haha. Ryker loves Brody so much and visa versa.

Ryker has been taking steps and I think it's safe to say that he is officially a walking baby now. My job just got ten times harder. He is so cute walking around. I love watching him concentrate so hard on balancing and taking each step and then wondering what to do when he wants to switch directions or turn around. He is so cute. He also makes the cutest face while he's walking. He kind of makes an "o" with his mouth and hums a little bit. I love his little face! Pretty soon he'll be running around...

Some other new things he's doing are: brushing his hair with a brush, or anything that resembles one; he opens all of the cupboards and likes to climb inside, he likes to "help" put things away, and he gives hugs and kisses without us even asking. He now can sign: eat, more, please, cereal, milk and fish. Some things he loves to do are: be outside, (when I ask Dexter if he's ready to be taken outside, Ryker gets even more excited than Dex and rushes to the door to be "let out" too. haha.) He loves to drive cars with Brody, stir play food in bowls with a spoon, destroy Brody's lego towers, read books and point at the pictures, take wagon rides, (he cries when it's time to get out.) And he also loves to look out our front windows.

Ryker still loves to eat. I'm afraid he has a condition where he doesn't ever get full. (Half joking, half not.) A typical meal for him would include: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a whole orange, a yogurt and some crackers...all washed down with a huge glass of water. And I'm never surprised when he's signing "eat" to me 20 minutes later. Some of his favorite foods are: strawberries, mango, bananas, kiwi, apples, pb & j sandwiches, cream of wheat pancakes and nutria grain bars. He's doing well adjusting to cows milk, but he'd still prefer to just drink water. The only food I've come across that he won't eat is green beans. He gags...bad. But other than that, he'll pretty much eat anything I give him.

Ryker always lights up my day. I love him so much! I love that he's still a mama's boy and that he'll give me big hugs and kisses and cuddle with me. I know it's not going to last, so I'm trying to enjoy it while I can. I love my little man!