Wedding Vow Renewal June 2012?

Around our 2nd wedding anniversary, we decided that we'd really like to renew our wedding vows someday. We agreed that our 5th anniversary would be perfect for that. Now that we just celebrated our 4th anniversary & our 5th is a year away, I can start figuring things out about renewing our vows. We aren't 100% sure if we will be doing this but it is definitely something we are thinking about.

There are several reasons we want to renew our wedding vows:
#1 We had the most beautiful wedding but we want a fresh start. We didn't have a nice house to go home to since we were moving to Oregon right after the wedding. We struggled alot for the 1st 4 months of our marriage. We're in a better place right now than in 2007. We still face the everyday struggles but we're doing better now & things will just get better between now & June 2012.
#2 I wasn't totally happy with our photographer. He did a fine job & I'm very happy he video taped the wedding but he didn't do anything special, he didn't come prepared with a list of traditional wedding poses so we missed getting those & he didn't do any unique poses. If we do the vow renewal, I would hire a much better photographer & get alot more pictures & more of what I want.
#3 There were alot of people that missed our wedding & have said that if we chose to do the vow renewal they would definitely come. Our wedding had a small turn out but it was still beautiful & perfect. The renewal ceremony would give everyone who missed our wedding a chance to come to this.

Since I've been a stay at home mom for over a year & we decided 2 years ago that we wanted to do this, I've had plenty of time to start getting ideas. Again, not 100% sure we'll be doing this next year but it's fun to think about it & start planning it. I won't start making any official plans until it gets closer but for now, I can have fun coming up with ideas. So I thought I'd share what I've come up with so far. Before I share my thoughts, let me start by saying that I've been doing alot of research on proper etiquette for a wedding vow renewal ceremony & there really isn't any. So that gives me the freedom to do whatever I want.

LOCATION - We aren't sure where we would do this at. I wanted to have this at Christ the King since that's been my church for years & that's where we got married. Neither one of us was planning on moving back to AZ in late 2009. I would have it in AZ but a majority of the people that want to come are in WA, the church is in WA & the photographer I want is in WA. That is a decision that is totally in the air & can be changed no problem. Definitely unsure of where it'd be but again, everything is up in the air & won't be decided or booked until it gets closer to June 2012.

DRESS - I am planning on wearing my dress again. The dress is so breathtakingly gorgeous & expensive that it needs to be worn more than once. I want to dress it down a little so I won't wear a veil & the train will be bustled the entire time. I want to wear my jewelry & shoes that I wore for the wedding day as a fun memory. As it gets closer I'll decide on the smaller things like hair style. I'm determined to fit into the gown again especially since we will be paying for this ourselves, I want to save the probably $200 it would cost to alter the gown. I'm already down to my pre baby weight & know I can get down to my wedding weight in a year. If it needs to be altered then so be it but I will find a cheaper place.

When I 1st started thinking about this, I wanted to order the same tux for Garyn & one for Hayden. Now that I think about it I don't want to rent a tux for my boys. Since we will be paying for this ourselves, I'm trying to figure out ways we can cut cost corners as much as possible. I figured renting a tux for Garyn & Hayden would probably be upwards of $300 or so. Plus they both would be incredibly hot especially if we do it in Arizona! Instead, I want to buy both of them khaki pants which will tie in with the champagne color of my dress, a white button down shirt & a light blue tie. The way I shop & the places I shop, I can probably find all of that for around $100. Plus I think it would look so awesome! Garyn looked so handsome in his tux but I think this would be better for a vow renewal ceremony.

I want to order a little dress for Rya. I wanted to get her the same dress our adorable flower girl, Kaylee wore but I've already checked David's Bridal & they no longer carry the dress. I do want the color champagne in Rya's dress so it will match mine. I'm sure we'll be able to find her a sweet dress & she will look so beautiful. Kaylee was a wonderful flower girl & looked so cute!

RECEPTION - We will most likely not do a reception, nothing big anyway. We will most likely just have a gathering of the people that attended at the location of the ceremony. A big reason I want to do this is get alot of wonderful pictures that we didn't get at our wedding so we'll most likely get some before the ceremony, mingle with people afterwards & then finish getting pictures done. If we do this in WA, I have a photographer that I really want! We went to high school together & we on the cheer squad together & she's the most amazing photographer! I love her work & really would love pictures done by her. If we do it in AZ, then I want to try to find someone with the same style as hers.

