the Stottlemyres

Snow Day!

2012-01-19T22:04:00.001-08:00

They were really excited to go outside and play in the snow.

I obliged them by dressing them up, walking them out, then swiftly returning inside to my warm cup of coffee and blanket.

I took a few pictures...from inside of course.

They didn't last long - the snow was fun but the freezing rain slapping their faces apparently wasn't. They traded in the snow pants for curling up in sleeping bags, watching movies and drinking hot chocolate - a good trade I would say!

Happy Birthday Mr. Alex!

2012-01-19T21:38:00.001-08:00

My little boy is three - I don't have a baby any more :(

Dinosaurs, cars, trucks and books - what more could a boy ask for on his birthday...

...well, maybe some chocolate cake.

Newborn

Christmas 2011

2012-01-19T21:31:00.001-08:00

Hope everyone had a merry Christmas! I'm a little late posting pics.

Christmas morning bedhead

Checking out what Santa brought

Relaxing after a hard day

Visit with Santa

2011-12-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

My darling kids posing in front of the tree

A visit with Santa...but neither kid would talk to him. They were happy to sit on his lap, but they wouldn't tell him Merry Christmas and they wouldn't say what they wanted. ???

A Post Entirely About Hair

2011-10-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

Who is that HANDSOME BOY and GROWN UP GIRL?!?

Ryanne has been begging for short hair for months and I kept saying no. Well, I never said no, I just said "Are you SURE?" and then never made her a hair appointment, which is the same as saying no I guess. But when she asked again, I figured 1) It's just hair, 2) It will grow back, and 3) I dictate so many of her choices (by necessity) that she doesn't have much control over many aspects of her life. If she wants to pick out her own clothes and choose her own hairstyle, then who am I to tell her otherwise? So, one salon appointment later they both have brand new short cuts and look adorable. Ryanne especially can't stop grinning and loves her new haircut.

2011-07-05T22:40:00.000-07:00

What I enjoy most about these pictures is not that Ryanne was able to take a break from her very busy schedule of playing Angry Birds on the ipod to pose for pictures, but that she managed to drag two separate unsuspecting and clearly displeased animals into the shots with her. Ryanne: "Mom, mom! Take a picture of me with Stanley. Ready Stanley? SMILE!" Stanley: "WTF. I'm trying to nap here."

"I'm gonna eat some cheese. Then you'll be sorry."

"Mom! Mom! Take a picture of me with Miss Kitty Fantastico! Ready Kitty?" Kitty: "WTF. I'm trying to nap here."

"If I still had claws, I would cut you. Instead, look forward to Hairball-palooza tomorrow morning."

2011-06-04T23:19:00.000-07:00

Ryanne put on some of her fancy dress-up duds and practiced her poses for me today while Alex napped.

School Pictures!

2011-06-04T23:16:00.000-07:00

They turned out pretty cute this year.

Ryanne's Birthday

2011-06-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

Ryanne had her 4th birthday May 29th. She didn't have a party due to us just getting back from vacation and it being Memorial Day weekend. Instead, we baked a bunny cake per her request and brought it to Auntie Bree's BBQ.

Ryanne and Bree cheesin' for the camera...they look like sisters.

Alex shakin' it down...he had all the dance moves that night.

Ryanne after too much cake.
Jason after too much cake.

The bunny cake.

Ryanne posing in a new outfit.

And, a cute one of Mr. Alex.

Disneyland May 2011

2011-06-04T22:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our fun trip to Disneyland. The weather could have been better and Ryanne got an ear infection and had to be taken to urgent care for antibiotics but other than that we had a great time. Ryanne got to meet a lot of her favorite characters and as you can see by the joy in her face in every shot it really was the happiest place on earth for her!

Easter 2011

2011-05-01T21:52:00.001-07:00

Who is this dapper mystery man?

Pleased with her haul and her chic outfit

Alex on the hunt

I want that jacket for my own closet

2011-04-07T23:04:00.000-07:00

Watching a movie and eating popcorn...in mama's bed. Bad decision.

Stanley is a great friend and pillow.

Fabulous artwork.

Mom with an elephant in Sri Lanka.

2011-01-27T21:36:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not posting for almost 4 (!) months. I had no working computer. But now I'm making up for it with some shots from the past few months, including Christmas (newer to older).

This is what I get when I ask for a smile...he has definitely entered his twos. He's quit his pacifier (by which I mean, I took it away), his 2-year doctor check had him at the 90th percentile for height and the 50th for weight (poor skinny little guy), his vocabulary is expanding like mad, and he definitely likes to tell me "no!" then laugh and run away. Yup, two for sure. Jammin' on the drums at Christmas

Alex opening his first present of the morning - Ryanne took this shot!

Ryanne drumming

Posing in front of the tree

Snow! Mostly she spent her time making snowballs and throwing them at me.Alex's first time really getting to play in the snow.

