What a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! This was Ryan's first Christmas in Atlanta.  It was good to be home, but we missed family.  Thankfully, we were able to Skype or FaceTime with most of our relatives. 

It really was a special time, and with family far away, our friends & neighbors are always sure to include us.  We really do live in a terrific place, and I am so very thankful we have the support that we have & that we are able to share holidays with them.  We feel the love.

On Christmas Eve, we were invited to the Kirks.  Julie and Matt (Finn's parents) had us over for a 1pm meal...and a Southern one to boot.  We had pork butt, mac & cheese, cornbread, & Grandma's green beans.  The boys opened gifts and played well together.  We could have spent more time together, but Ryan took a long nap & we got there later than expected.  Ryan had woken up at 520am that morning, and by 1030am on Christmas Eve, he was very, very cranky.  The nap was very, very needed.

After lunch, we left for Christmas Eve mass.  Ryan prefers mass since he can stay with his mommy and daddy at church.  At mass, believe it or not, we sat next to two Moms Club families.  To our left was Tara B. and her eldest son, and in front of us was Teddy & his father, Shae.  It was quite by accident that we all sat next to one another, and I can't say that we talked much - but it was so nice to be surrounded by people we knew while attending the Christmas Eve service.  I knew then that we were in the right place for our spiritual celebration of Jesus' birth. 

At 6pm or thereabouts, we had our first Christmas Skype session for the holiday.  It was almost like a Green Bay Christmas, we were right there with the family remotely.  The Puyleart-Higginbotham crew sang us Christmas carols & we talked and even got to "hang out" while they prepared dinner.  Ryan got to show off for his cousins & we were happy that we got to spend time with them on Christmas Eve night.

Santa cookies & milk

Christmas morning began around 845am.  Ryan slept in & was in a happy mood while opening presents.  When he came out, his eyes went straight to his new workbench by the tree.  We opened gifts on and off for almost 2 hours - stopping to play with new toys and to eat breakfast.  We even watched a little bit of the Disney Parade in Orlando.  Next thing we knew, it was 1220pm, and we were supposed to be at the Kemps in 40 mins.

After rushing to get the three of us ready & the cookies decorated, we walked 1 house over to the Kemp house to have a delicious Christmas feast with Chris, Evie, Maria & their extended family.  We have met many of Evie's relatives over the years, and we felt right at home.  Watching Ryan with everyone, you would have thought he had spent 10 Christmases with them.  He was thrilled to be hanging with lots of kids & did/does just fine in a crowd of 20+ people. In fact, every time he would come down the stairs overlooking the living room/great room, he would shout, "HERE COMES ME, EVERYBODY."  Okay then, Mr. Shy.

When dinner was over, we needed to get home to Skype with the Harmans/Lums then the Dean-McGilpins.  We had a brief conversation with Mimmy, Pappy, Uncle David, Cousin Andrew, & Aunt Shari with appearances from Uncle Chris, Alicia, Cheyenne & Uncle Dave.  Then we got in a good 30+ minutes with Auntie Sue & Auntie Jayne popped in from time to time while preparing Christmas dinner.  All and all, I would say it was good day! And, a busy one too!

Whew...there's the blow-by-blow of our holiday - didn't expect to write so much detail, but my friend, Bea, reminded me today that a blog does serve as a journal of sorts.

So here is what you came for:  THE PICTURES

Someone needs a faster shutter speed, but here's Ryan
coming out to get his first peak at Christmas morning gifting.

Straight to work on the tool bench

Learning about tools with Dada

I like this noise...
the incessant sound of motorized cars going non-stop, not so much

A pause for Christmas breakfast (a reindeer pancake)

Working on the "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" house
He received a farmyard that we chose to put together on Christmas morning
...instead of the night before like Mommy wanted. Ehem, Daddy.

 

This toy is from Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Dan, but since Ms. Claire's son

has this - Ryan thinks it is from her! (It is the race track pictured above).

Ry Ry - My Smarty Guy

Everyone gets a 2.5 year check up!

Believe it or not, I have tried to update Ryan's blog at least twice since our last post (umm, two months ago), but I have not been able to finish what I have started.  I am going to give it a shot this morning. 