Since the reception won't be anything big, we won't do dinner. I definitely want lemonde to drink (maybe coffee too, small details that would be figured out later) & cupcakes. I loved our wedding cake & at 1st I wanted a small replica made for the renewal but looking around online I found these cupcakes that would be perfect. Plus I thought cupcakes were more laid back than a cake & that's what I'm going for - a more laid back & casual feel. I want to order cupcakes like the ones pictured which will be perfect! They have the yellow & blue colors of our wedding & the little dots on each cupcake is perfect because that will represent the dots that were on our wedding cake!

We won't be ordering alot of flowers either. Most likely something for the alter that will hopefuly resemble our original alter flowers. I would like a small bouquet to carry. Just a few white roses & blue carnations which is what my wedding bouquet was made from. That will most likely be it for flowers. Since there really won't be a reception, I won't need to order flowers for centerpieces. Since this is just a renewal, I don't think it's necessary to order a boutineer. I think we will order yellow rose petals just to scatter on any tables that are set up or maybe just a few yellow tulips. I will definitely order a single yellow rose in memory of my Mom. We had one at our wedding & it was very special to me to have that there & have it again. Definitely not many flowers but a few.

One thing I really regret was that we never got a honeymoon. After the wedding, we flew back to AZ & had to leave a week later for OR. Neither of us liked AZ & Garyn was offered a job in OR that he used to do & loved. Since we had to be in OR for Garyn's new job, there was no time for a honeymoon. We still haven't taken one & it really bothers me. Our 1st anniversary we spent the weekend in Seattle but that doesn't count as a honeymoon since we only lived about an hour from Seattle. Idealy, I'd love to do our renewal ceremony & leave the next morning for a small delayed honeymoon. Obviously, depending on where we lived & do the ceremony would depend on where we'd go plus we'd need someone to watch the kids for those few days & I think that will be really hard. I think I might just need to accept the fact that we won't get a honeymoon for another 18 years or so. LoL

Anyway, that's really all the thought I've put into this so far. I would love to do this ceremony but it's a long time away so we'll start saving & planning & hopefully we'll be renewing our wedding vows for our 5th anniversary next year!

I've already figured out about what this entire thing will cost. The most expensive thing will be the photographer but it will be worth it. Again, this isn't a for sure thing but something I'd love to do next year for our 5th anniversary if we can afford it. If not, then we will just wait until we can afford it & do it then.

Reminicing about June 22, 2007

Today is our 4th wedding anniversary! I noticed that the past few days, I was thinking alot about our wedding & reminicing about all the planning we did for it & the actual wedding & reception. We had such a gorgeous wedding & reception (Thank you Pop & Kim!!). Just thought I would share some of the things about our wedding. Like how we came up with the date, how we chose the colors & flowers & some other things. It's fun for me to think back on all this & I thought it'd be fun to share it.

DATE - Garyn propsed on December 8th 2006. I always thought it'd be sweet to get married on my parents annivsersary which is also my grandparents anniversay, February 23rd. But I realized that I wanted a summer wedding so we wanted June 23rd. That way I'd get my summer wedding but it's still on the 23rd. Unfortunately, the place we chose for our reception (The Kitsap Golf & Country Club) was booked on the 23rd. The 22nd was available & it was as close to the 23rd as we could get.

COLORS - This was one of the 1st decisions we made & one of the toughest. My 1st choice was pink but since it was Garyn's wedding too, I didn't want it to be too girly. We threw out pink & purple. I knew I didn't want red because EVERYONE does red. Black wasn't a summer color. I then chose green & yellow but Garyn wanted blue & yellow. We agreed that blue & yellow were the perfect colors for a summer wedding! The only problem we had was finding the bridesmaid dresses in the perfect color. We ordered the tuxedos from Men's Warehouse so we were going off that shade of blue. I finally found the perfect bridesmaid dresses. They were short & sleeveless so they also fit in perfectly with the summer theme. Unfortunately, since I had to ship 2 dresses to WA & 1 to CA, the saleslady told me there wasn't enough time to have the dresses shipped & sized to each bridesmaid. We ended up finding great dresses at JCPenney for only $30 each! They matched the groomsmen tuxedo's perfectly & looked great with the yellow tulips & the champagne color in my dress!

