. The Front Porch .

Super Trick

2012-01-26T20:57:00.001-08:00

If you look at pictures of Billy growing up there are many where Billy is doing this “super trick” to his younger siblings; particularly Sammy. It makes a lot of people nervous, even me at times, but he knows what he’s doing…at least let’s hope so.

Dani: 3 months old.

Visit to the Man in Red

2012-01-26T20:51:00.001-08:00

Ryan was old enough this year to understand Christmas and was super excited for Santa to come and to get presents. She helped me wrap all the presents and knew exactly which present belonged to which person. She kept saying that we couldn’t open the presents until Santa came and he was coming “in a little bit.” Daddy helped Ryan and Dani write their letter to Santa (and yes, Ryan did ask for a scary toy).

Our Christmas tree!

Dani’s Special Day

2011-12-17T22:14:00.001-08:00

On Sunday, December 4th we blessed Dani. It was a special day and we are so thankful for all the friends and family who were able to be there for the blessing. Billy did a great job and I’m thankful for the Priesthood. As I listened to the blessing and hold my sweet baby girl in my arms I’m reminded of the wonderful opportunity the Lord has given me to be a mother. He has entrusted these little girls in my care and I hope I can be a good mother and influence for good for them. I love them and am so thankful we are an eternal family.

One of Billy’s mission companions named Jeff Fuller recently moved back to AZ with his family. They live pretty close to us and we love having them nearby. They have some great mission stories!

Dani Jo Blair: 2 days shy of 12 weeks. Her blessing dress is really special. It was one of the last things my mom sewed before she passed away. It meant a lot to have Dani blessed in it. It’s beautiful!

More Thanksgiving

2011-12-12T21:13:00.001-08:00

Cute Ryan watching a Christmas movie!

Dani snugging with Uncle Pat

Lovin’ on Aunti Mimi

It was a lot of fun spending Thanksgiving with family. The girls went shopping on Black Friday. Boys went golfing on Saturday. Played and ate lots of food. It was great!

Cooking with Mom

2011-11-30T18:20:00.001-08:00

Ryan is definitely my little sous-chef. She LOVES to help me cook. At least once a day she asks me if I’m going to cook. We made a yummy chocolate crunch cake together for Thanksgiving weekend (specifically my dad and Donna’s 1st anniversary). I love my little helper and these special moments together!

Dance Class

2011-11-30T18:16:00.001-08:00

When Dani was born Billy and I wanted to enroll Ryan in some type of dance, gymnastics, etc. class. We found that there isn’t a lot that is offered for 2-year olds. Someone at church told me about a place called Club Dance that she took her girls too. I looked into it and at the beginning of November Ryan began dance class. The class covers tap, ballet, and tumbling and Ryan absolutely loves it!

Bath Time

2011-11-30T18:13:00.001-08:00

My cute little girls! Ryan thinks it’s the best thing having Dani take baths with her.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-12T12:29:00.001-08:00

So Halloween this year went a little different than I wanted. On Friday night, Oct. 28th I had some really bad stomach pains. They had started earlier in the afternoon and were bad enough that I called Billy and asked him to come home early from work. I thought I just needed a nap…I took 2 ibuprofen and took a nap with Dani. I woke up at about 5 feeling better. That night was our ward trunk-or-treat so I got the girls ready and headed over. We had a lot of fun, but I started to feel sick again as I was walking Ryan from car to car getting candy. I joke with Billy that people probably thought I was in a bad mood because I wasn’t saying anything and wasn’t too enthusiastic. At this point I was feeling nauseous and my stomach was cramping a lot. I ended up in the bathroom a short time later. I still thought I just needed to relax and went home and immediately got in the tub. The stomach pains were even more intense and at this point unbearable. I couldn’t stand up straight and could barely walk. Billy and I knew something was wrong and thought appendicitis, post-pregnancy thing, etc. My good friend Brooke came and got Ryan and Billy and I (with Dani) headed to the ER to figure out what was going on. By the time I got checked in I was in a lot of pain and I had a fever of 104. They did a CT Scan and found inflammation that was creating a blockage in my small intestine….we soon put it all together and realized I was having a Chron's flare-up. I was diagnosed with Chron’s disease 4 years ago, but haven’t had any symptoms since my diagnose and haven’t been on medication for over 3 years. To suddenly have a flare-up was so frustrating to me and brought about lots of emotions. They admitted me to the hospital and my body responded well to antibiotics and steroids. I was in the hospital until Tuesday, November 1. It was very difficult being away from Billy, Ryan, and Dani…I have only been away from Ryan 1 night until this so it was really hard, but I kept telling myself how I needed to be healthy. I’m feeling a lot better now…pretty much 100%. While no one knows 100% we are kinda concluding that having a baby, going from 1-2 kids, and having hormones going crazy kinda all tipped it off and caused a flare-up (it’s crazy what stress and hormones can do to your body). BUT I’m feeling great now!

Throughout this whole thing Billy and I have seen the Lord’s hand and many blessings. Obviously I’m not happy I had a flare-up, but the CT Scan showed the inflammation in the same spot it was 4 years ago….it hadn’t moved to other parts which is a wonderful blessing. I didn’t have a problem during either pregnancy. My body has responded well to medication and I’m feeling great for it being only 2 weeks later. The continuing medication is safe for breastfeeding and I found out it’s only going to cost $5 copay (this is amazing). We have seen miracles. I just want to say thank you to everyone who has been praying for me, fasted for me, etc. Billy also gave me a Priesthood Blessing. I know the church is true and I know the Lord hears and answers our prayers. I’ve seen it and am so incredibly grateful for a loving Heavenly Father.

I also want to give a shout out to Billy and Donna. Billy stepped right up and took care of our family. It’s a lot of work with a 2 year old and a newborn, but it didn’t even phase Billy. Definitely super dad! My dad’s wife Donna flew out Sat. night to help. She was amazing! She stayed until Friday night and helped clean, cook, play with grandkids, etc. I’m so grateful for these people in my life. Thank you! I love you!

So…that’s how Halloween went for me. I was sad not to see Ryan trick or treat, but know there are all the years ahead to be with her. She had a lot of fun getting candy!

Grandpa Pyper Comes to Visit…

2011-11-12T11:56:00.001-08:00

I am way behind on my blog…I have a ton to update on. I was really sick for a week (that’s another post later) so I’m playing catch-up now. My dad came to visit October 11-15th and it was a lot of fun. He was able to see baby Dani and was a big help…the grandkids loved playing with him too. :)

We played non-stop and Ryan was always worn out.

Grandpa with pretty Dani! Dani is 4 weeks in the picture.

We decorated sugar cookies one day.

Grandpa, Dani, Chelsea, Ryan

L-R: Tess, Dylan, Dani, Grandpa, Cali, Ryan

We went to a pumpkin patch one day and the kids loved playing.

Fun with Daddy.

It’s always so nice having family come visit! Thanks for coming Dad!

6 Years!

2011-10-22T12:51:00.001-07:00

Billy and I celebrated our wedding anniversary yesterday. It’s been 6 years! It was nice that it landed on a Friday night. My sister Natalie was really sweet and watched Ryan for us so Billy and I (Dani came along too) could go on a date. I finished reading The Help this week and loved it. I told Billy I wanted to see the movie. He suggested that we go see it for our anniversary. I look up nearby theatres and only 1 had it still playing in theatres and the only time was in the morning. Since Billy had to work yesterday I decided that we’d just wait and go see it when it moves to the dollar theatre and that we’d do something else instead. Being the sweet guy Billy is, he called me from work yesterday and said that he found a theatre in Awatukee that was still playing The Help and that he thought we should go. We grabbed dinner (fast food because we were short on time) and saw the movie. We opted to not get dessert after since Ryan had already been at my sister’s for over 4 hours…Billy made us milkshakes instead. It was a fun date and wonderful to have some time together..oh and if you’re wondering, Dani did awesome at the movie. Didn’t cry once!

I’m so grateful for Billy and the amazing man that he is. I’m so happy we have 2 beautiful girls and that we are an eternal family! I love you Billy!

My Favorite Things…

2011-10-22T12:37:00.001-07:00

The other day I saw Ryan holding her blank, her special balloon she got when Dani was born, sticker book (when I took the picture she put it down on the table), sunglasses on, and her bracelet on her arm (one of my hair things that she likes to call her bracelet). These are some of her all-time favorite things. I thought it was so funny that she was walking around while holding all of these items…I had to take a picture!

Fun in the Tub…

2011-10-22T12:32:00.001-07:00

All I have to say is that this little girl loves taking a bath!

Dani: 4 weeks old.

1 month

2011-10-22T12:29:00.001-07:00

I’ve been slacking at blogging lately…actually, there’s 2 words for it: Two kids! I started teaching preschool again this week and teaching preschool combined with a 2-year old, newborn, calling, and life I am so busy. Dani is now 5 weeks old, but Billy took these pictures at her 1 month mark.

The photo shoot didn’t start out too well.

Then it got much better and we got these super cute pictures.

This Year’s Picture…

2011-10-07T12:21:00.001-07:00

Every year Billy draws a picture on the whiteboard of his seminary classroom. The picture stays up all year. It takes many different thicknesses of permanent markers, a lot of patience, several hours, and a steady hand; but the final outcome is always marvelous.

I Love to See the Temple…

2011-10-07T12:16:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday we took Martha to the Temple to walk around the grounds. It was a beautiful evening. It’s finally starting to cool off in AZ. This is the weather Billy and I love and we can’t wait to start wearing winter clothes.

My sweet Ryan girl!

Dani is 2 days shy of 3 weeks in the picture. Ryan adores her. We definitely have to watch her every move (she’s already offered to help pick her up), but she’s learning.

Our family! It’s amazing to see the similarities and differences between Ryan and Dani. Dani looks a lot like Ryan did at this age, but her complexion is darker and her hair is a lot darker than Ryan’s was. Ryan would wake up every time you put her down to sleep; while Dani loves being snugged she does take naps on her own without being held. Billy and I are in love with these 2 little girls.

Grandma Blair Comes to Visit…

2011-10-07T12:07:00.001-07:00

Billy’s mom came to help last week. She was here for a whole week and we had a lot of fun having her. She made dinner for us just about every night and Ryan loved helping her cook. She played, read books, cooked, and did lots of snugging. Since I don’t have my mom here to help it was so nice having Martha here. Thank you for coming Grandma! We really appreciated all the help!

Football Season…We’re ready!

