Who's Baby Is This???

As I get to know this little guy more and more, it's amazing to me how the gene pool works. We are having a hard time deciding whether this baby is a Jacobs baby or an Evans baby. He definitely looks a lot like Jacobs, but every once in a while he makes these faces that scream Evans. For example, Ryan has been a thumb-sucker for a while, but has lately developed a preference for his first two fingers instead. When I looked at this picture, I couldn't believe how much he looked like my little sister, Amy! I think it's because he is sucking his fingers just like she did as a little girl, but he is also a tiny little thing, just like she has been her whole life. I started feeding him cereal this morning - he wasn't quite sure about it, but smiled through it until the last few bites when he started gagging in a very drama-queen like fashion. When I looked at this picture, I was amazed at how much he looked like James as a baby.
Now, James and my sister, Amy, look NOTHING alike. So, how can the same baby look so much like two very different people???

What We've Been Up To

*Ryan Is 4 Months Old Already!
I can't believe it's already been four months since sweet Ryan arrived. He is the happiest, most smiley baby I know (granted, I'm a bit biased). He is such a good and easy baby. We went to his 4 month check-up today and he weighs a whopping 12 lbs 14 oz, which puts him in the 15%. He is also 24 1/4 inches, which means he is also pretty short - in the 25%. I'm afraid he is not destined to be the next star in the NBA. I checked Tyler's records when I got home today and Tyler weighed 12 lbs 11 oz at his 2 month appointment and 14 lbs 11 oz at his 4 month appointment and was a full inch taller at both appointments. I think I am going to have one little guy on my hands!


*Tyler is such a great Big Brother!
Tyler is usually so sweet and thoughtful towards Ryan. He is great at alerting me when Ryan has woken up and is a great binky finder. Today, when Ryan got his shots and was crying in the car afterwards, Tyler kept telling him, "That's ok Baby Bry. (he's still a little confused on Ryan's name) Now you won't get sick." Then, as we drove past McDonald's, Tyler told me that Baby Ryan needed a happy meal. I'm not sure if his motive was pure. :)



*Playing Outside
Tyler has been loving the nicer weather, and I love having a gate on my deck so he can go out and play while I get stuff done. He also loves to ride his tricycle down to the park and I'm getting much better at balancing Ryan in the bjorn and pushing Tyler on his trike once he gets too tired/lazy to do it himself. Also, now that it's a bit warmer at night, James has been taking Tyler in the jog stroller when he goes running, which is a great break for all of us.

*Lounging Around

We have also just been spending a lot of time at home lately. Usually in the mornings, I pack the boys up and we all go to the gym. They have a fabulous child care facility there and it's really affordable. The girls that watch the kids are so cute and nice; I really couldn't ask for anything better. Tyler loves it there and often asks me if we can go back in the afternoon. We usually spend the rest of the day at home. A lot of my life revolves around who is asleep and who is awake, but that's just fine with me. At least they are both napping!

Tyler has also discovered that there are movies at the library that you can borrow (if you know Tyler, you know how much he loves his shows!). This has been a good and bad thing - he wants to go to the library just about every day, and while we do borrow quite a few books and we are reading a lot more lately, he also has a lot more shows to pick from now. He also knows that we can only have them for a few days and has perfected the excuse that we have to take them back soon so can he watch it just one more time. I hate to admit it, but I usually give in. LOL!

Feeling Grateful

Today I am feeling very grateful for good friends and a fabulous husband. I have a cold that has completely wiped me out, and on top of that, I've been trying to potty train Tyler, who has not been appreciating my efforts AT ALL. Yesterday I had about had it, when one of my good friends dropped off her little boy to play with Tyler (this was a good thing - he needed something to do!), brought me back a pizza for dinner when she picked him up and then took Tyler to her house to play for the afternoon. I spent the afternoon in bed with Ryan and then managed to get up just in time to go pick up Tyler. When I got home, James was working in the yard after being at the hospital since 6 am. He kept Tyler outside with him while I made dinner (if you can call throwing a pizza in the oven making dinner) and fed Ryan. After dinner, James did all the dishes - including all the dishes that had piled up since the night before - made brownies (and cleaned up everything after), swept and mopped the kitchen floor, vacuumed the family room and did a couple of loads of laundry. So thank you to both of you. I am so grateful for all the help and support - not only when I'm not feeling the best, but all the time.

This time out in Ohio has really taught me what it means to be a true friend. We are so lucky to be blessed with so many friends who have really become our family out here in Ohio. I am always so impressed with these women who I am blessed to call my friends. We are all, for the most part, very far from any family, have husbands that are very busy with school and/or work, and are raising at least a couple of small kids. It would be so easy to get wrapped up in our own lives, but instead, each of these amazing women look out for one another and find ways - sometimes small and sometimes big, but always appreciated - to help each other out. It's been amazing to me to watch and to learn from. I am truly going to miss these girls and the support system that we have when we move next year. I only hope that I can take what I have learned from each of them, and use it to bless the lives of the other women I come in contact with wherever we live next.

Come Again Grandma and Grandpa Evans

It was so fabulous having my parents in town for the weekend. We loved every second of it. We were all so grateful they were able to squeeze in some time to come visit and check out our lives in Ohio. James picked them up from the airport on Friday night and brought them home. Tyler looked out in the garage when they pulled up (like he does just about every night when he hears the garage door open to say hi to Dad) and he literally fell over with complete glee when he saw his Grandpa who he just adores and always has. If I was 3 and was able to express my feelings like Tyler does, I think I would have done the same thing. We loved having you here and can't wait to come see you in July in Salt Lake.

Ryan's Baby Blessing

The Sunday that my parents were in town also happened to be Fast Sunday, so we decided to have Ryan blessed that week at church. James gave Ryan a very nice blessing and it was extra special because my Dad was able to participate in it. We only wish that the rest of our families were able to be there, but it's hard to get everyone together when we live so far away. Thanks to Kathy (James' mom) for the darling outfit. Ryan looked so cute for his special day.

Tyler's Birthday

Tyler turned 3 on March 27th. We can hardly believe he is that old! My mom and dad flew in from Tokyo the next day, so we waited to celebrate with them. I don't know how he knew it was his birthday (I hadn't really said anything) but on Thursday morning, he woke up singing Happy Birthday and asking for cake. I told him we were going to do all that the next day with Grandma and Grandpa, and he seemed fine with that. However, after his nap, he was so sad when I told him that we weren't having birthday cake until the next day. Luckily, Dad came to the rescue and brought him home a cake after work.

On Friday, my parents plane was late, but Tyler was so patient. We spent the afternoon cleaning up the house and then blew up a bunch of balloons (according to Tyler, we had to have balloons to have a birthday party). During his nap, I made his birthday cake. I bought a bunch of the Toy Story characters from the Disney store and put them on top of his cake. He loved it! In fact he loved it so much, that he ended up being the only one who dared to eat his cake. He would pick up each little guy to play with, and then push it back into the cake to make them stand up again. By the time he was ready to eat it, the cake was pretty much mutilated.

He had a great birthday and we were so happy that Grandma and Grandpa were able to be there for it.

Tyler's Birthday

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!