Ryan Family Adventures

A Very Ryan Christmas: Part 2

2012-01-20T07:51:00.001-08:00

Over New Years weekend, we celebrated the other half of our Christmas. What a fun time!!! We always enjoy going to grandma and papa Ryan's and seeing our aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and nephews! Of course, no Ryan Christmas would be complete without a little ugly.....

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

We also had the annual Grab Bag...my favorite part. Don't worry, Sean...soon enough you'll be playing with us!

And of course, no Christmas is complete without a ridiculous amount of gifts. Next time, we'll bring a trailer. Thank you Ryan family for a fantabulous Christmas, the thoughtful gifts, the yummy food, and the awesome company!

One Post Leads to Another...

2011-12-28T19:36:00.001-08:00

I took photos this afternoon of our dining room, and I'm excited to share, so here goes!

I'm horrible at taking before photos, so this is the only one I really have. Notice the floral carpet, boring white walls, and dated wood door/trim. You can't see it, but there was also a lovely 70's style white curtain on the window. I have to mention, too...this carpet was NASTY...and by nasty, I mean dirty, filthy, gross.

Here's the same view...after! We replaced the floors and installed wood laminate. We updated with window covering with some nice, bright wood blinds. We also painted the trim and door white. The walls got a fresh coat of paint, a nice, neutral taupe color. Warm and inviting. Now for the details....This piece has pretty much been the sole inspiration for the entire upstairs decor. I found it at Hobby Lobby, on sale of course, and fell in love with it. I love the colors, and everything else about it.
I have had this vase forever. I found it at Pier 1 a few years ago, and I think I paid something like $1 for it on clearance. I updated it with some new "sticks" I found at Dollar Tree. I think I have all of $5 tied up in this, and it's perfect in the corner of the room.

I've learned that I love CREATING things for our home, and adding personal touches. I covered every outlet and light switch cover in our house with scrapbook paper, and they're all different. I may be the only one that notices, but I love them, and think they add personality to our decor.

This gem is by far my favorite part of our dining room redo. I've wanted a new dining set for a LONG time. We had been using the same hand-me-down from my grandma since before we were even married. My grandpa bought it for her sometime in the 70s...and you could tell. I had been to furniture stores and looked, and I have to admit, the price tags made me cringe. I didn't see any I liked for under $600. I suppose that's not a lot to most people for a nice piece of furniture, but it's a lot to me, especially when there are so many good pieces of furniture thrown out all the time. Enter this beauty, which I saw on a local classified site. I had ignored it because 1) It didn't come with chairs, and 2) It's solid oak, so I figured they wanted a fortune for it. After looking at the furniture stores with my mom, I decided to inquire about it, especially since it is the EXACT shape I was looking for. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the asking price was a mere $30! Obviously, I jumped on it.

One of my new obsessions is distressed furniture, so the first thing I did to my new table was paint and distress the legs.

Justin sanded the top smooth and stained it a darker color. We actually mixed 2 stains to achieve the color we wanted, then went over it with a dark walnut stain. It turned out gorgeous, and trust me, the pictures do not do it justice!

The chairs were free. My mom got a new dining set and was taking her old ones to the dump. I snatched them right up! I still have 2 left to do, but I'm painting and distressing them to match the legs of the table. When I'm all done, I will have a set almost identical to the ones I fell in love with at the furniture stores!

So...that's our dining room redo. It's been fun, and we love the look!

A Very Ryan Christmas: Part 1

2011-12-28T13:29:00.000-08:00

I'm extremely behind on blogging. I really thought once we moved, I'd have more time, but it seems like things are busier! I have all sorts of posts floating around in my head, mostly dealing with our new home (we've been busy!) and eventually they will get posted here, but for now...enjoy this post about our Christmas....part 1!

Our tree went up the week before Thanksgiving. Early, I know, but I was excited. This year we did a KU them. Red, blue, white, and of course, Jayhawks everywhere. It looked great!

The girls were in a parade to kick off the holiday season. They were on a float for their dance team, and Kendra was a ballerina and Alexis was a snowman. They both looked great, and even though it was COLD, they had a lot of fun. Alexis kept saying she had a big boobie.

After the parade, Santa showed up to take Christmas requests. Of course, Kendra knew exactly what to do and had her list ready. AJ, on the other hand, was not impressed. She cried. And screamed. And said, "I don't wike a santa cwaus!" From this day forward, she will not have ANYTHING to do with Santa or Santa related items.

Of course, Christmas would not be complete without decorating cookies for Santa. It's okay AJ, we ALL think Kendra is a little nuts sometimes! :)

I'm not a very patient person when it comes to gift giving, so we may have opened some gifts a little early. Since it was Abby's first Christmas, we tried to get a photo with her, but it did not turn out well, as you can see.

It's a good thing our human children are more photogenic!

Christmas Eve, we laid out cookies, milk, and some special homemade stars for Santa.

He must have really liked his treats, because he rewarded the girls generously! A new princess baby doll with all the accessories, a princess carriage, a princess doll house, princess barbies, and some walkie talkies waited for us Christmas morning. Unfortunately, Santa was not able to get all of the gifts requested, but the girls were okay with it.

Emmy thought she would give the gift of herself to us this year. We just think she's "gifted".

Papa and Grandma Morton and Grandma Schlyer and Uncle Derrick all came over Christmas day. We had MORE presents to open, and lots of yummy treats. It was a great day, and by far one of the best Christmases to date. We all had a lot of fun. We also celebrated my mom's birthday. The boys made a cake that didn't turn out so great as far as appearances go, but it tasted good!

Aren't these two just gorgeous?!?!? This gift was a favorite, and we can't wait to get pictures taken in them. I'd say our first Christmas in our new home was a major success, and we look forward to hosting more holidays in the future. Christmas part II is this weekend...stay tuned!

Under the Sea

2011-11-06T22:45:00.001-08:00

Our first Halloween in our new home was a success! It was a busy one for sure!

We carved pumpkins....

K had no problem digging right in and getting messy...

Aj, on the other hand, just was NOT interested. "EEEWWW" was all she could say about the experience.

Messy or not, both kids were very proud of their handiwork.

Kendra chose a scary Jack-O-Lantern face, and Alexis chose several shapes of cookie cutters to cut out on her pumpkin.

The next day was the BIG day! My little sea creatures were so excited to get dressed up in their costumes, and they looked really good!

There was a costume parade and party at Kendra's school, and of course we had to partake in those activities. Alexis loves visiting Kendra at school, and can't wait to go herself...even though she isn't willing to use the potty chair in order to go to school. If you've never been in a room full of excited and hyper 5 and 6 year olds, you haven't really lived. I just have one thing to say....God bless our teachers!

Later that night, we went trick or treating. Unfortunately, we were having camera issues, so there are no pictures, but it was an awesome experience. There were kids all over the neighborhood! Fortunately, everyone started early. We even had a dozen or so trick or treaters BEFORE we left! We finally just had to shut the door, and take off as people were walking up to our house. The girls had a blast. Kendra, of course, knew exactly what to do. AJ had no problem following big sis' lead, and was so proud she refused to be pushed in the stroller or let anyone carry her candy bag...even when she could barely lift it off the ground!

Mom and dad even had the chance to partake in some Halloween festivities and attended an adult only Halloween party.

All in all, it was a BIG Halloween success! We all had so much fun, and we're already planning for next year!

Locks of Love

2011-09-30T05:44:00.000-07:00

A while back, Kendra asked me if she could cut her hair. We talked about it, and together we decided to wait until she had enough hair to donate to Locks of Love. It's been a long wait, and a lot of mornings of crying while we brushed her hair. A few hundred ponytails later, we finally had enough hair!

Kendra was very proud, as she should be. Since she knows a little girl recently diagnosed with leukemia, it was easy for her to understand why this was a good thing. As soon as the ponytail came off and her new, short hair fell forward, she was all smiles.

She loves her new do! Her daddy and I think she looks absolutely beautiful, and so grown up. I was unsure at first, but now I love it. It looks adorable on her, and it's so much easier to take care of then her long, long hair!

Big Time Birthday Fun!

2011-09-28T08:19:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe.....

That this precious little baby....

Has turned into this beautiful little girl!

Kendra decided to spend her 6th birthday at the bowling alley. We invited our family and her friends from school, and everyone had a great time. Some of the mom's told me that their kids are STILL talking about it!

There was bowling...

Candles on the cake...

And lots of fun games!

Of course, the party did not stop there and continued into the next day. After all, birthdays are SPECIAL and deserve more than one day!

A fun-filled day on the town that includes a visit to the local icecream shop seems perfect. I can't think of a better way to celebrate. Can you?

But wait...there's more! Sometimes you get really great gifts...

Like tickets to see your favorite boy band perform live! That only happens if you have really cool parents, though.

Well, our little girl must have really cool parents! We got her tickets to see Big Time Rush at the state fair, so our celebration continued the following weekend. Kendra was in awe, but I think it will be a while before Justin and I go to another boy band concert! It was a very special and fun birthday that will be hard to top...I guess I better start planning now!

The Move

2011-08-31T07:30:00.000-07:00

Since we've now lived in our new home for 3 months, I figured it was time I blogged about the move! We've been busy working on our house...we forgot how much we loved little projects around the house. It's still a work in progress, but we hope to finish the upstairs soon.

The biggest change has been in the kitchen. This is what it looked like when we moved in...very 80s looking. We knew IMMEDIATELY that the carpet had to go. Who puts carpet in a kitchen?!?! Even though it's small, we knew we could work with this. We planned for new appliances, new counter tops, and new cabinets....along with the new floor. However, all of these changes were not in our immediate budget. Well, the movers changed at least part of that. As they were unloading, Justin and I were closely monitoring their progress. Suddenly

...I become concerned. Where was our refrigerator?!?! So...we questioned the movers. "We forgot it," they informed us. Well, when life hands you lemons...so off to Sears we went. We talked and looked and measured, knowing that we had a small space. We had looked online and decided that a counter depth fridge would work best in our kitchen, but knew they were way out of our price range at the time. So, we went with intention to buy the cheapest one we could find, since we figured it would soon be replaced. We measured...and measured again...and looked...and discussed...and then we stumbled onto our "dream" refrigerator. (Yes, we have dream appliances!) Stainless steel...side by side....water and ice on the door....big. It was on clearance for not much more than the cheapest tiny white fridge they had. Well, you know how I love a bargain, so we measured...and looked...and discussed...and measured again. After determining it would fit in our small space, we gleefully headed for the cashier and made our purchase. We explained our situation and convinced the delivery person to deliver it that day. Two hours later, it arrived, all wrapped in plastic, shiny and new. Immediately I became concerned. It was HUGE. Very, very huge. They brought it in the house, and I started to panic. "It's not going to fit" I said. "It will fit" the boys said. Well...it did fit. Barely. We stepped back and looked at our new shiny, gleaming appliance in the kitchen. I fought back tears and frustration. We measured...3 times. How could this be? "This refrigerator is big...your kitchen really isn't designed for this big of a refrigerator" the delivery man said. "If I were you, I would move these cabinets over here, and then put your refrigerator here." Brilliant. Not in our budget...but brilliant.

(Pardon the amateur drawing, but hopefully you see what he meant.)

With that, the delivery men left, and we were alone with our ridiculously huge fridge. We stood and stared for what seemed like forever. "What do you think?" Justin hesitantly asked. I just looked at him, unable to speak. I walked over to the fridge and opened the doors. I couldn't get through. I opened the dishwasher. It nearly touched the fridge. I looked at the opening where our oven would soon go. My heart sank. What were we going to do? We discussed returning it. We discussed selling it. We discussed moving the cabinets as suggested, but quickly dismissed the idea. For the next couple hours, we were quiet as we unpacked and tried to maneuver in our kitchen. Suddenly, Justin said, "I can do it." "Do what?" I asked. "Move the cabinets" he replied. I asked over and over if he was sure. He assured me he was, so I told him to do it. We emptied the cabinets (less than one hour after putting the stuff away) and the work began. He was nervous. I was nervous. We did not want to replace cabinets...but several hours later, the job was done.

