Snack Mayhem

So I bought some new snack holders for the boys to replace just putting their snacks in little tupperware holders. These snack holders are the no spill kind with the flaps on top that are supposed to prevent the kids from spilling them and to make it so they can just get a few at a time with their hands instead of trying to dump them. I was especially excited to get these for Ryder because when I give him a little cup of cheerios he automatically just flings it around and dumps it everywhere.

Well, he approached this new snack holder simply as a challenge to his amazing ability to dump the cheerios out.....
He figured out to just push down one of the flaps and quickly shake it back and forth to get them out and these are the results:

Reveling in his new accomplishment

April News

Just wanted to post a few pictures of the boys I have taken recently and tell you all what we have been up to lately. First of all, we had a great Easter. We had an Easter egg hunt at the church and then on Easter we went over to Brent and Meagan's house for an Easter dinner and egg hunt. Aiden had so much fun and I don't think he ate any real food on Sunday. He had candy, brownies, cupcakes...maybe some chicken nuggets somewhere in there, but that's about it. Oh and the Easter bunny came that morning and Aiden got his toy golf set that he had been talking about for a month before Easter. Poor Ryder couldn't quite enjoy the sugar this year like his brother did, but he had fun crawling around outside in the grass and playing with the fake grass in the baskets :)

 So happy with his Easter booty!

More fascinated with the basket and grass than the toys.

This month has been a super busy one for Brad. He has had tons of tests and his finals are now coming up. So, we had one week in the middle of April where he had a little break, but besides that he has basically been at school. We can't wait for him to be done in June! He takes his board exam June 20th and then he is free until the end of July! I have been staying busy well, with the boys of course, but with my online class and projects around the house as well. We are SO excited to go out to Idaho and have a nice, long break. We are both also very excited for next year when there will be less book work and more hospital work! 

Also, yesterday Ryder turned 9 months old!! I can't believe how big he is getting. He is crawling and standing everywhere and is one of the most talkative little guys. He is a very loud talker and loves to shriek and squeal. He loves to play with everything his brother is playing with, which of course frustrates Aiden all the time :) He is very smart and is already trying to copy sounds and words we say. He loves to raise both hands in the air with Dada when Dada says touchdown! He is definitely more of a Daddy's boy than Aiden was. When Brad is home he will follow him everywhere around the house. And he will sometimes give me big, slobbery kisses when I ask him for one :) He also LOVES to eat! He would not stop if I let him. He weighs about 19 pounds and already fits in 12 month clothes. He is so much fun and is always on the move! 

Spring Break Vacation

This week is Brad's spring break! It has been SO nice to have him home and to just relax and have fun as a family. On Monday we went down to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a few days. It is just a short 3 hour drive down and we had so much fun! We went to an indoor water park all day Tuesday and then on Wednesday we went to an aquarium before heading home. It was fun to just get away to a new place for a few days. Aiden was funny on the first night at the hotel. He was all excited and having fun the first few hours, but once he realized we were sleeping at the hotel he started having some anxiety. He kept saying, "Let's go home, we need to go back to our house." I realized that the last time we were at a hotel was when he was probably only 8 or 9 months. But he was fine and had a great time :)  Here are some pictures from our adventure.

 Ryder's first time in a high chair :)

 It's Nemo and Dori!

 It's kinda dark, but Aiden is down at the bottom using all his strength to pull a lever to make the shark bite.

7 Months Already?

Tomorrow Ryder turns 7 months. It is so crazy how fast time has gone! And in perfect timing with this milestone Ryder is crawling! Ok not crawling around from room to room, but today he used both hands and knees to move forward a few feet. He has been on his hands and knees for a week or two now constantly rocking back and forth and he has been moving his knees forward, but today was the first day he figured out to move his hands too.

So some things Ryder does at 7 months:

• Loves to laugh at his older brother
• Sits up by himself 
• Can pick up cheerios and eat them (not with his index finger and thumb yet though)
• Loves to eat! (I don't think he would stop if he was given an endless supply)
• Wants everything his brother plays with
• Only wakes up twice at night (yea! Finally! this is a recent development. Once at 11 or 12 and once at 5 or so.)
• Loves paper....have to constantly keep it out of his hands so he won't eat it. 
• Cannot sit still. He has to always be on the move or have something to be playing with.
• Fights being rocked to sleep every time. He doesn't want to miss out on anything!

We are so blessed to have him in our family. He is always so happy. He has been such a good, easy going baby since he was born and I feel very blessed to have that sweet personality in our home. We love you Ryder!

I missed posting when he turned 6 months so here are his stats...At 6 months he weighed 17 pounds and was 26 inches long. He was in the 50th percentile for weight. So I am guessing he is probably about 18 pounds now.

And Aiden is such a good big brother. Anytime Ryder starts crying and I am not there to pick him up Aiden will go over to him and put his hand on him and say "it's ok baby Ryder, it's ok." And he is such a sensitive little guy...sometimes if Ryder does not stop crying when he tries to comfort him Aiden will start to cry too. He is so sweet. And he always will give toys to Ryder or find one to trade with him if he want the toy Ryder is playing with. He still does not like Ryder in his personal space much though...haha. He always gets upset when Ryder is kicking him or touching him....I can see them fighting in the car already and saying "Mom! He is touching me!"Although lately he will occasionally cuddle with Ryder. One day he had him snuggled up next to him under a blanket and he told me "I want to watch the show with Baby Ryder." I love my sweet and happy little boys.

 Aiden with his beloved Thomas

I love this! Hahaha!

He got a little tired while we were finishing up with lunch.... :)