Party of 5

Ryker's First Birthday!

Ryker's birthday was amazeballs. We had tons of his friends and a few of our fam join in the fun, and Ryker had a blast. I spent about 2 months making felt hair bows and bowties for favors, and we decorated with IG photos from Ryker's first year. Aunt Suzie made the most awesome mustache cake!
I'm so glad that she could make his cake, just like Caden's first cake. Ryker ate most of the frosting off his cake, but just wanted to squish the cake in his hands.
My parents were able to make it for the party, which made it even more special. Check out the pics to see some of the fun.

Holy Massive Blogging Break, Batman!

Sooo, I suck at keeping up with my blog. Sorry, Mom! But, good news, there wasn't a ton to miss. Here's a little recap since my last post:

First there was Halloween. Caden picked out his very own costume, and we only lost one tool. We got to hang out with our friends Kent and Nicole and their kiddos, and went trick-or-treating in their neighborhood.

 Ryker has had what I like to call a "special head" since he was born, a flatter left side of his skull. Flat spots are normal for little squishy kiddos, but Ryker's head just wouldn't round out. So we were sent to a plastic surgeon, had an MRI to rule out any damage or pressure on the brain, and Ryker was diagnosed with positional plagiocephaly, likely because his head was squished by my pelvis in utero. Kiddo was fitted with a super rad helmet to wear all the time that would help his skull bones to grow together normally, to prevent pressure on his brain as it grows. Ryker wore the helmet like a trooper for about 5 months, and now his head shape is normal, so no more helmet! It looks like the helmet (or his mama's wonky eye genes) may have given a droopy/lazy left eye. So now we're seeing a ophthalmologist to work on correcting that.

Thanksgiving and Christmas were busy! The boys and I spent the week of Thanksgiving at my parents', and Ryker started crawling at Grandma's house, just like Caden! Christmas was lots of fun for the boys, and we got to hang out at Oma & Opa's house.

These two brothers are getting along like peas and carrots! We are still learning to share our toys, but Caden is protective of his "Rykee" and Ryker can hold his own, if his big brother gets feisty!

For Valentine's Day, Mister surprised me with a trip to Myrtle Beach! We haven't been anywhere together since our honeymoon, so it was a big surprise! We had a great time, but I missed my boys a bunch, and they had a hard time being out of their routine.

Ryker Jackson turned ONE! How did a whole year go by so fast? He waited until the week before his birthday party to start walking and get his first tooth, so it's been a dramatic couple of weeks! We had a "little mister"-themed party, and I'll tell you all about that later, but here's a sneak peek!

SOUP!!!

It is no secret, I heart soup. Poor Mister has lived through trial-and-error and nothing but soup for a week at a time in the middle of summer, but I can't help it. Since it's finally not crazy hot here anymore, I can get away with making some! I shall begin with Chicken Tortellini Soup, or Chicken and "Fancy Noodles," as Big Little would say. Plus, it gave me a chance to break in my shiny, new crock pot!

Here's what you need:

Chicken breasts
Medium yellow onion
Chicken broth - 4 Quarts
Italian Seasoning - 2 tsp.
Carrots
Celery
Bay leaf
Chicken bouillon
Tortellini

All you have to do is throw everything except the tortellini in the crock pot and let cook for 6-8 hours on low, until the chicken is tender and the veggies are cooked to your liking. About 1 hour before your soup is done, add in your pasta, and continue cooking until it's done.

**Since I hate chicken fat more than frog legs, I cooked my chicken breasts in the oven for 20 minutes with a little olive oil, salt, & pepper. Then I shredded the chicken after cutting off the fat, and added the chicken when I added the tortellini. I am no Paula Deen or Pioneer Woman; I just hate nasty fat floaties in my soup.

Punkin Pickin'

We went with Grandma & Papa to get the boys' first pumpkins. There's a super cool farm nearby where Caden got to play and ride tractors.

Stay tuned for the pumpkin carving pics!

I'm Still Here!

Ho. Ly. Cow. It's been almost a YEAR! Sorry, Mom. Not a lot has happened, just a few big things:

After about 6 months of unemployment, Mister got a new j-o-b! He's a keeper, this one.

 
On Easter, this little mister graced us with his presence:

Ryker Jackson

Here's what he looks like now that he's 6 months old:

Big brother turned 2 in June.

Aaaand they're pretty awesome.

No big deal.