From the Tundra to the Tropics

Last week my parents escaped the frozen tundra they call home (Wisconsin) and spent the week down here in paradise. We hadn't seen them since last Christmas, but the kids warmed right up to them and enjoyed having "Gamma" and "Gampa" to play with every day. We packed as much into each day as we could (while still giving Harper a chance to nap) and showed them some of our favorite places: "Ryder's" playground, a few nearby beaches, Sharky's restaurant, the Jungle Gardens, the jetty, downtown Venice, and the orange groves. When we weren't out and about sight-seeing, we lived on the lanai since the weather was beautiful. My parents wanted to soak up every ounce of sunshine and warmth that they could! Ryder even convinced Grandpa to jump in the pool with him a couple times-- the water was cold, but it was no polar plunge! I know my parents took most of the pictures with their camera, but I managed to snap a few.

Harper joined Ryder at the table while he played Legos.

Of course she had to "sample" a Lego.

thawing out!

Ryder was counting down for Grandpa to jump in the water.

"I'll get in when you do!"

"Yikes! That was a shock to the system!"

Ryder has great aim with a squirt gun! Poor Grandpa.

dinner at Sharky's

looking cool in the sun

puzzles with Grandma! 

They must have done this one 20 times over the course of the week.

Ryder needed 4 grandparents to help him with this puzzle. :)

(Also notice that the tables in our living room and the kitchen chairs are all tipped over so that Miss Harper can't climb them).

At the Jungle Gardens, one flamingo strayed from his group and came to visit us at the playground.

I think he was drawn to my dad's tropical shirt. :)

feeding the flamingos

Eating breakfast in her new booster seat; she bounced so much in her table-mounted high chair that we thought it would come crashing down!

And a short photo shoot with our 15-month old monkey... :)

What a pose!

"Is anyone watching?"

"Cheese!"

Sweet, silly siblings

I don't go anywhere over the course of a day without my two little shadows far behind me--and I do mean anywhere. At one point this morning they followed me into my bedroom, and it wasn't long before they were both in the recliner and Ryder was saying, "Take our picture, Mommy!" I practically tripped over myself trying to get to the camera before he changed his mind; usually if I have the camera in hand, they don't want to cooperate for me. :) They only sat still for about a minute, so here's what I was able to capture.

I'm not sure what Harper was looking at, but she looks so regal in this one.

Don't believe that face--Harper loved the attention!

Ryder was "reading" the pillow to her.

"Sorry, but my toes are much more interesting."

"I'm a mess!"

"Gotta go catch up with Ryder!"

February fun in the sun

*I apologize in advance to any of you dealing with frigid temperatures and/or snowy weather. These pictures may give you spring fever.

Lots of outdoor time this weekend = great photo opportunities.

"Hmmm...I wonder what this does?"

"Bath time!"

mesmerized

partners in crime :)

Harper was "honking" his nose.

posing on big brother's bike

my shaggy little blonde :)

"Hello? Anybody in there?"

taking a little water break

"Aaahhh...refreshing!"

bellybutton!

typical Harper! She climbs on everything now.

Almost every time we are outside Ryder asks if he can get in the pool. We tell him that even though it feels warm outside, the water is a little too cold. Today we let him get his feet wet, hoping he would see for himself that Mom and Dad were right. Ha! Next thing we knew he plopped right down on the first step, soaking himself up to his chest. And it didn't stop there. We ended up handing him his life jacket and he swam around for a little while, fully dressed!

"What is he doing in there??"

Harper watched through the fence.

hibiscus in February

Boys' Morning Out

This morning Andrew, Ryder, and Pops decided to check out a WWII airplane exhibit that is in town for the weekend. Before they left the house I asked Ryder if I could come too, and he said, "No, Mommy. You have to stay home with Harper baby." I guess Ryder had decided it would be a boys only outing, which was fine with me. :) Andrew said Ryder was a little timid at first, not wanting to climb up into the planes. But once Pops said he wanted to, Ryder was quick to follow. They toured two planes--a B-17 Bomber and B-24 Bomber--and also saw a P-51 Mustang fighter jet. They wrapped up their boy time with a trip to the hardware store and lunch out. It doesn't get much better than that!

Ryder found a golf cart and decided to hop in!

