My 2 Reed Boys!!!

A photo update...

2012-01-31T19:44:00.002-07:00

Just the six of us bowling during Thanksgiving!!! Life is so good when we are all together.

No time to write, but here are a few photos to help catch you up on what we have been doing. Needless to say, we have been beyond busy. Moving, holidays, Zane in school, Kari completing her Personal training certification. Visits from family and friends. And so on, and so on. It just wouldn't be our life if it wasn't insanely busy.

The boys opening some of their Christmas presents

Christmas Eve. All dressed up to go to a Christmas eve service with some friends.

Chillin with Daddy

Zane Dressed up for College Spirit week. "go Longhorns"

Our family holiday photo

My new blog

2012-01-25T22:28:00.001-07:00

I'm going to update this blog soon. I promise, but I wanted to make sure to share my new blog site with those of you that aren't on facebook with me. It's all about our families journey with going gluten free (and dealing with Zane's Functional Disconnection Syndrome) www.fortheloveofzane.blogspot.com

Kindergarten

2011-08-23T09:17:00.003-07:00

Zane giving Ryder a kiss goodbye

Mommy and her little man

My 3 Reed boys!

Green Eggs and Ham to start the year off right

Zane getting off the school bus

Yesterday was a huge mile marker for our family. Zane started Kindergarten. He has only been asking to go for about 2 years, so he was more than ready, and so was I. All 4 of us took Zane to school to drop him off at his classroom. He got a sneak peak on Friday, so he was familiar with it and his teacher (who is about 70 years old and can barely move, it's a hoot). There were no tears from any of us. The parents go to stay at the school for a PTA breakfast. I am so excited to start my PTA responsibilities.
Zane rode the bus home yesterday and he LOVED it!!!! When I asked him how school was, he said "AWESOME." phew! i wasn't all that worried, but you just never know how it's going to go. He told me about learning about the calendar, doing art, eating lunch (where he found $5 on the floor in the cafeteria), and of course, recess, and the bus ride home. The hardest part of the day is getting the grizzly bear to get out of bed. He has never been a morning person. But this morning he told me that he doesn't want me to take him to school anymore, he wants to ride the bus. Seriously? 2 days of kindergarten has rendered my unnecessary. I love it!!! He is so independent. I don't think I will get so lucky with Ryder. Speaking of, Ryder, he doesn't seem to mind Zane being gone. He starts Moms Day out next week so that I can spend time at Zane's school. We are all loving this new change in our life.

My May post

2011-06-06T12:00:00.005-07:00

The boys at the pool

Ryder digging in the sand at our campsite

The boys with Sid the Science Kid at the Science Museum

Well, I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I last posted. Either we have been really busy, I have been really lazy, or just not the much has been going on. I am leaning towards really busy with a little bit of lazy mixed in. We are love, love, loving it here in Texas. I know my PHX friends doing want to hear that, but this has really been a great move for us. This feels like home. So what have we been doing? A lot of Mom's club activities (which i seldom remember to take my camera to). Swim lessons for both the fish...I mean boys. A lot of outings to the Science museum (my Mom got us an annual pass). And camping over the memorial day weekend. Did I mention swimming? We have a pool here in our community, and we have been everyday for the past 2 weeks (sometimes twice a day). both boys are swimming on their own (one with floaties, the other without). Zane dives, swims, uses the diving sticks. He loves, loves, loves, the water. Ryder just this past week figured out that he can swim on his own with the floaties on. He is in heaven. So what's in store for us next? Try 3 weeks in NY. Should be so much fun. Hopefully I will have a gazillion photos to share.

A few of my favorite things

2011-04-20T04:57:00.003-07:00

The past couple of months have been crazy busy. So much so that blogging felt a lot like a chore. But, on the outside chance that people are reading this, I figured I should give the cliff notes version of whats been going on.

Most importantly, Ryder turned 3 in March. It's hard to believe that my baby is so old:) He is fully potty-trained, can recognize some letters and numbers, knows his colors, is passionate about dinosaurs, Toy Story, and Cars. He is our little comedian, always looking for a laugh or a smile. I so appreciate that about him, as he has definitely helped to make us relax a little during all the changes that have come about this year.

Grandma and Grandpa Buckle came to Dallas for spring break and Ryder's birthday. We had such a great time, and they of course, in true Grandma and Grandpa style, spoiled the boys rotten!!! Trips to the museum, the Disney Store, Play areas, it was a none stop, fun filled, weekend.

Zane started and ended his soccer season already. He loved it. Soccer was a much better fit for him than hockey was. He is already signed up for soccer camp this summer and he says he is ready to play again in the fall. He started swim lessons (along with Ryder) this week, and has asked to play basketball this coming winter. He seems to really like sports, and arts and crafts. give Zane a craft to work on, and he is focused and determined to finish it. He will disappear for a couple hours with the right project, and no interference from little brother.
We finally got Zane into a Mom's Day Out Program 2 days a week. It has been a HUGE blessing for all of us. We took Zane to see his new school last night. It was quite an experience for all of us and it made Zane even more excited to start school.
So now we are in a holding pattern, not much going on until we head back to NY for part of the summer. All in all, we are really loving TX. We have started to make some great friends, and we really enjoy the surroundings.

Watch Out NHL, here comes Zane

2011-02-19T14:28:00.003-07:00

Zane started a six week course in Hockey. I managed to score the classes for free, and it has been such a good experience. Zane hit the ice for the first time last week, and he rocked at it. When the teacher told him to get down on the ice to learn how to get up from a fall, he looked at her like she was nuts. The idea is to stay standing, right? So smart. By the end of the class he was skating so well that they had moved him from the youngest, to the oldest group. We were so proud. Zane seems to like it, and loves wearing his pads around the house. In a couple of weeks he starts soccer, that should be equally as enjoyable and entertaining.

The Farm

2011-01-28T13:55:00.004-07:00

I really hate how difficult it is to move photos on this blog, so in all my laziness, you will just have to deal.
We went to the Heritage Farms today. It's a non-working farm for kids and adults to come and enjoy. It was only 3 miles from our new place, which is one of the reasons I really like it here. Everything is so close. The boys had a wonderful time. Ryder really enjoyed feeding the chickens, they ground their own corn first, and then fed the chickens. Ryder did it one kernel at a time. It was hilarious, and he taught me with a great amount of seriousness how to do it the right way. They boys loved the tractor that they not only got to play on, but they rode in the back around the farm. Zane's favorite part was the gentleman that brought all kinds of icky animals, african roach's, bald python (which we learned have toes, very cool), a tarantula, a bullfrog and some 3 week old bunnies (those were actually adorable). This is just another fabulous activity that we were able to do thanks to our Mom's clubs. I like how close and convenient everything is here. Makes trips out a lot easier for all of us.

In case you hadn't heard...

2011-01-28T13:34:00.002-07:00

We MOVED!

Kitchen

Living room
Boys Room

Zane playing in snow the day we moved in

Zane driving the moving truck. He did a great job!

So here we are, all settled into our new place in TX. So far we love it!! Minus of course our friends we left behind. But then that would have made life perfect, and we all know, life is never perfect. Our transition has gone very smoothly. Cheryl helped us move out here and get unloaded, when we dropped Cheryl off at the airport to head back to PHX, we picked up my Mom who stayed with us for a few days to help with the kids and unpacking. In 6 days time we were totally unpacked and settled in. We have already been doing play groups for the past 2 weeks, and are really having a great time. The boys have handled the move amazingly well.

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas

2011-01-01T17:14:00.003-07:00

These are, of course, in no particular order:

Zane with his Aunt Lana

All 6 grandkids

See, he is real

My niece, nephew and step-son. On the Polar Express

Here we are just before we started our Polar Express Train Ride

The Silly 6

Grandma with her 2 boys

Ryder with his new Woody and Buzz plush. They are now inseparable

I hate trying to arrange pictures on this blog. So, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.

Christmas pretty much rocked this year. We keep it very simple, believing that who and how you spend Christmas is far more important than how many gifts are under the tree. My Mom and her husband came in 2 days before Christmas and just went along for the crazy ride. We spent Christmas eve with our good friends the Callister's. It was so relaxing, and fun, and the food, well, you just can't go wrong when you dine at the Callister's. Christmas day was a hoot. Ryder woke up at about 6 am, and I did my best to keep him happy, until about 6:30 when i just couldn't stand it any longer. I woke Zane up so we could get the fun going. We did our usual gift opening, the boys surprised us on what things they liked the most. Needless to say, Santa did not hit the nail on the head. Oh, well, maybe next year. For the 5th, and unfortunately final, year, we had Christmas breakfast at the Tenney's. The rest of the day consisted of movies, playing, and most importantly, not getting out of our PJ's the whole day.
Over the next few days Kib's kids, and my sis in law and her kids, arrived in PHX. We went up to Williams for the Polar Express Train Ride. It was AWESOME!!!! My Mom and Ken treated all 11 of us to the Polar Express experience and we all could not have enjoyed ourselves more. We even got to see snow. Which both my kids decided they didn't like, that was, until we got in the car and drove away, and Zane decided that snow was his favorite thing in the world. whatever!
New Years eve we spent at the Tenney's. SO FUN!! Although we were home by 8:30 to tuck the little guys in, and I, of course, celebrated on east coast time, and was in bed by 10:15.
So here we are, it's now 2011, and there is no doubt that it is going to be a HUGE year for our family. Just not sure if it's huge good, or huge bad, yet. All I know is that we are ready for this adventure to Dallas. Ready to not be in limbo, ready to get back to eating better, and definitely ready to start working out again.

I just have to post

2010-12-17T19:59:00.003-07:00

Santa: what do you want for Christmas
Ryder: Good
Santa: I can do that
Santa: are you a good boy
Ryder: Yup
Santa: Are you scared
Ryder:Yup
Santa: Do you want a Candy Cane
Ryder: Yup
Hey, at least he didn't cry

Zane LOVES Santa now that he is older. He had a whole list of things that he wanted. Starting with an ambulance, a police car, pokemon, ironman, and about 100 other things. Boy is he going to be very disappointed when Christmas morning comes.

