Ryan's Airplane Birthday Party

My little bug turned two so we celebrated with a birthday party at the Flight Museum!

Planning this party was so much fun! My husband was so incredibly helpful and even helped me with some of the crafting! I was a little stressed because the museum only allowed 30 minute set up time but I had a ton of help that came early and we were able to get it all set up! Yay! I know Ryan loved running around the museum with all of his buddies so all in all I think it was a huge success!

So let's get this party started!

The party started at 10am and when people started to arrive I was still finishing setting up and trying to get pictures of everything. It ended up working out fine because all the kiddos wanted to do was run around and play in the kid area. The museum has an entire area dedicated to kids - it includes a bounce house, a flight tower, a mini airplane to ride, a theatre, and some other items to play on. There are also actual airplanes that you can climb up into so there is ton's of stuff to keep them entertained!

Joe the balloon artist (from DFWFunnyBusiness) came and made balloons from 10:30 - 11:30. What kid doesn't love a balloon? That's what I thought :)

Caroline, Thompson & Andy waiting for a balloon

The kiddos got their balloons and were ready to check out some planes! Jessica & John took these sweet little kiddos up to check out the Southwest plane!

Ryan hanging out with Daddy and Yiayia

Climbing up some more stairs to check out another plane

Playing with Ava & Marin

Hanging with Uncle Steve

Making silly faces with mommy

 Around 10:45 we were able to wrangle everyone into the hangar for some arts & crafts. The kiddos decorated wooden model airplanes with markers, crayons and stickers. I also had airplane images printed out for them to color on.

 The kids were able to eat their "in-flight" lunches while we had them contained and sitting! 

Birthday boy looking a little tired - nothing a little sugar can't fix!

Click Here buddies & their kiddos!

Nat & Andy

Courtenay & Ryan's best buddy Ford

Brannen and Henry

After some lunch it was time to sing happy birthday!

And of course - Eat CAKE!

After some more running around the museum it was time to JET. Emma gave Ryan a BIG ol' goodbye hug (which clearly was adorable) and so I am bummed it's all blurry. 

After we took everything down (which was much easier than setting up) it was time to head back home for naptime. I cannot even explain how shocked I was to learn that my little man climbed all the way to the top of the Flight tower. Well, his cousin Ethan helped him but STILL! Last time he wouldn't go near this! What a BIG guy! He always has a blast with his cousins and friends.

And now to thank the people who helped me pull this party off! My mom was so incredibly helpful - she came in town early to help me out. There is always so much to do at the last minute (no matter how organized I try to be) but having her around always makes it so much easier. We ran last minute errands together, she made the chevron table runners, the airplane fondant toppers, helped with all the food and not to mention the numerous times she cleaned my house! Everyone should have a T when executing a party!

Mk, Jen, Marc, Bryan, & Terra were also instrumental in pulling this shin-dig off in time. They came early to help us set up (seriously 30 minute setup time???) and I cannot thank them enough! Bryan & Terra even picked up balloons for the party (so we didn't have to worry about it). So wonderful to have so many great friends! Everyone gives me so much credit for throwing this party but I could have never done it without everyone's help! So thank you! 

Of course Kevin was also incredibly helpful and I am so grateful for him! I am so happy that my little man had such a fun birthday party and that so many of his friends were able to help him celebrate! 

Dear Ryan - You are TWO!

You turned TWO!  It's really hard to believe that two years has already flown by...

I love that I get to spend every day with you. It is amazing to watch you grow and learn - you really do change daily! You are adding new words, trying to repeat words and doing new things all the time. It's always so exciting when you do something new...it really is funny how parents get so excited over little things that seem so normal.  Everything really is more exciting when you have a kid...

So what do we do together? Well we have a pretty busy little schedule - mommy likes to keep you entertained...and myself I suppose! We do Little Gym, Kindermusic, Swim class, and Art class and of course you have also been going to MDO. You love music and art class the best, but also enjoy swimming. I think your least favorite is Little Gym but I like exposing you to it...I think we might try ASI gymnastics in the fall instead. Our fall schedule is a little up in the air at this point but we will figure it out once little baby arrives. Our day is basically separated into three chunks of time, morning, naptime and afternoon.  We get out in the morning for an activity, then come home for lunch and nap, then get out again for an afternoon activity. We either have a real activity to go to, meet up with friends, or run errands...it's nice to get out of the house.

