Dax, Steph, Ryan, & Chloe

Wow....It's been a while!

2011-07-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

Well my last post was of Chloe's first birthday and she just turned 18 months and started nursery. I am a terrible slacker!

We haven't really done a whole lot since the last post. We did have a fun family vacation to St. George with the Larsen side. It was nice to get away for a while and see Dax's family that all live out of state. Most of the summer so far has been a lot of hanging out with family. It's been fun. Dax still has one summer class but it's not too demanding so we are still able to do some fun things. I went to girls camp for a couple of days and Dax stayed home one day with the kids. The next day Ryan told me to go to work so dad could stay home again. I am so glad Ryan appreciates all of my hard work :) Ryan loves doing things with his dad. He tries to copy everything Dax does. I'm glad they have such a great relationship! Chloe on the other hand is definitely a mommy's girl. She likes anybody....as long as I'm not around! She will let Dax hold her until she sees me and then cries until I come get her. Little stinker! I was shocked when she started going to nursery and didn't even care that I was leaving. Neither one of my kids have had a hard time going to nursery, which is fine by me. It's good to know that they need a break from me as much as I need one from them!
I signed both kids up for swim lessons and they loved it. Ryan loved it too much and kept trying to come and jump into the deep water where Chloe and I were. His instructor thought about tying a rope to her and then to Ryan to keep him in one place. That just cracked me up, now someone has an idea of what I go through on a daily basis with my curious, high energetic kid. I ended up just getting him some goggles, which he loved, and told him if he didn't listen to her then she could take them away. Worked like a charm.
I love my little family! I swear I never have a dull moment with these kiddos. I am grateful that Dax is such a hard worker and makes it so I am able to stay home with the kids...even if some of them would rather him be home :) And if you can't tell by the overload of pictures bel, I got a new camera. It's a DSLR and I love it. I just need to take a class or something so I know what I'm actually doing.

This is my favorite picture of Chloe from our St. George trip.

And this is my favorite one of Ryan...isn't that the best smile?!

Dax's mom was able to round up a Korean outfit for each of the kids. I didn't get any great pictures but don't they look cute! It's hard to get that many kids to sit still and be happy about it. If you can't tell Chloe really struggled. I think she is crying in all of the pictures I got.

I made skirts for all of the granddaughters...they make those skirts look good!

We had a get together at my parents house for Father's Day and Chloe loves their airplane swing. Isn't she the cutest little girl ever?!

We have had fun playing in the water this summer. Every morning the first thing Ryan says is "Can we go swimming?"

Ryan and his best little buddy. They play so good together!

This girl LOVES ice cream....yes, that is a happy face :)

This is the car my little brother showed up in to our Father's Day party. I think all of the boys, young and old, were excited about it.

Ryan always wants to play the guitar with dad. Maybe in a few years we can get him a real one and they can rock out together :)

My awesome family were all great sports for our mustache party for Father's day. It was pretty hilarious.

Chloe's First Birthday (and My Little Sunbeam)

2011-01-11T13:43:00.000-08:00

On Friday my baby turned one! That went by way too fast. We got to have a little birthday party on Saturday. I was a little worried because she usually cries when there is a big group of people. I felt like I was going to torture her for her birthday. To my surprise she actually did really well. It only took her a few minutes to warm up and then she was pretty happy the rest of the time.

There is a Korean tradition that on a child's first birthday you set out a pencil, some string, a dollar, and an apple, and let them choose one. The pencil means they will be smart, the string means longevity, the dollar means the will be wealthy and the apple means they will be healthy. Well so far both of my kids are going to be able. She went straight for the apple and tried to take a bite. Ryan did they exact same thing. I guess we like food at our house :)

I couldn't decide what to make for her cake and then I got a magazine in the mail that showed an owl party. Then the next day I was cleaning and found her little owl hat from Halloween so I decided we would do owls. I think it turned out pretty good. I'm definitely not the next cake boss, but I was happy with how it turned out. I even had her wear her little hat while she ate the cake. It was pretty cute. My mom said I need to make her a matching hat for her cake every year, which I think would be pretty fun. Anyways enough of me, check out how cute my kiddos are. I stuck in a picture of Ryan who is a big Sunbeam now. My kids are just growing up way too fast!

Eating the apple she chose.

Birthday cake

Getting ready to dig in.

She was pretty dainty about it at first.

She decided she really liked squishing it between her fingers

Mmmm....cake.

She was super mad at me when I took it away but that's a lot of cake for a little baby.

So Dax's parents brought some hand me down clothes for us and this Winnie the Pooh costume was in with them. Since Chloe was dressing up in her Korean outfit Ryan thought he needed to dress up too. It was pretty hilarious and he wore it almost the whole time until he started getting too hot.

Giving kisses to the bear that Grandpa and Grandma gave her. This child is obsessed with soft things!

Isn't he the cutest little Sunbeam ever? I think so far he has done okay. I think the first week was better than this last one. When I went to get him from class he crawled out and was meowing. I'm afraid he may have been a cat during class time too. Hopefully with time he will get better at sitting still. He has really cute teachers that are super patient and do a good job with them. They have a HUGE class, and I think Ryan might count as having 3 kids.

Christmas and More

2011-01-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

Well I am quite the slacker at blogging, so rather than clean my house while both kids are sleeping I decided I should blog. We had an awesome Christmas. It was fun this year because Ryan kind of had an idea of what was going on. I probably went a little over board on gifts but I love buying things for my kids. They both really loved their presents. Chloe is totally obsessed with the dolls we gave her. It's kind of funny to watch a baby sit on the floor and feed her baby a bottle. She still uses a bottle so it cracks me up. Ryan's favorite gift was probably his light saber. I will say this gift was definitely from dad. Dax loves that Ryan wakes up in the morning and the first words that come out of his mouth are Star Wars. He loves Yoda and R2D2. He loves to play his Lego Star Wars game on the Xbox, and it's kind of weird to say but he is pretty dang good at it. He is going to be just like his father.

She was a little confused about what was going on.

She finally figured out which baby that little bottle was for....

...with a little help from brother.

We wanted to take a picture by the tree on Christmas Eve with the kids in their new jammies, and it was almost more work than it was worth. Finally we got a decent one. Then Ryan wanted a turn to push the button and then run and sit down. This is the one Ryan took.

So we spent Chirstmas day with Dax's family and had lots of yummy food. Then we spent the day after Christmas with my family. It was definitely better than how I spent the day after Christmas last year. I got to go and have them try to turn my stubborn little breech baby. That wasn't the most pleasant experience I have ever had.

Ryan is growing up way too fast. He started primary on Sunday. I have to admit I was extremely nervous, but he did pretty good. Dax and I were just called to be teachers and our class got done with their break early so we sat in on the last few minutes of the Jr primary's singing time and got to see him. He was so cute! I'm glad I got to see him for a minute. Hopefully he will be able to sit on his chair a little better as time goes on. Every picture I have of him lately has Chloe in it too because he always asks me to take his picture with sister. Most of them she is screaming because he is trying to make her sit by him. He is a cute big brother.

Chloe is growing fast too. She is going to be one in 2 days!!! I can't believe how fast that went! She is definitely a mommy's girl. Some times she even cries if I leave her with Dax. Part of me loves that she needs me so much, but the other part of me that has things to get done wishes she would let me do them :) She still has her bluish colored eyes. Dax wanted them to go brown but I told him they were staying this color. So far I am winning, and I hope it stays that way! She always wants to eat whatever we are so today she got to have some rice. I think she had more stuck to her face than she even got in her mouth.

Well it's been nice being able to actually see Dax the past couple weeks. We got the Kinect for the Xbox for Christmas and it's been fun playing that together. He is a cute dad and we look forward to the day when we can see him more. He works very hard for our family and we are lucky to have him! I am very blessed to have such a wonderful (and cute) family.

Much Needed Update

2010-11-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

Well again it has been awhile since I have updated our blog. Life is just as crazy as ever. Dax was promoted a while back at work and usually works about 95 hours every 2 weeks. He is also pretty busy with school. We don't get to see him too much so we can't wait for the day when he is home more.

Ryan just turned 3 last week! I can't believe he is already 3! He didn't have a great birthday, so good thing he isn't really to an age where he cares yet. He threw up on his birthday and then had diarrhea for like a week. Not fun (for either of us). On a lighter note, he is becoming such a big kid! He rides his bike like crazy now and can work a computer better than a lot of people older than him. He is just like his dad. He loves video games and anything electronic, and doesn't like to listen to me when he is busy with them :) He loves to make his sister giggle. A while back I had put Chloe to sleep and then I couldn't find Ryan anywhere. Then in the baby monitor I heard giggling. Apparently he had sneaked into Chloe's room and got in her crib with her. I was mad he woke her up but I couldn't help but laugh at them.

