Ryan

I feel like I need to have a post about Ryan.  There are so many new things that he is doing and saying and I feel like I need to share.
First off, his vocabulary is ridiculous now.  I truly feel like he knows what everything means and uses words that I never use, like "gritty".  He called his vitamin gritty the other day.  Then while eating cheese said "cheese is not gritty, but my vitamins are".  We were slightly concerned about his articulation for a while, but not any more.  His teachers also told me that his vocabulary is beyond many kids in the class and far beyond where a 3 year old should be.  Ryan can spell some words, like Ryan, Mom, Dad, Bob, Route (random, I know).  He is also very inquisitive and asked some really insightful questions.  Here is a recent conversation"
Ryan : "Mommy, where is baby Jacob (his soon to be baby cousin)?"
Me: "He is in Aunt Amy's belly."
Ryan; "What is he doing in there?"
Me : "He is growing to be big and healthy."
Ryan: "I think he is drinking milk"
Ryan: "How did he get in Aunt Amy's belly?"
Me: "Babies grow in the mommy's tummy's"
I find it so interesting that he is already asking questions that require so much thought.  I love hearing what he will say next. Like...
Ryan: "mommy, I want a snack"
Me: "Ok, would you like a pear, grapes, or blueberries"
Ryan: "No, Mommy.  I want a processed snack"
This one made us laugh so hard. 

He just started standing up to go potty "like daddy".  He is very proud of himself.  Some days he doesn't nap, so I think he is slowly growing out of them.  I am hoping they continue throughout the summer.  When he doesn't nap he has night terrors.  They are so scary and last about 10 minutes.  He has no recollection of them the next morning, which is good.  But, it is so hard to watch.  Apparently they are very common in boys at this age and are brought on my being tired.

His imagination is still really big and creative.  Some of the things he comes up with are hysterical and really cute.  He always pretends that things happen and he makes up scenarios about things.  Some can get pretty complicated.  He will talk about his friends from school and what he thinks they are doing, eating, playing with, etc.  One day he told me that he went to home dept by himself to get his little Home Depot apron that he wears all of the time.  I said "well how did you get there?"  And he said "my car" and i said "what did you do while at Home Depot?" and he said "Got Grandma's keys made". 

I feel like he is kind of growing out of his tantrum phase.  Dare I say the terrible 2's are coming to an end?  Possibly.  He is very concerned about everyone being happy.  If he does something that is naughty, After I talk to him about it, he immediately asks "Mommy, are you happy?" and if I am not, he will immediately say "I am sorry mommy.  are you happy now?"  It is so cute and so hard to stay mad at him when he is being such a cutie!  Throughout the day he will say "this/that makes me happy", or "this/that doesn't make me happy".  He gets his feelings hurt pretty easily.  If a friend takes a toy or is rough, he doesn't like it and gets very sad.  I am trying to teach him to speak up about it, but he just kind of gets quiet and sits next to me.  It is difficult to play with kids who are a bit more aggressive sometimes.  He will leave and say "he didn't have fun" or "so and so was not playing nice".  I guess I am glad he doesn't fight over toys, but I want him to verbalize how he is feeling more than he does in those scenarios.  Anyone have tips on how to do that?

He talks a lot about his "favorite things".  He will get 5 books and go through and pick one that he will call "his favorite".  Or some songs that he hears will be "his favorites".  He verbalizes his favorite food, drinks, toys, shoes, clothes, etc...

He is still hysterical and makes everyone laugh.  His teachers tell me weekly about how he had his whole class laughing at something silly he did.  It is nice to hear that he is funny to everyone else, not just us.   

He is so much fun and such a sweet kid.  He is so sweet to his sister and they love to play together.  She still adores him tremendously.  I am so lucky that they have a sweet bond and truly love each other.

Coloring Easter Eggs!

Ryan enjoyed coloring our eggs this year!  At first, he didn't get it, but once he saw the result of the first egg, he was all in!  He double dipped a few and we had a nice color lesson.  We didn't do anything super creative this year, but maybe next year we will add some extra fun to the coloring process.  Lillian wanted to participate so bad, but I just couldn't risk her drinking the dye or pouring it out onto herself.  She was mad, and made it known the entire time.  Poor thing.  Next year Lilly, we promise!!

Pig Tails!

The day I have been waiting for finally arrived on Lillian's first birthday!  I can sqeeze her little hair in two pig tails!  I know, she doesn't really have enough hair, but could she be any cuter?!  She typically leaves these bows alone too, and loves to look at her hair in the mirror. 

Easter

Easter was a great time this year.  We spent the day with our family and close friends.  We woke up to see what the Easter Bunny brought the kiddos and the kids found all of the eggs that the Easter Bunny hid through out the hosue. Then our families came over for brunch and a giant Easter egg hunt courtesy of Grammy.  After naps (yes, we all took one) we headed to our dear friends', The Bakers, house for more Easter fun, then finished the night and Grandma and Grandpa Reckers house for dinner!  I think the kids had a blast!  Ryan literally ate candy from the moment he opened the first plastic candy filled egg, until right before bath time.  We decided that we would let him enjoy a fun filled day of candy before going back to our limited treat diet!  Lillian loved shaking her plastic eggs.  She would watch Ryan all day to see when he was eating something, then go over and beg him to share.  He would always ask us before sharing with her, in case she was too small for the treat.  Such a great big brother! 



Let the hunt begin!



Due with baby Jacob in 1 week!!!!!!!

Lilly's First Birthday Party!

Lillian's party was so much fun!  We rented a pavilion at a park in our neighborhood.  It was beautiful weather (a bit windy - so no decorations we able to be hung) and we had so many of our dearest friends and family there.  We are so fortunate to have so many people that love Lillian and came out to celebrate.  She was very tired, but seemed to have fun none the less!  Happy Birthday sweet girl!  We love you to the moon at back!!

Now Ryan asks about his birthday all of the time!  He is starting to understand time and future, so we talk about it a lot, and he seems to understand that he has to wait awhile for his party.  He is already making his invite list.  So cute.