Apple Annies- Year 3

This year was our 3rd year going to Apple Annies.  It gets better every year.  This year was extra fun because we went with Tim's brother & his family.  We all went to Jerry Bob's for breakfast.  I want to make it a tradition!  Last year Tim slept in so we didn't have time for Jerry Bobs, but this year we did :)  Ryan ate like a little piggy at breakfast.  After breakfast we took the hour drive out to Willcox, Arizona.  I'm not sure it's an hour, I never really pay attention and I fell asleep on the way out there.

 

The first year we went, there were a ton of apples & pears.  Last year we went, we didn't find one single piece of fruit.  This year, we found a few apples and a bunch of pears.  I wore Jakey in the carrier and Tim pulled Ryan in the wagon.

 

 

By the time we decided to quit picking apples and walk over to the pears, Tim & I only had 2 apples in our bucket.  We need to go earlier next year!  I said that last year too, but we still didn't go earlier this year.

 

Tim took a bite out of the first pear he picked and then gave it to Ryan.  Ryan held on to that pear the entire time we picked pears and almost until we were about to walk out of Apple Annies.   It was his first real pear, and he loved it!

 

 

Momma got tired of wearing Jake- so Uncle Tom said he would hold him.. Caitlyn and I wanted him to wear him instead.  He looked so big and long.  My baby..

 

That didn't last too long, he started whining a bit.. and into momma's arms he went.

 

 

After some fruit picking.. came the pumpkin patch!  This little stack of apples made me realize how time flies.. wasn't Tim just sitting on this haystack wearing Ryan???

 

[2010]

 

[2012]

 

 

Last year we didn't have enough time to go through the corn maze, this year we did!  However, I think we spent a little <b>too</b> much time in the corn maze.  Hey- It made up for last year!  Kylie chose the hard course with the hardest questions.  Too bad we didn't know the answers to the questions and Caitlyn had to pull out her phone a few times to google the answers.  I was so proud of Ryan though.  We were in the corn maze for almost an hour and he walked the entire time, with the exception of the last few minutes which I carried him.  He was such a good boy.

 

Ryan & his Auntie Caitlyn.

 

 

After we FINALLY made it out of the maze, Tim & Ryan chose our pumpkin.  One big pumpkin for us to carve and I got a little baby pumpkin for Ryan to paint.. which we will do early next week!

 

 

 

 We also picked some green chilis.. okay Daddy did that part.

 

 

 

Played in the corn...

 

 

 & Attempted to take a family photo- the only decent one!

 

 

When we got back into town, Caitlyn, Tom & Kylie came over for dinner.  We had steak, pork chops, green chilis, rice, french bread, and grapes.  Yum.

 

Everyone had so much fun, and as always-  Can't wait to go again next year and continue the tradition.  The only thing missing, was our sweet little E.

 



 



 



Brothers

As a little girl, I always dreamed of being a mom.  Not just any mom, I was going to have daughters.  My daughters were going to wear dresses and cute little strappy sandles.  My daugthers were going to wear little hair barrettes and lots of pink and purple.  My daughters were going to be tap dancers and gymnasts.  My daugthers were going to play doll babies and cabbage patch.  My daughters would get their ears pierced when they were old enough to remember getting it done.  My daugthers would love painting their toe nails with mommy.

 

 

 

When I got pregnant with Ryan, I knew he was a girl.  He had to be a girl.  I dreamed of having a daugther for as long as I could remember.  I already had a closet full of little girl onesies and dresses.  Her name has been picked out since I was a little girl.  When Tim & I went to the ultrasound that early and cold December morning, we were going in for a scan, to check measurements and fluids.  The tech was showing us our baby and I was laying there smiling the entire time, thinking how perfect my baby was.  When Tim ruined it and said "Wait, are you sure you can't tell until 20 weeks along?" to which the tech replied, "Did you see it?"  & All I could think was "SEE WHAT?? WHAT DID YOU SEE??"  So..the tech went back over the goods and sure enough, my daughter had boy parts.  Wait.. Boy parts?  No way.  I was supposed to have a little girl.  I let out a big sigh and Tim looked at me and said "Do you want me to tell him that one day?"  I told him no.  I was in shock. 

 

 

The tech printed out our handful of pictures. I stared at my baby.  My baby was still perfect even if *he* wasn't a *she.*  As we walked back to the car, Tim asked to see the pictures again, I showed him.  You would have thought he just won a million bucks, probably more.  He hugged me.  At this point, I was already pregnant for 13 weeks, and I knew I was pregnant for 8.  The entire time I was pregnant Tim said over and over that he didn't care if the baby was a boy or a girl.  But as he stared at the ultrasound pictures, I knew he wanted a boy.  And then he said it, he finally let his secret out.  He wanted a  boy.  Me?  Eh.  I'd have to get used to being a mommy to a little boy. 

