About two weeks ago Ryley found his voice. Majority of the time he tries to make noise and nothing comes out. However, after a couple of minutes his vocal cords kick in and he is pleasantly surprised. Initially, I told Maisey NOT to talk because he won't make make noise if someone else is, but on this occasion he wanted to interact with her... I guess he is just a polite little gentleman.
We went to feed the ducks at the beautiful Hillsboro library on Saturday morning and since we last fed them, Maisey has personalized her method. I got my laugh in for the day. It was so funny to watch her do that each time and sometimes she would crank her arm around at least 10 times!
These were Maisey's soft duck pj's that she got with a matching blanket from Aunt Carey and Uncle Adam. I just loved them but they were so skinny and tight she barely wore them... I am on the ball this time and although they are 6-12 months in Gymboree sizing (and they are hardly a reflection of this little guys body type), they fit him perfectly. 
Ryley smiling.
Ryley waving. Ok, not really but these involuntary muscle movements of the limbs need a purpose. 
A picture daddy took before church.
A deer in headlights.Unfortunately for Maisey there aren't many girls her age here in our Beaverton ward. To be exact there are two and one of them just moved in. However, Maisey is pretty patient and loves being the little leader (or boss-whatever), and there are plenty of other little girls that she gets to play with regularly. I have noticed a huge difference in play and development between 3 and 5 year olds, and even between 4 and 5 year olds, and I am just glad she isn't too bored. 
Here is a snapshot I got of Maisey and her buddy Jazlyn away on a camp out (in the living room- of course)! They pretended to look for bugs which is comical because Maisey (like her momma) has a big phobia about anything that crawls (except babies that is) and Jazlyn, not yet 3, thought they were really looking for bugs and got freaked out a couple of times! We really want to do a little camping this summer (maybe 2 one night "excursions"), but we are still very unsure because we just know we will here a shriek every 2 seconds that would go a little something like this, "Ah, a bug, kill it daddy".
She sure loves ponies and horses like her mom.
The swings. She was actually tall enough for the adult swing ride but when we asked her if she wanted to ride once she saw the ride in motion, her jaw just fell to the ground as she boisterously passed. I remember how much I loved that ride (it was always my favorite), and lucky for her, they carny had the kiddie version. 
The mangy animals in the petting zoo. Without being too brutally honest, I wasn't sure what was more frightening, some of the unhealthy looking animals or the attendants. Once when the traveling fair came to Hood River we bought an inflated ride bracelet for Maisey and then after she saw the ride operators she refused to get on the rides because she was scared of them. That is a memory I won't forget but lucky for us, she has. 
Dad got to go on a couple of rides with her and that made her pretty happy. 
We may not be able to watch The Simpsons because of the lack of appropriateness in the script, but how can you not love them!
A rock climbing wall that Dad had to assist with...
The floor to ceiling play structure with the super fast slides!
The inflatable obstacle course.
What really sold me were the amenities... A mothers room with two way glass so that you can still watch your kid(s) if your hubby isn't there to help (which included Boppi's and a rocking chair), a family restroom, and just clean restrooms for everyone.
*I would only recommend this for children over 3 years old, unless they have older interested siblings. If that is the case there are toddler friendly things like a Little Tykes house, slides, and grocery station.
This past Saturday looked like it was going to be an ugly one but the weath
er came through... A couple from our ward invited us and 8 or so other couples to play ultimate Frisbee. It was pretty darn hot and Ryley (only semi-awake) seemed pretty uncomfortable, so I played the spectator role. Chad finally admitted he was out of shape after running his little tale off!
Chad is in the very back of this crummy shot taking a breather... He was roasting because he chose to wear pants (which was partially my fault for not persuading him otherwise b/c I didn't want to see his socks with his high tops... However, every guy their had visible socks and I felt guilty the whole time)! SOMETIMES you've got to throw style out the door for comfort!