Harper vs. cement

Well, I made it three years as a mom before needing to take a child to the urgent care for an injury. And wouldn't you know it wasn't my little boy but my little princess who got the first official boo-boo. I was outside with the kids yesterday afternoon enjoying some fresh air and letting them burn off a little energy when Harper took a spill at the foot of the driveway. Thankfully she wasn't running, but she was going just fast enough that even after catching herself with her hands, her body still lurched forward and she hit her forehead on the ground. When I picked her up and saw blood, I definitely experienced a moment of panic. I couldn't tell how bad the cut was because her hair was in the way and she definitely didn't want me messing with her. I didn't think she would need stitches, but I definitely wanted a doctor to take a look at her. I told Ryder we needed to go inside because Harper got hurt and I probably had to take her to the doctor. That was enough to worry my sensitive, sweet little boy. He practically tripped over himself trying to put away his bicycle and follow me inside; he still had his helmet on a good 10 minutes later because I was preoccupied and he could sense it wasn't a good time to ask me to help him. I called Andrew, and he was on his way home from an overtime job but still far enough away that I wasn't sure if I should wait for him to get home.  I really just wanted another adult's opinion about what I should do, so I called Pops and Grann who thankfully said they would come right over. While we waited I tried to hold a cold, wet washcloth on Harper's head--she preferred that I didn't! All she wanted was Mommy and her pacifier. I looked over at Ryder, who had been very quiet while I was on the phone, and asked if he was ok. He was pale and teary-eyed, and he said, "I'm just worried about Harper baby." That just about broke my heart! I reassured him that Harper would be just fine, but I wanted a doctor to help me take really good care of the boo-boo so that it would heal the right way. I gave him a big hug and then he told me he wanted to lay down in the recliner for "just a second." The poor thing was so concerned that I don't think he felt well. Then he asked who was going to stay home with him if I had to take Harper to the doctor. It's like he was trying to work out the logistics in his head just like I was! Everything worked out well: Grann offered to stay with Ryder so Pops could drive Harper and me; Andrew met us at urgent care on his way home from work. 

in the car on the way to the doctor--She was due for a nap, but I wouldn't let her fall asleep.

I kind of lost track of time, but we probably waited about 30 minutes or so before Harper saw the doctor. She definitely didn't seem to be in any pain. Andrew and I took turns chasing her around the waiting room because she wanted to get into everything. Every once in a while I would dab at her forehead to clean her up a bit, and then she was off again. Entertaining her in the exam room was the tricky part since there was no space to move around. I read her a book and fed her some teddy grahams so she would stay away from the spinning stool that inevitably would have given her a second injury! The doctor said the wound wasn't deep enough for stitches but would probably heal perfectly with the help of a steri-strip. Harper only cried a little as the nurse cleaned off the wound, dabbed on a little adhesive, and applied the steri-strip. The goal is to keep it on for 7-10 days. I'm hoping this little daredevil girl who climbs and gets into EVERYTHING will cooperate with us. :)

(with a mouthful of teddy grahams) "What's all the fuss about? I feel great!"

Ryder's 3-year well visit

I took Ryder to his 3 year well visit on Tuesday. Thankfully Grann was able to keep Harper, so I had a little one-on-one time with my boy. He has matured so much since the last time he was at the doctor, and it was nice to be able to have a conversation with him about what the nurse and doctor were going to do. He was super cooperative as the nurse got his height and weight, and when she told him she was going to check his blood pressure he recognized the cuff and told her, "I have one of those in my doctor bag. It's at my house." And when she pulled out the stethoscope, he knew she would be listening for his heart to go "thump thump." Next she wanted to do a vision test, and she told me it's not always easy with 3-year olds so it wasn't a big deal if he couldn't do it. She told him where to stand and then went to the end of a short hallway where a poster was taped to the wall. (I stood right behind him to make sure he didn't decide to follow her). She pointed to different objects and asked Ryder what they were; at first he just repeated her and asked, "What is it?" I rephrased it a bit by saying, "Tell the nurse what that looks like." Then he seemed to understand the little game we were playing and easily named the objects: heart, star, round (instead of circle) as she pointed to them on the chart. When she said, "Great job! You did it!", I was so proud of him for passing the test. :)