2011-09-25T10:51:00.001-07:00

Dani Jo Blair

2011-09-18T10:12:00.001-07:00

Dani Jo Blair joined our family on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 7:46 pm. She weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz. and was 19 3/4 in. long. It’s amazing how much instant love you have when you have another child. We are so grateful to Heavenly Father for giving us this beautiful baby girl to be part of our eternal family. Birth story to come.

Me and my girls!

Ryan was so excited to get Dani a balloon when she was born. She was talking about it for days before I gave birth. She kept saying, “Dani get a pink balloon. Ryan get red.” She’s very sweet.

Dani has been getting lots of presents and we wanted to make sure Ryan still felt loved and didn’t feel left out. Ryan went with Billy to “The Princess Store” (aka Disney Store) yesterday and they picked out some fun presents. So from Dani, Mommy, and Daddy Ryan got a Cinderella crown and matching shoes that light up (Billy said that she liked everything in the store that it was hard to get an idea of what she wanted, but once she saw the shoes she couldn’t take her eyes off them…he knew he found the winner). We also wanted her to have an actual toy to play with so she also came home with princess figurines to go along with some Cinderella figurines she got for Christmas. She’s been in heaven ever since!

First thing this morning (before even coming into our room) Ryan put on her Cinderella shoes!

Our beautiful Dani!

Crazy Hair!

2011-09-12T21:38:00.001-07:00

Just Talkin’ About the Weather…

2011-09-09T22:08:00.001-07:00

When I heard and saw this on the news this week it was music to my ears! Yes the high is still between 99-105, but I’ll take that over constant 110+ weather that we’ve been having for the past weeks; and it doesn’t get cool in the evening like it does in other places. This is better, but we’re sure looking forward to fall and lower temps.

Oh, and for all you wondering out there, no baby yet! I told Billy that the closer we get to my due date the chances just keep getting better and better that it’s the day she’s coming. Makes me feel better thinking that yes, we will have this baby; we will be holding her soon!

FRI

High: 105°Low: --°

Thunderstorms

9/9- 50% Chance of Showers and Thunderstorms

SAT

High: 99°Low: 83°

Thunderstorms

9/10 - 50% Chance of Showers and Thunderstorms

SUN

High: 101°Low: 81°

Partly Cloudy

9/11 - 20% Chance of Showers and Thunderstorms

MON

High: 102°Low: 81°

Partly Cloudy

9/12 - 20% Chance of Showers and Thunderstorms

TUE

High: 102°Low: 82°

Partly Cloudy

9/13 - 20% Chance of Showers and Thunderstorms

Source: abc15.com

Oh, Baby, Baby!

2011-09-02T14:44:00.001-07:00

Here’s another belly pic. I’m 37 weeks pregnant and starting to feel all those pregnancy symptoms you hear/read about. My dr. did an ultrasound last week to measure how big this baby girl is. It’s estimated that as of last week she was about 6 lbs. 3 oz. My belly definitely shows that this baby is taking up all the room I have. Ryan weighed 7 lbs. 13.5 oz. My dr. had the idea of possibly inducing me a week early since Ryan was almost 8 lbs., but for now, we’re letting her come when she wants. I’ve had a lot of contractions (some of which have made me nauseous and sick), backache (I think I was up for about 2 hrs in the middle of the night last night), achy, and other symptoms that I won’t mention here. Whenever I lay down Ryan instantly says, “Mommy sick? Need a dr.” and then proceeds to get out her dr. kit. She’s caught on real quick that mommy doesn’t feel very well sometimes at night. We’re excited for this little girl to come!

Daily Milkshake…

2011-08-29T11:00:00.001-07:00

While Ryan doesn’t get a milkshake everyday, she’s does enjoy milkshakes with her daddy a few times a week. Ryan loves this special treat with her daddy. If she has to go potty she’ll say, “I need to go potty. I get a milkshake. Daddy make it.” or it goes something like this:

Ryan: “Milkshake.”

Billy or Me: “You want a milkshake?”

Ryan: “Okay Daddy. Okay.”

Ryan will then proceed to tell us how we need the white ice cream, milk, and chocolate. There have been times when she’ll wake up in the morning asking for one, to which I explain to her that we’re not having a milkshake for breakfast, but maybe later when daddy comes home.

Last of the Vacation…

2011-08-17T19:24:00.001-07:00

We had so many pictures from our vacation and since I use our blog as part of our journal I always try to put information about the picture, location, etc. so I don’t forget. It takes a long time, so I decided to take a break from the vacation pics to document other things going on in our lives. Here are the last of the vacation pictures:

On Wednesday, June 29th we left Rexburg and drove to Ogden where my Grandma Pyper lives. I started to not feel well in the morning (due to being overly exhausted) and ended up feeling yucky and with a fever. I didn’t want that to ruin our fun so after a little nap and some tylenol to keep the fever down we took Ryan to the park to feed the ducks. She loved it! We ended the day with ice cream at Jake’s Over the Top.

On Friday, July 1st, we made a pit stop at my Uncle Bill’s. Him and his wife Janiel have 4 children. Alexa is 2 months older than Ryan and the other 3 are triplets that are about 10 months old. They are all so cute. Ryan loved running around with Alexa. We wished we lived closer; they would love to play.

We stayed the night at my Grandpa Butt’s home on Thursday, June 30th. It was fun visiting with them. Ryan loved the balloon she got from grandpa, playing with the train, and rocket balloons. This is a picture of me with Patty and Grandpa Butts.

On Thursday night we traveled down to Provo to our old stomping grounds. It was so much fun reminiscing about when we were dating and first married. We miss Provo because we have so many fun memories.

We also took a walk to Bridal Veil Falls. It was beautiful and reminded us why we miss Utah. Billy has been wanting to get a BYU shirt for a long time. We stopped at the BYU bookstore and got BYU shirts for the whole family, including baby sister.

Me and my cute little girl! I love her!

We flew out of Salt Lake and headed back to AZ on Friday, July 1st. I think the high we around 111 when we got home. We had a great time, but were happy to be back and in our own beds.

33 Weeks

2011-08-08T16:23:00.001-07:00

This picture was taken at 33 weeks. I’m 34 weeks pregnant now….6 weeks to go!

With a new baby coming Ryan got to transition to a big girl bed. She loves her bed. Her Yo Gabba Gabba bedding came last week and she loves it. You can see that her blank was even tossed to the floor the first night….no worries, it only lasted 1 night. It was right back snugging with her the next morning and every day since.

This picture makes Ryan look so big. We’re excited to have another baby join our family, but that means Ryan is getting big….I don’t know how I feel about that.

Blast from the Past…

2011-08-04T20:05:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday, June 28th we ventured up to Rexburg, ID. We had planned to travel from Boise down to UT and fly out of Salt Lake at the end of our trip. Billy thought it would be fun to reconnect with an old mission companion that lived in Rexburg. He made the plans, but didn’t realize at the time that Rexburg was 4 hrs. out of the way…not at all on the path to Salt lake. We almost cancelled the plans, but knew this opportunity doesn’t come around very often….we are so glad we made the trip to Rexburg. Billy’s companion Willy Twitchell and his wife Rhonda have 5 adorable children. They were so welcoming and Billy and I felt at home the instant we were there. It was as if no time had passed. Willy has a special talent in working with horses. They live on a ranch with about 45 horses that he trains and works with. Willy also teaches animal science classes at BYU-ID. It was a fun filled day. The kids played in the sprinklers, we went to Bear World, had dinner at a park during mutual, had fun traveling around the ranch seeing all the horses, and lots of great conversations. Thanks so much Twitchell Family. We had a great time. We’re hoping for a vacation to CA sometime in the next couple of years to connect again.

Ryan was not afraid of the animals at all.

Ryan had to have an adult with her on almost every ride. Billy was a great daddy who took her and the other kiddos on rides.

Our family! 28 weeks preggo in the picture.

Willy took Ryan for a ride on the horse and she absolutely loved it. She talked about the “black horse” for weeks.

Mission Companions….12 years later.

Hopscotch Preschool

2011-08-01T12:57:00.001-07:00

For the past week or so Billy has been venturing out late at night (because it’s so hot here) to put flyers on all the doors in the neighborhood and surrounding neighborhood. We still have openings available so if you hear of anyone looking and could pass my name along that’d be great!

A Visit to Star, ID

2011-07-31T19:06:00.001-07:00

My family reunion ended on Sunday and everyone headed home. It was a ton of fun. Billy went golfing and also went rafting down the Payette River (we thought best if I passed on that adventure). The girls got massages 1 day and I was also treated to a pedicure and little shopping. It was a lot of fun being with family.

Billy and I decided that we wanted to stay and make a longer vacation out of our trip. On Sunday we ventured out to Star where we had fun visiting with Aunt Jo and Billy’s cousin Annie and her family. Billy has so many memories growing up with Annie. They are just a year apart. We hadn’t seen them for a couple of years so it was fun being together.

Aunt Jo, Ryan, and Jason (Ryan got practice holding a baby)

Ryan with Annie’s kids: L-R: Ryan, Jason, Ryan (yes another Ryan), Natalie Jo

Annie, Billy, and Ryan

On Monday we all got together again and went swimming and had pizza. Thanks Annie and Adam for showing us a good time!

More Reunion…

2011-07-29T14:24:00.001-07:00

On Saturday evening (6/24) we went to Sandy Point and had a BBQ. It was a lot of fun. The kids loved playing in the water. We also played some fun “Minute To Win It” games.

Pat and Billy swam out to this big fountain in the middle of the lake.

Me and my love! I’m 27 weeks pregnant in the picture.

That night we enjoyed sparklers and setting off some fireworks. Ryan loved the sparkler; even though she didn’t realized it was hot after it stopped and touched it. For the next couple weeks she kept saying, “Hot, don’t touch firework.”

Hugs and kisses and more supervision and she was back at it!

Pyper and Mindy

Pyper Family Reunion Cont.

2011-07-22T16:42:00.001-07:00

There are so many pictures from our vacation. It’s going to take a few posts to blog about it all, so if you’re wanting to read about it, here’s more:

We took the kids to Settlers’ Park 1 evening and the kids loved playing in the water and on the playground.

Grandpa and Grandma got all the grandkids matching outfits and sunglasses. Here’s all the girls: L-R: Ryan (2), Ashton (couple months shy of 3), Presley (1), Pyper (4), Cali (4), and Tess (1)

Another photo shoot.

We were able to get some family pictures taken. It was so beautiful outside. Thanks to Alysha’s sister Mandi who was the photographer for us.

