Happy Birthday Ryan!!

Today is Ryan's birthday. Hooray! He is now 26. Unfortunately, it wasn't a very exciting day for him. He went to work and then Hayden and I joined him for lunch. We got Italian beef sandwiches which is his new food fad. My brother and his family came over for dinner (pot roast) and cake. Then Ryan went to help some friends move. Birthdays get a little less exciting every year it seems. So sad! He did get to be spoiled a little bit. I asked him what kind of cake he wanted and he had very definite demands. It had to be vanilla, not yellow, with miniature chocolate chips, homemade chocolate frosting, and it needed to be double layer and round. I have a freezer full of regular chocolate chips but he insisted they needed to be miniature. I think he was just being a punk but he insisted that's what he wanted. So, I made it for him. I did use store bought frosting but I followed the rest of his directions. It actually turned out to be pretty good and it made him happy so it was worth it. Ryan is such a great husband, father, and an all around great person. I love you babe. Happy birthday!!

China and Hayden's favorite things

So Ryan got home from China on Wednesday! Hooray. I survived. While he was gone Hayden would look at his picture hanging on the wall, stretch her arms up to try to reach it, and say da da da da. Needless to say, she was so incredibly happy when he got home. We were out in the driveway waiting for him. When he pulled up and got out of the car, she started crying, threw her hands up and ran to him. It was the sweetest thing! She wanted nothing to do with me for the next two days and was content just to have Daddy hold her. I love it!!

Ryan had a great time on his business trip. He worked long hours but really enjoyed seeing a small bit of China. These are pictures of him at the Great Wall.
If you look in the distance you can see the wall following the mountain forever.
While he was there, he did a little shopping for me. He got me a "prada" and a "coach" purse, silk pajamas, dvds, and surprised me with a pearl necklace. He also brought home a super cute silk dress for Hayden. He is still trying to get used to the time difference. I am so glad he's home!! Love you babe :)
Hayden is obsessed with this little bouncy chair. We put her in it when she was little and then stowed it next to her crib in her room. I found her in there sitting in it one day and decided to bring it into the living room. Now everyday she pulls it over to the sliding glass door and just chills. She cuddles her dolls and relaxes while she looks outside.
It is also a great spot for her to read. She loves books too. She is constantly carrying around books. It is so cute when she looks at the pages and just babbles like she's reading. When she's not reading to herself, she has Ryan or me read to her. It's always the same stories over and over. Oh what a funny girl!

Quick note to Laura Flores Dalton- I am so excited to hear from you but I can't find you. Leave me your email or blog address or something so I can find you !!! :)

Memory Game

First off, I love lightening bugs! We have seen a bunch of them lately and they are so cool. I just wanted to mention that. Also, I realized that I haven't written anything about the fact that Hayden is walking. I am such a bad mom. I need to work on my bragging skills, I guess. She took her first steps about 2 months ago and now she is running around everywhere. I haven't even video taped her walking yet. I keep forgetting. I will do it this week and then try to post it. Ryan is leaving for China tomorrow, yes I'm freaking out. He is going to be gone for 10 days and he is taking our lap top. So, I will be without a computer until he gets back. What a bummer.

Anyway, on to the real purpose of this post. I saw this on Janese's blog and thought it was kind of fun so I copied it.
Here is a fun little game... leave a comment on my blog of a memory that you and I (me or Ryan) have had together. It doesn't matter if you've known me for a short time or a long time, anything that you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It is pretty funny to read the responses. On your mark... get set... blog those memories!

4th of July Drama

On the 4th of July we took the train downtown. My brother and his family came with us. We went to The Taste of Chicago, which is an awesome festival. A ton of restaurants from around town set up booths and sell food and they have a band playing and rides and stuff. It was really fun. Then we headed to Navy Pier. Which is an old pier that the Navy used to use, hence the name. Now it has rides, restaurants, stores, all kinds of fun stuff. It was a lot of fun. Then we caught a trolley to head back to the train station. When we got off the trolley I realized I didn't have my purse. I either left it on the trolley or someone grabbed it. Either way it is stolen now. All of my stuff was in there. My cell phone (which the thief used to make a few calls), credit cards, check book, camera, house and car keys, drivers license......everything. I have never done something like that before and it is so crappy. So, we spent all day yesterday trying to fix things. Ryan changed the locks on our doors, we filed a police report, changed cell phones, closed accounts, got a new license, etc. I am so bummed but hopefully it is all done and nothing too horrible will come from the situation. Anyway, sorry for my ranting. At least we had a great time downtown before the purse drama. I had some cute pictures but obviously I don't have access to those since my camera is long gone. I hope everyone else's holiday was less stressful. Happy 4th of July, a little late!

Also, since my phone is gone, I lost everyone's phone numbers. So, if I should have your phone number please email it to me along with your name. That way I can get all of the phone numbers back. Thanks so much :)

Woodland Reunion and the Rest of the Trip

This is the 3rd and final post about our Trip to Utah. Thanks for letting me indulge......

Ryan's family reunion was at Bear Lake. I have never been there before, but it was so fun. His whole immediate family was able to make it so it was great. We stayed in a cabin right by the water.

The water was so so freezing!! Hayden didn't mind, though. She walked right in, sat down, and stayed in and played. She loved it.
She also loved the sand. She and Ryan were building and burying each other.
We also went on the water weenie! Oh my gosh so fun! I remember being in Young Women and going on the water weenie every year at our lake activity. It was always so great. Unfortunately, I am not as young and spry as I used to be. We got thrown off twice and the second time I got an elbow in my back. My back is pretty messed up as it is so I was really hurting. That was the end of the beach for me. I went back to the cabin to lay down and drug myself. What a bummer. I hate growing up :(

Here is a picture of Hayden with her Uncle Jeff. She was seriously loving him. There were times when she refused to go to Ryan or me. She only wanted Jeff. How sweet is that...
While we were there we went to a cave nearby. I usually get a little claustrophobic and was a little worried. It turned out to be totally fine and a lot of fun. The reunion was so great- Thanks Lindy for putting it together!!

After the reunion, we took a drive to Downey Idaho to visit Ryan's grandma. Hayden had never met her so it was great to stop by for a visit.

Also while we were in Utah, my nephew Easton graduated from preschool. We got to take Hayden to the big party they were having. Congratulations Easton!! We are so proud of you :)

This is a random picture I took of Hayden with her cousin Hunter. It really was so great to see our families and friends. Our friends Tim and Heidi put together a BBQ which was so fun-Thanks guys. I also got to go to lunch with my high school friend Tracy. It is so fun to get together with so many people. Thank you everyone!!