I know it's hard to see in this picture, but we couldn't be happier with the results. Not only did we get to keep our refrigerator, but the kitchen is much more functional now. (I've also refinished the cabinets and we replaced the floor, but more on that later). We still have some work to do in there (including the counter tops) but that will be coming very soon. This project has given Justin the confidence to tackle more projects and do more things himself in the house. I couldn't be more proud of him. I honestly didn't think he could move cabinets, but he proved me wrong, and I'm so glad he did!

All Grown Up

2011-08-26T06:26:00.001-07:00

It's official. We have a school age child. There were a few tears on the first day of school...and mommy wasn't the only one that had to grab a tissue.

Alexis really wanted to go to school with "Keisha". As soon as we told her she had to learn to use the potty and be a big girl before she could go to school, the tears started falling. She did great when we walked Kendra in and left, but as soon as we pulled away, she was concerned that Kendra didn't come with us. The tears fell again...and again when she realized she was going to daycare with her big sis. We all have some adjusting to do!

Kendra, however, was happy and excited. She couldn't wait to get there and start school! She had picked out her outfit long ago, so dressing went fairly quickly. We even had time to pick some jewelry. I can't count how many times she asked, "How do I look, Mommy?" Of course, she looked beautiful.

I think there may have been some nerves as we walked to her classroom, but once inside, they quickly diminished. She was eager to join her new friends! She impatiently posed for a couple pictures before eagerly joining her classmates.

It was a great day for her. She was disappointed that she didn't have any homework on her first day of school. Something tells me this excitement will slowly dwindle.

I did pretty good. There was an essay that popped up on my Facebook page that morning. It is so fitting for our little girl, and I teared up twice...when I read it myself, and then when I read it to Justin. I did pretty good when we dropped her up. I teared up as we walked away from her, and cried when I got home...but just a little. She's so grown up, and her infant and toddler days seem like they were so long ago.

Here is the essay I read that morning. Grab a tissue...it's a tear jerker.

I TRUST YOU'LL TREAT HER WELL
The story of a girl's first day of school

World, I bequeath to you today one little girl in a crispy dress, with two blue eyes, and a happy laugh that ripples all day long, and a batch of light blonde hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs. I Trust You'll Treat Her Well.

She's slipping out of the backyard of my heart this morning and skipping off down the street to her first day at school.

And never again will she be completely mine...

Prim and proud, she'll wave a young and independent hand this morning, and say goodbye and walk with little-lady steps to the nearby schoolhouse...

Gone will be the chattering little hoyden who lived only for play, and gone will be the delightful little gamin who roamed the yard like a proud princess with nary a care in her little world.

Now, she will learn to stand in lines...and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called...

She will learn to tune her little-girl ears for the sound of school bells, and for deadlines...

She will learn to giggle and gossip...and to look at the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy across the aisle sticks out his tongue.

Now she will learn to be jealous...and now she will learn how it is to feel hurt inside...and now she will learn how not to cry. No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch steps on a summer day and watch while an ant scurries across a crack in the sidewalk...

Or will she have time to pop out of bed with the dawn to kiss lilac blossoms in the morning dew. Now she will worry about important things...like grades...and what dresses to wear...and whose best friend is whose. Now she will worry about the little boy who pulls her hair at recess time... and staying after school...and which little girls like which little boys...and the magic of books and knowledge will soon take the place of the magic of her blocks and dolls.

And she'll find her new heroes. For five full years I've been her sage and Santa Claus...her pal and playmate...her parent and friend. Now, alas, she'll learn to share her worship and adoration with her teachers (which is only right).

No longer will her parents be the smartest and greatest in the world. Today, when the first school bell rings, she'll learn how it is to be a member of the group...with all its privileges, and, of course, its disadvantages, too.

She'll learn in time that proper young ladies don't laugh out loud...or keep frogs in pickle jars in bedrooms...or watch ants scurry across the cracks in a summer sidewalk...

Today, she'll begin to learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends. That "the group" can be a demanding mistress... and I'll stand on the porch and watch her start out on the long, long journey to becoming a woman.

So WORLD, I BEQUEATH TO YOU TODAY ONE LITTLE GIRL in a crispy dress, with two blue eyes, a happy laugh that ripples all day long, and a batch of light blonde hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs.

I TRUST YOU'LL TREAT HER WELL.

By Dan Valentine

From the book "American Essays: Sentimental Classics Designed to Make the Heart Sing"

I pray this world treats my baby K well.

Vacation

2011-08-22T04:08:00.001-07:00

I know this post is long overdue, but as you will soon see, the Ryan's have been busy, busy, busy! I think since we've moved, we've spent one...maybe two weekends at home, so we have lots to blog about!

Justin and I went to Vegas with a group of friends to celebrate our 30th birthdays. I turn 30 this year (eek!) and so does Justin and one of our friends. We had a fabulous time. It's our favorite place to visit, hands down.

The following weekend, we took the girls to Denver, and were joined

by Grandma and Papa Ryan. It was a fun-filled family get away, and very spur of the moment! We didn't tell the girls, and boy were they surprised when Grandma picked them up at daycare!

We got an amazing deal on an awesome hotel. We could walk right out to the Sixth Street Mall in Denver! Kendra couldn't get enough, and kept saying, "Somebody pinch me!" She's our little city girl.

We spent the day visiting all of our favorite animals. I think we all agreed that the polar exhibit was our favorite! Kendra also got to ride the carousel and train. It was a fun filled day for sure, but rather exhausting for some of us.

That evening, after a yummy dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, we just HAD to take a carriage ride. They had horse drawn carriages that went up and down the Sixth Street Mall, and as soon as Kendra spotted them, she had to go on a ride. Thankfully, I've got my daughter who likes to do things like this! I had always wanted a ride also, but had never had

the chance, so this was a great experience for all of us. Our driver was very interesting and informative. Downtown Denver is full of history!

The next morning, we went to the aquarium. Unfortunately, I somehow lost my pictures from this adventure, but we all had a great time. Though it was very crowded, we still had the opportunity to partake in all the fun exhibits. We watched mermaids, we fed jelly fish, we touched star fish, and oohed and aahed over the various sea creatures in the exhibit!

Justin and I just got back from our latest and greatest adventure together...Kansas City! Justin had meetings for work there, and I was lucky enough to tag along. We stayed at Harrah's and had the best time...when he wasn't in meetings, of course! I got to meet and get to know some of his co-workers, and some other people that he knows through auditing and his current job. It was nice to be able to put faces with names.

All in all, I'd say this is one of the best summers we've had. It's been very busy, but we've squeezed in lots of fun, too. Now it's time for school...and we have a Kindergartner this year. Excuse me while I grab a Kleenex...

Play

2011-07-01T20:42:00.001-07:00

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Well, we Ryan's don't want to be like Jack, so we've been making sure we're having plenty of fun this summer!

We've gone fishing...

We've pet snakes...

We celebrated a birthday...

We had a very Merry Christmas...

And we've squeezed in some backyard fun whenever possible!

Hopefully you aren't like Jack either, and have been having lots of fun!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

2011-06-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Kendra's (aka K-Dub's) first night of T-ball. While we all had a SMASHING good time, we learned some very valuable lessons.

Your first T-ball game is very exciting. You arrive pumped and ready for the action.

The first catch is great...and after that initial panic when you think, "oh crap, I got it, now what do I do with it", you just want to celebrate that you made a play!

Try very, very hard not to hit the coach when you go up to bat. After you take a swing and he moves, go ahead and hit the ball as hard as you can...but try very hard to remember to DROP THE BAT and RUN! It's okay if the coach has to take the bat, and tell you to run.

The end of the game is very boring, but there is lots of dirt that you can kick around and draw in with your foot. You'll always be entertained. If all else fails, ask mommy to take you potty in the middle of the game for a distraction!

I honestly think this game was invented by some very bored parents who wanted their children to entertain them for an hour. I'm glad we got a coach who doesn't take it too seriously and allows the kids to be themselves and have a good time, while still teaching them the fundamentals. We can't wait for the next one!

We're home!

2011-06-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

We're still in boxes (mostly) and we are far from settling in...but we're home! We're taking our time and ENJOYING the house, the yard, and all the things Colby has to offer. We'll post more pictures and details soon!

Excitement

2011-04-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

We have some very exciting news to share. Chances are, if you're reading this, you probably already know. After a lot of lows and not so many highs, the winds of change have blown our way. It wasn't planned. It's completely random. We were Not seeking this change in any way...it just happened. Out of the blue, Justin was offered an AMAZING opportunity....the kind of opportunity that most only dream about. Starting May 23, he will begin a new career as Assistant Manager/Manager Trainee for Hi Plains Coop. He impressed someone and got an unsolicited offer a while back. It does require us to move, but we will still be less than two hours away from the majority of our family. We could not pass it up and quickly made the decision to go for it. I have to admit, I drug my feet at first, but after I found out I could keep my job, it didn't take long for me to be excited as well. I have an awesome job and work with great people, and will continue to do so...from home! Three days a week, I will work from home, and two days I will drive to the hospital. Another exciting thing that goes along with the move is this:

On May 27, this will be ours! We are excited to own our own home again. I personally am very excited to decorate and share the changes on here! Do you get the theme here? I've been told that I must blog more once we move, which should be easy to do since I'll be spending less time in a car.

In other exciting news...guess who got a promotion!!

O Christmas Tree

2010-12-07T20:23:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It's hard to believe that it's done and over with, and that Christmas is merely 2 weeks away! On Thanksgiving, we spent the day with my family. We had some delicious food and company! We spent the weekend with Justin's family, playing pitch, letting the kids entertain us, and enjoying yet more yummy food! We also went to WaKeeney for the annual tree lighting. We didn't get to visit Santa...the line was long, and it was cold. Fortunately, Kendra was anxious to get back to Grandma's house! The highlights are below.

Stayin' Alive

2010-12-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

We're still here! Yes, it's been some time since I blogged. I'm having a hard time finding balance between my TWO new jobs, the kids, the husband, and activities I enjoy. Now that we are settling into more of a routine, I hope to have more time for the things I enjoy (other than my kiddos!). In addition to the new routine we've been trying to get established, we have been BUSY!

We celebrated a birthday. Kendra turned 5, and we celebrated with a pool party at her favorite water park. We invited all of her favorite people, and many showed up! Aside from the minor cake disaster (butter cream transfers and black icing in a cooler for several hours is not a good idea), we had a GREAT time!

I got to take a trip with the girls to fabulous Las Vegas. I missed my family terribly the three days I was gone, but it was a great time with one of my best friends, and some new friends!

We had our first visit from the tooth fairy. Kendra has now lost her first (and second) tooth. This was a very exciting time. Our tooth fairy is rather ditsy, though! She forgot to get the tooth, and had to come back for it the next night!

We visited the pumpkin patch. Alexis had a great time throwing hay and following the goats. Kendra was a little more adventurous. She really enjoyed jumping on the hay bales, going through the maze, and riding the zip line!

We got all dressed up for Halloween. We did get to go trick or treating as a family to the community event one evening. Unfortunately, though, we had the stomach virus attack our family, so Alexis and I were not able to go out Halloween night. (I don't think she really noticed, especially since her sister was kind enough to share her candy with her).

We (I) encountered a deer. Not fun.

Four days later, we encountered another deer. Even less fun.

