Christensens²

Summer Vacation: Grandma Bunny's House

2011-07-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

Ummm…?

2011-04-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

We were visiting a friend’s house and Rya had found a treasure trove of toys. She went to play instantly. It wasn’t until we were leaving and went to pick up the toys that we noticed a bit of a crowd gathered around the trolls. Intrigued, Cody asked Rya what the animals were doing. He said, “Are the animals having a party with the trolls?” Rya put her hands on her hips, tilted her head slightly and replied, “No Daddy, they are EATING them!”

I don’t even know what to say to that!

Proud Mom Moment

2011-04-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

Rya enjoys drawing. She makes little pictures for people and folds them up to give it to them. While I was on the computer, she brought me one of her completed projects. I was a little distracted and told her she should write her name on it. She went in the other room, and without any other direction, a few minutes later came back in and handed me this. Wow! She had my full attention at this point and my admiration. Maybe I just have mommy goggles on, but I can see each distinct letter in perfection (although some may be upside down). Look at my little girl, all grown up and writing her name for the first time.

This “Proud Mom Moment” is brought to you by Rya.

Faith of a Child….

2011-04-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

Matthew 14: 24-31

“But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary…And ^ain the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. …And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water…And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.”

A few weeks ago, we read this passage to Rya. That night in her prayers, and in nearly every prayer since then, she has asked to be able to walk on water. Nervous that she might give this one a try on her own, my initial reaction following her prayer was to help her to understand that she couldn’t or shouldn’t try to walk on water.

I stopped short of telling her this realizing that I was reacting similar to Peter: “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was ^aafraid; and beginning to sink… And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little ^afaith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Not long after, in this past General Conference, Jean A. Stevens spoke, saying: “These precious children of God come to us with believing hearts. They are full of faith and receptive to feelings of the Spirit. Have some of life’s experiences taken from you the believing heart and childlike faith you once had? “

Oh me of little faith, wherefore do I doubt? And, oh that I might have faith like my sweet little girl. What an example she is to me. Thank you Rya!

Obviously!

2011-03-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

So this evening, I turned around from washing the dishes to find Rya laying spread eagle on the floor eyes closed with a half eaten apple in her outstretched hand and a mischievous little smile. Obviously, I ask what she is doing to which she very obviously replied, " I am pretending to be Snow White." Obviously!!

A Very Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T10:01:00.000-08:00

It was truly magical to see the joy and excitement of the Christmas season come alive for Rya. She met Santa as she does every year, but I daresay this year he was the real deal. Most of the time when Rya takes pictures with Santa we explain to her how they aren’t the real Santa but rather just his helpers because there are too many kids for Santa to visit. But, this guy had it all from the twinkle in his eye to the rosy red cheeks. And, I am pretty sure I saw a “bowl full of jelly” belly shake as he laughed. It’s good to know he lives up to his reputation. He certainly didn’t let Rya down.

We spent this Christmas in Texas with my family (just in case you couldn’t tell, this is Melissa) . The most special part of Christmas, for me, is to be around those I love. I’m sure that the kids would agree with me, but I’m sure the gifts didn’t hurt either. Rya got everything from video games and dress up dolls to make-up (oh, my little girl is growing up so fast). And Tieg got a few choice gifts, including a riveting book (I assume it was riveting because he really sunk his teeth into it, or rather gums since he is still toothless), and a Little People farmhouse. Mostly he loved playing with, chewing on, and tearing into the paper.

I have found a new joy in Christmas in watching my children learn the true meaning for the season. My heart swells as they tell what they know of the story of the baby Jesus and sing songs of his praise. On Christmas day, I am bubbling with excitement and anticipation of my kid’s faces when they see all the decorations, lights and gifts. And, I feel humbled to watch their enthusiasm as they give gifts to others. I have decided I love Christmas even more from this perspective than I did as a child.

But, after it is all said and done, when all the shopping and wrapping and decorating and cleaning and cooking and singing and laughing is done, I find that we are just done tuckered out…(and no, look closely, that is not Rya laying on Cody’s stomach…hehehe).

Here’s to the best Christmas yet, and to them just getting better each year… Merry Christmas!

The first of many…

2010-11-22T06:47:00.001-08:00

While at our first ultra sound for Rya, Cody was surprised to find out that our little baby was going to be a girl. (He was really convinced otherwise, so it almost came as a shock). When he left, he said he was really excited, but a little sad because (and I’m gonna quote here, to maintain the truth, so if he someday tries to deny this) “how am I going to take a little girl camping”. Now, I know some women may be outraged by this comment, but I just laughed at his obvious naiveté.

Now, a short three years later, Cody took Rya on her first camping trip into the far beyond of our backyard. Their night included everything from roasting marshmallows over an open fire, midnight snacks courtesy of mom, making shadow people on the tent wall, and staying up way too late talking.

Around 2 am Cody was hoping to carry the sleeping Rya back inside so that he could snuggle into his comfy bed to get a “good night’s sleep”. But, Rya took to camping so well that she awoke and thwarted Cody’s plot. She then told him how they are suppose to stay in the tent all night. (Hehe--I guess I have no room to say anything since I spent the whole night in our nice comfy bed).