Chloe is now 10 months old! My kids are just growing too fast. She has been crawling for a while and now likes to walk around the furniture. I don't think it will be much longer until she starts walking. Ryan walked at a little over 10 months and I am hoping she doesn't do that. She cruises up the stairs super fast and has been doing that since she was 8 months. What is with my kids who feel like they have to do these scary things so early? She is a little attached to her mom. Ok, a lot. I love it but it makes it hard to do anything. It probably didn't help that she slept in our room until she was 9 months old :) Whenever I have someone watch her she is fine until I walk in the room, then she cries like crazy. I think she likes to make me fell guilty for leaving her :)

As for me, I am pretty boring. I don't really have much going on besides having my hands full with the kiddos. They sure keep me on my toes. I have decided that sewing and crafting are totally my stress relief. I have starting making hair bows like crazy. I am going to try to sell them and see if I can help a little and bring some money in. Since Dax doesn't usually get home until midnight or later, once the kids are asleep I start crafting like crazy. There are a lot of other things I should be doing but they just don't seem as fun.

A while back my side of the family went and had family pictures taken and I think they turned out pretty good. I would show them off but blogger doesn't like them apparently. So all you get is a bunch of boring black and white words. I will stick some pictures on if I can figure it out later. (And I will post the cute Halloween ones soon.)

Photo Contest

2010-09-07T21:49:00.000-07:00

I entered Chloe into a baby contest for Fox 13 News. I usually don't do things like this but they are giving an awesome prize...and Chloe is pretty dang cute so I do like showing her off. If you would like to vote for her go to this link http://fox13now.upickem.net/engine/Welcome.aspx?contestid=20074. She is picture number 59. This is the cute picture I posted of her.

Now doesn't that just make you want to go and vote for her? :)

Summer Happenings and My Cute Kids

2010-08-07T19:26:00.001-07:00

We have been able to do a lot of things with our families this summer and it's been a lot of fun! We always forget to bring our camera though so we don't have a pictures of a lot of the things we have done. I have to say I think July is one of my favorite months because it seems like there is always something to do. Dax won tickets from work to go watch the fireworks at USU's stadium. We went pretty early and wondered if the kids would make it to the fireworks but they did and we had a lot of fun. I have never been so close to fireworks before! We also got to go to a lot of parades and Ryan learned quickly that if you flash a cute smile and wave you get a lot of candy. We went camping with family up to Tony Grove. It was fun for the most part...besides bed time. Let's just say Dax said he wasn't going camping again until the kids are at least 10. My dad has taken us boating a few times and we got to go to Bear Lake with the Larsen's. We had a lot of fun playing in the water! Anyways, to say the least it has been a good summer. I'll post a few pictures of our outings but we don't have too many of them.

Ryan with his cute cousins at Tony Grove

They loved throwing rocks into the water

Ryan loves his cousin Drew, he just follows him around

Chloe with her aunt and uncle watch the car parade

Aren't they just the cutest kids ever?

So I just wanted to write a quick little blurb about each of my cute kids.

Ryan has grown up so much in these last few months. He has been potty training for a little bit and he is doing pretty good. He just has a hard time telling me he has to go until after the fact. He has turned out to be such a cute big brother. He loves playing with Chloe. Today I even caught him dragging her by her shirt over to his toy room because he wanted her to come play. Apparently she wasn't crawling fast enough. He loves to play outside, he especially loves to ride bikes with his little buddy Spence. He is a very energetic kid and he wears me out, but we rarely have a dull moment with him around. The pictures I am posting of him just make me giggle every time I look at him. He took them himself. He loves to take pictures and sometimes he gets some pretty good ones. The only bad thing is he takes pictures of everything, even me nursing Chloe. Let's just say I have to go through and delete a few when he is done.

I think the flash was a little bright...LOL!

I love his cheeks in this one!

We wore him out this day! I love my boys!

I can't believe how much Chloe is growing. She is 7 months old today! She is a pretty active little girl. She is pretty much crawling but she gets tired and just scoots a lot of the time. She loves her brother. Whenever she sees him she smiles and jumps up and down. She is definitely a momma's girl. She cries whenever I leave the room, no matter who is holding her. I like that she likes me so much but it's hard to get anything done. She isn't a great sleeper, she just wants to cuddle with me and I am bad and give into her a lot. I am setting myself up for a rough time in the future but I love cuddling with her! I am so glad we have her in our family!

This was Chloe's first time eating baby food. She wasn't a huge fan but she is getting better.

Swinging at the grandparents house.

I hadn't been buckling her into her swing until one day while she was sleeping and rolled over to sleep on her face. And yes, I buckle her in now.

WE went swimming one day and she loved it but it wore her out. Apparently she couldn't find her binky so she had to go for the next best thing...her headband.

I was making bows and she wanted to help. I love her face that's like "What, I'm not doing anything wrong!"

Long Overdue

2010-05-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

Well it's been almost 2 months since I have blogged. I can't do it when Ryan is awake and when he's asleep, so am I! Since he didn't have a nap today, he is in bed early. I am totally not ready to let him give up naps, but I kind of think I am losing the battle. Not a whole lot has happened since the last post. I feel like life is flying by though!

Chloe will be 5 months old in a little more than a week! Crazy, I know! She had a Dr.'s appointment a few weeks ago and she weighed 12lb 13oz. She is only in the 30th percentile, which is hard to believe with her cheeks and chins! (Yes, chin is plural, she has more than one.) Her eyes are still blue, and I kind of hope they stay that way. They are very pretty. She is getting really good at rolling to her tummy but most if the time she can't figure out how to roll back and it ticks her off! She loves to blow raspberries and talk really loud. She absolutely loves Ryan. Whenever he comes into view she just smiles and wiggles with excitement. He is getting better with her too. I love when he sits and talks to her and she just giggles.

Ryan is growing fast too. He is talking a lot more and he is the funniest kid. I wish I knew what was going on in that little head of his. The other day he was watching Curious George and when it ended the Brady Bunch came on. All of the sudden I realized he was singing the theme song! He was saying some of the words before they even sang it. Curious George is his favorite show so he usually sees the beginning of the Brady Bunch when it ends, I was laughing pretty hard. The kid remembers everything. He saw me once go into the games on my cell phone for him and now he does it by himself, and it's kind of a process to get to. I think he is going to be a computer genius. He is very much a Daddy's boy and copies everything Dax does.

Dax has a couple of more weeks until he has to start school again. But the little break has been nice. We all like having him home a little more. He is still working on a Biological Engineering degree and he is working really hard. Not too many people can go to school full time and work 40+ hours a weeks. Not to mention having to take care of a wife and kids at home. He is a great husband and dad and we are all proud of him.

As for me not much has happened. I'm still kind of adjusting to 2 kids. It's a lot harder to get things done, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Dax did buy me a juicer for a Mother's Day/Birthday Present and it's awesome. I have even lost some weight since I got it. I never knew we could go through fruits and veggies so fast. One day I was experimenting and juiced some spinach, carrots, and an apple just to see how is would taste. It wasn't too bad but the surprising thing was that Ryan drank a whole glass of it. The bad thing was the diaper the next day! I love that we are all eating healthier and hopefully I can keep losing weight!

Here are a few pictures of things from the past couple of months...ok maybe more than a few...

Just being cute

Ryan brought me Chloe's dress and cried for me to put it on...so I did. I love his little pose!

So happy to be at baby animal days!

He held her for 15 minutes straight and got mad when I tried to take her off of him. I'm going to remind him of that when they are older and fighting :)

I was experimenting and made this beanie. I wasn't sure how it would turn out but she sure makes it look good.

My little family...we wish dad could be here more!

My 2 cute boys!

Two cutest kids ever! Can you tell Chloe gets excited with the lights on the camera?

Apparently this picture took her by surprise!

I bet I have the best prize in my Easter egg....

2010-04-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

So Hobby Lobby had these gigantic Easter eggs and my sister bought one and I said to her that I think I could fit my baby in it and guess what....she does fit in it! I didn't actually close her in it, but I could have. Ryan thought it was pretty funny so I tried to get him to sit in it and then it wasn't as funny. I guess it's always funnier when it's not happening to you.

In other news, we finally blessed Chloe! It was awesome. Dax always gives such sweet blessings. I hope my kids realize what a good dad they have. Also, it snowed quite a bit her the other day. Ryan was so excited when he woke up that he ran in and woke Dax (who had been up until the wee hours of the morning doing homework) and yelled "Dow dad dow!" (Dow is what he says for snow.) And today I let Ryan color eggs and we had fun. I was a little worried though when he saw the dye and yelled "Juice!" He didn't try to drink it though, thank goodness. Since I boiled so many eggs we had egg salad sandwiches for dinner and Ryan actually ate it. I was a little surprised.
For and update on the kids, Ryan is starting to talk much better and just seems to be growing up so fast. He is good big brother....most of the time :) I love the times, like today, when we get to have fun times together, just me and him. His new favorite thing is Buzz Lightyear, even though he hasn't even seen Toy Story. But he always spots something in the stores that has Buzz on it. Chloe is almost 3 months old! Holy Cow! She is finally starting to outgrow her newborn clothes and can fit most 0-3 month things. She is such a happy baby. Even when she is starving she still smiles and talks. She loves Ryan and any time she hears or sees him she smiles and laughs. I hope it's always like that! Today I had her doing tummy time and she rolled over twice to her back. She just seems to young to be doing that. She really hates tummy time so I guess she figured out how to roll so she wouldn't have to do it any more! I have such a wonderful family and I love them so much!

Happy Easter!

Chloe in her blessing outfit

Ryan checking out the snow

I know it seems like his is probably in his diaper a lot, but I didn't want him to get dye on his clothes and he won't wear a bib or apron.