The whole gang (minus Kaz who just started a new job and had training the week of the reunion).

L-R: Back row: Chelsea, Ryan, Billy, Justin, Cali, Tess, Natalie, Dylan, Ashton, Pyper, Mindy, Pat, Presley, Emmy, Dad, Donna

Front Row: Brandon, Alysha, Melissa, Callen

Pyper Family Reunion 2011

2011-07-08T16:24:00.001-07:00

We just got back from a week and a half vacation. We were gone June 22-July 1st and it was absolutely wonderful. We hadn’t taken any trips since Christmas due to Billy’s injury so it was really nice to be able to leave the heat and take a vacation together as a family. Every year we have a Pyper Family Reunion with the immediate family (brothers and sisters) on my side. This year we decided to have the reunion at my brother Brandon’s home in Boise, ID. Billy and I had never been to Idaho before and we really loved it. Billy’s convinced that he might want to move there someday. There are so many pictures that it’ll take a few posts so enjoy!

Ryan loved the plane…that is until about the last 45 min. She hadn’t had a nap and was so tired. She kept saying, “I want to go home.” I had to include this picture because I found these purple converse shoes on clearance and she is so adorable in them….I also say that she has a shoe fetish, but I think it may be that her mommy is the one with the shoe fetish.

Idaho is like Utah; it doesn’t get dark until about 10:00 at night. Ryan was completely off her sleep schedule. The cousins played from sunrise to sunset…literally. I don’t think any of them went to bed before 11. She had so much fun playing with all her cousins. 6 of the 7 grandkids are girls and are all under age 4.

L-R: Ashton, Ryan, Dylan, Pyper (4 of the 7)

Because of all the snow, the water level was really high. This was a river that we stopped at as we were driving out of a canyon to let the kids have fun. The water was freezing cold, but it didn’t stop the kids from playing and throwing rocks.

Ryan and Grandma Donna.

Despite the freezing temperatures, all of the guys (including my dad, Alysha, and Emmy) took the challenge of going completely under the water. Billy took it to another level by floating from one part of the river to another. Despite how the water looks in the pictures, the current was actually really strong.

After putting mud all over grandpa, Ryan thought it would be fun to put mud all of herself too. She got the award for going neck down in water so we could clean her up….she was 1 cold little girl when she got out!

Father’s Day 2011

2011-07-05T15:47:00.001-07:00

For Father’s Day this year Ryan and I wanted to do something different. Instead of writing Billy a card or letter, we made him a poster card using candy bars. We also gave him Men’s body wash from Bath and Body Works. Ryan added her little touch at the bottom of the poster. She was sure happy it was Father’s Day and that Billy got a bunch of candy.

As you can tell it is really difficult to read the poster from a picture. We ate the candy and a poster is too big to keep, so for journaling purposes here’s what the poster said:

Dear Daddy,

We just wanted to tell you how much we love you. You are so much fun to be around. We love playing and have MOUNDS of fun. I SKORED big time when Heavenly Father let you be my daddy. We always have a GOOD time playing dinosaurs, kitchen, ponies, jumping pad, dancing, coloring, and much more. You are outrageously funny and my pride and JOY. Sometimes I can have BUTTERFINGERS and spill my drink or food, but you never get mad. I love when we go to the park, ride bikes, and look for bunnies. I’m your SWEETIE and your worth 100 GRAND (you’re a BIG HUNK to mommy too). You take care of our family and love Heavenly Father. I’m grateful our family is forever. You’re the best in all the MILKY WAY and we love you to PIECES. We are excited for BABY sister to meet you and see how lucky we are to have you for our daddy. Happy WHATCHAMACALLIT…of yeah, Father’s Day! We sure love you!

Love your 3 Bebe Snugs,

Mommy, Ryan, and Baby Sister

We love you so much Billy! Thank you for always taking care of our family!

Thursday…

2011-06-09T15:46:00.001-07:00

So Monday I watched my sisters kids all day, watched my friend's 2 kids for a couple of hours, add Ryan to the mix and the 6 of them wore me out. Ryan sure had fun though.

Tuesday I took Ryan to music time at the library where she had a blast dancing. That night it was our turn to help clean the church.

Wednesday I took Ryan to the summer movie program going on at Harkins.

So today I planned to stay home and get all my laundry done. I usually set aside 1 day to clean house, do laundry, etc. It's also a day to kinda relax and not worry about going anywhere. I even had dinner planned and was going to have it done all ready to eat by 5. Well...I put Ryan in panties to discover a short time later that she has diarrhea (luckily she told me she had to go stink so it was mainly in her panties). Into the tub she went. Cleaned the toilet, messy panties, and floor around the toilet. Didn't want to risk having another accident so into a pull-up she went. Cleaned. Did 1 load of laundry. #2 trip to the bathroom for Ryan. Luckily no bath required this time. Did another load of laundry. Found Ryan without a diaper on sitting on a blanket saying she needed a new one. Trip #3 to the bathroom. All the while smiling and saying, "It's okay. Good job telling mommy you had to go potty." Changed another load of laundry only to discover black/brown flakes all over the clothes (googled and found it is soap build-up). Inspected every piece of clothing to get all the flakes off. Ran a cleansing load through washer. Put the clothes through the washer again. Put Ryan down for a nap. What a day and it's only 3:30 pm...I sure hope my washer is cleaned (I still have a lot of laundry to do including the blanket Ryan decided to sit on after #3 accident in diaper) and that Ryan starts feeling better. What does the rest of the day have in store?

Another Birthday…

2011-06-07T14:31:00.001-07:00

We celebrated 2 birthdays in May. Billy’s was May 5th and I turned 26 on May 31st! I had a great day just spending time with family. Ryan and I helped Billy move all his work stuff to his new office (if you haven’t heard yet, Billy was transferred to a different high school next year. He will be teaching at Mountain View in Mesa. It’s about a 30 min. commute so no more coming home for lunch and riding his bike 2 min. to work. He’s been at Desert Ridge for 5 years so this is a big change for him….and the fact that he’s moving from a 2 man faculty to a seminary that has 10 teachers! He’s going to miss Desert Ridge a lot and being close to home, but he’s excited for this new change and learning experience).

After helping Billy move all his stuff we went to lunch at Firehouse Subs (1 of the many places that give free food on your birthday). Ryan and I enjoyed a nice afternoon taking naps and spending time together. We then went to Joe’s Farm Grill for free dinner and then stopped at Krispy Kreme for free doughnuts. It was great not having to do dishes! It was a wonderful day!

24 weeks pregnant

We were almost about to forgo the doughnuts, but we knew Ryan would love the treat. I think we even let her eat 2!

Our sweet little girl who’s getting big too fast!

Potty Training…

2011-05-28T08:54:00.001-07:00

Billy and I have been wanting to start potty training for awhile now. We knew Ryan was ready because whenever she’d pee or stink in her diaper she’d take it off and say, “stink.” I was a little nervous and selfish because really, how many moms (or dads…although dads are at work all day) like to clean up tons of accidents? We finally decided that once I finished teaching preschool for the school year that we’d start. I finished teaching last Thursday and potty training began on Friday. With the exception of going to the store, naps, and bedtime Ryan is in panties all day, which also means usually only panties. Instead of changing outfits I thought it’d be easier to just change panties if she had an accident. I’m happy to say that after 1 week she’s only had 1 stinkin’ accident. We’re still working on the peeing part. Luckily almost all the accidents have been on tile (with the exception of her peeing all over my kitchen counter yesterday…thank goodness for Kirkland Sanitizing Wipes). It’s only been 1 week, but so far so good. I know exactly what every mother is feeling when I hear/see stories about them running across the store to get to the potty…when they got to go, they got to go and don’t give much warning. Our goal is to have Ryan potty trained by the time the baby comes. Hopefully it won’t take that long.

Play Date

2011-05-27T16:33:00.001-07:00

Ryan had a play date with one of her friend’s named Brigg. Ryan and Brigg are about 1 month apart and are both in nursery together. When I told Ryan Brigg was coming she stood by the front door for almost 10 min. waiting. They had a blast playing together! Later in the the day she came up to me and said, “I want a friend…play.”

The following pictures were taken a couple months ago when Brigg came to play.

Happy Mother’s Day 2011

2011-05-20T14:48:00.001-07:00

Mother’s Day was wonderful. We were lucky enough to have our good friend Dave Clark come visit over the weekend; so it was fun having him celebrate this special day.

As I was eating breakfast in the morning Ryan came walking out with a very sweet letter and pictures from her and Billy. When Billy and I were dating Billy would often send me emails and the letter brought back so many memories and I absolutely loved it.

After church we enjoyed spending time together. Since Billy was still on crutches at the time I made dinner and dessert. I found this new recipe for strawberry shortcake and it was so yummy. Billy and Dave did make my dad nice by doing all the dishes. It was a great day!

I am so grateful for the mothers in my life. This marks the 2nd mother’s day without my mom. As I thought about my mom and all my memories of her I was overcome with how amazing of a woman she is. She did everything for us and was constantly serving others. She loved her grandkids and it makes me sad to think that she isn’t here to enjoy seeing Ryan grow and be here for the birth of our little girl in Sept. I know she’s here in spirit and I’m so grateful I have her watching over me. I love my mom.

Everyone needs their mom and I’m so grateful I have my other mom, Martha. It was so nice having Martha here for Easter. I actually got sick the first 2 days they were here and it was so nice having Martha here. She played with Ryan and helped so much. I’m grateful for her testimony and her love for me and my family.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy, Happy Birthday!

2011-05-20T14:34:00.001-07:00

So this post is old, but for journaling purposes I wanted to make sure I documented my hubby’s special day.

On Cinco de Mayo Billy turned 31! We were talking about our birthdays (we both have birthdays in May) a couple weeks leading up to Billy’s birthday and Billy commented that he felt like he was getting old….Billy has students getting married and some even having kids. We’ve been married over 5 years and it has flown by. Luckily, having 1 kid has helped us seem younger than we are. By all means we know we’re still young; we just aren’t in our earlier 20s anymore.

I was hoping to make Billy’s special day great, but preschool and a mother/daughter activity for my calling took up our day. We didn’t even get a chance to cash in on all the free food you get on your birthday. Billy was sweet enough to be the Priesthood leader at our mother/daughter activity in the evening and enjoyed a sub sandwich for dinner. I told him I’d make it up to him on my birthday and let him enjoy lots of free food.

I’m so grateful for Billy. He is such a supportive husband and wonderful father. He works hard so I can stay home with Ryan. He honors the Priesthood. He is my best friend and I love all the fun things we do together. I love you bebe snug!