I'm not sure what kind of parents we appear to be but despite any one's tho
ughts on this we are a lot happier... Maisey has graduated from our bed to our bedroom floor. Since this move we have all slept a lot better at night! When Maisey first saw this make shift bed she said, "Mom, that is sooo fancy!" As if her bed wasn't charming enough... Ryley goes back and forth between the cradle and our bed, but we will give him a little more time to adjust before we cry out for support as we attempt to "train" this one to sleep!
Maisey not only loves her new camera, but she loves ours too (this is from ours). Here is one of the many pictures that she begged me to put on my blog. Her excuse for every picture she takes with her camera is, "Mom, I need a picture for my blog"- no matter how inconvenient the timing may be.
EVERYBODY is showcasing dinosaurs right now: Omsi, The Children's Museum, and now the Zoo. Friday we went to the Zoo and it was a little warm for our liking but at least we got to cool off in the new Dino exhibit. We almost passed it up but our friends wanted to stop in and it turned out to be free for members that day. It was pretty cool... One of the Dino's spits out water if you choose to stand in its path and aside from the water, the exhibit also included a path of fog, a slide, some loud roaring, and of course lots of mechanical Dino's.
Summer is near and the corn is arriving. As a child my dad use to drive me to sleep through the corn fields and he referred to my brother and I as "the children of the corn". Well, my love for corn is still alive today and Maisey loves it too- maybe as much as I do. We eat it with most our meals all summer long and sometimes we even get to share daddy's because he is too lazy to give himself a long good floss afterwards.
The pool days have begun so come on over! Maisey spent many hours in the pool this past week and sadly I got to watch from the side. Ryley took his first dip and he wasn't as thrilled about it as we hoped... The pool was overcrowded (probably because people didn't have their air condit
ioner's installed yet) and the sun was very overpowering to the eye, especially Ryley's. We are definitely a water family and in the summer it isn't unusual for us to swim 12 or so times a week. However, we realize we will (or Ryley will), need some time to build up to that. But when the next hot spell comes, I will be ready, suited up, and Chad can be the one awaiting us with dry towels if need be!
Here is a picture of Ryley after a bath... We NEVER give him baths before church or other outings really because his hair is sooo crazy. As it dries it gets crazier and we constantly brush it straight or wet it down. I'm sure when he's a toddler it will be so cute but as an infant it is just so unusual- not that unusual is bad.
The jogger is always the nicest for a good walk but Ryley looks so small in it.
She cried and cried because her basket fell apart even though she begged me for a new one just two days ago. I guess now we will consider buying a new one!
Taking a break at the duck pond.
Jill's has a "hot momma" cut to it and it is just her style.
Hood River ward with family and Ryley was blessed. Being as how it was Mother's Day a couple of our friends weren't there to participate in the blessing but we are thankful for those who did.
hen I opened her gifts because she was soooo excited! I am so thankful that I have my own children to nurture, influence, teach, and love. I have always loved children, ever since I myself was a child and I will never forget how happy I was to find out I was going to be a mother- both times! 
his own, it is still special and I look forward to it in future years. 
The two of us moms spent some time alone with our newborns (4 and 6 weeks) and enjoyed going to the mall alone with out older complaining kids. The mall is somewhere we NEVER hardly visit because we never seem to make it past the toys if we try. Luckily we have a Gap, Gymboree, Target, and other stores virtually across the street for quick easy convenience. 
Of course you can see on the right Maisey has painted her face as usual. She always runs to that first but she decided it didn't look "good" and she washed it off in their bathroom during the visit!
By this time she has given up and is just holding it in for him.
When you hear about the "fountain of youth", keep in mind that I think of little youthful baby boys. Ryley continues to pee on me when I don't make the draw quick enough and I am looking forward to him gaining some control! The first time Chad changed him I warned him and I was the one who got it... I walked by the changing table to hang up clothes in the closet (Chad happened to miss the whole thing as he was concentrating on the diaper), and an unexpected sprinkler got me practically head to toe! Boys!!!