We've also been keeping a close eye on our baby girl. We truly feel like we dodged a bullet, but we are not out of the woods yet. We are closely monitoring her development. We started going too a new pediatrician, and she felt that AJ was delayed in the speech area. We had her evaluated by a speech pathologist, and she felt like AJ was slightly delayed in her expressive language. We will begin meeting with her once a month to monitor her, and if we can't get her caught up, or if she regresses at all, we will get yet another referral to a pediatric neurologist. Honestly, though, we think she is doing just fine, and her language has really started to blossom. We are extremely thankful for this. Our new pediatrician is very understanding, and actually spent some time during her residency at the hospital we want to take AJ to next, should we need another referral. She has stressed to us that while it is a serious condition, hers is mild enough that we have some freedom to make decisions on what we do about it.

That's about all we've been up to! We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving, and enjoyed spending time with each of our families, but more on that later!

List Checking

2010-08-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

Time for a list check! I'm almost out of time...eeek!

#10 Find a little black dress I love.
Done. I love it. And it was cheap. I'm a bargain shopper, and I found it on the clearance rack for...wait for it.....$5.98!

#16 Take Kendra fishing.
We took her fishing in June. The lake has a kid fest every year. We didn't catch a fish, but she still won a prize in the raffle!

#24 Take 50 pictures of Kendra.
Okay, this one was a little too easy...it's been done for a very, very long time. I've probably taken closer to 500 of her, judging from the counter on the camera.

#43 Go camping with Justin...just me and him.
We only had one night...and my parents were there...but they were across the campground and we did spend the evening by ourselves.

#56 Do a load of laundry, including folding and putting away, every night for a week.
I do a crap ton of laundry. A crap ton.

#65 Pay for someone behind me in the drive thru.
Well, I didn't EXACTLY do this, but what I did do is even better. Kendra and I had to run to Walmart one afternoon. There was a homeless guy standing outside, and unlike some around the town, this one actually looked homeless. And he had a dog. I felt horrible for him, and it was HOT, so I decided to do something nice. Kendra and I went to McDonalds and I bought hamburgers and bottles of water for him and his dog. Unfortunately, by the time we got back, he was gone.

#69 Donate to the food bank.
They had a movie night in the mall parking lot, and your entry was a food bank item. We took several, and enjoyed the movie!

#87 Mow the lawn 3 times.
I did it twice while I was pregnant with Alexis...as in ready to pop pregnant. And I've done it here, on the riding mower, but I still did it.

#93 Babysit for someone.
I've babysat lots, actually. I babysat my nephew one afternoon. I babysat for some new people in town for a couple weeks. And I've babysat for some friends. I welcome any and all kids to my house! :)

That's all...I know there are some I will not get done, but I will do my best! Time is ticking away...

Never A Dull Moment

2010-08-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows Kendra, knows she LOVES to perform...and how she is smitten with Froggy. Today, Kendra decided to plan a concert. Everyone attending must have a ticket. The tickets were adorable, to say the least. There was one for her mom, dad, and sister...as well as all of her stuffed animals. Of course, Froggy must attend this concert, and he had his own ticket also.

A little background. Kendra always wants us to give Froggy a sniff, or a kiss. Justin and I always tease her by saying, "Ew, no, get that stinky thing out of my face!" or "Ew, gross, Froggy is STINKY!!" When she brought us this ticket, we were intrigued as to what the squiggly lines were coming off of his face. Kendra was prompt to explain that these are his "stinky"...she explained that this shows that he is a stinky frog! Needless to say, there was quite the eruption of laughter!

I'm A Teacher!

2010-07-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

At a college! Well, at least technically. This fall, I will begin teaching online courses at Hutchinson Community College.

After being out of the field for nearly a year, I am very excited to be involved again. I love HIM and, if I'm being completely honest, I've missed it. However, some things in life are more important...especially my girls, and how much they enjoy being home with mommy. I think this will fulfill my yearning to be involved in the field, and my desire to be a mommy full time.

The job came about the beginning of summer. One of my old instructors e-mailed me and asked if I would be interested in teaching online classes for her. I told her ABSOLUTELY and submitted my transcripts, license, and other necessary paperwork. I didn't hear anything for a long time, so I assumed she didn't have any openings. Then, last week, I got an e-mail saying that I had gotten the job! Now I will have to go through training, which it doesn't sound like it's a lot, before school starts on August 25th.

I tell you...after being bombarded with bad news, all of this good news is really going to spoil me!

Dodging the Bullet

2010-07-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

This update is long overdue, sorry to all that have been waiting! It's been a BUSY week. So, the good news we have been waiting for...ALEXIS DOES NOT NEED SURGERY...at this point, anyhow. The neurosurgeon we saw on Monday was extremely confident that if Alexis develops any developmental, behavioral, etc. delays that it will not be due to the craniosynostosis. He said that her trigonocephaly (the shape of her head caused by the fused metopic suture) is only a grade II, which is a pretty mild case. We are not out of the woods yet, however. We may still be facing a surgery in a couple years, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it. There are three things that may happen at this point: the trigonocephaly will get worse, get better, or stay the same. At this time, we are NOT concerned about her appearance. We do not feel the need to put our daughter through a life threatening, major surgery for vanity. However, we feel that if it gets worse, the surgery will be necessary for her social development. We were told that if she were to have the surgery now, there is a good chance she will need a revision later in life...and this revision would increase her chances of complications due to the increased difficulty of the surgery caused by scar tissue. This neurosurgeon was nothing short of awesome. We did not feel rushed at all. He took the time to answer all of our questions and calm our fears. He went over the CT films with us in detail, explaining every aspect of the images. We did learn that her head was NOTas tilted in the images, as we were initially told, so her eyes are slightly uneven (one sits farther back in her skull than the other). We can not explain how RELIEVED we were to hear this news...we were so worried about developmental issues, especially given my family history. Thank you to everyone for the thoughts and prayers...especially to my mother-in-law, who gave us a prayer blanket for the baby. She slept with it the night before her appointment, all wrapped up in it, and she slept like...well, a baby! She was also very calm at her appointment, unlike her last one. I can't help but think that it worked. We truly feel like we dodged a bullet.

Quick Update

2010-07-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

I thought I would just write a quick update to let everyone know how our visit with the neurosurgeon went. Long story short...we have more questions than answers right now. We were disappointed in the doctor and the way he handled our concerns and fears. While we expected a certain level of arrogance, and a total lack of beside manner, we did not expect the expert to dodge our questions and provide so little information. Needless to say, we have scheduled an appointment with a second neurosurgeon and will be making the trip July 12th. The good news is that, at this point, it does not seem like the surgery is as urgent as we originally thought. Her coronal suture is open, which is great news. Now we just need to figure out what to do about her metopic being fused. We will wait and see what the next doctor says! Thank you all for your continued support!

And the Good News Is...

2010-06-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

...completely gone. After obtaining some of AJ's records today, and reading the addendum to her CT report, we learned that her metopic suture is NOT open. In fact, it is completely closed. I saw it very clearly on the images also. For the life of me, I can not fathom why a radiologist would have missed it the first time. It is also very clear on the images that her skull is slightly deformed, especially on the forehead. You can also see that her eye sockets are not symmetrical like they should be. It just blows my mind that it is so obvious to me, yet the radiologist first said "no intracranial abnormalities". Needless to say, we're upset. She has two sutures that are fused, which means that we may be facing two surgeries instead of one. I really hope this is the last bit of bad news we find out for awhile.

Kendra has also caught on that something is wrong. I've tried very hard to not let on that anything is going on in front of her, and not show how scared I am, but this evening my mom came over, and we were looking at her CT films. At first she was fascinated that she got to see pictures of the inside of her sister's head, but then she started questioning why she had to have the pictures to begin with, and wanted to know if the pictures were bad. We explained to Kendra that Alexis might have to have surgery and stay in the hospital for awhile. Kendra immediately started crying. She's going to miss her baby sister, she says, and she doesn't want her to be in the hospital. We're trying to act like it's not a huge deal in front of her, while at the same time not minimizing the situation. We want her to know the truth, but not be too scared. It's a tough thing to do.

Please keep sending your prayers and positive thoughts our way as we struggle through this ordeal. We're on the roller coaster ride of a lifetime, and I've never liked roller coasters.

Nix the Good News

2010-06-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

I really thought my next post would be the cute, fun one that I mentioned yesterday. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The pediatrician's office called again today. This is kind of how the conversation went:

Nurse: Is this AJ's mom?

Me: Yes.

Nurse: Hi, this is *nurse* from *doctor's* office. What pharmacy do you use?

Me: Uhm...why?

Nurse: The doctor looked over AJ's lab report from Tuesday, and it turns out her iron is low. We need to start her on an iron supplement right away.

Me: Are you serious?

Nurse: Yes, I'm sorry. We feel with everything that's going on, her iron level needs to be higher.

Me: What was it?

Nurse: 10.5

Me: Why would her iron be low?

Nurse: It just depends, sometimes it can be caused by the child drinking too little or too much milk.

I won't type out the rest of the conversation, mostly because I was a little upset and probably wasn't as nice as I should have been to the nurse...but really, who calls a mother, after she's been given bad news, and tells them their child's blood work is all normal, then calls the next day and says it isn't? How does this happen? I've seen enough lab reports in my life to know that abnormal values are easy to spot, even if you don't read the numbers. They're bold. They're marked with either an H or an L to indicate if they are high or low. How did they not see this yesterday???

As I said previously, I've started to lose faith in the healthcare that we have available to us. I know that we're all human, even doctors, but in the last week, they've made WAY too many mistakes with us, and at least one of these could have been detrimental to the health of my child. I hope the doctor in Kansas City is a little bit more detail oriented!

Finally...A Little Good News

2010-06-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

This morning I was jerked from sleep by my phone ringing. It was the pediatric office calling us with the results of AJ's latest lab work. Her second set came back normal, so the results from last Thursday that were off were due to a lab error. Since the values really had us scratching our heads, we're relieved.

We also got our appointment with the pediatric neurosurgeon. We will make the 6 hour journey next Wednesday. I've already started my list of questions, and I think of more every 5 minutes it seems like. Her appointment is, thankfully, in a place where we will have some family to lean on. We are already thankful for their offer of a place to stay, no matter how long we will need it. The last thing we want to do when facing this is sit in a cold hotel room by ourselves.

Today was better. We feel better knowing that it won't be long before we have some answers. We were dreading a long wait before the appointment. We're armed with information, and feel like we have a pretty good grasp on what we are facing. We've began exploring our options on our own, and have already prepared on where we will go for a second opinion, if necessary.

One of the places I've found for information and guidance is www.cappskids.org, which is an excellent source of information and support from families who have already experienced the diagnosis, treatments, and endless appointments for follow up, as well as those who have just been given the diagnosis. It helps to read about their experiences, and see how their children are thriving after treatment.

To everyone who has sent up prayers and offered words of support and encouragement...thank you. Words can not express how much the support of our family and friends means to us right now. We KNOW this is going to be a difficult journey.

I had a cute, fun post planned before we were introduced to the world of craniosynostosis. I will finish it and have it posted soon!

The News

2010-06-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

We got the news today. The good news...AJ's metopic suture is open. The bad news...AJ's left coronal suture is fused.

It has been an emotional day. We've been on a roller coaster ride since Thursday. We have few answers, and literally hundreds of questions. Our next step is to meet with a pediatric neurologist. Until then, all we have are our questions, and the very dangerous Dr. Google.

I'm not happy. I've lost faith in the quality of health care available to us in our area. Perhaps it's just my bitterness and pessimism rearing it's ugly head, but I can't help it. I'm emotional. I'm scared. I'm nervous. I don't know what to do.

For now, this is all the information we have.

"The coronal sutures begin at the ear and continue superiorly to the top of the skull to meet the sagittal suture. One or both sutures may be involved. When one suture is fused, the forehead on that side is flattened and swept back with the eye in its socket. When both sides are fused (Bi-Coronal), the head is short and wide with bulging of the eyes and bulging of the skull around the ears." (Source: www.cappskids.org)

We're looking for answers and support. We're searching for strength and courage. We're trying to ignore worry and dread. We know what CAN happen. We know what complications MAY face us. We know what treatment options we MIGHT be given.

