Celebrations...

June is by far my favorite month of the year, and not just because it's the beginning of summer (don't get me wrong, I do love summer), but rather because June is so full of celebrations for our family. June is the month that Jason, myself, and a few other important people - and one important dog - celebrate birthdays. It is also the month in which we celebrate our wedding anniversary. 

Jason and I have always thought it was pretty cool that so many important dates fell in the month of June. In fact, when I was pregnant with Ryder Jason kept telling me that he hoped Ryder would be born late (his due date was May 30th) so that Ryder could have a June birthday like the rest of us! He obviously wasn't the pregnant one and thankfully Ryder came 8 days early and not 8 days late!

June 4th - the anniversary of the very first time Jason told me he loved me!
June 11th - Jason's Birthday (he turned 33 this year)

Angel Food cake with Cool Whip frosting.

June 13th - Our Wedding Anniversary (can you believe it's already been 3 years!)

I hate roses, but it's the thought that counts & this is the first time Jason has EVER gotten me flowers!

Anniversary dinner: Burbon Maple pork tenderloin, steamed broccoli,  grilled asparagus, and baked potatoes.

June 15th - My nephew Ben's birthday (he turned 6 this year)

June 18th - Our Great Dane Prudence's birthday (she turned 4 this year)

Isn't she beautiful!

June 21st - My sister and brother-in-laws anniversary (9 years for them already)

June 21st - My BFF Heidi's birthday (the big 2-7 this year)

June 23rd - MY BIRTHDAY!!! (I turn 27 this year, too) - this year we get an added bonus on my party and a big ol' party to boot! Jason's sister Melissa got married in Vegas this March; they will be having their wedding reception this coming Saturday which just so happens to be my birthday! Should be a heck of a good time at their "Redneck Wedding Reception". I can't wait!

So as you can see, June is pretty darn awesome (I hope I didn't forget anything...). Upcoming posts: Ryder's birthday party, Lyndie's bachelorette party, and the "Redneck Wedding". 

And here's a picture of Ryder just because we can't have a post without my little Roo Roo's adorable face!

I don't think I like this hat, mom!

Much Love, Danielle

Mommy's laundry helper - 06/04/2012

Getting SO big! - 06/04/2012

Just a quick post to show off my little Ryder Roo. Mommy is working night shifts Monday and Tuesday this week which meant we got to spend all day together Monday. I always love the day before my first night shift because it is full of playtime and cuddles (and laundry today). Ryder even let me have 2 naps with him!

Hope the beginning of everyone's week is going well, also!

Much Love, Danielle

"Date Night"

What our Saturday night looked like...

Ice cold beer + LOTS of green olives = Perfection! - 06/02/2012

RELAX Riesling (one of my favorites) - 06/02/2012

We were never really ones to "go out" on the weekends, and we've pretty much always been more of the homebody types, but with the arrival of our little guy last May our options for "going out" have really changed. Sure, we could get a sitter, but we just don't want to. Bottom line is this: we like being home with our little guy, just the 3 of us. Now I'm not saying that it's wrong to get a sitter or that parents who do that are some how not good parents...It's just not for us...well really, it's just not for me!

In the 12 1/2 months since Ryder came into our lives I have left him 2 times (other than work). Only 2 times! The first time was for a wedding that I was in, and fortunately that wedding took place in town so I was only really away from him for a few hours. The second time was to go to a movie, and I literally went to the movie and went straight home. Pathetic...yes! I know deep down that it is unhealthy for me to have not gotten a sitter or gone on a "date night" with the hubs, etc, but I just don't want to do those things. What I do want to do is sit home with my baby, my hubby, and our dog.

So, what did we do Saturday night? After spending all day Saturday playing outside and doing yard-work we had a delicious meal, but our angel to bed, and then the hubs and I spent a couple hours relaxing on our deck (baby monitor near by of course!). We have decided that this will be our "date night" and we will make it a priority to do things like this more often (we're 2 for 2 Saturdays already). It was so great to take the time to sit down as a couple and reconnect, and it was even better being able to do this without worrying about if Ryder was okay or if he was sleeping, etc, etc.

In conclusion, "date night" is what you make it. For some it includes going out to dinner. For others, a movie. For us, we go to our deck. We sit in our awesomely colored, floral cushions, we look at the stars, we listen to the crickets, and we reconnect with each other. It's the reconnection that makes "date nights" so important. So whatever you choose to do for your "date night", do what makes you happy. Do what you enjoy. But most importantly, do it with the one you love!

Much Love, Danielle

May 2012

The caption I posted with this photograph was this: "I can't believe my baby will be 1 in less than 3 weeks :("...

May was filled with a whirlwind of emotions for this mommy and a lot of driving for our family. We went to Truman 3 of 4 weekends in May for various happenings. The first weekend's events included my family's reunion and Dana's (my SIL) prom. As usual it was great to see everyone at our family reunion, especially my great Grandma Frieda who turned 99 this year! We were able to get a semi-okay picture of the 5 living generations (will try to remember to post that picture in the near future...).

