Gig 'Em Aggies!

I know we pretty much stink right now but I still love my Aggies. We are going to watch the game tonight with some friends so I thought I'd post some pictures of us in our Aggie shirts.

Ryan - 6 1/2 weeks


Jackson in the SAME outfit at 4 1/2 months!


Me and my boys.


And just a cute picture of Jackson mowing this morning. He has his pencil on his ear like Handy Manny and of course he's wearing his gloves.

A Grateful Heart

At night when I'm nursing Ryan I catch up on reading blogs and often end up on blogs of other people that I do not know. There are so many people out there who have teeny babies in the NICU or have sick children, who have lost children, or who are desperately trying to get pregnant and can't. It is a reminder to me to be grateful for the blessings I've been given. I am grateful to God that I'm a tired mommy because I have a precious baby boy to get up and feed in the middle of the night. I'm grateful that I have the privilege of worrying about whether or not I'll raise my boys right and how to protect them from the ugliness of this world. I'm grateful that my house is a little too loud and a little too messy because I have two boys to look after. I'm grateful that my toes are looking ugly because I don't have time for a pedicure and I'm still carrying a few extra pounds (okay maybe more than a few) because I don't have much time to exercise. I'm grateful that our budget is a little tighter because I get to stay home to raise my boys. I'm grateful that I hardly watch t.v. anymore because we are just too busy. I'm grateful that Laine and I don't have quite as much time with each other because we have been blessed with another boy to raise. Thank you God for the gifts we've been given. Please help us to always remember and be thankful for these gifts.

Startin' to Get the Hang of It!

I think we are starting to get the hang of having 2 kiddos. We have been out and about a lot and it's getting much easier! Still lots of comedy but getting easier. Here's what we've been up to...

Jackson ate the piece of chocolate that Mumsey left him and as you can see he really enjoyed it.


This is one of Ryan's favorite places to sleep.


Miss Makena hanging out with Ryan.


This outfit is one of my favorites.

Hanging out in the morning.

Wrestling with daddy. One of Jackson's favorite past times. He begs Laine to wrestle ALL the time. He LOVES it.

This weekend we made our first recipe out of the Deceptively Delicious cookbook that Aunt Tin-Tin (Courtney) gave us. Each recipe sneaks in some sort of fruit or vegetable. This one had bananas and carrots. I was pleasantly surprised. They were GREAT and Jackson loved them. Jackson loves to help me cook. He sits on the counter and pours in the ingredients for me.

We are LOVING the beautiful weather. We took a walk to the park and fed the ducks. Well, we tried to feed the ducks. They wouldn't come very close so Jackson decided he should just eat the bread instead.

Here's a picture of Ryan from this morning wearing the cute onsie that Aunt Anne gave him.

Jackson is really starting to enjoy Ryan and is interacting with him more. He's still not very gentle but we are working on that!

Jackson buckles his own car seat and now helps me buckle Ryan's.

Funny!

When Laine and I saw this commercial the other day we just looked at each other and smiled. Could it be because this little boy reminds us of another little boy we know???

Let's Compare

We had newborn photos taken of Ryan 2 weeks ago. We used the same photographer we used with Jackson. For fun I thought I'd do some comparison pictures. What do you think? Do they look alike? There are times I see Ryan and he looks just like Jackson did and other times I think they look very different. Ryan definitely has a little more meat on his bones. I wonder if that's why he is happier? :-)

Ryan and Mommy


Jackson and Mommy


Ryan with Mommy and Daddy


Jackson with Mommy and Daddy

Ryan with Daddy

Jackson with Daddy

Ryan

Jackson

Our family today.

Our family in 2008.

Here are a few more pictures from the photo shoot.

Several people have asked how we got Jackson to smile so big. Let me just tell you that it took a 3 ring circus to make that happen. Our photographer had a few tricks to get him to cooperate and we made sure to do Jackson's pictures first. Let's just say that we were exhausted by the time we were done!

We are so thankful for our family of four. Our life is a little crazy these days but I wouldn't trade it for anything!

The Ryan Whisperer

Thank goodness for Laine! I like to call him "The Ryan Whisperer" because he seems to have the magic touch and can almost always get Ryan to fall asleep when I can't. I think they already have a special bond. :-)

Granola Recipe

Here's the granola recipe:

6 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups nuts, such as almonds, pistachios, walnuts, etc., coarsely chopped (I used almonds)
1/2 cups seeds, such as sunflower, pepitas, etc. (I used sunflower)
1/3 cups flaxseed meal, wheat germ, or a mixture of the two (I used whole flaxseeds)
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 large egg whites
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cup sweetener, such as honey, agave syrup, or molasses (I used honey)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup dried fruit, such as sour cherries, cranberries, currants, raisins, apricots, figs, or pineaple, coarsely chopped (I used dried cranberries - I don't personally like them but Jack and Laine do)

I also added 2 tablespoons brown sugar, just because :-)

** I used Quaker Oats and got the rest of the hard ingredients at Sprouts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine the oats, nuts, seeds, flax and/or wheat germ, and cinnamon in a large bowl (I added brown sugar here.) In another bowl, whisk the egg whites ad the salt until frothy. Whisk in the sweetner and olive oil. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and stir until the oats are evenly coated.
3. Transfer mixture to two rimmed baking sheets and spread flat.
4. Bake for 20 miutes, then gently flip with spatula, moving granola from the outer edges to the center of the sheet. Continue to cook until golden, about 10 min. more. If the granola starts to brown too much at the edges, gently stir those parts into the middle.)
5. Cool completely on pan, then transfer to a bowl and gently stir in the dried fruit.