Little things you do...
Hygiene. Brushing your teeth. You run really fast to the bathroom and get up on the steps to turn the water on and grab your toothbrush. You just put it under the running water and then suck off the water which mommy thinks is pretty gross but you love it. You like the taste of the baby toothpaste just as much as you do candy - I am pretty sure it's not really that good.
Bath time. You still love it, but I think your favorite part is running around the house naked afterwards. You really seem to think it's hilarious.

Dancing. Oh boy do you love to dance. You dance to your tv shows (Dora and Blues), you dance to the music your toys make, you dance in Little Gym (when all the other kiddos are climbing around), you dance before you take a bath at night. You have even been known to bust a move while we are running errands. Really, you dance all day long and it is super adorable.

Emotions. One of your little books talks about emotions and your daddy got you to work on your faces - it is so cute! You do an adorable "surprise" face, a sad face, an angry face and a happy face. I love it.

Playing. You LOVE peek-a-boo. As in hiding behind things (pillows, curtains or closet doors) and waiting for mommy or daddy to find you. It's pretty adorable. You love playing with balls, with toy cars, trucks and planes, you love anything arts and crafts related and you are still obsessed with BUBBLES!

Talking. I wouldn't call you a gabber but then again neither of your parents really are so it's not surprising. You are adding new words all the time. Sometimes you are really chatty and you look up at us and speak what would seem to be a sentence or more...if it were actually words. You seem satisfied with the output so thats all that matters for now. You have started to say your numbers 1- 10 and even parts of the alphabet. We are working on colors - some days you seem to know them and some days you are apparently just over it. 

Eating. Ah...the typical toddler. Some days you eat and some days you aren't that interested. I think there are only TWO things that you will consistently eat and that would be yogurt covered raisins and popsicles. Other than that you tend to go hot and cold on things.  Some of your other favorites include the chicken tenders at the club,  pepperoni off the pizza at Grimaldis and chips and queso at Chuy's....real healthy, huh?

Drinking. Obsessed with milk. You have been drinking whole milk up until now but we are switching you to 2%.  Your pediatrician recommends switching to low fat or fat free because if you get use to it then you won't mind the taste of it. Mommy and daddy can't stand it so we are going with the 2% - I don't really think there is any danger of obesity in our family so you should be safe. Plus Dr. Oz recommends 2% because when you take away fat your are just adding carbs and sugar...he's pretty healthy so we stick with that.

Swimming. We have been going to the pool a lot and you are also in weekly swim lessons. You love floating in the pool with mommy and daddy (with your puddle jumpers) and you will swim back and forth between us. You aren't much a fan of jumping off the side to us but that is fine for now. Your favorite place is the baby pool where you play with any toys that are laying around. You really like throwing things to the bottom of the pool and getting them yourself (in baby pool) or making daddy get them (in big pool).

Personality. You are a very cautious little man. You definitely think before you act and don't try anything unless you are completely sure it is safe. Your mommy is pretty grateful for this - I generally don't have to worry about you getting into anything, climbing up on things or jumping off of things. You still prefer to get down on your hands and knees to go up or down stairs...even over the door stump. Just recently you have started to walk down/up but only if I am holding your hand. You have also started to say "Help" when you want me to hold your hand - melts my heart.

Happy. Your smile melts my heart and you love to smile.

Frustration. You can get frustrated easily with your toys which causes you to get angry and scream. If you trip or accidentally 'injure' yourself you will typically cry (not just brush it off).   We really try not to baby you but it seems like it's just part of your personality. You aren't a huge fan of your friends when they try and get physical with you - you are serious about your personal space. And in our classes you dont' like to get toys or put them away if there is a bunch of kids in the way - you will wait until it clears out to make your move.  You like your space and there is nothing wrong with that.

I am so excited for you to be a big brother and know that you will be so great at it. This next year will be an adjustment (for all of us) but I know we will love being a family of four! Hugs & kisses little man! love, mommy

Happy Birthday Little Man!

Ryan turned TWO on July 24th and I am finally getting around to posting about his special day! Originally we were suppose to be traveling home from Montana on his birthday (not getting in to DFW until midnight) so perhaps it worked out a little better...just being positive :) Although he didn't get to spend the day with family (besides Kevin and I) we still had a great time celebrating!

Since his birthday fell on a Tuesday I wanted to make sure he got to celebrate with his buddies at MDO.  I picked up a cookie cake for him to take to school and his awesome teachers took lots of pics of their little party - they know me well :)

    

After school Kevin and I had a little mini birthday celebration for the little guy. 

A few small presents and some more cookie cake - this time with ELMO!

Opening up all his birthday cards!

Time to sing happy birthday! 

And of course - eat cake!

Ryan is a huge fan of the icing. 