 

 

Tim dropped me off at work that morning.  I told everyone we were having a boy.  Saying it out loud, I started getting more excited.  By the next few days, I had already forgotten I wanted a girl.  I was going to have a little boy.  I was going to have a son.  His name was going to be Ryan Michael.

 

Tim & I picked out a million little baby boy outfits and for the first time, the little boy clothes were actually cuter than the little girl clothes. 

 

 

 

After Ryan's arrival, Tim looked at me and said "Can you believe you actually wanted Ryan to be a girl?"  No way!  I never wanted a girl, I always wanted Ryan to be Ryan.  He came out just as perfect as could be.  He still is ;)

 

 

So I traded in the dolls for tonka trucks and hot wheels.  I traded in the cute little dresses and strappy sandles for cargo shorts and polos.  I don't get to put pigtails in my baby's hair, instead it gets even better- I don't even have to brush his hair!  I won't get to watch them dance or do gymnastics, but hopefully one day I get to watch them play in baseball and football games.

 

 

When I got pregnant with Jake, I guess I didn't really care what the baby was going to be.  If it was a girl, I'd be happy.  If it was a boy, I'd be happy.  & then there's Tim- who was just as happy as ever that our next baby was a little boy.  You know what we created?  We created brothers.  Life long best friends. 

 

 

 

 

 

Ryan has been in love with Jake since the day we brought him home.  Sure, at first it was hard for him to share his mommy.  But that only lasted a few weeks. Ryan has always wanted to help out with Jakey.  Ryan loves to hug and kiss his little brother.  He has always tried playing with him.  He enjoys being in the same room as him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that Jake is getting older, I can see that he loves Ryan just as much as Ryan loves him.  Jake's always climbing all over Ryan.  My heart melts just watching them play together.  In fact, my heart is happy right now just looking at their pictures.

 

I'm happy to be a mommy to two little boys.  Two perfect little boys.  I wouldn't trade anything for the two rooms down the hall filled with hot wheels, car ramps, cargo shorts, monster jammies, polo shirts, did I mention hot wheels??  Those things fill my house.



 

 

Oh, and I did get to paint Ryan's toe nails bright purple once.  <3 Haha. Daddy made me take it off. 

 

October 1

I wrote this post this weekend and forgot to finish it!


Last year I was able to do my October post on October 1st.  The year before I did it on October 1st too because I was doing my 365.  This year I'm a week late. 

 

For the past 3 years, it has been my little tradition to put Ryan in his Halloween shirt and pajamas on October 1st.  It was really hard this year for me to wait until October.  But I did it.  What is it about pajamas that make them so exciting? 

 

The kids must have known how excited I was because they did not cooperate at all. 

 

 

 

Here's my first attempt.  Fail.  They kept crawling all over the kitchen trying to bug me while I made lunch!

 

 

 

I squeezed Jake into this little onesie!  It barely snapped at the bottom.

 

 

I tried to get them again.  In the first one, Ryan's crawling over jake.  In the second one, Ryan's pushing Jake away from him.  & Here's the third, Jake rolling away from Ryan.

 

 

I managed to get a smile out of Ryan when I tickled him.

 

 

I found you guys some matching skeleton jammies.  I think every momma out there has skeleton jammies for their babies in October.  They are so cute and I love the way they glow in the dark.  Jake's are a little big, but the smallest size they had was 12m so I bought it anyways.

 

 

They look the same sleeping.  :)

 

 

October brings lots of fun things and lots of memories to be made!    We already have plans filling up for October.  Pumpkin patch, Apple Orchard, my 28th birthday, Harvest Festival at my school and the Arizona State Fair.  I love making memories with my boys.

 

Show & Tell; The "If" Game

1. If you could relive any memory in your life, tell us what it would be, and what/if anything you would change about it?

This one is a little hard.. obviously I have 3 days that are pretty amazing.  My wedding day & the birth of my sons.  If I had to pick one, I would choose the day that Jakey was born.  My wedding was already perfect and so was Ryan's birth.  I would go back to the day I had Jake so that I could enjoy it a little more.  I went through almost my entire labor at my house trying to pretend my contractions weren't the real deal.  By the time we got to the hospital and checked in, it was already time to deliver the baby.  I would go back in time and check into the hospital a little earlier so that I could have relaxed a little more and had time to take it all in.  Time to prepare myself a little more mentally and enough time to have gotten that epidural!

2. If you could be any celebrity or well-known person, show us who you would be.

I think Giuliana Rancic is an amazing woman, she's beautiful, successfull, and funny.

3. If you won the lottery, tell us would take the lump sum or take the money overtime, would you continue working or quit right away, would you reveal who you are, and what are some of the first things you would spend with your money?

