Florida was a hot success!

Wow, has it really been nearly a month since my last post? Sorry we've been unbelievably busy.

Florida was great. The drive was much better than I could've imagined. Ry was great and watched quite a few movies. We made it to SC on the drive down. The next day we were in Florida by 5pm. Trav and I shared the driving for the most part.

First stop was my parent's house in Bradenton. We had a wonderful few days there. Ry rode a scooter made by my dad (!), did a lot of swimming, went to a minor league ball game, fed fishies, played on a playground, ate ice cream and more that I'm probably forgetting about.

After a few days at my parents we then drove to Orlando. My parents joined us for the first day at Magic Kingdom. Despite the heat and crowds we had a good time and got through most of the kids rides by around lunch time. We left the park at 1pm due to the heat and needing a rest. We checked in to the hotel, took a nap, and went swimming. It was back to the park later that day for a character dinner, more rides, parade and fireworks. Ry seemed to enjoy all the rides he went on but I think it's safe to say he probably enjoyed Dumbo and Pooh's ride the most. I loved the fireworks! Ry made it till about 11pm that night.

The next morning we said our goodbyes to my parents and decided to head to MGM for the day since we got through all the Disney kid rides. While MGM didn't have a lot of rides, I think they did have Ry's favorite overall, the Toy Story 3D one. He loved it! We were also able to enjoy a Little Mermaid show, Playhouse Disney show, meet Toy Story characters, and do a few other rides. We left the park in the early afternoon to get a nap in.

After our afternoon nap, we headed to Downtown Disney. We wanted to take Ry to the Lego Store. He loved all the lego statues and abundance of lego choices. He chose an airplane set. After visiting several stores and taking in a few sites, we decided to eat at the T-Rex Cafe. It's a dinosaur version of the rainforest cafe. Ry was very hesitant at first and a little scared. He finally relaxed enough to enjoy it.

The next morning we headed back home and made it to Virginia. Trav would've driven the whole way but I wouldn't have let him. Overall we had a great trip. We think we'll wait a few more years for Disney again and go in a cooler month.

Away We Go

In a few hours we are departing for Florida. I am hoping the 2 day drive goes smoothly. Our plan is to make it to NC/SC tonight and then drive the rest of the way to Florida. We will be visiting with my parents and then heading to Disney for a few days.

Thanks to my friend Kira for watching the house/cats while we are away.

Wish us luck and say a prayer!

Wordless Wednesday

New Pet

Yep, we have some new pets. And no they are not dogs. We are now the proud owners of 5 American Bull Frog Tadpoles, 7 pond tadpoles, and 1 African Dwarf Frog. Exciting, eh! In school we had tadpoles, butterflies, ladybugs, ants, and more. Well at the end of the year we released many of the creatures but I didn't feel comfortable releasing the tadpoles and obviously small dwarf frog. Cleaning the large tank has not been much fun, but watching the tadpoles/frog has been amusing! We do plan to release the tadpoles when they are full grown frogs.

Children's Museum

On Friday I took Ry to the Children's Museum. It's one of our favorite places to go and we certainly have gotten our money's worth out of our membership. He had a great time exploring Mr. Roger's room, water room, garage, and art studio. We even enjoyed a nice lunch there too!

Wildwood!

We took an impromptu trip to Wildwood (NJ Beach south of Atlantic City). Trav grew up there. His parents still live there and own a motel there. I LOVE going and never miss an opportunity to go. All 4 of his brothers were going to be in town. It is rare that all 5 are together so we decided to drive up for the weekend. Despite our short trip, we had a great time! We went swimming, went to the boardwalk, rode bikes and enjoyed yummy food! We had a wonderful trip and are always so thankful to be able to enjoy his family's motel (Tide Winds Motel). We will be heading back for a full week at the end of July and couldn't be more excited!

Schools Out....for the Summer

Yes, that's right! I am officially done with school for the summer. Ahhhhhhh!!! I have nearly 2 months off and couldn't be more excited. I can't complain as I had a fairly good year but it's always nice to have a break. On the agenda- lots of vacations and work on the house. I hope everyone has a nice summer! (I know I will.)

Big Brother

Yep, you read that right! Ry is going to be a big brother. We are expecting another little boy on November 6 (my brother's birthday). Ryan is very excited! So far so good. I've felt well for the most part with no sickness (yeah)! We have no name decided yet although Ryan seems to like Foxy Loxy! We will begin the room transformation later this summer. Right now the nursery has been a storage space/guest room.

Fingers crossed the next 19 weeks go smoothly!!

A Perfect Day

Today was a perfect day!