Long Awaited Day…

2011-05-13T13:35:00.001-07:00

After 2 1/2 months I’m happy to report that Billy got the ok from the Dr. that he didn’t need to use crutches anymore. I don’t know who was more excited…me or Billy! Billy is still in a boot for the next 4 weeks, but at least he doesn’t have to haul around those crutches anymore. Happy day!

This picture was taken when Billy was still in a cast. Ryan would always pretend that she had her “crutches” just like her daddy. She would also put them by Billy’s crutches too.

Easter 2011

2011-05-11T14:24:00.001-07:00

We had a great Easter this year. We were lucky enough to have Billy’s parents come visit. Ryan absolutely loved playing with Grandma and Grandpa and kept asking about them after they left.

We took Ryan to an Easter egg hunt for church on Saturday. Ryan loved running around the park finding lots of eggs.

On Sunday she was really surprised to discover that the Easter bunny had come. We got a Berenstein Bears’ book about Easter at the library so she kinda had an idea about the Easter bunny. She loved finding her eggs; I think her favorite part was realizing there was candy in all of them. The Easter bunny also brought her a book and coloring book with markers (Crayola has these awesome markers that only color on certain paper….here’s to hoping Ryan can sit a little longer in Sacrament meeting).

We had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa Blair. Thanks for coming and visiting!

Pink or Blue?

2011-04-29T15:13:00.001-07:00

Last week we had my ultrasound to find out what the baby is…are we going to be seeing more pink or introducing blue to the family?

Well…the results are in….we are having another little girl! The ultrasound looked great and I’m starting to feel her move more and more. The baby isn’t “the baby” anymore. It’s a “she”. We are looking forward to having her as part of our family and the excitement of Ryan having a little sister. Billy had thought of a few boy names he liked, but we have no idea what girl names we like. Good thing we have 4 more months to think. She’ll be coming soon!

I took this picture on Easter. In the picture I’m 2 days shy of 19 weeks.

Cousins come to visit: April 2011

2011-04-20T15:40:00.001-07:00

My sister Mindy came to visit with her 3 girls. It was a lot of fun and the girls all loved playing together. One evening we went to the Visitors Center and saw an exhibit that had paintings from the Book of Mormon. The girls had a lot of fun running around outside. In Mesa, they always have an Easter Pageant every year. It’s a really big production and tons of people come out to see it. They were still rehearsing the night we were there, but we were lucky enough to see and pet a baby lamb. The kids loved it.

All the cousin girls: L-R: Ashton (2), Tess (1), Cali (4), Presley (1), Ryan (2), Pyper (4)

Sisters: L-R: Chelsea, Natalie, Mindy

This girl loves to Dance!

2011-04-20T13:40:00.001-07:00

Ryan loves to dance. Everyday she asks for music so that she can dance. She pulls all the cushions off the couch and jumps around on it. She loves “Yo Gabba Gabba” and if you’re familiar with the show at all they always have a dance time. We just got the one called “Dancey Dance Bunch” from the library and she wants to watch it everyday. I have a music set I got for preschool and Ryan loves to play the drums. I think music is definitely going to be something she loves throughout her life.

“I dancing!” (as Ryan puts it).

2011-04-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

Achilles Tendon: –noun Anatomy . the tendon joining the calf muscles to the heel bone.

No stretching + no warm-up + quick movements + basketball = completely torn achilles tendon = pain, surgery, crutches, long recovery, and no sports.

Illustrated:

March 19: 1 day after surgery

Ryan giving her daddy a snug March 6: 3 weeks after surgery

This pretty much tells what we've been up to lately. On Wed. March 9 Billy tore his achilles tendon playing basketball with some friends. He was in some pretty excruciating pain when it initially happened, but isn't in much pain anymore. He was able to find a good surgeon who specializes in sports injuries and was able to have surgery about 1 week after it happened...we were all happy about that. The sooner the surgery, the sooner the recovery could begin. He's had the cast changed every week so that the surgeon could remove stitches and move his foot (started downward and now about to a 90 degree angle/neutral so that the tendon could slowly stretch). Ryan's enjoyed seeing the different colored "socks" that he comes home from the Dr.'s office (we've had white, blue, red, and now black). Next week he will get the cast off for good and the recovery looks like this:

4 weeks in a boot with crutches, 4 weeks in a boot without crutches, normal shoe and physical therapy.

It's been an adjustment having Billy very limited in what he can do (for both of us), but we're doing good and Billy is a trooper. He took 1 week off of work and has been learning to use crutches while he teaches. He was really worried about playing sports again, but the surgeon was optimistic that if Billy is diligent in doing everything the Dr. tells him then he should be able to return to full athletic activity. It definitely makes us grateful to have healthy bodies that work properly. He should be good as new (well...walking) by the time the baby is born. :)

Thank you to all the prayers that went out on our behalf. Billy's recovery is going great. We really appreciate all the love and support.

Ryan's New Shirt :)

2011-03-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

Ryan wanted to share her new shirt with you.

Well...if Ryan's shirt didn't give it away, this belly picture sure does. Yes, we're expecting baby Blair #2 in September. I'm 14 weeks pregnant and due September 20th. I had morning sickness for the first trimester...hence part of the reason I haven't been very good at blogging. I'm feeling a lot better and had my first dr. appt. a month ago where we got to hear the heart beat! It definitely put a smile on our faces. We are so excited and grateful for this blessing in our lives. Ryan's is excited to have a little brother or sister (even though she doesn't quite understand that there is a baby in mommy's tummy :).

You've Had a Birthday, Shout Hooray!

2011-03-12T06:38:00.000-08:00

Ryan enjoying her lunch: french fries and Krispy Kreme Donut. :)
I was going to make Ryan a chocolate cake, but Billy suggested I make cheesecake (Billy much prefers that and pie over cake). Luckily, Ryan loves cheesecake and kept asking for, "Treat. Cheese."

We had some my sister and her family over along with some friends for a birthday party for Ryan. Ryan LOVES playing with her cousins.

Not the greatest picture, but I realized that I'm usually the one taking the pictures, so I had to get a picture with my cutie.

Ryan turned 2 on February 23rd. It landed on a Wednesday, which was nice because I didn't have to teach preschool so I was able to have fun with Ryan all day. We tried to make her birthday special for her by getting french fries as part of her lunch, Krispy Kreme Donuts (free on your birthday), and homemade mac and cheese for dinner. We had a birthday party the following Friday with my sister and close friends. She had fun and loves playing. I can't believe Ryan is already 2. It seems like we were just bringing her home from the hospital. Ryan is so much fun and we love watching her grow. We love you Ryan! We're so glad Heavenly Father sent you to be part of our family! Happy Birthday!

The Day For Lovers...

2011-03-03T14:02:00.001-08:00

Once again...I'm late posting about what's been going on in the Blair home. For Valentine's Day Billy and I went on a date...this was huge for us. Ever since Ryan was born we've had a hard time leaving her with other people....specifically teenagers. We trust leaving her with friends, but don't like to call on them all the time...we don't want to be people who only call their friends when they need a babysitter. When Ryan was first born having a teenager watch her was out of the question. Will they be kind to her? What if she cries? We didn't want a teenager to get frustrated if Ryan was having a hard time and get upset at her or even hurt her. We definitely have concerns. As she's gotten older we've become a lot more open to having a "teenage babysitter." We had something for Billy's work to go to in January and Billy assured me he'd get a great student to watch Ryan. Well...we did. We had a girl named Abby from our ward watch Ryan and both did awesome! Ryan didn't even cry. She played the whole time. It went so well that we had Abby watch Ryan again so we could go to a Valentine Party for Valentine's Day. It was nice to have a date with Billy and know Ryan was well taken care of. Twice in 4 weeks...we're doing pretty good! :)

For Valentine's Day Billy and I never get each other anything. In fact we rarely get each other anything for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, etc. Rather, we usually wait and buy a big item we want and call it good all year. We do still try to do little things. For Valentine's Day a friend had suggested doing "14 Days of Valentines." I attempted it...remembered about half the time; it was fun. Ever since we've been married Billy has always made me a Valentine CD. He finds songs on itunes that he knows I'll like and always makes a great cd.

I'm so grateful for Billy in my life. I love him so much!

2006: Maternal Jams

2007: Snuggling Girl

2008: You don't even love me!!

2009: For Ryan Too! (Ryan was born 1 week later)

2010: Valentines Day 2010

2011: The Littlest Bee Bee Snug

At his best...

2011-02-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

People that know Billy really well know that he is notorious for losing things. You might be thinking, "I lose stuff all the time." Well....Billy takes it to a whole new level. We have some really good friends that we hang out a lot with. Whenever we leave their house they always ask, "Have your wallet? Keys? Phone? Ryan? Wife?" It's part of the routine.
Here's a sample of some of the things Billy has lost:

Fell off at a camp out: Never found.

Lost a tent at a camp out. In his defense, it wasn't set up. Miraculously it was found by a friend who happened to do the same hike the next day....in snow no doubt!
Lost, multiple times. but thankfully found every time. Latest time: Lost when playing basketball on vacation.

Lost at a triathlon. Never found.

Left on top of car after getting gas on the way out of Lancaster. Realized when we pulled into a gas station in Mesa, AZ. Never found.

And the latest:

Billy needed to bring in his driver's license and social security card to work on Thursday so that the secretary could fill out a form for employment purposes. I spent 2 hrs. looking for this card on Wed. with no luck. I found mine and Ryan's no problem. I didn't know if I lost it or Billy lost it or what. We knew not to leave it in our wallet, but could it have been in his wallet when he left it on top of the car? Identity theft? Oh no! We got bigger problems now.

Billy left work early drove to North Phoenix to the Social Security Office so that he could get a new one. It was there, sitting in front of the lady helping him, that he realized he might have left it in his Passport. He was too embarrassed to look then (he had his passport with him so he could get a new card), but as soon as he walked out the door he looked and low and behold, there it was tucked in 1 of the pages at the back. He remembered he had put it there when he went to get his new driver's license from when he lost his wallet (the irony). By the way, he's getting a new card in 5-10 days.

We've been laughing about it ever since. Yes, Billy loses things, but I sure love the guy!

Still Blogging About Christmas

2011-02-11T12:16:00.001-08:00

Ryan got this kitchen set for Christmas and she loves it.

