2013 - Part I

Ryan and Colten enjoying a car at the mall!

I cannot believe how quickly 2013 has gone so far!  Since I haven't posted in over 6 months, here goes nothing - even though I regret that so many of the cute details will be omitted.  But I guess that is what I get for allowing so much time to pass since my last update.  Every time I vow that I will be better about posting but if anything it seems to get worse.  I recently read an article about parents who are "putting down their cameras" so to speak.  It really made me think - instead of perpetually trying to capture the moment via video or still photos, they are simply and more importantly enjoying and being present IN the moment.  Maybe instead of feeling guilty about not blogging more regularly, I will think about it as relishing more time with my family...now if only I could figure out how to do both!

Easter - I won't say too much about Easter because it is one I want to forget.  Colten got the stomach flu about a week and a half before the holiday, and let's just say I was happy my mom was watching him when it struck because I don't think I would have handled it as well (and yes, she knows I feel this way).  In fact, it was so bad that his doctor prescribed him some cream to rub on his wrists to stop the nausea; even 4 days later he would get sick every time the cream wore off - poor little man.  I thought we were on the up-swing because everyone else seemed to escape the bug.  Until Holy Saturday...We were having a wonderful time.  The day began with egg coloring and breakfast over Grandma and Grandpa's house followed by an egg hunt in our yard while Papa visited.  After coming inside to relish in all of their goodies, Ryan proceeded to puke all over me and so was the end to our fun including a birthday dinner out for Grandpa, Mackenzie's baptism, and our Easter weekend plans.  Luckily Ryan didn't have it as badly or for as long as Colten, but unfortunately it carried over to me next.  There is nothing better than passing germs around the family - and so it goes.  Even uploading these photos brought me back to those days that I really wish to forget, but sickness was huge part of our year so I couldn't leave it out!  After starting school for the first time, I think Colten caught everything he possibly could, and I just hope that this year will be at least a bit better.

Let the egg dying begin!

We also tried coloring eggs and foam cut-outs using shaving cream and food coloring - pretty cool!

Colten gives it a go!

Colten is helping Ryan find and collect his eggs!  If only the day could have stayed this perfect...

Colten enjoying one of Mommy's homemade Easter bread bunnies - here's to you, Aunt Tunny!

Happy Easter!  Colten and Ryan waiting to go find their baskets!  Poor Ryan is sick so he still has his nighttime pacifier.  But I also love this photo because Ryan gave up all pacifiers in April.  That little frog one was his favorite so I'm glad I got a picture of him with it - even if he is sick here.

Ryan found his!

And now so did Colten!

Colten with Mommy and Daddy at Easter Sunday Mass and Mackenzie's baptism.  We missed you, Ryan.  It was a beautiful mass at St. Luke's but also strange because we were without Ryan and Grandma and Grandpa. 

Leading up to Easter, we had some fun too - visiting the Bunny and Kraynak's!

Visiting the Easter Bunny!  Colten wanted to know why the Bunny doesn't talk back to him!

Ryan is so excited to see all the characters in the Easter displays!

Ryan loved Kraynak's Easter Bunny Lane!  This was the first time that he really was aware of the displays - plus he loves Charlie Brown!

Not the best photo of Ryan but I thought it was cute that Colten brought his own camera to take photos of the displays.

Updates on Ryan -

Ryan went for his first hair cut on January 22nd.  He was starting to look like he had a comb-over so we thought it was time!  Colten showed him how it was done first!

He held on to some combs and let Paulette do her thing!  He looked sooooo cute when he was done - like such a little man!

Yay!  Ryan drank out of a straw for the first time at Quaker Steak and Lube on January 26, 2013!  And ever since, he has been obsessed with any cup or juice box he can get his hands on!

Just a cute photo of Ryan from early March

The morning after Colten's 4th birthday party.  Ryan LOVED the balloons!

