Family Fun Day at Weaver's Orchard

We had beautiful Fall weather this weekend.  Perfect for pumpkin picking at Weaver's Orchard!

Henny Penny and Flower Child

sibling love

The Barrel Train is always fun!

Away they go...

....and a cute video of them coming back.

Ryan held her hand the entire maze. 

This one makes me laugh!

The correct way to go down a slide...

....and the wrong way!

Kara loves animals but wasn't a fan of the Alpacas.

We ended the afternoon watching Ryan race the Trike Track.

berry SWEET!

Kara posing with her two main loves (at the moment)...

Minnie Mouse and her shiny red Ladybug Boots!

 

I had a cute video of Kara that I have been trying to load for the past two days but Blogger (for some crazy reason) is not letting me!  grrrrr

Sunday Morning

I woke up to this....

like father, like son.

Dear Ryan...

Dear Ryan,

I recently read a book called Lift by Kelly Corrigan. It inspired me to write letters or little notes for you to read when you get older. I want to remember everything (good or bad) but lately my "momnesia" (yes I made this word up.) takes over and I forget the cute, funny things you say or silly things you do. So here's my attempt at freezing moments in time for us to enjoy (again) together in the future.

Tonight as we drove to your swim lesson a familiar song came on the radio. Jason Mraz's, I'm Yours. It's your all-time favorite song. You excitingly told me to, "Turn it up! It's my song, Mom!" and then you proceeded to sing along. My heart melted a little because I love to hear you sing. You have a very good voice for being only four years old and I am not just saying that because I am your mama. You have a wonderful love for the arts, especially anything that involves music. I promise to help you nourish this talent as you grow. I also promise to support you with anything you want to do in life. Reach for the stars!

When we arrived at the school you announced that you didn't need help getting out of your car seat. While I love that it's one less thing for me to have to do, I am also reminded that you are growing up quickly. You seek more independence every day and I have to learn to start to let go. Forgive me, this part of motherhood is hard for me.

As we skipped into the lobby, you told me over and over again how excited you were to see your swim instructors. I couldn't help but beam with happiness because your smile is contagious.

During your lesson, I sat in the hallway reading my favorite magazine enjoying the silence. At one point, I don't know what made me decide to get up and peek through the double door windows. I can only say it must be that "motherly intuition" I hear so much about. As I looked through the window, I saw you and the other children in your group start to walk towards the diving board. You held a swim noodle around your waist and walked with such confidence.

I couldn't believe my eyes as you patiently waited for your turn to step up on the ladder. When it was your turn, I could feel my heart start to beat faster as you climbed the steps. I saw how nervous you were and I so wanted to run in and "save" you! Your legs shook in fear as you slowly walked the diving board and stood at the end. I could hear your instructors telling you to jump! Part of me cheered along with them but the other part of me wanted to tell you that it's ok if you don't want to jump. I bit my lip and waited to see what you would do.


You jumped!!


I was so proud of you, Ryan! You not only proved to me and your instructors that you could do it but most importantly you proved it to yourself. Another life lesson learned...you can do anything you put your mind to. Tears filled my eyes as I watched the instructor help you to the side of the pool. You had the biggest smile on your face. I can't tell you how happy I was that I didn't miss this exciting moment in your life.

At the end of your lesson I told you that I saw you jump off the diving board. I couldn't help but tell you over and over again how proud I was of you! You just smiled and told me that it was "cool". You had such a relaxed attitude about it but I could see the excitement in your eyes. I asked if you wanted to celebrate with a cookie at Panera before we went home to see Daddy and Kara. You screamed with delight and asked if we could get a smoothie too! Yet another proud moment for me because you would rather enjoy a healthy snack over a cookie any day.

I want you to know that I love the time we spend together. Just you and me. I look forward to watching you experience more "firsts" in life. I will be on the sidelines cheering you on...with tears in my eyes (sorry, I cry a lot).

Next week Daddy and Kara will be there with me to cheer you on during your last class. I hope they get to see you jump off the diving board too. Great job tonight, buddy!

Love,

Mommy

Mother's Day ~ 2010

Five years ago, I became a mother.

Mother. Mommy. Mom. A childhood dream come true.