Who’s worried about camping with who, now? Overall it was a fun night, and I am sure, the first of many camping trips.

To Sleep or To Trick or Treat…

2010-11-22T05:53:00.001-08:00

This year we had a witch. And, prefacing this with my obvious bias, she was the cutest witch this side of Oz. We had thoughts to make a correlating outfit for Callen, either a flying monkey or (my favorite) a broom. In fact, Rya kept telling people that for Halloween, she was going to be a witch and Callen was going to be her broom.

However, in our better judgment, rather than spend money on a costume, we borrowed an Elephant costume from a friend (which turned out to be too cute for words). And it was well that we did, I think Callen was awake long enough to wear his costume for all of 10 minutes (and not a happy few minutes either). So I have to admit that his pictures are fabricated post Halloween pictures, but we had to have photographic coverage.

And, here you go, our Little Witch and her… Elephant (what witch doesn’t need one):

Too cute, right?!?!

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes…

2010-11-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

And they do come true! Here is proof, Rya got to meet Barbie. I’ve never seen her so excited or shy. It was adorable. Too many times to count, Rya has woken up having dreamt of princesses, princes, castles, etc.. The majority of her play hours are spent playing with Barbie dolls and princesses and here she is meeting the real live girl. It was priceless to see her dreams come true.

Baby, let’s go down to Cozumel…

2010-11-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

We’ll get there fast and then take it slow.. or, in our case, get there slow, and then take it fast. I guess I should start at the beginning.

We went on a cruise to celebrate my 30th (I know, shocking- right?!) birthday. My sister and her hubby, who was also hitting his third decade, came with us. SO FUN!!! That really sums it up, but I’ll give you a few more details than that.

We all left our kids with grandparents, and lived life for 5 days like single marrieds. It was the first time since Rya was born that I have been away from her for more than a night. We stayed up late, ate A LOT of food, including many trips to the ice cream machine (this could explain the weight gain???), took afternoon naps, swam, rode water slides, went to shows, drank (hah, gotcha, we drank soda), and were completely carefree.

We visited two ports; Progresso and Cozumel, where we spent a day each. In Progresso (which is on the tip of the Yucatan peninsula) we visited Uxmal, which are some pretty impressive Mayan ruins. We had a tour guide that spent a good portion of time pointing out the local gift shops and then the rest on “his version” of Mayan culture/history (the boys thought he was making most of it up, because the plaques around the sites said different things than he did- oh well, it was still interesting). We even survived walking up the very steep steps to the top of one of the temples (whew!, no wonder the Mayan people were so tiny, although our one trip up didn’t do much to combat the amount of food we put away on this trip, hehe). All joking aside though, it was all very interesting learning of these people.

Cozumel was a day playing in the sun. We rented two-seater speed boats and raced through the crystal blue waters of Cozumel. With the small size of the boats, and some pretty good waves, we caught air a few times. It was a blast! It was like Cody reverted to his teenage years, whooping and hollering, pushing the engine as fast as it could go; I just held on for dear life- but we both loved every minute. We laid out on a private beach in hammocks, soaking up the sun, and did a little window shopping before we got back on the boat. Then we played on the Waterslides (which were closed for most of the trip due to high winds) and laid out some more. Like I said…carefree.

A few other highlights of the trip were:

I won in a pretty fierce Bean Bag Toss Competition, even got a trophy (yep, I’m pretty famous now)
Cody got on stage in a Balderdash game show, where he was the only contestant to chose the correct definition for “fulfart” (betcha you’re running for a dictionary right about now- but it means “full speed ahead”. Although the other definition choices were, as you can imagine, more humorous). He brought home a medal (which he was encouraged not to wear in the shower for fear it would disintegrate).
I also won (or tied for the win) in a Halloween trivia competition, again another trophy (or “24 caret gold plastic ship on a stick” as it was lovingly referred to on the boat).
And, best of all, (because I was watching not participating) was my sister being called on stage to dance with the break dancers in front of a large portion of the guests onboard. She was fearless and did an awesome job. We even got video, hehe, it still makes me laugh to think of it).

It was a vacation I won’t soon forget, and what a way to bring in a new decade of my life. But, at the end of the week, we were ready to get back to what we missed the most…our kids. As hard as parenting can be sometimes, I would never give it up. We can definitely have fun, and we did, but there is no comparison to the true happiness of being with our kids.

What do you think?

2010-09-28T15:45:00.001-07:00

For the longest time Cody would say that although Callen had some of his features, he wasn’t a little duplicate of him like Rya was…I beg to differ. Exactly where am I in this picture?!?! Too cute though, right?

Speaking of looking alike- I think you can tell they are siblings. Or at least that they like each other…

Not just a tea party…

2010-09-28T15:28:00.001-07:00

Rya is already hosting parties. But there’s no skimping, no simple tea and crumpets here, we are a full service program. Not sure what’s on the menu, but It’s a full meal party (oh, minus the drink, hehe). Love it!

When I get Older…

2010-08-23T12:38:00.001-07:00

About 6 months ago we asked Rya what she wanted to be when she grew up. She quickly replied, “A doctor.” Just as she said this a helicopter flew overhead and she edited her comment, “In a helicopter.” Ever since, if you ask Rya what she wants to be when she grows up, her response is, “A doctor in a helicopter.”