So I bought some new church outfits for the kids and wanted to get a picture and sadly this is the best one we got. I didn't know a simple picture could be such torture!

A Fun Giveaway

2010-03-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

I found this giveaway from Dax's cousins blog and thought it was a great idea. She just asks you to share a story on your blog about a selfless act of service that someone has given you. Go here for more explanation http://www.fairlyhappy.com/2010/03/pay-it-forward.html

My story:

This isn't really a specific thing, but since I had Chloe I have been thinking more about all of the things my own parents have done for me. I know I wasn't the easiest child, but I always new my parents loved me because of all of the sacrifices they made for me. I feel bad it has taken me this long to realize what they have done for me. My parents always made sure we had what we needed and I'm sure they went without a lot of things they would have liked to have. My parents wanted all of their kids to be happy and would do anything to make sure we were. I am very grateful to have such wonderful parents. They are great examples and I hope I can be a good parent to my children like they have been to me. I don't know if their is anyone that gives more selfless service than a loving parent. Thanks dad and mom!

Oh and now that my wheels are turning....The other day we had a ward party and since Dax works evenings he just took his lunch break and came for a little bit. Ryan was a little extra crazy that day and was really testing my patience. So Ryan was running wild with the other children when I decided it was time to go. I figured it was going to be a struggle, so I was trying to decide how I was going to get a carseat, a jello salad, and a screaming toddler all out to the car. I started attempting it when a sister in the ward came and said let me help you out with that. It was a simple thing but it was extremely helpful! This sister was actually in charge of the party and probably had things she needed to take care of. It makes me realize that no matter how small the act of service, it always makes a difference. I need to be so much better about offering service even though I may not be able to offer much!

Family Happenings

2010-03-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

So the kids are sleeping and instead of cleaning like I should I decided to blog :) So here is what has been going on the last little while. We were supposed to bless Chloe this last Sunday but both kids had RSV and Ryan had a really bad ear infection and Bronchilitis. Hopefully everyone will be happy and healthy so that we can bless her this Sunday. Ryan is growing up so fast. I can't believe how big he is. He is a cute big brother and he even calls Chloe "sister". His new thing is to stack anything he can. This morning when I went to get him out of his room he had stacked all of his dirty clothes. When I walked in he was very carefully placing a tissue on the very top of his pile. I guess I should get him something better to stack other than dirty clothes. Chloe will be 10 weeks old this week! I can't believe how much time flies. She is such a happy baby. She always wakes up with a smile....even at 2 o'clock in the morning. If you can't tell by the pictures I love her smile. I always try to take pictures of her smiles. Dax and I celebrated our 4th Anniversary on the 11th. He is a great husband and I love him very much. He works really hard to support our family and he is a great father. I'm really lucky to have him. Well Ryan just woke up so I guess I'm done. And yes the pictures are mostly of Chloe but it's not because we love her more. Ryan just wants the camera whenever he sees it or the pictures I get are blurry because he never holds still. Hopefully I can get some more of him. I was supposed to go have their pictures taken but of course they had to get sick when we had things to do :) So hopefully soon!
My happy girl

Two cutest kids ever!

This is a dress my sister gave her and she looked way cute in it!

Happy Baby

2010-02-25T19:57:00.000-08:00

So this is going to be quick, but I just wanted to show off my cute little baby and the blessing dress I decided to make her. Chloe is 7 weeks old today...I still can't believe she's already that old! She has been a very good baby, even though she wants to always be held. She loves to cuddle and we usually fall asleep cuddled up on the couch waiting for Dax to come home. I love that she loves to cuddle, but at night she doesn't like to sleep in her bed, she wants to sleep right next to me...and I'm bad and always give in :) Whenever she wakes up she is full of smiles. She is a very happy girl. So here are a few pictures I snapped, but I haven't been quick enough to get her big smile. My vote might not count but I think she's quite a cute little thing.

We are planning to bless her on the 14th of March. (We wanted to do it on the 7th but that day is our ward conference so our fast Sunday is now on the 14th....which just so happens to also be my cousins homecoming, of course). I was going to have her wear the same dress I was blessed in, but then I decided to try making a dress and this is what I made. I think it turned out pretty good. It's a little big, but I figure too big is better than too small right? I would post more, but it's the time of night that I get to go cuddle with my baby!

Family

2010-01-29T21:14:00.000-08:00

My parents came to visit the other day and they brought my cute little niece and nephew. It was so good for Ryan to have someone to play with since he has been a little bored lately.

Maddie was excited to come see the baby but was a little scared of her at first, but she liked holding her.

I was so surprised how well Drew was at holding her. He held her head really well and it was so cute how gentle he was with her.

The grand kids all love Grandpa!

I put up two other posts, so keep scrolling to see cute pictures of the kiddos :)

Best Big Brother

2010-01-29T21:02:00.000-08:00

I was worried about how Ryan was going to adjust to the new baby, but he has turned out to be such a good big brother. He always comes up to me and puts his hands out because he wants to hold her. He loves to look at her and pet her head and occasionally give her kisses, but she isn't too fond of them. He is so good at being soft with her. Tonight Dax asked him where his sister was and he pointed at Chloe and smiled, it was really cute. He has been good to keep himself entertained while I am busy with the baby. He has grown up so much! I couldn't ask for better kids!

I told him to hold on to his sister and when I went to take the picture he let go and moved away from her. He really does like her...even though it doesn't look like it in this picture.

I gave him a haircut today and we tried using the razor for the first time. It turned out pretty good and I was surprised how well he actually sat still with that loud thing by his head.

I heard him moving around after taking a nap so I went to get him and this is how I found him, sitting in the window seal. I'm surprised he stayed there long enough for me to go grab the camera, but I am glad he did.

His new thing is to put his helmet on to ride his little bike. It's still to big for his head but he loves it. There is never a dull moment with him. We love this little guy!

3 Weeks Old!

2010-01-29T20:49:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Chloe is already 3 weeks old! So far she has been a very good baby. She isn't much of a crier, she mostly just grumbles. She loves to be held and loves to cuddle. At her 2 week appointment they told me she had gained 13 oz. in 10 days, so she is definitely growing fast. She smiles all the time but I can't ever get the camera ready fast enough so I always catch it too late. It's been interesting adjusting to 2 kids but Ryan has been pretty good...other than sleeping. I think he wakes up more than the baby does. I'm hoping it's just a phase and once life settles down we will all get more sleep :)

Our friends, the Meadows, gave us some way cute clothes and with them were these sunglasses....and of course we had to try them on her :) (Dax says it makes her look like an old lady.)

This is how we look most of the time. We like to be lazy and I love to hold her.

This isn't the best picture but I just wanted to show off her hair. I love it and I hope it doesn't fall out! It pretty much does the mowhawk thing by itself...I do help it a little bit though.

We are so excited to have this sweet little girl in our family!

Chloe Ann Larsen

2010-01-14T08:37:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, January 7th, little Chloe joined our family. She decided to stay breech so she had to come via C-section. She weighted 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 18 inches long. We were so excited when we saw her little head was covered with black hair. She is a really good baby. The only time she really cries is when the cold wipes touch her skin, and it's still not much of a cry. Ryan loves holding her and so far has been really good. He likes to pet her head and kiss her cheeks. I haven't been able to get a picture of it yet but hopefully I can get one soon I can't believe how big Ryan seems now. We only got a few pictures in the hospital because our camera battery died, but I'm sure we will be taking a lot more to show this little cutie off.

Update

2010-01-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

Well I had my final Dr.'s appointment today and the baby is still breech...yay. I am going in tomorrow at noon for a C-section. I'm not excited about the C-section but we are are excited to finally hold this little baby. I think the scariest part about the C-section is not seeing Ryan for like 3 or 4 days. That just makes me sad. Dax and I took him to do some fun things today since it will be the last time as the three of us. I love my little man and I am way excited to see him as a big brother.

I haven't been great at posting but here are a few pictures from the past little while.

I took this today, it's not the best picture but I wanted one last belly shot. It's hard to get a decent picture when you are taking it yourself. I didn't realize how much I have grown in the last few weeks!

Ryan found his sunglasses in his toy box the other night, so he thought he needed to wear them around the rest of the night. He is such a little stud...even though the glasses are a little small!

We almost didn't get a Christmas tree this year, but then we decided you have to have a tree for Christmas! I went to the dollar store and bought a bunch of plastic ornaments so Ryan could decorate it. He had fun but got lazy towards the end and just set them all on one branch. But every morning he got up and reorganized them. I'm glad we got a tree because he had a lot of fun with it.

Baby Update...

2009-12-23T12:08:00.001-08:00

Well I had my 37 week appointment and didn't get the news I was wanting. The baby is still breech but they are going to try and turn her on Saturday morning. The doctor made it sound like it is going to be pretty painful since she has already dropped. So he is going to have to push her up out of my pelvis first and then try to turn her. Sounds fun huh? Merry Christmas to me :) If that doesn't work then he will try turning her again at 39 weeks and if she turns they will induce me right then. If she doesn't turn then C-section here I come. I am already progressing quite a bit so I'm hoping to not go into labor when they turn her Saturday, because there is a chance of that. Normally I wouldn't mind, but Dax's work is sending him to Delaware on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Isn't it great how babies just do what they want and not what you plan? Well she still has a strong heart beat and we are grateful for that!