We went to our ward Christmas party. It was a WhoVille celebration. It was so fun and the hair, oh my goodness, there was some amazing hair-do's there.

The boys in front of the Christmas tree in their Christmas PJ's. Kib and I bought these PJ's back in September when we were out shopping with the boys. We actually thought that Zane would forget about them and we would be able to keep with tradition of new PJ's on christmas eve. HA! He has asked for them every week since we got them, and once the tree went up, it became daily. We finally caved and gave them to the boys. Now, we just can't get them out of the PJ's. They were them to aerobics, school, shopping, playing outside, sleep, and repeat. At least we know they like them.

I was so thrilled to receive an email from my father-in-law thanking me for keeping this blog. It made me want to hop on and post something. For a while i was thinking I was just doing this for my BFF, who already knows everything anyways. Glad to know others are enjoying it as well. So far this month has been absolutely crazy with preparing for our big move, and all that goes along with the holidays in general. We are really looking forward to having our extended family together the week between Christmas to New Years. I am sure that there will be plenty of pictures and stories. These next few weeks will fly by, and then we begin our new adventure, in our new home, with new surroundings, and new adventures. What a great way to start a NEW year.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T12:02:00.002-07:00

Zane and Ryder loving on our Santa

Reyna and Zane by the fire

The boys all snuggled up

Ryder thought Thanksgiving was better served on his head than on a plate

Our Thanksgiving family photo shoot

We had such a nice Thanksgiving. We all ran in the local Turkey Trot, watched the Macy's Day parade. Ate food, warmed by the fire pit, and of course, took some amazing family photos. Black Friday in our house means decorating for Christmas, which the boys thoroughly enjoyed. Nothing too crazy this year. Just fun, and relaxing.

A few Halloween photos

2010-11-02T15:07:00.004-07:00

Breaking the silence

2010-11-02T14:41:00.003-07:00

The Winner Grandkids

Ryder struttin his stuff

A fun family photo in Seattle

The boys in the sleeper car on the train

It's been far too long since I last updated my blog. frankly, it's kind of a pain. It's much easier to just post photos on facebook. But on the outside chance that there are people out there that actually follow my blog, I will give you the cliffnotes update.
Ryder is fully potty trained. No accidents in the past month. I will give it a few more weeks b4 I start giving away our extra diapers, but he doesn't even need them at night or for naps. It's such a blessing to have had 2 boys both potty trained by 2.5 years old. Guess we must have done something right. Ryder's newest trick is telling people his name. It started this past week when a fire fighter asked him "what's your name" and he responded "Ryder". So cute. Seems I always have a lot to say about Ryder, but that is becuase he is still at the age where he is growing and learning exponentially. Zane is a little less obvious with his growth, although I will say that he is becoming much easier to deal with. Tantrums are starting to diminish, and we are able to communicate more effectively. He is much better at arguing his point though, and I am not always sure I like that, cuz it makes a lot of sense.
We went to WA for a last minute trip in October, we were able to see Kib's family, my brother and his family, and a couple of friends as well. The highlight for the boys was the train ride to LA, which was AWESOME, and relaxing, and most definitely the way that we will travel again. Halloween came and went without any incidents this year (last year Zane was in the hospital with pneumonia). We had lots of parties to go to. Zane was a police officer, skeleton, batman, and astronaut, Ryder just stuck with the astronaut the whole time. They were so good, and respected our candy rule. They each got to keep 5 pieces of candy, and the rest got recycled back out the door to the trick-or-treater's

It's Potty Time...

2010-09-15T13:55:00.005-07:00

There are just too many fun things going on not to post about them. Ryder is doing an amazing job potty training, he went 4 days w/o an accident, but alas, those #2's will get the best of you eventually.

The boys have been doing better about actually playing together. it helps when they get things that they can have in common. My Mom sent them these fisherman vests, it's all they wear these days.

Zane and Ryder have made steadfast friends with 2 little brothers that live near us. Their ages are the same, and they seem to be best buddies. Makes playdates so fun. Here is a photo of Zane with his buddy Tyler. They were playing baby superheroes, so funny.

I am sure many more fun things will come up this month so I will have plenty to post come my monthly update. I just couldn't keep all this fun stuff to myself.

August 2010

2010-08-28T20:43:00.004-07:00

Here we are another month has come and gone in what seems like a flash. August has been pretty slow for us. It's my birthday month, and Kib surprised me with a dinner party at one of my favorite restaurants. Adults only, it was great. My dear friend Tracy was nice enough to watch the boys for us so that Kib could take me shopping at the mall. It was really the perfect day.
Both of the boys started school this month. Zane goes to preschool 3 mornings a week, with the same teachers as last year. He loves it, and I love the time with just Ryder. One Tuesdays and Thursdays Ryder and Zane are doing a preschool co-op that I started with some friends. It's great, 6 kids, 4 families, so I only have to teach every 4 weeks. The rest of the time they go elsewhere and I get 2 hours to myself. Wow. It's amazing! I taught this past week and the kids LOVED my marching band. It was such a hoot. I really enjoyed the time with them.
We have had the most bizarre weather here this month. With cooler weather, high humidity, and lost of awesome storms. The boys love playing in the rain.
And when it's too awful for them to play outside, they usually get into lots of fun with all their dress-ups. Occasionally they even play nice together. This is a rare moment, so I had to capture it on film.That's all in Reed news. Kib and I are training hard for our century coming up in November. Our fabulous friends have all taken the boys here and there for us so that we can get our long rides in. To say that we are blessed, doesn't even begin. Great kids, great friends, great life.

Zane's Birthday

2010-07-20T13:39:00.007-07:00

This is such a crazy month, I feel like I need to post more than once. And, it is of course, Zane's birthday month, which is very important and deserves it's own post. I remember as a kid feeling like my birthday lasted an entire week. Between friends and family, it did. Well, Zane's birthday seemed to have done the same thing. He started receiving packages early in the week. He got dress ups from Andrea. And not just one or 2, it was a good 5 outfits. He is in heaven with all the fun dress-ups he now has.

On Zane's actual birthday we went to our good friend James' house and spend the whole day in his pool with his 6 kids. Yup, 10 kids and 3 adults. It was a blast. The kids were all exhausted by the time we left. On Sunday, the kids went to the Natural History Museum with Kib while I worked. We had a few close friends over for a party Sunday afternoon. It was a fun, and relaxing birthday weekend. Zane loved all of his gifts, his new bike was a hit, although it's a tad too big. His dress-ups are amazing, and he has already played his games a handful of times. I am so grateful to all of our friends that helped to make Zane's day so special.

Beautiful June

2010-07-04T17:58:00.008-07:00

We had the most beautiful June since we moved to PHX almost 5 years ago. We didn't hit 100 degrees until the middle of the month. For those of you not from here, we usually hit 100 by the middle of May. So we got about 4 extra weeks of gorgeous, outdoor weather this year. The boys may very well grow fins by the end of the summer. I took them to the pool for the first time this year, and they both loved it. We have literally been in the pool almost everyday for the past month. I am so excited for them to start their swim lessons in July. I know they will both love it.
We were fortunate enough to be able to go to San Diego for a week. I am so grateful to Andrea for giving up some of her time without her family, to have us bombard her house. We did so much while we were there, including a trip to LEGOland, and a bunch of trips to the local parks and play areas. It was so relaxing, and the boys really enjoyed it there. Zane really loved legoland since he was finally big enough to go on most of the rides. Ryder on the other-hand couldn't go on a single one, which is why he looked like this photo most of the day...

Thanks to Andrea we were able to get some new family photos this month. They turned out so well thanks to her.

I took Zane on a Mommy son date for the first time. We had so much fun. I taught him all about how to take a girl on a date. He took me out for ice cream, held the doors for me, paid with the money from his wallet, and we sat and talked. I couldn't believe that he sat nicely the whole time and just talked. He is getting so grown up. After ice cream we went and played at the park, and watched a baseball game here in Maricopa. It was the perfect date night.
After my date night with Zane, I decided to take Ryder on a day date (since he isn't so fun at night when he is tired). We went to the Elmo Live show. Boy-oh-boy did that kid think he had hit the jackpot. He loved it. And I loved watching him enjoy the show. He was so excited and blown away by the whole experience. It was awesome.

That about sums up our month of June. Zane had his first sleep over this month, it was with a 13 year old. Pretty funny. But he thinks he is pretty cool now that he can have sleepovers. I made it home for a few days at the end of the month. It was so nice to travel without the boys to see my family. It was far less stressful that way. I was really enjoyable, I got to see all my extended family as well as immediate. It certainly makes me miss home even more. But that is a battle that I fear I will definitely lose. Now we are into another crazy month of fun. Stay tuned for more exciting news from the Reeds.

May Days

2010-06-13T18:56:00.008-07:00

I am so disappointed that it is half way through June, and I am just getting around to updating all of our May happenings. I'll work backwards since my brain seems to work better that way right now.For Memorial Day we spent the morning Kayaking on the Salt River. It has become a tradition in our house, and we all seem to really enjoy it.

Zane graduated preschool, again, but this time he refused to participate in any part of it. As a matter of fact, Ryder ended up going to the front of the room and accepting Zane's diploma for him. It was so cute. I am waiting for a friend to send me the photos, and then will make sure to post them. Good thing Ryder likes being the center of attention.
I ran the MOAB Relay with some girls from Maricopa. It was so much fun, and a really good experience. Somehow I seem to have become a runner, and although it's not my first love, it offers a lot more opportunity to participate in fun/crazy events.

The boys always seem to be on the go, doing things, learning things. We went to the butterfly conservatory with Zane's favorite girlfriend, MaKenna.