What I love about this is that you can put as much or as little of each of the ingredients as you want without messing up the recipe. And you can add/delete any of the ingredients to make it your own. I'm going to get creative next time and add some other things we like.

BIG Boy

Ryan had his 4 week check-up today. We have a BIG boy on our hands. He weighs 11 lbs, 6 oz (90th %)! He is 21.5 inches tall (50-75th %.) I knew he was getting big because he's almost outgrowing size 1 diapers. That and his double chin and chubby legs. :-) At 4 weeks, Jackson weighed 8 lbs., 4 oz.



Now for a few pictures...



Jackson enjoys playing with all of Ryan's "toys."





Our neighbor gave Ryan this precious diaper cover. She incorporated Aggie and UT colors.






Are you missing anything? If so, I suggest you check Jackson's dump truck and/or his cars that have storage under the seat. Here's what I've found in these hiding places: kitchen utensils, my watch, my telephone, trash, a nursing pad, all sorts of his toys, dead worms, dirty diapers, small books, shoes, my ChapStick, socks, cups, leaves, rocks, food, and much much more!

Ryan, Jackson, and I went to ladies Bible study at church last week. It's on Tuesday mornings and they provide child care. I'm really looking forward to getting back into a study this year. I'm just hoping I'm able to keep up! I had Ryan with me so I'm not sure exactly how much I heard but I'm sure I took something away, right? :-)

Here is a picture of what happens when you are nursing and you ask your two year old to bring you a little piece of toilet paper to wipe his nose.

Ryan loves the bouncy seat as much as Jackson did. If he's super fussy and can't sleep we can usually get him to calm down with a pacifier in the bouncy seat. And by the way, thank goodness for pacifiers. Sometimes it really helps to calm Ryan. I knew we were missing out with Jackson but didn't realize how much.

We took our first walk in the double jogger this morning since both boys were up early. It's still a little hot. I'm SOOOO looking forward to fall walking weather!

Last time my sister visited she brought some homemade granola. I asked her to send the recipe and we made some yesterday. YUM! I'm trying to venture out and make more homemade things these days. I know it's good to get away from all of the boxed foods. I've recently made several types of homemade muffins, pancakes, and now granola. All things I used to make from a box. I think I'm going to ask for a bread maker for Christmas and start trying to make homemade bread. I'm also going to try homemade baby food once Ryan is a little bigger.

Ryan continues to be a pretty easy baby but we are having our fair share of sleep problems. He sometimes really struggles to fall asleep and gets pretty fussy. I know that's normal for this age though.

We are finally starting to settle into a routine and it's getting easier to get out with both boys. Jackson is enjoying school and seems to be doing well. Ryan is super easy to run errands with right now so that's how we spend our mornings while Jackson is at school.

That's all for now. I'm going to try to close my eyes for sec while both boys are asleep. Ryan will wake any second so I better hurry!!!

Prayer Time, First Bottle, and an Outing

Last night at dinner Jackson said this prayer:

"Thank you God, thank you for croutons, thank you for lunch, thank you for mommy's lunch, thank you for daddy's lunch, thank you for Jesus, Amen!" I love that he thanked God for croutons. We were having a salad and he LOVES croutons.

Ryan had his first bottle last night. I wanted to give it a try and see how he did. I want to have the flexibility to run errands or have some time away so it's important to me that Laine can give Ryan a bottle if needed. I was SO nervous about doing this. It took Jackson 6 weeks (yes, 6!), 4 or 5 different bottles, and lots of tears (Jackson's and mommy's) to take a bottle. I remember going outside and crying as Laine gave Jackson the bottle because Jackson hated it and cried a lot. We didn't have a choice with Jackson because I had to go back to work. I already decided with Ryan that if it didn't go well we'd just not worry and try again later. Guess what, Ryan LOVED the bottle and took it like a champ! Slurped it down in no time flat. I was so excited! It's nice to know that won't be a challenge for us. Yay for a more laid back baby! Oh, and the funniest part about it was that we had to go in the closet for a tornado warning right in the middle of giving him the bottle. Didn't seem to bother him a bit!

Now, I realize I'm not the first mom to ever leave the house with 2 kids. But I sure feel like it! I've only left the house with both boys twice. Both times to the library because that seems like a pretty easy outing. It probably took us about an hour to even get out the door. Ryan was being really fussy so I was having to hold him and at the same time try to get Jackson dressed. I finally got Jackson dressed and got myself dressed. I started to feed Ryan and then Jackson decided to take his shoes and socks off so that he could use his socks as gloves for hockey. Ok....we'll just take the shoes and socks with us and put them on at the library. I asked Jackson about 40 times to get his library books out of his room and he kept coming back saying there were too many. I told him I'd give him a graham cracker if he brought them to me and he could just carry 2 at a time. He sure does love his graham crackers because he brought me the books. :-) I finally finished feeding Ryan and packed up the diaper bag and my purse. I got both boys in the car and we went to the library. Of couse I forgot to give Jackson his GC before leaving so he whined for it the whole way there!