Our morning started with Ry and I making popsicles for after lunch- strawberries, mangos, bananas.

Then he helped with laundry. (We are training him!)

After that I made breakfast- complete with eggs, bacon, potatoes, toast and fruit salad. Mmmmm!

Later we went to Schenley Park. We walked by some dino's, went on the carousel, at a snack in the tent and then waded in the fountain. It was wonderful!

Once home we ate our homemade popsicles. I made a German like dinner and then we went for a walk.

It was a perfect day and I hope it's a sure sign of how our summer will go!

Take Your Child To Work Day

A week or two ago Ry came with me to work for our version of Take Your Child to Work Day. (We missed it last month.) He was so excited about this opportunity and kept counting day the days. I kept Trav on stand by....just in case. I must admit Friday is our easy day. Ry did great with the students. They were very excited to see him. He was able to complete all the activities the students did. Around 1pm, his typical nap time, he started getting sleepy. He loved kindergarten and I know he'll do great when it's his turn!

Rough Ry

Life with Ry lately has been difficult. I'm hoping it's a stage. We are on nearly 2weeks of very agressive and disrespectful behavior. Most times there are arguments, him not listening, or Ry wanting to be independent which thus gets him frustrated. Believe me there have been a few good days thrown in, but otherwise it's been a little rough. So please share your words of wisdom and in the meantime I'll keep chanting patience, patience, patience.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers and most importantly my wonderful mother!

I have had the pleasure of sleeping in and enjoying yummy pancakes, the cutest 4 year old gift, and a dinner out later!

Dentist

Ry had his dental check up this morning. He was much more apprehensive with this appointment than his previous ones. (This is his 3rd visit to the dentist.) All morning he kept saying he didn't want him to go. I told him he could bring something from home. He decided to bring his big Woody (Toy Story). Once we arrived at the office he was reminded of how fun it is there with all of the toys in the waiting room. (Ry goes to a pediatric dentist.) Within a few minutes we were called back and Ry did great. They counted his teeth, cleaned them, examined them, etc. He was perfect! At the end she said she'd see him in 6 months and gave him some bubbles!

Wordless Wednesday

Nice Day

While the weather may not have been the nicest....my day started off a little rough. It made a quick turn around this morning as my students brought me cards, flowers and food (brownies too) for dinner tonight in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week. That was the best gift ever! I was able to get Ry after work, have dinner ready after being reheated and it then left the evening for us to play. We went on a very long walk, met up with the neighbors, and then played in the backyard. It was wonderful! Nice weather or not.....it was a nice day!

Speech, Language & Hearing

Today at school Ry had his annual speech, language and hearing screening. Last year when he had his screening there were a few minor concerns. Today at his screening they did a few oral activities and games one on one to assess him. His screening today came back clear of any concerns so we are thrilled!

Easter

Well Easter started off as a gloomy wet day here in Pittsburgh. Ryan awoke around 8am and quickly found his Easter basket hidden in his playroom closet. Sure enough the Easter bunny even left Trav a basket!! Ry tore through his basket and was most excited about the chocolate bunny, a truck, and a watch. He has been nagging us for a watch for a while. Thankfully I (I mean the Easter bunny) found a Spiderman watch at the Dollar Store. We heald out for the Easter egg hunt but in the end it had to occur inside the house after nap. He still had lots of fun and found 20 eggs hidden with candy, money, and play dinosaurs.

My camera was dead so all we had was Travis's I-phone which never takes the best pictures for me. Enjoy!

Swim Lessons

Ry has been taking swim lessons for 6 weeks now. He's improved a lot but is still apprehensive to put his head in the water. This was as close as I could get tonight.

Wonderful Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend! Saturday Ry and I headed out to run several erands in the morning. We then went to Olive Garden for a yummy mommy and son date! Sunday was in the 70's with sun shining. We took advantage of it and headed out to let Ry ride his new bike. He did great! What a difference a year makes. He was cruising down the sidewalk. Later in the afternoon his friend Elizabeth came over and they played in his playhouse in the backyard. After dinner Trav and I played frisbee while Ry played in the sandbox.

What a wonderful weekend! We look forward to when the warm temperatures will stick around.

Vision Test

Ryan's preschool has yearly free vision screenings conducted by Easter Seals. We are happy to report that as of now Ry's vision is perfect!

Edwina- The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct

Anyone who knows Ryan knows the boy LOVES books! Last month he was learning about dinosaurs in preschool. As a result he would quite often choose the book, Edwina- The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct as one of his books to read before bed. This book was given to him by my mother, his Nana. Tonight, when it came time to read this book he said he wanted to read it to me. So he did! As a teacher I know he's just memorized the book, but wow what a proud moment and a good pre-reading skill too.

