Ryan's birthday party

Tonight we threw Ryan his first birthday party at home. Last year, he didn't even get a party, but this year, we invited a few of his little play friends and their siblings. 12 kids and 14 adults...and the adults only outnumbered the kids because the grandparents and Uncle Greg were invited. I realized after everyone arrived that there were only 3 boys, including Ryan. It was a houseful of girls!

I spent 2 hours yesterday filling 75 water balloons (while Ryan "helped," resulting in many, many balloon casualties) and it took the kids 20-30 seconds to destroy them all. I also planned ahead and made each child a lunch sack with a PB&J sandwich, pretzels, grapes, and a juice box. I highly suggest this to all of my mommy friends! It made it super easy on the parents and everything was contained for the kids to just grab a sack, plop down somewhere and eat. I did cupcakes instead of a huge cake which helped simplify that process as well. I was really into making things EASY so I could also enjoy the party. And can I say how much I LOVE paper products? Not as environmentally friendly as I'd like to be, but cleanup was a breeze.

We opened presents after most everyone had left, as a measure to control tantrums and over-excitement. Sure enough, as Ryan opened each gift, he wanted to play with it. So the gift opening process went quickly. Grandma and Grandpa got him an easel with all sorts of accessories and he got lots of games and pool toys from his friends. Ryan was SO excited to have all of his friends over all at the same time. Friends from church, our friends' kids that he plays with all the time and especially our little neighbor, Morgan. Considering the house was filled with two 5 year olds, a 4 year old, four 3 year olds, a 2 year old, three 1 year olds and Kaylin, the chaos was minimal and the party was a success!

Give a kid a camera...

Seeing things from Ryan's perspective is SO interesting! I just had to share some of the pictures my little photographer has taken since opening his favorite birthday present yesterday. I've deleted dozens of pictures and he's easily taken over 200. Sometimes he just likes seeing the flash go off, but most of the time, he's immitating me with a "1...2...3...SMILE!"

He got in trouble for taking a picture of me going to the bathroom when I told him not to. That was one that was immediately deleted...Mike, of course, thought it was hilarious.

Ryan's THIRD birthday

What a day! Ryan woke up on his third birthday to balloons all over the floor and streamers down the stairway. He came into our room and (while gesturing to the balloons the way a "Price Is Right" game show hostess would present the next prize) he asked, "Hey Mommy and Daddy, why are there balloons all over the floor?" To which we replied, "Because it's your birthday!!!" Up until this point, he probably thought we were blowing smoke about all of this birthday business. He couldn't contain his excitement, jumping up and down and running up and down the hall through the balloons. It was hilarious!

We had birthday waffles on his new birthday plate while wearing party hats, then he opened some gifts. Mike and I bought him a guitar and some Thomas the Train pieces for his track and Grandma Cindy bought him a camera, the Barrell of Monkeys game and a huge bubbles set.

Around mid-morning, he went to see Ice Age with Daddy and had a special Father-Son birthday lunch at Chick-Fil-A. After a nap, we spent the afternoon swimming and finished up with a poolside grilled cheese picnic. I made cupcakes for dessert and we had a really nice, intimate evening just hanging out.

What happens when...

...you ask, “Kaylin, do you want up?”

The poor kid is trying desperately to say, “up” (that was Ryan’s first word, too) because she wants me to stop taunting her with the question again and again, just so I can see this cute reaction.

My little boy is growing up!

You never know what kids are capable of until you try something. Since potty training Ryan at his 2nd birthday last year, I've completely put off attempting to train him at night. Over the last month, he's started wearing underwear during his naps with very few accidents. The trick was to let HIM tell ME when he wanted to wear underwear. Every time I gave him a choice between that and a Pull Up and he chose to wear his underwear, he still had an accident. But if he was the one to bring it up, dry pants. So I stopped asking.

I overheard someone talking about training her daughter for nighttime and she said she put her directly in underwear and just changed a lot of sheets until her daughter "got it." So last night, I tried it.

I did my best to set him up for success. I explained to Ryan that he wasn't wearing a diaper, so if he had to go to the bathroom, he had to remember to go on the potty. I put a towel over his sheet, just in case. Before we went to bed at 11:00, I woke him up and brought him to the potty. Sure enough, he woke up this morning, went to the bathroom, then came into our room and had dry pants!!! I have to say, I was completely shocked.