Opening presents is always fun! Ryan was very serious with his opening....little by little they finally came unwrapped. 

And of course he played with each item before moving on to the next. 

After playing with his new toys it was time to head out for dinner! Since Ryan didn't really tell us what he wanted to eat, we decided that burgers would be fun (mainly because that's what I was craving). 

We went to Stackhouse Burgers and it was delicious...but Ryan wasn't much of a fan. Oh well, hopefully next year he will let us know what he wants for his birthday dinner!

When we got home Ryan had a couple more gifts waiting for him. He received a plasma car from his great grandparents (my mom's parents) and a balance bike from his grandparents (Kevin's parents).  His Yiayia and Papu got him a play kitchen but we decided to keep it in Houston and his Pro Yiayia and Papu sent him a check so that he could pick something out! What a lucky little man! He is very thankful and so are his parents!

Daddy helping him out

And his balance bike

What a fun little day for my little bug! Can't wait to share pics from his party which was this past weekend!

Project 366 - week 31

Sunday, July 29th: Ryan kept getting in the box of toys - I always thought that warning sticker that comes on the lid was so silly - why would anyone put a baby in a box? Well, I wouldn't - but Ryan has plans of his own :)

Monday, July 30th: Being silly playing at the house

Tuesday, July 31st: Working on place settings for Ryan's party

Wednesday, August 1st: Mrs. Lisa gives Ryan & Ford a crab ride (since both mommies are prego)

Thursday, August 2nd: Celebrating a classmates birthday at MDO

Friday, August 3rd: Ryan loves his uncle Steve and his dog Macy

Saturday, August 4th: Ryan's 2nd birthday party!

Project 366 - week 30

Sunday, July 22nd: Playing at the park with daddy

Monday, July 23: Dad comes to Little Gym

Tuesday, July 24th: Happy birthday little man!

Wednesday, July 25th: Waiting around at Ryan's two year check-up. 

Thursday, July 26th: Messy popsicle at the club

Friday, July 27th: Tucking cookie monster and elmo in for a nap

Saturday, July 28th: Dinner with the Botterman's at Mi Cocina

33 weeks

(Awesome...forgot to take another picture this week...)

How far along? 33 weeks

Total weight gain/loss? 19+lbs

Baby size:  Baby measured at about 4lbs 11oz 

Exercise: No exercise and advised to keep taking it easy...which as you can imagine is hard with a 2 year old. 

Maternity clothes? Yup

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: I must have jinxed myself last week after I posted that I was only waking up once for the bathroom - basically starting that night I have been getting up at least two or three times - sometimes even four! Geez!

Best moment this week: x

Miss anything: Sleeping on my belly...won't be long now!

Movement: Baby still moves around a lot. Sometimes I swear baby just punches my bladder for fun. 

Food cravings: Just a little bit of everything these days...greasy hamburgers one day and then craving something healthy the next. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Notice that I am feeling waves of nausea every now and then. Luckily it doesn't last long

Have you started to show yet: Um yes, and everyone I meet likes to tell me that I am carrying a boy.

Gender predication: ? I still think boy...probably because that is what EVERYONE keeps telling me. I was so tempted to ask the tech this week. Usually they don't even go in the area but she was checking around baby's bladder and warned me what she was doing so I closed my eyes. She said I probably wouldn't have figured it out but sometimes people see things and even if they don't know what they are they assume they know. Which I totally get. Anyhow after she was done I asked her after if she knew what baby was...and of course she said yes. That made me really want to know. Knowing that she knew....ahhhhh but I was good and just let her leave. Of course that makes me assume  it's a boy even more because she wasn't looking for long so it must have been easy to see (since she wasn't even checking gender) but then again I am 33 weeks so either gender should be fairly obvious. See how I kinda drive myself a little nuts? lol. 

Labor signs: Random contractions and my cervix has shortened down to 1.9 cm. I see my OB every two weeks but have been going to my specialist basically every week for sonograms. He told me to take it easy but they really don't know if this is a sign that I will go into labor soon or if this is "normal" for my body. After 34 weeks they won't stop my labor...so after this Saturday what happens happens. I would like little baby to cook for a little while longer so hopefully baby will decide to stay put for a little bit. Kevin is planning a work trip mid August...I am not so sure it's a great idea but I guess we will see... 

Symptoms: Heartburn. Tired. Pressure really isn't as bad but sometimes I really do feel like something is going to pop - like my water. Last time it didn't break until I started pushing but who knows what is going to happen this time! 

Wedding rings on or off? On...for now. Although with this heat it might not be much longer.  

Belly button in or out? Out.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!