Asleep with her best kitty friend

Christmas dress pose. She picked out this outfit all by herself. I think she looks quite grown up!

Both kids making muscles

2010-10-07T22:30:00.000-07:00

Ryanne explaining her picture to me. I think I am the one with yellow hair. I asked who is the blue one with four eyes and four arms, and she said it is Alex, and they aren't eyes, they are tears because he is crying. No explanation on the four arms though.

Nighttime calisthenics = Push ups.

My two little cowboys

Yes ma'am, I surely will pick up my room.

2010-09-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

Here's Alex reading a book in his chair, where we always read his goodnight stories. Whenever he disappears to his room, I know where I will find him - in his chair reading. That's my kid for sure.

Alex as "purple princess" - poor guy - you can probably guess who implored him to play dress up, and who picked out his outfit and helped him get dressed...

That's more like it.

Reading with Aunt Celeste in Portland. Ryanne told me today that from now on she wants to be known by "Leigh" (her middle name). It made me laugh. I'm not sure if she was serious or not.

Mama's shoes

Snuggling with Di

2010-08-31T23:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots of my recent Vietnam trip. We went to Ha Long bay, which means descending dragon bay. It was kind of a gray and misty day out until the end of the trip, when the sun finally appeared. By that point my camera battery was too tired to take any more shots so everything I captured was kind of dark.

I love Vietnam.

And here is Ryanne, jumping off the fridge to be caught by Jason. She thought this was great fun.

Recent Doings

2010-08-01T22:44:00.000-07:00

I've been behind in my blogging but I'm finally catching up - I'm up to this week and weekend! Just in time to leave for Vietnam for a week. Laura, Matt, Avery and Jay came down this weekend to visit. We had a lovely dinner at John and Vera's on Saturday and delicious brunch at the Homestead today. And, I also included some pictures of the skinny dippers from a couple of evenings ago. We spend a lot of time in the $8 Wal Mart pool.

"Wow! That's cold!"

Cute sleeping girls:

The boys taking a bath:

Say "naptime!"

Last Weekend - Family Reunion and Fun with Friends

2010-08-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I bravely traveled to Seattle with two kids for a weekend of fun. Ryanne insisted on stopping at every rest area we saw so the trip took a little longer than usual. Friday we saw a great group of people including Kristin, Shannon and Yvonne, and I was remiss in not taking pictures. :( Saturday we watched a parade, then we spent the day at Lake Tye for a family reunion. Sunday was breakfast with people we love, Rand and Geraldine, followed by a visit to Great Grandma Corinne, and then playing at the park with Kristin. We are so lucky to have so many wonderful people in our lives!

CUPCAKES!!!

Splashing in Lake Tye

Snuggling with Aunt Gail watching Poltergeist.

Just kidding it's Ratatouille.

Ryanne and Great-Grandma

Ryanne and mom at Yvonne's house

Jakarta!

2010-08-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

Jakarta at night:

Playing tourist and posing with the Obama statue at the school he attended as a child.

View from the hotel room:

We Love Summer!

2010-07-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

Alex getting some play time on the playset.

Swinging together

Hellooooo down there!

Ice cream after her three year check (and shots :( but she did great - 85% for weight and 97% for height, surprise surprise)

2010-06-23T21:52:00.000-07:00

The playset is finally done!!!
Everyone loves the swings.

The mighty fortress

Alex was in bed when these shots were taken but he loves it too! he even has his own extra safe baby swing now so he can swing all he wants to.

Why? Why can't I do this?

"You should see the other guy!"

This town ain't big enough for the both of us...

First Pool Party of the Year!

2010-06-13T23:39:00.001-07:00

OK, so I guess "pool party" was a little bit strong...but there was a pool, warm sun, and fun to be had. Sadly for Alex he napped his way through the whole thing.

Some action shots:

You would think there was more than six inches of water in this thing. Next she'll be asking for a diving board.

As you can see, we're trying out a new blog design and background to see if we want to keep it. Let me know what you think.

2010-06-13T23:30:00.000-07:00

It's never good to turn your back on him, even for a second. Me: why are you chuckling to yourself? And why is your face brown OMG THE FLOOR!

Face paint after gym class:

Ready for gymnastics:

Naked fairy "zapping me with her wand" (her words not mine)

The playset - almost complete except for swings and slide!

Considering how it started I am quite impressed with myself and Papa Jim:

2010-06-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

Ryanne teaching Alexander how to do dangerous things.

My favorite part is how he is clapping for her as she goes flying off the edge of the picnic table

A new bicycle helmet has Ryanne zooming off into the sunset on her tricycle.

School Pictures

2010-06-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

Once again they want an insane amount of money for these bad boys so I'm scanning them and calling it good.

What's that smell?

No seriously...Am I the only one who smells that?

