Merry Christmas

Sorry for not posting for a while (we've heard the complaints) but it's been hectic. Nick is doing great - he now has two teeth, and a cold. We can't complain - this is the first time Nick's been sick his whole life - I'd say waiting for seven months is pretty good. I just wish it would have waited until after the holidays. But he's being a trooper through the snot sucking and coughing all night long.

We celebrated Christmas with the Bouchers up in Siren last weekend and had a blast. We had 36 people and two dogs at the cabin, plus, Santa made a surprise visit with gifts for all the kids. He came on a snowmobile - I guess the reindeer had to rest up for Christmas Eve and couldn't make any special trips prior to that!

Below are some photos of Christmas activities we've had so far.

Nick as Santa (one of the photos used in our Christmas card)

Nick sitting in Santa's lap at the mall, he wasn't scared at all. Even pulled his beard.

Grandpa Mark taking Nick for his first snowmobile ride. He really liked it, and then proceeded to fall asleep in moms arms in front of the fire pit while watching everyone ice skate.

Tim decorating the 17 foot tall Christmas tree at the Cabin (the ladder in the photo is 10 foot, you can see how huge the tree is.)

The final product, after decorating. It looked great!

Not a Christmas photo, but too cute not to post. Nick got a goody bag at Ali's first birthday party and included were some tatoos. The theme of the party was ladybugs.

The tree "Christmas" morning. Santa (and maybe Grandma and Grandpa) really spoiled the kids.

Nick opening a new toy from Ali. It's his first plane - now he's ready to go flying with Grandpa.


Ali showing Nick how to use his new toy.

A photo of everyone at the cabin, right after Santa made an appearance.

Another group shot.

Big News!

Yep, we have big news from the Ryman house this week. Little Nicholas pushed through his very first tooth! He did this on Tuesday at Grandma Phyllis's house and from what I was told, didn't even fuss.

It's his bottom, front-left tooth.

We'll see if he can push through his bottom, front-right tooth in the next few weeks so he can have every child's wish: all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, my two front teeth, my two front teeth!

=)

So it's been a while since we've posted some updates and photos. Sorry, it's been busy.

We took family photos and Nick's six month photos a couple of weeks ago - here are a few of those:

The Ryman Family

Unfortunately, Nick turned six months right before deer hunting in Wisconsin - so yes, Dad just had to be sporting a beard for the family photo and couldn't be convinced to shave. (Although I don't think he looks too bad with a beard)

Nicholas at 6 months

Nicholas at 6 months

We had Nick's six month appoint recently too. And yes, he is a big boy (check out the photo of our little tank below, shirtless, to show the full effect of just how "healthy" he is! He's going to hate us when he's 16 and sees photos like this.)

He was 19 lbs 2 oz (79th percentile for weight) and 28 inches long (93rd percentile for height).


Christmas with the Boucher's will be in Siren this year at the new cabin, so we went up a few weekends ago to start decorating. Grandpa thinks it funny to put Nick and Ali in the storage compartment of the ottoman. They think it's a fun game.


Dad has season tickets to the Timberwolves this year (and yes, we know they suck), so we had to get Nick a snazzy little Timberwolves outfit.


After a big Thanksgiving dinner (Nick really just liked the whipped cream Aunt Barb fed him) Nick needed a nap with all of Jackson's old stuffed animals watching over him.

Sitting Up

The big news at the Ryman house is Nick can sit up on his own now. He just started doing it this week. He can sit by himself for several minutes at a time before finally toppling over and laughing. I'll get some photos of him sitting up by himself posted soon.

We're getting his six-month photos in combination with Christmas family photos taken tomorrow and we'll be sure to get some good ones here for everyone to check out.

Happy Halloween

Our little pumpkin hopes everyone had a great halloween!

Smashing Pumpkins

Over the past few weeks of fall activities, we've managed to gather a little collection of pumpkins, cornstalks and a small hay bale that we put out in the front yard surrounding the street light. You know, just being festive and in the season and all that jazz.

When putting the pumpkins out in the yard, so far away from the protection of the house lights, I knew we were asking for trouble. But I honestly thought that it wouldn't be until Halloween night that I saw pieces of pumpkin smeared across the pavement in front of our driveway.

We decided to have Nick wear his costume last Saturday to the parade to "get ready" for Halloween and stretch the enjoyment out for more than one night only. I guess we weren't the only ones with that same thought. The neighborhood kids decided it was time to start their Halloween fun, too.

I guess the whole thing just surprised me a bit. I knew that I was "an adult" now, and have been for some time. What with being married for several years, owning a home, and being a parent. But to see how completely that change has occurred caught me a bit off-guard. To have gone from being that kid sneaking around smashing a pumpkin or two with my friends, thinking nothing of it, to the adult standing in the front window, frowning down at the broken bits of gourd in the road, wondering if it would be safe to get a replacement.

I'm guess I'm not in Kansas anymore. And haven't been for some time now. And am happy I'm not, but it's still a bit of a shocker to fully realize it.

Getting Ready for Halloween

We've been doing some Halloween prep lately - picking out Nick's first Halloween costume (the pumpkin's going to be a little pumpkin!), going on a hayride, and watching Anoka's Halloween parade. I'm afraid yesterday at the parade may have been the last time Nick gets to sit outside for over 2 hours at once until next year - a very sad realization. Sigh.

