First Bite!

Our little man experience his first round of solids last week. I typically like to wait till 6 months to start my babies on solids, but during our vacation in Utah last week he was acting like he might need a little something extra :) Here is his first bite...

He did great, didn't try to spit it out or anything. He is loving the solid foods now and anxiously awaits each spoonful with a wide open mouth. :) lol Love that chunky man!

Once a Month

So apparently I have become a once a month blogger. Usually when Ryler turns a month older, just so I can document where he and Tray are at. And really I have no idea how you other Moms do it so often. I'm amazed and jealous. Someone will have to teach me some time-managing tips or somethings cause really I just don't find the time to do it as often as I should. Kudos to all those out there who are obviously much better at this than I lol So! On with my monthly update...

Ryler is 5 months old today! He is just getting so big I can hardly believe it. One the one hand it really feels like we have had him all along, it's hard to imagine that it has only been 5 months. But on the other hand he is getting so big it hurts just a little bit. I am really good at tripping myself out about it too. I am always thinking things like 'only one more months and he'll be half a year old! Another 6 months and he'll be a year! It's going by way too quick!' Ha ha at times I have to remind myself to calm down and take ONE day at a time and not get caught up in silly thoughts like that or I will lose out on all these first precious moments.

Our little man is soooo cute and so much fun! Every day I swear he changes and learns something new. The boys and I had the opportunity to spend a week down in Payson with my cousin and her kids last week while Darren came back to WY to work. It about broke Darren's heart to see how much the boys can change in just one week and that he missed it all :( It makes me really never want to leave him for any amount of time at all lol

Some updates on Ryler..

Ryler is starting to sit up. He still has some practicing to do for sure. But he's starting to get it. Which is always a fun milestone. :)

He sleeps from 9-8ish with a feeding around 6.

Ryler is starting to realize when I pass him off to someone else, and will look around for me and smile when he finds me. Though he never really cares who is holding him. He loves everyone :)

He especially loves the ladies lol There are a few friends he just loves and smiles at constantly.

He really loves his Daddy. He gets really excited when Daddy comes home and starts waving his arms around excitedly begging to be picked up and loved on.

He is very intrigued with his cute little toes. Though he can not get them into his mouth which frustrates him to no end since EVERYTHING has to go in his mouth. lol Maybe its a boy thing?? Neither of my boys were able to get their feet in their mouths.. They just aren't flexible enough I guess.

Everything has to go in his mouth, as mentioned above. lol I get people mentioning sweetly to me all the time that they think he is hungry.. but he really just wants to munch on everything. The one indicator I have for his hunger (chewing wise) is my face. He only tries to chew on my face when he is hungry. lol Kinda weird.

He has a major toy addiction. He seriously loves toys! Especially his little giraffe off the jungle gym his aunt Janeen gave him.

He grabs our faces in his hands which I think is just adorable. I have got to get some pictures of it. I want to melt when Darren leans down to say hi to him and Ryler reaches up and rests his chubby little hands on either side of Darren's face. **Melting**

He loves taking baths with his brother now and goes nuts when he sees the toys floating by. He is not quite quick enough to catch them yet so Tray is usually kind enough to help him out.

He loves taking his binky out of his mouth AND can now put it back IN! Ha ha thank goodness. He would get so frustrated before. And he still does at time if its upside down or something, he does not know how to flip it around yet.

We have now mastered the laying down nursing. AWESOME I must say. lol Why didn't anyone tell me you have to put your arm under their heads?? Or maybe thats just me cause I am slightly bust-challenged lol But this whole time I would just lay him flat on the bed and could not for the life of me understand how he was supposed to reach! ha ha I struggle I know.

He can roll from his back to his side and back and does it frequently, but has not been able to get all the way over on to his cute fat belly.

He gets startled very easy but giggle ferociously afterwards lol

Um.. I can't think of any other changes at the moment, I will come back and add any if I do.

