a little bit of a modified Turkey Day!

This was our very last Thanksgiving as the 3 of us. And Ryan's last for all the attention. And almost the whole day was nontraditional.

I usually have Thanksgiving here for both of our families, then games and desserts. Well only having 8 weeks to go I decided for my own well being (maybe for the sake of some others too:) I was not going to cook the meal this year and we decided to go out.

We still watched/danced with the Macy's parade in the morning, we didn't get to finish it because I forgot about it when I had Loni make the reservations. We went to Blue Springs, then we went home cleaned/relaxed, then everyone came back over around 4 for games/snacks/desserts.

Ryan and daddy danced to the Rocket's.

Going out to eat sounded great in theory (and I actually enjoyed it), but Matt was not so pleased with it, and I think it actually ruined some of the day for him. The turkey they had was just regular restaurant turkey, not homemade TD turkey. And he was really upset with that, and the fact there was not left overs. Which in turn made me feel like a huge pill of poo. I didn't realize making a decision like that was going to affect people so much. But after we got over that, the day was pretty good.

We played games, Ryan even played RLC with us, he would help roll the dice and grab all of our quarters :)

Every year Jason and Loni stay the night to go shopping early the next day. After everyone left and we looked through all the ads, Loni and I decided to go to Toys'R'Us at midnight. First we went to see New Moon. Which I really liked and I have never seen the first one or read any of the books. Then we made it to Fairview Heights for Toys'R'Us. I think there we probably 5 police cars, and the line wrapped all the way around the building. It did move pretty fast I guess. We got inside, could not move, so I ditched the cart, which was the wrong thing to do since we had to hold everything for the hour and a half we stood in line. What great deals did we get you ask, I got 2 packages of diapers for $10 (I got 4), and two board games...that's it. No great deals, but we did learn on what to do and what not to do next year. Then we went to Old Navy, I got Ry a coat for $15 (org. $40), so that was definitely worth it. We got home and it was 5:30. It was definitely an experience, was it worth taking the next 48 hours to recover...I'm not sure!?!

finishing touches

Well the baby's room is almost done, thanks to so many people. Our Bible Study came over one night and got 90% of the painting done, we finished the dressers and the walls, all drawers and closets are FILLED. We are now just waiting on washing all nursing/bottle stuff to be washed and the crib, sheets, and window curtains. Then I think we are done.

Most of all we could not have finished all of this with out Ryan, he has been right there through the whole process 'helping' and loving every minute of it. Now lets just hope he still loves the room as much as he does now when the baby gets here!

oh how time flies when your havin' a baby!

A picture of Ryan with his new haircut and his new book for being a good boy while he got it cut...to say the least he was very proud, and he deserves to be, he has been a VERY good boy these last couple of days. Enough to brag about:) Time never EVER went this fast with my first pregnancy. When I actually stop and come down, its not so bad, but Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks, Christmas is less than 4 weeks, then baby is less than 4 weeks from that...I need to enjoy each day and quit the count down.



It's not only the time frame that gets me, Ryan is growing up so fast. He told me this morning for breakfast "I want muffins too" after I sat his strawberry plate in front of him. He finally got a haircut today which ages him at least by 6 months. He went to the doctor today he weighs 40lbs (I forgot his height). And according to our overly positive doctor, he is very advanced for his age.

When I scheduled his 3 year checkup I scheduled the new little baby's 3 month checkup...that definitely got me. I just found out a minute ago, apparently I said ok to a 9:30 appointment all the way in Belleville, with out paying attention to time. How in the world am I going to get 2 kids to Belleville by 9:30 when I struggle with 1 by 10!?!

I am so excited to meet our new little baby, but a little freaked with time.

"happy birthday mama"

Today on my 29th birthday I woke up at 9:30 to the sweetest little voice at my bedside saying and singing "Happy Birthday Mama". It has been the best birthday yet!

Matt took Ryan shopping for my birthday and this is what his sweet little heart picked out...the best chapstick ever! I don't even want to open it.

one LITTLE (big) splurge

We have had to buy very little for the baby's room, I don't think we will have to buy much till after he is born. That way we will know what we need once he is here. But there was one little weak spot I had...I found this rug and absolutely fell in love with...and it is huge, but beautiful!!!

the halloween festivities

Well if you are from our area, you would know how much of a toss up was going to be this year with record breaking rainfall for the month of October. I rained all the way up until Friday afternoon.

We started a few years ago having a 'stop-n-go' party. We invite everyone we know to come over. Edwardsville does trick or treat on the 30th, since the BIG parade is on the 31st. So we pass out candy, have a small bonfire, chili, hotdogs, smores and other random snacks. This year since there was going to be so many kids we put a movie on for them inside if they wanted to go in there. It turned out great. Everyone showed up at different times, so when one group left another would show up. I decided (remembered) to take pics later in the night. I only took them of the kids. Next year I am going to tell adults to dress up too! I missed some of the earlier kids when they came though...like Chloe, Annabel, and Audrey. I think that is the only 3 I am missing. We did do a little trick or treating, only 3 houses, Ryan was more into getting back to the house. The next night, which was the 31st we went to the BIG parade, I only took 2 pics :( I forget all the time now...what is wrong with me.

a little catch up...AGAIN

Life has gotten away from me again, I think this is just my life now, I have to quit acting like this surprises me any more. Not to much going on though, we have been enjoying the fall/halloween festivities with friends and family. We did Releke's farm. Ryan rode his first big kid ride all by himself, well with Claire and Sophia (3 and 4), just a little panic from the side lines from me. He even did his first haunted house with Matt. I tried to tell him no, but he was just begging to, so we said okay, and he did great. He really likes to 'scare' people and 'hide' from them. I think he is going to be like his daddy when it comes to scary stuff.We went to a bonfire/chili cookout/hay ride. All I can say is Ryan is definitely all boy, he absolutely loved all this. It was all his favorites, even the karaoke and dancing. He was definitely the star of the night. He didn't even care it felt like it was 10 degrees on the 45 minute hayride.One of the only nice days we have had this October we spent some time at the park, I tried to be a photographer...and well this is as good as I can get.Here is a sneak peek of what Ry will look like on Halloween.

