Playing "Real life"

Considering we have no idea how long we will be living up here in Nor Cal it has been a little tricky figuring out how to get back into normal life again. I debated about what to do with Nicholas for preschool, whether or not to enroll him somewhere, and whether we should start getting to know new friends and setting down some roots.

I was feeling a little sorry for myself (ok, maybe a lot), and determined I wasn't going to make any new friends- which is not a usual thing for me to determine. Thankfully, one day at the park I happened to run into a group of moms from one of the neighboring LDS wards. I met some very friendly girls and kids who have been so nice to include us in their activities.

Our favorite little outing was to Fairyland in Oakland. I was wondering if it would dwarf in comparison to our extensive love and experience with Disneyland, but I was wrong. It was so cute and the boys had a great time. I am hoping we can go back again. The concept of the park revolved around Fairy tales, and while the park was a bit "vintage", I found it to be totally charming.

Second decision made was to go ahead and put Nicholas in preschool. I had researched several but was concerned coming in late that we wouldn't be able to get him a spot. Again someone was watching out for us, and my first choice school for him happened to have one more opening and was very accommodating with us coming in last minute. They have been absolutely wonderful and his teachers are the sweetest women I have ever met. He loves it, and has even been lucky to have a boy we met from the park before in his class!

Another blessing has been being able to see my family that I love. In addition to seeing Jared's family, my aunt Emily and her family live just a bit away and we were able to see them and hug those adorable cousins of mine. We left them feeling so much gratitude for their great examples and love for the wonderful people they are.

Lastly, I have been focusing on improving our relationships as a family. My goal has always been to foster nothing but love and friendship between the two boys, and it is not often easy. They are great with each other but we keep working on it. We have started some fun new traditions and activities with them that make our weeks more exciting, like weekly pizza parties, sleepovers, and frozen yogurt dates. Its so funny how the boys have been sharing a room since they can remember but somehow calling it a "sleepover" and putting their beds together brings them so much renewed excitement.

I am hoping that our approach of jumping in with both feet will be as successful here as it was for us in LA, and that we can enjoy all the experience and location have to offer. I am very glad the boys are as eager to explore and have adventures as I am!

Returning to L.A.

We had the best time doing a spur of the moment visit back to L.A. We have missed it so much and couldn't wait to see our pals and favorite sites.

Our first stop was with the Green's. The boys love Eden and she was so sweet to put up with them.

Our next day was filled with appointments all over, and then a sleepover at the LeCheminant's. The boys love Mykel!

Then we were off to Disneyland! We couldn't wait to get back there and ride the best rides without crowds.

We loved spending the day with Westin, and Evee and Owen too. Peter Pan snuck up behind us and the boys were totally starstruck.

I love being with Courtney!! Miss her :)

We refueled with amazing ice cream cones and made a lovely mess as well.

After the Disney visit we went off to OC to see the Johnsons. We visited the Dana Point Harbor, had amazing bagels, and played all the rest of the trip.

The boys had a fun movie time, and moms enjoyed the break.

We returned to NorCal totally wiped out, but so glad we went. I am really hoping we will be back there soon!!

Fan-atics!

What kind of people get all geeked up about a re-release of disney movies?

These people!!

(Note the amazing Lion King glasses, just for being there opening day :) )

The Baby Grows Up

I can't believe how quickly my "baby" has grown. It blows me away to think that when Nicholas turned 2 that Ryker was 4 months old. I can't imagine having a 4 month old right now!

The little guy had his birthday about a month ago while we were on the road in Arizona. We celebrated with the customary birthday donut, followed by swimming and a pizza movie party that evening. It was a perfect day, and perfect for him.

Ryker is sweet, cuddly, and Mommy's boy. He has the cutest smile with a dimple on the left cheek. He is happy and loving, but can turn on the attitude if he's decided to. His tantrums are loud and dramatic, naturally making us laugh every time.

Rykie loves to play with stuffed animals, cars, trains, and balls. He loves his blankies, and his doggie, and requires all 4 of them to sleep. He loves Finding Nemo, Winnie the Pooh, and anything his brother is interested in. I love how he is easy going and also affectionate. He loves to swim. He is also potty trained!!

Physically he is a lot more tan than his big brother, and a bit heavier. His hair has turned a pretty sunbleached dirty blonde, and it is wavy like mine. His eyes still aren't a specific color- sometimes green, brown, dark blue, or a mix of all three. He has the longest, thickest eyelashes ever, and I get comments about them often. He has a sweet face, I can't help but kiss him.

We love our "Rykie Roo"!