We went to the zoo with our good friend Audrey. Both my boys are in love with her, it's so adorable. And I am pretty sure she is totally in love with them too. I treated the boys to feeding the Giraffe's that day. They loved it. We have a really great zoo here.

Last, but not least, we had our trip to the Children's museum, we hadn't been there in over a year, and they had made a lot of huge changes so it felt like new.
Both of the boys are growing by leaps and bounds. Ryder is saying 3 and 4 word sentences, and his cognitive skills are really picking up. He has started pronouncing his P's really well. And he is getting easier to understand. On the flip side, he is 2, so very, very 2. He is a very little 2 with a very big attitude. We call him Napoleon because he refuses to let his size get in the way of what he does. He tries to do everything Zane does, and it shows. He is a walking bruise these days. But I have never seen a happier kid.
Zane is getting more mature, and wickedly smart, by the day. I think we are phasing out of the terrible 2's/3's and transitioning into our fabulous 4's. His reasoning skills are so well developed. He has the best manners of any kid his age, and is smart as a whip. He and Daddy are making huge headway with his reading. He still has his total meltdowns, but they are getting easier, fewer and further in between. I am really enjoying my little dude and all the cool questions and statements that he makes. Although he sometimes is exhausting, I really do enjoy him so much.
June is shaping up to be even busier than May. Stay tuned for another exciting edition of MY2REEDBOYS!!!

April 2010

2010-05-11T07:05:00.007-07:00

It's almost half way through May, and I am just getting around to updating all the things that happened in April. Needless to say, life is very busy around here.
My Dad and Di came to Tucson for a visit and we were able to spend the day with them at my Aunt and Uncle's house. It was so nice, and we really enjoyed having some family time.

Tweet-Tweet sent Zane a new kilt in April. He LOVES it, and seems to wear it almost everyday. Here he is playing his drums and watching Brigadoon.
This picture of Ryder is just too cute not to post. He is so sweet, and such a chatter box. Although he still doesn't speak clearly, he is putting together 2 and 3 word sentences. He can count forward and backwards to 10, thanks to Elmo. and he is learning his colors too.

It's not often that we get a photo with both boys smiling and pretending to love each other. Priceless.
Here is a photo from our trip to Disney with our friends, the Gassners. We had such a hoot, and got to meet some family of mine that we hadn't ever met before.
So many other things happened this month, none of which are particularly note worthy. I did my first run, ever. And my second. And now i am hooked. Kib got injured rock climbing, so he has been on the injured list, which is a real bummer in this house. Other than that all is wonderful. We are already enjoying a busy month of May, and looking forward to our summer plans.

Disney!

2010-04-18T20:40:00.005-07:00

Here we are at Disney. We had such a wonderful time. We made the 7.5 hour drive to LA on Friday. It wasn't bad. We have learned that we can make road trips, as long as we stop every 2 hours and let the boys run around for about 20 minutes. I was really happy with how well they did. We met up with our great friends, the Gassner's, for our day at Disney. It was their sons 6th birthday celebration, and we were so excited to help them celebrate it.

We stayed with my Mom's cousin and her husband. I had never met them before, but they offered their home for us to stay in and we were more than happy to accept. What a treat, at the age of 30, to meet family for the first time. They were such wonderful, enjoyable folks. I am so excited to go out again for another visit. As you can see, they have 2 dogs. I am not sure who had more fun, the kids, or the dogs. Ryder was a handful, as usual, almost took a dip in their pool, thankfully, Zane is a tattle-tail and we avoid a major catastrophe. Then, Ryder somehow rolled under the bed he was sleeping next to. We thought he had somehow gotten out of the house in the middle of the night. It was way too cute when he popped his head out from underneath the bed, like he was playing hide and seek or something.

Zane is not actually picking his nose, he is biting his nails. Not that that is much better, but just to clarify.
The boys, Zane, CJ, and Ryder. Our family dressed in orange shirts to make it easier to find each other. We thought it was quite funny when we net up with our friends, and they were dressed in orange as well.

We really had a fabulous weekend with friends and family. I hope we get to do it again soon.

Easter

2010-04-09T08:31:00.004-07:00

I owe a huge thanks to Cheryl, for without her, my poor kids wouldn't have had much of an Easter. Thankfully, Cheryl invited the boys to participate in all of her families Easter activities. From egg decorating, to the Easter egg hunt, and of course, cookie decorating. We had such a fun weekend of celebration and spending time with our Copa family. Andrea also came out for the weekend which really made my Easter. On Easter Sunday we went to some friends of ours for dinner. Great company, good dinner, and most importantly, the boys had fun. I can't forget to mention that Kib and Zane went flying on Easter. They really enjoyed it, especially Zane. Lucky for them, they missed the earthquake that we had here. Can't say I felt it, but we did see it. Swaying lights, and water slopping out of the bowls, it was a real trip.

The boys with there Halloween, I mean Easter, baskets.

Some of the Easter eggs, the Yellow one is Tinkie Winkie

Ryder, just before he took the egg out and beat it to death.

Zane and Ryder working on their Easter eggs. They both did really well at it.

The Imperial Sand Dunes

2010-03-28T19:42:00.008-07:00

What a totally awesome weekend we had. Our friends were nice enough to invite us out to the Dunes this weekend to try out dome quading in the Dunes. We had a fabulous time. We drove up Friday night, and got there so late that we ended up just sitting by the fire until both of the boys put themselves to sleep. I kid you not, they both asked to go to sleep. By morning, the wind had picked up to the point that it was practically flattening the tent all together. It was crazy. You couldn't go outside without having a face mask and ski goggles on for protection. Zane thought that was pretty awesome. By mid afternoon the wind had died down enough that we got to start playing in the sand, and riding the quads and the jeep. We went to a place called "the hill" which was insane. It is the highest hill in the dunes, about 300 feet straight up. People meet in droves at the bottom of the hill and TRY to make it to the top. A lot of people fail and have to turn around, or slide down the hill. We went to the top, and it was so cool, scary, and fun, did I mention scary? Here are some pics from the weekend.

These are of the boys playing in the sand with their buddy Joey, when we got to the dunes.

This is the tent taking a beating, and then the after effects with all the sand in the tent.
Some Dune picks from the day.

Now that he's 2....

2010-03-22T17:56:00.002-07:00

Ryder only turned 2, 2 days ago, and he is already making big changes. He is now sleeping in a big boy bed, he can count to 4, he can open closed doors, and climb onto the entertainment center. All this in just 2 days. I don't know what it is about his birthday, but it has brought big changes.

Ryder's 2nd B-Day

2010-03-21T08:37:00.001-07:00

We had the most wonderful day of celebration. We threw a very small BBQ party for Ryder and all of Zane's friends. Yes, that's right, Zane's friends were the guests. Zane's friends all happen to be associated with parents who are our dearest friends, so it was the perfect party for all of us. We are so grateful to all of our friends for helping to make Ryder's day so wonderful. We did all of the typical birthday stuff, food, cake, pinata's, oh, and let's not forget the free motorcycle rides on Kib's new bike. That ended up being the highlight of the whole party.
Here are a few photos of the birthday boy. He really enjoyed the day, and all the attention. He really hammed it up for everyone and had our guests in stitches over his funny little antics.

the blog police

2010-03-18T14:12:00.005-07:00

If there is such a thing as a blog police, then they would probably have to arrest me. I have been so bad about updating this the past month. Kristi and Blake came to visit in February, as always, we enjoyed our time with them. Zane and Ryder just keep growing by leaps and bounds. Ryder has accelerated his learning this month. He has finally started calling Kib "Daddy" which up until now has always been Mommy. It's so nice to know who he actually wants, especially at 4 am. His articulation of words has really started to come through. He sings his ABC's and his good night song. He LOVES to vacuum up his messes, which is great, accept that he likes to make messes so that he can clean them. He still wakes up before 6 everyday, which is exhausting for poor Kib, who is wonderful enough to get up with him.
Zane is color wizard, he loves to tell us every color he sees. He is really maturing and getting a better temperament. He actually put the laundry from the dryer into a basket, cleaned the lint trap, and then switched the laundry from the washer to the dryer, all because he wanted to. We didn't even know what he was up to until he was half way done. I am enjoying Zane more and more as he grows out of his terrible two's/three's. So Ryder is turning 2 on Saturday, I am making a pledge to get those photos posted quickly. I love my boys, and am so blessed that they are cute, and wonderful, and smart, and fun. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Tweet-Tweet

2010-02-17T21:05:00.003-07:00

Grandma Tweet-Tweet (my Mom) came to visit again this month. She and her husband were down in Tucson for a couple of days and so we took turns making the drive to see each other. Grandma took us all to the Airplane Museum. Although there were limited "hands-on" things for the boys to do, they still LOVED it, and pitched a fit when it was time to leave. We all had a wonderful time. My Aunt and Uncle were nice enough to host all of us for dinner that night, everyone just fussed over the boys, and of course, they loved it. The next morning my Mom made the trip up here, and spent the day with the boys. It's so nice to see my kids spending time with their grandparents. They aren't lucky enough to live near them, but I do so appreciate all the time and exposure that they get. Here are a few fun photos from our time together.

Rainy Day

2010-01-28T14:03:00.002-07:00

Here are a few photos from our morning. It was raining, again, but relatively warm, so we took advantage of it and got very, very, wet.