Stylin' and Profilin'

Saturday was a day, a good day, but crazy. We decided earlier in the week we were going to the chili cookoff, Eckerts, and something else but I can't remember. So Saturday we got a late start which was okay since everything we were doing did not have a time frame.

Matt told me once we left the house that he had to stop by a co-workers house and help him move some big stuff out. Last minute notice but okay, it should not be too long (it was a 3 hour journey). Well we get there, Ry and I stay in the car, then Shaun and his girls pull up (Claire and Sophia), which now means we have to get out to play. So we played and played. Terry (the co-worker) says we can go in the back yard and see the dogs in their cage. They all love dogs, so this should be a good idea...I should have followed my motherly instincts, not knowing what the backyard looks like. So we get back there, and they instantly see a huge hill to run down and a lake at the end...which is really a nasty swamp. The girls take off, luckily Ryan is slower at this point so he is not the issue yet. I am yelling STOP STOP, we they both run into it with their brand new designer tennis shoes on. Its black swamp poopy mud. I get them out, we walk back up front and try to clean it off. I just can't it stunk so bad like poop, I was going to start gagging any second. I told them I was sorry, and to tell their mom I was sorry. Shaun was supposed to have the girls all day so mommy could have some mommy time with her friends.

Then I decided to set them all down and pull out the snacks I had packed for the day for only one child. So we went through that pretty fast. Then they took off running to the back again. This time it was Ryan, I could not catch him for the life of me. He went even further in, he sank like quick sand. I could no longer see his feet, he started to cry, and he could not move. I could not go much further, I was even heavier and was sinking much faster, but I lunged grabbed him and we were out...but with a missing shoe. I took him up front trying so hard not to cry...only due to anger. I did not have a spare anything, the cloths he had on was yesterdays spares, since they were warmer I put it on him that morning, thinking we were going to be getting dirty all day, it would be okay...who knew we were going to be running in a black poop swamp and loosing articles of clothing. My white shoes were covered too. So the poor baby, (I say it sweetly now, I have had almost 24 hours), had to run around with no pants on till they were done (I think the high was 61...later in the day), Matt did fetch out his other shoe. So he did have those.

Now I was informed we had to go help unload. I am okay with all this, its the right thing to do. It just wasn't what I had planned. We stopped by my parents on the way to get some clean cloths for the rest of the day. Then off to unloading then to the chili cookoff. It was now 2 with no snacks, nap, or lunch for any of us. Ryan was not going to eat chili, we did have a can of pringles. we let him have that. We looked like such hoosiers. We found a Jimmy John's, so we got him a sandwich. Things were happy again. We had a blast there. All guards were down, and we just laughed at everything at this point. It was just a good (family spent time) day!

On the way home Ryan was a little (alot) crabby, needy, and demanding. I would be too I guess. He was demanding the park. So we stopped by the Troy park on the way home, we get there, and Matt gets him out, and he is soaked. With nasty poop and all. We have no spare cloths. So I thought. I looked in the back, and found this stylin' halloween outfit, that my mom found at a resell it shop that day, and we took it home for PJ's. I totally forgot we had it. But hey, it was clean dry cloths. It was a little bit of a belly shirt...but he didn't seem to mind, he was just happy he was at the park.

Us on the other had, felt we needed to explain to everyone why he was dressed in such a wonderful outfit!

Playdate at the Zoo

On Thursday we decided to have a play date w/Corie and Cracker (that is how Ryan says Chloe) at the Zoo. It was a fun time, we were only there for about 2 hours, but got to see all the kids favorites...the elephants and penguins. I think this is why God gave us kids...to get through the bad days, just to have good ones like that day. They were so happy. We even rode the carousal.

Gotta love all the new smiles in the pics, it kinda looks like he is talking, but that is his smile :)

Ryan's congratulatory toy

It's very seldom Ryan gets a new toy out of a box from the store with us. Except for Christmas or his birthday, but he is never with us, and some times they are even from yard sales. So Friday was a big day for us.

We found out he was going to have a baby brother. And he was going to be a super cool big brother, so we took him to Wal-Mart to pick out a toy. We pretty much let him get what he wanted. (we knew it was going to be Thomas the train stuff) So he picked out a tank and a set of tracks. He was in such shock in got to go in the cart and home with us. (which I hope doesn't become a problem in the future).

Once we got home we set the whole thing up...and we learned another lesson...read the packaging carefully! The track set was just straight and curved track. Which in translation means extra pieces, it does not make a full completed track!!! It didn't seem to phase him much he would put the tank on the track at one end and let it go till it ran off, then go put in back on the other end and let it do the same thing. Well us as parents weren't as amused after spending all that money on a 'new' toy. I was going to take it back, but he was just gleaming from ear to ear with excitement over it. It was 9 at night we even took him back to Target that late to get a set to make a full track for him. Oh how kids can sucker you into things so easily!

The next morning Matt got him up, he didn't even stop by our room to see me, he went straight to the living room, to check on his trains :( I have officially become #2 in his life. Then when it was time to clean them up, his sweet little self tried to put them back into the boxes, because as far as he knows that is where they go. Most of his stuff doesn't come in a box, which just breaks my heart, but that is how we can run a dare care with all our toys, we buy nice ones second hand!!!