Right around this time, Ryan weighed 21.1 lbs (10%) and measured 32.5 inches (68%).  I was so shocked by his weight because he literally eats EVERYTHING!  But we just went back for his 18 month appointment (a bit late) and he weighed 24 1/2 lbs (25%) and measured 34 inches (75%).  He was such a trooper at his last appointment, only crying for a few seconds after his shot.  He is doing so well and his talking so much; "Hi" and "Bye" and "Eat" are his favorite words!  He will say them to anyone that passes us; in fact while we were at Lowes, he was greeting everyone and one worker even said that he should be the store greeter!  I remember worrying if Colten would ever talk, but with Ryan it is so different.  He tries to repeat words that he simply hears us saying. "B" words seem to be his preference now but he tries almost anything, except "Colten" and I know Colten is dying to hear Ryan say his name.  When that day comes, it will be priceless.  My only concern right now is Ryan's squinting.  Sometimes he does it a lot and other days I barely notice it, but when I mentioned it to his doctor, he said that his one eye may not be fully aligned.  He gave us a pediatric eye doctor's name in case we wanted to follow-up.  Part of me thinks that I am just being a crazy mom, but the other side of me wants to just be sure.  I can't help but wonder what if - what if I don't take him and he really had a slight problem that could have been corrected now?  So I will probably call just to be on the safe side.
Obviously I know that Colten and Ryan are different people, but I am still shocked every day by just how different they are.  Colten has always been my sweet, sensitive, shy, and responsible one who loves to manipulate objects with his hands and figure out how things work but never to get too dirty.  Ryan is by far my adventurer who knows no fear and loves to perform for even strangers.  In fact, while we were shopping at Grove City outlets, Ryan often stopped walking because he heard music and would rather dance; Ryan will dance anywhere and anytime he hears any music.  In some ways I love that he doesn't know fear because he tries so much more whether that means foods to eat or activities, but it also scares me to death because I feel like I have to watch him every second.  In fact, one day while I was packing the diaper bag while we were both in the dining room, Ryan climbed up on a chair and fell off and bit his tongue before I could grab him; but that didn't deter him.  He laughed and started climbing back up to try again.  And when it comes to our pool, I could always trust Colten to be on the deck without attempting to go in.  Just to see what would happen if I let Ryan go, I told Tom to be ready in the water by the edge.  Sure enough, Ryan walked right into the pool, no hesitation.  That scares me.  But I am trying to use it to my advantage too.  I am trying to teach Colten to jump in, but he is scared, so I often have Ryan do it to show Colten that there is nothing to be afraid of.  Colten did jump in once all by himself, but now keeps saying he is too scared again.  I think we are getting close and I am not above bribing him so he can get past his fears!  We shall see!!!

Ryan dumped sand all over himself, put it in his hair, and tried eating it numerous times, even though he could not stand having it in his month.  But I guess he kept hoping it would get better!  He really made me rethink the sand and water table this year; in fact, I think it is going to become a water table exclusively for the rest of the summer!

Colten's reaction says it all!

Ryan's first festival ride - Christ the Good Shepherd Parish.  He loved it so much that he screamed like crazy when it was over, so much so that we pretty much had to leave after that. (And you can just see Colten sitting in the sleigh behind us - oh how I remember doing the same thing as a little girl!)

In mid-April, the Fitch baseball team played at Cleveland Indian's stadium so we took the boys to check it out, and they had a blast!

Ryan's first time facing forward in his car seat - April 2013

Ryan loves to dive from the fireplace onto his couch!

So proud afterwards!

This photo doesn't do this justice, but Ryan loves to scream for fun (whether in the car or at home or anywhere), but he loves it even more if someone screams back.  This is a photo in the car on the way to dinner.  Literally, all of us were screaming (for fun) and Ryan was in his glory!

Grandma gave Ryan is first pack of gummies in May, and he LOVED them!  Now he and Colten share their love of gummies.  Ryan learned very quickly where we keep them and often brings me packs to open!

Ryan screamed for corn the first night he saw us eating it!  We were shocked but he chowed down on his own ear!

And so did Colten - that is one veggie I can still get him to eat! (that and broccoli)

Ryan looking too cute while playing with a fireman's hat (early June)

Colten has always loved the mower, but Ryan just took is first ride on Saturday, June 29th, but now it is difficult to get them to take turns!