CAKE & FLOWERS - At that time, the only wedding I remember going to was my sister's wedding in 2004. I loved her flowers & her cake was delicious! So we chose the same people for our wedding, Safeway.

The flowers were easy, tulips are my absolute favorite flower! We chose yellow tulips for almost everything to make sure the color was incorporated in the wedding. I wanted my bouquet to be a beautiful waterfall one with blue flowers. They did an amazing job but it was heavy! I remember being nervous because it's hard to plan a wedding in another state. We were living in AZ but getting married in WA. I think I called serveral times just to make sure they had my order right. To save money, I did the centerpieces myself (another idea I got from my sister). I found the vases at the $1 store & just ordered yellow tulips. We arrived at the reception hall the morning of the wedding to drop of the cake, check out the decorations & set up the center pieces. It definitely saved alot of money doing it ourselves!

The cake was another easy decision. I wanted the same flavor my sister had at her wedding. We did a vanilla cake with fondant frosting. It was so good! I didnt' want the bride/groom on the top of the cake because I did want a few things about my wedding to be different. We had Safeway floral department make a beautiful flower arrangement for the top of the cake. It was breathtaking!

MY GOWN - I had come home in December for Christmas. The day I had to go back to CA, my stepmom, Kim & I went dress shopping. This of course was what I was looking forward to most about planning the wedding. We went to Benita's in Silverdale. They had a pretty good selection & I was happy with the attendant that helped me. The first 3 dresses I tried on were okay. The 4th dress I tried on was it! I rememeber my jaw hitting the floor in the dressing room. I came out to show Kim & she was in awe of this dress. I loved it anyway because it was exactly what I wanted. It was strapless, corset top with alot of detail. When the salesgirl showed me the train, I was sold. This was THE dress! I knew I didn't want anything under the dress (tulle or a hoop skirt) because I knew I'd get too hot. My sister offered for my something borrowed to be her veil. It matched my dress perfectly & I loved the idea of wearing her veil. I also didn't want alot of jewelry because I wanted the main focus to be the dress. The only jewelry I wore were a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings my stepmom gave me that belonged to her. I still treasure those diamond earrings! The dress was amazing & I felt so gorgeous in it! We are planning on renewing our wedding vows on our 5th anniversary next year & I'm planning on wearing the dress again!

THE RINGS - When Garyn propesed to me in December he didn't have a ring yet. Once he told me why, I was happy he chose to wait. He said he wasn't 100% sure on what kind of ring I wanted & he wanted to make sure I got exactly what I wanted. He knew I wanted white gold but that was about it. Once I moved to AZ, we went to the mall one day & he took my hand & led me into Fred Meyer Jewelry (our go-to place for all our jewelry). The saleslady was wonderful. I told her what I wanted & what our budget was & she fully kept that in mind. Garyn showed me the ring he had picked out. It was a round cut diamond with 2 smaller ones on each side. I did like it but everyone has that ring. I like to have things that are unusual. I chose 3 rings that I loved & told him to pick one. He chose the ring that is now on my ring finger. I love this ring so much! The engagement ring was a set & came with a beautiful wedding band. Unfortunately, I no longer have my original wedding band. A couple years ago, a diamond fell out & instead of them just replacing the diamond, they wanted to give me an entire new ring. We didn't like the new band so thanks to layaway, I got a better one that we love even more!

There are still so many wonderful memories I have about our wedding. Garyn & I chose not to do bachelor/bachelorette parties because the typical party wasn't our thing. We also think they are rather immature. Instead of a bachelorette party, all my bridesmaids & I met up at Azteca for margaitas & then we went & got our nails done. It was so nice beause none of my bridesmaids knew each other so it gave them a chance to meet & I hadn't seen any of them in awhile so it was so nice to chat over margaritas & pedicures.

I think my favorite thing about the wedding (besides becoming Garyn's wife!!) was getting ready. All my bridesmaids & I got our hair & makeup done about 2 hours before the wedding. We then went to the church to get dressed & ready. It took awhile to get into my dress but once it was on, I knew that I chose the right dress & I was so happy to finally be wearing the most gorgeous wedding dress & marrying the man I love!