Tray has been very sweet to Ryler lately. He went through a faze for a few weeks where he really didn't want anything to do with Ryler. He was never mean to him, but just ignored him for the most part. I am happy to say he has come around again and wants to hold and play with Ryler again which I just love. Tray has a new found obsession with toast?? I think I have Aunt Heather to blame for that one? lol But every morning he eats 3-4 pieces which is fine by me. As long as he is eating SOMETHING. He is still not the biggest fan of food. But I can usually get him on board with pancakes, ramen, man n cheese, or grilled cheese. Pathetic I know but he will seriously opt to go without food. What can ya do. He is an Anderson.. and they have bigger appetites than anyone else I know, so eventually his eating skill will kick in. (That is the hope anyways) He is talking ALL. THE. TIME. Ha ha we can't figure out how to get him to stop?? Just kidding, we love it. He comes up with the weirdest things to say too. Some of his recent statements: When I was pretending to nibble his ear. He giggled and said "Mommy don't eat me! I'm not the lunch!" Or when I ask him to do something his response is "Ok, Ok. Fine Fine." Yesterday he was having a hard time keeping his pants to stay up thanks to his lack of bum, but through the day he had done a pretty good job or pulling them up when they started to slip. Last night we hear him whining in the other room and ask him what's wrong and he yells back "My pants! Mommy, Daddy! My pants are gone!" We didn't think too much of it till he came waddling in the room with his pants around his ankles looking pretty upset about it. Ha ha I about fell of my off my chair, Darren spit out his water, we were laughing so hard. The poor thing got all pouty lipped and about started crying. We quickly ended our laughter and helped him with his pants. I just love my boys!! Well this is all for now, sorry for the novel.. I guess that is what I get for only posting once a month! I am determined to post again very soon :)

Now for an overload of pictures? Yes please!

Ryler's FLUFFY hair ha ha (This is one of my FAVORITE pics!)

He is just so handsome!

This is Tray playing in a box. lol It was our way of celebrating me finally unpacking the last box! Don't judge me... it had been stashed in Darren's closet :)

Tray, like every other little boy, is obsessed with cars. He basically has the whole cast thanks to his Aunt Janeen and cousin James. So he likes to act out the movie as he is watching. I love when I hear him quoting the movie "No tires! Just gas!" as he makes Guido change Lightnings tires :)

Cute brothers :)

Ryler wins!!

Starting to get the hang of sitting up... Kinda. lol :)

My cute binky boy!

What a chub!

And for your viewing pleasure...

Oohh! Ahhh!

Lovin' that Blue Steel :)

Another Month!

This last month has been an interesting one. It has been a tough one. There have been a lot of emotions flying about. The worst part of this last month I think was Steve. Tray was doing so awesome at potty training that Darren surprised Tray with a puppy. A very very cute puppy that Tray named "Steve". (Too much blue's clues) After a few days with our new little friend we realized that Ryler was not doing so well. His eyes were red and puffy, he was very congested and very onery. Sneezing and yelling all the time. Ryler is a very happy baby so we knew something was wrong. Ryler was allergic to Steve. So sadly we had to say goodbye to the little fur ball. Tray was beyond upset. He cried for days and refused to go anywhere near that potty, insisting on "baby diapers". We scrubbed the house down and finally got Ryler back to normal after a week or so. It took a few weeks but we're finally getting Tray back on the potty. He still asks for Steve sometimes but hes over it for the most part.

Tray and his little buddy.

Tray is also FINALLY getting in the last of his molars (for now anyways) and they have had a very hard time cutting through. He has been extra sad and emotional and only wanting to eat one thing..

About 20 times a day I hear "Please yellow Popsicle?

Miraculously I found a brand that sells bags of all yellows. Epic, right?

Now for Ryler. I swear I just barely posted about Ryler turning 3 months and now its time to update again! Ryler is 4 months old and so much fun. I am loving all the new stages! He is such a joy in our home and we just love him to pieces. Tray is starting to realize he can plan with Ryler and likes me to make Ryler tackle him. Its really cute.

A little bit about the Roo....

Ryler is now 15 lbs. 25 inches. About 40 and 40 for percentiles.

Ryler loves to smile and will crack it at just about anything.

He loves chewing on his hands!

He loves chewing on everything... lol Everything goes straight to the mouth.

He likes to pull out his binky... then tries to get it back in his mouth but isn't too successful yet.

He is still eating and sleeping awesome. He is such a chunk! We can't even believe it.

He now likes taking baths.

He loves standing up and sitting up. He doesn't like leaning back.

He has a suuper cute giggle!

He likes rubbing his hands together.. it looks like he's scheming. It always reminds me of that part on Dr Doolittle 2 "This is good news. The Beaver likes good news" :)

His hair is staying a light brown.

His eyes are still a really dark blue, we're not quite sure what color they'll end up.

He loves being in his jumperoo and is getting the hang of the jumping part.

He really likes sitting in his bumbo.

He likes holding toys and sticking them in his mouth, sometimes resulting in a punch in the face lol Then he looks at us like "what did you hit me for??"

He is really good at tummy time.

He loves looking in the mirror.

He is VERY ticklish :)

He is the perfect addition to our little family. I can't imagine life with out that chubby grin :)

We love our boys sooo much!

Tray is yelling "Don't get me, Ryler baby"!

They are so cute!!

Roo in his Jumperoo

I loove this age! He is figuring everything out.

Tummy time!

My cute 4 moth old!