So, where do I start with such a long gap?  Well, I think I have been pretty good about shooting occassional pics/stories of Ryan to you all via the iPhone or email, right?  Which stories stick in my memory?  I guess the ones that show Ryan is funny & bright or age 2.

Here is a quick one from last night.  While Ryan was waiting to talk to Grandpa Dan and Grandma Sandy via Skype, he was playing with a pink marker.  He drew a "face" on the paper.  (Ryan's faces generally consist of 3 dots and a line underneath). So, he draws a face and  yells, "It's Pinky Face." I thought that so funny & creative. It later changed to "Stinky Face."

My other new favorite story is his identification of "Earth."  The other morning while I was getting ready for the day, he runs to me in my room with one of those squishy stress ball thingies, holds it up, and says as clear as day, "Mom, this is Earth."  I was like...Wow, little man.  Very good, that is Earth.  I guess if he had gone on to explain the continents or something I would have been extra impressed, but I thought not too shabby for unsolicited information from a two-and-a-half year old.

He continues to be pretty wild from time to time, especially any time you ask him to be quiet.  That is when he likes to be the craziest.  Awesome.  Oh, and he is obsessed with wanting to be a "parent" aka "adult."  Perhaps obsessed is a strong way to characterize it.  Seriously though, we have explained that Mommy and Daddy are parents, and Ryan is a "child." You know...to establish some boundaries.   He will sit in bed at night chatting to himself saying things like..."I am child? No, I am NOT a child. I am a PARENT."  I will hear him having the same conversation with his puppies. 

Which, brings me to his puppies: TINY AND TROOPER.  Also known as TNT (my names for them).  I love Tiny and Trooper.  They are great ways to communicate Ryan.  If Ryan does not want to be cooperative (which is about 3/4 of the time), then I speak to Tiny and Trooper and have them do it first OR I ask Tiny and Trooper to ask Ryan.  Love it! Tiny, Trooper, Ms. Whaley, and Wee-Wee Cat have been Ryan's consistent companions these last few weeks.  He can be quite loving to them but also has been known to chuck them out of his bed or across the room.  Who knows why? 



Hugging his besties on the way to preschool:  Ms. Whaley, Tiney, Trooper & Wee-Wee Cat



Finally, speaking of his wanting to be contradictory (self-identification phase?), I love our Garmin story.  I was lost in a very big neighborhood a week or two ago, I used the Garmin to navigate my way out of there, and every time it would give a direction he would yell at the Garmin.  It went a little something like this:
Garmin: "Turn left."
Ryan:  "No, I don't wanna turn left!"
I am thinking...Seriously, Ryan, you have to argue with the Garmin directions?!  It was near naptime.  So, there was extra ferver in his disagreement.

In order to get this out...I did some QUICK typing.  Very little review of grammar & hope there is some sequence.  In other words, to get this done - you are getting the ROUGH DRAFT.  Sorry!

Hope to get you some Christmas pics & video in the next few days (-: 

UNTIL THEN: 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

LOVE - CHANTAL, DAVE, AND RYAN

 

 

 

HERE ARE SOME PICS/GOINGS-ON SINCE OUR LAST POSTING!

The videos are the last two...you have probably watched them already.

I post here for record.

Ryan likes to stop at Ike's vet to visit the resident, "Riley" aka "Riley Fat Kitty."

MOMS CLUB PARTY

 BEING A PIRATE ON A RATHER WARM-ISH DAY

 

FINISHING BREAKFAST WITH HIS BABIES

 

ATTACKING SOME RICE AND BEANS

Ry's good buddy, Lane, has moved to Charlotte.  We will miss you Lane Katherine.

WITH SANTA - MERRY CHRISTMAS
FYI - He asked for BERTIE THE BUS & some Candy Canes

RYAN CAN SING SOME CHRISTMAS CAROLS - QUITE A FEW!

Here is just part of Jingle Bell Rock.

 

Ry Ry - the weather guy

Ryan and his leaves...he chases leaves down and brings them to me. 
I have to hold them. He will carry them in his pockets like rocks.