36 Weeks.....

2009-12-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

So when I went in for my 36 week appointment yesterday I was thinking I was going to hear what I had heard with Ryan. He had already dropped and I was progressing pretty fast, fast enough that the Doctor told me that if I had any contractions to go lay down so I didn't have him too early. He pretty much told me I could have him any day. Well, I was pretty bummed to hear that that wasn't the case this time. During the examination I hear the Doctor say, "Wait, that's not a head, this baby is breech." Not what I wanted to hear. He told me that only 4% of babies are still in breech position at 36 weeks. They he started to tell me my options. Again, not what I wanted to hear.

So pretty much if she doesn't turn on her own, I can either go in in a couple of weeks and they can try to turn her from the outside, or I am having a C-section. My sister in law is going to be a nurse and was actually present when a patient was having the baby turned and told me that it is going to be pretty painful. Yippee. But if they can get her turned, they would induce me right then to make sure she wouldn't try to turn back. I do not want to have a C-section. It kind of scares me. The only surgery I have ever had was when I was 6 weeks old, so I don't even know what to expect. Plus Dax starts school on the 11th of January. The week after I would have the C-section. So we are praying that she will be a good girl and just turn on her own so I don't have to stay up at night worrying about what to do :)

This was a bummer to hear but I am grateful that she is still healthy and growing well. I know things could be worse. Hopefully this next appointment will go better though :)

Silly Ryan and 35 Weeks

2009-12-08T14:46:00.000-08:00

So I bought Ryan a set of watercolor paints and he really enjoyed them the first couple of times. I think he started getting bored though because last time we took them out he decided to pour his water over the paints and then drink it. Lot's of nutrients in there I'm sure. So this is what he looked like after I took them away to clean him up. He was mad, but I couldn't resist taking a picture of him.

Speaking of messes, he also found a Sharpie. Why is it that kids always find Sharpie's? They have a 6th sense about them I think. I have my markers all put where he can't get them but apparently there was one in with the pencils. Thank goodness the only place he drew was on his legs. I was really worried about how to get it off with Ryan's sensitive skin, so for anyone that has kids, I found that baby oil takes it off quite nicely.

We had our first decent amount of snow the other day too, so I decided to take Ryan out. I hate being cold so I assume he does too and I bundled him pretty good. As you can tell by his face in the picture...it wasn't exactly his favorite thing. Once we got outside he was just fine, and had a blast. He loves to stand and look out our front window and watch the snow. Now I just need to toughen up and be willing to take him out in it more often.

And finally, this is my belly shot at 35 weeks....ok technically I'm not 35 weeks until Thursday, but close enough. The baby is doing well, but I am very tired of being pregnant and just ready to have her here. I hoping she will come sooner than her due date, but we will take her when she comes. I am getting more and more anxious as the time gets closer...but most of all I hope Ryan is sleeping better by the time she comes...otherwise I am never going to get any sleep!

Birthday and Halloween

2009-11-02T20:36:00.000-08:00

So I'm a little slow but my baby turned 2 last Tuesday! I still can't believe it! We had a fun time celebrating. We invited family over to have cake and ice cream, but Ryan decided to take a late nap and was still asleep by the time everyone was here. We woke him up and he was really shy and confused why everyone was staring at him. He wasn't really excited to open his presents because he was a little out of it so Dax got to open them for him. But he loved his Elmo cupcakes that I made, in fact he tried to get on top of the stove to get them and he almost did it.

Ryan is such a fun boy and even though he completely wears me out most days I wouldn't change a thing. We never have a dull moment at our house. Everyone always comments on his amount of energy and how hard it must be to keep up with him. It is hard sometimes but I love that he is so happy and loves life. He is such a caring little guy too. Whenever he sees a baby he always wants to give it a binky and pet it's head. He is so gentle with them and I am excited for him to be a big brother. I am so glad that we have this little guy in our family! He brings so much joy to our home and I can't imagine life without him! I love you!

Eating cupcakes and ice cream

Wondering why everyone was staring at him...

Ryan and his 2 cute cousins at mom and dad's ward Halloween Party

For Halloween I made Ryan a skunk costume and I must say he was the cutest little skunk I have ever seen! My favorite part of this costume was watching him run and the little tail wiggle behind him. We took him trick-or-treating in grandma and grandpa Larsen's neighborhood and he absolutely love it. If we skipped over a house because they didn't have a porch light on he would kinda freak out. He loved running up to the doors and after he got his candy he told everyone thank you and bye-bye, then took off running to the next house. He kind of got imaptient a few times and tried to open the door. He was so dang cute though! I'm just afraid now everyone time we go outside he is going to go knock on doors and expect candy. Here's a cute video of him trick-or-treating.

Brave

2009-10-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

So I decided to be brave and let Ryan help me make some pumpkin cookies. I usually just think about what a mess it will be if he helps me, but we actually had a lot of fun. He wasn't even too messy. His favorite part was eating the dough after it was mixed. The nice thing about this dough is that there are only 3 ingredients and there are no raw eggs. I have been trying to be a better mom and let him learn new things even though it might be messy....and so far so good. We have had a lot of fun together.

21 Weeks and Hilarious Videos

2009-09-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

My 21 week belly shot. I didn't take any with Ryan (mostly because I was in that "is she fat or is she pregnant?" stage for a long time) and now I kind of wish I did so I could compare the two.

Ryan loves to climb our entertainment center and he usually gets in trouble but this time I was laughing too much to get him down because he was kissing the people on the TV. The poor child is going to be very confused because one time I'm telling him to get down and the next I am laughing about. Super Nanny would be very disappointed in me!

When we went to the zoo we stopped by McDonald's to get Ryan a Happy Meal, and I think this is the most fun we have ever had with a box :) (It had been a long day and we were tired so this may not be as funny to you as it was to us)

So Ryan loves to sneak back and play my organ. He has figured out how to set the rhythms on it and this is what I looked over and saw so I had to record it. He is my little Stevie Wonder! I love that he loves music and gets so into it. There really is never a dull moment with this child! (Oh, and that little squeak in that background is my sister laughing...it took me a second to figure it out.)

It's a....

2009-09-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

GIRL! If you haven't already heard, baby #2 is a girl. We found out like a week and a half ago but I have been slow to post about it. I wanted to put some ultrasound pictures up, but Dax just built a new computer and it isn't compatible with our old printer. Maybe eventually I will...but no promises. We didn't get any great pictures anyways. She really had her head buried right into me...which explains the little pains I have been having. The lady doing the ultrasound got kindof rough trying to get her to move her head, but the more the ultrasound lady poked the more the baby burrowed her head. I have felt her moving a lot lately, so hopefully that means she is getting it all out before she comes, or I am going to be a very tired person. I don't know if I can handle to very active children :)

When we were pregnant with Ryan we had lots of girl names picked out, and now that we are having a girl we can't think of any. We should have wrote them down! We have one that we have liked since we were first married, but I think it's too close to what our last niece was named. Are Kaelin and Daelyn too close? I think so, but Dax says it doesn't matter. I think I am going to keep pondering on more names.

And as for Ryan, I swear he gets bigger everyday. I was holding him today and realized how fast he has grown! I think it goes by way too fast! He has been around a couple of new babies lately and is so cute with them, which makes me even more excited for the next baby. I never knew he could be gentle, but he can thank goodness. He did get pretty jealous though when I held the other baby. He just had to sit on my lap too. I like that he was jealous, I guess that means that I haven't messed up too bad and he still loves me, right? I think he will be a great big brother. I have some hilarious videos to post of him when I get this new computer figured out. There is never a dull moment with that child. I LOVE my family!

The Zoo

2009-08-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

So Dax had this wonderful idea to go to the zoo Saturday since it would be the last time for a while that we could do something fun as a family before school starts. Ryan absolutely loves animals so we figured he would love the zoo..and he did. We had a ton of fun! About halfway through Sardine Canyon we realized we forgot our camera so we stopped by Dax's parents house and borrowed theirs. Thanks again! (They are used to us always forgetting something!)Ryan just decided to look away in about every picture we took, but he is still cute as ever. His favorite part was the Leopard. It was pacing back and forth in front of the glass so Ryan followed him back and forth thinking it was a game. He kept trying to get the Leopard to follow him and thought it was hilarious when it seemed like it actually did. He also really liked the monkeys. It's probably the first time he has ever seen a living thing as crazy and active as he is.

Dax said everyone has to have their picture taken drinking out of the lion's mouth.

Dad looked...

Then Ryan looked...but I couldn't get them at the same time!

Ryan and the Leopard...

Holy Post!

2009-07-07T20:19:00.001-07:00

Ok so clear back in May we were able to go to California with Dax's family. And being the great procrastinator that I am, I decided that it's about time to post the pictures from it. We had a lot of fun. Dax and I haven't been on much of a Vacation since we got married so it was nice to get away. So here is an overload of pictures for you!