You're probably thinking, "Still haven't posted everything about Christmas?" You're right. I have neglected my blog for almost a month now...even this afternoon, I put Ryan down for a nap, checked my email, no preschool today so a nap sounds really good, but I know I really should be updating my blog...so here I am. We spent almost a week in Lancaster after Christmas so we were able to do lots of fun things. Ryan loved making banana bread with Grandpa and Grandma. Having a 1 year old help really slows down the process and messes are made, but it always makes Ryan so happy when she gets to help. Thank you to Grandpa and Grandma for making her day, esp. since she woke up that morning with pink eye.

The Hike: Devil's Punchbowl

2011-01-21T15:30:00.000-08:00

While in Lancaster we went hiking at a place called Devil's Punchbowl. Billy's cousins from Clovis came to visit while we were there and we all went hiking. We didn't leave until late in the afternoon and it got dark and cold quick. We still managed to hike around for about an hour. Ryan was cold...we told her we were going to take a picture so she popped up long enough to say, "Cheese."

This picture was taken at the very end of the hike. Ryan was such a trooper. She was so cold by the end that she buried her head in Billy's jacket to stay warm.

Ryan loved playing with her cousins while we were there. They were really sweet to her. (L-R: Ammon, Jo Jo, Jeremiah, Ryan).

Cassie's cute boys: minus Dexter.

These pictures are out of order, but here's a picture of the kids at the beginning of the hike.

Christmas in Lancaster 2010

2011-01-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

We headed up to Lancaster late Christmas Eve. Ryan loved playing in Grandma's garden.

Ryan enjoying a piece of See's candy chocolate. Yum!

Ryan loves to color and believe it or not, didn't have a coloring book. Mommy and Daddy fixed that problem for Christmas. Ryan enjoying coloring with Grandma.

Ryan happily enjoying her toys on Christmas morning. It was a lot of fun seeing Ryan get all excited about her toys. She knew the tree was special, but didn't really understand that you got presents on Christmas. It only took opening a couple of gifts to realize that she got new toys. She would start opening a present, smile, and exclaim, "Toy!" It was really cute.

Billy checking out what Santa brought. We had a wonderful Christmas. We enjoyed spending it with family and reflecting on the birth of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are so grateful for the gospel and our many blessings. We hope you had a great Christmas.

Christmas in Brea 2010

2011-01-14T13:06:00.000-08:00

We headed down to CA on Tuesday night, 12/22. In attempt of staying on our "schedule" we spent Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with Billy's family. It seems like it's non-stop going whenever we take trips to CA, but we had a lot of fun. My dad got remarried over Thanksgiving this year so it was a unique year combining families and traditions for Christmas. On Christmas Eve we went to LA to help an organization get ready to feed many, many people (that didn't' have money for Christmas dinner and presents ) on Christmas. We pretty much cracked enough eggs to fill the biggest pot I've ever seen and pour many cups of juice. It was a fun experience and a great feeling serving others.

On Christmas Eve Ryan opened her presents from Grandpa Pyper and Grandma Donna. She got a cooking set for her kitchen and she loves playing with it.

Ryan also loved playing with her cousins Pyper and Ashton. All 3 got a Cinderella Princess set from Uncle Pat and Aunt Mindy.

Opening their presents.

The 3 cuties, subtract little Presley. L-R: Ashton (2), Pyper (3), Ryan (1). It was so much fun seeing family and hanging out with everyone. I was able to spend some time with my sister Mindy, which was a blast. We left wishing they lived closer. Donna and her kids have a tradition of eating sushi on Christmas Eve. They cooked up some grilled chicken and salmon and made authentic sushi of raw tuna and salmon. I didn't eat the sushi, but the grilled salmon was delicious. Billy loved the sushi....a tradition we gladly adopted.

Temple Lights

2011-01-12T14:43:00.000-08:00

I am way behind on my blogging these days...and it's a new year! About a week before Christmas we went to see the temple lights with our good friends the Buckwalters. There was a ton of people there who had the same idea as us. We went to Pete's Fish and Chips before (which we are going to have to make a tradition...it was delicious) and then headed over to the temple to see the lights.
Our friends the Buckwalters.

The lights were beautiful and we were so glad we went.

Helper in the Kitchen

2010-12-17T13:01:00.000-08:00

It looks like I passed on my love for cooking to my daughter....she loves to be in the kitchen helping. She knows where everything is...spices, oven mitts, mixing spoons, cups, etc. Yesterday she helped me make cookies. Yes, whatever is out usually gets mixed together, it takes me twice as long to add ingredients, and stirring usually results in foods everywhere, but the smile on Ryan's face makes me love every minute of it!
Can you tell Ryan loves the camera. She recently learned to say, "cheese!"

A Big Weekend...

2010-12-03T13:38:00.000-08:00

We usually stay home for Thanksgiving, but this year we flew to CA to spend Thanksgiving with my family. We also came for a special event, the marriage of my Dad and Donna. My dad met a wonderful woman named Donna and they were married the Friday after Thanksgiving (11/26). They got married at a place called Cannons Seafood and Grill in Dana Point. It was a beautiful wedding with an amazing view of the ocean. Donna has 2 children both around my age and it was fun having everyone together. We are happy to have them part of our family. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the happy couple, but I didn't manage to get pictures of mine and Mindy's families!

My sister Mindy with her cute family. Pyper and Ashton got the flu the night before...they were darling at Grandpa's wedding, but didn't feel too good.

More Halloween

2010-12-03T13:26:00.000-08:00

Since Halloween fell on a Sunday this year we decided we wouldn't go trick-or-treating, but would let Ryan go to the neighbor's homes on both sides of our house. We knew they would love to see Ryan in her costume. Apparently you only have to go to a few houses to get a bucket full of candy. At one of our neighbor's house they told her to take as much candy as she wanted....she kept putting candy in her basket that I had to stop her. :)

We learned that Ryan LOVES suckers.

Halloween 2010

2010-12-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

I sitting at my computer right now while Ryan is taking a nap. I just uploaded a ton of pictures from my camera and there is A LOT of updating I need to do to our blog. I'm really late at posting these, but here are pictures of Ryan at Halloween. She was a fairy and loved getting candy. She was so cute in her costume. We went to our ward trunk-or-treat and she didn't quite know what we were doing. After she got candy from 1 person she was on board. She went to each person and said "treat" and "thank you".

Helping Daddy pass out candy. We participated in the chili cook-off and pumpkin contest. Billy carved this pumpkin that's supposed to be our bishop.

I love those big eyes!

5 Years!

2010-11-11T22:30:00.000-08:00

2005: Yosemite National Park

2006: Brea, CA

2007: Our Home, Mesa, AZ

5th Anniversary!

2010-11-11T22:18:00.000-08:00

2008: Grand Canyon

2009: Okinawa, Japan

2010: Our Home: Mesa, AZ
(I love how Ryan got in the picture)

On Thursday, October 21st, Billy and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary! As I looked at pictures of us over the past 5 years it was fun to think about all the memories we have. Our anniversary landed on a Thursday so we decided to celebrate on Friday. Everything kinda changed when our friend that was going to watch Ryan called that morning to tell me she had the flu. We celebrated our anniversary as a family instead. :) We went to Buca di Beppo for dinner where we ordered food that was way too spicy for either of us to enjoy (I even asked the waitress if it was too spicy for Ryan and she said that the sausage was spicy, but the sauce was a marinara sauce and would be fine for Ryan...obviously she hadn't tried it before). Since our dinner didn't turn out very good we had to end with a tasty treat. We shared a slice of pumpkin cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory and it was divine. Even though the dinner didn't turned out so great we still had a fun night together and loved having Ryan with us!
I'm so grateful for a wonderful husband who takes good care of our family. I'm so grateful we are sealed in the Temple and that Ryan is sealed to us. We're happy and we look forward to the years ahead! I love you Billy!

Melissa & Callen's Big Day: 10/9/10

2010-11-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

My sister Melissa got married over Fall Break so we decided to make a little vacation out of the trip. I flew to CA on Thurs. night so that I could be there with my sister when she went through the Temple for the first time. I was also able to help with the flowers and other things that needed to be done for the wedding. Melissa and Callen were married in the San Diego Temple on Sat. morning. We drove down to San Diego Fri. night and met Billy and Ryan there who drove from AZ. The ceremony was wonderful and it was a beautiful day. I know my mom was able to be with us and share in this great day!

My dad got all the girls matching dresses. They were so cute. Pyper loved Ryan and was so sweet to her.
After the wedding we ventured up to Brea where Melissa and Callen had their reception. Billy's parents made the trek down from Lancaster to help watch Ryan and the other kids. A big thank you to them for making the drive and taking the time to help so that Billy and I could both be in the Temple....although for an opportunity to see their granddaughter; I don't think they had a problem coming at all!

Daddy Date/Mommy Date

2010-10-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Billy had a daddy-daughter date when I was at a Stake Activity Day about a month ago. I came home to them playing in the water. Ryan adores her dad. When Billy gets home from work it's pretty much, hi dad and bye-bye mommy (literally...when she and Billy are doing something she waves to me and says bye-bye).

Ryan desperate to get wet in the 105+ weather every day during the summer. We don't have a pool so we improvise. :) Let's just say she LOVES to help wash the car because she knows she gets to get wet!

Ryan and I got to have our mommy-daughter date too. Ryan loves to paint her toenails so we made our way over to Ulta where her and I picked out 5 new colors. She was so excited. I love my girl!

Shots are Never Fun

2010-10-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

Ryan got her flu shot about a month ago. She did so well and didn't even cry. Afterwards her and I got Jamba Juice....pretty much her favorite thing ever!

Same Place, Different Time

2010-10-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

I had to post these pictures because the picture below reminded me of the picture above. Last month we went on a little nature hike near the Superstition Mtns. We went on this same hike when Ryan was 6 months old. Of course we had to take a picture in the same spot. It was nice to be outside as a family.

Ryan is 19 months in this picture. Notice, Billy is wearing the same shirt and same hat...not planned...apparently Billy needs to expand his wardrobe.

Fun with Cousins

2010-10-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

Ryan LOVES playing with her cousins. She'll run to the door if I tell her they are coming over. If I tell her we're going to their house, then she instantly goes looking for her shoes, my shoes, and Billy's shoes so that we're all ready to go.

Dylan and Cali are very sweet to Ryan and always let her play with them.

Me and my cutie. I realized that I'm usually the one taking the pictures, so of course I had to start documenting my time with my baby. Ryan is 19 months now. She is getting so big and starting to say a lot of words. She can say: daddy, mommy, more, keys, shoes, socks, outside, come, get, you, please, bye, hi, baby, where, oh no, uh oh, it, go, mama, dada, and a few more I'm sure I'm forgetting at the moment. We sure love her!