If I won the lottery I would probably take it out as one lump sum.  I would quit working for a few years so I could enjoy my time with my babies before they went off to school.  I would go back to teaching once they were both in school.  I would not want to reveal who I was... weird.  Some things I would spend my money on... I would pay off all of our debt, including student loans.  I would buy both Tim & I bigger cars so we would have enough room for another baby.  I would buy a bigger house and buy all the things I wanted to make the inside my dream house.  I would put money away into our savings account, as well as money for Elyse, Ryan, and Jake.  I would take Tim to Europe- since he's been talking about wanting to go for years!

4. If you could live anywhere, show us where it would be and tell us why.

We would move to Georgia.  Tim & I have been talking about moving to Georgia for a little while.  I think the only thing keeping us in Arizona is the fear of the unknown.  I think Tim would jump at the opportunity to go.. but it would be too hard for me to leave my parents & Rebecca and her babies.

5. If you could have one magic power, what would be and what would you do with it?

I would have the power to teleport people.  I would bring Elyse to Tucson every week.  I miss my baby girl.

Ryan's First Trip to the Dentist

 

I booked Ryan's first dental appointment for Sept 24 @ 4:45 pm.  & Honestly, I was pretty excited about it.  I thought he would do a great job.  I wanted to see how the dentist would examine his teeth and how Ryan would respond to it.  The office I took him to was pretty neat.  They had toys for the kids, books, and two tvs playing "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs."  We waited only long enough for me to fill out some paperwork while boys played with Daddy.

 

 

When the dental assistant called Ryan's name, we walked back together.  She took us back to our room, sat us in the chair, and asked a few questions.  I told her that I did not have any concerns about Ryan's teeth, yes, I brushed his teeth every day,  no, I do not floss his teeth, and no, he does not fall asleep with a sippy cup.

 

She leaned the chair back so that we could watch the TV on the ceiling, but Ryan had no interest in the TV, he wanted to read his book.  After waiting about 5 minutes the dentist came in the room.  They had me sit sideways on the chair and have Ryan facing me with his legs around my waist and lean him backwards so they could look at his teeth.  She put her gloves on and stuck her fingers in his mouth and he clenched down and would not let her look in his mouth.  She tried using the little mirrors they have, he let her use that for half a second and he shut his mouth again.  Then, she grabbed a tooth brush to try and bribe him, again, that lasted for half a second.  & then she was all done!  All done?  What did she do?  Pretty much nothing.  She looked at his teeth for a total of 1.5 seconds and had me sit him up.

 

The only thing she really told me was to make sure he drinks plenty of water and that he shouldn't have chocolate or strawberry milk.  Waste of insurance money?  Probably.  & you know what?  I still give him strawberry and chocolate milk a couple times a week.  But I scheduled another appointment in 6 months anyways.

 

 

 

He did get a goody bag with a sticker, tooth brush, and tooth paste.

 

 

Tooth paste isn't too exciting for a two year old.  The dentist told me that toddlers don't need tooth paste.  That the tooth brush alone will get rid of the junk on their teeth.  So I wonder why she gave me tooth paste, and regular crest toothpaste. 

 

 

 

& here's Jake playing while Ryan looks at his toothpaste.

The Beginning of Fall

I think everyone looks forward to Fall.  I know I do.  Cooler weather and holidays.  This year Fall started on a Saturday, Sept 22.  Jakey woke up nice and early!  He was excited for Fall just as much as momma was.  We decided to start our morning with an early morning walk.  There was a yard sale two streets over from ours so we decided to stop by.  We got Ryan 5 pairs of pajamas, a shirt for Jake, and a car ramp for both of them.  I love yard sales and good deals.

 

 

 

Everytime we push Jake in the buggy he always gets so excited and grabs on to the steering wheel.  It makes my heart smile.  He's so sweet.

 

 

By the time we came back from our morning walk, Ryan was awake and he wanted to go for a walk too so we dragged out the wagon.  I can't wait until it's a little bit cooler so we can go on nice, long  family walks.

 

 

 

 Ryan likes when I pull them in the street.  He makes this obnoxious screeching sound while giggline and covers his ears.  Riding in the street is loud and bumpy.

 

 

They had a literacy event at the Children's Museum so I wanted to take the kids.  Outside the museum, there was a table set up for free books for the kids.  Ryan picked out a Barney book.  Of course.

 

& Jake picked out a book about sea animals, but he spent most of the time eating it instead of reading.

 

I enjoy going on Field Trips with my second graders to the museum, but it's more for preschoolers & younger elementary grades than it was for my 2 year old.  Ryan was interested in the lego table.  He could play legos all day.  The other room he liked was the food room.  There was a room where you could plant vegetables, go shopping, and it had a little kitchen.  Ryan spent a majority of the time planing carrots.  He planted every carrot the Children Museum had.

 

After a couple of hours of legos and carrots, we all got hungry and headed home.

 

 

 

 

That night, before bed, I pulled out Ryan's 1st Halloween costume and tried it on Jake.  Isn't he a cute little monkey?

 

 

 

& Here's Ryan wearing it.  I think Jake liked it a little more.

 

 

Happy Fall!