So we flew to California (thanks to a wonderful aunt who works for jet blue and gets awesome deals!) I can't even imagine trying to drive that far with Ryan. He struggles when we dirve to Ogden. Let's just say he is a very active child and if he's not running, he's not happy. Anyways, since everyone else drove we ended up getting to the place we were staying quite a while before everyone else. Since the reservations weren't in our names we couldn't go in. It was hard too, because it was Sunday and we couldn't do much. So we found a nice patch of grass with a tree and did what we could to entertain a toddler.

Ryan sliding down the windshield of the car.

Making faces on the window. (and yes it was a rental car...don't tell)

This is my favorite. Every time Dax put his head in the leaves he would pull this dang cute little face.

The two cutest boys EVER!

He loved just sitting on the tree branch. Until he tried to climb higher and we discovered thorns...oops! What kind of tree has thorns anyways!?!

While in California we got to go to Legoland. It was a lot of fun. Ryan could only go on like 5 rides, but he still seemed to have fun. As long as he can run wild, he's pretty happy. there was one place he absolutely loved. It was a room where there were foam balls constantly shooting around the room. You could load a machine and push a button and they would shoot out the top. Also, there were guns on the top level that you could shoot at the people below. For some reason everytime I went in that silly place I was the target for all of the children. I don't know how many times I got hit in the head with those balls. Those kids were dang good shots!

I think we tired Dad out!

Going on a boat ride. Can you tell the sun was in our eyes?

These cars weren't moving or anything, but Ryan just loves steering wheels.

Every time Dax spun this boring thing, Ryan thought it was hilarious. Whatever makes you happy I guess...

Playing at the splash pad

Well I just decided I am tired so I think I will add another big post tomorrow about our trip to the beach. Plus I'm sure if you are still reading this you are pretty bored, but I like showing off my family :)

First Ultrasound

2009-06-29T18:19:00.000-07:00

So we had our first ultrasound today. It was really exciting. You can't see much in the pictures because the baby just kept moving. The doctor said it's a very active baby. That scares me a little because I already have one very active baby! The whole time I was pregnant with Ryan my stomach always had some awkward bulge that wouldn't stay still. So the official due date is January 14th. We are super excited and are kind of hoping for another boy, but we'll take what ever we are given!

Also, I know everyone is probably sick of hearing me say this, but I am participating in the Relay for Life. It is a fundraiser to raise money to help fight cancer. Each participant is encouraged to raise $100. Both of my grandpa's have had cancer and one passed away because of it. I'm sure everyone has been affected by it. I am way excited to be a part of this. If you would like to donate you can do it really easy online, and it's safe. You just go to this website and click on my name
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=14702&team_id=431831. Any size of donation is great no matter how big or small. (I think if you do it online the minimum donation is $5 so if you want to do less you can just give it to me.) The race is July 10th and 11th, so they would prefer getting the money by then, but they will accept donations until August. Thank you so much for your help!

If you haven't already heard....

2009-06-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Dax and I are expecting baby #2! I guess if I posted about it on my other blog, I better do it on this one too! We are way excited! I'm a little nervous because my one already keeps me very busy! It will be a lot of fun though. It will be coming in January. It would be nice if the baby came a couple of weeks early and then it would be on our tax returns :) Totally kidding, but it has crossed my mind. (Is it bad to call my baby an "it"? What is the right thing to say anyways?)

I have been pretty sick with this one too, but I am hoping it won't last much longer. Poor Ryan could probably tell you what show is next on PBS, since I don't feel like doing much. I do manage to get him outside almost everyday, which I know he loves. He really is a good kid and I can't wait to see him playing with a sibling.

We have an ultrasound on Monday and I am already getting anxious. It's killing me to not know what we are having yet either because there are so many killer sales right now! I guess I better just stock up on things for both genders right?

2009-06-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

This photo contest ends today so I am probably too late, but hey it's worth a try. I was gone for a week and was just catching up on everyone's blog since I woke up at 6:30 and just barely read about it. So here is the address of the website http://sweetlillyphoto.com/wordpress/. She takes really good pictures!

Fun with Photos

2009-05-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

So since I have been trying to keep up with my new blog I have kind of slacked with this one. Well I have been playing with this photo editing program that I just downloaded and you can even make collages. So here is the cute collage that I made with it. If you want to know the fun thing I downloaded to do it just check my other blog tomorrow and I will tell how you do it. I just don't want to type it twice. You can click on it to see it bigger.

I Need Advice

2009-04-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

Ok moms out there, I need some advice before Ryan drives me crazy. He has started gagging himself to the point that he throws up. It is only when we are in the car. I try to stop him but I can't reach him and when I give him toys to distract him he usually throws them and starts doing it again. It makes me sick to sit and listen to him gag himself! Not to mention that his clothes smell like barf! Has any one else had this problem? What did you do? Thanks for any advice. Maybe I will post something a little more light hearted soon :)

New Blog

2009-04-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

Hey I just wanted to let everyone know I started a new blog called Simple and Sensible. I am always looking for ways to make life easier so I thought I would start a blog sharing everything I have learned. It's just going to be simple ideas for cooking, activities with kids, money saving ideas and so on. Please share this with anyone you think would like it. The address is simpleandsensible.blogspot.com. I am going to try to put up a new idea every day. We'll see how long I can keep it up.

Keep scrolling down, there is another new post about my cute little guy!

Lot's of Fun

2009-04-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

Well for Easter Ryan got cute outfit from Grandpa and Grandma Larsen, and a Chocolate bunny from Grandpa and Grandma Wood. So here are a few pictures with both. He wanted to share his chocolate bunny with everyone, but it was kinda slimy. Poor Amber has to always put up with him sharing everything. I"m glad he likes to share, but I don't care for ABC (already been chewed) food! Also, we have been going to the park by our house and Ryan loves it. His favorite is the tube slide. He even climbs up and goes down by himself. He is growing up way too fast!

Speaking of growing up too fast, my baby started nursery on Sunday. They said he did pretty well. He cried when other kids cried though. The only had to bring him to me once and that was because he needed his bum changed. Yay for being able to listen at church again. This little outfit was his Easter one, but I didn't get any pictures on Easter Sunday. It was kind of a busy day. But I think he looks like a stud in them. I am trying to learn how to take pictures, I hate paying sooo much money for something that I could easily learn. So if you have any pointers on how to take amazing pictures I would love to hear them. Oh and there some cute pictures of him playing with bubbles too. I was trying to get some good pictures of him but he wouldn't look at me so my sister had to break out the bubbles. But we got some really fun pictures of him.

I love how he always runs with his little tongue out now!

This one is one of my favorites...he just looks like he is imagining he is going to fly away or something. Really, he was closing his eyes because bubbles were falling down on him.

I Love Baby Steals!

2009-04-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

So for any of you moms who don't already know about this website, it is the coolest (yet most dangerous on the budget). It is called babysteals.com. Everyday at 9 am they put up a new baby or mommy item that is a lot cheaper than usual. It's like 50-80% off. Amazing! I have bought some awesome things and just wanted to share it with you. Of course I have ulterior motives, they are having a contest where you can win $150. So feel free to post about it so you can win too! I hate to admit it but I have become quite addicted to it. Everyday at 9, no matter what I am doing, I race back to the computer so that I can beat everyone else to the steal. One time they even put a wrong price on an item and they still gave it to me for that price. I got an $80 blanket for under $20. It was a lucky day! Anyways, they really have great stuff so if your budget and husband are ok with it...then check it. (They are here in Utah but they ship stuff any where in the U.S.)

Guess What I Found

2009-04-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

So for Christmas I got a new camera and completely forgot about my old one. I found a roll of film that was done from a few months ago. So the pictures are old but still cute! I will have to add a few more later because I need to rotate them and it's not letting me so I am going to have to figure it out first.

Here's Ryan's first time in the snow. He loved it! He would just giggle when we went outside and it was snowing. Most of the time he just sits in the snow and eats it.

Ryan LOVES bananas. He eats a whole one every morning for breakfast. No wonder he looked so natural in his Halloween costume below!

Dax's mom gave Ryan a little bunny for Easter last year. It plays music and he loves it. Well one day I heard him getting mad and came out to see the he had managed to force the head of the bunny through the gate while trying to get it from the other side. It was pretty funny.

Trick-or-Treating wore this little monkey right out!

I made this costume for him and I was worried he was going to hate it. He actually did okay with it and I manged to catch a few pictures with him actually wearing the ears. He sure made a cute little monkey.

Sewing Class Anyone?

2009-03-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

Hey if anyone is interested, I am taking a sewing class and don't want to do it by myself. It's going to be super fun. It is only one night (April 23) from 6 pm to 10 pm. It is only 10 bucks and all you have to bring is 2 yards of fabric and a matching 7 inch zipper to make a cute skirt. The class is through Bridgerland ATC and it only holds 10 people. Last I heard there were only 3 people (including me) registered. So if there is a few people who want to do that would be great. Just let me know if you want to and I will get you the rest of the information. Just think of it as a night that your husband gets to spend with the kids :) Don't our husbands need more time with their kids anyways?

It's About Time!