Noble profession and, I think, she is well on her way!

Ummm…

2010-08-23T12:36:00.001-07:00

So I am not sure if I should publicize this or not, but it is too funny to forget. This picture was taken without any prompting. We walked in to see Rya “taking care of her baby.” I guess the baby was hungry.

Nothing gets by kids, huh?! (She’s going to hate this pic when we pull it out to show her future boyfriends. Thanks Dad. LOL!)

Happy, Happy Birthday Rya Dear…

2010-08-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

Rya is 3!!! She just keeps growing, and getting more and more intelligent. We sometimes have conversations with her similar to one we would have with a teenager. ( I know what you are thinking, what will we get when she is a teenager?!?!) She challenges us to keep up with her and it has been so fun!

In our home we tend to celebrate birthdays for an extended period of time, or at least the entire birth week. For Rya’s birthday this year, we had a small intimate family party and then decided to invite friends over for a Splash Bash (but I’ll get into that in a moment).

family fun

For our family celebration I spent the better part of a day making a special Castle Cake. It’s my own fault really, I set the bar way too high by making a Princess cake last year. Now she didn’t exactly remember the Princess Cake of 2009 (her 2nd birthday), but rather inadvertently saw pictures of it on our screen saver. Ever since then she has wanted a Princess Cake for her birthday, and I could very well do a repeat. I don’t really how I am going to live up to these, or for that matter top them, over the next 15 years (maybe a life size Castle cake, hmmm, something to think about anyways). It tasted delicious by the way.

Castle cake (royalty not edible)

We then took her to Build A Bear, where “Squeezy” the Bunny was created. It was so fun to watch how excited she was for the whole process. She is a pretty special bunny for a pretty special girl.

Splash Bash

It was a little last minute, but we decided to go all out and throw a big birthday party. We got a couple blowup waterslides, water-guns, water balloons, and goodies to throw a fantastic Birthday Splash Bash. I had planned it down to the last detail, except for the storm that hit about a half an hour into the party. It worked out though, it only rained for the 2 hours of Rya’s party (for the whole month of August). No, no, no, I am not bitter, well maybe I was a little, but now I just find it comical. Just call me the rainmaker. *HeHe*

It will definitely be a party for the books, but well worth it. I think Rya loved every minute of it. It was a great 3rd birth-week celebration.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!! We love you more than we could ever express with words.

Over the Last two & 1/2 months…

2010-07-06T12:57:00.001-07:00

We have gone a lot of places, done a lot of things, and learned many new things over the last two months. It all started with Callen arriving. But, then when Callen was about three weeks old, for fear of going it alone, I followed my mom back to Texas for one more week of help. I got little snippets of insight into what life would be like with two kids versus one me.

One memorable moment was when my mom was gone for a couple hours. During which time Callen caught me too slow in changing his diaper, and I got covered from every angle. After that, I was nursing him when I heard Rya fall down the stairs. Not to be too graphic, but it is difficult to run to one child while still nursing another. She was fine by the way, but by the time my mom got back I was completely worn out.

After a week in Texas we, along with most of my family, headed back to Arkansas in caravan where we met up with Cody’s parents in celebration of Callen’s baby blessing. It was a chaotic, wonderful, event filled weekend. Most everyone headed back home after that weekend, except we got to hang on to Cody’s parents for another week. We didn’t let them sit around too long, they ended up helping us put in a new tile backsplash in our kitchen. And it turned out amazing.

We had about a week and a half home alone after they left before we headed to Albuquerque to continue our visit with Cody’s parents. Despite a bug that was passed around our family, we had a wonderful time swimming and visiting several tourist attractions of the area. (PS, the Albuquerque tram was incredible…ly frightening if you have any issues with heights). But, most of all, we loved hanging out with family.

We have learned a few things over these two & 1/2 months:

1. Callen grew 4 lbs and 4 inches in the first month of his life and slept so much we had to wake him up to feed him.

2. Callen grew 1/4 lb. and 1/4 inch in his second month. And now, between Callen and Rya, they are reminding us how much we value our sleep.

3. Rya has had to learn to share the spotlight with a little brother (who she adores), but has tried several techniques to vie for the attention- -some good and some bad.

4. Callen, as a baby, requires much more personal attention, due to some tummy issues, than Rya did when she was a baby. But, Callen sleeps better at night than Rya ever did or does now.

5. Rya has become quite the nurturer, while constantly practicing her skills on her baby dolls and teddy bears, she takes cues from us on how to handle baby Callen. She has mastered the somewhat tricky binky insertion technique, the shushing method, and the calming bum pat, and just continues to learn.

6. Callen has the sweetest little grin and a single coo from him can melt my heart.

7. Both of our kids challenge us to be better parents, show us what love really is, and make us smile more than we knew was possible.

Announcing…

2010-04-21T08:26:00.001-07:00

Callen Tieg

Born: April 6, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Weight: 6 lbs. 4 oz.
Length: 18 inches

He is such a sweetheart, very laid back and chill, especially when his older sister gives him “loves”. He sleeps a lot, but mostly during the day- a habit we are trying to flip to nights. He is only a couple weeks old, but thus far has a very sweet and calm personality.