More Birthday Pics

2010-06-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

Jadon and Ian attack Jake in the bounce house

Auntie Jenn and Luca

Luca practices his Blue Steel pose while Alex enjoys the first lollipop of his life

Bounce house = definitely a hit

Hazel and Alexander help Ryanne unwrap gifts

Belle!

Here comes the Minnie cake!

It took several tries to get all three candles out. Sorry for those of you who got those front pieces of cake.

MMM I love funfetti!

Miss Erin shows Ryanne and Alex how to make bubbles

Happy Birthday Ryanne!!!

2010-05-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

I didn't take any pictures during the actual party, of course, so these are all before and after. I'll post more once I get some of the actual party.

The cakes:

The bounce house:

The brother, sneaking a pre-party snack:

Newborn Ryanne

One

Two

Three!

Malaysia

2010-05-25T23:03:00.000-07:00

Fountain outside the really expensive mall - turns out Gucci, Chanel and Ferragamo cost just as much in Kuala Lumpur.

I took this out the window of a moving car. There wasn't any time for tourism so this was as good as it got. This is one of the tallest communications towers in the world.

One half of the Petronas Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world. Also taken while hanging out the window of a moving vehicle. Not bad.

And here we are, jaywalking and risking our lives for the opportunity to enjoy some fine Malaysian dining at...McDonalds. Our colleagues really wanted to go there.

2010-05-25T22:31:00.000-07:00

Alex enjoying a good book

Another Ryanne original. "What? Why can't you go to school like that? Because I said so."

My lovely Mother's Day presents!

2010-05-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

Refusing to nap gracefully

Brushy brushy

More ghoulish faces

My handsome fella

2010-05-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

Ryanne spends a lot -a lot- of time at her easel practicing her art. Today she was busy drawing away and when she finished she said "I drew a mama, a dad, two babies, and then another baby!" I went and looked, expecting to see the usual scribbles. Instead, there was this:
Actual faces! Granted, they look like something out of a Tim Burton movie, but they're at least as good as what I can do (art is not really my thing). I'm pretty sure I'm the crazy-eyed one on the left.
And, a picture of both my goofballs:

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

On the hunt for eggs

Fuzzy hair blowing in the breeze.

I love the look on his face in this one: "Nobody better try to take MY BALL!"

Crazy girls running in circles...

...and stopping for a rest.

Blowing bubbles.

Pre-Easter pics

2010-04-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

Took some pictures of the kids in their Easter outfits. It took a considerable amount of energy, effort and baby wrangling to get even these few shots. The fact that there is exactly one (1) picture of them together where they both look happy should tell you everything you need to know.

Disneyland Day Three - Last Day

2010-04-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

Meeting Dale

A hug for Chip

Mickey and Minnie dancing in Toon Town - we got to go into Disneyland early one day and get sworn in as honorary Toons!

I drive like mom!

A big grin and a squeeze for Donald

Oh look, here we are riding a carousel for the 400th time.

Sous Chef Pluto with Ryanne before her character dinner. I never would have purchased this on my own but it was included in the vacation package we bought and it was totally worth it!

Chip stops by

Sleeping Beauty aka Princess Aurora

Snow White joins us during dinner

Meeting Minnie - Ryanne's dream come true. Look at the look on her face!

Goofy and Ryanne - Twins separated at birth

Good night and goodbye Disneyland! Thanks for the great memories!

Disneyland Day Two

2010-04-02T11:11:00.001-07:00

Meeting Mickey again! The happiest girl ever!

Posing with Pluto

Twirling with Princess Tiana...we waited in line for a long time to meet some princesses and it was worth it!

Giving Cinderella a hug.

Posing with Ariel

Fairy Iridessa..

and TINKERBELL!!!

Dumbo...the favorite ride, along with the carousels in Disneyland and California Adventure.

And, here we are on the carousel again, waving to the crowd.

Disneyland Day One

2010-04-01T22:10:00.001-07:00

On the plane to Disneyland and VERY excited!!!

In case you are wondering - she has several Minnie mouse shirts/outfits and she wore one every day we were there including travel days.

Jumping on the bed at the hotel

Getting ready for my first day at Disneyland! Minnie shirt, check. Leg warmers, check.

A brief glimpse of my favorite toon MINNIE!

The first of about a million carousel rides.

Marching with green Army men.

Meeting MICKEY for the first time!

Two Sleeping Babies

2010-03-09T22:36:00.000-08:00

Thailand Pictures

2010-03-06T20:55:00.003-08:00

Thailand was gorgeous and hot. I didn't get to go to the beach or any of the temples due to time constraints, but I did make it to a market and Lumpini Park. I also got to drive around Bangkok and it is enormous.

That's a lizard. And a dead turtle. I went to Lumpini Park and these lizards were all over the place.

King Rama VI (statute below) commissioned Lumpini Park and the man made lake. He also invented water wheels (example seen above) to "oxygenate" the lake.

Our hotel, the Marriott Renaissance. It was AMAZING. It had only been open three weeks and we actually got to meet the owner.