Updates on Colten -  Yay! Colten turned 4 in March and weighs 41 1/2 lbs and measures 43 inches - such a tall, slim boy.  This year he requested a bowling party after having so much fun at his cousin Payton's a few months earlier.  The party was so much fun!  Uncle Mike made the trip in and a few of Colten's school friends attended too!  I can't wait for more parties like this; it was so much fun to just watch the kids interact!

Of course it was a Transformer themed!  But what a cool cake!

Silly faces with Uncle Mike, Grandma, and Grandpa

Happy Birthday to Colten! (with Ryan, Christian, Kayleigh, and Bella)

Getting ready for a big throw!

Ryan gives it a try too!

I loved watching all the kids bowl, especially because sometimes their balls stopped midway down the alley!  I guess bumpers and only help so much!  But even the adults got in on the fun and bowled their hearts out.  Uncle Mike had one last surprise for Colten after the party...

meet our new pet hermit crabs! - hermie in the orange shell and black ball in the black shell (I'm not sure how Colten will like that once he changes shells but we will see)

Colten really lucked out this year because he got to celebrate his birthday 4 times - at his bowling party, at school a few days before his actual birthday, and then again on his real birthday, and finally with Uncle Marc, Aunt Amanda, and Payton since they were out of town during his party!  Talk about a birthday week!

Colten's actual birthday - posing with Mommy and Robo Knight

Happy Birthday, Colten!

Colten's birthday meal of choice - Jimmy John's ham and cheese

Wearing the crown they gave him at school

Finishing up the cake from his party - I swear he never ate the cake, only icing!

So happy to receive Megatron from Mommy, Daddy, and Ryan!

"Wow! A new helmet and scooter from Uncle Marc, Aunt Amanda, and Payton!"

"Check me out!"

And Ryan too!

Ryan and Payton having fun with the paper and their pacifiers!

Speaking of birthday parties, we also had to have one for Fire McCutcheon mid-April.  After a fundraiser at school, students were rewarded with a Build-a-Bear type event at school where they were able to choose an animal and an outfit.  Colten built a zoo keeper dragon that he named Fire.  He has slept with it every night since and says that it keeps his bad dreams away.  He loves Fire so much that he insisted that we have a birthday for him, and of course Grandpa went all out with cupcakes for everyone!

Colten with Fire for the first time!

Happy Birthday, Fire!

 Colten also made his first trip to the dentist in June!  He handled it like a champ!

In the chair!

Getting his teeth cleaned!

And from there, we headed to the library to get Colten is first library card and to sign him up for a summer reading program!

Colten with his library card, one book he checked-out, and his tooth toy from the dentist.  And just a note, Colten doesn't have that many cuts; he loves band-aides and decorates himself with them!

T-Ball -   Colten just finished his first year of T-Ball with the YMCA.  I debated about having him play there or with the city, but decided on the Y.  The city practices much more and has more games so yes, he would have had more exposure, but I really wanted him to enjoy his first experience without overdoing it; plus many of the city games were during the week so Tom wouldn't have been able to attend.  In the end, I was happy with my decision because Colten loved it!!!  He doesn't have much natural ability and sometimes barely focused on the game, but that is what it is all about!  Regardless, he always asked when he would be playing again, and he always had a blast while he was there, even if he always wanted to field his own hits!  Mission accomplished.  His team was the Pirates, and he was number 10.  I was such a proud mom that some may say I went a bit overboard.  To show our support of Colten, I made shirts for Grandma, Grandpa, Daddy, Ryan and myself, each on personalized on the front (i.e. Pirates Mom, Pirates Brother, etc) and then our last name and Colten's number on the back.  And of course we wore them to every game!  A special thank you to everyone (Grandma, Grandpa, Papa, Uncle Marc, Aunt Amanda, Payton, Krissy, Victor, Kayleigh, Aunt Carol, Great Grandma, Laura) who came to watch him play too!  He loved having everyone there and still talks about it!!!

Getting ready to leave for open gym

Waiting for stations to begin!

"Playing" first base!

Colten and Kayleigh after his first game!  She was such a great cheerleader!