My favorite thing about the reception (everything was my favorite) was the crystal decorations hanging from the ceiling. When I was home for Christmas, my Dad, Kim & I went to look at the reception hall. It was perfect. I loved that it was at a golf course, there was a beautiful pond in the entry way & plenty of space for dancing, tables & the cake. When we walked in they must have had an event coming up because the crystals were hanging up & that's when I saw them & mentioned to my Dad that I wanted them. The morning of the wedding, Dad, my bridesmaids & I arrived at the reception hall to drop off the cake & set up the center pieces & I remember walking into the hall & seeing the crystals & getting tears in my eyes because for some reason I thought we forgot to order them. I was so beyond excited! The Country Club did an amazing job! I had called several times to make sure everything would be set up in time & that they didn't have any questions for me. We just had white table cloths with blue napkins & the yellow tulip center pieces. We also had yellow lemonade at each table which I thought was a fantastic idea since it went along with the summer theme & the yellow color. I wanted candles but didn't want to spend much so we just got a big bag to tealites & they were perfect!

We had such a gorgeous wedding & reception. I'm still so thankful that I'm able to look back on our photos & the video & not have any regrets about the wedding. It was everything I'd wanted since I was little. I'm so happy that we are now celebrating our 4th anniversary & know that we have many more ahead of us!

A Cute Example!

I just had to share this picture. I think this is just one of the cutest pictures & a great way to express again how much I enjoy having a little boy & a little girl!

Hayden's 1st Birthday

We celebrated Hayden's 1st birthday on Wednesday, May 25th 2011. I really can't believe that's he's already a year old! Time goes by way too fast. It really seems like just yesterday we were bringing him  home. I couldn't help but think about the day we welcomed our little boy throughout the day on Wednesday. Hayden was completely unplanned & we were very surprised but we are obviously very thankful for him! The day before he was born (5/24/10) we went to Arizona Mills mall & walked around for 3 hours. It didn't even occur to us that that could make Hayden arrive early since my due date was still 3 weeks away. The next day, I had alot of energy & was cleaning like crazy. I remember my Mom telling me at one point that when that happens, the baby will arrive soon. Of course, I didn't put 2 & 2 together until later. Garyn has left at 2pm to go run an errand with a friend. My water broke at 2:10pm. I tried not to panic but it never occured to me to find out what to do if that happens. I'm so thankful that Garyn left me the cell phone & I was able to get ahold of his friend who passed the message on to Garyn. He was home in about 5min. Anyway, I was only in labor with Hayden for 9 hours (much better than the 28hours with Rya). I still can't believe all that was a  year ago! Now we're celebrating his 1st birthday!

Garyn had to work both his jobs that day so the night before, we gave Hayden his little Kawasaki FMX bike that Garyn had picked out for him. Hayden was very tired but as soon as he saw it, he crawled straight to it with the biggest smile on his face! He was trying to play with it & we put him on it & he kept pressing the buttons & really seemed to like it. So I guess we should start preparing ourselves for another motoracer in the house! We let him play with his new bike for awhile before putting him back to bed.

Hayden woke up at his usual time on the 25th. I came in singing Happy Birthday to him. He was all smiles & still trying to wake up. Rya woke up right after him so I do my usualy morning routine of getting them up & in clean/dry diapers. I like my kids to have a treat for breakfast on their birlthday so the day before I had just gotten some Hostess doughnuts. Hayden is a bottomless pit already! He ate 4 of those little doughnuts before I cut him off. He was still hungry though so I just gave him some water & he was content with that. He spent the morning playing on his new quad & Rya played on hers. It was so cute to watch them sitting on their quads. Rya would ride her's around but obviously, Hayden can't do that so he would sit on his & watch Rya.