I fulfilled my biggest goal in life with the birth of my two beautiful children. Motherhood.

{picture taken April 2010}

-------------

I had the best Mother's Day this year. It consisted of two things: Relaxation and Family. Thankfully I did not have a repeat of my Mother's Day last year.

My first surprise was a beautiful floral arrangement on Thursday.

The card read:

Happy Mother's Day!
There is not enough room on this card to list all the wonderful tings you do for us every day. You are an amazing mom. We don't know what we would do without your love, hard work, and patience.
Love, Ryan and Kara

Obviously, my wonderful husband wrote these kind words. I had to laugh when I read "patience" because most days I don't think this word exists in my vocabulary. But somehow we are surviving the terrible tantrum twos and horrible attitude fours. We are learning and growing together.

Mother's Day morning I was awoken by two sweet chefs, donning their adorable Penn State aprons, giggling at my bedside. They were excited to show me the pancakes they worked so hard making with Daddy. I have to say they were delish. Sorry no pics, lazy picture day. After breakfast, I received another surprise. The first rose bloom of 2010 from our garden.

The family is one of nature's masterpieces.

- George Santayana

Trail-a-Bike

Chris has wanted to get a Trail-a-Bike for a LONG time. We finally found a shop that had one in stock and we picked up the bike on March 28th.

Chris said Ryan didn't really pedal at first, so it felt like he was pulling a 50 lb. cart!

Ryan LOVES riding with Daddy!


Ryan giving his new trail-a-bike TWO THUMBS UP!

He calls it his "Red Bike".

The weather has definitely warmed up since then and the boys had their first trip on the Grings Mill trail! Sorry this picture was taken with Chris' cell phone...not the best quality. Ryan got a new bike helmet and he told me that several girls (they passed on the trail) said they liked his helmet and sunglasses! He is tooo cute.

I am so happy to see Chris biking again (he took a huge break from it once we started our family) and I love that he can share his passion for this sport with his son. Ryan has shown a huge interest in riding and I can see the boys enjoying the trails for many years to come.

Ryan's First ER Visit

Well....we knew the day would eventually come. From the moment we found out we were having a boy, we were told over and over again...

"prepare yourself for ER trips"!

I guess some would say we've been lucky these past 4.5 years. Sure there's been goose eggs and bruises but nothing that required emergency medical attention. Yep, we were the lucky ones alright!

Until...Friday, April 23, 2010.

I can still see the accident run through my brain like a movie in slow motion.

We had just gotten Kara out of the tub and I was drying her off on her changing table. Ryan still had a bit of energy in him and was acting silly while he sang songs to us. I believe I even told him at one point to calm down and stop running around.

He just giggled and started to sing louder.

As I placed a diaper under Kara I saw Ryan in the corner of my eye throw his head back. In a split second, he quickly whipped it forward hitting the corner of Kara's dresser. Hard.

Ryan screamed. I screamed. Kara got scared and started to cry. Hearing the commotion, Chris came running into the room. I just kept screaming, "he hit his head, he hit his head!" Chris immediately scooped Ryan up and took him into the bathroom to check the injury.

This is the part of the story where I say, I am so thankful for my husband and his ability to stay calm. I, on the other hand, panic and can not stand the sight of blood! Chris was able to get the bleeding under control and assessed the deepness of the cut. He proceeded to tell me that he didn't think it was deep enough for stitches. I took one look at he cut (and felt woozy) and told my husband that he WAS taking Ryan to the ER. I didn't think neosporin and a Scooby-Doo band aid were going to cut it. {no pun intended!}

So after a good 15 minute debate, Chris finally agreed to have the cut looked at by a doctor. I am sure all he kept thinking was....Friday Night+ER waiting room= LONG wait! We explained to Ryan that Daddy was going to take him to see a doctor at the ER. He was a bit confused because he thought he was going to see his pediatrician. Ryan has a wonderful appreciation for doctors so we knew he wouldn't be scared. As I put his coat on and made sure he had his Leapster game in hand, I kissed his cheek and told him to be a brave boy. He smiled and said, "it's ok mom. you stay here with Kara. I see you after my head gets fixed, ok?" I laughed and said, "ok buddy. have fun!" I knew he would be fine.