A friend asked me what it was like having a boy. At first I told her not much, but upon further reflection here are some of the differences I have noticed between baby boys and girls: (most, okay maybe all, of the differences I noticed were in relation to bodily functions)

1.	He goes through as many outfits as a girl would, but for very different reasons (mostly due to peeing on his).
2.	In changing diapers, speed is vital.
3.	Also in changing diapers, being aware of the vicinity and direction of certain things is key in protecting myself and my outfits.
4.	It really makes the whole diaper changing operation run a lot more smoothly when there are two, maybe even three, people helping. I realize this one is not realistic all the time, but it really does make it easier.

I am sure any parent of a little boy could add plenty to this list or even give great advice on controlling this, but we are having a wonderful time getting to know our little boy (bodily function issues included) . We laugh a lot and just love having Callen here with us.

A Lot of Little Firsts

2010-04-14T09:32:00.001-07:00

These last few months have gone by so quickly, all my good intentions of blogging just got sidelined for other things. We have had a lot of firsts in the last few months:

Rya went bowling for the first time…

It was officially in celebration of Cody’s 31st birthday- a little family party, if you will. Rya and I (at 7 months prego) were trying to beat Cody. Despite our valiant effort, we didn’t get anywhere close. We did take a video, but it is rather long. It is one of Rya’s turns bowling, and at one point I think the ball might have actually starting rolling back towards us. So rather than put the video on, I will just let you imagine. It was really fun watching Rya- she had a great time and I can see a very accomplished bowling future for her.

Rya is now in panties…

Potty trained, officially! What more can I say than “Woo-Hoo”. After we got over the last little hump she just took over and became Miss Independent. It is nice not to have to worry about changing two sets of diapers anymore. She is a pro!

First trip to Chuck-E-Cheese...

This was actually Rya’s reward for going a whole week without any accidents. Aside from being terrified of the big “Daddy Mouse”, she loved it! We blew through a cup full of tokens, chowed down on some pizza and enjoyed just being kids.

LOL

2010-03-08T18:27:00.001-08:00

We have finally started potty training Rya. It is going really well, at least part of it is going well. She uses the toilet all by herself to go “water” as Rya calls it, but holds everything else in. She is definitely in control because she always manages to fill her diaper, when the need arises that she wears one (night-time and such). This is an issue because she is essentially causing herself to become constipated. Not to go into too many details, but this is the set up for the story.

It was about bedtime Sunday night when Rya started complaining of a stomach ache. Naturally, we figured it was constipation. But, then she started crying. Again, I figured gas pains combined with not wanting to go to bed was causing the tantrum. But, the crying turned to screaming, and a non-stop painful screaming. After about 20 minutes of this screaming, we started to be concerned that this stomach ache may be more than just that. A half an hour in, she was still screaming in pain, and so we made the run to the ER, with her screaming the whole way there. As we waited anxiously in the waiting room, we just kept praying that it wasn’t too serious and that our baby girl would be alright. What seemed like an eternity, or more like 20 minutes, passed and Cody felt her pass some gas. And, within just a few minutes Rya started to calm down and return to her normal self. After probing her stomach without any painful reaction, we decided it was most likely constipation and we could treat it ourselves. So we did just that. We took her home and gave her a suppository. She didn’t enjoy that at all, a little crying followed, but who could really blame her?!

The next morning she woke up fine. By the evening, though, she seemed really tired and lethargic. Her temperature was upwards of 102 and we decided to give her some Tylenol to lower her temp and let her get some sleep. So Cody turned to Rya and asked, “Do you want some medicine?” To which she promptly replied yes. But, a second later, the expression on her face turned quizzical, and she edited her response with, “But, not the bum thingy?!”

That gave us a good hearty laugh and Rya nervously joined in the laughter, still unsure, until she realized it was just Tylenol! It was too cute, I had to write it down and share.

Rya can make friends anywhere…

2010-02-18T10:40:00.001-08:00

Just in case you can’t tell, these are the mannequins at Old Navy. She ran right up and starting chatting with the little girl the moment we got there. By the end, she had adjusted the mom’s outfit, danced with the little brother, and took the dog for a walk.

Merry ThanksChristgivingmas

2010-01-30T13:01:00.001-08:00

Despite what it appears, we did have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas- just failed to add those events to the blog in a timely fashion (shocking, right?) So, rather than bore with too many details, I will just give a few highlights and get to the good part…the pictures.

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving here in Arkansas with some good friends; expressed many thanks, ate too much amazing food and lazed around. I am not sure we got any pictures, but we really did have a wonderful day! We are so grateful for friends that are our family away from home.

Christmas

Christmas was spent in Albuquerque with Cody’s parents and sister and her family (The Bohns). Rya was showered with not only countless gifts, but attention as well (her and her 5 cousins became fast friends). We hardly saw her after our arrival. The first thing she would want when she woke in the mornings was to be with her cousins, and she was until we dragged her to bed each night. I think she is ready to have another “friend” around, good thing we have one on order- due to arrive in April.


Above: Rya with Grandma & Grandpa Christensen	Above: Rya and all the Bohn cousins

Above: Like I said…fast friends	Above: Only two years apart in age, In fierce competition for the win—look at their serious faces.