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January 2010

2010-01-27T20:50:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that an entire month has gone by. People aren't kidding when they say that you blink, and your kids are all grown up. Zane is now 3.5 and Ryder is 22 months. We just started talking about Ryder's second birthday and what we might do for it. Things are as crazy as ever around here. They boys are both growing in their own ways. Ryder has taken to climbing, he climbs up and on everything. I jokingly call him Napolean because he does not let his size stand in his way of conquering everything around him. And boy does he have a set of lungs on him, yikes!! When he wants your attention, he will get it, or you will go deaf trying to ignore him. Needless to say he is doing a great job at transitioning to his terrible two's. The next two years will be very interesting with him. He is the most affectionate little boy I have ever met. When we bring him into bed with us in the morning he will literally sit there and give Kib and I hundreds of Hugs and Kisses. Right smack on the lips, it's so fun, and cute, and slobery.
Zane is a smart little whipper snapper, we have been enjoying lots of new things, he likes to bake and cook with me, which I really enjoy. He try's to cut his own food, pour his own drinks, pretty much do everything on his own. And when he can't, or isn't allowed to, well, let's just say he is a master at tantrums. He is so defiant, and yet smart and sweet and wornderful. Being a parent is the hardest job in the world, and yet the most rewarding and wonderful too.
So this month has been quiet as far as activities, we went to the Zoo, which of course was AWESOME. It rained for an entire week, so the boys got to go Kayaking with Daddy in the field by our house, and that's about it for highlights. I am only working 1 day a week at In-n-Out, as I have been doing my Yoga and Pilates Training. I head to San Diego this weekend to visit my BFF Andrea!!! February is looking to be a very busy month for us so stay tuned for some fun updates. We have Grandparents visiting, Kib's kids visiting, me starting my teaching. It's going to be a crazy February.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T21:06:00.002-07:00

We had the most wonderful Christmas this year. Grandma Tweet-Tweet and Grandpa Buckle (Kari's side) came to visit. We had such a great time. We took Grandma and Grandpa to Makutu's Island and they couldn't believe how fun it was. We built graham cracker houses, and had lunch with Aunt Pam and Uncle Fred. Christmas Eve my Mom and I got to wrap all the boys presents, and then of course, there was Christmas day. I think we all thoroughly enjoyed watching and helping the boys to unwrap their presents. They got so many wonderful gifts. The favorites seem to be the fire truck from Santa, and the indoor bouncer from Aunt Lana and Uncle Rob. To top it all off, Grandma and Grandpa were nice enough to watch the kids for 3 hours on Saturday so Kib and I could get in a nice long bike ride. What a treat. Saturday night the adults went to a very nice restaurant at Wild Horse Pass. The food and atmosphere were outstanding, and we actually got to have entire, uninterrupted, intelligent conversations for a change. This really was our most fun Christmas so far. We enjoyed having family around for a change, and seeing the boys enjoy the day so much was memorable and heart warming. Here is a quick preview of our Christmas week activities.

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Christmas Newsletter 2009

2009-12-10T09:49:00.003-07:00

This may be a repeat for some of you, but here is our annual e-newsletter. Enjoy!

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Thanksgiving Weekend, and other November happenings

2009-12-07T14:34:00.004-07:00

It's so sad that we have become so busy that my blogging has been reduced to once a month. We have had so much going on this past month. I took and passed my pilates certification. Zane learned to ride his bike without any training wheels. It is truly amazing to watch. He was only 3 yrs and 4 months old when he figured it out, and he hasn't put them back on at all. Wow. Ryder is becoming quite the little pill, he can't wait to be 2. He sings and dances to all the musicals that we have on the TV. not only does he know the songs, but he is memorizing the dances. It's so fun to watch. Everyone who comes over gets to watch him "perform" for them. He is starting to love being in front of an audience. Kristi and Blake came for Thanksgiving weekend this year. It was the first holiday that we have had them for and we all really enjoyed ourselves. Thanksgiving day was so fun. We did the Turkey Trot again this year, and I baked for 2 days to get ready for the 13 people that we fed for dinner. Our dear friends, the Johnson's, came over for dinner and brought the most delicious food with them to contribute to dinner. The whole weekend we spent outside with the kids enjoying the fresh air and nice weather. I have posted just a couple of fun photos from Thanksgiving.

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Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T15:43:00.002-07:00

We had such an interesting Halloween between Zane being in the hospital with Pneumonia, and Ryder working on a bad case of flu/walking pneumonia/bronchitis. We decided to send Zane as a patient, seemed fitting given our week. The people we saw on the streets thought it was a pretty cool costume (little did they know). Ryder went as a monkey. We didn't make it more than about 10 minutes, and Zane was begging to go home. We were happy to oblige. We came home with about 6 pieces of candy, every parents dream. Sadly we missed out on a lot of fun festivities, but there is always next year. We are just grateful that the boys both seem to be on the upswing from all of this.

Paint time

2009-10-19T13:00:00.005-07:00

I have been sick the past few days and although I feel better today, I am exhausted and weak. Both boys were itching for things to do this morning since they are used to me constantly keeping them busy. In my own selfish effort to be able to do as little as possible I broke out the art kit that Aunt Andrea gave us. It was a huge hit. We did finger painting and water colors for the better half of an hour. I am so proud of both of them, and impressed with how much Zane enjoys these creative, quiet, activities. He continued to paint on and off the rest of the morning. Too cool. Here are a couple more token photos from this past week.

Our trip to Cali

2009-10-14T15:20:00.003-07:00

We were fortunate enough to take a trip to CA this past weekend. We stopped part way to stay with our friends Jenny and JR. They are so much fun, and handled our wild brood very well. We spent the majority of the weekend with our dear friends, the Gassner family. As you can see from the photos, we had a great time. It was somewhat fall like there. Their son, CJ had a soccer game saturday morning that both Zane and Ryder really enjoyed watching. Then we went to Apple Hill to enjoy the fall festivities, such as Apple Pie, and pumpkin patches. It's unfortunate that our trip was so short. It is always nice to see old friends. The word update for Ryder, he now says, "ELMO" with precision clarity, and diaper is another new one. So fun!

September 2009

2009-10-03T21:36:00.003-07:00

As much as I love blogging, I haven't done a very good job of keeping this up to date this month. So, I am lumping it all together in a slide show. The boys are always keeping us busy. As you can see from the photos, the boys are playing together more and more. They now have a "cave" that is Zane's bed. It has helped to make him want to go to sleep at night. We have been kayaking every couple of weeks which is a blast. Zane is getting so smart, and so interested in doing things that exercise his mind. He will sit for hours and play with Lego's, blocks, playdough. Kib and Zane had a Daddy-son night out and they went to a WNBA playoff game. It was a huge hit with Zane, so much so that all three boys went back for game 2.
Ryder is talking more and more every day. He says Banana, and is working on apple. He sings the ABC's and Chitty chitty bang bang (neither of which are distinguishable with words, just melody). He says waffle, which is more like bobble. He is also working on his animal sounds. This age (18 months) is so much fun. I just wish I could hold on to it forever.
Everyday is something new and exciting. Can't wait to see what October holds for our little gang.

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Random September happenings

2009-09-17T10:51:00.002-07:00

I completely butchered the blog this week (this is my 3rd attempt). So here is the skinny on our boys. Zane is just so much fun, challenging, but fun. He loves preschool and always comes home with the best projects. He is working on learning to recognize and write his name. He has been working with Daddy this week on learning to ride his bike without training wheels. He seems to be doing really well. He jsut freaks out when he notices you aren't holding onto his seat. We bought zane a halloween costume, and it ended up being way too small. So we took it back, and much to our pleasure, he decided he wants to go as a police officer (and we already have that costume).
Ryder is at that age where he is growing and learning by leaps and bounds. He has started climbing onto our recliners, and with a little help, onto the couch. This is a big deal for a kid that still wears 9 month clothes. He loves to go outside every morning and ride bikes. He is feeding himself all of his food now, which as a parent is a huge time saver.
The boys are finally getting to the point where they are playing together more, they are wrestling a bit now. And scaring me half to death some times. Zane has been using more and more imagination these days, building things, pretending. In an effort to pre-occupy him the other day I put blankets up around his bunk bed, creating a cave. It worked so well, that he won't let us take it down, and now he is sleeping with his door closed again, no more "I'm scared"
Anyway, life is great. The weather is getting cooler around here, and we are really looking forward to spending more time outseid again. (BTW, the underlining is compliments of Ryder who did something to my computer and now I can't get it off).

Our Cruise

2009-09-05T13:58:00.004-07:00

Kib and I are back from our trip, and needless to say, it was AMAZING!!!!
We made it to Barcelona with no problems thanks to Kib upgrading us on our flights. We spent three days in Barcelona and fell in love with it. The people, the culture, the public transportation. It was all fabulous. We saw so many of Gaudi's amazing buildings. Frankly, we didn't know who Gaudi was before our trip, now, we are amazed by him. The food was amazing in Espana, as well as all of the places we visited.
Once on the cruise, we started our trip with a day at sea. There is so much to do on cruise ships, it's great. We went rock climbing, roller blading, I worked out (got some personal training sessions in) and we ate, and ate, and ate. Oh those coconut cookies, they were my kriptinite.
Our first port was Mt Visuvius and Pompei. This was the day that I was looking forward to the most. I studied a lot about Pompei in school, and to see it in real life was a dream come true. We first went to Mt Visuvius, it was almost a mile shorter than it was 2000 years ago, and still magnificent. We climbed to the top and we were able to look in the crater. No Lava, but cool none the less. Then we went to Pompei, what an amazing place. The Romans, city of Pompei, were so advanced for their time. As our tour guide said, "we havn't ever invented anything, we just think we did." So true. I don't think Kib was initially excited about this day, but by the end, he was enthralled with it all.
The next day we went to Rome and Kib and I decided to see it all on our own. And we did. We used our feet, and some public transportation, and did as much as we could in 10 hours. We went to the Vatican and saw St Joseph's Basilica, it was HUGE. Then we scurried over to the Sistine Chapel where you aren't allowed to take photos, so don't ask to see any. From there we ran to the Coliseum we got the opportunity to skip the hour wait for tickets, followed by an hour wait to get in, by joining a tour group, it was great. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, then we followed that same tour to Pantheon Park. It was a great day.
The third port we went to was for the Pisa, Italia. Not much to say about this place, it was cool to see the leaning tower of Pisa, and that's it. Big building, leaning 14 ft the wrong way. The neat part was when we learned that originally they only built the first 3 stories, and then the building started to lean, in the other direction from where it leans now. Then a few hundred years later they added the next 6 stories and tried to straighten it out, and it now leans in the opposite direction. Weird. Apparently there are a handful of buildings in Pisa that do this.
The next port was VillaFranche, France aka Nice and Monte Carlo. We spent the day hiking up to a Fort that was at the top of the mountain dividing Nice and Monte Carlo. It was a very enjoyable day. We didn't love most of the people here (what can we say, they were French) but we enjoyed our relaxing day of exploration.
We ended up with an extra day at sea, there was bad weather, and we couldn't get the ship into port, so no Marseille France this trip.
We talked to the boys almost everyday. They did great without us. Maybe a little too well, just kidding. They loved going to our friend Vonie's house everyday, and playing with Kortnei and Josh on the weekends, and they really bonded with Reyna during our absence.
We are so lucky to have had this amazing experience together we enjoyed experiencing things on our own that neither of us had ever done before. It was quite the trip and we can't wait to do it again.
Here are some of the photos from the trip, I pared it down from 700 photos to 82, so you get the gist of out trip, but just not the details.

