Losing Different Things:(

We are losing quiet a few different things.
1. Ry lost his front 2, yes I said 2, bottom teeth.
2. We are losing our little boy to Kindergarten.

I think we will be alright, but it is a sign everyone is growing up!

Smmers is Over, Here is our top 10 things we did

10. Before Ry's first flag football practice.









9. Hanging out at West Beach (The Dunes)


8. Making Cinnamon Donuts in the morning.

7. Shopping for school supplies (I am not sure who liked it more, Ry or Dad).

6. Golfing with Ry! He has going to ask Santa for new clubs:)

5. Movie Night... Bambi, How to Train Your Dragon, Chipmunks 2, .....

4. Kate participating in Little Kickers.

3. The Children's Museum, Watching the water clock turn to 1:00 among other great exhibits:)

2. Spending the day at Holiday World.

1. Taking our family vacation to St. Louis! Kate still wants to go up, up, up and down, down, down the arch. Not to mention seeing the penguins at the zoo!

The City Museum

This picture sums up Ry's day at The City Museum. This museum is filled with tunnels and anything else a five year old could ask for! I tried my best to keep up, but I could not fit everywhere Ry could. Ryan was playing/sliding so hard he burnt a hold through his shorts which had two layers. He also has burns on his back and side from all the sliding.
Kate on the other hand did not enjoy herself as much. We started out on the roof which had a bus hanging over the building (picture below), a two-three story slide, and and Farris wheel. All of us enjoyed the roof. Then we went inside and went into the dark. This is where Kate did enjoy the museum. It was too dark, too loud, and the steps were too big for her. So after lunch her and Jen left to go take a nap.

The craziest part of the day is when we were on the roof and we ran into the Seward's (a football coach who lives around the block from us). We ran into them throughout the day, and Ry and Ben played in a "skate park" for about 45 minutes.

After Kate and Jen woke up they picked us up and we went swimming at the hotel pool. Next we had a pizza picnic in the hotel room. The pizza was less then the best:(

We have not been outside much due to the heat, 100+.

Up, Up, and Away

Our trip to St. Louis started off great. The car drive was great! Ry and Kate enjoyed watching movies and munching on snacks! Traffic was not too back and our directions were perfect.

Our only problem was that we arrived 90 minutes before check in. So we spent that time wandering around Arch Museum.

After checking in we headed back to the Arch. This time to go to the top. Again Ry and Kate enjoyed the trip up the elevator. I have to admit that I was a bit scared about going up, but I managed to go. We all enjoyed looking out the windows, especially straight down!

More to come....

Summer winding down

Jen and I were talking last night about how lucky we are to have summers off together.

This past Friday we visited the zoo. Kate wanted to pet all the animals. For some reason every time she sees an animal she points and says ugh, ugh, ugh, as though she wants to pet and play with the animal.

Ry is getting much better at golf. We played and he is getting the ball up in the air and having lots of fun. This past trip I changed his grip and he likes it and that was the first thing he told Jen when he got home.

Sunday evening I had the hit that was heard round the backyard. Ry was pitching whiffel balls to me and I was swinging lightly and I hit one the hit him right in the face. He cried for about 2 minutes and then grabbed the bat and wanted me to pitch to him. I believe he wanted to hit me in the face with a hit. I'm glad he did not have any bruises.

To the Region and Beyond...

On Sunday we met my parents at Fair Oaks Farm (exit 220 off of I-65). We took the tour in a beautiful air conditioned bus. They took us through one of their 10 dairy farms. What we saw was amazing! They had about 3000 cows in one farm, which are each milked 3 times a day. What a life a cow on the farm has, lie around on a sand bed, wait in line to be milked, get milked (8 minutes on the "merry-go-round), and then go back and lay down.

After the tour Ry, Jen, and my parents watched a cow being born. Kate and I were walking around outside. Ry enjoyed playing on all the different things: jump zone, maze, and the all time favorite motorized John Deer Tractor.

On Tuesday (our 8th anniversary) Jen, Ry, and I went to West Beach (Part of the Indiana Dunes). We had a blast, except for Lake Michigan being cold. Ry took another attempt at running down a sand dune. He bit it, but did not eat the sand! Ry played so hard he fell asleep on the way home.

To top it all off we stopped by Albanese Candy Factory. WOW, what a place. If you are ever on Rt. 30 (east off of exit 253 on I-65) I reccommend stopping by. Not only is there affordable candy (gummies are their specialty), it is a great place for viewing. They have videos you can watch and windows you can look through while candy is being made.

Kate hung out with my mom and enjoyed her grandma time. Kate also had her first sucker. She went to town on her cotton candy, and also enjoyed her cream soda sucker.

It is hard to believe that we did all that in 3 days. It was a blast!

New Adventures!

