First Father's Day

Happy First Father's Day to Ben!

Well, you know what they say about best laid plans...Rylan and I spent all day Friday preparing for a big Father's Day weekend. This involved errands, cleaning, card writing, gift wrapping, etc. However, an hour before all the big festivities of this crazy weekend were to begin Rylan & I came down with a sudden & violent stomach flu. By 430 p.m. we were both on our hands & knees sicker than sick. So...for Father's Day Ben spent his weekend taking care of a very sick baby and a very sick wife. I will spare you all the disgusting details.

Rylan & I rallied a bit on the big day itself but we stayed in and had a quiet day recuperating. For his gifts Ben was presented with a huge gift bag full of various treats, a copy of "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein to read with Rylan, and a framed photo of the moment that Rylan & Ben met one another in the delivery room. It is a great pic and was a great moment.

Happy Father's Day to the most wonderful man in the world. Being a father truly brings out the best in you. It is an absolute joy to watch you with your son. We love you.

Enjoy a few pics from the day below.

Happy Birthday ToeJam!

Today is TJ's birthday. Yep, we celebrate our dog's birthdays. Today TJ is 9 years old. He joined our family at the age of 1 1/2 years old. According to his last vet check - "He is perfect. Whatever you are doing, keep doing it."

As TJ gets older he has this odd habit of seeming younger. He has a bigger bounce in his step, happy jump after a toy, and full body wag to greet you. As I type he is letting Rylan swish his tail back and forth with a bemused expression on his face.

I'll admit, he hasn't particularly enjoyed moving to 2nd fiddle in my life, but I do catch him venturing into Rylan's room to check on him before he goes to bed at night, so there is love there afterall.

So, cheers to the dog who finds the sun in any room, lover of the squeaky toy & rump rub, and the only one who can truly put Spike in his place. Happy birthday.

XXX - Ben Hits Dirty Thirty!

Happy birthday Benjamin. It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating your 19th birthday together when we began our relationship. Wow!

Since that day 11 years ago our lives have changed so much. Dating, school, marriage, school, school, work, school, houses, baby, work, school... I think you should be so proud of all you have accomplished in your 30 years on earth. I can't wait to be by your side for all of the rest of your birthdays. (I am expecting a minimum of 60 more, eh?)

Thank you for being a wonderful husband, father, friend, and person. I love you.

9 Months Already...

Yesterday marked the 9 month milestone. Pretty soon this little guy will have been in the world longer than he spent baking. Since he started crawling just 1 week ago there has been an overwhelming explosion of new motor learning. Unfortunately he also seems to want to practice in the middle of the night! That seems to be settling down.

Why is it that all of those tired sounding parenting cliches turn out to be true? "It's different when they are your own..." "They grow up so fast..." Etc, etc. So far so true. It seems like tomorrow he will be headed off to school. Sigh.

Another draw back of the wonderfully fun personality that Rylan has...I just want to get down on my hands and knees and play ALL DAY LONG!