2009-03-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

I'm being a slacker again. I check to see if anyone has updated their blog everyday, but I never update my own. It's pretty much because I am lazy. Anyways, last week was a fun one. It was our Anniversary so Dax took 3 days off of work. He wouldn't usually just take 3 days off for our Anniversary, but it just so happens that it is over Spring Break, and he needed a break. So on Monday morning he and a bunch of guys got together to play X-Box. And since my life is so exciting, I tagged along. It was fun though because Paola came with her husband and little girl. It was snowing like crazy that day so we decided to take them for a ride in the sled. It was really cute, but Ryan wasn't to happy when we would start pulling the sled and Lucia would fall back on him (as you can tell by some of his facial expressions).

Later after Lucia had left Ryan's other friend Landon came over. It was so funny to watch them play together. We took Ryan's little firetruck with us and he would go sit on it, then Landon would push him around. The funny part is that Ryan is bigger than Landon. Eventually i made him switch places, but they had fun with that too.

Anyways, the rest of the time that Dax had off we were pretty lazy, but it was nice to just be together. Dax let me go shopping and get a new shirt on our Anniversary. And he got to go buy another controller for is Playstation. Then my sister, who is always so nice to babysit, came over and Dax and I went out for dinner. Then we all watched a movie. It was fun. I can't beleive its been 3 years already. It's been a great three years. I love Dax and he is a great husband and father. Lately Ryan has liked Dax a lot and always wants to cuddle with him. It stinks that I have to compete to get cuddle time with him. Dax works really hard keeping us all healthy and happy. He really is a wonderful husband and both me and Ryan are lucky to have him. We LOVE you!!

Look how young (and skinny) we were! I tried on my wedding dress, just for fun, and it totally doesn't fit. Thanks Ryan!

Catch Up!

2009-02-27T21:03:00.000-08:00

So it's been a little while since I have shown of the cutest kid ever. So brace yourself...I am going to post lots of pictures.

A while back I went with my mom to the wet pack cannery in Ogden to get some frozen fruit. It's been great to have raspberries and strawberries always on hand...but I couldn't figure out what to do with all of those blueberries. Well I thought I would let Ryan try them...and as you can tell from the pictures we now have a new favorite food. Warning to all mothers...after feeding your child lots of blueberries be prepared for what will come out the other end! Not pleasant!

This is to show how many he ate...it stained his little fingers blue!

When you can't get enough with your hands, you just dump them in

He is trying to eat them without using any hands...silly goose!

Notice the little blue stained mouth...hehehe

This next little bit Dax isn't too proud of...but it's so cute. It's a good thing he doesn't read our blog or he would kill me for showing everyone this. I was making a tutu just for fun to see if I could and I had good intentions on giving it to someone with a little girl. I wasn't sure what size it turned out to be so I thought I would just try it on Ryan to see. I figured he would just tear it off like he does with anything I put on him....but I was surprised. He loved it and just ran around the house smiling. I finally had to hide it because if he saw it he would just cry to wear it. These are definitely pictures that we are going to show a future wife :)

Look how happy he is!

This is what happened when I took it off! Hilarious! And yes I put it back on...could you say no to that face?

(So, I think I need to send this cute little tutu home with my niece)

Ok so this will be the last batch. Ryan's new thing is to sit on me or Dax whenever we are laying down. He loves to ride or even just sit and bounce on our backs. In these pictures Dax was trying to take a nap...and I am such a nice wife, instead of taking Ryan of and letting him rest i just grab the camera and giggle. The only bad thing about this is that I had a friend over who's baby was laying on her tummy playing and Ryan went over and tried to ride on her back...so now I guess we need to teach who he can and can't sit on! Also, he likes to go and sit on Dax's lap and bounce while he is trying to play his video games. Dax can't usually play when Ryan is around because he is climbing all over him...I love it!

Poor Dad!

Ok...I know I said the last little bit was the last but then I saw this picture and wanted to show it. I gave Ryan a little hair cut...mostly just so he would look like Grandpa Munster. Afterwards, I decided to give him a cute little style. The mowhawk was a little strange so now I just style it like his dads...will a little spiky thing in the front...I'm not sure what it is called...but he looks dang cute...I will definitely post a picture!

I hope all is going well for everyone. I love reading your blogs...I check them everyday...sometimes more than once, so keep me busy and keep updating them.

Giveaway!

2009-02-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

I go this off Amber's blog. So go check it out. It's a giveaway for a free photographs. I checked out her blog and she takes really good pictures! http://sweetshotsphoto.blogspot.com/

You Can Win!!

2009-02-11T21:24:00.000-08:00

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year. {might be a little while}
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or maybe even some creation I haven't even invented yet (but Heaven knows it will most likely be super shiny or look like it got attacked by a bedazzler). I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!

*Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!*

Late 1st Birthday

2009-02-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

I know his birthday was over 3 months ago, but I was finally cleaning my house and found some pictures that my parents had taken. (Maybe this will motivate me to clean my house more often...probably not...but maybe) We forgot our camera, which is not uncommon, so my brother and parents took some pictures for us. Which reminds me...I still haven't asked my brother for those pictures. Anyways, I made Ryan a little mini bumble bee cake to let him all my himself. It was so funny, at first he was looking at us like "Are you really letting me do this?". Eventually he got totally into it and had cake everyone. Drew, my little nephew was so grossed out by him and told him to stay away. It was a lot of fun. I can't believe how much my baby has grown up. I am starting to feel old. (I drive a van so that doesn't help. For some reason I always pictured older people with vans.) Well here are the pictures. I love the one of him opening his present...he looks so excited.

So I started cleaning again after I posted and found another cute picture that is from Halloween. Hey maybe eventually I will even get Christmas ones up.....
Anyways, here is the monkey costume I made for him.

Coolest Shoes Ever!

2009-02-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

This is extremely late, but life has been a little crazy and I have been very lazy. For Christmas, Dax's brother gave us a gift card to amazon.com. Part of the money went to buying Ryan the coolest shoes ever. I never lose him when he has them on. But they are definitely outside shoes. I about went crazy the first day he had them on inside. This video isn't the best, at first he was just going crazy in them, but by the time I found the camera he was being pretty normal. Thanks Danny for the gift card. Also, thanks everyone for the support with me going on TV. I was extremely nervous, if you saw the show you could probably tell. Anyways, they are going to send me a copy of the show so when I get I will think about posting it for those who didn't see it.

I'm going to be on TV!!! AHHHH!

2009-01-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

Holy Cow! This morning I was taking a nap and got an awesome phone call! I watch Studio 5 almost everyday. For those of you outside of Utah you probably have no idea what this is. It's a show that they show you craft ideas, recipes, exercise tips, and tons more. Anyways, they are doing a segment about making unhealthy recipes healthy. So I decided to send one in just for fun. I never win anything so I figured nothing would happen. So that phone call was the producer or something calling to tell me that they picked my recipe! I am going to be on the show on Friday at 11 am! I can't believe it! I am still shaking with excitement and nervousness! I have never been on TV except to sing for the YW General meeting. I told Dax I need to go on a shopping spree now...you have to look good for TV!

Sledding, Dancing, Eating

2009-01-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

Sledding:
For Christmas Ryan got snow boots and a sled from Grandma and Grandpa Wood. His first experience sledding wasn't the best. As soon as we set him in the snow he fell and face planted into the snow. That kind of ticked him off so he was a little grumpy. His favorite thing to do is just eat the snow, or watch it fall from the sky....he thinks that is quite funny.

Dancing:
We have quite the little dancer. It started out as just him standing, holding on to something and moving back and forth. But as you can see from the video his dancing has changed quite a bit...thanks to Dad's example.

Eating:
I don't like when Ryan gets messy when eating so usually I just feed him or give him things that aren't too messy, but I have decided he really needs to learn to feed himself no matter how hard it is for me to watch. Anyways, I gave him a fork and bowl of Mac & Cheese. I showed him how to scoop it out but he still just held the fork and then used his fingers to eat. Once he couldn't reach the food in the corner of the bowl this is what he did....

Giveaway!

2009-01-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

There is an awesome giveaway (Thanks Camille). Just go here http://sunshineandlemonade.blogspot.com/. Good Luck!

Check out the cute pictures below too!

Like Father, Like Son

2009-01-05T10:10:00.000-08:00

I think most people know that Dax loves video games. I think it must be a gene. Ryan absolutley loves them too. I don't like that he likes them so much, but Dax loves it. He always says how fun it will be to play video games with his son. Anways, Ryan knows how to turn the Xbox on and he knows to push buttons and move the toggles on the controllers. So here are my two gamers playing together.

Dax and I are doing a little side job for a friend of his to earn some extra money, but it requires some traveling and Ryan isn't the best at riding in the car. He is not one to hold still for long periods of time. If you've been around him you have probably noticed that he never stops. Anyways, towards the end of our long car ride Ryan was getting a little bored and when he gets bored he gets loud. So I tried giving him a bunch of different toys but nothing was working. So finally I handed him a little doll that Dax's aunt gave him for Christmas and all of the sudden he was quiet. He loves the doll! His favorite thing is to sit and tickle his own face with its crazy hair. After he tickles his face there is always a little giggle. Anyways, that doll saved us from going crazy...Thanks Aunt Deanne!