"Foo Foo Dress"

2010-09-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

To Grandma & Grandpa Blair

2010-09-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

Ryan received a special package in the mail last week....she got this "foo foo dress" from her Grandma and Grandpa Blair. She was so happy when you put it on and knew she was special. Ryan loves getting all dressed up. She calls it her "pretty." She loves shoes, hair bows, nail polish, etc....definitely a girl! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Blair!

Billy dressed Ryan in her "pretty." Side note: I can't believe my baby is wearing 18 mo. clothes. She's getting so big. I want her to stay little so one day I pulled out this 12 mo. shirt and had her wear it for the day. It didn't fit; her tummy showed; but to me it made her still my little baby and I liked that.

Mommy getting Ryan dressed in her "pretty."

I love that little smirk!

18 months

2010-09-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Ryan is 18 months! She went to nursery for the 1st time a couple of weeks ago. She did great and had fun until she noticed mommy and daddy weren't there (3rd hr.). She came to R.S. with red eyes and wanting to snug. Ryan loves to help. In the picture she is cleaning giraffe with a baby wipe....after mommy found giraffe inside the diaper champ with all the dirty diapers.

At least once everyday I find Ryan playing with the diaper champ, trying to put clean diapers inside. Notice giraffe is on the changing pad getting her diaper changed. Silly Ryan!

Long Over Due...Preschool

2010-09-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

I have a good friend who teaches preschool. She decided that she was going to go back to work and was able to get a job teaching Kindergarten at Noah Webster (the school I used to teach at). She already had students signed up for preschool and didn't want to leave them without a teacher. She asked me if I wanted to start my own preschool and take her students. I was really interested and this opportunity made starting my own preschool pretty easy...it was like being handed students without having to recruit. I really liked that.

After careful thought and prayer Billy and I decided that we would do it. I have my degree in education and teaching experience so it went pretty smooth getting it ready. Needless to say I'm teaching 3 and 4 year olds, not 1st graders. It a challenge coming up with a curriculum, themes, and schedule. My friend provided me with a lot of resources which was really helpful. I'm following the Gilbert School District calendar and have been teaching for 3 weeks now. I teach 2 days a week, only in the afternoons (12:30-3). It's not a lot of time, which works perfectly with being home with Ryan. A big determining factor in teaching preschool was Ryan. I wanted to be able to teach effectively without neglecting my students or Ryan. I have a good friend whose son comes to my preschool, which is great because she watches Ryan for me while I teach. I love having preschool in the afternoon because Ryan takes a nap for almost the entire time at my friend's house. It's working out really well so far. This year is a trial year to see if I want to keep doing it.

I'm grateful for this opportunity to teach children. I love watching my students as they learn their letters, sounds, sing songs, etc. They get so excited. It makes me feel good that I am able to be an influence and teacher in their lives, even if it's simply their time in preschool. It also provides a little extra income for our family. I'm grateful for Brooke who takes such good care of Ryan while I teach.

I wanted to take before and after pictures of our dining area, but forgot. Our home is pretty much part home, part preschool. I finally gave into this idea when I realized that our office wasn't going to suffice as a preschool room. Everything on the walls in this area came down...mirror, candle holders, family picture, and temple picture. I also had a beautiful glass cabinet that was my mom's that was moved into my bedroom.

This table to also gone....it's in the garage with an ad on craigslist.

The after shot...Hopscotch Preschool! I ordered a bigger table, but it didn't come in until this week, so I borrowed my friend's table.

Like many other preschools, my goal is for my students to learn all their letters, sounds, numbers, shapes, colors, and a few other things in between. It's only been 3 weeks...so far, so good...we'll see how the rest of the year goes!

Vacation to Lancaster

2010-08-22T22:37:00.001-07:00

In July we took a short trip (7/21-7/26) to Lancaster, CA to visit Billy's family. Billy's brother Rick and his family were on their way to Pensacola, Fl after living in Okinawa Japan for 3 years. They made a pit stop in Lancaster to visit for 2 weeks. We thought it would be a great time to visit family and have Ryan be able to play with her cousins. We were all together, except for Elder Blair (who returns from his mission tomorrow :). Sorry about the picture above. It's the right way on my computer, but after I downloaded it onto my blog, it turned like this. I can't rotate it either. It's a cute one of the kids in the bath so I had to add it. On Monday we went to Little Rock Dam to play in the water. The water was really cold, but we still had fun.
They had a fun rope swing too. Rick and Billy had to out due everybody by climbing to a high branch at the top of the tree and then jump off.

Ryan getting some snugs from Uncle Rick.
All the grandkids: L-R: Jeremiah, Dexter, Eddie, Will, Ammon, Evelyn, Jo Jo, and Ryan.
We went to one of Billy's good friend's (Spud) house on Saturday night for a delicious dinner. They have a little girl named Lucy that is about 1 month younger than Ryan. They had fun playing together.

Ryan loved playing in the water and helping Grandpa water the plants (actually sidewalk).
Ryan and Grandpa water the grass.
On Sunday we went and said hi to Coach. Ryan was a little nervous, but it was great to see him. He knew who Billy was. Billy is named after Coach, William Reynders.
Ryan and Grandma having some pie. We went to the beach the day before and we all got pink. I blew it and didn't reapply sunscreen after a few hours. Luckily it turned into a nice tan a few days later.
On Thursday we went to Marina Park. Ryan loved the beach and playing in the sand.

We found this huge sand crab.
Our family. I love Billy and Ryan. They make me so happy. We had a fun time and always enjoy visiting family.

Sorry for the late post...more to come soon....Preschool!

Trying to Find Time...

2010-08-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

I was trying to be really good at updating my blog every week since I consider it part of my journal, but the last few weeks have been full of TONS of stuff going on. We took a quick trip to Lancaster, which I'll post pictures about soon. Since then, it's been Preschool. I'll give details later, but long story short, I'm starting a preschool out of my home. It's 2 days a week, only in the afternoons. Because of this new development, I have been so busy trying to get ready. My checklist seems to be getting longer, not shorter. This past weekend went like this: Staples for supplies, Ikea for toy bin, Lakeshore for laminating and more supplies, home, to Costco (arrived at 6:02, door shut on me..I was ticked), wash car, make dinner, Ryan to bed, tidy up house, Billy and I eat dinner, bed. Sunday was spent putting up posters, assembling storage bin, cutting stuff that was laminated. Monday: errands to Staples, Toyota Dealership, Target, Tuesday Morning, Library. It's finally coming together, but I still feel like I have SO much to do. As soon as I'm done, I'll update on everything that's been going on.

Oh, What do you do on Vacation?

2010-07-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

So usually when you go on vacation it's relaxing and full of lots of fun activities. Well....we decided to do it differently this year. We have been a 1 car family for almost a year, driving a 1998 2 door Honda Civic. Billy works really close to home so he usually rides his bike to work everyday (about a 2-min. ride), making the 1 car family really not that bad...we were saving in insurance and gas...who can argue with that? We finally decided it was time to get an additional car. After a lot of research we decided on a Toyota 4Runner with a 3rd row seat. We started looking. The 1st dealership we went to had 2 that we liked on the lot, both with a 3rd row. They told us that the 3rd row was really rare and that it was amazing that they had one, blah, blah blah. We thought they were just trying to make a sell, so we left. Besides, we didn't want to buy the 1st car we saw. We went to another dealership that told us the same thing. We went back to the 1st dealership the following week and both cars were gone. We then called every Toyota dealership in AZ and nothing. We did this every week for several weeks and nothing. We even called dealerships in CA and UT that told us the same thing..."You know that it's pretty rare to find one." "Yes, we know." "Would you be interested in this other car?" "No. This is what we want." While at our family reunion in UT we found this one at one of the dealerships. Toyota 4Runner. 3rd row seat. Year we wanted. Mileage we wanted. Price we wanted. Even the color we wanted. Billy did all the wheeling and dealing and gave me the keys to my new car. We love it! We haven't purchased a new car since we've been married so this was a pretty big deal. It couldn't have come at a better time...the A/C in the Honda went out the next week...Billy gets to drive that. Hopefully our next vacation will be a little less stressful.

A Special Week...

2010-07-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to write about this all week....

Last week was a special week for my family. On July 4th it marked 1 year since my mom passed away. 2 days later, on July 6th, it was my mom's 51st birthday. When 2 events like these happen in the same week, there is bound to be lots of emotions and reflection. As we watched the fireworks on the 4th of July while we all celebrated freedom, I also celebrated my mom's wonderful life. This past year has brought lots of memories of my mom...each holiday I thought about how I wished she were here. My mom loved to decorate, do flower arrangements, sew, draw, remodel, etc....I honestly can say I don't think there is anything my mom couldn't do. I remember her sewing dresses for school dances, sewing dresses for grandkids, making quilts and fuzzies for someone in the ward, doing flowers and decorations for weddings, designing blessing dresses, helping my mom put insulation on the roof before we got a new one, redoing kitchen cabinets, remodeling the bathroom, fixing cracks (I grew up in CA where there are earthquakes), and making the home I grew up in beautiful. I remember her fixing numerous pairs of Billy's pants.
I think the hardest part is the thought that she will not be here to see my sister get married, see future grandkids, and be a part of my life. I still have her phone number in my phone. My mom is a wonderful example of faith. She has a strong testimony of the gospel. She is always willing and ready to help anyone.

I don't think anyone is ever prepared to have someone pass away. But, I do know that Heavenly Father has a plan.

President Joseph Fielding Smith stated: “May I say for the consolation of those who mourn, and for the comfort and guidance of all of us, that no righteous man is ever taken before his time. In the case of the faithful Saints, they are simply transferred to other fields of labor. The Lord’s work goes on in this life, in the world of spirits, and in the kingdoms of glory where men go after their resurrection.” (Address given at the funeral of Elder Richard L. Evans, 4 November 1971, p. 1; see also Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, pp. 103, 105.)

I miss her. I love her, but find comfort in the plan of salvation. I know that families can be together forever!
One of my sister's wrote a post about my mom. Although I cry every time I read the ending, it is beautiful:

"With regards to my mom's passing... as Becky Green so eloquently expressed in the eulogy that she gave at the funeral...

I am standing on the seashore...

A ship spreads her sails to the wind and starts for the ocean.