For now, all we can do is love each other, our sweet baby girl, and hope for the best...and pray.

Good News..Bad News

2010-06-21T20:58:00.001-07:00

The good news...

Justin passed the part of his CPA exam that he took a few weeks ago! This is a huge step for him, and a giant boost of confidence that he very much needed. I am so proud of him!

The bad news...

AJ had blood work drawn last week as part of her 1 year well child visit. We got the results today. She had several values on her CBC that were high/low. We will go tomorrow for a re-draw. Needless to say, this has added a bit of worry and stress. We're hoping the values are abnormal due to an acute illness that we didn't know she had. We're also hoping that tomorrow we have even more good news to post as we should know the results of her CT scan by this time tomorrow.

We've had a lot of people sending up prayers for our precious baby girl, and for the family as a whole...people who hardly even know us have added us to prayer lists and offered their thoughts and prayers. We can't say thank you enough for the prayers, well wishes, and good vibes being sent our way. It helps to know so many people are pulling for us!

Worried

2010-06-18T01:22:00.000-07:00

When I became a mom, I learned the true meaning of "worry". When they're newborns, you worry if they are getting enough sleep, enough to eat. You check the crib several times a night to make sure they're breathing.

When they enter the infant and toddler stage, you worry about them putting something dangerous in their mouths, or getting a hold of something they shouldn't. You worry about them falling when they start standing and walking, and worry about every little cough and sniffle. Fevers are a nightmare, especially if those fevers come on with no other symptoms.

Like every other good mother out there, I do everything I can to keep my children safe and happy. I comfort and nurture them when sick. I cuddle and snuggle them when they are crabby. I play silly games and do crazy dances around the house to make them smile. I rock them when they are scared. And I worry. I worry about weird diseases that they will never catch, and about injuries that will never happen.

This time, I have reason to worry. Alexis had her one year check-up today. I noticed the doctor really paying attention to her forehead. Since she was a little baby, she has always had a ridge on her forehead. I never thought it a thing I needed to worry about...until today. As the pediatrician was gently rubbing my fussy baby's head, I asked her if it was something I SHOULD be worried about. She calmly stated that she has always noticed the ridge, but that it is definitely becoming more pronounced as she gets older. I'm worried...about a little thing called metopic craniosynostosis. Basically, the pediatrician is suspicious that her metopic suture (the one that starts at the nose and goes to the top of the head, where it meets the saggital suture) has fused shut. She needs too have a CT scan. If the CT shows a fusion, or any kind of pressure on the brain, we will then have to meet with a pediatric neurologist. Our pediatrician wanted to make sure we had the very best technologist available, so she is looking at the schedule and will set us up early next week for the scan. Until then, I worry...

I debated even posting this, but it helps to "write it out". Life isn't always sunshine and roses. We'd be silly to believe that it is. So why not post about the not so fun stuff? I feel more stressed and tense than I have in a long time. I don't like the feeling of having something to really worry about. I know I should be thanking my lucky stars that my baby is still happy and healthy, and that even if she does end up having this weird thing going on, it is treatable. But let's face it...who likes the thought of their child's head being cut open and their skull being operated on? I know I'm getting ahead of myself...but I worry.

Kendra has also given me reason to worry. Today she was diagnosed with chicken pox. I know this is nothing to worry about, but I hate when my kiddos are sick. I know she'll be fine, and in a week or two you will never know anything was ever wrong. But she's sick. She has a fever. She's uncomfortable. So...I worry.

The pediatrician has also given me yet another reason to worry. In three months, she will be moving. I love our pediatrician. My kids love their doctor. She's seen Kendra since she was three months old, and Alexis since birth. I worry that we won't love her replacement as much, though she assures us we will. I worry about continuity of care. I'm sure we'll love the new one just as much, but...I worry.

I'm sure everything will be fine, but until I know for sure, all I have to do is worry.

Happy Birthday Alexis!

2010-06-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

Today you are 1. I can't believe how fast the time has gone, you are growing up so fast! You've gone from a snuggly newborn to a sassy, vibrant little girl in a very short time. I am so glad you came into our lives. You truly completed our little family! We love you so much!

Memorial Weekend

2010-06-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

Memorial weekend has always been one of our favorite holiday weekends. USUALLY, we spend the holiday kicking off summer at the lake. It's always wonderfully busy, and this year was no exception! There was no lake, but there were a lot of milestones to celebrate!

We celebrated Justin's 10 year high school reunion at our house. We had a fairly good turn out, and I laughed so hard hearing the stories shared amongst the classmates. It made me realized how much the small town life is important to me, and how excited I am that our kids are lucky enough too enjoy it also. Justin's classmates are such a great group of people, and they have memories that you can ONLY find in small town America!

Justin and I also celebrated our anniversary. Six years of wedded bliss. While we both agreed it's not exactly how we would have chosen to celebrate, it didn't matter HOW we celebrated, or even IF we celebrated. What matters to us is that we were together. We spent some time reflecting on how we have changed in the years we have spent together. Neither of us are in the place we thought we would be, but it's funny how things turn out! We have the perfect life (for us) together. I would never change one second of it.

Now you know there has to be some mushy stuff, too! I am truly married to my BEST friend. We may have had our ups and downs (but then again, who doesn't), but I love my husband more now than I ever have. As our friendship deepens, so does my love. I look forward to growing together even more, and seeing what the years ahead have in store for us.

The celebrations continued as we celebrated AJ's first birthday. I can't believe my baby is going to be a year old in a few short days. It's hard to believe that our beautiful newborn baby is now a vibrant, sassy girl who loves to laugh, play, and brush her sister's hair.

Alexis seemed somewhat oblivious to the activities going on around her. Each present that was opened was something to chew on.

Thankfully, we had a great helper!

Of course, no birthday party is complete without cake!

At first, Alexis did not know what to think of her smash cake, even though it didn't take her long to grab a fistful and squish it between her fingers.

After Papa M showed her where the cake was supposed to go, Alexis decided that it wasn't too bad, and those fistfuls of cake that were so fun too squish went right to her mouth!

Of course, the weekend would not have been complete without spending time with our awesome family playing and barbecuing in the backyard!

Summer!!

2010-05-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

This.....

is what summer.....

is all about!!!

Fun in the sun, friends, and smiling faces!

We ♥ summer!

Kendra's Weekend

2010-05-12T22:06:00.000-07:00

Almost 3 weeks ago (time flies when you're having fun!) Justin, Kendra and I had a whirlwind trip to Wichita. We left bright and early Saturday morning, while AJ spent the day with Papa and Grandma.

Did I mention that Justin and I got up REALLY early? I think at this point in the trip Justin had run out of coffee. :)

Kendra handled the drive a little better...but of course she slept in a little more than mommy and daddy. She was even a good traveler after her DVD player quit working.

There was so much excitement waiting for us in Wichita! Let me tell you, it's a good thing we left as early as we did! After finding our seats and refreshing ourselves, we didn't have much time to wait!

We spent the short wait letting our excitement build. We talked endlessly about dinosaurs and all things related. How could we not? We knew that this was going to be AWESOME! (We also spent some time begging daddy for cotton candy, and of course, we won!)

We marveled at our proximity of our seats to the stage. We theorized on what was about to take place. We had prepared ourselves and we thought we knew what to expect. However, all of the YouTube videos and conversations with those who had previously attended didn't come close to preparing us for the spectacular show we were about to see. The announcer blared over the loud speaker..."Five minutes to show time. Please turn of all cell phones, and turn off the flashes on your cameras. Dinosaurs are not fans of modern technology. If you don't abide, the results could be....catastrophic."

The crowd was buzzing. Kids were chattering and jittery, and parents were smiling. Grandmas rushed little ones for one last restroom break, while grandpas filled their arms with goodies for the show. Daddy finally gave in and grabbed the cotton candy vendor on her last trip down the aisle before the show. You could feel the excitement building. Then finally, the lights dimmed. The curtains opened, and out came the....paleontologist. He immediately captured every one's attention by describing the lands dinosaurs inhabited and the job duties he had. It wasn't long before the curtains opened again, and the things everyone had been waiting to see began making their way on stage.

The stage was barren, just as the Earth would have been at the time these creatures roamed freely. Soon, however, beautiful plants and trees began to pop up all around us as we entered the next phase in the days of the dinosaurs.

It didn't take long for the dinosaurs to become larger and the action to pick up as species fought for food and survival in front of our very eyes.

We also got to see mommy dinosaurs nurture, protect, and love their young. There were lots of mommas kissing and cuddling their young ones in the audience also.

We continued to travel through time, and soon beautiful, bright flowers were popping up everywhere! Of course, we were also introduced to new species of dinosaurs.

This brought Kendra's absolute favorite dinosaur on stage, Triceratops. She was a chattering and excited the entire time this one was on stage! We were even lucky enough to get a close up view as she feasted away on flowers right in front of us!

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. We again warped through time and came to the last era of dinosaurs.

They definitely saved the best for last! The cutest little dinosaur of all took stage...baby T. Rex! Of course, children, by nature, always find trouble. Let me tell you, baby T. Rex was no different! Soon, mama T. Rex had to come protect her child, and this was the grand finale to the show.

Mama T. Rex ran around the stage, warning all predators around that she meant business. Baby T. Rex ran behind, attempting to echo her roars. The audience roared with laughter at the young dinosaur's attempt.

We were fortunate enough to get a close up of Mama T. Rex as she came by for a photograph. After the picture was taken, she let out a fierce growl, and Kendra and I both landed in Daddy's lap! The show couldn't go on forever, so a meteorite was simulated and the curtains closed.

Let me tell you...there was constant chatter as we made our way through town for a quick lunch. We were all pretty tired, and planned on a quick nap before an afternoon and evening of swimming. Kendra, however, could not wait and fell asleep in the car. Just as we were settling into our room, we realized that there was no pool for us to swim in! It took as a while to figure out what were going to do. Fortunately, there was another hotel in the same chain a short drive away, so after changing, we all headed that way. We ended our evening with Snoballs and pizza in our room. It was early to bed for the tired Ryan family! Our trip ended the next morning with a short visit to the mall. We did a little shopping, and Kendra surprised us by asking to "bungee jump".

Once she was strapped in, all courage she had was immediately forgotten, and understandably so. She could have jumped nearly to the open skylight! She did get a few feet off the ground, but only with the assistance of the worker. :) (Notice the Dillard's behind Kendra...this is the very Dillards I was in when my water broke with Kendra!)

With that, we ended our trip and headed home. Wichita is a fun place to visit, but there is no place like home!

For Julie

2010-04-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Barbecued Chicken

Ingredients

3-4 chicken breasts
3 T. margarine
1 T. minced garlic
3/4 c. ketchup
1/3 c. vinegar
3 T. brown sugar
1/2 c. water
2 tsp. mustard
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper
oil

Directions

Heat a small amount of oil in a large skillet; fry chicken until browned. Drain; place chicken in a 9 x 13 in. baking dish. In saucepan, saute garlic in butter until tender; stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes. Pour over chicken. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until chicken is done, basting occasionally.

Very, very good! Everyone in my house ate it, including the kids! I hope you like it Julie!

Easter 2010

2010-04-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

It was a great Easter at the Ryan house! We started the festivities early with an Easter egg hunt on Thursday.

Kendra was disappointed that she only got three eggs...it took a lot of consoling for her to understand that three isn't so bad, and she'd be getting more.

Friday, we dyed Easter eggs, a favorite activity of ours.

Kendra made an egg especially for AJ's first Easter. It was past her bedtime, so she was not exactly appreciative...

Until she realized that she could, in fact, actually put the egg in her mouth.

Sunday we had the family over for Easter dinner.

After we ate, Kendra got to hunt for eggs...

