The Amazing Ryan

The other evening we had just finished watching a Peanuts Gang DVD, in part of it Snoopy does magic tricks. 

Ryan then asks me to close my eyes, takes a piece of cereal puts it on the floor stomps on it, till it is in tiny pieces till it "disappeared."  He was very proud of his trick and as much as I wanted to get mad at the mess he was making I also had a hard time not cracking up.  Silly kid!

My new book

I've decided that I'm going to write a parenting book. I think I'll call it, "I didn't enjoy being a stay-at-home-mom till my youngest went to preschool."

I think it could be a best seller!  I'll have tips on how to survive being at home, etc.

I do enjoy being at home with the kids, although we have our days. But in all honesty, being able to have 2 mornings a week to myself has been wonderful. Not that I'm doing anything exciting with those few hours a week, but just to be able to get in and out of the car without someone tagging along, to run an errand without having to keep someone occupied, to even ride in the car by myself has been a treat.  It has given me a sense of freedom that I haven't felt since being home and I'm enjoying every second of it.

Foggy Weather

One foggy afternoon in the fall of 2013, we were headed out the door, when we got outside it was so foggy that we could hardly see across the street, poor Ryan was confused and a little worried and had to ask, “Where did the park go?”

The Step Teacher?

After starting Kindergarten Matt referred to the substitute teacher as “step teacher”.

Good Hair Day

One Sunday morning, Matt asked Craig if it was a school day, when Craig said no, Matt said, "Dang, I'm have a good hair day."

Mini-Me

The other day I raised my voice at Ryan. He looked at me all serious, put his hands out in the stop position and said, "calm down, take a deep breath". Gee, I wonder where he heard that from. :)

3 Little Words

Ryan attends preschool two mornings a week. As we walk out of the school after pick-up, I ask him about his day and he almost always says, "I missed you". It melts my heart and breaks it a little too. I know it won't be long before I won't be missed so I'm soaking it up now while I still can.

Fall Soccer!

Drew and Matt both played soccer this fall. Matt even scored a few goals.  Here are some photos of them in action.

Reason #128 to not leave a 3 year old unattended.

Thank goodness for washable paints.  After we got him cleaned up, I went back in the basement with him to monitor what he was doing. He proceeded to do it again, then turned to me and said, "Take a picture."  Silly kid. And to make this even more perfect, his shirt says it all.

 

Safety First

You can never be too safe when do chalk in the driveway.

Twas the Night Before Preschool

So much for a good night sleep. I swear this kid can fall asleep anywhere!

A Visit to the Sculpture Garden

My brother John and his girlfriend came for a visit over labor day weekend. She's an aspiring photographer so we took her on a tour of the cities to get some fun shots as well as a chance for us to get some family photos (more about those later).  The boys got a kick out of the cherry on the spoon and had fun taking funny photos with them.  These crack me up.

Using the spoon as a bat.

Trying to eat the giant cherry, although my angle wasn't right.

Spinning the cherry on the tip of his finger.

Final Summer Memories

We had a fun summer filled with ice cream, beaches, parks, the zoo and much more. Here are a few final pictures from our summer of fun.

Buckets + Sand = Summer Fun.

Ryan and I had a special day at the zoo together. Gotta love his profile.

Kool-Aid for Sale!

Take a break in the back yard, it actually looks like they are enjoying each other's company.

Dancing Drew

While at a Twins' game this summer. Drew made it his mission to make it onto the Jumbotron. With the help of some 20-something girls he made it up there (more than once).  Luckily I was able to capture the moment with my phone so here's the proof. Last I checked it was at the top of his list for favorite memories from the summer.

Back to School!