They left around 8:45pm and at 9:45, I got a text from Chris saying he was in a room. Fifteen minutes later, I got another text saying, "good news! they are going to glue it." I didn't know if I should take Chris seriously or not. I had no clue you could glue a cut closed?!! Finally at 10:20pm, I got a text saying, "all done and coming home!" ...along with this picture.

My brave little man.

When the boys arrived home after the quickest ER visit I've ever seen, Ryan was very excited to show me his glued together forehead. Of course I had to document his first injury with pictures!

Do you seeeeee my boo-boo?

Now can you seeeee it?

It really hurts!

Ryan thought his hospital bracelet was neat but couldn't wait to cut the scratchy thing off.

Seeeeee, my hair covers it up!

As much as I hate to admit it, I know there will most likely be plenty more ER visits in our future (especially with Crazy Kara!). We can only pray that all future injuries will be minor like Ryan's first one....and keep crossing our fingers that our luck hasn't run out...yet.

Toddler Bed Adventures

{3.10.2010}

I will never forget the first week of March 2010. Why? Because it was the week that our 21 month old daughter decided to prove to us that she could climb out of her crib. Not once. Not twice but over and over and over again!

At first, we were shocked. Then completely amazed at this new ability at such a young age. For the record, Ryan NEVER did this! And lastly, scared. Not only scared for her safety but the realization that we HAD to make the transition from crib to toddler bed. I am sure I can speak for most parents when I say that keeping your child in a crib as long as you can is ideal. The children are confined and your sanity is intact. Once they are "free" to roam around, well life as you know it is over.

Here's a video I took of Kara showing off her mad climbing skills. I was not able to catch her "monkey climb" up the side of the crib and our silly camera died before her grand finale of jumping (YES, I said jumping) from the top of the crib rail. She has NO FEAR!

After a crazy week of panic attacks at every thump, I begged Chris to convert the crib into a toddler bed. Like any mother, I didn't want Kara to get hurt and I was positive that her daredevil attempts would eventually lead to a broken arm or concussion.

On Wednesday, March 10th, we converted the crib. As the last screw came out, I couldn't help but cry. Why does she have to grow up so fast? Will she be scared to sleep in a "big girl bed"? Will we be getting any sleep tonight? Thankfully she LOVED her new bed and stayed in it.

By 8pm she was off in dreamland and we were thanking our lucky stars that she was still sleeping when we went to bed at 11pm.

Kara slept until about 3:30am....then the fun began.

The rest of March was a blur. We had a few nights where Kara didn't want to stay in bed. There was also the week where she was up by 4am ready for the day. It was like having a newborn all over again! Somehow we survived those tough weeks and Kara eventually learned that her toddler bed was where she was supposed go to sleep at nighttime.

Nap time is still a work in progress though.

We keep catching Kara napping in the strangest positions and in the oddest places!

Then there is this!

In case you were wondering, I am NOT a fan of this at.all.let.me.tell.you!

Lately, she finds the floor to be comfy for nap time. At first I felt bad and would scoop her up to put her back in the bed. But I quickly learned that it was smarter to just let her sleep wherever she landed. Surprisingly, on this day she slept over 2 hours on the floor!

Here's a video showing the mess that is created on a daily basis in Kara's room!

I keep reminding myself that "this too shall pass" and we will move onto the next phase.

We already have the "terrible twos" knocking on our door.

I know we will look back at this someday and laugh at the craziness of it all.

Blast Off!

Future Aerospace Engineer?

Earth Day is EVERY day!

snack time

Siblings sitting on the stoop in the shade...

...sipping and sharing a small sweet snack.

Smiling silently and soaking in the sensational seasonal sky.



Such a special sunny Spring day for snack time on the stoop.

Imaginative Play

Any guesses what this could be?

I thought Ryan was being creative with matching up the colors and letters. But when I asked him what it was, he gave me a very imaginative answer....

Here's a clue: Think stop light.

He said, "They are my buttons, Mom...

Red means STOP

Yellow means SLOW DOWN

Green means GO."

So what does the Blue mean?

"BUBBLES, of course!"