We didn't anything special for lunch. I just made Mac 'n Cheese since that is Rya's favorite & Hayden loves it. After lunch I played with both of them for awhile. Our friend, Sara stopped by with some eggs for me so I could make Hayden's birthday cake. I went to the store the day before for last minute birthday stuff & totally forgot to get eggs & tape! (I ended up making a trip to Walmart at 12:45am on the 25th for tape but forgot eggs!) Now that I had everything I was able to make Hayden's cake. By the time I started on that, it was nap time for the birthday boy. Rya & I enjoyed some girl time while he was sleeping. Garyn was able to come home around 3pm for a few minutes so he was able to see Hayden for a bit & wish him a happy birthday. Garyn then left to go to his 2nd job. Rya, Hayden & I just spent the rest of the evening playing & relaxing. Garyn came home around 7:30pm, went to let our friends know that the party was gonna start soon. We ordered pizza & shortly after I came home with it, our friends, Chuck & Sara came over. We've been friends with them for awhile now & they both love Rya & Hayden. We sat down for Hayden's birthday dinner & that little boy loves pizza! I only give him small pieces & I was worried it'd make him sick but he was totally fine! He really enjoyed his dinner!

Garyn & Chuck went outside for some RC time. Rya loves to watch so she was going in & out. Hayden enjoyed playing with Chuck & Sara's 6month old son, Nick. Sara & I chatted while I cleaned up from dinner & got things ready for cake & presents. We all watched Hayden open his gifts. Rya really wanted to help him! Hayden got some great stuff for his birthday! He got a great learning helicopter toy from my Grandma, an awesome walker from my Dad & Kim, we got him a cute little Pillow Pet, a little RMZ 450 & a few other things. Chuck & Sara got him a learning book that I actually almost bought him. He still has more to open! We're having a party for him on June 4th so we saved a few gifts for his party. He seemed to really like everything he got! Chuck & Sara even got Rya a little baby doll & we got her a purple unicorn Pillow Pet because we all didn't want her to feel left out. When I brought out her big pink bag, she got so excited & started kicking her legs. It was so precious!

Finally the moment we've been waiting for...cake time!! After a totally off key rendition of Happy Birthday, we gave Hayden his piece of cake. I knew he'd make a mess so I put him in his booster seat in just his diaper. As soon as we gave him the cake, he reached out for it right away. It did take him a minute to really get into it. He started by just picking the frosting off! It was really cute! As soon as he realized all the frosting was gone, he literally grabbed the entire piece of cake & tried to shove it into his mouth! I was laughing so hard I was crying! He was having alot of fun eating his cake! He made such a mess but it was so funny!

 

I now had a nice, big mess to clean up. It was all totally worth it though! Hayden had a blast opening his gifts & eating his cake. Rya really enjoyed having company over. Hayden has his bath followed by Rya. As soon as I put Hayden in his crib, he was out. I wish I could have gotten a picture of him sleeping. He was so comfy, full & was sleeping with a smile on his face! I'm so happy that his 1st birthday was everything I was hoping it would be. It still breaks my heart to think about Rya's 1st birthday. I know she didn't know what it was & we totally made up for it with a wonderful 2nd birthday & party. I'm so thankful that we were able to give Hayden a great 1st birthday! He still has his party coming up too! His birthday is May 25th, Garyn's is June 1st & Garyn's stepdad, Greg, is June 4th so we're having a combined party for all 3 boys on June 4th. :)

I still can't believe that our precious little boy is a year old! We've had a wonderful 1st year with him & are looking forward to many more! Rya is a wonderful big sister & really loves her little brother! I will admit that when we 1st found out we were going to have a 2nd child, we were both very stressed out but Hayden is such a loved little boy & we're so thankful to the Lord for blessing us with 2 amazing little babies!

*Happy 1st Birthday, Hayden! We love you so much!*



The Perfect Mix

I'm really loving having a little girl & a little boy. Ever since Hayden was born I've obviously noticed the differences between them but now that  he's getting older, I'm noticing it even more & really enjoying it.

I will admit that when we 1st found out we were having a boy I was a bit upset  but I believe that was because #1 we were told we were having another little girl & #2 I didn't know what to do with a little boy. My 1st ultrasound I was 17weeks pregnant. The ultrasound tech had a hard time trying to determine the sex of the baby but was 90% sure it was a girl. I was happy about that because we already Rya so I knew how to handle a girl & what to expect plus we still had everything from when Rya was a newborn. When I went in for my 2nd ultrasound at 22 weeks, the ultrasound tech asked if we knew the sex & we said we were told it was a girl. She said "Okay, are you ready? It's a boy". I was shocked just because we already thought it was a girl. Once it set in, I was more than happy to be expecting a little boy. Of course, as soon as he was born, none of that mattered. He was healthy, happy & handsome & I was so thankful for my little baby!