Some Ryanne and Alexander Updates

2010-03-06T20:55:00.001-08:00

Alexander has been practicing a lot with his spoon recently. As you can see by the mess, his gross motor skills are still rather...gross.

Cheeseball.

If you look closely, you can see the black mark between his eyes. He fell out of a chair at school and messed up his face pretty badly, including bruised nose, bloody nose, and two loose front teeth and bloody and swollen gums! I guess I should prepare for a lifetime of similar incidences.

More dancing in her favorite tutu.

I told Ryanne "Go get ready for bed." She returned in this fashion statement.

2010-02-24T20:19:00.000-08:00

Before I go to bed at night I look in on the kids.

Here is how I found Alexander sleeping last night:

Comfy.

And Ryanne in her tutu:

"Look mom! I'm a ballerina!" (Proceeds to dance and shimmy, less like a ballerina and more like someone from a nightclub or possibly a rap video)

2010-02-19T21:24:00.000-08:00

Ryanne bouncing Alexander on the trampoline

Ryanne goofing off

Alex goofing off

Vietnam!

2010-02-06T21:19:00.000-08:00

Not feeling particularly pithy or witty right now due to jet lag. I'll try and add some more information tomorrow.

On the plane to Ho Chi Minh City.

Temple at Short Lake in Ha Noi

Ryanne in her new hat and jacket.

2010-01-24T20:17:00.000-08:00

Alexander likes to use his food to "do" his hair. He does the same thing at school. I picked him up last week and his hair had clearly just been freshly washed. Apparently he had been deep conditioning with some yogurt before I got there.

I wish I could have simultaneously captured the climbing onto the stool with the look of glee on his face as he discovered he could do it. Also the look of terror a few seconds later when he figured out he had no idea how to get down. This is my life. I can't leave him alone for 2 seconds because he is into EVERYTHING.

Now that he is a walker, he gets new big boy shoes. He still prefers to crawl, which isn't surprising since he looks like a zombie when he walks across the room.

Ryanne dousing Alexander in the bathtub. She's so helpful...

School "Recital"

2010-01-21T22:33:00.000-08:00

Ryanne and her little friends performed some songs at school today. It was pretty entertaining. I never did figure out if they were supposed to be dancing and jumping around, or just singing. I suppose just getting a group of 2 and 3 year olds to do anything simultaneously is not that easy.

While performing "Do You Know the Muffin Man?" she did trip and fall on stage a la J Lo but she recovered like a true professional and finished out the show.

2010-01-10T21:41:00.000-08:00

My children actually enjoying each other's company this morning...

Alexander finally getting some birthday cake...he was a little tentative at first but soon it was going:

going:

gone!

Happy Birthday Alexander!

2010-01-06T20:24:00.000-08:00

One year old!!!

For his birthday dessert I bought him and Ryanne ice cream. Here, he is crying because I told him he ate all of the ice cream and there wasn't any more, not because he is wearing a pink bib.

Ryanne digging into some ice cream.

Alexander opening his presents, with Ryanne "helping"

By far the best part of the presents was the tissue paper.

He got two puzzles, some hot wheels cars, some wooden emergency vehicles, and a race car track with 4 cars. Lots of boy stuff.

Christmas! A few days late

2010-01-05T20:39:00.000-08:00

The Santa gifts under the tree...

Alexander woke up at about 7:30 am on Christmas. Ryanne was still asleep at 9 am when I went in. I said, "Hey! Santa came! Do you want to come see what he brought?" and she shook her head no and went back to sleep. She finally rolled out of bed at 9:30 am.

Alexander on Christmas morning was wearing a diaper and just one sock. I really have no idea why.

Ryanne was very impressed with the pirate puzzle Santa brought for her.

Pictures with Santa!

2009-12-22T19:19:00.000-08:00

Ryanne got to go first. She gave Santa a big hug, then sat on his lap and said, "Santa, I want two purple presents for Christmas." Last week she told me, "Mom, I MIGHT get TWO (holding up two fingers, in case I wasn't clear on what that meant) presents for Christmas." That has recently changed into what she has been telling all of us, including Santa: that she wants two "purple" presents. Finally today I had to ask what that meant: does the present itself have to be purple, or just the wrapping paper? "Ummmm...just the wrapping paper," she said.

Alexander of course just looked confused. We couldn't get him to smile, but at least he wasn't screaming in terror.

Just for you, Christina!

2009-12-20T21:00:00.000-08:00

Ryanne in front of the tree

Waiting patiently for cookies.

First batch is DONE! They are decorating Christmas cookies in school on Tuesday and parents are invited. Then, we are going to see Santa and get pictures taken.

The least bad of Alexander and my attempts at a timed picture.

He walks! With his pusher anyway. When Ryanne was learning to walk, I was so excited. Then, after she could walk, I realized it wasn't actually that great. This time around I figured I would know better. But no. I'm still excited every time he balances for 5 seconds, or attempts a step.