Above: She really liked the idea of lots and lots of presents.	Above: Compliments of Uncle Brandon- here’s our little Rya princess with her prince hiding away in their castle.


Above: Grandma made her a princess outfit- you can only imagine her excitement.	Above: Keeping all her gifts very close to her, or on her (the arm was not included with the cow puppet.


Above: They cleared the front and back yard of snow to make one big snowman- their better than a snow blower.	Above: Rya was much more interested in just eating the snow.

It’s a BOY !!!!!!!!

2010-01-28T06:33:00.001-08:00

I apologize to all those who have not heard and may still be waiting to know the gender, I did very poorly following through with my “stay tuned” announcement (only a month late). But, here he is, making his belated debut appearance on the family blog: Baby Boy Christensen (still un-named as of yet, we’re accepting suggestions):


Above: There he is in all his glory!	Above: Not sure this needs an explanation.

Above: It’s his feet.	Above: It looks like he is sucking his thumb, but the doctor said he probably just had his hand by his face.

And, my personal favorite:

So, right now, his expected arrival is about mid-April. We are excited to meet him in person!

Surprise!

2009-11-21T21:00:00.001-08:00

I’m getting crafty (with much help from my sister). Check out the shirt we made for Rya, it turned out really cute!

And, if that announcement is not obvious enough…

Tune in next month, when hopefully, we will reveal the gender!

This is what happens…

2009-11-11T19:37:00.001-08:00

This is what happens when your two year old picks their clothes and dresses themselves…

Now mind you, this was for a walk at 6pm (totally dark outside by this time), but how adorable is she?!!? Couldn’t have done it better myself!!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-08T07:20:00.001-08:00

Has it seriously been over a week since Halloween? Where is the time flying to? We had a wonderful, candy-filled, Halloween. Rya was a fairy; the cutest fairy in all our kingdom. She had an extraordinary one-of-a-kind costume, thanks to the exceptional talent and fabulous styling of my mom and sister. We actually made the most of Halloween this year and went Trick-or-Treating three different times. We started at Cody’s work, then to a Church Trunk-or-Treat, and finished it off with a stint around our neighborhood. Rya began the festivities by breaking down in tears at the first sight of an eight year old in a Spiderman costume, but by the end would warn us to steer clear if she thought things were too “scary”. She made out with a stash that will last us all year- we’re set for Stocking stuffers and Easter candy, to be sure (hehe- not sure that’s how it works, but it would be nice).

Anyways, let’s get on to the real interesting part—the pictures! Cody and I went as “doting parents” in case you couldn’t tell…

Above: It took 45 min. with a hairdryer to do her hair. Hey, it’s not easy to be a fairy. She was very patient.

Above: “Check out my wings”

Above: At first, the location of the candy was a little ambiguous.

We quickly pointed her in the right direction.

Above: It was strange, the longer we were out, the more candy she got, the bigger her smile grew. Curious!

Above: Doting Parent #1

Above: Doting Parent #2

birthday surprises

2009-10-17T15:18:00.001-07:00

I have to rave on my hubby a little, I know I have shared tidbits of his romantic side on here before, but his thoughtfulness never ceases to amaze. It reminds me of how lucky I am to have a guy like him in my life! I was in Texas for my birthday, so we weren’t really able to celebrate. However, when I arrived home, not only did I find a spotless house (present enough, I think), but scattered in hiding spots all over the house I found Gerber daisies, with the attached puzzle piece.

I am sorry to report that with all the crazy catch-up from vacation over the next couple days, I wasn’t able to assemble the puzzle…until Friday, that is. This wouldn’t have been a problem, but I had already committed on Thursday night to feed the missionaries that Friday evening. But, this is no surprise, Cody is the romantic, and I am usually unknowingly sabotaging his romancing efforts with my everyday practical life. It works out though, he’s the romantic, I am the realist- we even each other out. And, we rescheduled our date for the next week. :)

Stand in mom

2009-10-17T14:46:00.001-07:00

So…I realize I have been an absentee blogger of late, but I have been out of town the last few weeks. My parents went on an impromptu trip to Ireland (!!! I know, right!!!- awesome) and I went down to “babysit”, or rather, chauffeur my younger brother while they were gone. We had a good time, but it made me realize how grateful I am that Rya is only 2; if for no other reason than I still have 12 years reprieve before I have to start taking her to early morning seminary. Nothing against seminary, maybe I am just getting old, but man, waking up at 5:30 am every morning really wiped me out around mid morning. (Respect for all that my mother just continues to grow!)

We did manage to make it down to the beach for a few days of sun and surf. We went with Sterling and Rebecca and Ethan (cutie in the yellow), and Clayton (of course). It was Rya’s first visit to a Texas beach (we visited one in California, but the weather had us all shivering after an hour or so). The water was warm, the weather was beautiful, and when the kids looked as though they would fall over from exhaustion we had to drag them away. It was a fabulous weekend.

The rest of the time, aside from running Clayton to his countless extracurricular activities, we hung out with Rebecca and Ethan, which both Rya and I enjoyed. But, two weeks as stand in mom for my brother was enough- I will gladly enjoy the simpler pre-teen years we have and just be grateful to my mom for all that she did and still does for me and my siblings.