If you're lucky maybe he'll read it to you!

Ry's 4 Year Check Up

Ryan has his 4 year check up on Thursday. We went through the standard routine of weight, height, bp check etc. Ry received 3 shots. He was brave at first but by shot 3 realized what was happening. Good news is that he will not need any shots till he is 11!

Ry's 4 Year Stats:
Weight- 39lbs
Height- 42.5 in.

I thought it was interesting to see his growth stats in the past few years.

Ry's 3 Year Stats:
Weight- 35lbs
Height- 38 3/4 in.

Ry's 2 1/2 Year Stats:
Weight- 32lbs
Height- 37 1/2 .

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to the most amazing boy I know. Ryan turned 4 on Monday, March 28 at exactly 2:32pm. I can't believe my baby is 4! We started the morning off with Travis making blueberry pancakes. We then went to Chuck E Cheese where Ry spent his free birthday tokens playing games and then got a few small prizes. Once home, we had lunch. After a quick nap, we then took Nana and Pop Pop to the airport. On our way home we stopped and got a yummy fruit smoothie. For dinner, Ry's choice- mac n cheese.

Happy Birthday my sweet boy!

Ry's 2nd Visit to the Hospital

Well what better way to celebrate a birthday weekend with a visit to the hospital! After busting his lip at the party Sunday afternoon,(a chunk was missing), we quickly headed home to Pittsburgh to pay a visit to the ER. It was thought his lip would need stitches. Upon arrival at the new Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, we quickly made our way through triage, registration, etc. We were called back to a room where the intern assessed Ry and it was determined he would need several stitches. With the advice of parents and Andrea (Trav's sister-in-law), we asked for a plastic surgeon to perform the procedure. Despite their hesitation, it was finally agreed upon. They numbed up Ry's lips with a cream and while holding his bug, peanut got 4 stitches. He was perfect, absolutely perfect!!!! We left the hospital around 10pm.

Of course after being home for 10 minutes, 1 stitch came out! Ry had to follow a soft foods diet and a light physical activity regimine. Yea, try telling a 4 year old that!

Grandma Hershey's 90th Birthday

Sunday we woke up early, had breakfast, and then departed for Shippensburg with my parents. Travis's grandmother was celebrating her 90th birthday and so the entire family was getting together to surprise her.

After a 3 hour drive we arrived at the family farm in Shippensburg, PA. Shortly after we got there, Justin, Ally, & Joey arrived. We showed my parents some of the animals and then went into Grandma Hershey's house.

After a short visit we departed to the community center where the party would be held. Upon arrival we saw several other family members. It was a great area complete with basketball court and playground. (Too bad the weather was windy and chilly!) All in all there were probably around 60 people there. We enjoyed a nice lunch and had the opportunity for lots of pictures and face time with many family memebers we don't normally see.

Around 4pm we were getting ready to leave when Ry decided to mimic his uncles and try to pop a balloon. This resulted in a busted lip because he hit the hard floor when trying to sit on the balloon.

As a result of that fine encounter, we headed back to Pittsburgh quickly. It was a wonderful party and it was great to see so many family members.

Happy 90th Birthday Grandma Hershey!!!

Happy

Grandparents Visit

Friday evening I picked up my parents from the airport while Travis's parents drove in. We enjoyed a yummy pizza dinner while they Ry spent lots of time playing with Nana and Mom Mom while the men all went to town on install a new toilet. After dinner and playing for a while, Mom Mom put Ry to bed. Then we went to town preparing food for Ry's party and beginning the decorating.

Saturday we enjoyed Ry's party. Once again the women all went to work while the men continued working on installing another new toilet and fixing our shower. Ry's party was a great success and the help from the extra adults was much appreciated. After Ry's party Trav's parents left to head to Grandma Hershey's house in Shippensburg. That afternoon we continues to play and spend time with my parents while enjoying a nice dinner.

The Storm Has Ended

Now that the storm has ended (aka- Ry's party, Great Grandma's party, Grandparents visit, hospital visit), I can write about everything. Oh where to start!

Anticipation

Ryan is about to be 4. Wow, that was hard to write. I can't believe it! We've got a lot going on this upcoming weekend. My parents and Trav's parents are both coming in Friday to stay with us and celebrate Ry's birthday. Ry will have his friend party on Saturday. Sunday we will travel to the family farm in Shippensburg, PA to celebrate Travis's grandmother's 80th birthday with their entire family. Monday we will celebrate Ry's 4th Birthday with our immediate family. When Ry returns to school on Tueday he will celebrate his birthday with his school friends. Our little (sniff sniff) boy will have lots going on in the next few days. Here's hoping we survive!