Since we last wrote you we have had a few major changes.

1. Ry took his first major spill and got a nice scrape on his arm. It is still bandaged up. To his credit he got back on the horse and rode 3/4 the way around our block with me only helping him past some cars sticking out to the sidewalk.

Ry also rediscovered the slip and slide. This bring back fond memories of playing running bases in the backyard.

2. Kate is getting better at walking around. She can now steer her walking aids (mini bus, grocery cart, and some other contraption).

We also have Kate using utencils! She gets awful messy with yogurt.

3. Jen sanded down our bathroom cabinets and painted them chocolate brown, and I (with Jen's help) framed our mirror. It looks like a totally new bathroom!

4. We are deciding on new paint colors for our playroom.

5. I had a great time in Denver at the conference I went to.

We are looking forward to going to Grandama and Papa Skura's this next week. We are going to Fair Oaks Farm, The Dunes, and who knows what else? I'll guess you'll have to read the next post to find out.

It's just like riding a bike...

That is an extremely common phrase and applies for anyone over the age of 10. We took the training wheels off Ry's bike last week and we had our first accident today. He bit it hard! He face planted on the sidewalk, but luckily enough there was not damage!

He was a trooper and got back on "the horse". He is getting the hang of it. He'll be even better when he learns to keep his hands still and look forward!

A Great Thing Happened Today

Kate took her first steps! She had been standing up for about 2 weeks now, but today was the day she walked all by herself! She took 3 steps on 2 separate occasions!

Day Out With Thomas (the Train)

This past Friday (6-18) Jen, Ry, and I wen out to see Thomas the Train in Connersville, IN. Ry had an absolute blast! We took a 25 minute train ride, played putt putt, rode behind a tractor, rode a pony, and played in a bounce house. There was so much too do and we did it all!

We also took off the training wheels off his bike. Jen and I have held on to him while he peddles away. He will yell at people letting them know that he only has 2 wheels.

One last thing about Ryan is that he is learning to swim. We put floaties on his arms and he goes to town. He is loving the water. Now he needs to feel comfortable with getting his head underwater!

Kate is starting to stand on her own. She is not braving any steps, but she can balance herself for a good 10 seconds. She will walk when she realizes she can get around much faster. She still is eating more than her brother and sleeping like a champ 7 to 8. She does take after her mother!

Kate LOVES splashing in her water table any time we go outside that is the first thing she wants to do. We thought she would like the pool just as much, but I guess it just depends on her mood. The three times she has been has been a 1 hate it, 1 love it, and 1 very antsy. I'm sure she'll get use to it and have fun!

Summer Time, Summer Time, Sum, Sum, Sum, Summer Time

It is here! We are 3 days in and having a blast!
We have not done anything too exciting yet, but we have big plans you have to stayed tuned to find out.

Kate is not being brave enough to take steps on her own, but we will be patient. Her appitate is great! She eats more than Ry all the time. She has the long vowel I sound down pat. Hi, Ry, Bye are staples in her vocab. She can also get out a mama. Still waiting for a dada.

Ry is finially finished with soccer (this was not as fun as it has been). He is going through a faze of fake farting. It is quite funny, but we never let him know! The other day we went to Golf Club of Indiana and putted and chipped. He had a blast. I like doing this with him and he hit some pretty nice shots! He loves to watch chips roll towards the hill. Next time I may brave taking him the bunker since he loves the sand.
I'll be back next week to explain our adventure.

Lately

We (Jen, Ry, & Kate) are finally getting over being sick! Kate is getting some new teeth. She currently has 2 on the bottom and now her right fang has popped through and her other fang & front 2 are on their way! This is making her miserable. She is also getting better at crawling on all 4's. She can also pull her self up to her feet!

Ry and I went to the Jr. Achievement Center Saturday night to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He has been to a play there before (The Isty Bitsy Spider, only 30 minutes long). Charlie lasted 90 minutes. He was great. He was squirming around most of the time, but he enjoyed the songs and when Verruca and Mr. Salt fell down the "hole".

We have been getting outside as much as we can! Kate loves her swing and Ry cannot decide what to do outside. We usually go on the glider, play soccer, or chase each other around.

Until next time, enjoy the weather, when you can!

Ryan turns 4

Wow, when I was writing the title I almost put 3. A wise person said the days are long and the years are short. I can recall 4 years ago getting the phone call from Jen telling me it is time. Now I cannot imagine our lives without him!

Ry as usual made out like a bandit for his birthday. His favorite gift is Sodor Steam Works. It is a Thomas set. There is a part where trains enter and they can be spun upside down and then be "worked" on. We (Ry and I) love playing with it. He also added to his pezz collection with a Thomas, James, & Percy pezz dispenser. A new comforter was another gift he received. He sure had a fun day! He got chicken nuggets, apple slices, & milk for lunch. He at the lunch at an indoor playground, & we went to eat dinner at Pizza King (imagine that, the went somewhere with trains). We loved making his birthday so special!