California Adventure

2009-09-02T10:52:00.001-07:00

We just got back from our summer vacation. We spent it traversing across California, visiting family and playing hard. We started out our vacation at Cody’s Grandparents house near Sacramento. (Don’t ask me where, I am still a little fuzzy about that, but they live on a large plot of land that backs up to a nice little private lake.)

We met up there with Cody’s parents and two of our nieces (Lindsey and Brooke), his brother Derek and his family, and his sister Kelly and her husband. It was a real treat to see them; it was the first time Rya was meeting some of her cousins, and it has been ages since even Cody and I had seen many of them. Needless to say, it was a lot of people jammed into a house just having a good time. (Poor Grandma Millett, though, I think we almost ate her out of house and home.)


Great- Grandma & Grandpa Millett	Grandma & Grandpa Christensen

Grandma and Grandpa Millett’s house is a magical getaway. Lake aside, they’ve built their own little paradise away from it all. Their property is surrounded by redwoods with secret trails cut all through the property by Grandpa. Along the trails, you’ll find everything from a trampoline and a secret berry patch to an authentic looking t-pee and a gigantic see-saw, among other things. We spent most of our time exploring the outdoors and enjoying the perfect California weather, and of course we also spent some time on the lake. They have a boat that is, well let’s call it vintage, but we had a lot of fun taking it out on the water. Sometimes it was an adventure just trying to get up on skis, but that didn’t slow us in trying. If you could hang on long enough and endure the onslaught of water, when you finally got on top of the water, the pull was worth it. (I even managed to slalom for the first time.)

Cody, Derek, Rya & Kylie on the paddle-boat

After Grandma and Grandpa’s we drove down to Anaheim headed for another Magical Kingdom, that of Disneyland. Rya, I think overall, really enjoyed it. She loved certain things like the castle, the Merry-Go-Round, and anything princess, but was really freaked out by the costumed characters (which I would be to if I were her size, just the heads on some of those characters could crush her). Albeit, we didn’t get tons of photo ops but we had a great day. I think some of Rya’s highlights were waving to Cinderella from afar (she never would have lasted waiting in the line it was so long) and shaking the hand of Tinkerbell (she also noticed us peeking in through the exit area and was nice enough to come over and talk to us- again the line- they were crazy).

The last few days of our vacation were spent in LA with Cody’s sister Kelly, and her husband Rhett. We went to the beach for a little bit, but for the most part we just took some much needed down time.

It was a memorable, dare I say “magical”, vacation. And, that about sums it up.

Happy Birthday, Rya!

2009-08-05T21:13:00.001-07:00

Rya turned two today! My sweet little baby girl is growing so fast. I know I say that a lot but it is hard for me to fathom the growth and changes in her in the short two years she has been around (see for yourself below). She brings me joy beyond explanation, she awes me with her ability and potential, and she challenges me daily to be a better mother and person.

(Rya at 1 day old)

(Rya in her second year)

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart-- I love you!!

Party

Rya is really into princesses lately- so we gave her a birthday party fit for one. We had a small intimate party with close family friends where the adults doted on her and showered her with gifts. The “banquet” in her honor consisted of food fit for a young princess: Mac ’n’ cheese, fish sticks, nuggets, PB &J sandwiches, Jello Jigglers…the works. As for the adults, it will be a while before we work off all the carbs from that meal, but it was fun reverting back to eating like I did at two years old. And, yes, for her birthday we even went as far as to make her a princess birthday cake—she was delicious (probably more fattening than you would expect from Barbie). Rya loved her “Princess cupcake” as she referred to it. It was a night full of fun and frivolity fit for a princess.

Tulsa Zoo

2009-08-05T16:49:00.001-07:00

We visited the zoo a week ago. I had an appointment in Tulsa and we thought we would make a day out of it and spend the afternoon at the zoo. I had looked forward to it the entire week before because I knew Rya would love to see all the animals. But, by the time we got there, I think the temperature was near the hundreds combined with an unbelievable humidity level. I don’t know who I felt worse for, the animals stuck in cages or us walking around in the heat. We did enjoy seeing the animas, and for the most part they were in doors so we were able to get small stints in the cool air between exhibits. The really cool part was that it was a smaller zoo, and there were not tons of people there, so we got pretty close to some of the animals. But, rather than carry on, let’s get to the good part—the pictures.

How CUTE are the monkeys at this zoo! Am I right?! And this last picture (right) was taken approximately 2 minutes after leaving the park…the sign of a good trip (or a long day in the hot sun without a nap—but I prefer to think it was the former).

Hodge Podgy POST

2009-07-22T12:01:00.001-07:00

So, for the first time, I haven’t posted because not much has been going on. Not much until this last week or so— since then there have been a few noteworthy events. ** WARNING: This post will contain a wide variety of elements, including, but not limited to potty references, home maintenance, and random pics.**

Potty Talk

Okay, so let’s get the “potty-talk” out of the way first. I think I am way more excited about this than anyone, but felt the need to include it as a way of preserving Rya history. Rya used the potty for the first time last Sunday. Without going into too many details (and don’t worry, no pictures will be included in this section), but she used it to its fullest extent. Who knew such bodily functions could bring such excitement and celebration. She has the general idea down, but we are still working on it. Hopefully, she is well on her way to getting out of her diapers. To all those who read this far, thank you for appeasing my motherly excitement!

