My-Rylee-Girl

Nolan's First Day of Preschool

2012-02-04T11:29:00.001-07:00

Nolan stated preschool after Christmas break and he loves it. I was nervous at first only because he had been potty trained for a short time, so I was worried about accidents. Luckily, it had been a month and he has had no accidents and loves class.

He goes to the same school Rylee went to last year, so he knew the teacher and that helped make it an easier for him to adjust.

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More Christmas Pictures

2012-01-24T09:55:00.003-07:00

The kids had a blast opening presents, and seeing what they had gotten. Everything was very quickly opened and then even played with just as quick. We seriously had still have a few boxes to put in the recycle bin from Christmas, but it was worth it for the fun all these kids had together. Here are a few pictures of them with a few of their presents:

Sick Rylee

2012-01-01T21:42:00.004-07:00

So, after Nolan got sick, the entire family including Grandma , got the 12 hour flu like he had. We thought that was all Rylee had, but the next day she started running a fever of 103.5 - 103.8 and we couldn't get it to stay away. It would come down with Advil, but then it would bounce right back up over the course of 4 days. For those days she did not eat, and would hardly drink, and when I weighed her she had lost 2 pounds, that is when I decided it was time to take her in. We had to go to the ER b/c it was Christmas Eve and the Doctor's office and InstaCares were closed. After examination and X-Rays, we came to find out she had Pneumonia. The good news about the hospital was that Home Alone 2 was on TV, so she was no longer mad at me for taking her in! We were sent home with orders to sleep, drink and take her meds. She bounced back pretty quick, after two doses of her medicine, she was feeling better. She was pretty out of it Christmas morning, but made up for it that night by staying up extra late playing babies and having a slumber party with Megan.

Sound Asleep On My Lap Waiting for X-Ray Results

Christmas Stair Picture

2012-01-01T21:35:00.002-07:00

I think every family has some sort of tradition like this one, where you have to take a picture prior to coming down and opening presents. We were so lucky this year to spend Christmas with Megan, Connor, Amaya and of course their parents too. If you can't tell by the picture a few kids are very sleepy still, and Rylee is extremely sleepy!!

Santa Presents

2011-12-30T10:20:00.003-07:00

Santa was very nice to the kids this year! They each wrote a letter to Santa and he was nice enough to bring them the things they asked for, even the 5 different maze books Rylee asked for.
Rylee got the American Girl double stroller, her maze books, glasses and a brush for her dolls, a smurf lunch pale, and some treats. Nolan got the "Big Batman House," a few toys to go with the Batman house, a Batman lunch pale, a maze book, and a few treats too.

Then we had the very full tree with 11 peoples presents under it!

Christmas Eve With Grandma and Papa

2011-12-30T10:07:00.002-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Campbell came into town for Nolan's birthday and stayed until the morning of Christmas Eve, so the kids opened their presents from them before they left. Nolan was very excited to get his own Leapster and some games. Rylee got the baby suitcase that she has wanted forever, but didn't show the amount of excitement Nolan did because she was so sick. She just opened her present and snuggled her Grandpa!

Present from Caity

2011-12-30T09:56:00.002-07:00

Caity had to work on Nolan's birthday, so she made a special trip up to give Nolan his birthday present. These two are great buddies and Nolan is so lucky that she loves him and spoils him so much. She got Nolan the coolest most awesome Batman car, and Nolan loves it.

Nolan's Birthday

2011-12-30T09:21:00.004-07:00

Nolan's birthday party was on the 14th, because the holiday season gets so busy we thought it would be easier to do it earlier. He went to a bounce house place and all the kids had a blast. We could barely get any kids to sit still long enough to eat cake and don't even think about them staying to open presents. This is a good thing though, because we know everyone was having fun. He was of course spoiled, spoiled at his party. We don't have a lot of pictures from the party because Daddy mostly took videos, but we did get a picture of his cake.

On his birthday, his presents were all ready for him when he woke up and he was so excited. Everyone else was awake and sitting in the family room when he woke up. He came to the top of the stairs and looked down at everyone and said, "Hey guys, it's my birthday!" Once downstairs he went straight to open his presents. He had been asking for the "golf thingie" for his birthday for months, and was most excited when Grandma and Grandpa got it for him. He also got a Batman suitcase from us, and was jumping up and down declaring it was his suitcase with barely an inch of paper ripped off the package.

For his birthday he got anything he wanted, so we had donuts for breakfast and then went to the bounce house place again. From the Bounce House place we went to Jason's Deli so he could get Mac'n'Cheese and ice cream for lunch. For dinner he got his favorite, pineapple pizza, and another yummy birthday cake!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Nolan

2011-12-22T23:39:00.006-07:00

This cute little guy is 3 years old today (i posted at Midnight it is showing the 22nd above tho). We have been so blessed to have Nolan as a part of our family, and can hardly remember what it was like before he came into our lives. He is turning into quite the little boy lately, not even much of a toddler anymore.

He has mastered how to pester his sister in the past few months, and as a parent it is extremely frustrating and funny all at once. She gives the reaction he wants every time, and no matter how many times we try to tell her to just ignore him, she still whines/cries, and then he laughs.

While he does pick on his sister, he and Rylee are best buddies most of the time. The two of them play and play together, especially while at my soccer practices. To watch their imaginations at work together, is fun and scary all at once. The two of them sure can create a little trouble together.

While we are biased, he is honestly one of the cutest boys in the world. While I am a little sad his curls got cutoff the other day, it does make him look even older with a shorter hair cut. We constantly get comments about how "pretty" he is, and one of my friends told me he is a clone of the American Girl, "Bitty Twin Boy."

For being 3 today, he is extremely whity(sp) and funny. At least 2 - 3 times a day he has me belly laughing, while I probably should be correcting whatever he just did, but really it is normally quite funny and I cannot contain myself. He is a clever little boy!

It has been really funny all day we have been telling him he is three, and he very adamantly reminds us he is not three until tomorrow! A lady at the store asked him how old he was and he answered, "Two, but I will be three tomorrow."

He is very athletic so far, and has a great left foot. He can drop kick a ball further than most five year olds, and that makes his Mommy very proud.

For some reason, he loves Batman right now. We have never watched an episode of a Batman cartoon or read Batman books, but all he wants for Christmas is the "Big Batman Toy" and other Batman stuff. I think his cousin Lukey got him hooked on Batman this Summer, but it is pretty cute. He has two Batman shirts and a Batman hoodie and wants to wear them everyday.

Another trait of Nolan's right now is he definitely inherited the Campbell temper, it totally skips a generation :)! I may have a bit of a short fuse, and sadly Nolan has definitely inherited that from my side of the family. We are working on it, but man does he get mad quickly.

I have to admit he is definitely a Mama's boy, and I love every second of it. That little boy has me wrapped around every finger, and I am a total sucker for him. He tries to rope me into sleeping in his bed every night, more songs at bed time, a treat at the grocery store, another cartoon, you name it and he tries to get it. The good thing is I do say no on occasion, but really it is hard.

We are almost 100% potty trained. He has an occasional accident, like one every couple of weeks, but I am not confident to say it is a done thing yet, it is still a bit of a work in progress, but he is close!

We are so blessed and lucky to have Nolan as a part of our family. He is such a sweet boy and he brings so much happiness into our home. He has a very tender heart and gets his little feelings hurt or embarrassed easily, and I love that about him. I am honored to be raising him, and I am so excited to see all of his development in the next year.

