Month of June

Let's see, what all happened in June? Well, I taught 7th grade Communication Arts in Summer School throughout the month. I figured, "Heck, I took the whole year off of teaching to spend time with Ryker, so I might as well teach 1 month." :) It went pretty well, especially since I was the one who created the curriculum 2 summers ago for the program. We had an AWESOME friend of the family who watched Ryker while I was at school. We know Ryker was having lots of fun at her house. THANKS, PAM! YOU'RE THE BEST!!

As far as our growing boy, Ryker turned 7 months old on Father's Day. He got his daddy a really cute picture frame for his desk at work with the two of them sitting in the backyard. The week before Father's Day he started saying "Da da da da". I remember playing with him in the living room and hearing it for the 1st time. Just to make sure it was what I heard, I had to wait to hear it again before I got Jeff to come inside from mowing the lawn to hear it too! Of course, when we both sat there and waited to hear it, he didn't say it. Later that evening, we definitely heard "da da"! Of course, he didn't know what he was saying, but we were super excited to hear it!!! What a fun present for his daddy! He wasn't crawling in June, but he could roll over.

Ryker misses spending time with Papa & Nona!

Giggling with Nona

Wearing Daddy's Memphis hat like a big boy!

4 Generations: Daddy, Great-Grandpa, Grandpa, & Ryker

We had a visitor in June! Liz's sister, Noelle, had a wedding to go to in KC, so we were able to meet for lunch. THANKS FOR COMING, NOELLE!! YOU LOOK FABULOUS!

"Mommy, I'm really tired..."

"Zzzzzzz..." 1st time falling asleep in the highchair!

1st time in the pool--"Mommy, I don't know about this. It's kinda cold!"

After Papa brought bowl after bowl with hot water to help the cold become warm, Ryker didn't mind hanging out in the pool. Tippy didn't want to join him.

All done! Nice and cozy in the towel.

Ryker always gets excited when Daddy comes home from work!

Mother's Day--May 11

Still catching you up on May...

This year was my 1st Mother's Day...let me tell you, I'm so proud to be a mother! For those of you who know me and my emotions, I tend to get a bit teary-eyed when I think about how much I'm so in love with my little boy. Now I can understand how mothers feel about their children. He brings so much joy into my life. Words cannot express how much my love for him grows stronger and stronger as the days go on. I thank God for the blessing He brought us--a beautiful and healthy baby boy. I look forward to all the special moments that Jeff and I get to share with Ryker in our future.

A few cards came my way, and one particular card stays in my mind. When I read it, I couldn't hold back the tears. Here is what it said.

Happy first Mother's Day to my sister--

When we were kids,

it was easy to imagine you

as a mother someday.

But I had no idea.

Now when I see you with Ryker

I see the same great sister,

but I also see this amazing mom--

who's more loving and caring

than I ever could have imagined.

~Malena

The Wonderful Bond between Mother & Son

This was taken on July 12th at a family reunion for my mom's side in Ely, MN.

Photoshoot of Ryker

My sweet cousin, Emily, who went to school for photojournalism, did an awesome photoshoot of our little 6 month old while we were in Memphis. Here are only a few of what she took. Thanks, lil' cuz! They turned out great!

May continued...

During our Memphis trip, we took Ryker on his 1st trip to a zoo with our friends Bryan, Shannon, and Kas. Even though he slept for a big chunk of the time (some in Bryan's arms), he was still able to see a bunch of animals! It was a very hot day, but what should we expect...it's Memphis! Snow cones helped cool us down a bit.

"Whoa! What are those, Mommy? Nevermind, I'd rather chew on my shirt."

Shaded from the hot sun

"I'm just too cute in my new hat!"

"Those fishies are as big as me!"

Family photo by the panda bear exhibit

Month of May

During the middle of May, Jeff, Ryker, and I traveled down south to Memphis, TN, for Ryker's 1st trip. We weren't quite sure how he would do for an 8 hr. drive, and thankfully he did very well! Ryker was able to meet several family members and friends for the 1st time, but it was the 2nd time for his Uncle Kyle.

"I love you, Uncle Kyle!"

Having breakfast together--pictured from left to right are Hugh's friend, Stefan (good friend visiting from Austria), Kyle, Hugh, Ryker, me, and Jeff

By the way, our CONGRATS go out to Stefan and Sonya on the birth of their son, Simon, earlier this week in Austria. We look forward to seeing pictures and to come there for another visit!

