Ryan's Field Trip

Lisi, Ryan and Sarah- three best friends!Ryan has really started finding (and holding) little friends, rolly pollies, ants and caterpillars.  She is on her way to finding the beauty in all things just like Jesus does.

Ballerina Ryan

Ryan was front and center for her ballet recital on Saturday.  She was beautiful and very graceful.  She didn't forget any of it and it was so wonderful seeing her on stage.  She told me she wasn't nervous at all.   Well, with all her family cheering her on, no wonder she was so excited!  She had Grandma and Papa, Grandpa and Grandma Katie, Misty, Dayton and Paisley and, of course, Adam, Seth and I.  With her hair pulled back in a bun and all her pink makeup (she LOVED that part), she looked every bit the ballerina.  Even after when she put on her gray yoga pants and fitted tee, she looked just like a little ballerina.  We had a great day! 

You'll notice the shaky camera work on the video and that is because her mom was trying to stop crying.  Between the beautifully sweet song (Grandpa Merrill asked if I wrote it because it sounded like me, if only he knew I can't creative write, but it made me feel good nonetheless) and seeing my little girl so cute up on stage, the Spirit was just too strong.  It is wonderful being a mom.  I think Adam feels the same even if he didn't tear up (this time :)

Ryan's Kindergarten News

Ryan and her classmates tell Mrs. Whitton and Mrs. B their news each week.  Here is Ryan's year:

11/13/09- Ryan went on a trip yesterday.  Sarah is having a play date with Ryan today.
11/20/09-Ryan's mom is going on a trip to see her sister.  Lisi is having Ryan over tomorrow.
11/25/09- Ryan saw Sarah when they were walking down the hall.
12/11/09- Ryan will have a play date with Sarah.
12/18/09- Ryan is going to ballet today.
1/8/10- Ryan is going swimming with Lisi.
1/15/10- Ryan will have a sleepover with Sarah.  Sarah fell at Ryan's house.
1/22/10- Ryan had piano lessons yesterday.  Annie saw Ryan in the hall.
2/26/10- Ryan's grandpa is coming next week.
3/5/10- Ryan lost her cat.
3/12/10- Ryan will have a play date with Sarah.
3/19/10- Ryan's milk was green at breakfast. (St. Patrick's Day, not rotten)
3/26/10- Ryan is moving soon.  Caitlin and Ryan will have a play date today.
4/16/10- Ryan went to her cousin's.
4/30/10- Ryan's grandma will take care of her while her parents are on a cruise.
5/14/10- Ryan's mom came home on Sunday night.
5/21/10- Ryan can make cross eyes.

St. Patrick's Day

Looking for leprachauns...... Found one!

Looking for laprachaun gold...

...found some!Yes, that's cake and green milk for breakfast!

Brownies for FHE

Don't worry, Mom got some too!

This is a stick-up!

Seth, Ryan, Gabe and Aubrey

Dr. Suess Bday

Our next home...

So we just found out we are moving to Virginia Beach this summer.  HUGE surprise!  I did not see that one coming.  So I mourned for the afternoon (poor Dad was there to have to see me cry for a little) and then Adam and I smilingly told the kids at IHOP.   They took it like champs.  Seth said he didn't want to move, but then Adam reminded him that he said the same thing in Sitka and now he loves it here.  So we talked about all the cool things we would do there, like living by the beach, seeing the Navy jets,...  I told them that we would have their "friends" birthdays before we left, so we're having 3/4 birthdays this year. (Yes, everybody, I missed the 1/2 birthdays, but 3/4 will work just as well, hehehe)  Anyway, it just went over so easily.  After my little mourning period that afternoon and reminding myself that no crying was going to keep us here, no matter how perfect everything was seeming with so much family near, Adam and I are excited about our new home.  After my wonderful spiritual experience with finding our kitty a couple weeks ago, I remembered again that the Lord knows me and loves me and is watching out for our family.  And there are so many other families seperated from each other and in much more difficult situations, that as long as Adam and the kids and I are together, we will be happy.  I love our life together!  And we are ready for some more fun together (even if it is away from Pleasantville :).

The Tramp

We just got a new trampoline last night and while Ryan and I went swimming, Adam and Seth set it up.  We all jumped on it when we got home in the dark.  It reminded me of when we were little.  We played "break the egg" and the kids taught us some "1,2,3,4,5 singing thing" that made me think of "Snake".  Anyway, it was fun!  It's fun doing the same thing with my kids that I did when I was a kid.

Seth after Fiesta watching Magic School Bus

Seth's Mexican Fiesta

Ryan vs. The Bread

Sitting at dinner, eating brie and bread, Ryan grasping a chunk of bread:
"Who d'ya think is going to win?  Me or the bread!"

BITE!

Trip to Grandma's house

Obviously Daddy doesn't live there because according to Seth adn Ryan it's Grandma's house.  Although the last night at family prayer, Ryan said thanks for being able to visit Papa's house, so I guess he does live there after all.  With Mom and Daddy moving sometime, we thought it might be our last chance to visit.  We had a great time!  We saw friends (Em, Paula, Melissa Husband) and family (Aunt Marty, Uncle George, Dixie and Bonnie, Hayley, Skyler and Cody) and we stayed a couple of nights with Shanna.  Seth loves being with Chace and Ryan loves getting her fingernails painted by Chelsee and Shyenne.  I did a "radio show" with Chantz for homework.  Shanna and I had a great time just hanging out and I love my rides up and down the hill with Frank.  I don't know if I have ever written that when I was in high school, I loved that I liked "Aerosmith" and could pick their songs off the radio because Frank like them to.  It was something that we both liked and because I thought Frank was so cool, I liked being like him.

Other than visiting people, we had a great day at Tom's Farms.  The kids jumped forever on the bounce house, fed the goats in the petting zoo (Seth got bit by a baby pig but he took it like a man (that is something Daddy would say)), and we went on some rides.  The kids loved the Silver Bullet- the one where they sit next to each other in a little car and go round in a big circle forward for awhile and then backward.  Ryan was trying to hold herself to the edge so she wouldn't smush Seth.  It didn't really work.  It never worked when Lacee and I tried it either.  In fact, sometimes we would drag ourselves to the inside just so we could let go and smush each other.  Then we went on the spinning one (like the tea cups).  When I realized that the kids had to spin themselves, I went too.  They of course wanted faster and faster, especially after the guy told them their job was to make me sick.  They took him serioulsy!  By the time it was finally over, I really did think I was going to be sick (which, of course, was my fault since I was the one spinning us really, really fast), but how could I not go fast when they were having so much fun.  Before we left, we spent a couple of quarters at the shooting gallery.  I loved those when I was a kid and so did Seth and Ryan- she made the chicken cluck and Seth hit just about everything.

As always, we made a trip to Chuck E. Cheese.  The kids, as always, had a great time and this time Dad and I got hooked on the bubble popping game and "Let's Make a Deal".  Mom sat and laughed at us all.

Then we missed the HUGE snow storm that hit DC and stayed a couple of extra days.  It was just a great trip.  The kids love being with Grandma and Papa and Puck.

HA HA HAA HAAAA!

Lacee sent me a text: Utube Total Eclipse of the Heart: Literal Version 
Oh my goodness, she was right, it was HYSTERICAL!!

Ryan and soccer

We were at Shy's soccer game and Ryan and I were playing kick-back.  She went off to get the ball, did a triple dribble, popped it over the little sidewalk and said,

"Check out that move!"  "And I don't even go to soccer."  How does she even know what "move" is?  What a sillyhead!