Carving Pumpkins

It was pumpkin carving morning! Here are how the festivities went...Kendall was more interested in napping than helping.

Ryan made a huge deal about getting his hands dirty. He did help pull the stem out, but then...

...decided that eating a doughnut was much more fun!

After bribing Ryan with M&M's he finally put his chicken costume on to pose for pictures! Here are the 3 Muskateers making their very best "surprised" faces.

And Mommy got to sit in on a few pictures, too!

40 Days

Yesterday marked day 40 with Kendall. It really is amazing how quickly the time passes, and how quickly she is growing.

Here are a few things we've learned over the first 40 days:

- Kendall makes the cutest lip-puckering face when she's done eating. It makes me smile every time.

- Kendall is the sweetest baby ever!

- Kendall loves to make her Daddy change her diaper as many times as possible. Her record is 3 times in 15 minutes!!

- After a few rough weeks, Ryan really does love his sister. He starts singing to her when she cries, and always runs to check on her when she is crying.

- Balancing 2 kids is definitely more than double the work than 1 kid.

- Babies grow way too fast, and the days pass way too quickly.

- Kendall definitely has her Daddy's personality - laid back, easy going and very patient. Ryan has his Mom's - high strung and no patience at all. I hate to admit it, but it's true.

- A little extra television in a day won't kill us. Sometimes you have to do what it takes to make it through the rough days.

- We are so blessed to have two happy and healthy children.

A few days on my own...

David left for a short hunting trip on Tuesday. He'll be home tonight, and I'm definitely counting the hours until he returns. I'm so glad he could get away, as it doesn't happen very often. But I'm exhausted and am ready for some help. It was good for me to juggle the two kiddos on my own for the first time, but it's definitely challenging. Ryan has been pretty good, but his energy wears me out quickly!

We've had activities the last few mornings which has been the biggest challenge. It's been hard getting all three of us ready to go. There is a lot to juggle when you have a baby to feed, toddler to keep under control, and yourself to get ready. I'm tired from spinning in circles!! It's been a good challenge, but David can get home anytime!

The families from Ryan's Preschool have been bringing dinner by the last 3 nights which has been amazing. I get a knock on my door and dinner is delivered! Awesome!!

Ryan has been really good for the most part. Bedtime gets to be a little hairy. He usually needs his Daddy about then...I think he's just sick of Mom. Kendall has been great. She slept from 10:30-5:30 Tuesday night! You'd think I would be well rested, but I was up quite a few times making sure she was still breathing. I did everything exactly the same last night in hopes that she would sleep just as well...she didn't, of course. She did pretty good, though. She was up at 2:30 and again at 7:30 (it took Ryan over a year to sleep that well!!).

Anyway, I survived...but hope I don't have to do it on my own again for awhile. It does give me a new found respect for single moms. I don't know how they do it day after day.

Jen and Grace visit

We had a great time with Auntie Jen and Cousin Grace when they were here last week. Jen just took over and did everything! It was awesome. I didn't have to think the entire time she was here!! She stocked our freezer full of food so we won't go hungry for months, nor will we have to think about cooking dinner for quite some time. Doesn't get any better than that!

Ryan and Grace had a great time playing together. By the last day, they were fighting like siblings...which did get to be a little much for all of us adults! Ryan knew just how to push Grace's buttons.

We had a little birthday party for them since they are so close together. They thought their balloons, cupcakes and gifts were great!

It is so nice that we got to spend such quality time with them. I really enjoyed watching Ryan and Grace interact. Ryan is much more interested in his boy cousins when they visit, and poor Gracie gets left out. It was nice for the two of them to play and chat. I know the two of them won't get to have that one on one time again for quite some time.

Thanks for coming to visit us Jen and Gracie! We love you!!

The Diaper Chronicles

As many of you know, Ryan has been adamant about not going on the potty. Anytime we bring it up he responds with a, "I NOT". Many people have suggested we just wait until the newness of his baby sister wears off, so that is where we stand for now.

This week, Auntie Jenny took he and Grace to Target to run a few errands. He was very excited that she let him pick out his very own Diego big boy underpants. He proudly carried them through the store and promised her that he would go on the potty.

Of course, when he got home the his story changed. She tried everything to get him to try on those new underpants. He was not having it. Here is how the conversation went and ended:

Auntie Jen: "Ryan, can you try them on for me? Aren't they so cool? We need to see if they fit you".

