Fun times!

Ryan is so much fun! As he has gotten older he has become more vocal and more mobile (as kids do) and we are having so much fun with him. Yes, all this brings new challenges but it also brings new rewards too. Lately, he has been talking more and more. Some things we can understand but most is still just gibberish. He says hello and bye, uh oh and of course da da and ma ma (and Jonathan thinks Ryan can say baby but I haven't heard it, lol). Plus, we have gotten him to say Disney twice! This settled an argument we were having about our vacation too. We are going on a cruise in January and Jonathan told Ryan if he said Disney we would go the day before our cruise leaves. Ryan said it and Jonathan and I looked at each other and said "no, that didn't happen". Ryan then looked straight at us and said it again clear as could be! He hasn't said it since then but Jonathan said he only had to say it once. So, I guess we are taking Ryan to Disney World in January too.

We took Ryan for his 1 year checkup on August 6th. He weighed 22lbs 2oz and was 29 3/4 inches long. Once again that puts him right in the middle. Doctor said he was doing great! Ryan still isn't walking but is getting much better at walking while pushing things so it won't be long before he is running all over the place. We have also moved him up from the nursery to the toddler room at daycare. So far, he has done pretty well with this but you can still really tell when he doesn't get a good nap in that day. That transitioning from two naps a day to one has made for a few rough evenings. I think he really enjoys playing with the "big" kids though. He is eating a lot more table food now too (mostly because he needs to at daycare but I guess I need to let him grow up too). He really seems to enjoy most of it but when he is tired he does not want to feed himself, he just doesn't seem to have the patience for it. Overall, Ryan is such a fun baby and we are really enjoying getting to play with him and watch him grow.

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks. Most are of us playing at home. Two are of Ryan at our church SS class cook out. They had horses and Ryan got to sit on top of a horse for the first time. He loved the horses!! He thought they were so neat and intriguing.

Here we are at his doctor's appointment. We had to wait for awhile and I had forgotten all the toys in the car, this was my attempt at trying to entertain him.

Ryan has developed a bit of an obsession with phones lately. He will pick it up and say hello. He has even started putting his hand to his ear and says hello. Surprised he doesn't try to text on it from watching his mommy, lol.

Here he is trying to share his blocks with me. He is so great at sharing! One big plus I think he has learned from daycare.

Ryan loves pushing his wagon around. He is getting so much better at standing and walking while pushing something.

Ryan has begun another phase of clapping about everything. But it's still cute (to me at least).

Jonathan and Ryan playing in his playhut.

Pushing his walker. It won't be long before he lets go and starts walking.

Crawling under Daddy's legs.

Ryan really liked seeing the horses. He got so excited watching the big kids ride the horse so we let him sit on top of it. He loved it!

He was even brave and touched the horse without anyone telling him to.

Jonathan was pulling Ryan in his lego wagon. It was a bit small for him but he enjoyed it.

Ryan's 1st birthday!!!

Wow, I can't believe a year has passed since Ryan was born. Looking back through the pictures and blog posts I am filled with memories (and tears). I am amazed at how much my life has changed and how much I love my beautiful son. It was amazing watching him grow and learn through out this first year. Jonathan and I both feel so blessed to be parents to a wonderful sweet baby boy (yes, I will still call him my baby). I thank God every day for allowing me to be Ryan's mommy.

Now on to the party. We had Ryan's birthday party on Saturday and it went so well. We had the party at my brother Kenny and sister-in-law Jennifer's house (thanks again!). We had a small party with family hoping Ryan would feel comfortable with a crowd (he doesn't usually do too well with crowds). As a big surprise my twin brother Chris, sister-in-law Nikki and nieces Aubrey and Hayden came down from Illinois for Ryan's party. It was so nice to have them here and to see them. We opened presents first and Ryan did well with this. He didn't understand but with some help from his cousins he figured out how to tear the paper and enjoyed the excitement (the girls were so happy to help too). I had to stop him from eating the wrapping paper a couple of times. He enjoyed the boxes, of course, and now that we have the toys home and he can play with them he enjoys them too. Next was cake and ice cream. Ryan has never had cake or ice cream nor any sweets really (besides just the Gerber puffs and wagon wheels) so this was a big shock for him. He did really well and dug right in. It was so adorable!! He would take a bite and say "mmm" and take another and say it again. By the end he was a huge mess and ready to get out of the spot light. After a quick bath we swam in the pool. Ryan loves water and swimming so this was a great way to end his party.

On Monday (Ryan's actual birthday) we took him to the Newport Aquarium. We all enjoyed looking at the different kids of fish and spending time together. Ryan got to see a big sea turtle up close and personal (well through the glass) as we walked through the glass tunnel. Along with some sharks and big fish. We got to see Jonathan's favorite, the penguins, and many other water creatures as well.

We had a great weekend celebrating Ryan turning one! And while I am sad that he is not a small baby any more I am excited about what God has in store for his future. Each and every day brings something new and it is so neat to see him grow and learn.

Here are a some pictures from Ryan's party and of his birthday.

Opening presents!

He enjoyed pushing this box around.

Trying to figure out this wrapping paper thing.




His great-grandmother got him a card that sings happy birthday. He really liked it. At home he would open and close it trying to figure it out.

Ryan's cousins were helping him open his presents and figure out his toys, they were big help for a one year old who couldn't open his presents quick enough.

Here is trying to eat the wrapping paper.

Getting the hang of it.

Pushing a box, he loved that part.

His dinosaur cake that I made him. It turned out ok (not as nice as I had hoped) but it took much longer than I had anticipated. Next year I think I will order his cake and save my time for playing with him.

I made him a cake shaped as a 1 just for him (minus the food coloring, didn't want to have to scrub his skin clean).

Singing happy birthday to him.

His first bite. He dug right in.

Enjoying his cake.

And the after math. Any time he is done eating he starts pulling at his hair and this day was no exception as you can tell.

Playing in the pool with Daddy.

He loves being thrown in the pool.

Playing in the pool with his cousin Brandon. He had a lot of fun playing with Brandon.

This was the day of his birthday. Here he is playing in the Playhut we bought him. He loves playing in this!!!

The only picture we took at the Newport Aquarium.