She seemed happy with the 25 eggs she found hidden in our yard.

We were blessed with GORGEOUS weather, and spent the entire afternoon outside playing, visiting, and just enjoying each other!

It was a great day...a day that we will hold dear to our hearts for a very long time!

Fashionista

2010-03-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

fash·ion·is·ta
Pronunciation: \ˌfa-shə-ˈnēs-tə
Function: noun

: a designer, promoter, or follower of the latest fashions

She is a work in progress, but undoubtedly, a fashionista in the making.

Easy Minute Steaks

2010-03-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

* 4 (1/2 pound) cube steaks (pounded round meat)
* 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, briefly brown the cube steaks.
3. Arrange meat in a single layer in a 13x9 inch baking dish and pour the soup over the top. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.

When I saw this recipe, I thought....how in the world can that even be good? But, it was easy, and I always look for new ways to cook these cuts of meat, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I did season my meat with some garlic powder, onion powder, and celery salt before browning. These did turn out rather yummy!

Love Is In the Air

2010-02-14T05:08:00.000-08:00

This year for Valentine's day, Justin and I decided to celebrate at home. There were many reasons for this decision. First of all, we didn't feel like waiting an hour for a table at a restaurant, and when you're in a busy place waiting for service, it just isn't as romantic. Second, we decided that eating at home would give us more bang for our buck (which I'm all about). More food, more wine, you get the point. Lastly, with Justin working Saturdays, it's hard to plan anything because you never know exactly when he'll get off work. So, planning a Saturday evening dinner allowed us to have confidence that he would be home, and it also allowed ample time to get the kids settled in bed before our celebration.

We wanted to do something that we've never done before (or do very little). We also wanted to do something that was a little more romantic than a usual meal. So, we decided on fondue. It's not something we do often (in fact, we had NEVER done it!) and it's something that we have to do without kids (obviously a 4-year-old and hot liquids don't mix). It was so much fun! We started off with a cheese fondue, made with Swiss cheese, champagne, and an assortment of spices.

After the cheese, we enjoyed a salad to kind of neutralize the sharp taste of the cheese. We then moved on to the main course....chicken! We used peanut oil to cook it, and had a variety of sauces for dipping. SO YUMMY!

We had a blast. Who knew fondue was so much fun! We both agreed that this was our best Valentine's day together. Who knows...maybe we'll make it a tradition!

Less Is More

2010-02-11T19:17:00.000-08:00

I like to spend money (duh). I like to save money(DUH!). I like to save money while spending money...that's like hitting the jackpot for me. I've gotten pretty good at deal hunting, stockpiling, and coupon clipping. I save (on average) $140.00 on my grocery bill each month by using coupons and stockpiling during sales. I'm not great at it yet, but I'm getting MUCH better, and each time I go shopping, it seems like I come home with more stuff for less money (hence the blog title). I've also learned to shop for gifts EARLY in order to snag some great deals. I'd like to share two particularly triumphant jaunts with you. First, Wal-Mart.

Here's what I got: Oreo Double Stuff Cookies (x2), Dove Hairspray, Citronella votive candles for the camper (x4), My Little Ponies (x2), Johnson's Baby Lotion (x2), Purina Cat Chow Indoor Formula, Friskies Cat Treats (x2), a jar of baby food, Goodlife Recipe Cat Food Indoor Formula, Monopoly Deal game, Pictureka card game, Sorry Revenge game, Scrabble Slam game, Dove deodorant, and a candy bar for Kendra for behaving herself. Subtotal (before discounts): $65.63. Total after coupons: $30.95 for a total savings of $34.68. Now, a few things I didn't necessarily need, but who would pass up clearance citronella...or free Oreos...and I got a few things to put on my gift shelf. Not to mention, you always need lotion, deodorant, hairspray and cat food! If you figure it up, that's 1.35 per item!!

Today, I went to WalGreens and snagged some more great deals. Brace yourselves, folks, this one will knock your socks off.

This is what I got: Two jumbo packs of Huggies diapers, an 8x10 portrait, five 4x6 prints, a bottle of men's Dove body wash, and 2 pieces of candy (I'll explain those in a minute). Total cost of all items before discounts: $29.30. Total after coupons/discounts: $12.98, for a total savings of $16.32. Now, it doesn't seem like a lot, but I bought TWO jumbo packages of diapers for what you would normally expect to pay for one (nevermind the fact I got some yummy manly smelling body wash for Justin, some pictures, and two pieces of candy I will never eat)! See, here's the deal with WalGreens...however many items you have is how many coupons you can have. So, in my situation, I had register rewards plus a coupon for the diapers, so I had to throw in something cheap to use my two coupons (I couldn't find anything that was cheaper than $0.10). I also had 3 separate transactions, but to me, it was well worth the extra time to pretty much get body wash and diapers for free! The cashiers jaw literally hit the counter when she rang up my first package of diapers and my total came to $1.78!

I'm going to start keeping track of this. When I find exceptionally good deals, I'll post them...and if you're curious about any of the items I purchased and what I actually paid for a particular item, let me know...I'll tell YOU how to get them for dirt cheap!

Dear Diary

2010-02-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged for a while, and feel the urge, so this will be somewhat of a diary posting.

I have a couple new recipes that I tried this last week, I'll get those posted later. They were yummy, definitely keepers!

The girls are still being the girls! Kendra and I were extremely excited to finally have a good snowman snow. We made a small snowman, and a snow heart. It was fun, although I'm not good at making snow anything, and the snowman crashed to the ground a couple times before we finally got him to stay up. Kendra has also started a new dance class, which she enjoys much more than the other one. Perhaps it's because she has friends there, or maybe it's because they get lots of chances to run and scream...I'm not sure. Either way, she's doing great. And...there will be several opportunities for her to perform, instead of just one, so I know she'll love that!

AJ is still growing like a weed. She's feeding herself finger foods, and grabs the spoon when I feed her. We've slowly started the transition to "table food". I'm still making the normal baby food, but if we have something she can eat, I mash it up and feed it to her. She loves meatballs and noodles, but isn't a huge fan of eggs. She's not walking yet (obviously) but she's pulling up on everything, dancing, and even getting adventurous enough to stand with only one hand supporting her. She'll walk with me, and I love when she looks back at me with a huge grin on her face. That was one of my favorite things with Kendra, too.

Justin started travel this week. Honestly, I have been so busy that I barely noticed he was gone, but it will be so awesome to have him home for a day (we only get Sundays together).

Here's a couple posts that I have in the works. I'm slow with them, so be patient. They'll be here eventually!

1. Kendra's wedding.
2. Two new recipes.
3. More home improvements!

Home Improvement

2010-01-25T11:39:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned in a couple previous blogs, I finished a big project.

This was my kitchen before. Ignore the mess. This is the only picture I had of my kitchen before.

That's my kitchen/dining room now. We like color on the walls, so we picked a greyish-blue, and painted the cabinets white. I also rearranged the cupboards, so all of my Fiestaware is looking beautiful in the see through cabinets. Again, ignore the mess in the background...I usually don't even attempt house cleaning until the kids are napping.

Finishing the kitchen got me motivated for more home improvement projects, so I did the bathroom next. No before pictures, sorry, but the cabinets were wood and the walls were a light tan color. Not bad, but it needed a new coat of paint something terrible.

I did learn some very valuable lessons while working on these projects.

Forget diamonds, mini foam rollers are a girl's best friend.
Sometimes it's a lot easier to make a mess and clean it up than it is to not make the mess.
Home improvements are addicting.
Cat's and paint pans don't mix.
Alexis can crawl REALLY fast.

Now on to the next project...

Easy Minute Steaks

2010-01-25T11:35:00.001-08:00

Ingredients

4 (1/2 pound) cube steaks (pounded round meat)
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large skillet over medium heat, briefly brown the cube steaks.
Arrange meat in a single layer in a 13x9 inch baking dish and pour the soup over the top. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.

I actually rubbed my minute steaks with garlic powder and seasoning salt before browning. I would also recommend covering with foil for at least half of the baking time. All in all, these were very easy and very yummy...much better than frying!

Au Naturale

2010-01-20T14:42:00.000-08:00

No begging for a smile...

No set-up...

No hairbrush...

Just AJ, au naturale.

Well, that didn't last long...

2010-01-18T22:16:00.000-08:00

As you may have guessed, the recipe challenge is over (for now). I really didn't think things through. It's tax season, which means audits, which means I'm a single mom for the next 4 months. I just don't cook big meals when Justin isn't here. I can't find time with how hectic the evenings are, and I have a finicky eater, so food just gets wasted when I cook big meals. Trust me though, it's not for lack of desire. I was having a blast. I love to cook. I love trying new recipes. So, I will start over in April, when my family is complete again. I'll still post lots of yummy recipes, it just won't be new things (well, new to me things).

We've also have had a few major events in our household. First of all, I started and finished a huge project this past week. I'll blog more about that later.

AJ has continued to blossom and grow...this is how I found her after her nap a week or so ago:

She has since pulled up in her playpen, on my arm, on Kendra's table (which incidentally fell over since it's a little kiddie card table) and the TV stand. Needless to say, the crib mattress is as low as it will go, and things are being picked up off of the couch, end tables, bookcases, TV stand, etc. constantly. She can also scoot a little bit while standing, and the other day she walked her truck from one end of the family room to the other. Look out world, she's growing up.

We also celebrated a birthday. Froggy turned 4.

No, it wasn't really his birthday, Froggy actually came into existence in June, but I didn't have the heart to break it to Kendra...she was so excited. She made the cake in her new Easy Bake oven...and as you can tell, she sampled some frosting. Thanks Grandma for the wonderful present...she loves it! We've also had some science experiments, thanks to Aunt Kari, Uncle Jake, and Trent. Colored water is fun to play with...especially when it changes colors when you pour it together. It's also fun to make crystals...or jewels as Kendra calls them. She is definitely all girl...obsessed with anything pretty.

Editor's note: Please ignore Kendra's attire in the above picture. I don't let her go out in public like this, but when she's home, she gets to pick out whatever she wants to wear. The girl can throw together some CRAZY outfits...and no matter what she's wearing, she's usually also adorning a crown and several (meaning 12) necklaces.

2010-01-11T22:38:00.001-08:00

Sorry, no new recipe today...I've been extremely busy...in fact, I was up and going by 7:30 and I'm just now calling it quits at 12:20. I'll update when I'm all done!

Ham and Beans

2010-01-10T21:08:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

1 pound dry great Northern beans
1/2 pound cooked ham, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley

Directions

Rinse beans in a large pot; discard shriveled beans and any small stones. Add 8 cups of cold water. Let stand overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse beans.
Return beans to pot and add ham, onion, brown sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne and parsley and water to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until beans are tender. Add more water if necessary during cooking time.

I have never (before today) made ham and beans. Growing up, it wasn't one of my favorite things...and now I don't know WHY! I actually used the ham hock from our Christmas ham to make this. I boiled it for about 3 hours, then de-boned and de-fatted (is that even a word?) the ham. I was busy painting, so I didn't make homemade cornbread, but used the Jiffy mix instead (which, in my opinion, is the best cornbread mix EVER). This meal was absolutely delicious...by far the best ham and beans I've ever had...and really, I'm not just saying that because I made it. While the actual process of making ham and beans is long, there really isn't that much work that goes into it...it's mostly just the cook time! (I started cooking my ham at 11:00)

Beef Pinwheels

2010-01-09T22:35:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

1 egg
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup corn flakes cereal, coarsely crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/8 tablespoons white sugar
3/8 cup shortening
1 cup milk

Directions

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease two baking sheets.
Beat the egg in a bowl until smooth. Add the ground beef, cayenne pepper, crushed cereal, onion, salt, black pepper, and parsley. Mix until evenly combined; set aside. Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a separate bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until no lumps of shortening remain and the mixture takes on a sandy appearance. Stir in the milk until a dough forms.
Roll the dough out to a 10x15-inch rectang le on a well-floured surface. Spread the meat mixture evenly over the entire surface of the dough. Roll the dough into a cylinder from one of the wide ends to form a 15-inch long log. Cut the log into 3/4-inch slices and place on to the prepared baking sheets.
Bake in the preheated oven until dark golden brown, 30 to 45 minutes. Serve hot.