Not sure if any of that actually made it into his mouth.

I think the word "chillaxin' " is insanely stupid but for some reason it comes to mind here.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Panama, which is a beautiful country, on business. We had time to sneak away to the Miraflores locks on the Panama Canal. It was hard to take pictures because I wasn't up on the railing, so I had to hold my camera over someone's shoulder. So this is as good as it gets. What I would like to point out, though, is how narrow this thing is. I was a little disappointed, honestly. I thought it was going to be wide, like the Columbia River. I know that the real interest lies in the engineering marvel and how it was done so long ago with rudimentary equipment and the way they manufactured the locks and how 30,000 people died (nice work, France) etc, but still. Of COURSE a ton of boats have to go around Argentina instead of through the Canal. IT'S TINY! I did learn that they are in the process of building a new, wider one which will allow larger ships through. So that will be good.

Other points about Panama:

1. Here, there are slums, and there is waterfront property, and the two seldom meet. There, you would see a super nice, beach front high rise condo complex, and at the foot of it - the Panamanian version of Slumdog Millionaire. It was bizarre.

2. You know how on your commute home every night, there's always that one crazy a$$hole who speeds, cuts people off, runs lights, and generally just drives like a jerk? That's how everyone drives in Panama City. It was awesome.

3. They take the American dollar. They call their currency the Balboa. It isn't. It's all about the Benjamins there, just like here.

4. The hospital we visited was called Complejo Hospitalario Metropolitano Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid. Take that, Kadlec Medical Center.

5. I drank the water and did not die.

6. Also, I ate crocodile. Tasted like chicken.

School Pictures

2009-11-30T18:40:00.000-08:00

No, I won't be paying $12.50 per sheet for the pleasure of possessing any of these lovely portraits. Has this photographer ever taken pictures of children before? Just curious.

Thanksgiving: All about the Pie

2009-11-28T21:05:00.001-08:00

Delicious Pie NOM NOM NOM

What? Is there something on my face?

Little Miss Dainty eating her chocolate pie.

2009-11-22T22:16:00.000-08:00

What to do on a windy, cold weekend:

Eat oatmeal while wearing sunglasses

Watercolor artwork

Make a fort

2009-11-17T20:42:00.000-08:00

Isn't he handsome?

2009-11-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

Ryanne got to go to Disney on Ice with her Grandma - girls' night out!

Who else but Papa would dress up like Mickey Mouse to take Minnie trick or treating? What a lucky girl.

Halloween Preview

2009-10-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to be here for Halloween so I put the kids in their costumes tonight and took pictures - they looked so cute!

Minnie Mouse

Sock Monkey Alexander

Bad attitude sock monkey

2009-10-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Bring it on, winter

Some early morning scribbles. And I mean early. This was a Saturday, but they woke me up at 6:30 am anyway.

Unintentional mohawk/fauxhawk. Alexander's head has been really dry recently, so I smeared a bunch of lotion on it. This gave him, as Ryanne put it, "crazy hair" so we shaped it into something cooler.

Hi mom!

I went to get some eggs, and when I came back, my ingredients had been nicely stacked.

Smiling Faces

2009-10-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

2009-10-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Look what I can do!

Just one problem...

I'm not sure how to sit back down...

2009-10-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

I've learned a lot about Ryanne recently. She's expressed her likes and dislikes to me (I like my dad, I don't like this soup) for ages but she has recently started being more specific about who she is. Yesterday she told me, "I love Puppy [stuffed animal seen below]. He is my best friend." Then, when she was coloring, she announced, "Pink is my favorite color!" And I swear I didn't teach her that one.

Alexander is doing his own growing. He has finally mastered crawling (hands and knees now, not commando) and his two top front teeth broke through yesterday, pretty much simultaneously, which explains why he has been such a joy to live with recently. He is also pulling himself up to stand on everything he can, which has resulted in many tumbles and bruises. We'll see how long those front teeth last.

Above is the picture I got when I told him to show me his teeth.

But you can see three of the four here!

2009-09-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

Ryanne and I left the living room the other day, and when we came back Alexander had crawled away and we could not find him. We could hear him talking, and finally Ryanne said "He's behind my easel!" We rolled up the paper...

and there he was!

Ryanne's Ready to Wear Collection

This is what happens when we let her dress herself.

Legwarmers are a necessity in most outfits, as are a pair of mama's shoes, preferably heels.

The Favorite Cup

2009-09-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

8 months old!!!

2009-09-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

When did it happen?

2009-08-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

Daytime: hellion. Sleeping: angel. Although, as you can see above, even when asleep she has to do things her own way.
Alexander has popped through his first tooth. He also can now get wherever he wants through a combination of rolling, scootching, and commando crawling (on his stomach using his arms to pull him along). I probably should have photoshopped out the food and drool all over his face. This is more authentic though.