He's just growing up so fast these days. He dresses himself every day, trying to match his clothes the best he can, he asks to have gel in his hair like Daddy (though this picture is just after towel drying his hair after a bath), today we moved him up to the big kid's building where the 3-6 year olds are at church (not a big deal unless you've seen the difference!)...he just seems like such an independent boy lately. He even started buckling himself into his own carseat. This time last year, he couldn't even climb into his own carseat! 8 months pregnant, I had to lift my 95th percentile kid into the darn thing!

Ryan's bad day

Today was not a banner day for Ryan. He was SO naughty this afternoon. Repeatedly...all afternoon. The day started out well. He had a rough night last night, biting Kaylin for the first time, which was strange. I recently heard that kids who bite are over socialized. Ironically, we stayed home all day yesterday after he and Mike returned from camping with friends of ours. It was just the two dads and the three kids, no huge social group there. Ryan was told that he needs to love and protect his little sister, not hurt her, and that biting is wrong. Usually he "gets it" after a brief explanation like that.

Like I said, the day started out well. Kaylin was extra tired, so I put her down early for her nap instead of going to the gym. That left Ryan and I to play by ourselves. Since it was a beautiful day, overcast with a breeze, we went outside and Ryan spent over an hour riding his tricycle. First in the backyard, then the front, all over the driveway, then down the street. He had a blast. When Kaylin woke up, I threw the kids in the double stroller and we walked around the neighborhood. After lunch, Ryan thought it would be fun to nap in the pack 'n' play (that was still in his room from a friend visiting this weekend) so I let him. He pulled his stool up to the side to get in and out, grabbed his pillow and blanket and took a nice long nap. It was hilarious.

After naps, we ran errands. That's where it all went downhill. At Bed Bath & Beyond, I was in line and Kaylin burst out crying, an obvious "pain" cry. I asked Ryan why she was crying and he said, "Cuz I went like this," and pretended to bite his hand. What on earth?!?!?!

For the rest of the day, he was a pistol. If I told him to do one thing, he did the opposite. He was having a really tough time, doing anything and everything he could for attention. Even accidental things, like spilling an entire cup of milk.

While he was in time out for repeatedly body slamming the t.v., (his first time out in months...we've been using other discipline methods, none of which worked today) he said he had to go potty. What's odd is that he asked if he could go in a bush (like he did when he was camping this weekend) but I obviously said he had to go in the toilet. He emerged from the bathroom adjusting his pants, and I asked if he flushed the toilet because I didn't hear it. Mike went in to find that he had peed all over the bathroom floor! It didn't look like he got any in the toilet at all. There have been a few times that he's missed or held it too long and had an accident before he could get himself situated, but this time he waltzed out of the bathroom without saying a word. Very unlike him. I seriously wonder if he just went on the floor just to see what would happen. It was that kind of a day. So, for the first time ever, he was sent to his room until bedtime. Granted, it was only 25 minutes away, but he didn't take the punishment well at all. He could play or read or do whatever he wanted in his room, he just had to stay in there with the door closed. I think the isolation was torture for him, because he cried - loudly - the whole time.

I just want to wake up tomorrow and start over. I'm hoping today was simply a bad day for my nearly 3 year old boy. I could understand his behavior better if I had ignored him all day or spent more time with Kaylin than usual or not let him get any energy out or plopped him in front of the t.v. for hours on end, but none of those things were an issue today. He got 3 solid hours of mommy-and-me time this morning. There's just no logical explanation. I'm just chalking it up to a bad day.

Stuffington Bear Factory

We had an exciting trip to Stuffington Bear Factory today. It's one of just 3 factories in the U.S. that makes stuffed bears. There was so much to see that Ryan didn't really care whether he made a stuffed animal to take home, so we chose not to make one ourselves. I'll take my CCV mom's group there in a few months and we'll get one then. This time, it was obvious it didn't mean anything to him.

Ryan is SO stinkin' independent. Sometimes it's hard taking him for group tours and things because he wanders up to the tour guide to listen more closely or walks over and pushes buttons on the machines she's discussing...he's all over the place. He listens to direction and follows along with groups better since he went to school this year, but it could simply be that he's so young. Or that he's a natural leader. Who knows? We'll just have to monitor him over the years to make sure he uses that inclination for good and not evil! The good news is that he listens (usually!) when I redirect him to stand by me or not touch certain things or whatever. I think it could just be an impulse control issue, which is something we're working on. At Pei Wei a few weeks ago, Mike looked down and realized Ryan's hand was in some guy's pocket in front of us in line. He was just casually fishing for loose change for his piggy bank. That was a light bulb moment...we seriously need to work on his boundries!!!