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Our Colorado Trip

2009-08-18T12:03:00.003-07:00

This past week we went to Colorado for a Reed family reunion. We had such a wonderful time. Kristi and Blake were able to join us, and that just made the trip perfect. We drove both ways, and spent some time camping before we went to the reunion in Winter Park, CO. The pictures are pretty self explanatory, although we took over 600 photos, and I dwindled it down to about 40. So a lot of our photos aren't here, but you'll get the jist of just how much fun we had.

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Extreme Kari Makeover

2009-08-02T20:34:00.003-07:00

This is me at the beginning of the day on Saturday. For those of you that I hadn't told, I won a $2000 makeover. I have been dieting for the past couple of months, dropped 27 lbs, and lost 45" throughout my entire body. I went from a 10/12 to a 4/6. My name was entered in a drawing for this makeover, and for the first time in my entire life, I won. The makeover consisted of teeth whitening, a new outfit from one of our local stores, a month of free yoga and pilates, a professional photo shoot, and hair and make-up. It was just like "What not to wear" they even did a big reveal for me and my friends and family came to see "the new me." I am so grateful to my makeover team, and especially Dr. Cronin who got me on the right path. I haven't looked/felt this good since high school. Here are a handful of after pictures. I don't have the professional ones yet, but these still speak volumes.

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Some fun July stuff

2009-07-26T09:26:00.002-07:00

We have had such a wonderful month. This weekend Kib and I went out for an overnight. We headed to a local hotel, and spent the night in the pool, just having fun. We stayed overnight so that the boys could experience waking up without Mommy and Daddy. They did awesome. We are so blessed to have Reyna living with us, the boys really consider her part of the family. I was so worried that they would freak out, and they never even batted an eye.
We had ice cream cake last week with some friends, to celebrate Zane's birthday. You can't have a birthday, without cake. Ryder is walking like crazy, he loves it. Life is so much better on 2 feet. He is even working on walking with his hands down. Other than that we are just trying to get ready for the next, totally crazy month, of vacationing. Here are some fabulous photos of my favorite boys.

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Just had to post

2009-07-20T15:32:00.003-07:00

I am sitting in the living room, checking my email, and both of my boys are dancing in front of the TV to the movie "Brigadoon." It is the cutest thing I have ever seen. Just had to share all the cuteness in my house with everyone else.

Zane is 3 !!!!!

2009-07-18T14:11:00.003-07:00

Zane turned 3 yesterday, and we had the most wonderful day. When Zane woke up we had the house decorated with streamer in some of the doorways. He enjoyed ripping them all down in record time. We opened a gift from Chloe (Andrea) and it was a police officer dress-up. Zane freaked, and tried his hardest to convince me to let him wear it all day. We had waffles and whipped cream for breakfast.
We made our way up to Scottsdale for our normal Friday outing. First the Chiropractors and then to Chik-fil-A. After our trip to Scottsdale we took Ryder home and hired a sitter to watch him. Then the 3 of us were off for an afternoon of fun. We started out at Build-A-Bear (a first for us). And Zane built a dog, a firefighter dog, that he named....Kitty. (that cracks me up). Then we went to the Lego store so Zane could pick out some new Legos. It's not a new place for us, but everytime we walk in there you would think that Zane and Kib had never been to such an amazing place. We played at the play area at the mall for a while, and then headed to Famous Daves BBQ for dinner. This is Kib's favorite restaraunt, that he has some how convinced Zane that it's his too. They both at like it was the last meal they would ever get. What a riot. The last stop on our day of fun was a place called Makutu's Island. It is an enormous indoor playplace, like a gerbal cage on crack. It was AWESOME!!!! We spent 3 hours there, and had to bribe Zane to leave becuase Kib and I were just too tired to play any longer.
When I set out planning our day, I wanted to make it special, and all about Zane (hence leaving Ryder at home). At one point Zane told me that this was the best birthday ever. That's just too funny coming from a 3 year old (like he has so much to compare to). But Kib did say numerous times that we had an awesome day. That was nice to hear. I wish we could have one Zane day and one Ryder day every week.
Here are some of the photos from yesterday, ENJOY!

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Our July 4th weekend

2009-07-07T06:27:00.003-07:00

We had the most fabulous holiday weekend. We went to Show Low (northeast AZ) on Thursday to get a jump start on our weekend. Show Low is a beautiful place in the mountains with breathtaking scenery and cool weather (80's, not 110's). The best part is that our good friends, the Callister's, live there. We spent the weekend at the Callisters house along with another family, the Buckmeisters. What a great group of people to be spending a long weekend together. Friday we we got the house ready for the party the next day, everyone helped, including the guys. We managed to get done before lunch and decided to go to the top of one of the largest mountains around (10,200 ft). At the top of the mountain (can't remember the name) was a Ranger Tower, most everyone, including the kids, went to the top and got to talk to the Ranger. It was so cool, and she gave each of the kids a gift bag of smokey the bear stuff.
Saturday we had breakfast in town at a local fundraiser, it was so fun to feel like a part of this community. Then we headed to the parade where we had the best seats in the whole place. Our friend Dave went at 4 am to reserve us seats and he did so right next to the judging station. Thanks Dave!!!! After the parade was we had a great BBQ at the Callisters with a bunch of their fabulous friends. The boys spent most of the day taking turns on the dunebuggies. They are so fun. We love going out into the seemingly endless woods and just driving for ever. Zane and Ryder love it too, both fell asleep at least once while out riding. That night we went to see the local fireworks, we watched them from a bluff overlooking the city. Zane thought it was really cool that we sat on the roof of our car. Sunday we headed home, back to reality. This was an awesome weekend thanks to the kindness of the Callister Family. We can't wait to do it again next year!!!!

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Our Trip to NY

2009-06-28T13:45:00.003-07:00

We went to Rochester a couple of weeks ago. I don't have too many pictures since my family all took a bunch (hint, hint, send them to me). Anyway, we had a fabulous time. We got to see my sis-in-law, niece and nephew, who, unfortunately, we only get to see every couple of years. The highlights of our trip for the kids was our day at the Children's Museum. My friend Stefanie went with us and the kids just loved it. One of the days we found a bounce house that Zane LOVED. And we even got in a playdate at my friend Janice's. That was awesome, and very relaxing.
For me, it was just nice to see my family and friends. We stayed with my Mom and her husband, and they went out of their way to make all of us comfortable. Most nights Kib and I went out after the kids went to bed, even if we just got ice cream, it was so nice to have people at the house so we could leave and spend time together. We went out for dessert with my good friends Elliott, Stef, and Janice. It was a blast, felt like old times. All in all we had a fabulous trip and although we won't be making it home again for a few years, we look forward to the next trip out there.
Here are a few of the photos that I did get, more to follow once my family sends them my way (hint, hint)

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An update

2009-06-06T18:05:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling guilty about not updating our blog. We have been up to a lot the past couple of weeks. Inded up in the went to Vegas for Memorial Day weekend with Andrea, nough said, what ahppens in Vegas Stays in Vegas. More importantly, Kib took the boys on their first campout. Apparently they both did awesome. All three slept through the night in the same little tent. That same weekend the three of them went kayaking with one of our friends, that was not the best kayaking run he has had. For the first time in 3 years Kib dumped the kayak. All 4 of them up in the water and our kayak, and all it's contents floated down the river. Our friend grabbed and took care of Ryder, while Kib and Zane rode the waves down the river. The boys thought it was fun, I don't think it phased Kib, and our friend got the crap scared out of him.
The following weekend, we went to Show Low to visit some good friends of ours. I would post pictures of our trip, but our camera got destroyed in the river:) That aside, imagine all 4 of us in a 2 seater Dune Buggy. We spent lots of time driving through the woods getting lost and breaking down. We came back tired and coevered in mud, but boy did we have fun. The kicker was that Ryder fell asleep both times we took him out for a ride, it was so cute.
Now we are home, and getting ready to head to NY next weekend for a week with my family. I can't wait.

"Say Teeth"

2009-05-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

Although this isn't the most handsome picture of Ryder, you can see his top teeth. What a big boy, he is almost 14.5 months. Hard to believe.

Zane's Preschool Graduation

2009-05-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that Zane is old enough to have a preschool graduation. But, a lass, he is. Last Thursday we had the most beautiful, overcast day here in Copa. It was perfect for Zane's outdoors graduation. The performance was long, but so very cute. The kids sang a bunch of songs, read words, counted, etc. Zane has grown so much this year and the things he has learned just blow me away. I can't wait to see what next year brings for him. If I can figure out how, I will post some of the video I took, it's just priceless.

just an update.