During game 4, the coach pitched to Colten and he had a great hit!  I wasn't expecting him to make contact so when he did, we all yelled like it was the game winning home run!  He was soooo proud and so were we (as you can only imagine!).  

Laura came to watch Colten's last game - by special request!

And Great Grandma made it too!

And Aunt Carol made it to two games!

Colten with his friend Gavin after they received their medals - so proud!

After T-ball finished, Colten started swim classes at the Y.  We have a pool, and he loves the water so I wanted to help him start learning how to swim and to transition away from swimmies.  He loves it so much so I think we are going to continue into the next session!  I have already seen such progress in three short weeks!  Now he jumps in there and at home and even volunteers to go first in his class at the Y.  He even swam without the teacher and only a floatation device around his waist, and he went down a tube slide!  Way to go Colten!  He still doesn't seem that comfortable floating on his back, but I bet he will soon!

Playing on the water playground during his first class!  So fun!

Volunteering on his first day!

It doesn't get any better than having swim class with Olivia, Kayleigh, and Bella from school and Zachary from his t-ball team!

Preschool - Because I got out of school so early this year, I was able to take Colten to school on his last day and to attend his end of year picnic later that week.  I know it is just preschool and that he has another year of it, but I still cannot believe that he is done with his first year of school!  I grew so much over those short months, singing more and quite simply becoming more social and learning how to write his name and oh, let's face it, the list could go on and on!

Before school on May 28th.  I saw this idea on Pinterest and will take a photo of him in this shirt (mens XL) every year until he graduates in 2027! 

Colten and Mommy before school on the last day!

Grandma came as well to drop him off since she took him all year!

Colten with Miss Michele.  As part of his teacher's gifts, we potting flowers and spray-painted the pots with chalkboard paint so we could write "Colten is glad we 'picked' CCW!"

Colten with his teacher Miss Angel

So happy after school!  Dancing in the car!

Since we celebrated his first day of school, we also celebrated the last with lunch at Belleria and even a new Power Ranger from Grandma and Grandpa!

And we ended the day at Colten's favorite place - Menchies!  (It might be mine too!)

Colten had the whole board at Menchies to himself this time!  Cool robot!

A few days later, we headed to Harding Park for the end of year picnic.  It was a fun-filled day with face-painting (which Colten wouldn't do), cotton candy, a magic show and balloon-shaper, sack races, and lots of playing on the playgrounds of course with all of his school friends.  The day ended with lots of yummy food and a basket raffle.  Kayleigh won the kid basket and I won the mommy basket so we both shared all of our goodies! I didn't take many photos there but here is one of Colten and Ryan.

Colten with his cotton candy and cool balloon hat!

A Memorial Day Trip to Uncle Mike's -

And we had a blast!  We shopped and visited with family and friends and of course the time went too fast; in fact, we didn't even make it to the zoo as we had planned - oh well, something for our next visit! 

Chasing Uncle Mike!

Looks like he caught Colten instead!!!

We had such a great time with the Melnik and Moss families but unfortunately I didn't take any photos to share.  Colten always loves getting together with them so he can play with his older cousin Braden!  And there is always lots of great food for all of us to enjoy too!

The next day the Belschner family came up from Cincinnati!  Steph and I hadn't seen each other in over 2 years so we were thrilled to meet up; in fact, they hadn't even met Ryan yet - crazy!  But it was like no time had passed for anyone.  We chatted like our old college days, even if now our conversations are more adult, and the kids played like they see each other every day.  To say we had a great time does not do it justice but we did and hope to meet up again this summer - that would be so fabulous!

Spencer, Avery, and Colten in Uncle Mike's "jungle" - We are still sorry about the destruction, Uncle Mike and we love your understanding heart!

Colten ready to go down the slide at a playground by Uncle Mike's house.

Capturing a day of fun (Me and Colten with Spencer, Avery, and Steph)

The end of the playground fun (Spencer, Colten, Avery, and Ryan)

Back at Uncle Mike's - a surprise cake for Daddy's birthday!

The night ended with more playing and a head-to-head collision, leaving matching bruises, but Avery and Colten were both troopers!

