{Busy Boy}

Ryley is a busy boy these days. When he's not hiding from us, or climbing up on something, he's putting things in the toilet! He is also the reason I haven't taken many pictures lately! Seriously, he is too quick for me!!! He wears me out the 3 1/2 hours we spend at church on Sundays!

{Family Time}

Today Adam and Carey hosted their annual Guenther pool party. As always, there were lots of greats. Great company with great laughs, great food, and overall great fun. Here is a picture of the cousins minus Eliot. (I am in need of some direction because I can't enlarge this collage because I have no clue)!

The kids LOVED this new pool toy called "The Cube" and they spent hours floating on it, in it, and flipping it. All the flipping reminded me of an hamster exercising.

This is a little clip thrown in for The Finnan's per Chad's request!
When everyone was done swimming Coach decided it was his turn to take a dip with Adam and Opa. He jumped in time and time again with little to no tire. The person who tired the most was Adam since he was the human shield, protecting the kids from getting pounced on!
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Cousin Sleepover
A couple weeks ago cousin Colby stayed the night with Maisey and the two played great together. They are only 5 months a part, and that is usually the case, but their time together was precious because there weren't any other girls to steal away the attention with the curling iron and make-up. These two played a little bit of everything and it was sweet watching them interact. I think they will be friends forever. The following week cousin Peyton (Colby's sister) stayed the night. The first thing on the agenda was going to the fabric store to pick out material for pillows. The girls wanted to take a shot at sewing and things went well. They enjoyed their soft flannel pillows all night long.
The following day we saw the movie "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" and swam before taking Peyton home. It was an exciting day because Peyton missed out on a lot of swimming this summer since her arm was casted for about 5 hot weeks!
We love our family members all so much and we hope they know it!

{Changing}

It seems like each time I blog the posts are more and more spread out and there are two reasons why: (1) I joined Facebook and (2) I keep forgetting to take pictures! The new thrill of Facebook has worn off and I've decided to stay loyal to my blog, and to stay on top of it.

During the hot spells we've enjoyed lots of pool time! If you haven't been over to swim, your missing out on some fun catching up.These days Ryley is VERY much into animals, reptiles, and anything that moves and looks new. We went to the zoo last week and I can already tell our zoo pass is about to get a big workout in the upcoming months. Maisey also loved the zoo at this age and I enjoy watching little ones' faces light up in excitement. The kids have been doing what little ones do best and that is growing. Mine have never been 'right' on the charts and it has always been annoying but the gap is slowly closing. Ryley has maintained his average 75% for height and 11% for weight (I am worried about the upcoming seasonal change to Fall because 12 month pants fall of his bum and he needs 18 month length). And Maisey, she is still 50% for height! She has grown up a lot over the last year, and it is bittersweet to see her develop into a young lady. She may only be 6, but she acts 14... I'm hoping when she is actually 14 she might act even older and we can just 'skip' the teen years all together!
Here is a picture of the kids before the doctor appointment began.
Maisey is enjoying swim lessons right now and is eager for soccer, dance, and Girl Scouts to start back up in the Fall. Maisey is the youngest one in her swim class by a couple years (at least 3) and she is doing a great job with her side breathing and isn't at all intimidated by the fact all the other students are much bigger and male.
Ryley isn't talking much and seems to be following in his sisters footsteps. However, according to the pediatrician, he is 'on track' and is where he should be. He thinks he can talk and constantly looks at you, points, and mumbles on and on. He is a busy climber and was so happy in the picture above that he could mount this pony and rock it back and forth without help.
My kids are the joy of my life and I treasure them so much. I feel so blessed to be a mother, wife, and woman.

{4th}

This year we had the most relaxing 4th of July ever! We went to Eugene for 4 days and celebrated the 4th of July like most Americans, with a BBQ.I failed to get a complete family photo, but here we are in our Red, White, and Blue.Maisey spent lots of time in the water since it was so hot and we just baked.
She loved the fireworks my grandparents set off and I loved that Ryley slept through them.One day we took the kids to my favorite kiddie pool at my favorite park. Grandpa stayed home but Grandma, Uncle Chase, and Aunt Erin came too. I was sad to find out this is the last year any of the outdoor kid pools will operate since under a new ordinance they would be required to put in an expensive new filtration system... I guess we better enjoy it all we can this season!
Four days is never enough time to see everyone and I can't wait to go back again!

{7}

Last Monday (June 29th) we celebrated our 7th Wedding Anniversary. We didn't spend time alone, and we pretty much carried on as usual, but all the day long I thought about that special day all those years back and how it seems like even longer since we dated for two years.

When I think about marriage at this time the first thing that comes to mind is Jesus saying, "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it." I wouldn't dare say it's easy, but I do believe it's worth it.

This post is a week old because we've been very busy, but primarily because I wanted to post wedding pictures. However, I just have to post this now because we can't figure our scanner out. Hopefully the software is just hiding or else it was erased when we did something to our computer, either way I can't let any more time go by.

I love my husband dearly, beyond words, and I'm thankful he appreciates such a strong woman like myself!

