We all love having Brynlee around to make us smile. Ryland can't stand to be away from her... I think he is driving Little B crazy lately because she has learned to walk, and Ryland loves to carry her around. I am constantly telling him to put her down or leave her alone because I feel bad for her when she is consistently whining in protest. The only time she gets to assert her independence is when Ryland is at school! She walks around the house all day when he is gone and is as happy as a clam about it. She is such a fun little girl! She makes us smile everyday with her sweet personality and her love for each of us. She is a complete and utter Daddy's girl. It is as if no one else exists when her Daddy is in the room. Shawn gets more loves and kisses from his little girl than I have ever seen! In fact, I have to practically beg her for a kiss and she gives them freely to him without any asking at all! Brynlee loves to watch Shawn and Ryland play and seems to get a serious kick out of their games. I had to post this video of her laughing while Ryland and Daddy bounced a ball back -and- forth in the kitchen. Her laughing was hysterical!

Halloween Fun for All

The kids spent friday night at my parents house so on Saturday Shawn and I drove over to spend Halloween night in Ontario. Ryland was so excited about trick-or-treating that he was a hyper little crazy man. He wanted to put his costume on ASAP! Getting him to eat dinner was a bit of a feat, but he got it finished. We put the costumes on the kids and walked up to see my great grandma, after which we did some trick-or-treating on our way back to Hooha and Boopa's house (that's what Ryland calls my mom and dad :) Ryland was so funny! He told us to stay by the road because he "is a big boy now, and can do it on [his] own." He walked up to those doors confidently, and proudly said thank you every time. Ryland got to choose what he was going to be this year. He chose to be a vampire, just like his daddy! Brynlee was a cute little ladybug. We laughed every time she waddled around with her wings on! By the end of the night they were both so exhausted that they immediately fell asleep in the car. It made for a very peaceful drive home ;)

Party Harty for Halloween

Shawn and I had our 1st annual Halloween party this year and it was a blast! We decorated the house to the hilt and had a bunch of friends over for a night of adult fun. We had TONS of good food, fog machines, spider webs, games, and live music. The night seemed to by in flawless fashion and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.. I know we did! I went a little overboard with the decorations, but let's face it, Halloween is sooo much fun to decorate for!! I couldn't help myself! Shawn even got so excited that he went out and bought 2 huge, scary guys to hang in the house. When I say huge, I really mean it... one of them was probably 12 feet tall! We were so busy hosting the party that we forgot to take pictures until after most everyone had already left! I should have taken some pics of the set up before people arrived to make it easier for next year. Now I am going to have to try to be better than usual at remembering how I did everything. I made all the food myself (minus the roasted chickens) and we had three full courses! Thank heaven's for my mom. She came over and helped me finish everything and get everything set up. I would have had a mental breakdown if she hadn't came to my rescue. Anyway, now it is a matter of figuring out how to make it bigger and better for next year ;0 here are a sampling of the few pics that I did manage to get.

Finally.... Brynlee is Blessed!

Saturday was a big day in our house... after 10 months, we finally blessed Brynlee. It was such a neat experience. We were able to have it done at home with our closest friends and family. Shawn's dad and his wife came in from Salt Lake, we had several Priesthood holders whom we love from our ward, my Ga and Papa, my Mom and our good friend Brittney. We wanted an intimate, spiritual experience and we definitely got it. Shawn gave one of the most touching Blessings I have ever heard and it was amazing how I was able to hear the Spirit take over his words. We put Brynlee down for a nap at 2:45 and everyone showed up right at 3pm. We were really hoping for Brynlee to fall asleep, so when it was time for the blessing I could quietly pick her up from her crib and hand her off to Shawn. That way she would sleep through it and be nicely quiet and not trying to move around. She is such a wiggler, and now that she is crawling she doesn't want to sit still for even a moment. My Papa gave an opening prayer and it was time to go get her. All was quiet as I neared her room. Then, as I opened her door and peaked in I saw her wide awake, and sitting up in her crib with a BIG grin on her face!! I was slightly worried as I handed her off to Shawn, but the Blessing began and she was silent. She was a perfect angel through the entire thing. Our friend Britt was able to get a perfect recording of it, which will always be a treasure to have. Brynlee is the most amazing and sweet little member of our family. She brings us all so much joy with her tender little heart and ability to love in the most precious way. We are blessed to have her. I know that the special gifts and abilities that her Dad blessed her with will guide her throughout her life.