Who doesn't love back to school time? It's fun to shop for new school supplies and clothes, fun to get back into a routine and back to friends and the chance to start a new year of friends and learning.  Drew started 3rd grade this year and seems to be enjoying it.  Matt started Kindergarten and is loving it. I'm enjoying hearing about his day and which kids had to "flip their card" and love watching him get off the bus each day. And then their is Ryan, he started his first year of preschool this year. I can't believe that he's old enough (just barely with and Aug. 28th bday) to be in preschool. He absolutely LOVES school, he'd go every day of the week if he could. I'm of course enjoying the few hours to myself on Tuesdays and Thursdays but I'm most please with how his language has exploded since starting school. He comes home signing songs and talking all about school. I wasn't sure if he was ready, but boy am I glad that we sent him. Here are some of our back to school photos.

 

Drew's first day of Third Grade.

Matt's first day of Kindergarten.

Walking Buddies!

There they go! And about the moment, Mom almost lost it.

Home already!

Ready for preschool - with his newly decorated bag!

 

We decorated both sides.

 

 

 

Looking so grown-up by his locker.

He even got to celebrate his birthday on the first day of school.

Nation Night Out

Each summer our neighborhood hosts the National Night Out party. It is always a fun time to hang out with friends on a summer night, while letting the kids play, oh and the visit from the fire trucks and police are always cool too. I LOVE getting the kids together for a photo in front of the fire trucks, it has been fun to watch them all grow over the years. 

Ryan Turns Three!

Hard to believe that three years have already passed since Ryan was born. It really is true that time does fly.  Seeing we were at my parents' farm shortly before Ryan's big day we celebrated with them while we were in town then also celebrated the next week back home with Craig's family.  As you can see from the pictures Ryan still loves construction equipment so both parties celebrated diggers, etc. What a  way to kick off his Birthday Week! Happy 3rd Birthday Big R!

While visiting my parents we went to watch a new home being built and Ryan got the chance of a lifetime to ride on a digger, he may not remember it forever, but boy I will. 

 Cake time - take #1.

 

Can I open my presents yet?

A garbage truck!!! Garbage trucks rank right up there with diggers and dump trucks.

Make a wish!

 



Who needs a fork when you've got a digger?

Fun on The Farm

In August, we made two trips back to my parents farm. The first trip was for my class reunion and a few family reunions and then the second trip was to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the farm with a beef cookout that was sponsored by the county beef producers.  Any chance to visit the farm is always a thrill for the boys. Here are some photos of the boys and their cousins and a few of their new favorites cats from the farm as well. And for some odd reason the kid who we've learned is allergic to cats loves them the most. Go figure.

 

Basketball Camp

 

Matt attended Basketball camp this week and LOVED it.  He loves everything related to basketball so it wasn't a surprised that he loved it. He even got a ball and a t-shirt for participating.  And of course learned a little bit about basketball too. On the last day the presented their skills to the parents, check out his skills in the video below!

A trip to downtown

Once a summer we try to make a trip downtown to say hello to my old co-workers. If you asked the boys the highlight of the trip is either lunch in the food court or riding the train into downtown.

Free Entertainment

The other day while we were out and about we came across this construction site. Ryan LOVES diggers and such so we stopped to watch. We ended up watching them for a good 30 mins or more. We had such a good time that we actually make a quick run to the grocery store and bought cookies for all the guys working to say thanks for the entertainment.

Super Heros By Day, Brothers By Night.

The other day the boys came down dressed like this, I love their creativity and the fact that they were working together and of course this photo is priceless.

Rules are made to be broken

Not only does Ryan wear his flip flops on the wrong feet, he also wears them between the wrong toes.  If it doesn't bug him, I can't let it bug me.

Duluth - 2013

We took another quick trip to Duluth this summer for a mini-family vacation.  Here are some of our favorite photos.

 

We enjoyed the Aquarium.

Ryan enjoyed the aquarium so much that he needed a change of clothes after getting soaked in the Great Lakes.

Drew and Matt thought they were hot stuff drinking root beer out of what looked like beer bottles.

Skipping (or trying) rocks is always fun.

A great photo of the lift bridge at night.

Hi Mom!

Holding Split Rock Lighthouse in his hand.

Family Photos

Fun at the water park.

Did you want me to smile?

We got to see a big ship come in.

More rocks.

The End.