As his 1st birthday approaches I find myself getting more nervous about raising a boy. Rya's 2 1/2 years old so we've already been through the 1st year with a girl but how different will it be with a boy? I love Hayden beyond words & always will but I can't help shake my nerves. I know alot of it has to do with the fact that I don't know how to handle a little boy. I'm sure it can't be that different.

I went shopping today for his birthday. Garyn wasn't with me so I was really only going to be getting wrapping supplies & cake mix. I couldn't help go down the toy aisle to check out some birthday gifts for him. If I found something, I of course was going to get it. I couldn't pick anything out! What do I get a little boy for his 1st birthday? This is when I realized how much I'm enjoying having a girl & a boy. Rya was 18months old when Hayden was born so from November 2008 until May 2010 everything we bought was pink or purple. Now Rya's into Tinkerbell, Rapunzel & the Disney Princesses. I love this!! I remember being a little girl & loving dress up clothes & Barbie dolls & anything girlie. It makes me so excited that Rya is starting to get into those things. I can't wait to get our things out of storage in WA because I saved alot of my toys in hopes I'd have a little girl one day to pass them down to. Now I have a little girl & can't wait to give her all my Barbie dolls & stuffed animals.

Now that Hayden will be a year old, I want to get him toys more age appropriate. All his toys right now are still baby toys. I found myself looking at toy dirtbikes & quads or hot wheels. I do want to get him some big toys so I was looking in the baby aisle at those too but still couldn't decide. Then I'd wander over to the section with Tinkerbell toys. It's just so awesome to have 1 of each! Rya is becoming such a big girl & I'm so excited that Hayden is getting older so Garyn can have with Hayden what I have with Rya. I also think alot about this when I'm cleaning up at the end of each night. I'll pick up Rya's dress up clothes then Hayden's toy bikes then Rya's Tinkerbell dolls & Hayden's toy tools. I just think it's funny how much I had wanted a 2nd little girl but am so thankful that God blessed us with a little boy! I love both my babies equally & with all my heart & can't believe how beautiful & amazing they both are! We have been truly blessed!!

May update on my babies

I'm still trying to blog more but not being successful at that. I will always keep everyone updated on how Rya & Hayden are doing though! So here's an update on my beautiful angels!

Rya Michele will be 30months old on the 10th! I know her birthday is still 6months away but I can't believe she's going to be 3 years old this year! She's such a funny, energetic & silly little girl. She loves having her picture taken & will now smile for me. If she has on a new outfit or is doing something cute, she'll say "Pic Cha, pic cha!" She's always running around, laughing & playing. I wish I had a 1/4 of her energry. At her 2 year doctor's appointment, she was 37" tall & 30lbs. She is incredibly smart!! I read that by the time a child is 30months old, she should know a few colors, a few body parts & a few friends. Rya knows 9 colors, 16 colors & at least 10 people by name (that's not including Garyn, myself & Hayden). She continues to amaze me with how smart she is! She says countless words. Literally repeats everything she hears. She even says some small sentances. My favorites are "What cha got?" & "What happen?".  She is also an incredibly big sister! She loves Hayden so much & loves to be around him & play with him. When she wakes up in the morning, the 1st thing she does is say hello to me & give me a hug & then immediately after that, she says "Where's baby?". She & Hayden play great together. I love it when I'm doing dishes & hear them both cracking up in laughter. She is also very attentative to Hayden! I was busy & I heard Rya saying "Baby, take it out! Take it out!" I went over to Hayden & he had 1 of Rya's tiny dress up rings in his mouth. I still wonder how he got it & how Rya knew he wasn't supposed to have it. She's such an amazing little girl! She is such a Mommy's girl but she so loves her Daddy. She is having alot of problems with me leaving so I'm worried she has bad separation anxiety from Mommy but hopefully it'll get better. She is the biggest sweetheart, she already shows so much love for us & she's so funny. I love her with all my heart & am so thankful we were blessed with such a sweet & beautiful little girl!