And to finish Daddy's birthday, I thought I would just share a few photos of the tradition Colten and I created.  Every year, we choose a cake to make for Daddy from scratch; Colten helps with the baking and then of course is the master decorator.  No matter the cake, he always ends by decorating the icing with candies of his choosing!  And of course, Colten loves to eat along the way!

This year we tried a new lemon cake recipe I found on Pinterest (I'm a bit obsessed).

Ta-Da!

Mother's Day and Father's Day -
Mother's Day was nice but freezing!  A few days earlier, Colten surprised me with a project he made at school.  I remember my mom always saying those were the best gifts, and I always wondered how until that moment!  He gave me a carpet square with his footprints that they turned into a butterfly!  I'm not sure where I will ever put it, but you better believe that it is framed in a shadowbox!  Now I know why those are the greatest gifts!

On Mother's Day, the boys gave Grandma a potted flower, but the pot was extra special because their feet made the flower's leaves and their hand prints were the flowers, and then Colten added a sun and some clouds too!  (Another Pinterest idea!)  And I had Colten answer questions all about
Grandma and started a scrapbook with his answers.  Every year I will ask the boys the same questions about her and add it to the scrapbook.  Some of Colten's answers were funny, but a lot of  them were touching and spot on, and I know Grandma loved it!  (Thanks again, Pinterest!).

Adding the finishing touches to Grandma's pot

Like I mentioned, it was freezing on Mother's Day so we went out to dinner at a local golf course.  Our meal was great, but it wasn't so great for my hopes of getting nice family photos with the beautiful scenery.

Braving the weather for one shot.

I can feel the cold in this shot as our hair and faces show!

Father's Day was a blast, even if it didn't go quite as I had planned and hoped.  As part of Daddy's, Grandpa's, and Papa's gifts, I also created the scrapbook of Colten's answers to questions for each one of them.  When Daddy read his, he cried such a heartfelt cry that touched my heart so deeply; his love for his boys was never more evident.  We love you, Daddy! 

And we were off to Pittsburgh for a Pirates game despite the weather forecast of rain.  We ate a great meal at the Jerome Bettis Grill while it poured outside and my hopes for the game diminished.  I kept checking the radar on my phone and insisting that we should still go, but I was the only one with hope so needless to say, I was vetoed and we ended up at the Carnegie Science Center.  We had a blast, especially the boys, and watching them made our time that much more enjoyable (but I do have to note that the sun came out right after we got there, and the rest of the day was perfect - so I still say that we should have gone to the game - but I digress).  

Ryan loved watching all the robots, especially the basketball shooting one, and once he found this ball activity, we couldn't get him away!

Colten with R2-D2

From robots with balls to water with balls- Ryan was in his glory! And soaked!

Astronaut Ryan

Astronaut Colten

Checking out more robots with Papa!

After exploring a submarine

The McCutcheon Boys!

Colten and Ryan atop a dino, ending our trip to the science center!

Other tidbits -

 In mid-June, we stopped at Build-a-Bear while out running errands.  This was Ryan's first bear to build, and he immediately chose the 'Nemo" bear.  Colten has one, and Ryan always wants it, so now he has his own and Colten chose Sulley from Monsters Inc.  Good choices boys!  And I have to say that we are in love with the new scents at Build-a-Bear.  Colten got bubblegum and Ryan chose cotton candy - both fabulous!

Ryan stretching to choose his heart!

Sulley is ready!

Ryan can't wait for his either!

Bath time!

Luckily Colten built Sulley because he brought him along when he took him to see Monsters U as his first movie!  I hadn't been to a movie in a LOOOONG time, but enjoyed it even more because of how much fun Colten had.  He was enthralled with the movie and even whispered "I love this movie" to me halfway through.  What priceless memories!  And more movies in our future!

So excited!  And note that Colten and Sulley had to wear matching shirts to the movie!

Getting ready for the movie to begin!

I've been working on this for weeks now (and am so tired right now that I am not even proofreading it right now - sorry for any mistakes) and am all caught up until tomorrow...Lots of love to everyone!