Biggest Loser Fan

2008-12-22T15:24:00.001-08:00

I am a big fan of the show Biggest Loser. Ironically, my sister and I usually watch it while eating a bag of chocolate. Anyways, I have been trying to lose some weight and I figured what better way to do it. For every pound I lose they will donate money to feed America, what better motivation? So if you want to join just click on the picture and you can get started. Yay for losing baby fat! (I got the Wii fit 2 weeks early so by Christmas my goal was to lose 6 pounds and I have already lost 5 yippee! I have to mention though that I was throwing up all day Thursday and hadn't had a real meal until Saturday...but hey I still lost it right? Now if I can just keep it that way....)

P.S. If you haven't looked at my blog lately keep scrolling...it's your Christmas card :)

Good Intentions...and Merry Christmas

2008-12-18T16:26:00.000-08:00

So I was all prepared this year to send out Christmas cards with a couple of pictures of my cute family. Well lets just say life gets busy. I had my brother take these pictures of us on Thanksgiving and I had really good intentions to go a couple of days later and have some cards made. Needless to say, it is now the 18th and I still haven't done it and I don't think I will. We have had a stomach bug at our house and haven't felt like doing much. So Merry Christmas everyone...this is your card :)

Holy Slacker!

2008-12-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

Ok so it's been kind of a while. It's so weird how I feel like I don't ever do anything...but I don't ever have time to do anything. It's weird. Anyways, I have had some new cute pictures of Ryan for a while that I have been meaning to post. I have some Birthday and Halloween pictures that I still haven't even got yet so hopefully I will get them up before Christmas since it's already been over month.

Ryan is quite the lounger...but this does not look comfortable!

Coloring with chalk

Notice the picture above...he really wanted to eat the chalk, thank goodness for binkies.

Running away with the chalk

He really likes tv, but to justify we always watch educational things :)

This isn't the best picture but Ryan's hair is starting to go curly! I love it!

My cute boys!

The cutest, chubbiest little smile. I never realize how chubby he is until I see pictures

This is what my house looks like almost everyday. He has to take every single toy out of the box.

I will try to be better at posting and keeping updated. I'm sure once the semester ends we will have a lot more time! I have been busy with a lot...though I don't know if I could even say what I have been busy with...the time just flies. Dax is way busy with school and work so we don't see him too often! We are way excited for him to have a break...it's weird that you get married because you want to be with someone and then once you are actually married it seems like you are with them less. We can't wait for the day when school is done...and I bet Dax is more anxious than me.

Question?

2008-11-16T19:17:00.000-08:00

This may be kind of silly to do, but Dax and I have been trying to think of more creative things to do together. We don't get much time together, but when we do we both look at each other and wonder what to do. Neither one of us have been to creative, we usually end up watching a movie or something on TV....not exactly my idea of an exciting "date". Anyways, I was wondering what everyone else does for fun. We don't like to spend a lot of money, and we don't like to be away from the little guy too long. We both like simple things...but we are deciding that we need to do something rather than sit in front of the TV every weekend. So toss your wonderful and creatvie ideas this way! Thanks!

Pumpkin Walk

2008-11-02T07:30:00.001-08:00

Can you tell he was trying to eat?

So like I mentioned before on Ryan's birthday I took him to the pumpkin walk, but I always forget the camera. So the next day I made Dax take us back so we could get some cute pictures of him. So here is Ryan as Yoda and the King of the Wild Things.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!

2008-10-27T16:18:00.000-07:00

Holy cow it has already been a year! I can't believe my baby is one! We celebrated his birthday on Saturday with his cousin Madaline because her birthday is on a few days later. It was a lot of fun, and I do have pictures, but like the great mom I am, I forgot my camera so my brother took pictures for us. He is a lot better at taking pictures than I am so it worked out good. Anyways, I am so grateful to have this little guy in my life. He is so much fun! He keeps me very busy, but I wouldn't change a thing. I am so grateful for a wonderful husband who works his tail off so that I can stay home with Ryan. I have the two best boys ever! I love you both!

For Ryan's birthday today we went to the pumpkin walk. People around Logan decorate pumpkins that are amazing, and they set it up at a park and you can walk through and look at them all. Then we came home and I let him play in the leaves for a while. Not too exciting, but he had fun. Especially when they gave him a cookie at the end of the pumpkin walk.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN! WE LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH!!!!

A Quick Little Update

2008-10-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

Well I am officially addicted to blogging. I check to see who has updated their blogs almost everyday. It's nice staying in touch with everyone.
Things have been changing a lot around here it seems like. Ryan is now officially walking even though sometimes he looks drunk. He started walking at 11 months. It's been both a good and bad thing. Good because he can go outside and play, do more for himself without getting too frustrated, and it's sooo cute to watch. Bad because I have never seen the poor little guy with so many bumps and bruises and he doesn't ever want to be held, which makes church so much fun. You know that kid in your ward that is always loud and you can't help but watch to see what crazy thing he will do to his parents next, I think that's my kid.
Also, we go a minivan...yes a minivan. And NO I am not pregnant. Everyone that see's me in it asks me if I got because I am expecting another child. I know I have put on some weight...thanks Ryan :)...but I promise I am not having another baby yet (and if you spent a little time with the one I already have I think you would know why...he is very much a boy). My Grandma and Grandpa got a new Van so they sold us their old one for a very good price. So to go from a '92 Geo Prizm to a 2000 Chrysler Town & Country was a big step and I actually really like my van.
Ryan is also going to be one next Monday! Holy cow it has already been a year. I feel (and look) like I just had him. Time is going by way too fast.
I'm sure I will be posting again very soon because I finished another roll of film and I'm taking it to get developed today, and guess what...i think all of the pictures are of Ryan again. Are you surprised?

My Stress Relief...Sewing

2008-10-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well I decided to be creative and try to make a halloween costume for Ryan. Both Dax and I liked the idea of him being a little monkey. So I looked at some patterns but they looked pretty complicated and they weren't really what I had pictured I guess. So this is the pattern that came out of my head. Notice how the costume has no Ryan in it. Last time I tried it on him he just kept screaming...he apparently doesn't like things on his head. Maybe we can distract him by having him chase the tail or something. Hopefully he'll get used to it, not like matters too much anyways. After making the costume I was thinking about it and realized that we aren't really going to be doing anything for halloween since Dax has to work (hopefully he gets off early) and since it's probably not the best thing to load a one year old up with candy..though he would probably love it. I have been tempted to take him trick-or-treating (not really), but those were for selfish reasons...i do love candy!
I was talking to my sister in law and she said she wanted her daughter to be Boo from Monsters Inc. when she is dressed up like a monster. I thought it would be fun to try to make it. I think I have decided that sewing takes my frustrations out. It is kind of a relaxing thing for me. I know it doesn't look exact but I think it looks pretty good. Maybe that's just because I made it! Also again notice no child in the costume. I did try it on Ryan and he didn't mind it but he started eating one of the eyeballs so he is grounded from playing with it :)

What do ya do?

2008-09-26T00:03:00.000-07:00

Well I was at work a couple of weeks ago cleaning and Ryan decided he wanted to poo all over himself and his clothes right at the beginning. I wasn't very prepared and I didn't bring any spare outfits. (I am only at work for like an hour and half...what can really happen in that time...?) Well I didn't want to leave the other girls to clean it themselves so I figured I would just leave him in his diaper because it wasn't that long. Well after a little bit I realized the air conditioner was on and it was getting cold. Being the great prepared mother that I am, I didn't even have a blanket to throw over him. Lucky for him, I had 2 shirts on and figured I could let him borrow one. He looked so dang cute that when I got off work I had to take pictures. And if you can't tell by the pictures, Ryan absolutely loved wearing it....But I think I have learned my lesson on being more prepared. Oh wait, tonight while I was cleaning Ryan decided to have another explosion and guess what, I didn't have a change of clothes, a blanket, or a diaper...I had to borrow one. I'm not as terrible as I sound. Ryan loves to empty my diaper bag whenever he gets the chance so i really did put extra diapers in the bag....I think he is plotting against me...

Proud Parents

2008-09-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

So a while back I talked Dax into getting a digital camera that was on sale. It turns out it was a terrible camera. It takes forever to take a picture so I have a hard time catching any cute ones of my little wiggle worm. My sister told me she had some film that she wasn't going to use for her old school camera and that I could have it. So I reverted back to taking pictures with a non-digital camera. It turns out that with this camera I totally went nuts. I took a whole role of film in less than week. Ryan does the funniest things and I just have to catch them, and it turned out that he does funny things quite often. So here are the tons of pictures that I took. I hope you don't get sick of looking at him because we sure don't! (Obviously)

We aren't too proud...are we?

2008-09-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know why he still gets a pacifier....it's never in his mouth the right way1

Anything he can fit in his mouth goes in as far as it can

Once again...notice the pacifier not in his mouth the way it is supposed to be

and again......

I think we must turn on the tv too much because he grabs the remote and aims it at the tv and waits for something to happen

He totally sat like this himself, I did not pose him.

He loves to stick his Legos in his mouth and tyr to talk through them

He is quite entertaining

He loves to play with all of dad's video game controllers

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

2008-09-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

Dax didn't like himself in this picture but oh well. Ryan loves to help dad play the guitar

We tried to hook his own guitar to him but he's not dumb, he just wanted the real thing

He has the cutest smile!

He decided to try and stand up using the entertainment center but it didn't work very well and he bumped his little cheek on the corner....but he's still smiling

He loves his toys!