Hayden Richard is 11months old already. We're amazed at how fast time has gone by. I'm really excited for his 1st birthday. Hayden's already showing signs that makes me believe he's very smart as well. When I'm picking up his toys, he'll grab one & put it in the box. He repeats some facial expressions that I make at him. If I pucker my lips for a kiss, he'll put his entire mouth either on my lips or my nose. He said his 1st word  today!! It's hard to tell what the 1st word is. There have been times when I say hi to him & it sounded like he said it back but it was hard to tell. He'd do the "Dadadada" alot but that doesn't count. Today Garyn walked past him & Hayden smiled & said "Da Da" took a pause & said it again. So we will count that as his 1st word! He's doing great on standing up. He has been able to pull himself to stand with help for awhile now. He's able to walk using the furniture. I think he'll take his 1st steps soon. His legs are very strong, his balance is great & he is able to stand very well while holding onto something with just 1 hand! He loves playing with Rya. He's at the age & size now that he & Rya will play wrestle a little bit. He loves it when the movie "Car's" is on. He laughs at the part where Lightening McQueen scares the tractors. He really likes Garyn's RC cars & any kind of toy bike. He's doing amazing with his eating. He is at the point now that he wants real food. He'll still eat the baby jar food but gets super excited when he sees that I have real food. We now buy him the Little Graduate meals. He loves them & it will make 2-3 meals for him. I've been having trouble with him at the night the past few nights. He's woken up at very odd hours & wants to play. I changed his bedtime routine tonight & we'll see if it works. He's a very sweet & happy little man! He's always smiling & laughing. He's finally starting to cuddle with me. He'll put his head on my shoulder sometimes when I hold him. He is definitely a Daddy's boy! He loves his Mommy but the look on his face everytime Garyn gets home from work is so precious! He was a big surprise but we are so thankful that the Lord has blessed us with this amazing & sweet & handsome little boy!

We're so very thankful for both our little miracle babies. They are a handful at times but they are so sweet, funny & wonderful! I can't imagine life without them. They bring so much happiness to our lives!

Happy Easter!

Today was Hayden's 1st Easter! We were planning on getting up @ 7:30am so the kids could see their Easter baskets & then hunt for their eggs before going to the 8:30am church service. Sadly, we didn't do that because Garyn slept terribly last night & I was up from 1am-4am with Hayden. I never figured out what he wanted last night but I was up for 3 hours with him, trying to get him back to sleep. I thought there was another church around that did an evening service tonight but I was wrong. So we're really bumbed out that we missed church!

We got up @ 9:15am & had to wake up Rya. She didn't want to get out of bed but once we told her the Easter bunny came, she perked right up & jumped out of bed. She was so excited about her Easter basket. Hayden was more interested in the fake grass than the basket itself. Rya did a great job hunting down all the eggs while Hayden finally took interest in his basket. We got them both dressed & ready to go spend the morning @ Grandma Holmes'.

We always love going to Garyn's mom's place. It's always nice to visit with his family & Rya loves playing with her cousins. The morning was relaxing. Just chit chatting & watching the kids play. Then time for more Easter baskets! I can't believe how patient Rya can be. All the kids sat in the family room waiting to be handed their baskets. Rya sat on the couch & just patiently waited. When Garyn brought it to her & told her that it was for her, her mouth dropped & her eyes sparkled! A sweet facial expression from my precious angel I'll never forget. She loved everything in her basket especially the 2 bottles of bubbles. Hayden was very interested in his!

After such a nice & relaxing Easter morning with family it was time for Easter lunch! Rya wanted to be a big girl & eat by herself @ the bar. She did great! Didn't spill anything on her dress or fall off the bar stool. We had wanted to stay for awhile longer but had to start packing up to leave. Hayden was so fussy since he missed his morning nap & poor Rya's feet were all blistered from her flat shoes. They both looked adorable though!

The rest of the day was spent @ home just relaxing & cleaning up the house. The kids enjoyed playing with their new toys. Aside from a nasty fall Hayden had, it was a great evening! Hayden had a wonderful 1st Easter & Rya had a great Easter as well!

Always thankful for this day! The day our Lord rose from the dead after dying for all of our sins so that we may have eternal life! Happy Easter, everyone!