It's his party...

and he cried cuz he wanted too...


Somebody didn't quite know how to handle a)mommy in his classroom in the middle of the day b) the attention on him. But his class enoyed their cookies and juice!

His sister however was beyond excited to frost the birthday cake :D

Oh Gee, Can It Be?

My sweet baby Ryan, has now turned 3!!!! You have grown so much in the last year....literally!!! You are so tall and skinny! You are also so smart...you know your colors, your ABC's and can recognize quite a few letters. You LOVE construction vehicles...especially "excabators" but really you love anything that is a vehicle. Planes, trains, trucks, cars, rockets are all your favorites. You are a pretty picky eater but your favorites are pasta, pizza, blueberries and goldfish. The lastest, biggest, hugest deal is that you are well on your way to being potty trained. Ok...that might be a bigger deal for mommy. :) But, you are almost there and I'm so proud of you! You bring so much joy to my life. I can't wait to see what the next year holds!

Rush Soccer!

Today Katie had her first soccer game! We decided to try Rush (the local youth soccer league) this time. The craziness of all the fields and little soccer players definitely brought back some memories of my soccer days! Katie did great! She even scored a goal...for the other team. Ooops! Oh well...she'll get the hang of it and she still isn't feeling 100% after having her adenoids out on Wednesday. Here's to a great soccer season and that we all survive!!

Big Boy

There are tons of changes going on in our house right now and another is that my baby boy is starting preschool! He is attending the same school where just 3 years ago I walked Katie in for the first time...Ryan still in my belly. Completely crazy to think about! We love this school and know that he will be loved and well taken care of.


I always imagined this day was going to be a nightmare. Ryan has always had a problem being left anywhere. Even the church nursery where he has been going since he was 2 months old was an agonizing process of crying and tantrums. I'm so happy to say that in the last 9 months or so, my big boy has matured so much and not only loves the church nursery (who I could not thank enough for helping) but he walked into preschool happy and ready to play. If you notice in the bottom right hand corner he's even waving goodbye...more like "get outta here mom and dad!" :)

We survived!

Well, we survived our first week of elementary school!!!  More like Mommy survived and Katie had a blast like I knew she would.  So proud of her!  It was a busy week but I think we are slowly figuring it out.  Can't wait for some relief from the heat so we can ride our bikes to school as planned.

Now that I've got Katie started in school, it will be Ryan's turn to start on Tuesday!!!  Is my baby boy really going to school????  He did great at his Cookie Social/Meet the teacher.  He's ready to play with some toys...anything else, I'm not too sure about.  He did enjoy his cookie though!


Katie even had homework this week! Before school started the one thing she told me she worried about was homework. I'm not sure how she even knew about it, but she was worried. Well, when she found out writing her name 10 times, reading with Mommy, and working on bag full of things about herself was the homework...she was very pleased!


On Friday we had a playdate to celebrate!

Kindergarten is here!

What a big day. My baby started Kindergarten and I can hardly believe it's here! She was so excited and I have no doubt she is going to thrive. I'm so proud of the independent (in some situations), brave, smart, sweet little girl she's become.


Do I really have to wake up at 6am every day???? uggh!

California Summer 2011 Mega Post!

We just returned from a whirlwind trip to CA!!! We had such a great time and I personally enjoyed the lovely temperature.

First up was a trip to Funderland with my friend Jen and her son Ayden. Why have I never been here before? How many times did I go to the zoo and Fairytale town growing up and somehow missed this place? Perfect for our little guys.


Katie was SOOOOOO excited to ride Grandpa's motorcycle. I think you can tell by the smile on her face ;)


The highlight of the trip was the cabin!!! I'm so glad my kids get to spend time with my cousins' kids. It was so fun to watch them experience the cabin like my cousins and my brother and I did when we were kids. No TV's, just dirt, hiking, eating, playing, and family. THE BEST!





A few brave souls hiked the Rock Pile. I've done it a few times in my day but chose to stay behind to document their triumph. (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!)


Happy Birthday Great Uncle Tom! Not only did Great Uncle Tom come to the cabin with us, but went home Saturday night, woke up early and did a fly by in his plane for us before he had to go to work. So fun!





My amazingly wonderful Russell family (minus my uncle john, aunt cheryl, and my hubby)


Kicking myself for not getting pictures with my Grandpa and Grandma Todd on their visit up to the cabin, but here are the kids with their Great Grandma Alyce in Grass Valley...


And that's all she wrote! An amazing time!