Nick has started on rice cereal now - just one serving a day. He is still getting used to it, not completely sure yet, but he's getting better each time.


Here are some photos of our recent activities -

Beautiful Weekend

It was the most beautiful weekend - and we tried to take full advantage. Saturday we went to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum again, this time to see the beautiful fall colors. Jon and Jill came with too and we had a great time. They were celebrating Jill's birthday (on Friday) and their one-year anniversary (on Monday). Congratulations Boucher's!



Then on Sunday, we went to Elk River for a corn maze and pumpkin picking. Kat, Michael and Ali went with us and again, we had a great time.



Nick was coming down with a little something Friday evening - he had a slight fever and was kinda snotty. But by Saturday his fever was gone and by Sunday he was great. He loved being outside all weekend, I think that's what cured him.



Check out all of the photos below - sadly, it's probably the last beautiful weekend we'll have like this for a long, long time. :(

The gorgeous colors at the Arboretum.

Mom and Nick in the corn maze

Our little pumpkin.

New Toys

So Nick is officially not a baby-baby anymore. We got him a new toy last weekend - an exersaucer. He loves it! I was afraid he might not be quite big enough yet - but nope, he does great. We have to stuff a blanket around him to make it a little more stable, but otherwise, it's great. He has so much fun hitting all the buttons and hearing the noises and seeing all the lights.

It's the start of a very noisy future, I can see. =)

Four Months Old

Nick turned four months on Saturday, and we had his four-month check-up appointment last night. As we all know, he is above average for size.

He weighed 15 pounds, 14 ounces which puts him in the 69th percentile.

He is 25 3/4 inches long which puts him in the 78th percentile (and really, with both his parents, did anyone think he would be a shorty?)

He got his second set of shots also and was a trooper! He yelled a little. With the first shot. A little bit more on the second. And by the third he was looking at us like he couldn't believe we were trying to kill him. It was very sad, but he recovered very quickly and within a minute or two was completely fine.

The doc said he is developing perfectly and is meeting or exceeding goals in every area. He is such a great little guy, we are so proud of him!

Weekend Updates

Nicholas had a great weekend this weekend. On Satuday, Mom and Aunt Kat went to Bunker park with the babies to enjoy the beautiful weather and walk around the park. After that we all went to Jeremy Boucher's to celebrate his safe homecoming (he is healing amazingly, getting around great and is in great spirits). Sunday we took it easy and did some work around the house, grocery shopping, etc.

Here's a picture of Cowboy Nick at the Bunker Park stables.

Nicholas on the saddle with Aunt Kat.

Mom with Nick and Ali - whoa, it would be tough to have two little ones!

(Good luck Kat!!)

Nicholas and Ali - enjoying their walk!

A quick shot of Nick hoping to kick some life into the Twins!

Baptism

Nicholas was baptised this Sunday at St. Stephens Church in Anoka. He did great - he didn't cry or fuss at all!

Here is Nick getting baptised

Here is Nick with his three godparents - Uncle Jon, Aunt Kat and Aunt Deb.

Here's his super cute cake (and a free plug for Jack's Bakery in Brooklyn Park - they have great cakes!)

Nicholas and Grandma Judy, who knit him his adorable baptismal blanket. Thanks Grandma!

Thanks to everyone who came out and celebrated the day with Nicholas!

Nick's First Packer vs Vikings Game

Tonight was Nicholas's first Packers vs. Vikings game, and of course, mom and dad couldn't agree on what he should wear when we went to Kat and Mike's to watch the game. So we compromised. Tim had his way for the first half and I had my way for the second half. (I think Nick was happier during the second half) =)

The first half of the game:

The second half of the game:

I think Nick is in for it - having a wardrobe change at half-time for the next many years of his life.

We have been slacking in updating this for people to read, so here are a few new photos and videos of Nicholas. (We know everyones wants to see that instead of reading what we've been up to) Enjoy!

Here is Nick at the park, playing in the fire-truck. What a big boy! Ignore the mysterious arm coming from nowhere. =)
Nick swinging!

Here is a video of Nick talking and laughing. It is too funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfIn1_Wp5oA

Here is a video of Nick and Ali laying next to each other. You can see how big Nicholas is - he is 3 months here and Ali is 9 months. They are both such cute babies!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWQLFVdeH5o

Labor Day Weekend

So it's been a while since I've updated this...but hey, give me a break, I'm a working mom now!

Labor Day weekend is both a happy and sad time for our family - it is happy because we had a four day weekend to spend together, and it was beautiful. But it is also sad because it marks the unofficial end to the summer. It means putting the boat away until next year and no more swimming or skiing.

We spent the four days in Siren, and it was great. Nick went swimming again, and we dunked him underwater. He did great! He didn't even cry. We are going to start swimming lessons this winter to help him get used to the water even more.

It was declared a non-working weekend in Siren - the first one of the summer. Yay!

I've posted a few recent photos of Nicholas below. He is doing great - laughing and talking a lot now. He is adjusting well to daycare - still not on a "routine" during the day, but he sleeps great at night. Bless his little heart!

Nick and Alison with Grandma Judy at the cabin.

Grandpa Ralph with his GIANT Crappie.

Mother Nature at it's finest.