Once at the library, Jackson returned his books. We went up stairs and of course, Jackson just wanted to run all over the place. We had to have several talks about not running in the library. While Jackson played with the puppets and tried to climb the bookshelf, I looked for my library card. Of course I forgot it again (I did this once before) and they won't check out books to you without it. Uggghhhhhh! So, I finally got Jackson to sit down to read one book with me and then we left.

While there Ryan fussed on and off but he did take a paci. A little boy kept coming over and telling me the paci had fallen out and he kept trying to stick his hand in the car seat. I was thinking that Dr. G would be very upset with me because he really discourages taking the baby out in public before 8 weeks. He's never been a mom stuck at home with kids I guess! Ha!

Once we left the library I decided we needed to go by Rudy's to get some chopped beef for the baked potatoes for dinner. The line was so long and Jackson asked for ice cream about 250 times! By this time it was late and I decided that we needed Chic Fil A for lunch because I had absolutely no energy left to make something at home. All the while, Ryan is fussing in the back seat on and off. We finally got home and ate some lunch (while I fed Ryan) and I got everyone down for a nap. As I was putting Jackson in his crib I noticed TWO library books that we left at the house. Why did I not check the number of books BEFORE we left the house???? Uggghhh again!

Jackson finally napped and just got up and the very first thing he asked for was a graham cracker! :-) He does not forget. So, I keep asking myself which is worse: being stuck at home with two kids or trying to take two kids out? :-) I love getting out of the house so I'm going to have to find a way to get organized and make it happen with a little less stress. Oh, and you should have seen me. Hair in a ponytail and no make up. I looked scary!

First Day of School and Other Pictures

Jackson had his first day of school today. He was hesitant to go in but once he started playing with the toys he was just fine! When we picked him up he was happy and said he had fun. His teachers described him as happy and playful today on his daily sheet. I caught up on sleep and relaxed with Ryan while Jackson was at school. It was GREAT! I'll be more productive once I'm not getting up 3 times a night to feed a hungry baby! Speaking of Ryan, the honeymoon is definitely over. He's awake and fussy more these days and needs to be held more often. I'm trying to take it all in stride and remind myself that the sleepless nights and fussiness don't last forever.

Jackson this morning before school. We had a precious camo toddler backpack for him but later found out he had to have a full size back pack. So, we ended up with this one from Target to match his lunchbox.

Jackson in his classroom.

I love these pictures of Ryan sleeping. There is nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby!

Jackson's latest thing now is gobs (gloves.) It took me forever to figure out what he was saying until I noticed he started putting socks on his hands when he said it. Again, he's copying what he saw at his cousin's hockey game. He just cracks us up with his backwards hat and hockey gear. He loves to run around the house and "play" hockey.

JOY

My friend, Amanda, is posting something that brings her joy each day for 31 days so I thought I'd post something that brought me joy this morning. The cooler weather was perfect for a morning walk with my new little buddy. It wasn't quite this cool in the sun but it was still a great morning for a walk!






Ryan ready for his first walk with mommy.



Thanks to G and Dada for letting Jackson sleep over at their house last night. Jackson couldn't quit talking about it all day yesterday and woke up 45 minutes into his nap asking to go to G and Dada's house. I know he had all kinds of fun and Laine and I enjoyed some one on one time with Ryan.


Also, thanks to my mom for coming last week and helping us out. Anyone who knows my mom knows she doesn't like doing anything domestic (cleaning, cooking, etc.) so it makes it mean that much more that she cooked dinner for us, helped us keep the house clean, and watched Ryan and Jackson for various appointments we had this week. Thanks mom!


Here we are before going to meet Jackson's teacher. Jackson was a little standoff-ish toward his teachers at first but loved playing in the room and didn't want to leave. Right now he seems excited to go to school next week so helpfully it will be a fun first day. Stay tuned for pictures on Wednesday.



Ryan started doing a little tummy time this week. Like any baby, he doesn't seem to love it but he wasn't too fussy. Jackson decided to partake in the fun.




Ryan is getting SO big. It looks like he's ready for size 1 diapers already! The newborn diapers are just too snug now. He seems to be eating a little more these days (I'm wondering if he's going through a growth spurt) and his thighs are chunky and his little cheeks are getting fat. He might be a big boy!


I'll leave you with a few things I've found myself saying to Jackson the last few weeks:

• "No, you can't sit on Ryan." This was said as Jackson was straddling Ryan and looked up at Laine and I and said, "sit on baby Ryan?"


• "Babies only drink milk. You can't feed him big boy food."


• "Babies don't like loud noises in their ears."


• "Please don't drive your cars on Ryan's head."

There is never a dull moment......