My sweet 4 month old

This is Ryan's summer outfit!

I can't believe how cute he is!!

I can't explain that facial expression

Thanks Amber for the playmat!

Again with the serious and concerned facial expression

Chubby cheeks...just want to eat them up!!

He smiles A LOT!

Cute Sunday outfit

Here are some great pictures of Ryan that I recently took. He was 4 months old on June 13th (the day we celebrated Brody's birthday). I can't get enough cuddles from the beautiful baby. He is so good. Still naps a lot and sleeps through the night (mostly). He is giggling here and there and smiling all the time. He is desperate to turn over and loves when you talk and sing to him. Ryan is a wonderful baby and we are so happy he is a part of our family!

3 years old!

My little baby, my first born, my little Bro Bro is 3 years old today. It makes me feel like time passes SO quickly and that I have to cherish every moment with him but yet I long for him to get older to be the big kid I can have conversations with, hear about what he learned at school, travel with, take to movies, go on bike rides and such. Such a conflicting feeling.

Three wonderful (and trying years) with Brody and I still get excited every morning waiting for him to wake up so that I can see his sweet face. Brody was a great baby. Happy and content and rarely fussy so I should have known that as a toddler he would be a terror, get into everything and give me trouble. But he is my little trouble maker and I love him just the same.

A love that can't be matched is the love between a mother and a child. I am grateful to Brody for teaching me patience and a new realm of love that I have discovered about myself the past three years.

This was taken the morning before we left for the hospital for me to be induced. Yes, you'd think I had a couple babies in my tummy with how large I was but it was just an 8 1/2 lb Brody!

He was very awake and eyes open for the first 30 minutes after being born

Mommy and baby - exhausted but so happy

Happy new family

Newborn

6 months old

1 year old

18 months old

2 years old

2 1/2 years old

Birthday party

So yesterday we celebrated Brody's 3rd birthday (which isn't really till Tuesday) at our house with a fun little party. Well it doesn't seem little cause both Jake's family and my family are so large. It is the second year in a row that we have done a morning party cause the timing works so well for kids and for adults you still have the rest of your day. Plus we get to make breakfast food which is easy, cheap and very yummy.

I think they look so much alike!

Mommy and birthday boy. Since I am usually the one taking pictures I have very few with Brody and for some reason the ones we do have together aren't that great.

After the food and chatting it was present time. Brody does pretty well - he does do the logical thing for a child and that is focus on getting a toy open and play with it which really leaves us parents to open the rest. Oh and he doesn't really appreciate cards that much but most the family and friends cut him some slack.

He got some great toys and we appreciated the generosity of our family and friends!

In the picture it shows two candles but their were three - I think one is hidden behind the other. Brody is thrilled in this picture cause everyone is singing happy birthday and it makes him SO happy!!

One of Brody's favorite presents from this years lot was a slip n' slide. After everyone left it was Brody, Mommy and Daddy time in the backyard while Ryan napped. We played and had lots of fun in the water and sun.

As you can see in the pictures Brody didn't care for his swimmer diaper so he decided to enjoy his time naked. After a while it was just Jake and Brody playing. It was so fun to see them bond and giggle together. Since Jake works so much I noticed yesterday how much I really cherish family time together.

A short getaway and sick kids

I am tired of my kids being sick! I know all parents naturally do not like their kids being sick and yes I am also one of those parents but I also hate kids frequently getting sick.

Brody got tubes in his ears last August after many consistent ear infections. He has not had one since and better yet in almost a year he hasn't been on an antibiotic for being sick since. Brody has had the occasional cold but because I know it won't cause an ear infection I just let the cold run its course. Except for the stomach flu Brody got a week before I had Ryan, 3 days of pink eye he has been wonderful, even when experiencing a cold. Good mood, happy, energetic and full of life. It has been great to have him that way since he has had more therapy and now preschool. I personally feel for him to improve in his delays he needs to be healthy mind and body to take in all that is necessary for him to overcome his delays. Ear infections have of course interrupted this process. And now after having tubes for almost 10 months they are out and he has an ear infection right smack in the middle of the first session of his special ed summer school (which we are paying for)!! So I realize its just one of those things that happens but it sucks A LOT! In addition to Brody's ear infections - poor Ryan is 4 months old this Saturday and he has had 4 ear infections already. Needless to say we have an appointment set with the ENT for BOTH boys. We need to tubes again and now this time both will get them and hopefully life can go back to being normal with two happy little guys.