 

It is chilly in GA, and our little Ry is having to wear a jacket and hat with the cooler temps.  Glad that he decided to comply the last two or three days.  Cross my fingers he understands that he is going to have to do this more days than not over the next few months.

 

Today was rather windy (with strong gusts) thanks to the tail end of Hurricane Sandy.  Per usual, Ry's mom had the TV tuned into the weather channel.  To be honest, Ryan is no stranger to me watching the Weather Channel during hurricane coverage.  During a storm this summer, he was watching Jim Cantore blowing in the wind on the beach and asked, "What's that man doing?" Today if he saw a reporter in the wind, he would tell them to go to their home.  Ha!

 

Below is my little reporter.  We were talking about the storm then he adds the last part himself.  He makes a wind noise then he leans and bends like television reporters.  This is Ryan's interpretation of a hurricane.  Mind you...that was not what they were showing on the TV at the moment - he did that himself.

 

 

 

We have enjoyed three trips to a trail near our home.  Here is a beautiful day a few weeks ago.  I forgot to share these two cute videos in the last blog.  Since this video was taken, we have done two other walks (with friends and Dad) & like seeing the changes in nature.

 

 

 

 

PICS -  Here are a few pics from my phone.

 

Hugging Ms. Whaley

So cute...riding on his pony with Ms. Kitty

 

Washing the car with Dad on a somewhat chilly morning

Ryan's pic for his future "Weather Channel" interview

Ryan's Fall - so far

It is already October 15th, and fall is flying by! Last I wrote, Ryan's friends were heading off to preschool without Ryan.  Then after much discussion, we decided it was the right time for Ryan to attend preschool.   He still cries some mornings when he gets ready, but he always tells me, "Mom, I had fun preschool," whenever I pick him up.  He sings the songs and prayers he learns around the house every day, so I know preschool is making a good impression on him.  At preschool, he is known as "Ryan P," and he refers to himself as Ryan P quite often.  (There is also a Ryan S.)

Ryan has lots of opinions, and I must say that age 2 is not the most sweet and adorable age!  It is challenging, and I want to pull my hair, but at the same time, I am learning a lot too. 

To show the difficulties of age 2, please see video below.  I think I am even a little bit embarrassed to post it, but I had to...note to my mom, I know you will be horrified!  But, I can't always show you the filtered moments via web.  I can show you "real life" with Ry-Ry.  This video is titled:  NOT THE BOSS  About 2 seconds before I started shooting, I told Ryan that Mommy was the boss.  Ryan's opinion differed greatly that day.  You will even note that he has a parting shot.

Like all preschoolers, Ryan says some things that crack us up and astonish us. (again, see above)  One night at dinner, Ryan patted his chest several times and announced, "I'm a Golf Man." Not sure what that meant exactly, but he really likes golfing.  Dad even took him to the range this past weekend with his very own toddler-sized club.  We have plenty of "potty" stories.  This past Sunday morning when we went to get him from his room, he grabbed a diaper and told us he needed a diaper change.  He laid down on the floor and said, "I pooped.  I have nuts in my diaper. I eat nuts.  I eat nuts again, and I have nuts in my diaper again."  Well, thanks for the info bud... glad to know you have the basics of digestion down. 

Finally, we have been trying to "sell" Ryan on getting dressed up for Halloween.  He doesn't seem to want to wear a costume of any kind. About 2 weeks ago, we were at Whole Foods, and they had some Melissa and Doug dress up outfits-one of these was a construction worker.  I said something to the effect of..."Look Ryan, it's a construction worker costume, do you like it?" Ryan replied, "No, I'm good." Me:  "Maybe you could wear something like this for Halloween."  Ryan told me, "No, I'm good. I'm Ry-Ry. I'm not Bob the Builder."  Ha! Guess as he forms his identity, he is a-okay with being himself.  And, that, is a good thing.

With that said, he is probably going to wear the same outfit he wore for his 2nd birthday party which was his engineer cap and t-shirt. I won't force the whole Halloween thing on him if he isn't really into it, but we will attend our neighborhood celebration & then he can see all the kiddies dressed up.

Here are just a few pics and one more video in our "Ryan in Review" post:

Mommy and Ry in the sunlight on our fall forest walk. 