I added some garlic and cheese to my pinwheels, and they weren't necessarily pinwheels, but kind of like a sandwich I guess. They were very good. Think potluck...or appetizer for a party. Yummy!

Chicken Meatballs

2010-01-08T14:42:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken
1 egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place ground chicken, egg, Parmesan cheese, crackers, garlic, Italian seasoning and salt in a medium bowl.
Knead mixture until evenly combined.
Form mixture into 1 inch balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

I knew I wanted to make chicken meatballs, but could not find a recipe that I liked. So, I made my own. I used crackers instead of bread crumbs and used Italian seasoning instead of a lot of other spices that I saw in other recipes. I also baked mine instead of frying them since we try not to eat a lot of fried foods around here. The result...a SCRUMPTIOUS meatball with a slightly crispy edge...think hush puppy. Five stars all around!

*Disclaimer: I rarely measure when cooking, so the measurements above are an estimate, but I'm confident they are fairly accurate!

I would also like to ask a favor...give me some feedback! If you make ANY of these recipes, let me know how it was...and let me know any variations you did!

Scalloped Corn and Broccoli

2010-01-07T16:51:00.001-08:00

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can creamed corn
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1 cup fresh chopped broccoli

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Mix together the corn, eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Add the cheese and broccoli, mix well and pour into a 2 quart casserole dish.
Bake for 1 hour.

I'm always trying to find ways to get Kendra to eat vegetables that don't come out of a can. I REALLY thought that this would be a good one...sugar, cheese...what kid wouldn't like it? Well, mine wouldn't. It was seriously sweet, tasted like a desert almost. I thought it was good...the 4-year-old, however, did not. I made a huge mistake, though. I let her help me make it. She knew what was in it. She stirred the broccoli in, and immediately stated that she didn't like it. Once she gets it in her head that she doesn't like something, game over. I do think OTHER kids who don't have preconceived notions about what they like and don't like would gobble it up.

BONUS! I have to share the other dish I made tonight. It's not a new recipe, but it's so yummy that I have to share it!

Easy Pleasy Meatballs Over Buttered Noddles

Ingredients

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of celery soup
2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed French onion soup
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
6 pounds frozen Italian-style meatballs
2 (16 ounce) packages uncooked egg noodles
1/2 cup butter

Directions

In a large slow cooker, mix together the cream of celery soup, French onion soup, and sour cream. Stir in the meatballs. Cook on high heat for 3-4 hours.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. In a large bowl, toss the pasta with butter. Serve meatballs and sauce over the cooked pasta.

I ALWAYS halve this recipe. It makes a TON! I have also put this over low heat for 8 hours, and it works just fine, which allows you to put it in the crock in the morning and have a nearly done meal when you get home! Bon apetite!

Cube Steak Milanese

2010-01-06T16:28:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs (I actually used Matzo meal)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 pound cube steak, cut into 4 portions
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Directions

Whisk egg and egg white in a shallow dish. Combine breadcrumbs, grated cheese and parsley (if using) in another shallow dish. Season steak with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dip each piece into the egg, allowing excess to drip off into the dish, then dip in the breadcrumb mixture and turn to coat.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the steaks and cook until golden brown on the first side, about 3 minutes. Turn the steaks over, add 1 teaspoon oil and cook until the steaks are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.

A little side note on this recipe. I have never made cube steak without out coating it with eggs, milk, flour, tons of salt and pepper, and then frying it in vegetable oil. Not healthy, I know...and not real flavorful, either. So, I embarked on a personal mission to find a better way to cook cube steak. Enter this recipe. It was better, but did not have the "wow" factor I was looking for. The original recipe, taken from Eating Well did have a salad with it, and I chose not to make it. Perhaps that would have helped. Here's my modified version for just the meat.

International Blog Delurking Week

2010-01-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

~~I know I don't have any lurkers, but I know SOME of you read and don't comment~~! So, please, partake in the festivities and leave me a comment!

*Okay, that crossed out line up there...well, I just realized that reading and not commenting is the DEFINITION of lurking...so, I KNOW I have a few lurkers out there!!!

2010-01-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

You never know you're alive until you know what you would die for...

Apple Cinnamon Turnovers

2010-01-05T09:35:00.001-08:00

Ingredients

1 medium tart apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1 dash ground nutmeg
1 (7.5 ounce) package refrigerated biscuits
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

In a bowl, combine the apple, applesauce, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg. Separate biscuits; roll out each into a 6-in. circle. Place on greased baking sheets. Place a heaping tablespoonful of apple mixture in the center of each. Fold in half and pinch edges to seal. Brush with butter. Combine sugar and remaining cinnamon; sprinkle over tops.
Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Serve warm.

Incredibly easy, but next time I think I'll try a more "from scratch" recipe.

Amish White Bread

2010-01-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

I embarked on a bread making adventure today. This is the first time I've made bread from scratch...other than flavored breads, such as pumpkin or banana. This was a lot different...lots of kneading...rising...kneading...and more rising...and I'm ashamed to admit that I had to google "proofing yeast" as I had NO IDEA what that even meant! Well, let me tell you, yeast that is "proofing" stinks. My whole kitchen smelled like a brewery/bread factory. However, it was very neat to watch the yeast "explode" in the bowl and foam up. I definitely broadened my horizons a bit this morning!

Ingredients

2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

The bread was good. I made half of it into a loaf, and the other half was used to make rolls. It's a little sweeter than normal bread, which is okay by me. I'd probably rate it 4 stars....rating bread is hard since I don't think I've EVER had homemade bread...other than the afore mentioned flavored breads!

Southwestern Beef & Bean Burger Wraps

2010-01-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

12 ounces 93%-lean ground beef
1 cup refried beans
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapenos
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 whole-wheat tortillas, warmed
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Preparation

Position oven rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray.
Gently combine ground beef, beans, cilantro and jalapenos in a medium bowl (do not overmix). Shape into four 5-by-2-inch oblong patties and place on the prepared pan.
Broil the patties until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 165°F, 12 to 14 minutes.
Meanwhile, mash together avocado, salsa and garlic powder in a small bowl.
Place tortillas on a clean work surface. Spread each with the guacamole, then sprinkle with lettuce and cheese. Top each with a burger and roll into a wrap. Serve immediately, with lime wedges.

* My family does not like avocado, so I mixed the salsa with fat free sour cream for an alternative dressing. I ate it with the avocado, Justin ate it with the sour cream mix. These were delicious...and healthy. I got this one off of the Eating Well website. Justin actually gave it 5 stars! We both agreed that these would be excellent at the lake.

Beef Nacho Casserole

2010-01-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

Some of you may remember when I blogged back in November about challenging myself to try 100 new recipes in 100 days. If not, you can find my original post here. I am happy to announce that I have officially started this challenge! Here's my first recipe!

Beef Nacho Casserole

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 1/2 cups chunky salsa
1 (10 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1/4 cup miracle whip
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp chili powder
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
2 cups colby cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Place ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring to crumble, until evenly browned. Drain grease. Remove from the heat, and stir the salsa, corn, miracle whip, sour cream and chili powder into the beef. In a 2 quart casserole dish, layer the ground beef mixture, tortilla chips and cheese twice, ending with cheese on top.

3. Bake for 20 minutes uncovered in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted and dish is thoroughly heated.

This recipe has been approved for the dinner rotation.

On a side note, I wanted to implement a rating system, but Justin and I couldn't agree on a system. I gave it four stars, though!

Year in Pictures

2009-12-31T11:57:00.000-08:00

Goodbye 2009...Hello 2010!!!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Happy New Year from the Ryan family!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...Ryan Family Style

2009-12-24T21:11:00.000-08:00

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the Ryan house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse the cats;

The stockings were hung ~~by the chimney~~ on the wall with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-~~plums~~ cookies danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief pajamas, and I in my cap shorts,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap game of Wii,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed couch to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen blown snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney Through the front door St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot mud and dirt;
A bundle couple of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all two of the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose through the front door he went;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-23T09:55:00.000-08:00

O Christmas Tree...

2009-12-21T14:11:00.000-08:00

O Christmas tree....how (this is where it ends for us). Here's why: We put up our Christmas tree a while ago..the Monday after Thanksgiving, to be exact. It was a wonderful evening that started with two crabby kids and Garth Brooks singing Christmas tunes, that ended with two joyful children, two proud parents, and the bellowing of O Christmas Tree at the top of our lungs. (AJ even got in on the action, letting out occasional squeals of delight). Justin and I could not come to an agreement on the lyrics of this favorite Christmas song, however. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm right with "O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree...how evergreen your branches." I think I have to let him have this one with "O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches." It just sounds better.

In other exciting Christmas news..

Santa Claus is comin' to town. That's right, you heard it here first, from the Ryan family. Santa Claus was kind enough to make a stop in town to visit all the little kiddies. The Ryan kids, of course, were in on the action.

Kendra was a bit shy at first. She walked in, hiding behind my legs, and her chest was glued to my knees. After I pried her off, daddy had to offer a little extra comfort before the shyness would wear off.

Finally, after a little bribery by Santa's elf with a sack full of treats and some encouragement from a little friend, Kendra worked up the courage to visit with Santa and talk about all the things she wants him to bring her....and trust me, the list is much longer than Santa's budget will allow.

Alexis was more interested in Santa's beard, the tree, and the other people there than she was in Santa...but at least she didn't cry.

All in all, the Ryan kids had a great time with Santa! I hope they've all been good this year!

Snow Monster

2009-12-13T15:27:00.001-08:00

Snow much fun!

2009-12-11T20:38:00.000-08:00

Kendra and I played in the snow today. It was SO MUCH fun! We're just sorry the snow was too dry to have a snow ball fight, or build a good snowman. Here's our footage* from the day, and a few pictures for your viewing pleasure!

*Video won't load, if ANYONE can tell me how to load a video, I would be SO grateful!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T07:08:00.000-08:00

I've had a hard time coming up with what I am thankful for this year. It's not that there isn't anything to be thankful, it's that I have SO MUCH to be thankful for. For instance, I have my kids, my husband, food on my table every night, family, friends, health, etc. Since I can't narrow my list down much, I've asked each member of my little family what they are most thankful for this year. Their responses are below.

Justin: My girls, all three of them, first and foremost. I'm also thankful for my job and my health.

Kendra: My Little Pony, You, Daddy, the Baby, and Froggy.

Alexis: Awwh blech coo goo awh gee. (I'll translate: My wonderful mommy and daddy and a great big sister!)

I guess that leaves me...I thought maybe by the time I jotted down everyone else's, I'd have my list narrowed down, but I don't. I guess this year I'm most thankful for opportunity. I'm lucky, and I know it. I'm also thankful for babies, my own and my new nephew. I'm thankful that me and everyone in my family is relatively healthy, especially my mom, who had a pretty major surgery this year with some complications. I'm thankful that I have a smart 4-year-old to keep me on my toes. I'm thankful for an equally smart husband who also keeps me on my toes! I have so much more to be thankful for (and I am) but if I jotted it all down, I'd be here all day, and since it is Thanksgiving, I better go get ready to stuff my face! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

My Experiment...

2009-11-17T21:35:00.000-08:00

So, I've spent all evening pondering this, and I do believe I'm going to give it a shot. Somewhat of an experiment you might say. Here's the deal. I need to expand my cooking horizons. I cook the same things over, and over, and over. And, even though I love baking, I never do it. This lead me to dream up this experiment. 100 recipes in 100 days. Yup, that's right. I want to cook 100 things I've never cooked before in 100 days. It can be anything....anything at all. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or none of the above! Here are the rules I'm setting out for myself.