I stand watching her until she fades on the horizon and someone at my side says 'She is gone',

'Gone where?' I ask. The loss of sight is in me, not her.

Just at the moment when someone said 'She is gone' there are others who are watching her coming.

Other voices take up the glad shout 'Here she comes'..."

We love you Mom!

Family Vacation 2010 and Escape from the Heat

2010-07-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

Father's Day 2010. I know I already did a post about Father's Day, but I forgot to include this cute picture of Billy and Ryan on Father's Day.

My dad bought Ryan, Cali, Ashton, and Pyper these cute little dresses that they all wore to church on Sunday (L-R: Cali, Ryan, Pyper, Ashton).

Dad with all 7 grandkids. They kept him busy and tired. Poor Dylan...the only boy :) L-R: Dylan, Pyper, Ryan, Tess, Presley, Cali, Ashton

While everyone went home Sunday evening Billy and I decided to stay a few extra days and spend time together as a family. We stayed until Wednesday night. My sister Mindy and her family decided to stay too, which made for some fun time together. Mindy and I took the kids on the gondola. They loved it. I think Ryan thought they were airplanes (partly my fault) and kept pointing at them and wanted to go on them. Once we got to the top you could take this ski lift up to another high point. I took Pyper and Ryan on the ski lift. I was a little nervous at first because we weren't enclosed and I was with 2 kids ages 3 and under, but it was a blast.
The top of the mountain had a restaurant and places to hike around. Pyper, Ryan, and I went for a walk, played in some snow (yes snow in June), and threw rocks in the stream.

Mindy's birthday was on Tuesday (6/22) and Pat surprised her with roses and breakfast. What a sweet hubby. Happy Birthday Mindy! We already miss you guys and want you to come visit (that is, after the summer when the temp. is less than 100 everyday).

While in UT Billy, Ryan, and I went to BYU and drove around where we used to live; the apartments we lived in when we met, first apartment when we got married, Provo Canyon, Aspen Grove, hiking spots, intramural fields, 24 hr fitness, Goodwood Barbeque, etc. It was very nostalgic and brought back a flood of memories from when we lived there (we moved to AZ 4 years ago). The weather was great and we love Provo for all the memories. As the plane landed back in AZ Wednesday night the flight attendant announced that the temperature was 108...when's our next vacation?

Pyper Family Reunion 2010

2010-07-03T21:13:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago (6/16-6/20) my family had a Pyper Family Reunion in Park City, Utah. After my mom passed away we decided that we wanted to have a family reunion every year as a remembrance of her. This year we decided to do it in Park City, UT; the same place we did last year when my mom passed away. Other than some ideas about things to do from the kids, my dad pretty much planned the whole thing. We all flew up Wednesday night. We stayed at The Canyons where my sister Mindy and her husband have a condo. The guys play golf, girls got massages, went swimming and hot tubing a lot, horseback rides, pony rides, NBA Finals, ate lots of good food, and lots of other fun things. We also went to a Talbot Family reunion in Logan where we were able to see Grandma Blanche and lots of other family members. We mom's family was also having a family reunion that same weekend. We were able to spend one evening with Grandpa Butts and Patty and all of my mom's siblings. We were busy, but had a lot of fun. We all went home Sunday evening.
Ryan loved the pony ride. She was a little hesitant at first, but after a couple of times around she has having the time of her life. After she got off she kept trying to walk back in with the horses.

Fun at the Talbot Family Reunion.
They had some games and races for the kids.
Taking a break.

We were able to get a family picture. We also spent Father's Day in UT. It was a special time that we were able to be together. Thanks Dad!
(L-R: Pat, Presley, Mindy, Ryan, Chelsea, Billy, Cali, Ashton, Pyper, Dad, Brandon, Alysha, Dylan, Justin, Melissa, Tess, Natalie)

Happy Father's Day 2010!

2010-06-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

We spent Father's Day in Park City, Utah this year. It was a fun vacation and we really enjoyed getting away from the heat for about a week (it was 110 when we returned). I am so grateful for Billy. He is a wonderful husband and father. We have a lot of fun as a family and are so glad he is the Patriarch of our family. Ryan absolutely adores him and usually follows him around everywhere he goes. Lately, she's been even more of a Daddy's girl then usual; for instance these last few weeks when we're getting her ready for bed she insists on snuggling with her Dad. Yesterday, Ryan and Billy were playing in the pool. I came outside to join them and sat down on Billy's lap. Ryan immediately came over and tried to push me off because she wanted all the love. Billy is kind, loving, and unselfish. We love you!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-06-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my 25th birthday a couple of weeks ago. It landed on Memorial Day which made it a really fun day since my dad was in town and Billy had the day off. My brother-in-law Justin also had his birthday the following week so my sister surprised us both with dessert the night before.

We BBQ and went swimming for my birthday. My friend Shalean also surprised me with a birthday cake. It was a fun day just hanging out and having fun. Since we have 2 big purchases coming up Billy and I agreed not to get anything for each other for our birthdays. Well Billy is sneaky and surprised me with a couple things I've been wanting to hang on the walls. According to him, "It was just something little." I had mentioned that I wanted a laundry sign for my laundry room and that I had seen this cute hanger for keys. I mentioned this awhile back and that's what he came home with. I love this guy.

Ryan loving the water.

My dad never fails. Roses on my birthday!

Ryan's New Toys...

2010-06-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

Ryan love, love, LOVES her Daddy! She loves anything that has to do with him: the basketball, the volleyball, pulling out all his clothes, his food, shoes, etc. She follows him around everywhere he goes, which makes Billy one happy guy. Billy was asked to be a Priesthood Leader at girl's camp this year and he's been gone since Wednesday. I'm getting all the love and enjoying every moment because I know once he gets home, she's going to be pretty attached to him.

These are just a few of Ryan's new favorite toys. Others include: toilet paper, file cabinet, kitchen cupboards, Mommy and Daddy's closet, Daddy's drawers, Ryan's laundry basket, diapers, etc. She definitely keeps us going and is our little explorer. She's 1 so what can I say? At church I'm one of the leaders over the activity day girls. Billy took these pictures of Ryan with the vacuum when I was at activity days. This was the first time (once she figured this out she does it just about everyday now) she opened the closet door, pulled out the vacuum, and pushed it onto the carpet. I have a Kirby Vacuum and as you can see, they're pretty big. Billy and I were laughing. I hope this means she's going to love doing chores when she's older! :)

Finally...The Finished Product

2010-05-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

So the Easter Bunny made all these hair bows for Ryan way back in April. I wanted to make her a bow hanger to clip them all onto so they wouldn't get smashed, but just my luck, the alligator clips I needed were on back order at every Sally Beauty Supply in AZ until June. I finally had my dad buy me some in CA and mail them to me so I could finally finish them. Besides, I wanted them off my dresser and I wanted Ryan to wear them. There is also a hook on the bottom of the white flower that I hang her headbands on. I'm not very crafty, but I think it turned out pretty cute. I love Hobby Lobby.

Another Success...

2010-05-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

Total Out of Pocket: $8.15. I have to give all the credit to the other blogging sites I frequent and their amazing finds. $8.15...I could get used to this.

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful Mother's Day despite it being the first Mother's Day without my mom. Billy made me lunch, let me take a nap, helped with dinner, and did the dishes. He's a great guy. Ryan made my day wonderful by being the sweet and lovable daughter that she is. This was my second Mother's Day since becoming a mom. I truly love motherhood. It's such a great blessing and responsibility that has been placed on me. I'm so grateful that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with the opportunity to be the mother of Ryan. As I think about the immense love that I have for Ryan I can only try to comprehend the love that our Lord and Savior have for us. I'm so grateful that I have an eternal family.
I am grateful for the mothers in my life. I'm grateful for a mom who is an example to me of someone who loved the Lord with all her heart. I am grateful for my mother-in-law who loves me as her own daughter. I know she would do anything for me and my family. These women are women of faith. They are wonderful mothers. I am grateful for all of the other women who are an influence in my life. Thank you for all you do. We love you! Happy Mother's Day!

Ryan and I!

A couple of years ago my mom framed a copy of this quote by President Spencer W. Kimball. She then gave one to each of her daughters. This is a constant reminder to me of the trust the Lord has in us:

"To be a righteous woman is a glorious thing in any age. To be a righteous woman during the winding up scenes on this earth, before the second coming of our Savior, is an especially noble calling. The righteous woman’s strength and influence today can be tenfold what it might be in more tranquil times."
Privileges and Responsibilities of Sisters
by President Spencer W. Kimball

You Say It's Your Birthday!

2010-05-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday (5/5) Billy celebrated another birthday! This one was a big one...30! While he had a few moments of feeling older, he also concluded that despite turning 30, it wasn't that bad and he had a lot of great things that would happen in the years ahead. Ryan and I tried to make Billy's day special and put a Happy Birthday Daddy sign on Billy's office door. We also took advantage of all the free food you get on your birthday. We went to Joe's Farm Grill for dinner and it was delicious. It's featured on Food Network and we couldn't believe that with it only a few miles from our house we had never been. I was going to make Billy pumpkin pie for his birthday, but decided that a dozen free donuts at Krispy Kreme sounded pretty good...so for the first time in 6 years I didn't cook or bake Billy anything on his birthday. We had a great day!

I'm so grateful for such an amazing husband and father. He works hard, is tons of fun to be around, and takes his role as husband, father, and Priesthood holder seriously. I love his sense of humor and how supportive he is in all that I do. Ryan and I love you so much!

I Love to See the Temple...

2010-05-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

I'm going there someday!

One of These Days....

2010-05-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

You win a giveaway, contest, etc. For me, it's been never. I'll do the surveys with low optimism that I'll ever win (Let me clarify: I do the surveys at the bottom of the receipts for Walmart or Home Depot, etc. I don't go online entering random giveaways. You probably thought I was crazy for a minute). I told Billy that one of these days I'm finally going to win something. Well, one of these days finally came. Billy and I took Ryan to the play place at the mall last Friday night with my sister and 2 of her kids. Ryan loved playing. We then took her to the pet shop to see the animals. As we were walking over I looked down and there was $20 bucks on the ground. We couldn't believe it. Who would have thought? I finally found/won something. We had a great night spending time together as a family! That $20 bucks was mine and we walked out of there in ah and smiling!

Diapers, diapers, diapers....

2010-04-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

Every mother with little ones knows that diapers are always on the grocery list. I had heard about a website called diapers.com, but thought it was too much of a hassle to buy diapers through the website. It was kinda like the whole coupon thing. I knew I could save money, but it took me a while to actually do it. I heard about a great deal on diapers.com and I couldn't pass it up. After a few coupon codes and mail in rebate, I got 5 packs of diapers for $4.95. Definitely something to smile about.