6 weeks old

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

Sick Nolan

2011-12-20T17:09:00.001-07:00

Last night we were at a concert when our babysitter texted us that Nolan was sick. I felt so bad for him that we weren't there to hold him, but when we hit home we snuggled for awhile and he even slept next to our bed. He was very pale and sick all night, but luckily he seems to be doing better now!

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Playing in the Snow

2011-12-20T00:47:00.001-07:00

We had one of first really good snow storms last week, so the kids and I bundled up and headed outside to play! We shoveled the driveway, made snow angels, and even ate a little snow. Don't worry, Daddy has already taught them to not eat the yellow snow!!!

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Christmas Program

2011-12-11T08:36:00.001-07:00

Rylee's preschool puts on a Christmas performance every year, and it was so darling. I was so proud of Rye because she did a great job holding still and not being too disruptive. She has had a problem before with bothering those around but she did a great this year. They sang about 6 different songs and try were adorable! I look at this picture and I cannot believe how big Rylee is getting!!

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Festival of Trees

2011-12-03T10:37:00.001-07:00

We went to the Festival of Trees yesterday afternoon and the kids had a blast. First thing we did was wait in line to see Santa! The kids told Santa what they wanted for Christmas and that they had both been good all year! The could not stop talking all day about how they saw Santa and told him what they wanted. This year has been so fun because both kids are really into Christmas and extremely excited.
After Santa we went and looked at a lot of the trees set up, but we had to leave early because Rylee had gymnastics. But, before we could leave they each enjoyed a cinnamon sugar scone!

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Christmas Lights

2011-12-03T10:14:00.001-07:00

The other night we had a few books to take back to the library, so we took the train to downtown. The kids love riding the train, this was my first time doing it with the kids, and it was so much fun. When we got to the library stop Daddy got off the train and we went a few more stops and got off at Temple Square to see the lights. It was super cold, but we walked very fast, did a quick loop thought Temple Square and then got back on the next train. The kids really liked all the lights, but had no desire to stroll around since it was so cold!

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Dinosaur Museum

2011-11-26T21:54:00.001-07:00

The morning we made a quick trip to the Dinosaur Museum! Wyatt was dying to go to since they got in town on Monday, so we made a stop there today before they headed out of town. The kids were on a terror through that place, we could hardly even keep up with them!
I suck because these are the only pictures I took while they were here, but luckily Heather took lots, so I will get more from her.

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Nolan's 2nd Set of Tubes

2011-11-17T09:35:00.001-07:00

This morning Nolan and I woke up early and headed to the hospital. He has been having the worst problems and pain with his ears, so the doctor decided it was time for a second set if tubes and to take out his adenoids. Nolan was so sweet and good this morning for surgery. He went back to surgery with no fight and was great for the doctors. While in surgery they found he has a severe sinus infection, and I has no idea because he has had no signs of one, poor kid! His new tubes should help the poor kid be more comfortable and even happier! After surgery he was just a sleepy head and was such a good boy!

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Daddy Weekend

2011-11-13T20:41:00.006-07:00

The last two weekends the kids have had their Daddy all to themselves, and I have been out of town for soccer. Last weekend Daddy had a great idea to ride TRAX and take the kids to the big library downtown. They had a blast watching everything go by on the train, and watching all the people come and go. Then on their way home they listened to music on their iPods and read their books from the library. After dinner that evening at their new favorite, Sweet Tomatoes, Daddy send me a picture of his successful day!

Riding the Train on the Way to the Library

Our Little Commuter

A Successful Day

Trunk or Treat

2011-10-28T21:01:00.001-06:00

This evening was Uncle Mark and Uncle Travis' ward Trunk or Treat and the kids had a blast. Nolan was very adamant about being Woody for Halloween this year and has been very patient waiting to wear his costume. Rylee wanted to be Rapinzel this year and is in love with her long hair. We got all dressed up, met our cousins at the Church, an got lots and lots of candy!!!!

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Apple Hill

2011-10-28T20:55:00.001-06:00

Apple Hill is one of my favorite places to go, and I am so glad I get to share it with my kids when we come to visit Grandma and Grandpa. We spent the afternoon up there and the kids had fun. Rylee was not excited about pony rides today do she opted for face painting, Nolan loved the pony ride, and then we all loved our caramel apples!!!!!

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2011-10-28T19:16:00.001-06:00

We have been on a lot of flights with these two kids, but this was the first time they have gone into the cockpit. Rylee pretended to take off and go on the bumpies and Nolan had made plane noises has he flew the plane! The Captain truly enjoyed having them up there and even let them back in the cockpit at our second layover, he said it was because he wanted to show the co-pilot how funny the kids were! It is always nice when you get taken care of on a flight, even though it was a long trip we had a good time!

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2011-10-27T07:51:00.001-06:00

We have had crayons in the toy room since we moved into our house in April, but yesterday Nolan got a little carried away with his coloring. He made a pretty circle on my wall an he came running to me as proud as ever that he had drew a circle, little did he know I was not quite as please with his circle. I told him it was a good circle but we do not color on my walls, and he needed to clean it off!

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Frosting Cookies

2011-10-23T09:10:00.001-06:00

The kids and I made sugar cookies the other day and they helped me frost them. Nolan was more interested in eating the frosting and licking the spatula then actually frosting cookies! Rylee was my helper and in charge of handing me the candies to put on top of the cookies!

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High School Championships

2011-10-23T09:06:00.001-06:00

Friday night Rylee and I went and watched the high school state championships and we had a blast together. Rylee's "best friend" and favorite soccer player, Taylor, was playing and won the game! The entire game Rylee was yelling, "Go number 2, Go Tay-Tay!!!!". It really was adorable. I was worried about her getting bored during the game but she has a lot of fun. She had a hotdog and an ice cream cone and thought she was the luckiest kid in the world.

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Witches At Gardner Village

2011-10-21T15:32:00.001-06:00

We spent the morning at Gardner Village with our friends. There are a bunch of fun, cute boutique shops and we didn't go in one, we just walked around and saw all the witches. The Village decorates witches all over the village and had a scavenger hunt for the kids to do and find all the witches. We had so much fun with our friends, and we are all worn out from the fun day!

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Loving This Weather

2011-10-20T09:14:00.001-06:00

The last few days have been the best weather, and the kids and I are loving it. We have played in the backyard, rode bikes and scooters out front, and we especially love not having to bundle up for soccer practices yet. Monday the kids had a blast for over an hour just playing out front, and we are keeping out fingers crossed this weather stays a little longer!

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Nolan's Bubble Bath

2011-10-14T21:53:00.002-06:00

This morning Nolan wanted to take a bath, so I set him in the tub and then I hopped in the shower. While I was showering he added a few bubbles to the bath and then turned on the gets, so the next time I looked over I saw an enormous bubble bath. He was too proud of himself to even get mad at him, so I let him live it up. He pretended to be Santa, he hide in all the bubbles, and just had a great time!

Someone is Amazing

2011-10-07T09:13:00.003-06:00

That is right this little girl is incredible, but I am biased. After 16 months of Speech Therapy, Rylee has officially "graduated." She has grown and developed in so many ways in the last year, and her speech has improved 100 fold. She can make all of her sounds now, and most people have no idea she has a hearing loss of any kind because she speaks so incredibly well. This little girl has made us so proud, and we hope she continues to thrive and succeed with her education as she did with speech. Last night we had a few friends over to have cake and show Rye Rye how proud we were of her.