The end of the storm we drove through on our way home - 05/04/2012

I am so glad that we went to watch Dana at prom this year, because her and her boyfriend Austin won prom king and queen! Dana looked so beautiful and so happy that day. We ended up sitting behind my 10th grade prom date Brady, so it was fun to reminisce about our prom experience. I can't believe that was over 12 years ago...

Queen Dana and King Austin, THS Prom - 05/05/2012

The weekend after my reunion and prom was the one and only weekend in May that we stayed in Rochester. Can you guess why we didn't go anywhere? Yep, you guessed it, I had to work that weekend. That weekend also happened to be Mother's Day. My first Mother's Day and I had to work. In the few hours I got to spend with Ryder and Jason that weekend we went shopping for flowers and planted all of my pots. Gosh I love my flowers! They brighten up our whole yard.

My flowers! - 05/13/2012

And I got the sweetest Mosther's Day present ever, check it out:

From the bottom of my heart to the tips of my toes! - 05/13/2012

Out to lunch with Auntie Heidi - 05/16/2012

 Then came Ryder's birthday party (a whole party post is on it's way, I promise!)...We did his party at my parent's house since we had to be home that weekend for Lyndie's bridal shower. We drove home Friday night (as usual) and spent a good deal of time setting up for the party before going to bed that night. Saturday morning my mom and I drove to St. James for Lyndie's shower which was so nice! She had a great turn out and I got to meet most of the other bridesmaids. She's going to have one good looking wedding party!

Lyndie and her bridal party - 05/19/2012

After the shower we raced back to my parent's house to do final preparations for Ryder's Sesame Street birthday party. I do believe his party was a success and am already starting to think about what next years party will entail...

The smash cake! - 05/19/2012

We headed back to Rochester on Sunday of that weekend with a Jeep FULL of new toys. Ryder's new favorite is the Cozy Coupe from my parents. We put it together almost immediately after getting home that day and he was so anxious to play with it that he crawled in the body of it as we were trying to put it together. It was so cute! After we got it together he didn't want to do anything but sit in his new car.

Check out my new wheels - 05/20/201

 Within 10 minutes of playing with his new car Ryder got in his first "car crash". Our fearless little boy was unfazed by said crash and repeated this process a handful of times that day.

I was in a car crash! - 05/20/2012

Two days later and it was Ryder's actual first birthday. I spent the whole day at home with him just playing and spending lots of quality time together. Unfortunately I had to work that night; such is the life of a nurse! That weekend we went back to Truman for Dana's high school graduation. We headed back early Friday and spent most of the day cleaning and preparing for her open house. That evening we went to commencement and then back out to the Munsterman's for the big open house celebration. It was great to see everyone again that weekend, but needless to say we were pretty burnt out of being in Truman so we headed back home to Rochester on Saturday morning.

Ryder had his one year appointment on the 29th. It was a nurse-only appointment. He was measured - 23lb. 9oz., 29.5in. - and got 3 shots. He was such a brave little guy but was a total bear for 2 days after getting his shots. At first we were blaming his cranky mood on the shots until I discovered that he is getting in 2 of his 2-year molars! Once these 2 molars are in Ryder will have 12 teeth.. I am more than ready for teething to be done!

Ryder got new shoes, how cute are those! - 05/30/2012

Phew! So that was May. Thankfully we don't have to go back to Truman again until the end of June! I can't wait to spend some weekends at home, our home.

Much Love, Danielle

April 2012

Here we go with April which was only slightly more eventful than March. Ryder gained a couple more teeth and started cruising around the house using whatever he could get his hands on to use as a walker. Diaper boxes were his favorite!

Our little guy has a tupperware obsession - 04/04/2012

The sweetest face I have ever seen - 04/04/2012

Doing "guy stuff" with daddy - 04/04/2012

 We started out the month with a trip to Truman to spend Easter with Jason's family. We normally celebrate Easter with my family at my sister's house in Easter, but this year my parents decided to go to their cabin for Easter so we decided to switch things up a little. Our Easter was wonderful: good food, great family, wonderful weather.

Roo Roo's first Easter basket - 04/08/2012

The cutest Easter Bunny ever! - 04/08/2012

Crawling on the trampoline - 04/08/2012

The weekend after Easter we had a visit from some of our favorite people. Drew, Tori, and Linkin Hesse came to see us for the weekend and they brought our dear friend Tyrone with them. We had a blast hanging out with them and celebrating Drew's birthday. It's always fun to watch Ryder and Linkin play together. I can't wait to watch those 2 silly boys grow up together and I really hope they will be as good of friends as Jason and Drew.

Jason and the birthday boy - 04/14/2012

They are going to kill us for these pictures when they're teenagers! - 04/14/2012

No more pictures, mom! - 04/14/2012

Playtime! - 04/15/2012

Trying to get a good picture of these 2 is challenging, to say the least... - 04/15/2012

Our weekend with the Hesses (and Tyrone) was over way too quickly, as usual. We really hate living so far away from them and with Drew and I both having to work weekends it makes it difficult to get together. Here we are in June and we are yet to get together again. We're shooting for a weekend in August, but I'm really hoping we'll be able to find a date that's not so far away.