More Pictures

2008-09-15T11:03:00.001-07:00

All ready for bed

Dax's aunt gave us a bunch of baby clothes and when we got home Ryan thought he needed to go through them and pick out the things he liked. In other words he through them all over the living room.

This is one of my favorites...look at that mischievous little face

Picture Happy

2008-09-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

He likes to reach out for anything that someone else has

I have 2 toy boxes full of toys and he likes to take every single toy out

We got gates to keep him out of the kitchen so whenever we go into the kitchen he stands and yells at the gate until we come back or take him with us

Still waiting for someone to get him at the gate

I bought new tops for some of his bottles and he thought he needed to play with the old ones. He sticks the while thing in his mouth so just the tip is showing

You may think this is the end but I have a new roll of film that I have already started on so be prepared to see more :)

Poor Boy!

2008-08-14T13:50:00.001-07:00

Ryan is working on getting his four top teeth all at the same time! He's been pretty fussy but I don't think I blame him. It was such a relief to finally see him sleeping that I just had to take a picture. The infant medicine just doesn't seem to phase him so the doctor started him on children's tylenol. It has been much better! I can't wait for these teeth to finally come in. The only thing I worry about is that the two that have broke through are a front one and then a side one. He might look like a little hill billy for awhile.

My Silly Boy

2008-08-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

So Ryan is keeping me very busy. Every morning after he gets up I bring him downstairs and he goes nuts with his toys. I usually lay on the couch and watch him since he has decided to make 6:30 the time that he is ready to play. After about 10 minutes of playing he has pulled most of the toys out of his toy box. He picks one toy up, looks at it, then throws it and grabs for a new one. I think I pick up that room like 10 times a day. You can kind of see his mess in the background of these pictures.
We bought a couple of gates because the latches for cupboards won't work on ours so we have to just block him out of the rooms that have things he can get into. As if you can't tell by the pictures he hates the gates. He has already started trying to climb over them and he actually gets pretty high up on them. I feel like I can't ever stop watching him because one of these times he's going to make it over.
He also has an new trick he's pretty proud of. He loves to crawl around with toys hanging out of his mouth. We have some big Lego's and he has actually fit a whole one in his mouth. The funniest part is when he crawls up to you and takes the toy out of his mouth and tries to put it in yours. I love baby slobber all over my face. He keeps me very busy, but I love it. Life doesn't get to dull with him around.
P.S. The picture without pants was after dad changed his diaper. Ryan is kind of a pain to dress so Dax just lets him go pant-less.

I'm a Nut!

2008-08-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

I took this quiz and thought it was kinda funny. It makes me sound a little unstable...but it's probably true!

I've Slacked

2008-07-17T21:55:00.000-07:00

Well I published nothing the whole month of June so this is just a quick update on our family. Ryan is growing too fast. I was babysitting for a friend when I looked up and saw Ryan on the thrid stair...talk about panic. He loves to climb the stairs but he gets a little distracted most of the time and tries to turn around...we have had any falls yet...luckily. He is also walking along the furniture and just a couple of days ago decided to start experimenting with letting go. It's a good thing he wears diapers or he would have a really sore bum. One more thing about Ryan...his second tooth just broke through. I can't believe it he just doesn't seem like a baby anymore...they definitely grow way too fast.

Dax went and took the Ukranian test at BYU a couple weeks ago. Its been about 3 years since his mission so he was sure he didn't do well. We got his results back and he passed all 3 sections. I think he is a lot smarter than he gives himself credit. Passing these tests will give him about 16 credits...that's like a whole semester! I am very proud of him!

As for me...I am still doing the same old. Pretty much I follow Ryan up the stairs a few times a day....you'd think I'd be losing some weight or something. :) I enjoy chasing Ryan around all day...he keeps me very very busy. I am still working for my Aunt and Uncle's cleaning business. It's only about 8 hours a week...but it's a little extra money so it can't hurt.

I love seeing everyone's Blogs...I am glad I am finally in the loop and can keep up with how everyone is doing!

What a Cool Dude

2008-07-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

So I bought these silly little glasses for Ryan. I am lucky if they stay on his head longer than 30 seconds...but when they are on he looks pretty rad. If I give him something to hold and distract his hands from his face sometimes they make it a little longer...but not much.

Our Cute Family

2008-05-31T20:12:00.000-07:00

The photographers are good salesman. I didn't plan on spending as much money as I did, but my family just looked so darn cute I just couldn't resist!

Dancing Boy

2008-05-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

When we saw this picture we had to laugh because he looks ready to do a a little jig.

Cutie Pie

2008-05-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

We had a hard time picking a picture that we liked of him....aren't collages wonderful!

Dad and Ryan Play

2008-05-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

When Ryan is tired he gets the giggles and we always take advantage of them. I didn't turn the lights on when I was recording so it's a little dark....but the giggles and squeals are the best part!

Family Picture...At Last

2008-05-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

So we finally got a family picture. Just thought I would show off the rest of us in case you were getting sick of just seeing Ryan (but he's so cute I don't see how you could). I just noticed today that Ryan and Dax have the same smile in this picture. They are both so cute!

Great Things Happen When You Wander

2008-04-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

So I was bored and decided to wander through the mall. I wandered past kiddie kandids and they stopped me and said they had some new employees that needed some practice and if they let me take some pictures of Ryan they would give me a free 8X10. Well I figure you can't go wrong with free pictures. It was almost bed time and he was hungry so we couldn't really get him to smile, but hey at least he wasn't crying! He wasn't dressed the best for pictures but he still looked dang cute. So advice to all of you mothers...wander the mall at about 8 at night and walk past kiddie kandids a few times!!

Ryan loves food!

2008-04-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

Ryan loves to eat. It seems like I can't feed him enough. Every time Dax or I start eating he starts crying because he wants some. He's already 19 pounds and only 6 months old. He already eats like his dad!

I'm Not a Professional Photographer...But I Think I Did Pretty Good

2008-04-17T16:57:00.001-07:00

I bet no one has noticed how much we like to show off our baby. I've been trying to get some cute pictures of him but they always end up blurry because he is so wiggly. He is determined to type with me right now so this next part is what Ryan had to say. hb h bhjmny9f54f5f5555557hjkn66g8j u byhbm hv g96. He loves to type whenever I am trying to get something done :)
Maybe one of these days we will get a family picture so you can see the rest of us!

2008-04-16T19:04:00.001-07:00

Short Hair

2008-04-03T16:18:00.001-07:00

This isn't the greatest picture, but a few weeks ago I chopped 8 inches off of my hair. I got sick of tiny little fingers always being tangled in it. This was the 4th time I've donated it. Dax liked my long hair, but he told me I still looked cute...I hope it's true. I'm not too sure how to style short hair though...after I had the baby it was pony tails most days and I can't really do that now.

Ryan...again

2008-04-03T16:13:00.001-07:00

This picture was taken a while ago but I just barely put it on the computer. That was a rough day trying to get his picture taken. He didn't want to be set down so we didn't get too many of him because he was crying...we are going to try again now that he's a little older. The other one is just a dang cute one of him sleeping. It sure does make his face look more chubby! He used to love sleeping in that swing but now he weighs to much so when I turn it on it just clicks and doesn't swing! He got big way too fast!

Easter

2008-04-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

Dax wasn't too excited about seeing his little boy dressed like a bunny...but I think it is stinkin' cute. We gave him a real carrot and he loved sucking on it.

More Cute picutres of Ryan

2008-03-10T23:03:00.001-07:00

These are more recent pictures of our cutie pie. He has sure chunked up. Last we check he weighed a little over 15 pounds!! I'm going to have some nice big muscles if he keeps this up! He is now a little over 4 months old and is a very happy kid. He loves to talk and has learned how to roll over, and now I'm learning how to baby proof the house.

Grandparents

2008-03-10T22:55:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Wood is loving having 3 grandkids now...just more to spoil. Grandpa and Grandma Larsen are having fun with their first grandson. I think he is going to be very spoiled from both sides.

All Ready for Church

2008-03-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

Napping House

2008-03-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

You'd think all we do is sleep around here!

More Ryan

2008-03-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

Halloween

2008-03-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

Halloween was only 4 days after Ryan was born. He said he didn't feel like going trick-or-treating so we just stayed home and Grandpa and Grandma Wood came to visit. That same night his cousin Madaline (sorry Dave and Bree I can't remember how you spelled it) was born.

Ryan

2008-03-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

When Ryan was born he weighed 6lbs. 3oz. and was 18.5 inches long. He was pretty little, but i'm not complaining!

Our Family

2008-03-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

On October 27th, 2007 our family grew to 3. Ryan Dale Larsen was born at 11:01 p.m. He has been so much fun but he is growing way too fast! I love being able to stay at home with him and we have lots of fun together. Dax is working full time and going to school so we don't get too see much of him, but whenever Ryan sees him he just smiles big. On March 11th (tomorrow) we will have been married 2 years! The time sure does fly by when you are having fun! We are loving Logan, though we do miss Ogden. It is nice to only be an hour away from our families, and maybe someday we will go back to Ogden and be even closer! This is the most updated family picture we have. It was taken a few days after we brought Ryan home. We will hopefully update it soon.