Aquarium with the Thorley's and Papa Rick

2011-10-07T09:05:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we spent the Aquarium with the Thorley's and Grandpa Rick, and we had a blast. The weather was freezing cold, and even snowing yesterday, so we decided an inside activity was a great idea. The kids had so much fun running from animal to animal and looking at them. Rylee is in love with Baby Nellie and had Baby Nellie belly laughing at her when she was playing peek-a-boo with her. We had lots of fun and wish our friends lived closer, but we will take every opportunity to see them we can get!

Animal Farm

2011-10-07T08:54:00.003-06:00

Last week Caity took the kids to the Animal farm and they had a blast. They got to see the animals and even go on Pony Rides!!

Family Pictures

2011-09-30T14:58:00.001-06:00

On Sunday, we had the beautiful and talented Brooke take our family pictures. These are just a quick sample of the nearly 800 pictures that she took for us. We are so excited to see the rest of them after we got this little tease!!!

Daddy and Nolan Funday

2011-09-11T22:02:00.003-06:00

While Rylee and I spent the day at the Fair, Nolan and Daddy hung out all day. They went and got ice cream together, took boy naps, and then played 9 holes of golf together. Nolan loves being on the golf course and running around. He is getting better at hitting the ball, but still sort of slap shots the ball. On a side note, look at how cute his curls are!!!

Showing Daddy how big his mouth is to eat ice cream!

Pretty Good Shoulder Turn

Posing, such a ham!

Just hanging out

Nice Back Swing

Rylee and Mommy Funday

2011-09-11T21:43:00.002-06:00

One of my friends, Karen, invited me to go to the fair with her, so Matt and I decided Rylee and I would go and he and Nolan would go do something. Rylee was a little hesitant when we first arrived at the fair, but she is now in love with it. We started with checking out the sea lions and a juggling show until the rides opened, and once they opened we had to negotiate with her to get her off of them. She was so funny because before every ride she would ask, "Mommy, is this one fast?" She would be extremely nervous of the ride being too fast, but in the end all of the rides she liked the most were the fast ones. She also loved all of the fun houses and would sprint through them and then proceed to do them over and over again at least 5 times. After about 90 minutes of rides we took a lunch break, and then went back for another hour of rides or so. We then went to check out all the fun vendors at the fair, but Rylee was just too excited to go on rides, so we took her back to the rides. We did more rides until she saw a little girl with her face painted, so we went on a search for the face painter, and after 30 minutes in line we had a cute pink face. She was exhausted by the end of the day, but she behaved so well and we all had a blast at the Fair.

New Phone Cover

2011-09-11T21:37:00.003-06:00

Rylee and I had a phone night the other night picking out a new cover for the kids iPhone. She wanted to get a pink one and then we found sequence covers and those were on the top of her list, but at the last minute I found the winner, a Tinkerbell phone cover.

Recovering

2011-09-11T21:31:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago Rylee had some work done on her teeth, and this is a picture of her trying to wake up from the anesthetic. She had to be completely put out because of the amount of work that needed to be done and because of how poorly she behaves for the dentist. She was so cute trying to come wake up from the procedure, but she just couldn't and ended up sleeping almost 5 hours total (including the surgery). When she did finally wake up all she wanted to do was snuggle Papa, and Papa was happy to hold his girl and let her wake up. Hopefully this will be the one of the very last times she has to go under anesthetic for a long time.

Skate Park

2011-09-06T22:28:00.004-06:00

We live around the corner from the city skate park, which I am sure will result in an ER trip or two once Nolan is older, but Daddy took the kids to it for some fun yesterday morning. They went early before the big kids were there, and they had a great time. They would ride up as far as the could and then roll back down backwards. Matt says they fell quite a few times, a few really good falls, but they shook them off and got right back on. Rylee was so proud of herself because she got brave enough to ride down the hill, and was so excited to tell me all about it. Once they were done riding their bikes they would run up the edge of the ramp and slide down, well you can see how clean Nolan was when they got done!

I Guess We Were Being Too Loud

2011-08-29T21:23:00.001-06:00

The other day Nolan was sleeping in the guest room, and when I went to check on him he was sound asleep with his fingers in his ears. He has become very sensitive to loud noises lately, and quite frequently tells me and Rylee things are too loud. So, I guess Rylee and I may have been being too loud while he was sleeping the other day, silly boy.

First Day of Pre-K

2011-08-24T20:12:00.005-06:00

Rylee started her new preschool today and we are all in love with it. This is the first year she has attended a school not in someone's home and it is an amazing environment. They even have their own gym for cardio class in the winter, and their own goats that they have to feed every morning. This morning when I picked her up, I asked her if she liked her school, and she informed me it was "AMAZING!" She is doing so well with her speech and her hearing, this is going to be an absolutely amazing year for her I think, and I am so excited to watch her grow and learn even more. Her teacher is Miss Kristi, and she is fabulous. She has already asked me if she can go every day of the week, instead of 3 days a week! Hopefully, she will always like school this much :)!

She picked out her outfit all by herself the other day at the mall, and it could not be any cuter. This girl really is awesome I love her!!!

Alpine Slide

2011-08-21T21:28:00.005-06:00

We had such a great afternoon up in Park City. The kids took naps on the way up, and Nolan woke up so excited to go slide and Rylee was a little hesitant as she woke up. The chair lift ride up was fun. The kids had fun watching the other people go down the slide below us and watching the zip line go past us, and the longer we were on the lift the more excited both of them got. Rylee wanted to go slow first to see if she liked it and all Nolan wanted was to go super fast. Rylee and I went together and Nolan and Daddy rode together, and we all had a blast. Nolan yelled "Whoa, Whoa" all the way down the slide and Rylee informed me that the slide tickled her tummy. We did the slide two times and the second time Rylee decided she wanted to race Daddy and Nolan down. Well, after about 5 really fast turns she decided we needed to slow down and Daddy could win. We had such a fun afternoon together!

Someone Got Glasses!

2011-08-16T20:16:00.004-06:00

Last Summer we took Rylee to the eye doctor after our pediatrician recommended it, and we came to find that she had an astigmatism in both eyes and she was farsighted. The Opthamologist recommended one more year until she gets glasses We took her in last week to have her eyes examined and pick out a pair of glasses. She was so good and she was so amazingly cute trying to decided on her glasses. To start she told the lady helping us that she wanted pink glasses, so the nice lady picked out all the pink glasses they had and set them in front of her. We tried on about 25 pairs of glasses and on and we made a yes pile and a no pile. After she had separated the two piles we had about 10 glasses in the yes pile, so we then made a love it and like it pile. Once we were down to 3 pairs, Rylee looked at me and said "Mommy, can we just get all 3, I love them all!" Well, since these aren't $5 princess glasses at the Disney Store, I had to explain to her that we could only get one, so we finally picked one. After she picked them out she was very upset that she did not get to take her glasses home that day. She even told the lady, "You go get them ready, and I'll just wait right here until you're done please!"

Well, it was a very long week, but her glasses finally came in today. She loves them, but is really struggling to get used to wearing them. Her prescription is pretty strong, so it will be a gradual adjustment, but at least she looks cute while she wears them!