2009-05-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

This was a long week in the Reed house. Ryder has been cutting tooth #6 this week. Which we have come to learn it takes him about 10, very excrutiating, days for each tooth to come in. Add to that a 102 temp and an earache and it was good times in our house. That aside, we still had a lovely week. Zane has really come to enjoy an afternoon run through the sprinklers to help cool off. We have also taken to going to the pool on my days off. Both the boys LOVE it. Their personalities are so different it's challenging and enjoyable at every turn. We are still working on weining Ryder, no success yet. But I am off to Vegas this coming weekend, so it's kind of going to be do or die time for Ryder. Poor kid. I am so grateful to have such an awesome husband that he can handle this challenge with no problem.

Mother's Day Adventure

2009-05-11T20:55:00.005-07:00

Kib surprised me with the most wonderful Mother's
Day Surprise. He made meget up at 4:00 in the
morning and drive 4 hours to the Grand Canyon.
My surprise was that we were going on the Grand
Canyon Railway. It's a 2.5 hour train ride to
the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was Zane
(and Ryder's) first train ride. We got to listen to
live music and see all kinds of animals out the window
of the train. Once we made it to the Grand Canyon we
had lunch, hiked around, shared a milkshake, and just
enjoyed the beautiful day. On the train ride back we
"got robbed" by the cowboys that were at the shoot
out before we boarded the train. We really had a
fabulous day and both the kids (zane especially) seemed
to enjoy everything. Kib got huge brownie points for this one.

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Out first pool day of the year!

2009-05-08T22:25:00.001-07:00

A couple of months ago Kib took me shopping for a few new bathing suits so that I wouldn't have a reason not to go to the pool. i.e. big thighs, no boobs, and the infamous baby belly. Today was a beautiful day with 103 degree temperatures so I "dragged" Kib and the kids to the pool. It was awesome!!! We had so much fun. Ryder couldn't get enough of the water. He lounged in the floater for a while, and then he wanted out. He splashed and played for an hour and still wanted to stay in the water. He was even jumping off the edge of the pool into Kib's arms. Zane was equally as entertaining. I swear I gave birth to fish. He wouldn't stop jumping off the wall into the water. I think that we all had a great time. I know I for one will hold no objection to going again, and again this summer.

My kids Rock

2009-05-01T08:03:00.004-07:00

They really do, the two of them are so musically inclined it's aw inspiring. Zane's favorite new movie is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which he watches ALL the time. He knows the words (the actual words) to all the songs, and now, he dances to them, with the choreographed dance moves from the movie. He is constantly asking me to dance with him during the couples dance in the movie. I love it!!! We are definitely doing dance classes in the fall. He also has taken to dressing himself, he's been doing this for a while but now it's all him. He picks out his own clothes (and he has started changing outfits in the middle of the day) and he puts them all on/off himself. He's not even 3 yet. Yikes. As we approach 3 he seems to be moving away from the terrible two's. Most people say that 3 is worse than 2, but I don't think that will be the case for him. He is the only 2 year old I know that you can reason with.

Ryder began sigining Daddy this week. It's so cool, that's something that we never taught Zane. Occasionally Ryder will sign Mommy, but not without a lot of coaxing, I guess we know who the favorite is. He is still taking 2-3 steps at a time, and he stands up all on his own for extremely long periods of time. He has started to respond to us when we talk to him, nodding his head and such. The cutest things he does right now is when you scold him, he lays tummy down on the floor and puts his head down and pouts. I really need to get a picture of it. He is also the only baby I have ever seen that goes to sleep at night with his feet hanging out between the slats on the crib. Everynight without fail. It's not like he has outgrown his crib, he still only wheres 6-9 month clothes. what a cutie. He's a bit more dramatic and emotional than Zane was, but he is so cute when he does it.

My latest Project

2009-04-30T11:04:00.006-07:00

The before shot Me risking my life to put photos on our new wall. I was hovering in the air about 10 feet Zane helping uncle Fred build the roomThe finished product from the outside (yes, we still need to paint)And the after, Kib's new office.

With all the changes that are always happening in our house, we finally decided that it was time to close off the playroom and turn it into an office for Kib. This was a huge undertaking that began with my Uncle Fred putting up the walls to close in the room. While Kib was in WA for a week I decided to make it my mission to finish the project. With the help of our AWESOME friends the entire office was finished in the week that Kib was gone. Although I am pretty convinced Kib doesn't like the way I arranged the office, I am super happy that it's finished. The best part is that the door handle is auto-locking and you have to have a code to open it. No more of zane sneeking in the office to eat Daddy's candy.

my commitment to blog

2009-04-20T20:28:00.003-07:00

I am trying to keep my commitment to blog once a week, so here it is, short and sweet. Zane broke off 7 of the keys on my computer, including the space bar. I would challenge anyone to try typing without it. It's a nightmare. So Zane is still 2 but wonderful none the less. He loves to sing songs all day and even sings himself to sleep. His favorite movie right now is "Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang. He really knows most of the words to the songs. Ryder is working really hard on walking and talking. He loves music (just like zane) and has become a huge fan of books. Seems he is always looking through them and really studying them. At bedtime he is front and center for storytime, it's too cute. Here are a few random photos to enjoy.

Ryder is standing

2009-04-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

Ryder is standing all on his own. I can't believe how big he is getting. He will stand for up to a minute at a time, and he is up to 3 steps at a time. I really think it's only a matter of days, or weeks at the most until he is running through the house with his big brother. Scary, but awesome!!!

Our most wonderful Easter

2009-04-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

We really had a fabulous day today. After church, we had dinner at the Tenney's (next door neighbors), with the Mix's (around the corner neighbors). I contributed the potatoes Au Gratin (which were Delicious) and Chocolate Caramel Cake for desert (which is better than s*x). After dinner the kidos got to partake in an Easter Egg hunt in our backyard. Our gate finally got put in this weekend, and we got a lot of use out of it. It was fun to make all the kids wait behind the door and then stampede in all at once. Zane ate so much candy today I cringe when I think about it.
This was the best Easter that Kib and I have had thus far. We have truley been blessed with a nice group of friends that have become much more like family.

Easter Morning

2009-04-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

We had a really nice morning today. Kib made eggs and bacon and cinamon rolls. Zane didn't have any idea what Easter means, so he didn't bug us all morning about dong an Easter Egg hunt or anything like that. So in our own good time we managed to put together a little hunt for Zane with mostly little easter toys (I hate the idea of giving him candy). I even filled a few eggs with coins for him to put in his piggy bank. Ryder enjoyed chasing Zane around as he looked for his prizes. I had to throw a couple of good photos up here, especially the one of Kib and I, we seldomly ever get a good photo of the two of us.

Kristi and Blakes visit

2009-04-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

Kib's kids, Kristi and Blake, came to visit this past week. We had a very nice, very busy visit. The kids spent almost all their time here outside enjoying the weather. We rode bikes, went to the park, went to the science museum, the batting cages, kayaking, and had a campfire with smore's. We can't forget about the toad we found at the park, it was very exciting (for me included). We brought the toad back to our house and made it a home in the backyard. He maintained residency for about a day, and then vacated his beautiful home. I think it had something to do with all the poking and dropping that the kids (mostly zane) were doing. Can't say I blame the toad, some days I wouldn't mind vacating the premises for a while. It was so nice for the kids to tell us how much they enjoyed our busy, outdoors life. It's such a sharp contrast to what they are used to, but they really love coming here, so we must be doing something right.

First Steps

2009-04-01T21:29:00.002-07:00

Ryder took his first unassisted steps today. Two, to be exact. I was holding the back of his shirt while he was standing and preoccupied with food in his hands. I let go and he just stood there. Kib got near him and coaxed him to take a few steps, they were small, and few, but completely unassisted. Look out world, I think he is going to skip walking and go straight to running.

The Children's Museum

2009-04-01T15:06:00.001-07:00

We were lucky enough to have a chance to go to the children's museum last week with our friends, the Callisters. As always, it was a blast. Everytime we go they have something new there for the kids. Not much to tell other than it was a great day with our friends.

What a mess, Ryder

2009-03-25T22:18:00.000-07:00

Kib gave Ryder the oportunity to feed himself breakfast this morning. On the menu...oatmeal. This was Ryder's first time feeding himself. It was such a hoot, and he was such a mess. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Ryder is 1!!!!!

2009-03-20T21:48:00.003-07:00

We had Ryder's birthday party today (which is actually his birthday). It was a great day, and thanks to my friends, fairly relaxing. We had a kids party at our house in the afternoon that morphed into an all evening party with food and friends. It was nice to have so many important people in our lives come out for the occasion.

I can't believe that my little peanut turned 1 today. Seems like only yesterday that we rushed to the hospital and delivered our little 7lb 10 oz bundle of joy. Ryder is the sweetest, snuggliest little boy. At only about 16 lbs, he is still a small little bundle of joy. His favorite past times are the sand box, balls, and most of all cars. I can't forget about bath time. Kib says that he runs away when he tries to get him out of the bath. All in all Ryder is a very easy, fun, charismatic kid. I am REALLY looking forward to this next year.

Ryder's First Birthday

2009-03-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

My two boys

2009-03-19T23:43:00.000-07:00

When Kib and I decided to have our kids so close together, it was in the hopes that they would be best of friends, and built in playmates. As you can see from these photos, our evil little plan seems to be working. The two of them road around like this for about a half hour, which in kiddie time is like a lifetime. They both had so much fun with this.

The sink

2009-03-19T22:25:00.000-07:00

The other day Zane decided to dump a bucket of sand on Ryder's head. It was sad, and very, very, dirty. What better way to get them clean then to stick them both in the sink. (I wasn't too keen on the idea of taking them all the way to the bath, that's just more vaccuuming to do). Anyway, this was ryder's first time bathing in the sink, he really seemed to enjoy it, as did Zane. Do I have the cutest boys or what?