2009-08-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

This child actually does sleep like the proverbial baby.

I sent Ryanne to her room as a punishment. She came out pleased with herself, dressed in this crazy outfit.

She might be patting him nicely on the head...or she might be smacking him. Who knows.

Ryanne: "Take a picture of me, mama. Take a picture of me."
Me: (Takes above picture.)
R: "OK now let me see." (Looks at picture on camera.) "Yeah, that's good. That's real good. That looks awesome." Um....what?

Playing nicely...for now.

2009-07-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I can sit now...

but I'm easily distracted.

Alexander is very smiley and snuggly, but he isn't choosy. He'll give love to anyone who will take it.

This is the look he gives everyone, including me: "Hi!!! I really like you! Who are you?"

Yearbooking ourselves

2009-07-23T22:08:00.001-07:00

These are good...

1986

1954

These are better...

Ryanne 1996

Ryanne 1960
Alexander 1950

But these are definitely the best:

Mark 1972

Mark 1988

Mark 2000

Ryannespeak

2009-07-11T22:35:00.000-07:00

Let's dance everybody! (I think she got this from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)

Me: Would you like some chicken for lunch, Ryanne?
Ryanne: I'm not having chicken for lunch, mama. I'm having chocolate cake.

Me: Ryanne, you are crazy.
Ryanne: I are not crazy! MAMA ARE CRAZY!!!

Me: (Humming a song)
Ryanne: Stop it, mama.
Me: Stop what?
Ryanne: Stop making that music!

And, my favorite:

Kitty is a little lamp!

4th of July/Lake Pend Oreille

2009-07-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

We went to Numa and Papa's lake house in Idaho for the weekend and had a blast! We went boating, swam in the lake, played dominoes, and watched fireworks.

Showing some July 4th spirit

Floating on the Lake with mom...

and with dad.

Even Alexander did some skinny dipping!

Ryanne discovered that these shot glasses were the perfect size for her to drink (water!) out of and not spill.

2009-06-28T00:20:00.000-07:00

And, some of Ryanne and Alexander together, and Ryanne by herself:

I apologize that the proofs have obnoxious watermarks on them. I just thought they were too cute not to post right away.

Alexander's Picture People Photo Shoot

2009-06-27T17:46:00.001-07:00

Sorry for our extended blog absence, we have been moving! We are currently in temp housing while we look for a permanent home. To tide you over while I upload recent pictures, here are some cute shots from the recent photo shoot my children participated in at Picture People.

My handsome man:

2009-06-11T23:47:00.000-07:00

These pictures are lower quality than usual due to being taken on my cell phone.

The slouchy man in the blue hat is Alexander. He started out sitting up and swinging, but it got a little too relaxing I guess and he passed out.

Ryanne in her new cowgirl hat. I allowed her to buy it, with the intention that I would peel the "Princess" star off of it once we got home. Much to my dismay, Disney had used some sort of heavy duty super glue to paste that thing on there and short of cutting a star-shaped hole in the front of the hat, it's not coming off.

Ryanne thought putting the hat on Alexander was hilarious and, as usual, anything she thinks is cool, he thinks is cool. I have a feeling this isn't going to change for at least a decade.

Our new double stroller! My choices before were: push Alexander in the single stroller and carry Ryanne in the backpack and listen to her complain that she hated the backpack and wanted to be in the stroller, OR push Ryanne in the single and carry Xander in the Bjorn and listen to him complain. He can't talk yet but believe me, he really hates that thing. This sucker folds flat and fits in the tiny trunk of my car, fits through all standard doorways and halls, and is generally perfect for me (long walks and trips to the mall).

2009-06-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

I bought these train tracks for Ryanne because I knew she would enjoy playing with them, and because I thought Mark would like to have something fun to do with her without having to play kitchen or dolls. I was right on both counts. They love playing trains. Turns out though, I seriously underestimated how much fun I would have building tracks and zooming my train around. I also significantly underestimated the size of the tantrum I would throw when I spent a long time engineering the perfect track, only to have a tiny Godzilla dressed all in pink come stomping through and wreck it.

Here's Alexander, desiring a train of his own. I tried giving him a train car to look at but Ryanne took it away. The same thing happened to me when I tried to play.

As you can see, Ryanne has eight train cars and I have zero. :(

2009-06-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

Alexander, shortly after getting splashed with water by Ryanne. I told him to stop being such a baby and he just cried harder.