Kate is getting the hang crawling! Just this past week her speed has increased quite a bit. She is into EVERYTHING! We are going to have our hands busy keeping her occupied and not crawling over to the cords. She is eating bits and pieces of table food, I believe her favorites are cheese pizza and bananas. The adorable girl tries to take bits of the whole banana, but since she has no top teeth she cannot get a piece to come off!

Till next time, smile and laugh every day!

Snow Day!

As usual when I received the call that school had been canceled, I had already left home and was in line at Starbucks picking up some coffee (whole bean!). I went into school and dropped off my lunch and picked up a few items and was on my way home. I got back at about 6:15. The kicker was I set my alarm back expecting a delay, but I was awoken by a snow plow taking care of our curve. Sure they do not come during the day when there is 6 in of snow, but they can sure make a whole bunch of noise @ 5:00am:(

Like clock work Ry woke up 7:02 (the rest of the world 7:18). We make biscuits (the frozen kind). After breakfast we played, Jen ran, then I ran, and Ry and Jen watch Ry's favorite shows. Then the fun began. I finally got to use my snow blower. This past weekend the snow was too wet to use a snow blower. So Ry and I completed 3 driveways and then I got to pull him around on his sled. At one point he did a face plant in snow and he was covered, I chuckled a bit, but he did not believe it was funny.

Kate is fighting a nap hard core. She only napped for 30 minutes this morning and we have now been trying for over an hour to put her to sleep. I can hear the squeaking of the rocker as I type.

Round 1 had us almost down and out

It all started last Friday when Kate felt a bit warm. The fever was here. Jen took her in to see the doc on Monday and come to find out she had an ear infection and the crupe (cough). Kate got her first taste of the pink stuff (fond memories). Saturday (a week later) was her first day of being back to normal, happy, smiling, laughing, pooping, well you get the picture. Jen and I both agree it is sure nice to have our baby back to normal.

Who caught what from Kate. Ry's nose is like a faucet that will not turn off. We can handle that because that is all he has going on! Jen and I were blessed with sore throats. It is amazing how the immune system works. Kate gets the full spectrum and everyone else gets one aliment.

Thank goodness it is almost over. Hopefully in Round 2 we can throw some punches.

Christmas, Oh what a time!

Jen's family was here on Christmas Eve and we had a great time! Ry received a whole bunch of toys. His favorites are the Handy Manny tool box and his Thomas and Friends trains, we also like the mikey mouse card game. Our family received a Wii and we have had hours of fun already! Even Jen plays it, which I never thought she would. She loves the Wii fit. I have just enjoyed the balance games so far, but I want to get into the yoga.

Christmas morning was terrific! I was in the playroom when Ry woke up. He noticed that there were different types of wrapping paper and he read the note Santa left, that is the way he knew that Santa came. Ry LOVED opening up all his presents! He got loads more trains, a kitchen, trios (like Lego's), a snow shovel, and some clothes. He had a typical reaction when he opened those boxes.

Kate had a blast watching Ry open all of his and her presents. Of course she got a whole bunch of clothes. She also got some toys that she can chew on.

Christmas afternoon we went up to my parents and had dinner with the family. My brother deep fried a turkey and it was terrific, my mom made a venison roast and as usual it was yummy! I have never had turkey so juicy. Ry still got a soccer ball, a Thomas tent, and more trains. We have enough trains to last us quiet a while.

The days following Christmas have been great. Ry and I shoveled the driveway and built a little ramp to jump on his sled. He tried out his new gloves that have sleeves on them, no snow got in his hands!

For New Year's Eve, we are headed over to the Wleklinski's for dinner and an early countdown. I know that Jen and I will probably not make it until midnight. I know Jen will be in bed by about 9:30 or so, and I probably will be falling asleep on the couch trying to make it to midnight. I can remember the day when I cared about staying up until midnight. Oh, how times change when you have children who do not care how late you stayed up, because they are waking up at the same time no matter what!

Enjoy the pictures and look forward to more posts next year!

Hip Hip Horray for Christmas Vacation!

It is here, well a bit into it, but it is still here. Everyone loves stay at home days! Since we have been on break here is what we have been up to:

Ry and Jen went to see the Itsy Bitsy spider, a story telling thearer in the Junior Achievemetn Center. A woman dressed up like a spider and told some stories. Ry really enjoyed it. He watched in his PJ's and enjoyed some animal crackers and juice while listening.

Ry and I went to the Library and saw the Polar Express crusing around the track. He was excited to be there when it was going. It only runs for 1 hr per day. While there we also picked up some Thomas the Train and Curious George books.