Pics of the kids before the ear infections hit!!

Thanks Shannon for the adorable onesie!

But on a lighter note Jake and I had a couple day getaway at a resort in Scottsdale a couple days ago. It was in an area we are rarely in so it didn't feel like we were home and the resort was cheap because its Arizona's off-season for travel. With a newborn and a toddler that is a handful as well as another toddler we take care of during the day it was nice to go to bed whenever we want and sleep till whatever time we want. We ate out (though nothing nice or fancy but being able to sit down without kids and get refills on a drink is spoiling for me), walked around the golf course, played tennis, relaxed, watched a movie in the theater which is another rare occasion for us.

It was a needed break and rather nice when you consider we came home to suck a sick and miserable toddler. Back to life but loving the time Jake and I had to spend together.

They aren't the best pictures but then again it was us trying to take pictures of ourselves!

Stories and pictures

I know, always something about the kids. One of these days I will talk about myself but perhaps that will be on the oh-so hopeful day when Jake gets a better job, I loose weight or go back to school or get through a day without raising my voice at the kids - okay let's be honest it's just Brody! Until that day just enjoy updates on the kiddies!

A great recent story about my Brodster is from about a week and half ago. Kris and Delaina were still in town so a bunch of us went to get Indian food (Guru Palace - its amazing please go). So Jake was of course at work even though it was holiday. My dear sis-in-law Sarah wasn't feeling particularly great so she stayed with my two and her own. Everyone was cool except Brody hadn't fallen asleep yet. I thought he would mess around his room and worse case not sleep. Being such a fighter of his naps in the past many months I was prepared for that. Then half-way through the meal I get a text from Sarah saying that Brody got to the backyard twice and are there any tricks she could try to get him to sleep. I was curious as to how he escaped but didn't think much of it - perhaps when she opened the door to check on him he bolted for the back to door or something. I told Sarah to not worry about it. Then a little while later once we got home I got the full story from Sarah. Brody (being the He-Man that he is) moved his bed up to the window then, using the height of the bed, pulled himself up onto the window seal. All of that he has done before up to this point. I have to deal with it on a daily basis and he is a pill. But he decided to try something new since he had a babysitter that day. He then proceeded to UNLOCK the window and open it (cause I am 99% certain I checked before we left) punched a hole in the screen and climbed out of the window onto a chair that sits in front of the window in the backyard!! What a punk and but how impressive, uh!!

Sarah was awesome enough to catch him doing it a second time on her phone

So we then ,after hearing the story, spent the rest of the afternoon in a group effort to Brody-proof his room so that he can't open the window (and yet not put bars on them) and make it so Brody cannot -for all his strength and conniving - move his bed. Good news is that it has worked since then no bed moving and no window climbing!!

Ryan on the other hand has not escaped anything but rather clings to people and cries for more to eat. He has had a fourth ear infection and to help clear it up even more he has been on a breathing machine for the past week. Considering everything though he is thriving and lots of smiles and thumb sucking from him. Unfortunately his schedule changed on me and he has been sleeping from around 8 or 9 pm to around 3 or 4 am. Not bad for his age but still the week or so of the 10 pm to 6 am really made me want that schedule to be permanent.

Last week at the dr office Ryan weighted 14 1/2 lbs and he has started cooing lots. He is a little over 14 weeks.

We celebrated Ryan turning 3 months by introducing rice cereal. First try he devoured it but since he hasn't done so good.

Brody got his first tooth around 3 months so I am worried the same will happen with Ryan (worried only cause Brody's teething was absolute hell for him and us). So I have been checking his mouth since I have noticed he has been trying to eat his fist!

So precious - I can't get of enough of my tiny joy!