Hey

Hey Ryan, will you show us your first tooth?

"Um, no. Sorry, not tonight." Hey Ryan, can we see it now?

"No way, Jose"

What about now?

"Look people, mouth is closed for business"

Don't take it personally she doesn't want anyone looking in her mouth right now. Getting teeth hurt. But trust us it's there!

great state fair day!

Oh where to begin? Indiana has been hot, hot, hot this summer. The temps finally broke yesterday so today was the perfect day to check out the fair. We made it there early so it was only 75 degrees when we got there. Amazing! We had coupons for $2 admissions (instead of the regular $8 each). Score! Also because it was Tuesday there were no crowds at 9:30am. Heavenly!

So what did we do?

We got a basket and apron to play farmer for the day. So we gathered eggsAnd planted and harvested vegetablesAnd rode tractors

big tractors I mean great big tractors!Carter got a kick out of feeding the animals

Oh we did lots of other stuff like fishing, coloring, riding the fair shuttle and eating ice cream cones, but I don't think I can post so many pictures. So I'll leave you with one last pic. The only one where Ryan isn't sleeping.

dirty laundry?

I don't mind doing the laundry if my baskets are always full like this.....This is some darn cute laundry! Wouldn't you agree?

Our kids love

If I haven't mentioned it before, I will now.

Our kids love being in WATER!

They love being in the bath.

They love being in the pool.

It doesn't matter where.

They are little water babies!

one post, many parts

Part One

Ryan turned 6 months old today. Happy half birthday, Ryan (or how Carter says, Ry-E)! Gosh has time gone fast! I can't believe we're to this point already! I guess as a parent of two, you don't don't have a lot of extra time to stop and notice how quickly they're growing.

Ryan is still as easy going as she has always been. She loves to be held but totally happy to entertain herself. She is willing to go anywhere and do anything. She is one HAPPY girl! Actually she is so pleasant we didn't realize she had her first ear infection until her 6-mo. check up at the doctor. P00r girl just doesn't complain about anything!

Latest stats:

Weight: 17 lbs. 5 oz (76%)

Height: 26.75" (85%)

Head: (22%) she still has her tiny peanut head!

Ryan is steam rolling now. She can also sit on her own for short periods of time. She loves to play with and giggle at her brother. I'm glad they get along so well because we officially moved her out of our room today and she is now bunking with Carter. With a 2-bedroom house, you don't have many options! Tonight's bedtime routine was anything but routine, but at least they are both asleep (so I think). Ryan is down to 1 (sometimes 2) feedings at night so hopefully I can sneak in, feed her and slip out without Carter ever noticing. Wish us luck!

Part 2

We had a wonderful Florida vacation with the Meek side of the family. We drove to Panama City Beach and spent 6 days/5 nights in a condo that sat directly on the beach. Surprisingly 10 adults, 2 toddlers and 2 babies fit into a 4 bedroom condo with little trouble! Aidan and Carter had a wonderful time together. They played and shared toys, watched movies, ate Popsicles and suckers and swam together the entire week without any major meltdowns. Carter struggled at night but I think that was more of a function of being away from home. Ryan (who we refer to as our extra luggage because she is SO easy) had no problem adjusting to a new environment. She enjoyed watching her older brother and cousins.

It was a very active vacation. We swam in the pool and played at the beach every day. We went to an aquarium and a water park. We played putt-putt, took Carter on the go-carts, rode a train and carnival rides. Last but not least, we left with lots of great memories. It will be fun to watch these cousins (4 kids less then 4 years apart) grow up together!

lots to blog

I have some fun topics to blog about....our trip to Florida with the Meek Family, Ryan's updated stats from her doctors appointment today, and the fact that our little peanut is turning 6 months old tomorrow. BUT, I'm tired and will have to write about all that at another time. Instead I'll just post a picture of the kiddos being cute together snuggling in Carter's blanket (I'm amazed he's even willing to share it!).

July, you are going fast!

July 15, geesh this month is rolling by. Bet you would like to know what we've been up to. Simply enjoying summer, friends and family.

We went to the zoo. Luckily we picked one of the cooler days to go. Carter liked watching the monkeys and feeding the giraffes. He also loved taking a quick run through the splash park before heading home. Ryan (like she does on all our outings) slept the entire time.
We celebrated 4th of July by trying to beat the heat. We swam in the grandparents pool and boated with the Kelker family. Kyle and I can't remember the last time we were on Morse Lake on the 4th of July! The kids had fun eating pizza and playing with toys. The adults enjoyed simply getting out, chatting it up and drinking a few beers.Ryan was very festive for the 4th by wearing her red, white and blue for the day. Below is a picture of her and Charlie Kelker. Charlie is one day older then Ryan! How cute are they!!
Uncle Kevin, Aunt Amy and cousin Grayson came to visit this week. We haven't seen Grayson since Christmas. Boy oh boy has he grown in the last 6 months! Now he's 10 months old and crawls and cruises the furniture like a champ! He likes to eat and loves to be where the action is. Sleeping didn't seem like something he wanted to do on vacation though. I'm sure there was just to much to see and do! Somehow Aunt Amy escaped my camera. I guess I'll just have to try harder when we see them in Florida in 9 days! Meeks are making a road trip to FL in the NEW minivan. Yes we are officially minivan people and are loving it. We bought the new Toyota Sienna and are totally enjoying it. We can't wait to test it out on the open road. Carter will have plenty of DVDs to keep him entertained and mom and dad will enjoy all the extra space.


Ryan is 5 months old now. That's hard to believe! She is still in the pack n play in our room but will soon be bunking with her older brother once she's officially sleeping through the night. I think we're close! I know we mentioned buying a bigger house and hopefully putting ours on the market this summer, but plans have a changed. I don't think we'll be ready until spring so until then we still be livin' in small the 2 bed/1 bath. Trust me, whenever we move we'll appreciate every extra square inch!!


I am in the process of switching Ryan to formula. My spondilytis has been very troublesome since she was born and the dr. doesn't want to put me on medication until I'm done nursing. The steroids I'm currently taking aren't working as well as we hoped. On high doses and coupled with pain medication I feel great but as soon as I try to come off the drugs the pain comes right back. The next step is to decide on the medication I'll take. One drug is a weekly injection I give myself (Enbrel) or the other which is an IV infusion given at the doctors office once every 6 weeks (Remicade). I meet with the doctor in a couple of weeks to talk it over.


Well I think that's all the news around here. What a long post, but I guess that's what happens when you don't blog for a couple of weeks!