Naked swimmer. We were in the backyard but I moved the barbecue to block any unwanted views of my streaker. Just in case. Being two has come with its own set of challenges. Eating, for instance - she no longer eats. Anything. And it isn't that she is being picky. She has about 2 bites of whatever she is served and then excuses herself. And going out in public is a chore. A, she tries to escape whenever possible. I always frowned upon those parents who leashed up their kids but now I understand it quite well. B, although she fortunately isn't really a tantrum thrower in public places, she is very loud in public. At Jiffy Lube, she loudly sang her ABC's twice through to the audience of one businessman, one fleet driver, one elderly lady, and two Mormon missionaries, all of whom clearly found her adorable. She then stood up, started wiggling back and forth, and sang "Shake shake shake, shake shake shake, shake a booty, shake a booty," as all eyes turned to me disapprovingly. The Jiffy Lube experience was only enhanced by the fact that Alexander was loudly passing gas the entire time we were there and I had no way of ensuring that people would know it was not me.

2009-06-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

George was Ryanne's "baby" today - he got to sit in the Bumbo and Exersaucer, go for Ryanne propelled stroller rides, nap in Alexander's bed, and do tummy time with Alexander.

Stanley doing his own version of tummy time.

The partners in crime. If you asked me who Alexander's favorite person in the whole world is right now, I would have to say Ryanne. No contest. He loves her so much and no one can make him giggle like she does.

2009-06-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

I tried to take some pictures of my children together. Heaven forbid they should both smile at the same time...

or at all...

This sums up my children and their relationship quite well I think. Ryanne - happy and goofy, posing for the camera with little to no regard for the fact that Alexander is slipping off her lap and out of the frame. Alexander - still slightly shellshocked and wondering what is going on and if anyone is going to catch him before he completely tips over. Answer: probably not.

NW Trek

2009-05-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

We thought it would be fun to take Ryanne on a mini-adventure for her birthday, so we drove to NWTrek to check out the animals. We did a little walking then took the hour long tram ride through the animal preserve where there are 7 different kinds of wild animals (all herbivores!) like bison, moose, caribou, goats, etc, so close to the tram that you could reach out the window and touch them if you wanted to.

This was clearly near the end of the day and near the end of a now two-year old's patience...

So obsessed with the bears that she couldn't even look at the camera. Her sole goal in going to the park was to see the bears and she was not disappointed - she saw black bears, brown bears and grizzly bears, and GRRRRR-ed at all of them.

Enormous bison from the tram. Ryanne entertained the older couple sitting near us by mooing very loudly out the window every time we saw a bison. This bison is chillin' in a mud bath made from a mixture of dirt and bison urine. Apparently the lady bison can't get enough of it.

Billy goat right outside our tram window.

Mark holding Alexander...
...who had fun until he decided the birthday party would be ending early for him.

Happy Birthday Ryanne!

2009-05-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

My baby is two!

First born.

First birthday.

Second birthday.

To celebrate, we went to Northwest Trek (pictures to follow), had birthday girl's choice for dinner (waffles), and ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Maybe I'll get around to planning an actual party at some point soon.

2009-05-26T23:14:00.000-07:00

Ryanne at almost 5 months:

Alexander at almost 5 months:

They could be the same child, except that Ryanne was already much chunkier. I think Alexander must have an extremely fast metabolism. I started him on food a little sooner than I wanted to - after he consumed almost 50 ounces of formula in a 24 hour period I took the hint.

No Bananas No Thank You!

2009-05-25T23:49:00.000-07:00

Love These Pictures!

2009-05-25T23:39:00.000-07:00

I was feeding Alexander and Ryanne came over with a spoon and said "I do it, mama." She then proceeded to carefully spoon cereal from the bowl into Alexander's waiting mouth (sometimes it took a couple of pokes to his chin and cheeks) until it was all gone. Very sweet!

2009-05-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

Alexander tried his first foods yesterday - some watery, pasty, oh so yummy rice cereal mixed with formula.

Ew. What IS this stuff?

Actually, it's kind of good...

More please!

Mini Birthday

2009-05-17T22:42:00.000-07:00

Ryanne's grandparents are going to be out of town for her actual birthday, so we did a pre-birthday for her today. She got some presents, went swimming at the indoor pool, and enjoyed some tasty funfetti cake.

Dad's delicious ribs, keeping warm (and safe from Stanley) in the oven

Before you ask, she's two, not one hundred and twenty-one.

I like the look on her face here - "Hmmm...this cake IS good."

Opening a present from Numa and Papa. Why is this funny, you ask? Well, I will tell you. On Thursday, I left for the airport at 1 pm for an overnight away - Mark's first night alone with the kids. Ever. I had been gone for no more than 2 hours when Mark took Stanley out back to potty. Ryanne immediately locked the door behind Mark and either refused or was unable to unlock it. He therefore had to shoulder ram the front door, SWAT team style, until it busted open and he could get inside. So the grandparents thought a present which Ryanne could use to practice opening various lock styles would be useful. Or, more likely, they were mocking Mark.Mark tossing Ryanne through the air. She thought this was great fun.

Alexander puts his feet in the pool for the first time. And someone's legs desperately need some sun.

2009-05-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

Mark would take Ryanne and the quadcycle up to the top of the hill, and set her loose, pedaling frantically and laughing hysterically all the way to the bottom. What she lacks in good sense, she makes up for with courage.