Love This Cute Kid

Posing For A Picture

Rylee's Glasses and Cute Case

The Swimming Pool

2011-08-10T14:44:00.004-06:00

We spent at least 2 hours a day in the swimming pool every day we were at Grandma's house. The kids absolutely loved the water. At first both of them were a little timid, but within one day Rylee went from playing on the step, to wearing floaties, and then to jumping in. She would even try swimming without her floaties with Grandma's help and did well with that. Nolan was a different story. He was so timid the first day he wouldn't get off the first step in the pool, and then for the next 2 weeks he would not let us put floaties on him. Grandma finally got him to wear floaties and that was the end of his timidness. He was jumping, splashing, going under, and swimming with the big kids! They had the cutest tans when we got home, and we have already gone swimming at some friends pools since we have been home. We sure do miss Grandma and Papa's Pool.

Staying on his step

Swimming on Grandpa's back

Just swimming

Getting dropped in by Daddy

Taking a popsicle break

Getting ready to jump in

Still under water!

The Zoo

2011-08-10T14:38:00.002-06:00

One afternoon we spent the day at the Zoo with our cousins. The kids have so much fun together, and it was nice to give Grandma some alone time! The Zoo is the perfect size. We spent about 45 minutes looking at animals, and then they got to ride the train two times. We had so much fun playing with our cousins, and we miss them every day. Just today Rylee asked me when it was going to snow because she and Bryson were planning some kind of a get together in the snow!

Ice Cream and Treat In The Pool

2011-08-07T23:08:00.002-06:00

The kids loved that whenever they were in the pool the ended up with some sort of a treat, normally popsicles, but one night Grandma had Drumstick Ice Creams for all the kids. The kids made a humungous mess, but it didn't even matter because they just rinsed off in the pool. Rylee at the ice cream on her cone and then decided it was time to get back in the pool and had no interest in eating the cone, but Nolan ate every single bit of his treat and then helped finish some of the other cousins too!

Train With Cousin Wyatt

2011-08-07T23:02:00.003-06:00

There is a little train out at an outdoor mall by Uncle Jason and Aunt Heather's house, so we took the kids to ride it together one day. They had so much fun hanging out and playing while we waited in line, and then they got to go on the train by themselves and that made them feel so big!!

First Nail Fell Off

2011-08-07T22:54:00.002-06:00

Nolan's first finger nail fell off after a minor incident that involved the same fingers being slammed in a dresser drawer by an unnamed sister. These poor fingers don't look good, but are doing much better now.

Nolan's New Bike

2011-08-07T22:47:00.003-06:00

While we were in California Nolan decided his tricycle was no longer adequate for him, and he needed a big boy bike. I thought at first he was a bit too young and maybe wouldn't be able to ride it, but he proved me wrong. We went to three different stores to find him a bike and he was very patient while we looked, but once we found his bike all he wanted to do was get back and ride it. He also got a new helmet and he loves it, and it also fits his daring personality so well. I cannot believe how well he rides his bike. He gets on it and off of it by himself, and only every now and then does he need a little push to get started, but besides that he has it mastered.

Roasting Hot Dogs

2011-08-07T22:42:00.002-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa have a fire pit, and Grandma taught the kids how to roast hot dogs on a stick for dinner one night. Nolan had way more fun waving his around and taking it in and out of the fire to see how it was cooking. Rylee was a good little cook with some help from Grandma, but she really did a good job by herself too. Eventually Nolan allowed Grandma to help him cook his dinner, and his hot dog turned out great. Every time we would have hot dogs Nolan insisted on cooking them on the fire, he didn't always win but it was a fun treat for them.

Cousin Birthday Party

2011-08-07T22:37:00.003-06:00

Grandma wanted to have a birthday part for all of the June Birthdays at her house, so Sunday after we got there all the cousins came over and we had a great time. The kids swam and swam and swam, and took a small break for dinner, presents and cake. However, on that small break Rylee fell asleep on Daddy's lap and we had to wake her up for presents. She was so sweet trying to be excited and not grumpy, but really wanting to be back asleep. She got some cute stuff from her cousins and most of all had a great time playing with them.

The Eventful Drive to California

2011-08-07T22:15:00.003-06:00

We left for California and had high hopes of making great time and getting in at a normal time, well that all changed at our first stop. We stopped exactly half way to Grandma's and Grandpa's house in a teeny tiny town called Battle Mountain, and ended up meeting the town doctor and spending an hour and a half in the ER. While we were making a potty stop Nolan's fingers got shut in a huge wooden door, in the hinge part of the door, and they were instantly swollen and purple. We tried to ice the fingers, bribe him with treats and nuggets, and distract him in any way but nothing stopped in from shaking and screaming. We figured we better get his fingers X-rayed so we found the town ER and took him in. This place was straight out of Doc Hollywood and we were even worned the doctor can't hear well and is a little crotchety, but has a heart of gold. Well after X-rays, it was determined he had a Tuft Fracture. They splinted his two fingers, gave him some Tylenol, a sucker and stickers, and we were back on our way. The poor guys fingers were so sore, but what 2 year old is really going to keep a splint on, so we made it 2 of the 10 days with the splint until he was over it. Both finger nails have fallen off and are trying to grow back, but they do not look so good yet. He is doing great and you would have never known his fingers were hurt until you looked at them, he is such a tough kid.

The Poor Fingers

Getting Bandaged

Showing Us How Sad He Is

Picture of a Tuft Fracture

What Rye Rye was doing while Nolan was

getting examined.

Jungle Jim's

2011-08-07T22:09:00.003-06:00

Before we left for California we got to go to Jungle Jim's with the entire Cutrer family, we are sort of the adopted family members! Rylee and Nolan were so excited because they love all the kids and of course Grammy and Cass. Rylee and Hallie had so much fun playing with each other more before we had to leave to California, and Nolan had a blast on all the rides. We tried the roller coaster, but neither of the kids liked it very much, in fact Rylee screamed to get off so much they stopped the ride and let her off. We are so lucky to have friends that make us feel like family since we don't have any of our family close by!

Nolan and Cass in the plane!

(I love how scrunched up Cass is!)

Rylee and Hallie waiting for the swings to start

Opening Presents, Face Painting, and Friends

2011-07-12T10:56:00.009-06:00

After everyone got to the party there was a non-stop line for the next 2 hours for the face painter. It was a last minute decision have the face painter, and I must say it was a great decision, she was amazing at painting faces. Everything she did was freehand and with extremely great detail and color. The funniest part about her was she was really rude or she had a really dry sense of humor that no one got, but oh well the face painting was amazing. In the two hours she was working she painting nearly 30 kids and teeangers faces, and one adults face! After about an hour of jumping non-stop we pulled the kids out of the bounce house, literally there were 10 boys who I think never left that thing, to start eating cupcakes and opening presents. Rylee was so lucky that so many of her friends were able to be at her party. She was spoiled with presents. She got new barbies and accessories, little ponies, little pet shops, new clothes, new coloring and sticker books, princess jewelry, candy, a new baby doll, and lots lots more.
We were able to keep the bounce house as long as we wanted so Rylee, a few friends and Nolan bounced for nearly 5 hours from the start to the end of the party, needless to say they were worn out. I absolutely love throwing my kids birthday parties, it is only once a year that I get to celebrate with everyone how special they are to us. I am so glad Rylee loved her party and so did her friends.