Ryan: "My diaper fits".

End of conversation.

What can you say to that?!

Sweet Baby Kendall is a month old...

It's hard to believe Kendall is already a month old. She is such a good baby. We just adore her. She's very strong...loves to lift her head and see what is going on. She's also very wiggly. I think she's getting ready to keep up with her brother! It is unbelievable to David and I how easy she is. Ryan was never like this, so we feel like we're being spoiled! She only cries when she is hungry or when she has gas. I video taped her crying the other day just to give her lungs a little work out. David thought I was being mean, but those lungs need a little exercise don't they?? Her lower lip comes out when she's really sad, and it is so cute! You can view the video if you like!

Ryan is another story. He has been awful for us this week. David even gave himself a time out the other day. I know things are bad when Mr. Patience can't deal with him!! David seriously has the more patience than any one I know, so I knew it was time for me to step in and deal with the monkey!! We're thinking all the change has finally caught up with him. He won't nap, he won't go to bed, he argues with us about everything, and the list goes on! I'm very thankful I have my sister Gina to bounce things off of. She's went through the same thing with her son, so has lots of good advice. Hopefully her tips work!! I'm definitely going to try every one of them.

I'm also very thankful my sister Jenny and niece Grace are coming for a visit tomorrow! They will be here until Saturday so we'll have lots of back up!! Can't wait...

Kendall @ 3 weeks

It really is amazing how quickly the days fly by with a newborn in the house. How have 3 weeks passed already? Kendall continues to be the sweetest baby. She loves to cuddle chest to chest, and I fall asleep many nights snuggling with her like that. She loves bath time, too, and only cries when she has to get out of the water. Eating is another favorite. I can't get over how much that little belly can hold. She is so easy-going, quite opposite of her brother. I guess I deserve one that is a little more mild-mannered!

Ryan has been having some issues adjusting this week. He has taken to talking back and sassing his mother constantly. Remaining calm seems to work the best when dealing with it, but it is so hard when my blood is boiling! Hopefully it will pass soon.

We've been keeping him busy with daycare on Mondays and Co-op Preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He loves going to play with his friends. I went to a Co-op meeting last night, and got to meet many of the other parents for the first time. It was very refreshing to hear such great comments about Ryan from them. David goes with him, so I don't get to see him interact with the other kids. David has been telling me what a "rock-star" he is...very polite, a good listener, friendly with all the kids, etc...but it was great to hear it from the other parents, too.

We had a fun weekend with the Boehm's. They came to visit and meet baby Kendall. Ryan adores his Uncle Michael. The two of them had such a great time! Kendall was her charming self so everyone enjoyed a little snuggle time with her!! We celebrated Michael and Jenn's birthdays which Ryan loved. There is nothing he loves more than singing "Happy Birthday" and blowing out candles!

Kendall @ 2 weeks

Kendall had her 2 week check up today. She did great! She was back up to her birth weight...which surprised me. I was expecting her to be over 8 pounds. She's such a little piggy, and looks much bigger to me than the day she was born. Her cheeks and fingers are getting chubby! She had the long, skinny fingers when she was born and now they are quite plump. She's getting way too big...way too fast!

Thanks, Kassi!

Ryan's buddy (and my good friend) Kassi stopped over to visit us yesterday. She brought and made lunch for us, and most importantly kept Ryan entertained.! They ran ragged outside playing football and soccer. It was so great to have the extra help while David worked a long day.

We had to get a photo of the two of them in their purple Husky shirts!! What a duo!!

Thank God for Grandma Sue!

Grandma Sue came to visit us for 5 days. We loved every minute of her being here and only wish it could have been longer. It was so nice to have the extra hands when Ryan wanted to be outside and Kendall needed to be fed, someone to cook dinner for us, and someone to quiet Kendall when Ryan needed some extra TLC.

The three of us have been flying solo since Thursday, when David went back to work full time. We've been doing pretty good, but things kind of blew up on Saturday. Ryan refused to nap, and was a horrible listener for me. I would say black, and he said white. He was so sassy and naughty for me. I finally got him calmed down by rocking in the chair with me and Kendall. Then Kendall started projectile vomiting all over me. It was a circus!! Once we worked all that out, we all three took a nap together. Ryan looked so adorable sleeping in the chair. It's funny how he can be such a little tyrant one moment, and so adorable the next