Big Boy

In anticipation of Ryan turning 4 in two weeks (OMG), tonight we removed the rail from his bed. He was very excited to take it off and truth be told I think we could've taken it off a long time ago. Watch tonight he'll fall out of bed!!

We also brought in a bookcase we had in the nursery closet. I am proud to say my son loves books. With his love for books, educator parents, and a book loving Nana, Ry has aquired more books than I care to count. Since they were in bins and drawers everywhere we finally placed them on a bookshelf with room for more books.

Can't believe my baby will be 4 in a few weeks! Where does the time go?

Date Night

Yesterday when I picked up Ry from daycare I asked him if he wanted to go on a date with me. He excitedly answered yes and then proceeded to go tell the workers at his daycare that he was going on a date. I let him pick the place after giving him several choices (Chik-fil-A, Panera, PF Changs, Eat N Park). He quickly chose Eat N Park (local chain) because he said they have good commercials!!! Ry ordered macaroni n' cheese with applesauce while I had the salad bar and we shared an appetizer.

After dinner, we went shopping for a present at Macy's. Ry loved riding the escalator and wasn't quite sure if those people (mannequins) were real or not.

We had a great time and I hope to my almost 4 year old will let me go on dates with him for years to come!

Ry Dancing

Swim Lessons

Ry started swim lessons at the YMCA this week. I sat on the bleachers as Ry happily walked off to begin swimming. Many of my fears were calmed in those first few minutes! The students wore a floaty around their back. He easily got in the pool and really seemed to enjoy the class. (I'm sure it helped that his friend Grace was in the class.)

Our goal is for Ry to become a beginning swimmer and enjoy swimming as much as Travis and I do.

Weekend

This past weekend was a whirlwind. Ry went over to his friend Lorenzo's house for a playdate so Travis and I could go out to celebrate his birthday. Ry had a wonderful time at Lorenzo's and did a great job eating dinner there.

After a rough Saturday night sleep Ry woke up Sunday morning hot, complaining of a headache, and with a bumpy red rash on his face. He was clearly not feeling well and it was rought to watch him in pain. (I should add Ry hardly ever gets sick.)

At 9am we took him to the local Med Express walk in clinic. Once I explained the symptoms to the nurse he thought instantly it was strep throat. (This made a lot of sense because Ry's best friend at school had just had strep throat.) They took a swab from his mouth and did a rapid strep test which came back positive. A quick trip to the pharmacy next door and were all set. The rest of Sunday was spent lounging on the couch watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and sleeping.

Ry stayed home with Travis on Monday and seems to be doing better now. He will go back to daycare today and hopefully be ok.

Crayons

Ryan and I made crayons this week. It's real simple to do. Take broken crayons, remove the paper wrapper and place different colored pieces into a metal or silicone muffin pan. (I used a heart shaped silicone muffin pan.) The more you fill each section the thicker your crayons will be. Put them in the oven at 275. Once the pan is removed the crayons will be soupy. Let sit for an hour. Pop them out and color!

Ry loved, loved, loved this!!!

President's Day

Ryan knows who our current president is as well as Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. In his preschool class they have been learning all about presidents. Yesterday I had to work, however, Ry's preschool was closed. This meant Travis spent the day with Ryan. In the morning they visited the Children's Museum. It's our go to and Ry loves it. While crowded, he still enjoyed it, especially the water area.

Happy President's Day!

Sleepover

Ry hosted his first sleepover Friday night. His friend Elizabeth from across the street came over. We started out by making popcorn and then watching Toy Story 2. Easily distracted the kids went back and forth between watching the movie and playing. Around 9pm we headed upstairs so they could brush their teeth and I could read to them. With sleeping bags sprawled on the floor I said goodnight to 2 giggling children. After nearly 2 hours of giggling, jumping, talking, singing, and switching back and forth between the bed and the floor, they finally fell asleep. At least they slept in till 8!

Warm Walks

The weather has been so nice lately, upper 50's and even lower 60's today. It's allowed us to take walks when we come home for dinner which has been wonderful. Ry loves to run ahead and collect rocks, leaves and of course find a walking stick. Today his friend Elizabeth joined us on our walk.

I can't wait till spring when we can enjoy this weather later!

Valentine's Day Food

Happy Valentine's Day!

I could not be more excited about Ry's lunch today. He's getting to that age where he appreciates the little touches and I love it.