Cute guy with Thomas toy

Tractor at Burt's Farm

Who doesn't love a good tub shot every now and then?

Enjoying more fall festivities with parents at Trader Joe's

Running through the Pumpkin Patch @ Burt's Farm

Ry's Going Places If Only in His Imagination

Here is Ryan on one of his several trips to Wisconsin
 

We have had a very restful & relaxing 2 weeks at home.  The constant running around has been on hold since we returned from Green Bay.  We have participated in a playgroup or playdate or two, but our focus has been staying around the house (per Ry's request). 

I have sooooooooooooooooooooo loved just hanging with my little guy.  We have really found fun things to do around the house and our neighborhood. Lots of watching birds, taking walks, playing with play-doh or trains, hiding under blankets (he is BIG into this right now), and me making his toys "talk."  Ie: "Mommy, talk Mr. Lion" or "Mommy, talk Thomas."

We also had the final "babyswap" with Gabby and Oliva this past Friday.  Oh, time flies!  G and O start preschool next week for 2 days per week.  Here are some pics of the kids on their last playdate at our house. I will sure miss the girls & their visits to our home.  If you look back in the blog, you have seen G and O grow with Ryan. Ry and Gabby were about 4 or 5 months old when they met, and Olivia joined playgroup less than 2 months later at around age 3 months.

Here they are as babies...
Gabby is in the carseat & Olivia is in all pink about to fall over -
Olivia was the youngest baby in this pic & has not learned to sit up yet.   

And FINALLY, FINALLY, I got Ryan on camera exercising with Daddy.  It has taken MONTHS. I mean since like last November or December to really get a good clip. He'd usually stop or run for the camera.  Ry loves to do and say jumping jacks, running in place...he also knows words like: mat, yoga block, push up & pull up thanks to P90X. Oh, and X - cellent....

Ry's Road Trip - Going to Ah-CONSIN

If you have 3 mins and 6 secs to join us on our 16-hour car trip with Ryan,

start here with this video highlight.

Hint: It involves singing, music, and carseat dancing!

So, we thought - let's drive to Wisconsin.  It's cheaper - we'll have our awesome car & what a fun challenge it will be to keep our 2-year old son entertained for 16 hours! After 4 nights of fitful sleep, (counting one the day before we left ), we decided to book a plane ticket home for Mama and our favorite superguy.  Guess I won't be able to write that book I wanted to write: How to Keep Your Toddler Entertained on a 16-hour Road Trip...

Despite all the sleepless drama & Ryan saying, "All Done, I wanna go home, my bed" about 2-hours into the road trip & many times after that...it was a fun!  We loved that Ryan got to spend time with his Wisconsin family from Milwaukee to Green Bay.  He woke up every morning asking the same question: "Where are my cousins?" We also did so much that we heard the frequent refrain of, "Where are we going NOW?"

Below are some pics & video to show what a good time Ryan had going to (as he calls it) Ah-Consin.

HERE ARE SOME OF MY ATTEMPTS AT KEEPING RY ENTERTAINED:


Bucket full of instruments

Aluminum Foil Hat



Getting desperate by the time we went through Chicago...

 

...I just gave Ryan the camera & let him take pictures of toys.
I busted out the DVD not long after & we watched Diego.


Made it to Green Bay!

Hanging with the cousins - Julia & Jena!

Our Rockstar chose to wear these glasses at the park.

Grand-PA, I am coming for your dessert.

Yes, my daddy did buy me a Spiderman popsicle.

Cool train set from Grandma & Grandpa.  We brought it home...love it!

With cousin, Stacie.

The cousins...minus our two older ones (at work)

LAMBEAU FIELD TOUR - GO PACK GO

Ryan sat and listened for like 2 or 3 whole minutes to our guide, Mike.

 More family time!

In an effort to finish my dessert, I gave Ryan the camera. 
Here is cousin, Daniel, from Ry's perspective.

Dah-Dah-Dah-Dumbdiddee-Dumbdiddee-Dumbdiddee....
Ryan's favorite! Thanks, Higginbotham Crew

Ryan's "artsy" pic of cousin, Nathan!

VIDEOS:

 My little man, getting ready for take off - well, minus his seatbelt.