The whole family went to the indoor park at Trader Point. While there we watched Ry play and we had a picnic lunch.

Jen and Ry on Tuesday made and decorated sugar cookies, they are terrific. Today (Wednesday) Jen and Ry made Peanut Butter cookies. I helped a little, I figured out how to operate the cookie press. They are even better than the sugar cookies.

We are getting ready to host the Weyer family, for lunch on Christmas Eve. The family is excited about everyone coming over. On Christmas we will be going up to Grandma and Papa Skura's.

Ry cannot wait until Santa comes. Jen and I cannot decide whether to meet Ry in the playroom where Santa will come or hear him screaming and yelling down the hall after he discovers Santa came. I'll let you know on the next post!

It's getting closer

If anyone needs to be reminded of the pure joy a child can feel at Christmas all you need to do is come over when Ry gets out of bed. Two years ago the Schillaci (I have had 3 of their 4 children) family gave us an Elf on the Shelf. The elf, who Ry named Freddie travels every night to the north pole to report to Santa on how nice or naughty Ry has been (of course he is always nice). When Freddie flies back in the morning he is in a different place. That Freddie always finds the best places to watch Ryan. For example he was sitting in the middle of our knife holder, hanging from our kitchen light, chilling with the bananas, and dangling from the doorknob on the pantry. So after we take care of the morning business upstairs it is a mad dash downstairs to find Freddie. We love the smile on Ry's face when he finds Freddie!

Last Sunday the family had brunch with Santa and an elf @ Kincaid's in Clay Terrace. Kate was not bashful at all sitting on the big guy's lap, but Ry on the other hand would not even look at Santa. I have to ask my mom if I did the same thing, and I have a feeling that I did. Ry did get his list to Santa. Ryan was nice enough to include what Kate wants on his list also, he is such a terrific big brother.

Jen is finished teaching...for this year. She gets a nice 3 week vacation. I have another week to go before I get to enjoy the family all day everyday! In the past I have dreaded that week, but we have the students working their tails off creating a movie trailer for the book they just read, so they will be too busy to get into trouble!

It is about time for Ry to wake up, So long for now!

Thanksgiving

I want to start off by saying sorry it has been so long since the last post. I vow to keep up!

What has been going the past 5 months?
Kate Cat is rolling stone that gathers no moss. The young lady also has 2 teeth on the bottom. Kate is sitting up, she ate chicken & sweet potatoes in a booster seat today. It has been great watching her get bigger and bigger!

Ry Dog is enjoying going to school on Wednesdays and Thursdays. He still LOVES Thomas and Friends. Thanks to Grandma Weyer he has a whole station of train tracks and cars. I have to admit that I enjoy playing them too:) Soccer is still his favorite Saturday activity. He hopes to get a brand new soccer ball for Christmas.

Jen is LOVING job sharing. She feels great spending time home with the children and can still be the wonderful teacher she is! She turns the dreaded 31 next Tuesday (12-1). Ry and I have to plan something fun for her! We picked out some terrific gifts and we hope she LOVES them!

I have been well. The golf course is closed as of 11-30, so I no longer have to work on Fridays. School is going very well. I am loving using the iTouches in the classroom. The students are more interested in finding information! My teammate and I are always trying something new. For example, we are making movie trailers as a final project for our novels! I cannot wait to see them!

That is all for now, I promise, I'll be back soon!

A LONG two months

1st of all looking back it is hard to believe that I have not written a post since Ryan's birthday back in February. A few things have happened since then. You will notice the slide shows on the right showing you what we have been up to.

Kate is doing extremely well. She is trying awful hard to be a great sleeper at night. Sometimes she is makes her mother proud and other times not. She is smiling and one would think laughing at her brother. Ryan is great with her. He will lie next to her and repeat whatever Jen or I say. He really loves her (let's hope it stays that way!).

So far this summer so far we have made it out to the zoo. Ryan determined that the dragon there is a good dragon. He also liked watching the lemurs, zebras, and of course those crazy penguins. Next time who knows what he will like. Kate slept through the entire trip cozied up next to dad in the baby bjorn.

Ryan received his first set of golf clubs. We have bee out to Zionsville Golf Course a couple times to play. I am not sure if he likes riding in the cart or hitting the ball more? We have a blast doing it!

Friday, June 19, we surprised Ryan by going to, A Day Out With Thomas, in the scenic Connersville, IN. He LOVED it ALL! We saw Thomas pull into the station and got to ride on one of his passenger cars. While there there were many things to do such as, riding a small train, shop in the gift shop, watch Thomas movies in the AC of the depot (Jen and my favorite), and there was a petting zoo. Ryan worked the nerve to ride a pony. He had a blast, but Jen got sneezed on by one horse and peed on by another. Kate and I watched from the shade:)

That is what we have been up to so far this summer!