Columbia River Fun

2009-05-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

Alexander's fortune at dinner today:
"You can breeze through most of the day."

How very true.

2009-05-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

I spent last night turning this:

into this:

(Ryanne's birthday present - a new tricycle!)

Even though she isn't 2 until the end of the month, I'm glad I did it last night and didn't wait until the day before her birthday, as it required much frustration and swearing to get this thing together. I already seem to have forgotten my Christmastime resolution to never again ask for or purchase gifts for my children that require me to assemble them.

2009-05-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

Little man sleeping.

Little man in his Bumbo sitter, which he loves. I think it is because he can see everything.

2009-04-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

I was prompted to do a comparison of the two babies at this age. Here is Alexander (above), and Ryanne (below) , both at almost 4 months old. They appear -to me- to have similar features.

And here is the little poser modeling her new Winnie the Pooh sunglasses:

Roly Poly

2009-04-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

My son hates, hates, HATES tummy time, even though he has (finally) become quite adept at holding his head up high and looking around (he was a lazy little man for a long time). Despite his hatred of tummy time, I was quite surprised Saturday when he kicked with his legs and pushed with his arms and flipped over onto his back. I was surprised not only because he is lazy, but because I am shocked that his toothpick legs had the strength to propel him over. I have put him on his tummy several times since then and he has flipped back over onto his back often, so I guess it wasn't a fluke.

Fatigued from all the rolling over.

Gym Class

2009-04-23T12:02:00.001-07:00

Ryanne has been attending this gym class for months, but I have never brought my camera. She spends a majority of her time jumping, followed by swinging on the bars, sliding, and balancing. We should all do this workout every day.

I don't really know these people, that's why I blacked out their faces.

Excellent sunny day

2009-04-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

And, some new pictures of my Xander man

2009-04-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

His skeptical look: "Are you for real, lady? Please tell me there was a mix up at the hospital and I got sent home with the wrong family..."

Prom already!

2009-04-17T17:04:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be several years before I saw Ryanne off to her first dance, however, tonight is the Father-Daughter dance and Mark and Ry decided to attend. They are having professional pictures taken there, but here are a few I took on the way out. She got to wear her Easter outfit again - thanks Numa M!

With handsome Mark-Dad (yeah, that's what she calls him - either "Dad" or "Mark-Dad" or occasionally, just "Mark")

This looks like a mug shot. She refused to pose for pictures so I had to chase her into the corner. Then, I said "Show me a smile." "No." "Fine, show me a frown." This is what I got, followed by the giant cheesy grin below.

Her purse -a gift from Lisa- served as diaper bag for the evening.

2009-04-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

During dinner Ryanne announced "Swimsuit on, please." So, for unknown reasons, after we ate, she put on her swimsuit and life jacket. Then she screamed when I laughed at her and took her picture. The best part though, was when I left to get the mail, and she insisted on accompanying me, still dressed in her swimsuit and life jacket. The mailboxes are a block away and of course all of our neighbors were out in their front yards staring at the freak show parading by. We even met another mom and her young daughter out for a walk. That child, unlike my special daughter, was dressed in weather appropriate attire of a sweatshirt and matching sweatpants.

2009-04-14T22:14:00.000-07:00

Teehee. Not supposed to be in here.

Stanley has a sticker on his head. Ryanne entertained herself today by stickering me, herself, Stanley, Alexander, the cupboards, the coffee table, etc...

Flirt

Watch out MJ

Yes, thank you, Geraldine, I will have another chocolate covered strawberry.

Hanging out with friends Rand and Geraldine

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

Collecting some Easter loot...
She was very goal oriented and with cousin Jacob's help collected a lot of eggs.

Pretty pink toes.

Decorating eggs with Papa.

No. Seriously. Get these off me now.

Perfecting her OMG I am so bored look

Been Caught Smilin'

2009-04-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

I enjoy smiling,

It's just as simple as that

Well it's just a simple fact

2009-04-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

I buy her tons of books, and she wants to read the REI catalog...

Last weekend

2009-03-26T23:05:00.000-07:00

What else could they be watching but MARCH MADNESS!

ok cuz, here's the plan...we'll create a diversion...

Then make a break for it!

2009-03-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, the shoes make the outfit.

Sometimes, the shoes are the outfit...

Blog Slacker???

2009-03-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

I was so accused by someone (who, I would like to point out, has not updated HER blog in a week, during which time I have made three postings) of being a blog slacker. Sooo, here are some photos for all you blogstalkers out there.

Ryanne with my friend from law school, Shannon. Ry loved meeting Shannon.

I tried cropping L Mo out of this picture, but then determined that having an entire kitty in a photo was far better than having just the rear end of a kitty in a photo.

My kids with Laura. I should mention that Ryanne thinks Laura is the best, and does not want anything to do with me when she is around.

Out of focus but still pleasing.