Surgery...

Shawn had knee surgery yesterday after tearing his ACL and Meniscus while working out two weeks ago. His surgery went well and he is home, tucked away in bed. yesterday was difficult! He was super nauseous and very "loopy" after being put under anesthesia. I had to get up every four hours last night to make sure he had his meds and make sure his special Ice machine was working to keep his swelling down. Thankfully, he seems to be slightly better this morning after having breakfast. They said he will be walking within a few days and starting PT on Tuesday morning. The bummer is, he is now out for entire ski season! He was not too happy about this :) I will just be happy to know his knee is fixed and he can make a full recovery by next season. I have posted some pics of him all hopped up on percocet ... very funny!

My Alphabet King

Ryland was recognized at school yesterday because he has mastered his letters and sounds.... WOW!! He got to wear the "sounds and letters crown" all day and all the kids were gathered for the announcement so they could yell "hip, hip, hooray!" for him. Shawn and I both went to the school to pick him up and he was beaming when we came through he door. "Look!" he said as he pointed it out to us, "I got my crown today, now I am going to get my reading badge!" He wore that thing proudly all night. We are so proud of him because he has been working hard to learn to recognize all the letters, know their sounds, and to learn all about the 5 vowels. The last few weeks have been filled with his constant chatter as he walks around the house picking out words, sounding them out, and then choosing what letter they start with. Our car rides consist of him asking what each sign means, and picking out each letter he recognizes as we pass things along the road. I have been amazed at how often he gets things right!! The next stop on his curricular journey; reading. Is that crazy or what? He's already trying to sound out the words in his books. This school has been amazing for not only his learning, but also for his confidence... When we ask him how he knew the answer to a question, Ryland now promptly answers by saying, "Because I am so smart!" Hilarious!!

One little sentence... SO proud!

So... Ryland wrote his first sentence today!! "Daddy I Love You." He can't spell anything yet (since he's not quite reading) but I told him all the letters and he carefully wrote each one until he had a long strand of letters that wound up the page. When he was finished, he looked up with such pride I felt like MY heart might burst. It was amazing to watch him write the letters all by himself. Where did my tiny little boy go? I cannot wrap my head around how fast the time goes with him. I swear he is already becoming a little man. I was laughing at myself tonight because I have been thinking all day about his one little sentence! These are the joys of motherhood!

So much to be thankful for

Christmas this year was amazing. We have officially spent our very first Xmas in our own house. It was wonderful to see Ryland wake up in his own home and see what Santa brought him and to experience Brynlee's very first Christmas. There will be so many more firsts to experience in the coming year. Shawn and I spoiled each other (I got a six session sampler at the local spa and a couple gift certificates to shop when I get my pre-baby body back... yeah!!) and I completely surprised Shawn with a new Snowboard. I was so proud of myself because I found a brand new one with custom bindings on craigslist and negotiated a screaming deal on it! I love a good bargain which makes me a bit of a Criagslist junkie. We headed up to McCall, ID (about 2 hours from our house) to spend new years at my parents cabin. We had a blast. Shawn got a couple good days of snowboarding in with my dad and brother. I only got about a half a day of skiing in while I was there, but I was grateful to even get that. Thanks to my mom, I was able to leave the littlest one home with her and head up to the mountain. We put Ryland in a full day ski school and he was not only skiing on his own, but he learned to stop himself while staying completely in control. That's a big feat for him... we are so proud! We will be spending a lot more time up at the cabin this season, so we'll have to keep all of you updated on how things go, and how good Ryland gets. I really hope he gains a life long love of it. While we were at the cabin Ryland learned to wipe himself!!! YEAH!! He will be starting preschool (2 days a week, all day) and has to be bale to do everything bathroom oriented without help, so we had good motivation to make him do it. It was much easier than I expected and I am beyond happy that I no longer have to hear him yell... "Help! I'm done!!" after which I have to brave myself before heading to the bathroom :) What a wonderful way to start the new year! Happy new year to all of you. May it be filled with many cherished memories and more blessings than you can count. We are looking forward to a new year full of things to be grateful for.