Memorial Day Hike

Last Monday we took Ryan on his first hike. He LOVED it. He just smiled and kicked the whole way. Brett loved it, too. He was pleasantly suprised to find that this lovely mountian scene is only a short 30 minute drive away... and that the beach is only 40 minutes away - the best of both worlds! We just might make a Californian out of him yet... he has even been rooting for the Lakers:)!

Ryan's First Bite of Real Food

We fed Ryan peas yesterday for the first time. He didn't do too bad...meaning he didn't spit them out all over the place! Brett got some great shots of the big event!

The first bite... not so sure.
Gross!
"Why are you putting this back in my mouth?" Satisfaction!

Graystone Mansion

Brett and I went into Beverly Hills on Saturday. It was really fun. We loved the mansion that is now city property. You can just go there and hang out on the beautiful grounds. For those Gilmore Girl fans out there... do you think they used this mansion as the shot for Chilton? I think they did! I was really excited about that!

Future Coug!

I swear he smiles a lot... just not in front of cameras! I think he just tries to figure out how he is going to get it and then put it in his mouth! Go Cougs!

Before I Knew

This time last year, I was 12 weeks pregnant. I dreamed about this mothers day when I would, in fact, be a mother. I was excited, but I was nervous: nervous I would be bored or not have much to do or that it wouldn't be as meaningful as teaching school. Those are horrible thoughts, I know, but they were real. Now that I am a mother, I realized that I had those thoughts before I really knew what being a mother was about.

It was before I knew:

the sparkle in Ryan's eyes when he smiles,

what it feels like to hold MY sleeping baby in my arms

the feel of his little hand in mine,

the sound of his laughter,

how happy he would be when I got him out of his crib each morning,

how cute it is when he reaches for me,

the desire I would feel to protect him and to keep him happy,

the joy that comes with each and every new milestone he reaches,

the huge responsibility it is to help him become a righteous, kind and good person,

and the deep and indescribable love that I feel for him.

Now that I know, being a mother is the only thing that I would want to be doing at this moment! I am so grateful and lucky to be Ryan's mommy and to see him grow each and every day!

New Stuff, New Blog, And Stuff

After I posted that I post, I remembered my goal to post more than just baby stuff. I actually thought of a few things! Here is goes:

1. When we moved, I wanted to throw out all of our old stuff and get new stuff ( how many times can I use that word?). I get tired of decor pretty quick. Some day I want to be able to have 2-3 sets of accents to go with my mostly neutral furnishings so I can change it up whenever I want to... some day. Anyway, because that"some day" is not yet now, I settled with keeping our original theme - brown and red, but just adding some other colors. I don't know how I like the blanket, but here is the main idea.

2. I am starting a new blog. It is called "What's For Dinner?". Check it out. If you are interested in contributing, email me and I can try to add you!

3. Here is the "and stuff" portion. I am sad that Brook White is off of AI. I liked her - I think that I could be her friend - and hand her tissues. But, I am am embarrassed at how long she tried to hug Ryan Seacrest. Poor girl. However, I do want David Cook to win, even though I love David A, too. I just really liked this season and want to go to the concert! I am nerdy!

No Longer a Portable Baby

Ryan is 5 months today! It is amazing what he learns everyday. This weekend, Ryan decided that he was no longer going to tolerate being toted around by mom and dad. We went out to dinner with my family and Brett and I had to take turns taking laps with Ryan outside. The only way that he would be quiet was if we either gave him a drink of water out of our cup(his new favorite trick) or give him water off of a spoon. He doesn't cry - he just squeals and screams. Which is cute, but mostly embarrassing. And church... forget about it! I spend pretty much the whole three hours pacing the halls. I feel like I am the only mom doing that - the WHOLE time. He is a lot of fun though and I love watching his personality emerge - even if it is a strong one!