Spending time with Ryker's Great-Aunt Perrylyn (my dad's sister)

"Hi there, Great-Uncle Mickey!" (my dad's brother)

About to eat good ol' Memphis bbq (which of course is the best!) at Memphis in May BBQ Festival with Great-Aunt LeighAnn (my dad's younger sister)

The trip was a lot of fun, but it always goes by way too fast. There are always so many people to see in such a short amount of time. So if we didn't get to see all of you, hopefully we can during our next visit! We definitely miss the city of Memphis and all the fun attractions, but at least we're only a day trip away.

My Apologies!

(Pictures from the beginning of May)

"Did you remember to wash my nose, Mommy?"

Hangin' out with Daddy outside

Yes, I know, 3 months is way too long for not updating my blog, and many of you have kept reminding me. My apologies to you! I have a lot to update you on and lots of pictures to share! I'll have to go month by month on what has been going on with our family, so more details will soon arrive on here. Get ready to read and see how Ryker is growing into a little boy instead of a little baby!

Ryker is absolutely wonderful and keeps getting cuter as the days go on! All of his facial expressions are just priceless, and we have quite the squealer! It seems that he loves to hear his own voice...go figure! :) He'll already be 9 months old on on Aug. 15th!!! He's growing so fast! Before we know it, he'll be turning 1 and will be all over our house! He's not quite crawling on his hands and knees yet, but he's definitely getting better at the army crawl and pushing off with his feet. Once again, I'll give more details on what he's been doing as I update about each month.

I hope all is well with everyone and that you are enjoying your summer!

Spending time with Ryker's best buds

Derek & Andrea's little girl, Charlee Sue, came over to our house one afternoon for about 1 1/2 hrs. when her parents were in a bind. She was so tired after her dr.'s visit that she just slept the whole time! We were happy to have her!

Kacie & Dan's little boy, Finley, came over last Friday for an entire work day since his parents were also in a bind. The 3 of us had lots of fun! Finley is crawling all over and playing with everything. He already loves saying "da da" and "ma ma" (of course, "da da" came first). In the above moment, Ryker was trying to steal Finley's water cup. It was so funny!

See Ryker's plan: "Hold down Finley's right hand so I can grab the cup before him!" haha!

Side note: Check out Ryker's head of hair (or lack of hair) in the above pictures. He's been totally balding, except for the little clumps of hair in the back! It looks pretty funny. No more mohawks for a while now! ;) As of today, we can tell he has some new hairs coming in on the top...looks a bit lighter too.

Priceless smile!

Our boy is sure growing!

Talkin' to Daddy!

Sitting up all on his own! Yes, this month Ryker has learned how to sit up by himself for several seconds. He still topples over eventually but is impressing Mama & Dada!

Sitting in his highchair for the 1st time! That face cracks me up! haha. :)

More April Moments!

Showin' some style in our Memphis outfits! Even though our Tigers lost to KU (boo!), they're still #1 to us! What a stressful game that was, and living in KC is the worst place to be when our team lost to KU. Yeah, it was rubbed in our faces a bit. Oh well. MEMPHIS TIGERS still are the best!

1st time eating rice cereal! Ryker's still learning how to eat it without it all ending up outside of his mouth instead of staying in and swallowing it.

1st time wearing shorts! He absolutely LOVES being outside.

Tippy! Ryker always gets such a kick out of her fetching the ball and giving him kisses. They're a good pair.

Always too cute for words!

Ryker misses his Auntie Malena!

Malena was able to make it from Denver to KC for Ryker's Baptism and visit with her nephew/godson for the 2nd time. (She hadn't seen him since Thanksgiving, 1 week after he was born, so she was definitely ready to come see him.) Ryker sure loves his Auntie, and she sure loves him...the pictures sure show the love! Thankfully she'll be seeing him again soon this summer. :)

Another Visit with Papa & Nona!

"You're so funny, Nona!"

What a proud Papa!

Saying goodbye after church...we'll be seeing you during your next visit over Memorial Day weekend! Love you both!

Ryker's Baptism

April 5th--Celebrating Ryker's Baptism with Auntie Malena (godmother), both sets of our parents, and both of Jeff's grandparents

Ryker loves his new "Lift the Flap Bible"

Someone's getting a little tired from the big day!

Thank Heaven for Little Boys!