Birthday Party Bounce House

2011-07-12T10:38:00.006-06:00

Rylee wanted to have a bounce house party since Nolan had his for his second birthday, but we decided instead of going somewhere we would rent a big bounce house and have the party at the park by our house, and it was a great idea. Honestly, I don't know if Rylee will have a birthday party that was this fun again, even I had fun, it was a blast. She and I looked a couple different websites and this was the bounce house that she wanted the most. It was perfect for the girls and the boys because it had all of the Disney Characters on it, it also had different things to do inside the bounce house (slide, obstacle course, basketball hoop, and jumping area).

Rylee's Birthday Morning

2011-07-12T10:31:00.004-06:00

Our little munchkin does not sleep in, ever, but of course on her birthday when I am all excited for her to wake up, she slept in until 8:45. Maybe her extra sleep was a present for herself. When she woke up we had her presents waiting for her on the fireplace and she was SO excited to open them up. She had two presents to open, one from Mom and Dad, and one from Nolan. She had told us she wanted another baby, so we got her another American Girl Doll, this time we got her one of the baby American Girl dolls, and she has slept with it every night since her party. Nolan got her Mickey Mouse nightgown, and I pretty much have to sneak it in the wash or else she cries because she won't be able to wear it to bed that night. The morning was a great start to what became an awesome birthday for our little girl.

Happy 5th Birthday Rylee

2011-06-28T00:29:00.005-06:00

I am sure I say this every year, but really is she already 5, I cannot believe it. This year has been an amazing year for our sweet girl, and it has been so fun, stressful, exciting, and several other emotions all thrown in there. To review the year I'm just going to start right after her birthday.

Shortly after Rylee's 4th birthday we discovered Rylee had a 65% hearing loss, VPI of her soft palate, and an astigmatism in both eyes. It was like one thing after another, and it was very troublesome for us as parents. You always want a perfect and healthy child, and while she was healthy and perfect to us, there were things that needed to be fixed. After a few tests and surgery in June, October and December she is doing amazing.

She was fitted for hearing aids in November, and absolutely loves them. They are seriously the most amazing technology for our family. One of the most memorable experiences in the last year was watching Rylee's doctor put her hearing aids in her ear and turn them on for the very first time. She was crying and scared as the doctor put her hearing aids in, but as soon as they clicked on her face lit up and she was amazed. It was so fun to see the expression on her face every time she heard a new sound. From the train going by, to the garbage disposal, car horns, airplanes and helicopters passing over, the blinker in the car ticking, and hundreds of other daily sounds that we take for granted every day but she had never heard in her lifetime. She has adjusted so well to having them, and loves them so much it is often a struggle to get her to even take them out to go to bed. While the surgeries did not fix her hearing they are hopeful another surgery a few years from now, will fix the hearing loss.

Her soft palate was fixed in December and it dramatically improved her ability to say words and sounds. She worked so hard the last year with her two speech therapists, Miss Courtney and Miss Rikell, and she is now speaking as well and even better than a lot of kids her age. She is very comfortable with speaking to other people, and her therapists are so surprised and proud of how well she did. She reached a point a month ago where her therapists told us she is so good there is nothing else for them to work on at this point, we were so proud of her!

She kept us busy in other ways this year too, playing her first season of soccer and going to another year of preschool. Soccer was quite entertaining to watch, but about mid season she finally started trying to kick the ball instead of just play with her friends! She absolutely loved her preschool teacher, Miss Bessy, this year and asks about her all the time. She has started to read sight words and knows all her sounds and can count to 40 by herself and 100 with some help.

She is one of the best big sisters a parent could ask for. While we are home she tends to pester Nolan a bit, but when they are at a sitters or playing at the park she is extremely protective of him and makes sure he has everything he needs.

Her personality develops more and more every day, and more and more she is becoming silly, sassy, independent, playful, and a little bossy! She has a nickname around here of Napoleon sometimes, but really she is a great little girls. She loves to tease Daddy and I, loves to be tickled, and ask questions!

Right now she loves Selena Gomez (we have tickets to her concert in September), playing outside and riding her bike, going to soccer practice, playing baby dolls, watching Good Luck Charlie, getting tickled by her Daddy, taking baths in the big tub, jumping off of things to show how big she is, wearing tutu skirts and dresses, flip flops, chocolate milk, playing with friends, and the list could go on and on, but those are the top things I can think of right now.

Rylee you mean the world to us. We are so proud of you over this last year. It has been amazing to watch you transform into a little girl and become so independent and strong. You are truly an amazing little girl and we love you so much! I cannot even remember what life was like without my silly little girl, I am so happy that she is a part of our family, and cannot wait to see what this year has in store for her and us!

Baby Rylee

1st Birthday

2 Years Old

3 Years Old

4 Years Old

Proofs of the pics we just did

Looking so grown up

A little bit of sass!

Sick Boy

2011-06-16T20:41:00.003-06:00

This morning when Nolan woke up he was not quite his happy self, and I figured it was because he hadn't gotten enough sleep. After snuggling with him for a bit I noticed he was really warm and checked his temperature. His fever was at 101.2 this morning and went up all day from their. I tried advil to help lower it, but his fever was back to a 102.8 after nap time. I did more advil and in about 45 minutes it seemed to be working. The babysitter showed up and I told her he would probably just want to rest and hang out, so she was fine with that. When I got home she informed me he had thrown up all over the couch and himself, and I felt so bad for both Nolan and my teenage babysitter! Needless to say he is back in bed and his fever is back up, so hopefully he will be better in the morning, I hate seeing him so lethargic.

So tired he just wanted to lay anywhere all day long, and he was so hot

he liked laying on the cool floor, poor guy.

Showing me his sad Nolan face :(

A Hike With Daddy

2011-06-16T09:00:00.004-06:00

One afternoon while I had soccer games, Daddy took the kids on a hike to a waterfall. They had to walk about a mile each way and they both did great. The water was obviously freezing, so they spent their time throwing rocks in the water and building castles out of the rocks!! It looks like they had a great time, I will have to get an invite on the next hike!

Caity's Birthday

2011-06-15T12:48:00.002-06:00

We celebrated Caity's birthday a few weeks ago, and the kids had so much fun because they love Caity. I have no idea what I am going to do for Christmas for Caity, so far I think we have spoiled her pretty good, but I am running out of ideas, good thing I have 6 months to plan. For her birthday I made her this quilt. Caity loves bright and fun colors, so I tried really hard to make it really fun, but still a "grown up" quilt as she and I called it. She seemed to really like it, so that is good. We are so lucky to have Caity living in Utah with us and be a part of our extended family in here in Utah. The kids adore her and she is a great friend to me as well. We love Aunt Caity!!!

Preschool Graduation

2011-06-15T12:40:00.005-06:00

Preschool Graduation was about a month ago, and Rylee has been so sad ever since it got over. She absolutely loved preschool and it was fun to see her really start to learn. She can read a lot of sight words and is learning to sound out words, and really liking it. She did such a great job at the graduation performance, she knew all the songs and sang along. She has one more year of preschool before kindergarten, and she is already excited for her new school. This year I let her pick out her own outfit for the graduation, and she picked out this tutu, she loves tutus. Every time I turn around she is trying to get me to buy her another one, and I am a real sucker b/c they are so cheap at Costco! I am so proud of her and well she did in preschool this year.

Rylee all ready to go

Don't forget a picture of Nolan :)

Rylee and Miss Bessy

(Rylee absolutely loved her teacher this year and it was really hard

to know that she was not going to have her again and see her as much)

Practicing Some Putts

2011-06-14T14:49:00.002-06:00

The kids love our new backyard and so do we. I love that it is completely fenced and completely safe for them to just play and play all day long in it. Last night after dinner they wanted to play a little bit more, so they headed out to putt and play together!!