Home Maintenance

Taking the example from my female family members and the many amazing women in our ward (church), I have started taking home projects on myself. Cody works so hard, and doesn’t always have the time to finish all the house projects we want to do; so I have been trying to see how many items on the honey-do list I can transfer to the honey- I do list. It has been fun, and a new challenge each week. Lately, I have been doing a bit of electrical work (purely amateur stuff). I have put in new light fixtures in the laundry room, hallway, and spare bedroom. I also hung a new chandelier in the kitchen. And, my latest venture was taking all the outside lighting and giving them updated coloring. I was pleased with the outcome. (fyi…the one on the left is the before pic)

Random Pictures

So because it has been so long since we have had a camera- I thought I would post some fun pictures of Rya. Some of you may not even recognize her for all the growing up she is doing. Enjoy!

What a doll, huh? My sister was down visiting. She has a little boy so she had a real blast playing dress up and doing hair on a little girl. Check out Rya posing for the camera.

These next ones are of Rya just waking up—I felt like the paparazzi snapping unwanted pictures. But aren’t they fun—look at that bedhead!

And, last but not least…Left: watch out because eating at our house is a full contact sport (or so it would appear). Right: With Rya, there is most always a tongue picture, but somehow she manages to pull it off.

Rya is most definitely the cutest thing in our house, it would be a shame not to want to show her off. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do.

Independence

2009-06-09T13:50:00.001-07:00

Rya is becoming more and more independent. She surprises us with what she picks up. The o

ther day she decided she wanted to go swimming. So she took it upon herself to make the preparations. She took her pants and shirt off and was trying to put on a swim diaper when I found her.

She has started going to the pantry and picking out a snack for herself when she gets peckish. I watched one day as she got into the pantry, pulled out a can of peaches, found the can opener and then attempted to get the can open. It was pretty impressive.

However, not all ventures go quite according to plan. But they are great picture ops. (Her bowl floweth over)

And, the last bit we’ll share on this matter is my favorite. She is learning to help put things away: toys, clothes, shoes, trash. In fact, she is getting so

good at it, sometimes she even helps me put my things away.

Now I never said she always put them away in their correct spot—I can see how it can get confusing sometimes. It makes me feel like I am playing some homemade version of “Where’s Waldo”. Can you find my shoe?

These are the little things I don’t want to forget—they bring a smile to my face and make me realize how lucky I am to be around to see it.

Catch-up

2009-06-03T11:44:00.001-07:00

So it is bad when your husband, who has little to no interest in the blogging world, starts asking whether you have updated your blog, and then begins recommending topics. I am not saying this happened to me, merely hypothetical. But if it had happened to me, all I am saying is it would be bad. (*hehe*) But, I definitely would love and appreciate my husband for helping me get on top of things, hypothetically, of course.

This post will serve as a whirlwind catch up of the last few months and get us up to date. And, hopefully this will relieve the hypothetical me of my guilt for my procrastination and appease my hypothetical hubby as well.

To begin, and much to the excitement of us, we finally got a camera—this should definitely help in the blogging pursuits. Heck, I would take a picture of the camera, but that poses challenges of its own.

I broke this up into sections, to make it easier to digest in smaller chunks. Good luck and happy reading!

Easter

To begin our story, we go all the way back to…Easter. We had so much fun this Easter. It was the first time Rya was really able to participate. I don’t know what’s more fun; being a kid and getting to participate in all the fun activities, or being a parent and watching your kids participate. We spent the day with some close family friends, who take it upon themselves to spoil Rya rotten. The festivities began, following in tradition, with an Easter egg hunt.

There was a slight learning curve to the whole looking for eggs. As you can see the eggs were not hidden with any degree of difficulty. At first she wasn’t quite understanding the whole point of collecting eggs, but she loved her basket.

It didn’t take long before she caught on

and

starting actually looking for the

eggs

She quickly became a pro and scoured the yard for the hidden treasures. She had a sharp eye and by the end walked away with a basket full eggs stuffed with toys and goodies.

In fact she picked up on the tradition so quickly that it became a small problem. While taking pictures afterwards she spotted a bunch of eggs, and conveniently they were all in one spot, and so naturally she went straight for them. That’s where the problem came in—unfortunately they were in the basket of one of the other girls. (*hehe*)

After the egg hunt all the kids got an Easter basket full of goodies: books, shoes, toys, and more. Like I said, spoiled rotten—and she loves every minute of it. We feel very lucky to have friends that love our little girl so much. It was such a great day!

Okay, so the rest of this post we’ll really fly through, just to catch everyone up on our goings on.

House

The past few months we have kept very busy with projects on the house. For all homeowners, I am sure we are in agreement that there is a perpetual list of projects. Cody’s parents came for a visit- and they are house project experts. So, we took advantage of their expertise while they were here and put in recessed lighting in the kitchen. Unexpectedly, it was a back-breaking project…literally. It was so terrible, Cody’s dad ,while working on our project, threw his back out- and yet still helped finish the job. We have decided the next time they visit, all they get to do is enjoy some much needed relaxation. No more injuries on our watch. But, in all seriousness, we couldn’t have done it without them and we are so grateful for their help—the lighting in our kitchen is amazing thanks to them.