Fun with Cousins: Wed. & Thurs. 4/8-4/9/10

2010-04-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I took a trip to CA last week. My sister Mindy and her husband took a little getaway to their condo in Park City, UT and I was nominated to come babysit the kiddos. It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. Mindy has 3 girls ages: 3, 1, and 3 mo. Add Ryan to the mix and you have your hands full. I was by myself on Wed. and it was busy. Miraculously I had all 4 kids asleep for naps at the same time...that didn't happen again the entire time, but I did manage to do it once. My dad took Thursday and Friday off to help and I'm so glad he did. Alysha was on reserve Friday and we were grateful for the extra hands. Despite missing Billy we had a lot of fun!

Ryan loved the pool last year and it was no different this year....she enjoyed splashing around.

I was cracking up at this picture.

The Children's Museum: Fri. 4/9/10

2010-04-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

We really wanted to keep the kids entertained and not in the house all day so on Friday we ventured out to The Children's Museum. They had a little grocery store the kids could play in. This picture is funny because Ryan loves bananas....she went right for them!

Her little grocery cart.

They had live animals there too. She was not afraid.

Ryan loved the carousel. It was a fun day followed by planting flowers to help make Grandpa's yard look beautiful.

Wild Animal Park: Sat. 4/10/10

2010-04-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we took the kids to the Wild Animal Park in San Diego. It was a lot of walking, but the kids had fun seeing the animals. They had a petting zoo where the kids could go walk around and pet the deer. As you can see, Ryan wasn't afraid.
Taking a break from the stroller. She chased the birds with Ashton and Pyper. They had a place at the zoo where the kids could play in the water and cool off. There was water that fell off of this roof. Ryan enjoyed cooling off and getting soaked.

The little girls: Ashton and Ryan. Pyper was big and walked everywhere...she was a great helper.

Back to AZ and Daddy...

2010-04-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning Ryan woke up not feeling well and definitely not acting like her usual self. She had a fever and had her hand constantly in her mouth. Poor thing. Her fever was consistently around 101-102.5. Motrin made her feel a lot better. I thought she was teething, but ended up taking her to the Dr. on Tuesday morning when her fever was still high (last time I took her to the Dr. she had a double ear infection). Luckily no ear infection. She had a virus. Her fever lasted until Thursday and she's feeling much better now. Back to playing, smiling, and being herself. Ryan loves dogs, so to make her happy....let her feed the dog treats.

Ryan with her cousins Ashton and Pyper.

Billy picked us up from the airport on Monday night. We came home to this. Ryan loves to play with her cousin Cali's stroller. Daddy surprised Ryan with her own baby stroller. We thought she'd get bored of it after a couple of days, but it's still her favorite toy. She pushes it around everywhere and carries all sorts of things in it.

Easter 2010

2010-04-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter this year! It landed on General Conference weekend and what a great way to celebrate Easter than to hear from our Prophet and other church leaders. It was a great day to reflect upon the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Ryan had a lot of fun finding her Easter eggs that were scattered throughout the room. She received a Dora book from her Grandpa Pyper. The Easter bunny brought her a much needed pair of shorts (as it's already in the 80s and 90s here in AZ) and lots of cute hair bows; the Easter bunny's attempt at being crafty. Ryan loved the chocolate!

Ryan's 1 year pictures

2010-04-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

Billy's Creation

2010-03-31T14:54:00.000-07:00

Billy came home from work one day last week with this huge box. His plan: make Ryan a clubhouse. He made Ryan that clubhouse and it turned out really cute.

Ryan has found another love...opening my kitchen cupboards to lots of new toys. Billy made the front door have "hinges" so that Ryan can open and close it just like the kitchen cupboars.

He made a doggy door at the back that she can crawl through.

Thanks Daddy for making me my "Little House."

No Pain, No Gain

2010-03-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

I have had a goal to workout 3 times per week. I don't have a membership to a gym so I rely on doing things at home, with a 1 year old running around. I knew that I needed some guidance as far as what to do, how many reps, and something to push myself. I started doing The Biggest Loser Workout DVD, then upgraded to The Biggest Loser: Boot Camp Workout DVD. I have a friend who knows I've been trying to workout and invited me to go to her gym (YMCA) to do a boot camp. It was 1 hr. and the core workout consisted of 4 sets of 25 each: squats, push-ups, and sit-ups; with 1 lap between each set. This was then followed by some other crazy leg balancing, ab crunching stuff. It was a hard workout. I enjoyed it, but am definitely feeling the effects today. My abs have been so sore. It doesn't help that I have a cold and flinch every time I cough.

The Children's Museum

2010-03-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

On Friday 3/19 we took Ryan to the Children's Museum of Phoenix. The museum was big and had tons of stuff to do. It was a kid's oasis. They had a noodle forest that Ryan enjoyed going through.

Taking a breather.

We took Ryan outside for a little bit and she chased birds the entire time.

Spring Break: 3/13-3/20/10

2010-03-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun during Spring Break. Instead of traveling to CA to visit family we opted to stay home and do some fun things around here. Billy took 3 days off. We went to the Science Center on Saturday 3/13. Ryan loved it.

I looked at this picture and couldn't believe how big my little girl is getting.

The Science Center was 3 floors. Each floor had a different theme. The bed of nails was pretty fun for Billy and I.

Ryan loved how the blowing air made the ball stay up in the air.

An Afternoon Hike

2010-03-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went for a nice Sunday drive and hike. There are a lot of places to hike around near our house. With such much rain this winter it made for a nice scenic walk. It was green everywhere. We walked down by the river. We wanted to see how far we could walk before Ryan would follow....she never did follow; she was having so much fun we ended up having to go get her.

My Attempt at a Great Deal...

2010-03-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

I'm always interested in a great deal....as long as it's something I'm already going to buy and beneficial. I have been going to a few blogs where the bloggers go to multiple stores, use lots of coupons, and save a lot of money. Sometimes it seems complicated and time consuming but these people DO save a lot of money. I have never been one to cut out tons of coupons, go to multiple stores, etc...BUT I have been interested and fascinated with how much money people can save doing this. I recently read about a great deal at Safeway on a blog. It was a simple transaction and I had the coupons. My attempt was successful. I bought: 6 boxes of cereal, 1 box of fruit snacks, 3 Nut Clusters, and 2 lbs. of strawberries for $8.56! I was pretty proud of myself. I might even attempt to do it again in the future.

Me and My Cutie

2010-03-09T12:03:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this girl!

Ryan Turns 1 Year Old!

2010-02-25T20:12:00.000-08:00

Ryan Turns 1!

2010-02-25T19:31:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday (2/23/10) Ryan turned 1 year old! Billy made her a special birthday crown.

We had some friends and family over for cake and ice cream to celebrate Ryan's birthday. I made the cake; Billy added his own touches by doing the letters.

Ryan was getting over being sick so she didn't really have an appetite. She didn't want to eat any of it. All she wanted to do was play with her toys and cousins. Oh well....we enjoyed it for her. I did give her some on Wednesday and she ate a little bit of it.

I can't believe Ryan is 1 year old. On Tuesday I was thinking about her special day and how 1 year ago I was in the hospital in labor with her. Billy and I were so excited to have her as our daughter. She has brought us so much joy and happiness. We were married a few years before Ryan joined us. We enjoyed our marriage and had lots of fun together, but wanted to expand our family and have children. When I graduated from college we were excited to start the next phase of our lives. I had gotten over some health issues and we were feeling very blessed. When I first got pregnant we were elated. We rushed to tell everyone the news. Our hearts ached when a few weeks later I miscarried. Of course miscarriage is common, but we felt discouraged. I remember feeling comforted from the Lord and knew he understood what I was feeling. I became pregnant again shortly after. We were so excited, but still had a little anxiety. I was nervous to tell anyone in fear that I would miscarry again. I remember going through morning sickness and being really sick and not telling anyone because I was still really nervous. It wasn't until I was into my 2nd trimester and had heard the heartbeat that we began to tell people. I couldn't wait to hold her in my arms. Ryan was born on Monday, February 23, 2009. I am so grateful we are an eternal family and that Ryan is doing well. We love her so much. She is always smiling and happy. Lately she's been walking everywhere and learning new things. I feel such a great responsibility as her mother. I hope I can do a good job of raising her in righteousness. We love you Ryan!

Oh, How I Love Turbo Tax

2010-02-22T20:28:00.000-08:00

I love Turbo Tax....probably the greatest, easiest, and fastest way to do your taxes, even with an error check included. As soon as we got all the tax information in the mail I did our taxes. It took a couple of nights, but the rewards and refund made me smile. I chose the e-file method and our federal was deposited last Thursday and our state return came in the mail on Saturday...great weekend! Too bad the money is already used up going towards paying off Billy's student loans. But hey, it was nice to have in my bank account for a few days. To anyone who isn't sure if they want to attempt it, it really is easy....it does also help having a dad who is an accountant who can answer any questions you have. :)

Valentine's Day 2010

2010-02-16T12:35:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day we had a visit from Grandpa and Grandma Blair. Billy's parents came out from Lancaster to visit over the weekend. They arrived on Thursday and were here until Monday morning. We had a lot of fun with them. It was a much needed vacation for Billy's parents. They spent Friday observing Billy's class and going to the Temple (it was their 34th wedding anniversary). Friday night we went to Blue Adobe Grill for dinner (Mexican food that was really good); Saturday Billy and his dad went on a hike and Martha, me and Ryan went shopping. We took Ryan to the park to feed the ducks and ate Stromboli for dinner (per Billy's request).

Billy and I don't really give each other gifts on Valentine's Day, but I still wanted it to be special and for him to know how much I love him. I made breakfast for everyone in the morning, went to church, and made Orange Chicken and Strawberry Shortcake for dinner and dessert. It was a great day. We love when family and friends come to visit. Thanks for coming Grandma and Grandpa!

I can't believe this was Billy and my 5th Valentine's Day together! Time has really flown by. I am so grateful for such a great guy in my life who loves me and supports me in all I do. He's a great husband and father. Billy started a tradition where every year he makes me a Valentine CD. This year it was no different. I walked in the door on Thursday to the CD he made me playing. He's such a sweet guy. I haven't quite attempted to add a playlist to my blog, but if I figure it out, maybe I'll include the songs from the CD. We'll see how it goes.