Ry's lunch today consists of:
heart shaped tortilla pocket sandwich
heart shaped fruit snacks in a mini heart cup
heart shaped cheese
blueberries on heart skewers
heart shaped apple and red pepper slices
heart shaped cookie

It's all in a neatly packaged container with a little valentine on the outside.

Not to mention that this morning's breakfast will consist of a cherry heart shaped donut. Dinner tonight- red and white heart shaped ravioli's in a pink alfredo sauce.

I love it!

Birthday

It's not often this blog is about someone other than Ryan but I had to brag on my boys who treated me to a wonderful birthday! I wish I would've taken more pictures, especially of Ry's card he made for me and the lego creation that was waiting for me when I came downstairs. He used 31 legos to celebrate my 31st birthday.

A big thank you to my wonderful husband who treated me to one of my best birthdays ever!

Here We Go Steelers! Here We Go!

Whether you love them or you hate them....Pittsburgh's going to the Super Bowl!!!

P-O-O-H

Ry has a book called Try Try Again. It's a Winnie the Pooh book where Pooh wants to learn how to write his name. In Ry's preschool class he has been working a lot on letter writing and letter sounds. While every mother thinks their child is the smartest I can't help but think Ry is! This morning he worked on his easel. He wrote the word Pooh, mom, dad, cat and bat. I have kindergarteners who can't write these words. I think what was equally exciting was the process he took to write the words. He stretched the words out and wrote the letters that matched the sounds he heard. (This is a strategy I teach my kindergarteners. It's called Stretchy Snake!)

Signed- A super proud mommy!

Hungry?

Tonight while driving home after picking Ryan up from pre-school, he noticed a bag in the back seat. Well of course he asked what the box inside was. I proceeded to tell him I was in charge of an after-school games club and that was one of the games- Hungry Hungry Hippos. Once we got home he wanted me to bring in the game so he could play.

Ry loved it and we played several games. Well I might add!!!

Family

Ry and his friend Elizabeth made a snowman family this morning.

Play Date Update

Today Ry had a playdate over at his friend Grace's house. (Grace came over 2 weeks ago- see previous post.) Grace is in Ryan's preschool class. Over the past few days I kept reminding Ry how I would not be staying while he was at Grace's house. My original fear is that he was going to be clingy and not want me to leave. When we arrived at Grace's house he showed Grace Jessie (Toy Story figurine), she said she had one too and told Ry to come upstairs to see it. And that was it!

Ry had a great time!

Mom

This morning Ry drew a picture of me and wrote mom under it. This was all done unassisted. I can't believe he will be 4 soon!

My Little Angel

On Friday/Saturday we had a few inches of snow fall. This prompted Ry to want to play outside and make a snow angel!

Smart Cycle

Today Ry got a Smart Cycle. Trav and I have been working out a lot in the basement lately and Ry keeps wanting to go on the treadmil. So after Travis and I met for lunch we strolled around Target and noticed the Smart Cycle marked down $20. So we decided to give it a try. Ry was so excited and loved working out with us. Our hope is to buy him more games, but sheesh, they are nearly $40 each!

Play Date

Ry had 2 play dates the past few days. He's played with friends at parties and gone to the neighbors house, but never a real play date where the parent has left.

On Friday morning his friend Lorenzo came over. Lorenzo is in Ryan's class. They had a good time and made a mess of Ry's playroom!

On Saturday afternoon his friend Grace came over. Grace is also in Ry's class. Grace and Ry have played together before during some summer playdates since I know Grace's mother. Ry and Grace had a great time and played upstairs a lot with Buzz Lightyear.

Ry was invited over to Grace's house in a few weeks. We'll see how he does without me there. I'll update the blog with how he does.

Happy New Year!

Ryan actually seemed to understand that there was going to be a new year. He was able to tell me that 2011 was starting in x number of days so I'm sure they talked about it in preschool. (I know they had a New Year's parade on Thursday.) So I decided to celebrate New Year's Eve, just a few hours earlier. Ry and I went to the store and I let him pick out a tv dinner (since Trav and I would be eating later). Of course Ry picked a Kid's Cuisine. (I vow he will never eat another one). We also went to the Dollar Store to buy some noisemakers, hats, glow in the dark bracelets, etc.

Ry ate his tv dinner and then we watched a movie since it was movie night. After the movie we had yummy cupcakes and then did a countdown. Ry wore his hat and bracelet, silly glasses and did his best with the noisemaker. He helped countdown and at "7:45pm" we rang in the New Year as a family. It was great and Ry really seemed to have fun!

From our family to yours- May the fond memories of your past carry forward and may the New Year bring good fortune!