* While doing this experiment, I CAN NOT repeat any of the 100 recipes I choose.
* It does not have to be 100 consecutive days. However, I must have a darn good excuse for NOT making a recipe on any given day (i.e. sickness, not being home, holidays, etc.)
* I must blog about every recipe ON THE DAY I make it!
* Recipes must be made in order. I will have a list of all 100 recipes and follow that list.

So, there we have it. I welcome any and all comments on rules I should make...and of course, RECIPES! I will begin my hunt tomorrow...and start a list of the recipes I cook. I'll let you know when I start!

#98

2009-11-17T15:05:00.000-08:00

#98: Learn how to change a tire - check. Although not by choice.

So, today I had an appointment in Hays, so the girls and I loaded up for what we thought would be a fun afternoon...the girls were gonna get to see their great-grandma and I was going to get to see one of my good friends. Unfortunately, PH road had different ideas for us. I hit a HUGE pot hole going about 55 and bent not one, but TWO of my rims. Yes, dear friends, I bent two rims by hitting a pot hole. So, since we were out in the middle of nowhere, and waiting for Justin's dad, we took the opportunity for me to learn how to change a tire. It's rather easy actually, and if it wouldn't have been so unplanned, I would have pictures with step by step instructions...but, alas, no camera means no pictures. Boo. Anyhow, I feel confident that if the situation were to ever arise again, I would be fully capable of changing my own tire. Go me. Something good can come out of every situation!

I ♥ Sisters

2009-11-13T09:54:00.000-08:00

I really can't tell who is more in love...

Can you?????

Party Til You.....

2009-11-02T09:37:00.000-08:00

This is what happens after a long day of playing hard with mommy......Alexis actually passed out WHILE playing....while Kendra was smart enough to get into bed.

2009-11-01T18:46:00.000-08:00

Spooktacular!

2009-11-01T10:36:00.000-08:00

It was a wonderfully busy Halloween for the Ryan family! Kendra was in the costume contest again this year. After the contest, we took a break long enough to eat lunch, then it was on to the games, haunted house, and trick or treating! Kendra got to meet up with Lizzie, which was also good for Mommy as she got to catch up with a friend and take in some adult interaction. After the trick or treating was done, we headed home for a little more trick or treating. I would like to mention that both kids were so exhausted that they fell asleep in the car before we were even out of town!

There Are No Words...

2009-10-29T03:59:00.000-07:00

As I sit here at 5:13 a.m. wondering if my little one is up for the day, I find myself browsing through pictures as I often do. This time, I am overcome with emotion. There are no words to describe how blessed I am. I have everything in life that one could possibly want....a wonderful husband to share my life with (who just happens to be my best friend), and two of the most BEAUTIFUL little girls in the world. Is this how I thought my life would turn out? Nope, not even a little bit! If you would have asked me five years ago if I could see myself as a SAHM with 2 children, you probably wouldn't have gotten much of a response....except a chuckle and a quick no. I was going to be the career woman...taking long vacations with her husband to exoctic places. I thought by now I'd be well into my Masters degree....working my way up the corporate ladder, and enjoying my freedom....and money for that matter! So, where am I today? I barely have my Bachelors degree. The most exoctic place I've seen is Las Vegas, and that was two and a half years ago. Vacations are a distant memory. My career has been left in the dust and pushed in the corner of my mind, being replaced by a new dream...and I wouldn't change a second of my life for anything. After all, who can say they are married to their best friend and the best daddy in the world.....

And who can say they have the two most beautiful girls in the world...

I CAN!!!!! So, THANK YOU God for your divine intervention.....

and the realization and fulfillment of new dreams. There are no words to describe how blessed I feel.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2009-10-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

Justin's birthday was this last Wednesday, and I felt especially grateful for my awesome family this day. Spending the day with Kendra preparing for daddy to come home from work was so wonderful! We made cards, then a cake, then I prepared green bean dumpling soup for supper! I would like to point out that we made this cake completely from scratch, frosting and all. First time I have EVER made a cake without using cake mix! You can tell in the pictures that Kendra loved licking the beaters.

Pumpkin Patch!

2009-10-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

This year we once again visited the Cottage Lane pumpkin patch in Ellis. It was much more fun this year and the corn maze was open (last year it was destroyed by wind) and Kendra was old enough to enjoy pretty much everything they had to offer. Of course, picking pumpkins was quite the ordeal. Kendra's was easy enough, but she sure struggled finding the PERFECT pumpkin for her little sis. She also fell off the zip line....fortunately, the man running it was helping her so he caught her as soon as she let go. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure! Sorry, none of AJ, she slept in her Moby the whole time!

Waiting in line for the zip line.

Right before she let go.

Cherry soda on the way home...gotta love it!

Yum!

2009-10-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

This will hopefully be the first post of many today! I'm a little behind. Last week, Alexis had her 4 month check up. We were shocked to learn that she only weighs 13 lbs 11 oz and is 24 inches long! This puts her in the 50th percentile for her weight, and 75th percentile for height! When Kendra was 4 months old, she weighed 15 lbs 8 oz and was 26 inches long....and off the charts! What a difference! Our pediatrician was very pleased with her development and gave us the green light to start introducing fruits and vegetables. This is one of my favorite parts of having a baby around. We decided to start with carrots, and in my new frugal fashion, I am making my own baby food. It goes a little something like this:

First, you have to steam the veggies so they are nice and tender.

Then, you run them through the food masher thingie until they are the desired consistency and texture. I ran them through twice and added some water to them the second time to make them a bit smoother.

And finally, put them in some containers for storage. I love these containers...all they are is glorified ice cube trays, but the work very well. Each evening, I pop one out and pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so and it's so convenient!

She didn't like the carrots much. I finally had to mix them with her cereal to get her to eat them. However, she loves peas. We started them this week and after the first bite, she would get so excited and kick her legs and giggle until I gave her more! I LOVE this stage!

Vote for Kendra!

2009-10-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

So, everyone needs to go vote for Kendra in the Gap Casting Call!!! We think she's beautiful enough to win. Of course, we're just a smidge biased. You can vote once a day....tell your friends!
http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/singe252/

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

2009-10-15T05:51:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Justin and I had the privilege of attending the KU/Iowa St. game in Lawrence with some friends. We had a great time! We're already trying to plan when we can attend another!

This is the first game I've ever been to, other than high school and Fort Hays. It was so awesome! It was a little chilly, but it didn't start to get real bad until the 4th quarter when the wind picked up. Obviously, we toughed it out and had a great time!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

These Are A Few of Our Favorite Things

2009-10-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

One of the things we love to do in our house is play dress up. I've been known to pull out old bridesmaid dresses and play the Queen while Kendra runs around in princess costumes playing the Princess. Kendra also loves to pull out her Halloween costume from last year and run around growling (she was a dinosaur last year). Alexis is not immune to these activities and has recently gotten in on the action!

PS This was supposed to be a Wordless Wednesday post, but I forgot. Next week hopefully I'll remember.

Surprise!!!

2009-10-05T05:31:00.001-07:00

Or not. If you know me very well at all, you know that I CAN NOT plan anything for Justin. I always tell him what he's getting for Christmas (usually by making him open is presents early), etc. Well, the same is true for his birthday, and this year is no exception. I have been planning a surprise party for him for about a month now. I bought invitations, snuck around to get addresses, and even handed out invitations when him and I went places, all without him knowing. I thought for sure he had seen me hand them out, or had heard me talking about it with the would be guests. Well, it's no longer a surprise. I'm me, and me being me, opened my mouth. I have this worry that even though I invited around 30 people, and even more by e-mail/verbal invite, no one will show. Horrid flashbacks of our attempted Halloween party keep going through my mind. This fear got the best of me last night. I was being quiet, which is somewhat unusual, and Justin kept asking me what was wrong. I denied that anything was wrong for a bit, but I broke down. My defenses were down, I was down, and I caved. I told him. I told him about the party and about my fears. I told him about all my plans and how I had been sneaking the invites, hiding food that was to be prepared, and how his dad was going to get him out of the house. So, in true Janae fashion, I ruined the surprise. The party will still be a blast, and I'm hopeful that more people will actually come this time. I'm actually quite proud that I was able to keep it from him for a month. I mean, really, I'm the girl that shows up with his Christmas present in the trunk, vowing to not say a word, only to pull in the driveway and drag him out of the house to see it. I'm the girl that last Christmas, stuffed stockings 2 weeks early, and then begged him to empty his a day later. I'm that girl. After I told him, I laid in bed and thought about how the events of the evening unfolded. I remember that one of the things on my list is to surprise Justin. This made me regret telling him...but only for a split second, because I then remembered that I have already surprised him! That's right, my big mouth self surprised Justin. Here's the story. Last audit season was hard on me, being pregnant and all. One evening, my grandma offered to keep Kendra, so I took her up on it. Justin was in Goodland, and I decided to drive down and see him. So, after work, I dropped Kendra off, filled the tank with gas, and headed out. I called one of his co-workers and got his room number. I talked to him on the phone as if it were any normal day. I was even on the phone with him when I pulled into the hotel parking lot. So, I told him I had another call, hung up, and ventured up to his room...and he truly was surprised to see me. Mark that one off the list. So, even though this surprise is ruined, I have proven that I can do it...as long as I don't plan ahead too much!!

PS - He had a pretty good idea what was going on. He saw me talking to people after he would walk away, and over heard a potential guest on Saturday talking to me. So, see, it's not all my fault!

Just Call Me Susie

2009-10-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm not good with clever titles. Someone needs to give a creative blog titling class...and I need to take it. Anyway, I digress...

Since I'm no longer working outside the home, I have a little (very little!) time on my hands, so I've decided to use more creative ways to do things. The first thing I decided to do was to make a "Moby" wrap. I have wanted one for a couple months, but couldn't bring myself to drop $40 on a piece of fabric that I didn't know if I would even like. So, I made one. Actually, I made 2. I bought 6 yards of fabric at Wal-Mart and cut it in half. Alexis and I LOVE it. I keep one in the house and one in my car. My back is also thanking me...those car seats are HEAVY, and I don't lug it around any more! Here's a picture of Alexis and I enjoying the wrap...she's snoozing away happily and on this particular day I was doing laundry while she snoozed!

Speaking of laundry, another thing my new frugal self decided to do was make laundry soap. It's inexpensive, and it didn't sound like it was too difficult, so I decided to try it. It only takes 3 ingredients:

1 cup of Borax

1 cup of washing soda

2 cups of Fels Naptha

You have to grate the Fels Naptha, and I did it using the small side of a hand grater. This is what it looked like.

Then, I simply dumped all of the ingredients into a container (I used an old butter container...see, creative ideas...one less butter container in the landfill and one less container I have to buy!) and stirred.

I use approximately 2 tbsp. per load. I figured up how much money I'd be saving by doing this, and by my calculations, I'm saving $0.25 every load of laundry I do...which is about $182 per year. Not a lot, but with as little time as it took, it's worth it to me. I've also read that you can use different kinds of soaps, such as Ivory. I love the smell of Ivory, so when the Fels Naptha is gone, I may try that. Next on my list....baby food!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-30T12:42:00.001-07:00

Funny Stuff

2009-08-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

A friend sent this to me the other day, and it is HILARIOUS!

-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

-I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

-That's enough, Nickelback.

-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

-The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f*ck was going on when I first saw it.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

-The other night I hit a new low at an open bar. I had already hopped on highway blackout when, inevitably I had to find a bathroom. Eventually I decided it was probably on the other side of the bar so I tried to walk over there, but ran into a guy coming the other way. We played that, Both go left, Both go right game to no avail, so I finally put out my hand to guide myself past and that's is when I realized, yup, that's a mirror I just tried to walk through. And the guy on the other side is me. Even cats can recognize their own image.