Does This Look Comfortable??

2011-06-14T14:45:00.004-06:00

I was telling the kids it was time to get ready for their naps, and Rylee found her blanket and headed to bed, and this is what Nolan did. He got a couch pillow laid on the floor and pulled our rug over the top of him, and asked, "Can I sleep here Mommy??" I sadly had to inform him he was napping in his bed, but look at that smirk on his face he is so proud of himself!

The Zoo

2011-06-08T14:07:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I need to find Summer school or something, because this little girl always wants to be doing something. A great back yard, a bedroom full of toys, and a toy room are just not enough it seems like, this girl wants to be on the go at all times. Every night before she goes to sleep she asks me where are we going tomorrow, and if I tell her we are just hanging out, she will tell me of somewhere we can go instead of just staying home. So, last week she suggested we go to the zoo because it was sunny, so we did. The two of them walked the entire time and I didn't even take a stroller, it was such a nice change. We had a great time exploring, except Nolan was scared most of the time of the new exhibit. Throughout the park they have robotic dinosaurs and Nolan was terrified of them, and would not walk past them. He would see one and make me carry him, and then as soon as it was out of his sight he would walk and act as though nothing had happened. We are loving the warm weather finally and hoping to do lots more fun things this Summer.

Learning To Scoot

2011-06-08T14:03:00.003-06:00

Nolan got a scooter from Caity for Christmas, and since we have had some great weather as of late he has really been trying to figure out how to make it work. He does really well with the scooting part, but not so great at the steering part. His favorite thing to do is just stand on it with both feet and have some body pull the scooter along! He and Rylee have had so much fun the last few days riding their bikes and scooters in the cul-de-sac out front, and we love that they have that space to play in now.

Best Friends

2011-06-08T13:59:00.003-06:00

I know I have blogged about how much these two like each other, but truly they are best buddies. They have such a great time together, 95% of the time. The other 5% they are typical big sister/little brother relationship, but it really is so rare. If one of them is not around the other constantly asks where they are. In the mornings Rylee goes into Nolan's room and snuggles with him until he wakes up, she really doesn't wake him she lays there and rubs his back, it is so sweet. I hope as they grow older they can continue to be so close and such good friends.

Wagon Ride

2011-05-10T14:28:00.003-06:00

The other day at soccer "Grammy" brought a wagon to help carry some of the stuff to the fields, but also to help entertain two little monsters. The kids had a great time pulling each other around in the wagon and letting others take them both on rides. Look how happy they are that it is finally sunny and nice outside!!

Mother's Day Breakfast

2011-05-09T22:17:00.004-06:00

Yesterday morning Matt and the kids let me stay in bed while they went to make breakfast. I enjoyed listening to the kids help make breakfast and help put items on the tray, but then I heard a disturbing crash of dishes. It comes to find out Daddy was getting Nolan out of time out and Rylee tried to carry the breakfast by herself and it did not turn out so well. She accidently folded one of the legs of the tray and it resulted in the food and syrup going across the floor. Daddy was cleaning up the syrup when I came out to check on how things were going. Rylee was devastated she had ruined my breakfast that they had all worked so hard on and she apologized lots of times. I still ate my bagel and drank my juice, and then Rylee and Daddy made up for my spoiled breakfast with a terrific BBQ dinner.

** Side Note - yes Nolan is wearing a rash gaurd this is what he came down stairs in that morning. He took off his pajamas before he went to sleep and put on his rash guard, he is such a silly boy.

Silly Nolan

2011-05-05T15:22:00.005-06:00

Nolan is the craziest little sleeper lately. He is great about going to bed and staying in his bed, but he doesn't like to go straight to sleep. When he is quiet and we go check on him we will find his lamp turned on, toys in his bed with him, clothes out of drawers, his pajamas off and him naked, and then today at nap time I found him like this. I honestly couldn't find him for a second and then I saw his little toes. I moved the pillows to make sure he was okay under all of them.

Animal Farm

2011-05-05T15:14:00.006-06:00

Last Thursday Nolan and I joined Rylee's preschool class on a field trip to the animal farm. It is a great time of year to go to the farm because there are so many baby animals. We so baby cows, horses, goats, sheep, bunnies, and many more. The highlight of the trip was of course the pony rides, both kids loved it.

Nolan on the Pony

Rylee on the Pony

Just a sweet boy!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T21:40:00.003-06:00

Nolan and Rylee

Rylee and Nolan

Rylee

Nolan looking good!

I love these cute kiddo's, even if it took me a bajillion shots to get them to look at me and smile at the same time, and then of course the best one turned out blurry!

Rylee's cute dress was made by Grandma Michelle, and she made it purple by my request to have it match Nolan's cute outfit I found at Costco. They looked great today and had a really fun Easter!

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-24T21:25:00.004-06:00

The kids had a blast hunting for Easter Eggs in the backyard. Rylee was really funny and wanted to open every egg after she picked it up so she new what was in it, but she still went really fast. Nolan was not quite sure at first, but he caught onto what he was supposed to be doing pretty quick and managed to get a good amount of eggs too. They had so much fun that when they were done and we came inside Rylee asked me if the Easter Bunny was coming back. I told her no the Easter Bunny was not coming back, and she declared, "But, I wanted to thank him! I love the Easter Bunny!" It was so cute!

Nolan Getting Started

Rylee Got One

Nolan Found One By The Garden (it needs some attention, we haven't gotten to that yet)

Rylee Opening An Egg To See What She Got

Nolan Found One In The Golf Hole

Rylee Checking Things Out Again

Easter Baskets

2011-04-24T21:16:00.005-06:00

The kids were so excited to see if the Easter Bunny had come when they woke up, and the Easter Bunny still had to hide the eggs outside because it was supposed to rain last night. So, Daddy kept the kids in the room and got them dressed while the Easter Bunny hurried and hid easter eggs. My sister-in-laws family hides the kids easter baskets too, and I was mentioning that to Matt last night and he thought that was a cute idea, so we hid the baskets this year also.

Once everything was ready the kids came out and found their baskets and immediately started going through them. Rylee and Nolan both got new outfits from the Easter Bunny, lots of candy, some money, cars for Nolan, and lip gloss for Rylee. They both wanted to start eating the candy right away, and we figured why not right, but Rylee almost ate her entire chocolate bunny before we left for Church, sorry primary teacher! The kids had fun finding their baskets and going through them, but once they were done they were ready for the easter egg hunt.

Nolans's Basket Hiding Under The Table

Rylee's Basket Hiding By The TV

Nolan's Easter Egg With A Car In It

Rylee's Lip Gloss

Nolan's Ring Pop

Rylee's Money

New Clothes

Learning the Do's and Don'ts

2011-04-23T22:51:00.003-06:00

The last few weeks have been filled with teaching the kids the rules of the new house. Things like we don't climb the stair case on the outside of the railing, don't touch the fireplace, don't play with the shutters, etc. The kids are doing great with everything and are very familiar with their new home, but Nolan learned a lesson the hard way our first day in the home. Nolan was coming down the stairs and stopped halfway down to talk to me and Caity, and the next thing we saw was is chubby little leg stuck in the railing. It didn't need any mayo or anything like that to get out, but it did take some wiggling and tugging by Caity to get that cute thigh out!