Lunch time - 04/18/2012

Playing with daddy's tractor that great-Grandpa Thorvald made - 04/20/2012

My future's so bright I gotta wear shades! - 04/23/2012

Cheesy smile - 04/29/2012

By the end of April Ryder was becoming much more mobile. He continued to cruise around the house using his diaper boxes for stability. He also learned that he could push the boxes to where he wanted to go and then climb on top of them to get to things. While this makes me a very nervous mommy, it is so fun to watch his wheels turn. It's amazing to watch him problem solve and figure things out.

We're in trouble now - 04/30/2012

I think I'll just climb in with my toys! - 04/30/2012

I remember feeling very overwhelmed at this time because Ryder had just turned 11 months and his first birthday was quickly approaching. It's amazing how fast this past year has gone. My friend Mackenzie said it best, "The days with be long but the weeks/months/years will be fast". I couldn't have said it better myself. Because of this I try to not take a single moment with Ryder for granted. I try to spend as much quality time with him as possible (this is probably why I have yet to get a sitter for him...) because I know he won't be little forever. My little boy is growing up...

Much Love, Danielle

March 2012

Get ready for a whole LOT of pictures of Ryder Roo. The point of this post will mainly be to catch up on what's been going on since my last post in March. They will go in chronological order (based on the day they were sent to my Facebook from Instagram!). All I can say is thank God for things like Facebook which not only provides me with a place to share my pictures but also puts a date on said pictures so I know exactly when they were taken!

Let's start with the 2nd half of March. Here we go...

Helping mommy with dishes - 03/13/2012

 

 

Teething...again, but look at those baby blues - 03/14/2012

Moby wrap to the rescue for my sick baby, and mama got bangs! - 03/27/2012

Ryder turned 10 months old on March 22, 2012 (which I still cannot believe was over 2 months ago already). Shortly after his 10 month birthday poor baby got sick. Gotta love daycare, right! The only thing that got us through those long days when he wasn't feeling well and only wanted to be held by mommy was our Moby wrap. For any of you new mommys or mommys to be out there, do yourself a favor and go buy one. They come in a variety of colors and even feature some more "manly" ones for all the daddys out there! http://www.mobywrap.com/

Feeling much better and having some Mum Mums for lunch - 03/28/2012

 Looking for a good snack for your little ones? Then check out Mum Mums. They are rice biscuits which are perfect for your teething baby. Ryder loves to gum on the banana ones. They come in a variety of flavors, some organic and some not. http://www.mummums.com/

Our first time with spaghetti - 03/29/2012

We've created a monster...a spaghetti monster! Since giving Ryder spaghetti he wants it ALL. THE. TIME. We tend to let him have it about once a week and always make sure it's on a bath day because as you can see in the above picture he gets a little messy! I think the spaghetti sauce makes him even cuter, though.

I love my toy puppy. Thank you Auntie Heidi!!! - 03/30/2012

 Happenings in the month of March 2012: We had a visit from my parents in mid-March. It was great to see them (as always). We grilled out at my sister's house and just had fun spending time together. I love being with our families and really wish we got to do it more often. Speaking of family, my sister and I went to see "The Hunger Games" on March 23rd and it was every bit as amazing as I was hoping it would be. Have you all read the books and seen the movie? If not, what are you waiting for! You're really missing out on a great thing.  Besides those two things our March was pretty uneventful. Coming up next, April.

Much Love, Danielle

Blog Slacker...

So, we can all come to the same conclusion...that is I seriously SUCK at blogging! I always have such good intentions to blog, and one would think I'd have all kinds of time to do it working straight nights and all, but here we are almost 3 months since my last post and I'm finally posting again. I really do want to be better about keep my blog and you all updated.

I guess one thing I'm learning is that the older Ryder gets the less time I have to do anything for me. For example: Massages - I used to get monthly massages on my days off work and now the only time I manage to get a massage is after a night shift when I should be sleeping. Another example: Pedicures - My feet used to look amazing. I used to treat myself to monthly pedicures. I have had 2 since Ryder came into this world. And another example: Exercise - Okay, I'll admit I've never been a gym rat but I did manage to get there on a semi-regular basis pre-motherhood. Now the only time I workout is at night after Ryder has gone to bed. Thank God for Jillian Michaels workout DVDs!

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not upset or resentful towards Ryder or anything like that. These changes are welcome changes. I would way rather be a mommy than have a back that doesn't hurt, pretty toes, or a banging body. Life didn't matter until that little guy came into our life on May 22, 2011. He is truly my reason for being and my reason for waking up each and every morning. I thank God for Ryder and feel truly blessed to be taking this journey through motherhood with him.

Mommy's big boy!

Can you believe my little guy is ONE already?!?! Coming soon: a post detailing Ryder's 1st birthday party. But first I'll be doing a general update on what's new in ours' and his life. Stay tuned!