Ryder's First Haircut

2009-03-13T20:56:00.003-07:00

Ryder is 11 months and 3 weeks old today. His hair was starting to make him look like a girl, or so I had been told. So today we took him to my friend, Jen, who was nice and patient with our little man. He was such a good boy, and didn't scream or cry, but he was quite a wiggle worm. Anyway, there wasn't a drastic difference from the before to the after, just a little shorter. Now maybe Cheryl will stop threatening to put bows in his hair.

All things wonderful

2009-03-03T14:10:00.002-07:00

It's time to give an update as to all the wonderful things that my boys are up to. Let's start with Ryder. The little peanut is about to turn 1, and despite his size (less then 1%) he is right on track for his age. He is becoming a very good eater, when he isn't teething. He knows quite a few signs, like more, finished, water. He loves to clap, wave and blow kisses. And we are fairly certain that he is going to start walking sometime around his first birthday. !ll in all he is about as perfect as they come. Happy, loving, snuggly, smart, and that's just a few of his great qualities.
And then there is Zane. He is one amazing little 2.5 year old. The sentences that come out of his mouth are enough to make your jaw drop. He easily uses 10-14 words in a sentence. I actually carried on a conversation with him on the phone recently. He goes to school 2 mornings a week, and he really seems to love it. He always comes home singing a new song. We have him in Tiny Tot Sports and Gymnastics, both of which he enjoys once he gets there. The getting there, however, is never easy as he always puts up a fight. We just bought Zane a bicycle this weekend and he hasn't stopped riding it. He road it into town (Maricpa, not Chandler) and back 2 times yesterday. We estimate that he rode about 6 miles total yesterday. Tour de France here we come.
So that is it. We are enjoying the last of the nice weather before the hot, hot, hot, summer months get here. We are looking forward to another busy month with Ryder's birthday, a visit from Matt and Andrea, and Kib's kids coming down for an entire week at the end of the month. Everytime I think things are slowing down we manage to somehow fill our plates with more things to do.

New smilebox photos

2009-03-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox postcard

Ryder and the tissues

2009-03-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

Why, why, why?

2009-02-20T21:14:00.002-07:00

It has been a crazy couple of weeks with our trip to Disney, my Mom's visit, Kristi and Blake coming for a few days, and most recently, Ryder cutting his two top front teeth this week. To say that Kib and I are exhausted is an understatement. My apologies to my avid readers for my lack of updates.
Ryder is now 11 months old, hard to believe that my little peanut (all 15lbs of him) is almost 1. Ryder is the sweetest, snuggliest little boy. He had been doing so well the past few weeks at developing the nicest personality and eating everything you put in front of him. Then, this weekend, those darn teeth started acting up. The poor kid is so miserable it just breaks our heart. Pray this other tooth comes in soon, cuz Mommy and Daddy need some sleep.
Zane on the other hand continues to grow, change, get smarter, everyday. This week he started the "why" stage. EVERYTHING is why, why, why. I don't mind this as much as "no" but it is a bit challenging sometimes. I try very hard to give him real answers, but occasionally I have to use the "because I said so" and then I giggle cause all I can think of is that lady on u-tube that since the "because, I said so" song. Anyway, the rewards far out weigh the challenges. Thank to some help from my Mom we were able to enroll Zane in soccer and gymnastic which Zane started this past week. So far he loves them both, which is good, cuz the little bugger needs an outlet to burn energy everyday.

Kristi and Blake's visit

2009-02-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

I apparently took very few photos of Kristi and Blakes visit. In my defense, it was busy, and sometimes I want to enjoy what's happening rather than watch behind the camera. Last week Kristi and Blake came down for a few days to see us. We really had a very nice time. My Mom got to enjoy a trip to the zoo with all of us. That was our one big thing for the weekend. Other than that we just spent a lot of time together playing outside, riding bikes, going swimming. The children really enjoyed doing all the things that they don't normally get to do at home. It's quite a change for them to go from an environment that all but forces them to watch TV as their only option for entertainment, to our house in which we didn't allow the TV to be on until about a half hour before bed. They were so graateful for all the time we spent with them, and we were grateful to have them here.

Grandma Tweet Tweet

2009-02-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

We had a great time with Grandma Tweet-Tweet last week. Ryder really took to my Mom, they're buddy's and my Mom really liked how snuggly he is. Zane and Tweet-Tweet really enjoyed reading together. Thank you for all the great books!!! My personal highlight of the week was my Mom's shortbread, YUM!!!! We all had a really great time and it was especially nice for my Mom to get a chance to meet Kib's kids. That was a real treat for everyone.

Disney

2009-02-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

We took a quick trip to California this weekend so that one of my lovely exchange students, Aimee, could get a little taste of something other than Maricopa, AZ. We decided to head to CA and crash with my bff, Andrea for a few days. As always, we had a great time. Our trip happened to fall on Superbowl Sunday, which was a fun treat for both Aimee and I. Really, it doesn't get much more American than the Superbowl, and Disney. We spent all day Monday at Disney and wore all the kids, and ourselves out. It was great.

Chloe and Zane on the "neigh, neigh" as chloe says.

Me and the boys with Pluto

"Hi Tibbins, look, I ride the fire truck"

Chloe, Andrea, Aimee, Zane, Me, and Ryder

snow camping

2009-02-04T22:15:00.000-07:00

Kib and Zane took a trip to the snow a couple of weeks ago. Apparently they had a fabulous time. When they got to the campsite, they were joined by a boy scout troop. Zane didn't have too much trouble adjusting to the cold, and Kib was so happy to do something just the two of them. I can't wait until Ryder is big enough for all three of them to go. Hmmm, Mommy time is just around the corner.

Flash dance

2009-02-04T22:11:00.000-07:00

This is me, and my girlfriends, having a fabulous night of roller skating. We decided to revert back to our younger days and do something fun and ridiculous. A few of us even dressed up for the occasion in whatever 80's garb we could come up with. This was a great night, and I am so thankful to have such a great group of friends. Oh, we couldn't have done this without my amazing husband who watched most of our kids for us so we could have our night out. How did I get so lucky?

My new daycare!!

2009-01-25T22:19:00.000-07:00

I am just kidding, but really, this is was so fun. We were cleaning out the cars from Kib and Zane's camping trip this weekend, and Ryder was getting into everything. So, he decided to help clean out the trunk. It was too cute. He loved it in there, and Zane thought it was pretty cool as well. I tell you, these kids are so much fun. Who knew the trunk could be so interesting, and don't worry, kib and I were out there the whole time.

Up, up and away!

2009-01-25T22:13:00.000-07:00

It has been quite some time since I have written anything substantial in my blog. The past few weeks Ryder has kept us busy with a case of RSV and most recently, a horrible allergic reaction to, well, everything, thanks to the antibiotics. This weekend, however, we seem to be back to normal. Ryder is up to so much these days. As you can see, he is now climbing the stairs. This is a scary progression for mommies. It's a long way down the stairs, and it's inevitable that Ryder is going to take a few spills. Actually, he already has, fortunatly he has bounced back both times.

Mr. Incredible

2009-01-20T10:59:00.002-07:00

Life through the eyes of a 2.5 year old is priceless. Today I watched the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States. I felt this was important as someday my children will ask me where I was when the first African American was sworn into office. Zane was not at all thrilled with the idea of watching the inauguration, apparently Handy Manny is far more interesting. I decided I would try to explain to him what I was watching and why. I told Zane that O'Bama, was becoming our new president and that he was now the most powerful man in the entire world, he didn't get it. Then I told him that the president was more powerful than spiderman, batman, and the incredible Hulk. Zane looked at me and said "Oh, he's Mr. Incredible." That is life through the eyes of my 2.5 year old.

we have a tooth!

2009-01-18T10:58:00.002-07:00

Here is Ryder's first photo of his first tooth. Not a great picture, but at least you can see it. As of yesterday, he cut tooth number 2. Two teeth in 10 days, poor kid. Did I mention that he has RSV, yeah, not fun. Kib and I have only been getting about three hours of inconsistant sleep for the past week. THe poor kid is miserable. That being sad, last night he actually slept for about 6 hours in one stretch. Hallelujah.

More, More.

2009-01-03T21:39:00.002-07:00

Ryder started signing this week, all thanks to Kib. To me, it's just as wonderful as hearing his first word. It's so nice to know what he wants, or doesn't want. We are also working on food, milk, water, finished. With Kib's persistence, it won't be long before Ryder can tell us just about everything. I love this age, and everything that it encompasses.

My Big Boy

2008-12-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

Ryder's first tooth

2008-12-29T12:07:00.003-07:00

Ryder finally got his first tooth in on Friday. Poor kid was so unhappy, couldn't put him down for a week. But, I am happy to say that the past two days he has been playing on his own and a happy baby. Probably helps that he is on antibiotics for his ear infection too. Anyway, as soon as I get a picture of his one and only pearly white, I'll make sure to post it.

The worst Christmas ever!!!

2008-12-27T17:59:00.002-07:00

Made you look!!!! How can Christmas be bad when you have these two adorable little boys to share the day with.

This Christmas was the 5th Christmas that Kib and I have been together for. In keeping with tradition, we got sick. This year (and only this year) it was completely my fault. I caught a bug Tuesday and was nice enough to bring it home and share it with Kib, and our exchange students, and now the boys. It's awful. We were so sick Christmas day we almost postponed it. That was the plan, until Zane woke up and started saying "Merry Christmas" all the way down the stairs. How cute is that? So we had a quite Christmas, and unfortunately, very few photos. Never fear, I plan to still take our traditional "family in front of the tree" photo before we take the tree down.

I really wish we got a redo for Christmas this year. Not only was Christmas a downer for Kib and I (hopefully not for Zane). But I also had to cancel my trip to NY. Between my stomach bug and Ryder having a double ear infection, first tooth, and a little baby asthma, there was no way we were going to hop on a plane for 8 hours. Oh well, there's always the 15 year.
Really, in the end, all that matters is that Kib and I spent Christmas with our two adorable boys (and our neighbor fed us all our meals Christmas day:)

Kib's new job!