Top 100 things that make me HAPPY

While reading through one of my scrapbooking magazines this weekend, I was inspired to write a list of things that I love. Just reading through this list makes me happy! I strongly encourage you to take a few minutes, sit down, and create your own list. Enjoy my list, but seriously...MAKE YOUR OWN! It's therapy for your soul. Don't start with 100...the task is too daunting. The first 10 or 20 will come pretty easy, then decide how long your list will be and keep it handy as you remember things throughout the day until you reach your own determined number.

These are in no particular order, just pretty much how they came to me. As silly as they seem, the biggest things that bring me joy are in a bigger font size.

1. my husband
2. being a mom
3. my family
4. salvation
5. fresh baked cookies
6. a clean kitchen
7. being organized
8. Ryan giggling
9. entertaining
10. scrapbooking
11. baking
12. watching people
13. the innocence of a child
14. the perfect photo shot
15. reading a magazine
16. a good workout
17. hugs
18. Trader Joe's
19. hot tea
20. rainy days
21. my front porch
22. smoothies
23. date nights
24. a sense of accomplishment
25. coupons
26. home videos
27. green grass
28. La Madeline restaurant
29. Kaylin's contagious smile
30. London
31. Christmas
32. pedicures
33. Nicholas Sparks' movies
34. fresh flowers
35. laughing
36. pesto
37. staying on schedule
38. someone else cleaning my house
39. being an only child
40. water
41. email
42. snuggling
43. feeling refreshed
44. serving the Lord
45. holding Mike's hand
46. getting in the short line
47. a comfy bed
48. The Office tv show
49. Paradise Bakery
50. baskets
51. mangos
52. my food processor
53. going to the cabin in Strawberry, AZ
54. a clean work space
55. crossing things off a list
56. Josh Groban's voice
57. my swimming pool
58. peace and quiet
59. getting a massage
60. autumn leaves
61. sleeping in
62. getting a good deal
63. square plates
64. confidence
65. a fresh haircut
66. Mike's gut laugh
67. my comfy robe
68. fresh berries
69. sincere compliments
70. my pantry
71. a delicious, healthy meal
72. the perfect outfit
73. my comfy robe
74. going to the movies
75. new notebooks
76. the smell of my kids after a bath
77. cool containers
78. my tall dining room table
79. Kansas City
80. Kaylin's babbles
81. chapstick
82. inspiration
83. Desert Ridge
84. feeling appreciated
85. clean sheets
86. lunch with a friend
87. Cosmopolitans
88. my quiet time corner in my room
89. my label maker
90. chasing Ryan
91. chicken florentine salad from Macaroni Grill
92. thunderstorms
93. negotiating a win:win
94. my apple slicer
95. finding money in a pair of last season's pants
96. my scrapbook room
97. babies
98. helping someone feel good about themselves
99. hearing Ryan say, "I love you Mommy" out of no where
100. feeling satisfied

A Refreshed and Rejuvenated Mom

I am a new woman! This weekend, we went up north to a cabin with two other couples and NO KIDS. It was our first time leaving Kaylin and my mom's first time having both kids for more than a few hours. Everyone did well, Ryan didn't even seem to miss us (He just confidently said, "Mommy and Daddy will be home on Sunday after my nap," in a "So what's the big deal?" tone.) and I don't think Kaylin knew we were gone until we returned home. She was so excited to see us; you could see the little lightbulb go off like, "There you are!!! I knew something was missing around here!"

So here's the crazy thing: I had looked forward to this weekend for months and I spent hours planning and packing what I would bring with me to scrapbook. For me, scrapbooking is therapeutic and that's how I wanted to relax on my weekend off. Then, the week before the trip, my allergies started acting up. That turned into a sinus infection, which lead to a sore throat, which resulted in 3 days of laryngitis. Thursday was day 1 and Friday we left for our trip.

Not being able to speak was torture! We carpooled with our friends for 2 hours to get to the cabin and the pressure from the supressed laughter made me tear up the whole time. My lack of voice didn't stop everyone from cracking jokes and having a good time. In fact, Mike suddenly came out of his shell and had everyone roaring. I went through a dozen tissues or more because I was silently laughing so hard, I was crying. It was like my body had to get the energy out SOMEhow. I just sat in the back of the van, whispering to my interpretter - a mute.

The weekend was perfect - we went on long walks in the woods every day, napped whenever we felt like it, read magazines, played games, watched movies and scrapbooked for hours on end. The guys played basketball, played some strategy games and watched 6-8 manly movies like Braveheart, Tombstone and We Were Soldiers. It was the most relaxed I've been in years. I feel so refreshed...I'm a new woman and a better mom than when I left last week!