Check out those rolls! I can't get enough :)

Easter

Our Easter this year was pretty eventful and I have come to the conclusion that Easter egg hunts for combined ages are a JOKE! First our complex had an easter egg hunt out at the play ground which I ended up missing! I planned the day so well. I had kids ready and fed and bundled up and we were there for the hunt on time. Then the wind decided to blow like crazy and poor Ryler was gasping. So I decided to run back to the apartment really quick to get a giant blanket to throw over him and by the time I got back I missed the whole thing! lol Luckily my sister in law and nephew came to the hunt with us and Tray stayed out with them while Ryler and I ran back to the house. So Tray still got to do some hunting. Though he and his little cousin Emry only ended up getting 6 eggs each. On my way back out to the play ground I saw older kids with grocery bags chuck full of eggs. lol Greedy little things. Then there was a community hunt the next day that we drove to that was supposed to be split up into ages but apparently wasn't done very well. When the guy in charge yelled "Go" Tray was trampled. I had Ryler in my arms and could only do much to protect him from the sugar hungry mob lol By the time we got back up all the eggs were gone. Sadly there were even adults out there scooping up eggs. Tray was pretty upset that he didn't get any. Surprisingly enough I didn't get pictures from either of those hunts. Easter weekend we drove down to Sandy to visit the fam and my sweet Mom planned a hunt for Tray and a couple little cousins. The hunt was wonderfully age appropriate and Trays cousins had a blast... Tray had crashed prior to the hunt and had to be woken up to participate, which was a bad idea.. he found some eggs but was kinda grumpy about it. So all in all I would say Easter eggs hunts this year were not the most successful. lol After a good nights sleep we all woke up bright eyed and ready to see what the Easter Bunny had brought. He was nice enough to bring the boys some pretty great stuff. But what really made our Easter this year was attending Sacrament meeting at the local assisted living center, where my family was in charge of meeting. The service was beautiful, our company was wonderful and the spirit was very amazing. I could not have asked for a better morning.

My sweet Easter boys :)

ha ha Love this one. Tray was complaining that Ryler was too heavy.

Yay for finding Eggs!

3 Months And A Potty

My little butter ball is now 3 months old! Its going by soo fast! His personality is becoming more and more distinct and he is just so much fun. Ryler is a very laid back guy. He just goes along with anything. As long as he is fed and dry we never really have to worry about him. He is always happy and smiley or sleeping :) We just love him! Tray is a very helpful big brother. When Ryler is taking a nap and starts stirring I'll hear tray go in by the crib and say "shhh baby" and sometimes even get him back to sleep. Other times when Ryler decides he doesn't want to be put back to sleep he'll start talking and kicking around and I'll hear Tray in there say "SHH!! QUIET BABY!!" ha ha Brothers are fun.

A little about Ryler Roo..

He now weighs 12.1 lbs and is 23 1/2 inches long. Hes short and fat :)

He is super laid back and just such a good baby. Complete opposite from Tray.

He is an awesome eater. Again.. opposite from Tray lol

He is a very easy burper and always has two.

He still loves his showers and takes one every night with Darren.

He LOOOVES Darren. As soon as Darren gets home Ryler is eying him until he comes to pick him up. He kicks and coos and talks Darren's ear off :) Love it!

He is babbling and cooing lots which we just love.

He loves sitting up, with assistance of course, and now loves standing up.

He hates having his ears touched which I think is super funny. I cant stand my ears being touched either.

He has lost his "newborn" cry.

His eyes are still a steely blue.

His hair is still a light brown. Trays hair was blonde by now.. so were thinking Rylers hair might just stay brown.

He has the cutest smile ever complete with dimples, and has started to laugh.

He loves being wrapped up like a burrito and will fall asleep shortly after being wrapped.

He will sleep for 6-9 hours at a time at night. Usually waking up once to eat.

Now for an over load of pictures..

We had Ryler's pics taken a few weeks ago. They turned out really cute!

I love his chin collar :)

I just love that fatty :)

Fresh out of the shower. All clean!

Chubs!