-How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

-I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

-A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

-Was learning cursive really necessary?

-Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

-I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

-Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

-My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.

-Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

-How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

-I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

-Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

-While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

-MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

-Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

-I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower
first and THEN turn on the water.

-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

-I would like to officially coin the phrase 'catching the swine flu' to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: "Dave caught the swine flu last night."

-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

-Bad decisions make good stories

-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

-Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

-"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

-While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA. No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed.

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

-I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

-Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

-As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

-It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

-I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

-I think that if, years down the road when I'm trying to have a kid, I find out that I'm sterile, most of my disappointment will stem from the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.

-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

-My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

-The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like
being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner.

Long time, No blog

2009-08-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a very long time, but for good reason! Alexis Jay was born June 10. I forgot how demanding newborns can be, but we're all settled into somewhat of a routine. I will be staying home with the girls, so we're all very excited about that!

We also have a new nephew/cousin! Trent was born just 17 days after Alexis. It is going to be so much fun watching the two babies grow up together!

Now, on to the list.....

1. Become an RHIA - DONE! I took (and passed!) my exam last week. Now I'm officially done with everything I'm going to do with my school/career. No more of that for me. Hopefully the higher credentials will help me when/if I ever go back to work!

5. Get new glasses. This was done out of necessity. I was at work one day, and my old ones literally fell off my face. Needless to say, I was at the eye doctor the next day.

15. Take Kendra to 3 movies...just the two of us. (1/3) We went and watched UP! It was a blast. We may get #2 in on her birthday.

47. Organize all photos on the computer. This is also done. So far, I've been keeping up with it. I also have uploaded them all to an online album in case my computer crashes.

48. Organize photo prints in albums. Also counting this as done. I have found a few floating around since I've ben packing, but for the most part, they're done. I had 500+ photos to organize...needless to say, I had to buy a couple more albums, but it's worth it. I love sitting down and looking through photo albums.

50. Get Kendra's scrapbook up to date. Also counting as done. I have one more page I want to do, but it's only a couple weeks since I took the pictures, so it's caught up according to my standards. 7 pages in 2 days!

57. Clean out my inbox. Done...which, really, I just emptied it out since I'm not working anymore.

84. Don't say anything negative about work for one week. (0/7) Well, technically, it's probably not done...but, I'm not working anymore, so I'm counting it as done. I really haven't spoke much about work since I've been off!

86. Grow hair long. Did it and cut it already!

So, that's what we've been up to! Hopefully the blogging will become more frequent since I'll (maybe) have a bit more time!

#11: Take a trip with my parents

2009-02-21T08:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, while it's not exactly what I planned, we are going to Topeka! An evening of gambling and a day of shopping...what more could a girl ask for?

Baby

2009-01-10T09:50:00.001-08:00

For everything baby (and Kendra!!), please visit our baby site: http://www.babysites.com/sites/ryankids2/default.asp?page=home&seq=1

#92

2008-12-02T06:33:00.000-08:00

Is done. I finished "Foul Play" last night. It wasn't bad...kind of a short story type thing. I intend to move to a true book next, but I got this one at Wal-Greens and there just wasn't much of a selection!

Wow!

2008-12-01T07:20:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I posted...I need to do better. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thursday, Justin's parents came over for supper and then we played a few games of pitch. Carol and I dominated the boys! They chickened out the last game and only wanted to play a "half" game, so they barely squeaked by...but had we played the full game, I know we would have won! At any rate, it was a blast. Friday, I was surprised to wake up and find snow on the ground! I opened the door to show Kendra, and she just GIGGLED! While I was picking up the house and making a cheesecake, Justin took her out to play in it. She got to make her very first snowman! I'll try to get the picture up on here soon. Then, Friday evening we headed to Brownell. It is so relaxing to be there. We got a lovely surprise Friday when we got there to find out that my sister in law, Kari, is expecting! She is due June 24, only 16 days after me! It will be so fun to be prego together and to have kids that close together! I keep thinking it's way to early, but I am 99% sure I have been feeling the baby move. It feels like someone is trying to climb up my stomach! It tickles and feels awesome. I remember feeling the same thing with Kendra, and I passed it off as gas. Well, I just don't think it is. I've begun my transition into maternity clothes. Rubber bands just aren't cutting it any more, so I know things are progressing nicely in there! I'm so glad to be in my second trimester. I feel much better, and every day it seems like I have a little more energy. I think that's about all for now!

Busy Weekend!

2008-10-27T06:42:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend!! My brother was here, and we did a lot of fun things. Saturday, Kendra was in a costume contest at the mall. She is a blue "Cera" dinosaur this year, a costume she picked out all by herself. It was so adorable...she got up on stage and shook her tail! Unfortunately, she did not win, and this was completely heartbreaking to her. She immediately started crying, stating "they didn't like me, why don't they like me?" She is sooo sensitive...and it was very difficult to explain to her winning vs. losing. However, we did eventually get the games to distract her! After a fun filled afternoon of game booths, we went home, ate lunch, and we all crashed for a couple hours. Then, I made the boys go grocery shopping with me...where I completed one of the tasks on my list! I bought reusable grocery bags. I plan to keep these in my trunk so I'll never forget to take them with me. After that, we went home and cooked, then the boys went to a movie. Sunday was the most fun! We went to the pumpkin patch, where we saw chickens, goats, and a kitty that would actually let Kendra pet it! Kendra's favorite wat the hay tunnel, and she went through it several times. Justin and I went with her the first time, after that she informed us that she did not need any help. We also took a hayrack ride out to the pumpkin patch and we all picked pumpkins, which we plan to carve tomorrow night. Then, after supper, we made a fire in our outdoor fireplace and made smores. It was a little chilly, but a ton of fun! Kendra immediately thought of camping and stated it would have been a perfect day to go camping. It was a great weekend!

It's A Bean!

2008-10-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

And it has a heart beat...of 136 beats per minute!

It's been a whole month! (almost)

2008-10-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

Wow, my mother-in-law informed me that I needed to update my blog...I didn't realize it had been so long! This one is for you, Carol!!

The biggest news in our lives lately is that I'm pregnant! Woo hoo!!! I'm 6 weeks right now, and according to babycenter.com, our baby is now the size of a lentil bean! His heart is beating 100-160 beats per minute, and his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears are forming! How exciting. Someone from work gave me a book called "Another Time Around". Basically it's a book for family's expecting their 2nd, 3rd, etc. child. I flipped through it briefly, and I think it should be pretty helpful. I know Kendra will be her wonderful self, but there are some helpful hints in there about how to prepare the older sibling(s). I've started to get "morning sickness", but it comes in the evenings for me, which makes it very difficult to sleep. I haven't actually gotten sick yet, I just get really nauseated, which is what I did with Kendra.

Justin has started travelling, and it seems to be much harder this year than it was last year, especially on Kendra. However, it will go by fast, and we'll all get used to it. We truly value our weekends together!

That's all for now, I can't think of anything else wildly exciting to post!

Moving Day!

2008-09-19T05:36:00.000-07:00

Well, the day has officially come...moving day! Plainville has built a brand new facility, and my staff is moving today! Monday we'll move all the records with the patients. It has been an exhausting, stressful last couple months. You'd be surprised how much preperation it takes to move an entire hospital! But, I know it will be well worth it in the end. The little bit of downtime I have had this week has allowed me to work on my inbox. When I started, I had approximately 1300 e-mails that needed to be sorted. So, I have created folders for the ones I need to keep, and deleted a lot, and I mean A LOT of e-mails! Now I only have about 230 left to go through. I didn't realize it would take so much time...and patience! If anyone's interested, I may try to post pictures of the new facility next week. Happy Friday!!!
-Janae

Paypal Sucks!

2008-08-13T17:10:00.001-07:00

A few days ago, I got an e-mail from Paypal that 42.67 was charged through my account. Most of the e-mail was in a Chinese type script, so I did not think much of it, thinking it was just a spam e-mail. Well, the other day I went to the bank to cash a check, and they would not cash it because I had an account that was overdrawn! (I have a personal account that I use for gift giving during the holidays, and I keep minimal money in it). So, apparently my Paypal account has been hacked and I have to wait for the investigations to be done before I can close my account. Hopefully it won't take too long.

This weekend was a fun weekend. Friday night we went to the carnival...and the power went out...while we were on the ferris wheel...at the very top! It made me nervous, but, obviously, everything turned out just fine. Saturday we got pictures taken, and they turned out well. I'm glad I won the Hays Radio Auction for them, though. We went to Sunflower Studios and she is rather expensive. However, she did do a wonderful job. Then, Kendra and I went to Plainville for a "slumber party." Kendra had a blast filling up on junk food and watching movies. The other mom and I played cards and listened to music for her upcoming wedding. It was a good time.

I'm still working on my list. I want to start September 1, so I hope to have the full 101 items on there by them. If not, I guess I'll go ahead and get started and just add to it as I see fit!! I'm getting very excited to start!

P.S.

2008-08-11T16:46:00.000-07:00

Kendra just informed me that if I need to go potty, she will take me. I then stood up, and she said, "oh, you need to go potty, I'll take you", at which point she took me by the hand and led me to the bathroom. Too cute!

Blogging Virgin

2008-08-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm about to lose my blog virginity. I am officially jumping on the blog bandwagon. But, I do have a good reason. Justin's cousin, Amanda, has this list on her blog of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I found it very interesting, so I decided it would be good for me to do something similar. Therefore, I started a blog to keep track of my list. I also thought this would be a great way to brag about Kendra! Speaking of Kendra, today was her first day of "school"! She is actually going to a pre-school/daycare now. We decided that she needs interaction with other children and a more structured environment. Also, she is very smart, and we want to make sure her mind stays stimulated. Needless to say, it was harder on me than it was on her! I almost started crying telling one of my friends at work about it. She is just growing up too fast! However, she truly enjoyed herself, and she did not want to leave when I went to pick her up! I guess we'll see how the rest of the week goes...I have a feeling that by the end of the week, she'll really be missing Grandma and Jack. She did have a hard time waiting for mommy to finish getting ready this morning. She tends to be a bit impatient!

Kendra waiting to go to "school"!

Ryan Family Adventures

A Very Ryan Christmas: Part 2

One Post Leads to Another...

A Very Ryan Christmas: Part 1

Under the Sea

Locks of Love

Big Time Birthday Fun!

The Move

All Grown Up

Vacation

Play

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

We're home!

Excitement

O Christmas Tree

Stayin' Alive

List Checking

Never A Dull Moment

I'm A Teacher!

Dodging the Bullet

Quick Update

And the Good News Is...

Nix the Good News

Finally...A Little Good News

The News

Good News..Bad News

Worried

Happy Birthday Alexis!

Memorial Weekend

Summer!!

Kendra's Weekend

For Julie

Easter 2010

Fashionista

Easy Minute Steaks

Love Is In the Air

Less Is More

Dear Diary

Home Improvement

Easy Minute Steaks

Ingredients

Directions

Au Naturale

Well, that didn't last long...

Ham and Beans

Ingredients

Directions

Beef Pinwheels

Ingredients

Directions

Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients

Directions

Scalloped Corn and Broccoli

Ingredients

Directions

Easy Pleasy Meatballs Over Buttered Noddles

Ingredients

Directions

Cube Steak Milanese

Ingredients

Directions

International Blog Delurking Week

Apple Cinnamon Turnovers

Ingredients

Directions

Amish White Bread

Ingredients

Directions

Southwestern Beef & Bean Burger Wraps

Ingredients

Preparation

Beef Nacho Casserole

Year in Pictures

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...Ryan Family Style

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the Ryan house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse the cats;

And mamma in her 'kerchief pajamas, and I in my cap shorts,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap game of Wii,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose through the front door he went;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,