Kids Rooms and Toy Room

2011-04-23T09:46:00.004-06:00

The last week I have spent decorating the kids rooms and getting us as settled as we can be, and we are mostly done. The kids rooms are done and they both love their rooms.

When we were getting ready to move we asked Rylee what kind of room she wanted and she said she wanted "a pink dancing room!" I asked her if she wanted us to paint her room a different color, but she like the green, so we added pink accents to make it a pink room for her. We asked Aunt Lisa if she had an old pair of toe shoes we could decorate Rye's room with and she so nicely brought them down to us when she was in town, then we had a cute pink Tutu Granna had made for Rylee, and then we found some cute other accents to her room. After she had decided she wanted a dancing room she added that she wanted Eiffel Towers in her room, and luckily I found a Hot Pink Eiffel Tower to accent the room perfectly.

Nolan's room didn't change a ton from the old house because I had just decorated it right before we moved. I did add a new shelf and hung some of my old soccer medals from the pegs on the shelf, and we are really happy with how his room turned out.

The toy room was the first room I moved and unpacked so the kids could come over and have somewhere to play and not be bored. The toy room is upstairs in between their two rooms and my favorite part is that the room even looks like a little toy house because of the shape of it. It has been put to great use already and I love that it is upstairs and their own space to enjoy.

Rylee's Room looking in from the door

Rylee's Dancing Wall

Rylee's Eiffel Tower

Nolan's Room looking in from the door

Nolan's Bed and other walls

Nolan's toy chest and wall next to his closet

Toy Room looking in from the doorway

Toy Room looking back towards the door way

Nolan Relaxing

2011-04-23T09:31:00.003-06:00

Nolan is my T.V. watcher, and if I let him he could watch cartoons all day I think. While we were packing he was watching a cartoon, and when I started his show he was on the couch, then when I came back in the room I found him lounging right in front of the T.V. He is such a cute, silly boy!

Baby Amaya and Aunt Lisa

2011-04-23T09:27:00.002-06:00

Aunt Lisa and Baby Amaya were in town the week we were moving and came to stay with us for two nights, and we had so much fun with them. Rylee and Nolan could not get enough of Amaya and constantly wanted to play with her and help take care of her. Aunt Lisa was great with Rylee and Nolan and she sat and played babies, read books, and went on pretend shopping trips with them. We really were lucky to have the special time with them, and we even got a special day with them just yesterday too, we are starting to get spoiled! Hopefully we will see them again soon, because we sure love them.

Rylee was a VIP

2011-04-23T09:16:00.003-06:00

Rylee has been waiting patiently all school year for her week to be the VIP of the class. The VIP gets to bring in a poster with pictures all about themselves and then one day they get to bring in treats and have their parent/parents come and help in the classroom.

Somehow I just had a feeling she was going to be VIP the week I was trying to move us, and of course she was. Luckily for me I had Grandma Kathi and Aunt Lisa in town to help me get the poster put together, but I won't lie it was a really nice break from packing and moving to make a poster all about my sweet girl.

The first day of her VIP she took her poster and was so excited to show it to her teacher and her friends. The second day of her VIP I came with her to class and we brought Easter Bunny sugar cookies, talked about Rylee, and read the "Underwear" book because they were learning letter U.

She had a great time telling her friends all about her, and I had fun looking through 4 years of pictures of my sweet Rye Rye to find some for her poster.

Moving

2011-04-23T09:10:00.003-06:00

We are all moved and mostly settled in our new house, while I won't use moving as an excuse from not blogging really I just have not been feeling it lately, but I am missing it now so here is a little update.

We started moving the first week of April and slept in our new house April 9. We have only one or two boxes left with frames and pictures in our office to unpack, but other then that we are moved in and loving every minute of our new house. The kids love their new rooms, pictures to come later, and especially their new back yard. We really enjoy the location and the have even met our neighbors. The kids, well Rylee, does miss all the kids in our old neighborhood but she did meet a few new friends at Church last Sunday.

While we were packing and moving Grandma Kathi came into town so I could get much more accomplished with her helping me pack and watching the kids for me. One evening the kids really wanted to help pack some things up and Grandma got them boxes and let them pack the kitchen drawers, they were such great helpers.

Conductor Nolan

2011-03-19T22:27:00.004-06:00

This afternoon I had a soccer camp I was running, so Daddy came and rescued the kids from yet another soccer practice. After they took a nap, Daddy built an awesome train track for the kids to play with. Nolan found the conductor hat and would not take it off or let anyone touch his hat. He would push his train around the track and make his choo-choo noise, and occasionally blow his train whistle too.

Zoo Train

2011-03-19T21:16:00.002-06:00

After we went to the Riverwalk and did our boat ride, we went to the San Antonio Zoo and rode the train. The train is a 15 minute ride around a huge park near the zoo and the kids had so much fun. We wish we could have gone to the zoo, but there was just not enough time. The kids did each pick out a present from the zoo gift shop though. Nolan picked out a green monkey that he now sleeps with every night, and Rylee picked out a hippo lunch bag that has become her diaper bag for her baby dolls.

Riverwalk Boat Ride

2011-03-19T21:12:00.003-06:00

The first day we were in San Antonio we went on a walk down on the River Walk and it was beautiful, but the kids really wanted to do a boat ride. We didn't have time that first day to do the boat, so we went back on Monday for a ride with Grandma, Granna and Double G. Nolan thought it was so fun that he took a nap on the boat, but Rylee had a good time and was sad when it was time to get off.

Presents from Uncle Scott

2011-03-19T21:09:00.003-06:00

Uncle Scott sent presents for the kids with Grandma and they both love them. Nolan got a Calvin and Hobbes book and Rylee got the new game Buck-a-roo. Both were enjoyed on the vacation by the kids.

Children's Museum

2011-03-19T20:56:00.004-06:00

The whole crew that was in San Antonio, minus me, spent the all day Saturday at the Children's Museum. Everyone had a blast from the report that I got from them, and the kids were definitely warn out because they took great naps that evening. Nolan had a fantastic time playing with a ball suction contraption, painting, and with a few different things. Rylee had so much fun shopping at H.E.B. Aunt Kari said Rylee made sure to scan the bar code on each item when checking out, and that Rylee was very good at filling up her entire basket. Rylee also enjoyed the fake airplane, she was the pilot, the passenger and even the flight attendant. Everyone had a fantastic time!!

Grandpa helping Rylee shop

Measuring Up

Nolan painting

Nolan putting the ball in the suction

Some more grocery shopping

Captain Rylee

Checking out at H.E.B.

Hearing Aid Help

2011-03-19T20:51:00.003-06:00

Aunt Kari was so sweet and wanted to learn how to put Rylee's hearing aids in, so in case I was not there one day she would still be able to wear them. She sweetly watched and analyzed how I rotated them in her ear, and figured she could figure it out. She got them in and did a great job, Rylee just helped remove them before they were supposed to come out!

Granna and Double G Came Too

2011-03-19T20:49:00.002-06:00

Friday after a busy day of soccer and hanging out at the hotel, Granna and Double G came to visit us in San Antonio. The kids love their Great-Grandparents and we are so lucky that they have such a great relationship with them even though we live so far apart. Here are the kids and Granna and dinner on Friday night.

Splashing in the Water

2011-03-18T10:00:00.003-06:00

One day when the kids got home the maids were still cleaning our room, so Grandma let them go splash in the little stream/fountain in the lobby. They sure had a great time.