2008-12-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

In an effort to keep the family float, Kib found a really great paying job!!!!
Just kidding, Kib went on a ride-a-long today with one of our friends, Dave. He is a DPS officer and works the immigration, smuggling, etc. The two of them caught a couple of guys with a few hundred pounds of drugs in their car. It was very exciting for Kib, maybe not so much for Dave, it's all in a days work for him. Either way, I am grateful for their friendship and am thrilled that Kib did something fun and exciting. It was much deserved.

Dear Santa,

2008-12-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

All Zane wants for Christmas is a motorcycle.

Zane's Christmas Performance

2008-12-19T22:15:00.001-07:00

Tonight was Zane's first ever performance. We had his preschool Christmas performance tonight and it was certainly a night to remember. When we first got there Zane was so excited, he went straight to his chair and sat there with his arms folded for almost 20 minutes until the preformance began. Kib and I couldn't believe it, we just kept looking at each other saying "this isn't going to last long." Well, we were right. About 4 songs into the performance Zane said "mommy" and he got up from his chair and started to walk towards me. His teacher stopped him and told him to go sit back down. He did, and as soon as his bum hit the chair he let out a wail "I want my Mommy" it was so cute. He just started balling. He ended up spending the rest of the performance sitting on my lap. It was a fun night, the first of many performances. Despite the breakdown, it was just as wonderful as could be.

Our Christmas Newsletter

2008-12-18T09:01:00.002-07:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Only in Phoenix

2008-12-17T20:34:00.002-07:00

Tonight was a wonderful night. The four of us went for our nightly walk into town and back, but this time we changed it up a bit. On the way home we took a long walk through some neighborhoods looking at all the Christmas lights. Zane really loved it. He was all wrapped up in blankets in his stroller, and Ryder was snuggling with Daddy. It was about 60 degrees out so it was pleasantly chilly. We had so much fun. In between houses Zane would yell "run, run, Mommy" and I would run, pushing the stroller, to the next house with lights on outside. It was a wonderful night, and hopefully a wonderful new tradition.

An update

2008-12-15T23:25:00.000-07:00

While we have been so incredibly busy that I can't seem to find time to sit and update this blog, I can't for the life of me tell you what we ahve been doing. Or worse yet, what new and wonderful thing the boys are doing. The above picture, as horrible as it is, is of our 2 lovely exchange students who are staying with us again this year. Their names are Aimee and Jessica and they are sweet and wonderful girls that are hear from South Africa on a work exchange program and they are delightful to have around. I really look forward to seeing them each night and hearing how their day went.

AS for the boys, well, Ryder is still the ity-bitiest little guy ever. He only weighs about 17 lbs and is still in 3-6 month close (he will be nine months this weekend). I secretly love the fact that he is staying so small, it helps me to hold on to his infancy just a little longer. Anyway, he is so busy getting into things and talking up a storm, I just can't get enough.

Zane is a whole other ball of wax. He is such a smart little busy body. He has been learning Christmas songs at preschool that he sings all day longs (especially jingle bells). He is getting bigger and smarter and sassier by the minute. I just adore my big guy to the ends of the earth and back. I don't know how it is that Kib and I have been so blessed with two amazing boys. I can't wait to see what wonderful experience each new day brings.

Beep, Beep

2008-12-05T21:13:00.001-07:00

Another day of firsts.

2008-12-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

I love this age, not just Ryder's, but Zane's as well. Kib is out of town this week and called yesterday to say hi to Zane. For the first time, they had a converstation on the phone. Kib asked questions, and Zane responded with sentences. It was so cool. I also asked Zane yesterday to please put on his underwear, he turned to me and said "those aren't underwear, mom, they're pull ups." What a smartie-pants.

As for Ryder, well, as you can see, he helped me empty the dishwasher yesterday. He loved it, and was very helpful. He also discovered oranges. Zane was nice enough to share his orange with Ryder, and he loved it. He devoured two of them in one sitting. I couldn't believe it. My boys are getting so big:(

Thankfully the boys are great friends so far. Whenever Zane comes into the room Ryder gets so excited he starts bouncing up and down and smiling. It's precious. Zane seems to return the admiration for Ryder, as he always asks where ryder is whenever he gets up from naps, or comes home from school. They are just such good friends. Let's hope it continues.

Chloe and Andrea's visit

2008-11-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

Andrea and Chloe came for a visit this past Saturday and stayed all the way until yesterday. It was awesome!!!! Chloe has grown up so much and she was absolutely delightful to have around. She and Zane had a great time playing with one another. It is always so fun and relaxing to spend time with Andrea. I am so grateful that we get to see each other as often as we do, but my selfish side wishes we still lived in the same city. Oh well, I'll take what I can get. It will be a few days before Zane stops telling me that he wants to play with Chloe, but that's OK, I think it's adorable that he likes her so much and had such a good time. What can I say, LIFE IS GOOD.

Our Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

Today waqs Ryder's first Thanksgiving. That being said, I all but forgot to make a big deal out of it and take a bunch of pictures. I took a few, but nothing like for Zane. Sorry kiddo, you're number 2.
We started off our morning with a Turkey Trot around our neighborhood. It was the first annual Maricopa Turkey Trot and an amazing 75 people participated. I couldn't be more impressed with how well my friend Jen pulled it off. The best part is that it was a canned food drive for our local food bank. Way to go Jen!!!

We spent the rest of the day with our friends, the Mix's. Kib said it was the best holiday we had ever had, and I tend to agree. We were were welcomed with open arms by the Mix's and their extended family. It was so nice to be in a place where Zane and Ryder could run wild and no one minded. Fun was definitely the word of the day. We played games. Lots, and lots of games. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!! This family clicks in every way that I hope ours will as our kids grow older. They are a family worth mirroring our own life after. I am truly grateful for the friendship that we have fostered with the Mix's and look forward to many more wonderful times together.

So what am I thankful for this year?

1. My kids, duh.
2. Kib, for giving me, and helping me raise, our kids.
3. My family, cuz their great.
4. My friends, all of them mean more to me than I can ever tell them
5. Our comfortable life.
6. Our great country.
7. And so many other things, the list just goes on.

Hope you all had as wonderful of a day as we did. We love you!!!!

Rainy Day Fun

2008-11-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

It's not often that we get a rainy day here, especially not one pleasant enough for Zane to play in. Today it rained, and it was great. Zane played outside for what felt like forever. Playing in the rain, splashing in the puddles, and just having a great time. I'm not suggesting that I wish we had more weather like this, but I wouldn't complain if it happened once a month.

Nough said...

2008-11-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

Zane and the roll of toilet paper

2008-11-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

So this is what happens when you ask a two year old if he needs help in the potty, and he says"NO." He was right, he didn't need any help at all getting into the toilet paper and making an outfit out of it. What a cutie. It's a good thing I have a sense of humor:)

My boys are so cool!!

2008-11-18T21:05:00.003-07:00

I hope that everyone enjoys reading about my boys. This week has been so much fun. Ryder started giving kisses this weekend. If you kiss or nuzzle hiw cheek he turns around, and mouth wide open, plants one on your cheek. It's very wet and slobbery, but so stinkin cute and wonderful. Zane learned how to dribble a basketball. Kib taught him on Sunday, and yesterday I ended up taking the ball away for a little while cuz the (bounce, bounce bounce) was driving me crazy. But he is good, really, really, good.

This is cool!

2008-11-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

I love my friend Jen, she has the coolest blog, to which I steal all her great ideas. I never knew you could do collages in Picasa, and thanks to her, I am now an addict. So thank you to Jen for giving me one more thing to keep me busy:)

As for the photos, they're just a few to make you smile. I am amazed every day bu how much my kids grow and change. Zane was able to help Daddy this morning by using his Apple/pealer/Corer. This is a big deal since just 2 months ago he didn't have the dexterity to turn the handle by himself. I just stood there in awe as I watched my baby grow up before my eyes.
We can't forget Ryder and all his milestones. He pulled himself up onto his bouncer today, and proceeded to walk around it. He's been pulling himself up on everything he possibly can for the past week, but walking along it was new. Between that and his new love of "peek-a-boo" we have a lot more to look forward to.

Some fun photos of the boys!

2008-11-05T20:42:00.002-07:00

Zane is just the cutest little bugger. This evening after dinner (more like during dinner) he decided to get a chair from the dinning room table and clean the dishes. How cool is that? It cost me more in water than if I had just replaced all the dishes, but he was so sincere and cute that I had to let him just go with it.

As for Ryder, well, we just get such a kick out of his crazy hair. He is really started to develop the most wonderful personality. What can I say, we are 2 for 2 when it comes to having wonderful kids.

Just a few fun photos

2008-11-02T21:06:00.001-07:00

Kib's Surprise Weekend

2008-11-02T20:24:00.003-07:00

It's sad, but true, Kib will officially be 30 in 3.5 hours. Every year I try to "one up" myself and this year, I did. For the past six months I have secretly been planning a fun weekend for Kib and his friends to celebrate his 30th birthday. It all started Friday afternoon when our friends Kelly and Kevin came in from WA. They spent Halloween with us and then I sent Kib off to the airport to pick up Ziff and Nicole (kib's brother and sis-in-law). Saturday morning everyone headed to the river to go kayaking. I spent the morning with Nicole getting ready for his surprise party that afternoon. With the help of my dear friends (Cheryl, Virginia, Kelly, and Jen) we were able to pull off an awesome surprise party. When Kib walked through the back door at Cheryl's he was greeted with Silly string, he was such a good sport. We went with a Mexican theme which included a pinata, virgin margaritas, and quesidillas for lunch. We really had a wonderful time and ended up hanging out until about 9:00 that night. (don't laugh, that's a late night for us). My thanks to all of our friends for coming out and supporting Kib on his big day. We love you, and as very grateful for your role in our family's life.