blooms

April showers bring:

...May flowers.

Hello lovelies...  Welcome to our yard!

Updates on Rdyer

At Ryder's two year Doctor's appointment, our pediatrician felt that he was slightly delayed in his language expression.  At two, kids generally will have 30 words and Ryder had about 15.  We spent the month of April and most of May getting him evaluated by our Regional Center.  After all evaluations were made, it was found that Ryder is more than 50% delayed for his speech and language expression.  It was recommended that he have an hour a week therapy with a speech therapist.  

So on friday the 25th, we started with our speech therapist Stephanie.  She came to our house to work with Ryder and at this point, it looks like we have the clearance to have all sessions in home, rather than going to an office.  She brought all sorts of toys that focused on specific words.  Like they played with a Thomas the Train set while working on the words STOP and GO.  He colored while using words like ON and OPEN and CLOSE with the markers.  We played with a Mr Potato Head while working on things like EYES, EARS, NOSE. He colored while working on animal sounds and names.  There are words that he already uses but it's how he forms the words with his mouth and the clarity of the words.  He had a blast! I was so thankful!  We look forward to growing his vocabulary with tools and exercises that will help him to communicate with us better.

(Seriously, how creepy is this baby potato head...)

I am so thankful to be getting help.  Kit and I have been noticing that Ryder's frustrations with not being able to communicate with us has increased significantly over the last few weeks (Also, he is two...).  He doesn't do it with anyone else, but when we tell him no or if we don't understand what he wants right away, he has gotten into hitting (It's not hard or hurtful, but it's hitting nonetheless and also, he's two...)  I have been so frustrated for him AND with him. The days have been very long and I have really been discouraged with my parenting.  But now, I am so excited that Ryder will increase his ability to talk with us and I think that the tension will decrease (Also, he's two...)  I know, she's a speech therapist, not a miracle worker ♥ 
we are so proud of our little man!

Memorial Day Weekend recap (And some big boy news...)

We hope that you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Big news at our house. Yesterday, May 28, 2012, Ryder went into our bathroom while Kit was getting ready, pulled his diaper off, pointed to the toilet and Kit lifted him over our toilet while Ryder went pee for the first time!  We were so proud of him! He has not asked since but there is definite interest and we are planning on running with it...

We spent Sunday after church with our close friends from college, the Thrashes and the Cleary's.

All the kids are about the same age so we just pulled out scooters and bikes and the kids just played while we ate and talked.

 The plasma car is so much more fun with a friend...

 Somebody loves a good BBQ:

 Just hanging out in San Clemente:

Jamie and I...

(I am so thankful that she is in my life.  I am so thankful that are husbands are so close and I love that our boys are 10 days apart.  Really, I just love the Thrashes...)

 We walked down to see sunset point:

Eden was all snuggled in our BOB:

(I tell Kit all the time how much I want him to push me, I am pretty out of shape!)

 Snapping pictures while Eden slept:

 And running around like crazy playing red light/green light:

Our little family of four:

(Eden was still sleeping)

 Then we headed back to talk while eating home made ice-cream and fruit:

 And sharing some time of community and prayer for each other:

It was such sweet time of friendship.  Now that I think about it, Mike, Mark and Kit were room mates their freshman year at Biola.  Who would have thought that 10 years later we would be sitting in a living room with 7 kiddos running around that all belonged

Happy Memorial Day!

It's memorial day!

We are so grateful for sacrifices that have been made so that we can enjoy the life of freedom that we live...
PS: Eden wanted to wish you all a happy memorial day...

(Ryder just wanted to use the flag as a sword.)
We hope that you enjoy a day of rest with people that you love!

Kit's hobby is expanding...

Kit is such a busy guy.  From work to keeping me sane to traveling and house projects, his time gets eaten up really quickly.  One thing that he absolutely loves to do in his spare time is to take care of his fish.  He LOVES it (and I have over 350 gallons at our house to prove it...)

Recently he is getting into breeding tilapia for a new project called the atlas collective.

He is really excited about it and has been having fun using his love of fish for a missional cause.

water checks and testing:

 

The tilapia:

the Rae aquariums:

We are proud to say that our fish have had over 350 babies!
Kit has even started a blog about it here:
tilapiatank.wordpress.com

projects around the house...

We have had a few projects that we have been working on over here:

Ryder figured out how to open the front door when it is locked and bolted. So we put a lock on the door.

 Little did Ryder know he was helping his dad take away his freedom...

So if you come over and you here us taking a full minute to unlock our front door, just chalk it up to safety for Ryder♥.

Then I experimented with a cooking project involving  spinach pesto and puff pastry recipe for a tea that Eden and I attended:

They were so tasty!  The Barefoot Contessa has the best pesto recipe! 

Then I had some craft projects that I had been wanting to finish:

A wreath for our door:

 I have really been loving burlap!

I recently bought a navy skirt and I have been wearing it with a coral colored sweater and I didn't have a good necklace to go with it so I made this one:

Our gardening projects have pretty much been focused on weeding and getting our dahlias to grow:

It has been so fun doing little projects while we have these little people with us:
(However each project just takes a little bit longer♥...)

I can't believe this little girl is 3 months old today!

 We hope that you have fun tackling any projects you might have and being with people you love!

friendship

Recently we got to connect with one of my oldest friends, Serenity, and her mom Sandy. (As in we became friends when we were 4 years old and were inseparable while growing up...)  

They got to meet Eden Marie last week and that was so special for me.  Sandy is INCREDIBLY creative and brought this hand made gift for my girl:

Sandy and Sere~

It was so good to see you both and to have you meet our Eden Marie!

Thank you so much for celebrating and spoiling our daughter!

I love you both!

thoughts for Eden

1 month from today I will be back in the swing of things as a post partum nurse, which means I will be leaving my baby girl for the first time.  I am not looking forward to it. I am going to enjoy the last few weeks not thinking about work.  

I remember having a hard time leaving Ryder and then realized what great hands he was in: his dad's.

Now, I think Ryder looks forward to my work days because he knows he will have so much fun with Kit.  I know it will be the same way with Eden, the first day will be a little tough, but I know that she is in the best hands.  And really 6 days out of the week, I get the honor and privilege of being with them, and I know that day will be a welcomed break of something I love.

(However I will be running to our parking lot to get home to my family at the end of the day...♥)

our first mother daughter tea

Our friend brooke (One of the most creative people I know...) hosts a mother/daughter tea every weekend after mother's day and this year Eden and I were there to celebrate our first one together.

The carriage house where Brookie lives:

(It's the coolest home I have ever been in...)

Eden and her Mia:

For the tea, Brookie uses vintage linens and china.  

This was the little girls table:

Everyone brings a food item to share:

She had a bowl of card stock and a marker so that people could write what their dish was... 

She thinks of everything!

(Brookie did the flowers for our wedding... 

the arrangements that she puts together are incredible!)

The food was so yummy!

Me and my daughter:

Three generations:

Brookie, thank you for hosting this memorable event every year.

Eden and I look forward to it becoming a tradition!

We appreciate and love you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ps Kit got home on Saturday after being gone for three days at a conference in San Francisco.

He took Sunday off and we enjoyed being together!