Once inside the exam room I was given a short questionnaire to fill out regarding Ryder's current abilities. It was easy to answer "yes" to most of the questions without asking Ryder to demonstrate for me. (I know he can tell me his name, throw a ball, jump, etc.) But one of the questions stood out because it had a picture with it, and I was curious to see what he would say. The picture resembled a stick figure that wasn't complete: it was missing an eye, an arm, a leg, and part of the torso. I pointed to the object and asked Ryder what it looked like. (Suggested acceptable answers would be a person's name or maybe an animal like a bear). Ryder looked at it and immediately said, "flamingo". I was kind of puzzled because it looked nothing like a bird, so I asked him why he thought that. He said, "It's only standing on one leg, Mommy." WOW! Talk about perspective! The doctor got a kick out of his answer too and told me I have a smart little boy. (another "Proud Mom" moment!)

Ryder was very cooperative throughout the check-up, even though he wasn't thrilled to take off his shoes and jeans. I guess he knew since he wasn't at home he was supposed to keep his clothes on! He had to get 2 shots: his flu vaccine and the second dose of Hep. A. He looked very serious as he laid down on the exam table. I held his hand and told him it would just hurt for a second and then we would go get some lunch. When the nurse did the first shot, I watched his face turn into a look of surprise and then sadness when he felt the prick. He was trying to be brave! He looked like he was trying so hard not to cry; he just kind of sniffled and wiped his eyes. As soon as the second shot was finished, he whimpered, "I want to go get lunch and go to Grann's house now." He looked so sweet and pitiful! I gave him a big hug, got him dressed, and he was tear-free by the time we made it to the front of the office for his lollipop. He was given a clean bill of health and doesn't have to go back until next year unless he gets sick.

Height: 39 3/4 inches (up 2.5 inches from last Feb.)
Weight: 38 1/2 pounds (up 5.5 pounds from last Feb.) 

My baby boy is 3!

I know I already did a post about Ryder's birthday cookout, but I wanted to capture some of his personality at age 3. He is pretty terrific! :)

Me with my birthday boy! 12/31/13

Ryder has grown up so much over the past year that it truly amazes me. He participates in conversations like a little adult, uses the potty by himself (including pulling his pants back up and washing his hands), and has quite the imagination! He has unique voices for his favorite stuffed animals, and when he plays with his cars, trucks, or Legos he will make up scenarios and have the toys talk and/or interact with each other. His quiet side loves to read a book or build with his Legos for hours upon end, while his active side loves to ride his bike, run around the house, and rough-house with anyone who is willing. (Or in Harper's case, maybe not so willing!) He has a great sense of humor and loves to be silly. He showed me his "silly dance" the other day that involves his arms flapping like a chicken and his eyes blinking rapidly while bending ever so slightly at the waist. Where does he come up with this stuff? He truly is the sweetest little boy; he can't go outside without picking a flower to bring back to Mommy, or Grann if he's at her house. If I ask, "Ryder, why did you bring Mommy a flower? Is it a special occasion?" he will respond, "It's just because I love you. That's why." When he plays with the little kitchen at Pops and Grann's house, he usually loads all of the play food into the trunk of his toy fire truck and pretends like he's delivering it to "people who don't have any food." If the kids are sitting side by side in a shopping cart or the bike trailer, I will sometimes catch Ryder with his arm around Harper. I'll thank him for being so sweet to her, and he says, "This is my little sister." Boy, I hope he always feels that protective of her! He has inherited some "neat-freak" tendencies from me, and he likes things to be in their place or done a certain way. For example, his closet doors must be closed when we tuck him in at night.  Just last night Harper dumped every single lid from the tupperware cabinet onto the kitchen floor while I was trying to clean up after dinner. When Ryder heard the commotion he came into the kitchen and started cleaning up the mess. I thanked him and told him how much I appreciated his help, especially since he didn't even make the mess. His response? "I just don't like such a big mess in my house." I had to stifle a laugh because his room usually looks like a disaster zone during the day; maybe there's a difference between toys and household items? Ryder definitely has moments (like any young child) when his temper kicks in and my sweet little boy is temporarily replaced by a screaming monster. But he is slowly learning how to deal with being angry or frustrated; usually a few minutes by himself in his room make him completely forget what he was so upset about. I love this little boy more than I could have ever imagined, and I am so proud of the person he is becoming.