I was trying to get a big cheesy grin but wasn't having much luck lol

Now for a Tray update! We started potty training Monday and he is doing awesome! We are so happy for him! He knows all of his colors and can count to ten. He loves to read and to color. He knows what sound every animal makes, when I asked him yesterday what a parrot says his answer was "You wanna a cookie?" ha ha He says his prayers every night and always makes sure to add the "car TV" in his list of thankfuls. (DVD player we had installed in my car. Love it!) He loves Lightning McQueen and got some "big boy lightning undies" yesterday. He loves his little brother and loves holding Ryler until he spits up then he yells "mom! I done!" ha ha He has a crazy shoe fetish. He is very adamant about which shoes he wears and it changes daily. He has more energy than anyone I know and can easily run circles around me. Getting him to go to sleep is still a trick. He could stay up till midnight every night and not even be fazed.. We are the ones that get warn out. He loves watching Cars, Despicable Me, and "Perry" (Phineas and Ferb) Tray loves to dance and cant help but dance whenever there is music on. His new move is to jump and land on one knee with the other leg straight out in attempt to jump into the splits lol He loves any kind of vehicle and always has. Cars, trucks, planes, trains, helicopters, tractors, fire trucks, police cars, motorcycles, "snow-bills" (snowmobile) you name it. Tray loves pizza and can eat as much as I can. He loves oranges these days and can eat two whole oranges at a time. He has an attitude! He'll yell at me sometimes, point his finger right at me and say "MOMMY STOP IT!" or "MOMMY BE QUIET!" Its really hard not to laugh while getting after him. He can be a real stink but he sure is funny.

He will probably hate me for this picture when he's older but I couldn't resist. ha ha he is so cute!

Cheesers! ha ha Ryler stuck his head in the way right as I was taking the picture

This is Tray saying "Mom, I done! Mom! I done!" ha ha I made him stick it out till I could grab a picture.

We do this at least once or twice a week. We go to the arcade area in Wal-mart and spend about an hour while tray "rides" every ride.. Its lame but there's really not a whole lot to do around here. **Notice the Sunday shoes he just HAD to wear to the store. Ugh lol

The McDonalds in Evanston is awesome! If you are ever passing through you have to stop. These are the kid chairs there. It has an awesome play area, xbox stations and has tv's everywhere. Even in the bathrooms lol

Talent!

My sweet Mother has the AMAZING talent of being able to capture faces! I have seen her art all my life in paintings and drawings around our home and my Grandparents home, in lesson plans and kids crafts, and in portraits of us kids she did when we were younger. She has gifted me with some wonderful pieces she did of Tray as well that I have hanging in his room.

She has recently started sketching portraits for sale. Here are a few she did recently...

My sweet Ryler

My cute Tray

My nephew Cooper

My niece Maddie

My niece Avery

These are just a few, and only one of types of portraits she does. The pictures of these portraits don't even come close to doing them justice. They are amazing!!

If you or anyone you know would be interested in getting one of your cute kiddos, or yourself, or your family, or your niece and nephews, or grand kids, you can email her a picture to sketch and you will absolutely LOVE it!

Check out her blog! Purelyportraits.blogspot.com

2 Months Old!

Ryler turned 2 months old yesterday! Such a big boy! He is just getting more and more fun. We just love him!

A little bit about Ryler... He loves watching us. His eyes follow everyone as we move around the room. He especially watching Tray as he runs and dances and makes faces at his little brother. Ryler coo's and smiles and yells when he wants some attention. He is nursing like a champ now to my great relief. He sleeps for 5-6 hours at a time at night which has been awesome. Its funny how amazing 5 hours of sleep can feel with an infant around, when any other time in life you would be complaining about "only" getting five hours ha ha. Anyways, Ryler loves taking showers but hates taking baths lol. And he loves snuggling with Darren, I assume because Darren is always so warm and snuggly :) Ryler is such a good baby which we are very grateful for. He is so chill. He is happy as a clam to be packed around and passed around or lay on the ground or be put in his chair when my hands need to be doing something else. He has a very cute smile which I'm having hard time catching on camera. But when we do get those big smiles out of him we can see one very cute dimple in his right cheek :) He has pretty steely blue eyes just like Tray and his eyelashes are getting longer by the day. On the one hand my heart aches thinking 2 months have already gone by, but on the other hand I am Loving the stage he is in and am looking forward to those still to come.

Half a smile.

Who could resist that handsome face?

I love his chunky chins :)

I caught him mid sentence lol He was telling a very elaborate story :)

I couldn't resist taking a pic when I saw his chubby little hands like this.

Things here in WY are going pretty well. Darren is still working like a madman and is very tired by the time he gets home. Its hard not being able to spend as much time with him but I am very grateful for a husband who is willing to work so hard so I can stay home with our babies and we can still have a nice life. The weather outside is cold and windy. Shocking right? So we spend our time in doors. We were able to attend our ward for the first time yesterday which was wonderful. It was so good to be back and to see old friends. And to make a good day even better, Tray loved nursery! He always had a hard time in our ward in Logan, I'm not sure why... but he ran right in and just loved it. A couple friends told us about story time at the library on Monday mornings so we went to that today which Tray also loved. Darren got a new car last week (yay!) so now I have mine to be able to go to these things. We love not being stranded at home. Having some friends, and a few things to get out and do makes our days a lot more fun.

Tray REALLY wishing he could go play ouside :(

Darren's new car!!

(or one exactly like it lol)

I don't actually have a pic of HIS car. But he LOVES it.