Rylee having a great time

Nolan looking a little mischievous

Cute little buddies

Sleepy Kids, Not Really

2011-03-18T09:52:00.004-06:00

We are not sure if the kids were just very excited all trip, or what, but they had no desire to sleep. They rarely took naps and didn't think they needed to go to sleep before 11:00pm ever, but every now and then we would get them asleep and they would look so sweet and innocent.

Nolan's Artwork

2011-03-18T09:38:00.002-06:00

Two weeks ago we left for San Antonio and we had an awesome trip, and we were so lucky that on the trip we got to see Grandma and Grandpa, Granna and Double G, and Aunt Kari. The first night we were in San Antonio Grandma and Aunt Kari were driving down to meet us at our hotel, and the kids were determined to stay awake until they got there. Rylee fell asleep just after midnight, but Nolan managed to make it until Grandma and Aunt Kari arrived around 1:00am. I laid down for a little bit and figured there was nothing he could really get into in the hotel room, but he sure proved me wrong. He found a ball point pen and made this wonderful design all over his stomach, face, foot, hands, the pillow in the hotel, and the duvet comforter in the hotel. He was most proud of his stomach and made sure to show everyone that night and first thing the next morning.

St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T23:26:00.003-06:00

Rylee made a cute Leprechaun hat at school today during their St. Patrick's day party. She was just so darn cute running to the car in her cute hat and her green shirt, I love this little girl.

Snow Tubing with Daddy

2011-02-28T14:36:00.003-07:00

Back in December when Nolan and I were in North Carolina for a soccer tournament, Rylee and Daddy went up the canyon snow tubing and had a blast. At first Rylee was a little hesitant, but by the end she knew what she was doing and she didn't want to stop. We haven't made it back up there again, but it is on our agenda to do before the snow melts (which will probably be June at this rate).

Breakfast With Caity

2011-02-24T07:40:00.003-07:00

Yesterday morning Caity helped me with the kids so I could get our house ready for a photographer to take pictures for our listing, and she and the kids had a great time. The started the morning at speech therapy for Rylee, and then went to breakfast at Kneaders. Caity says Nolan devoured his french toast and Rylee did pretty well too, and look how happy they are!! After breakfast she took them to get a haircut, which for most kids may not sound that fun but for Nolan and Rylee it is like a reward for them they love it. We love our Aunt Caity and are lucky to have her.

A Slippery Mess

2011-02-20T20:16:00.004-07:00

Hotels are not the easiest place to keep two toddler entertained and occupied, especially when it is raining and snowing outside, so Nolan thought he would take it upon himself to find something to do while I was in the shower. Needless to say he was very slippery but also very moisturized!

A Yummy Treat

2011-02-20T19:57:00.003-07:00

On Friday the kids and I drove to St. George for a soccer tournament, and I was a little nervous because this was my first "road trip" without another adult to help with the kids, but it went great. They both took great naps, and then they just watched Despicable Me until we got here. After we got checked into our hotel we tried to go to a few places for dinner and the shortest wait was 70 minutes, so we opted for Wendy's next to our hotel. I had promised the kids a treat if they were good on the way down, so I got them each a frosty and I think that may have been all they ate for dinner, but oh well they were happy!!!

Blowing Bubbles with Caity

2011-02-19T14:32:00.003-07:00

On Monday Caity came over and played with the kids while I went to soccer, so they could be at the house when Grandpa Steve got home from work. It was supposed to be a really pretty day, so we had talked about going to the park, but before Caity got there the winds picked up and it got very cloudy. So, instead of the park the kids were perfectly happy blowing bubbles on the front porch!

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T21:36:00.002-07:00

Last week at preschool Rylee made this cute heart and wore it home from school. I couldn't resist taking pictures of the kids wearing it to wish everyone a Happy Valentines Day from our family to yours!

Does this look comfortable to you?

2011-02-14T21:27:00.003-07:00

Every night when we go to bed, we go in the kids room and check on them, and cover them up with their blankets, etc, and a few nights ago this is where we found Nolan. We are not sure if he fell asleep there or if he fell out of his bed and just stayed asleep, but it did take me a few seconds to find him when I went in his room. I was looking all over his bed and finally found him there on the floor!

Super Bowl Party

2011-02-06T22:22:00.002-07:00

Every year we go to our friends house for a big, fun Super Bowl Party, and this year was just as fun as every year. They always have lots of toys and fun things for the kids, and of course lots of delicious food for the parents to enjoy. This year they had a ton of balloons blown up and Nolan loved them. He spent the first 45 minutes we were at the party playing with all the balloons. When the game was over the kids gathered up all the balloons and put them in one room and turned the family room into a big ball pit!

A Successful Birthday Party

2011-02-06T22:15:00.002-07:00

Yesterday was our good friends babies first birthday party, and it was quite an amazing birthday party. It was all Mickey themed, so my kids loved it, but they also had a bounce house that was a huge hit. From the time we got to the party until we left, 3 hours later, Rylee and Nolan spent all except probably 20 minutes in the bounce house. By the time we left, neither of them could stay awake. The entire drive home Daddy and I kept asking them questions, saying their name, and doing anything to keep them awake, and we eventually lost Rylee. She only slept about 3 minutes and then we woke her when we got home and she was fine, well Nolan on the other hand could not take it anymore. When we got home he just passed out on the family room floor, jacket and shoes on, he was just worn out! He ended up sleeping over a half hour with the TV on, the lights on, and Rylee and I playing Yahtzee right next to his head!! Both kids were extremely worn out and slept great thanks to all the jumping :)!!

Bowling

2011-01-30T21:22:00.003-07:00

Last night we took the kids bowling, and we all had a blast. Rylee had been a few times before, but this was Nolan first time and he loved it. Rylee does a great job rolling the ball off the helper and watching it roll to knock over the pins, but struggles trying to pick out which color ball to use (we had a lot of choices)!! Nolan was a smidge competitive, I wonder where he gets that from. He literally celebrated with two hands in the air yelling, "Yes, Yes, Yes!" when he got a strike, and then sulked away when his ball would only hit one pin. They both loved wearing the bowling shoes and got to pick out their own balls to use for the night. After bowling we went and had dinner and followed that up with treats for the kids at Rocky Mountain Chocolate!

All Snuggled Up

2011-01-28T21:05:00.002-07:00

I went to check on Nolan during his nap today and found him all wrapped up in his blankets and sleeping so peacefully! I love this cute little guy and he is such a sweet boy!

Looking Good For Church

2011-01-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Children of the 21st Century

2011-01-22T22:41:00.003-07:00

Our children are obsessed with our iPhones and every other digital device we have in our house. The best part is they now have their own since Daddy got a new one. Their phone has lots of games on it, and they love playing all their games. It is amazing the things they can do with the phone, and how well the understand and get each game, including Nolan. I must say that the iPhone is the best entertainment for traveling with kids as well. We have games, music, and movies all in one device for the kids to use, it is great. Last night the kids and Daddy were all sitting in the chair playing on their phones together, and it just made me laugh. If anyone needs a lesson on how to work on iPhone or iTouch, just come see one of my children.

Grocery Shopping

2011-01-16T15:37:00.003-07:00

Last night the kids and I went to the grocery store and they each decided they wanted to push the little kid carts around. We were in no rush, so I figured why not. Luckily, Caity was with me too or else I am sure one of these two would have ran some innocent person right over or taken out someones achilles. They were great helpers and Rylee made sure that she and Nolan each had equal items in their shopping carts.