{confession- I am one of them}

In case you didn't already know, I am one of them. I am one of those moms who loves to see her daughter on stage, in make-up, performing. I am one of those moms who would do beauty pageants if I lived in the Midwest or on the east coast but in the past I settled for photo contests instead.

Well, Maisey just had another dance recital and I have to confess, I loved the final show. It is so fun watching her get excited over the mascara and the stage- it takes me back. I danced for many years and I admit I get sucked into the event.

This year she took ballet and tap but next year I hope she sticks with only tap or jazz or hip/hop. I think you get more exercise with those dances and they really seem to excite the audience. Plus, she is a good tapper! We will just have to see what she decides. For now, here are a couple pictures.
Before the show.Maisey is on the far left! I was worried after watching rehearsal because the adorable little kiddos seemed to freeze on stage... But in the end, they all did great! She did awesome and I could tell I had a cheesy smile on the whole time!
After the recital with her trophy and flowers!

{old times}

It seems like not so very long ago that another little curious baby of mine loved the library.That little baby loved everything about it. The freedom to roam about and to choose whatever was pleasing at the time was all so exciting.The freedom to climb and explore mischievously is the most liberating part. Well, eventually all the thrill wore off and at about 4 years old Maisey refused to visit the libraries. Lucky for me, now she reads and once again she likes the libraries... And for the times she's not so eager, I now have another little one who is!

{Sport}

Ryley has been the best sport during our trip. He slept most of the plane ride and he has been very patient while waiting, and waiting for everyone else.

He is his usual timid self when we get onto a ride but he hasn't cried once and he ends up loving the thrill! This is his face before the carousel started and before he started laughing!On the dark rides he is a quiet observer. Here he is on It's a Small World After All.Here he is on the tea cups for the third time. When he gets tired he just sleeps.

And when he wakes he knows there is still more fun awaiting him.

Ryley also started walking on our first day here! This is a funny but lengthy (1.53 minute) clip of him as he attempts to toddle over to me after a long day at Disneyland! Hang in there, he gets it eventually and his determination is commendable!

* I filmed the clip wrong and I can't turn it, nevertheless it's still entertaining!

{Characters}

After waiting in line for 90 minutes + we finally were able to see the princesses!

You certainly can't come to Disneyland without seeing and touching them!

Their apparel was beautiful!

We had breakfast with Lilo and Stitch and Minnie and Daisy decided to drop by!

Maisey admires Daisy's cursive writing in her autograph book and has spent a lot of time trying to replicate her signature.

I personally loved the street parade with many of the Disney characters, especially Jessy and Woody from Toy Story (one of my favorite Disney movies)!

After the street parade we saw Tink at Pixie Hollow- shortly before her appearances in the Starlight parade and fireworks display!

Her friend "Raindrop" was there too!

We've seen a lot of other characters such as: Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, Alice, The Mad Hatter, Tiger, Rabbit and Pooh, just to name a few!

{Vacation}

Friday @ PDX- Ryley wasn't sure why we woke him up at 4 am so Chad and Maisey had some explaining to do

This was the seating arrangement-car seats by the window. Of course Maisey thought it was 'unfair' but she managed to fer over it!
This is the view we have from our room of California Adventure at nightLooking out our window at the side of the building The Disney movie room in our hotel, next to the arcade.

Maisey's Birthday and Graduation- Our first day in the park

Just through the front gates and Ryley is already exhausted from the day before.
Disneyland's Toy Story Ride (my favorite) which terrified Maisey! "You mean I have to wait for Daddy and Maisey before I can go on the tea cups?"
Ry and I have done a lot of waiting! However, he (and I) eventually got to ride on the tea cups and he LOVES them! Each time he goes he throws his hands in the air and shrieks... It is SO funny!
For Maisey's birthday she got her hair and make-up done at Bippity Boppity Boo Boutique! She loved choosing from all the accessories and being pampered by the "Fairy God Mother's in training!"

The 'unveiling' in the magical mirror. After putting a spell on the princess with tons of glitter the curtain is pulled back and the princess is now ready for her costume (outfit, sash (in this case a birthday one), jewelry, princess bag, and pictures! * One of the most magical parts of the trip by far!!!

The final look. Not a very great picture but we will remember the event!

"Well hello! May I get a picture of you before you go and find the princesses?"

"Wait! I have to give you my wish before you go!" Her wish was that she could live in a castle! Oh, what a hard lesson to learn in "The most magical place on earth!"

Things I've learned so far:

• I like American food
• Don't tell Maisey whether or not the ride will be absent of any light for any amount of time
• Skipping naps scares the heck out of me and makes me worry Ryley won't know what his schedule is when we get home!
• Pack extra clothes- You never know how wet you will get (watch out for California Adventure's Grizzly Rapids)!
• Be prepared to spend a ton of money on bottled water at the parks!
• You will undoubtedly get at least one blister when you spend nearly 15 hours at Disneyland in one day!
• Your suppose to tip your housekeepers! What the...
• The summers around here (summer 2009 kicked off on 6/12 our first night here) are AMAZING (fireworks, street parades, musicals, etc,...)!!!

To be continued...

Still to come: pictures of fireworks (from a boat) with Dumbo and Tinkerbell flying through the sky and everything after the first 24 hours!