We also worked on our curb appeal a little bit. We took down a couple trees in the front; they were blocking the view of the house. (And, a huge thanks to the Ratsachaks and Dragovichs for all their help—they were a big part the reason it happened!!) And, then we worked on the flower beds. Cody was so happy with the results, he wanted a picture for posterity. So here you go…the new front of our house (right pic).

(Don’t pay attention so much to the dirt yard- we hope to get that taken care of soon—but check out the beds and that you can see the house now without that giant tree on top of it)

Car

Our car finally gave up the ghost. On some levels, I am sad to see it go. I liked to think of it as my “little engine that could.” When we bought it we discovered it was missing 2nd gear (and for those wondering, it was an automatic- go figure). It really wasn’t as bad as we thought once we adjusted our driving to it. Although, we were worried that missing a gear would shorten its life, but that little car went the distance.

Just recently, it lost 5th gear, again; not too bad. There were worse gears to lose, which we soon found out. A few months later it lost 3rd gear; that made things a little harder. We had to get going down a good hill in 1st gear to get going fast enough to get to 4th. In fact, a couple times we got stuck behind a biker we weren’t fast enough to pass (*hehe*). Finally, it lost reverse. We figured we could still use it as long as we always parked with a getaway strategy, but thought against it. Now, I am not complaining, we actually feel really grateful for this car. Never once did it leave us stranded, and it worked on less than all its gears for more than 70,000 miles. What a trooper! Also, it gave us more than fair warning to start looking for a new car before it completely died.

Well, we finally found a new car…we only hope it will be as valiant as our last.

And, lastly, the biggest change of all…RYA

For this I will just post a few pictures, the changes are obvious. She is a little girl now, almost unrecognizable. In fact, for Mother’s Day, we went down to Texas to surprise my mom. My brother told her he was babysitting his friend’s daughter. When he walked in with Rya, my mom just assumed it was his friend’s girl. She had a moment’s hesitation, where she commented on how similar she looked to Rya, but it didn’t really click until I walked around the corner. They just grow so quickly. It was a good surprise!

But, here you go, my little girl:

Her favorite things to do right now are taking care of her little babies, reading, watching and playing with princesses (which she is quickly turning into), driving the car (don’t worry, its missing all its gears *hehe*) and playing with friends. She is growing too fast and there is nothing I can do to stop it. But, how we love that little girl!!

If you made it through the whole post, congratulations! Hope you enjoyed your whirlwind update on the Christensen's.

Look at my teethes…

2009-03-25T09:20:00.001-07:00

               “Who has teeth? Well,.. look around and you’ll find out who. You”ll find that red-headed
               uncles do. TEETH! They are very much in style. They must be very much worthwhile.”
                                                                                                                                          -- Dr. Suess

So, I couldn’t agree more, but up until now Rya hasn’t really been very toothy. But, finally, she is getting a few more teeth…teeth #5, #6, #7, #8 and I think #9. Now some may question whether this is blog worthy and I submit that yes it is. She hasn’t gotten a tooth since she tuned a year old. If you know her well, you know this hasn’t slowed her food consumption, in fact she still eats more than Cody and me, but for the past 8 months she has been swallowing her food whole because her four front teeth weren’t very helpful in chewing. Well now she is more than doubling the amount of teeth in her mouth all at once- what a way to go!. She is getting a couple molars and a couple canines in that we can see- I am sure the others aren’t long to follow.

Sorry, our camera is still on the fritz so I don’t have any pictures of the momentous occasion, but I am sure you can imagine what lots of little teeth look like.

So YEA! and OUCH! for Rya. We are very excited you will actually have chompers to aide you in your eating endeavors.

We're still here...

2009-03-07T09:10:00.001-08:00

So I have to admit that this blogging thing is beginning to closely resemble my journals. I start out all strong and consistent, and then life happens and I forget to or put off writing. Then you begin to see lots of excuses in my journals as to why it has been so long since I have written, so...

Broken Camera
Cody's Big 30th Birthday Bash with his Brothers (and Brian Regan, the comedian)
Layoffs and the emotional roller coaster that goes with that
Young Women's New Beginnings activity
Sicknesses- we like to pass those around (share and share alike)
My sister in town visiting with her little boy
Car trouble

So there you have it, all my excuses. You can take your pick. The funny part is (and this is true for my journals also) that all of these moments should be things worth taking the time to write down and remember. Ironic, I know. Life is what keeps me from recording events in my life (hehe).

As I mentioned before, our camera is broken. As you can see there is a strange glow about Rya. Now, I have always thought there is a special light about her, but I figured that was just because I am her mom- definitely biased. But I am pretty sure this is a camera mal-function, not her glowing personality making itself know. (hehe) So we will try to get another camera soon, because with how quickly Rya grows, she may be going off to college before we get one. No, hopefully, it doesn't take us that long- I will just have to be more on top of it then I have been with blogging (hehe, we'll see).

Anyway, a lot has happened in the last little while, some positive and some not. But overall we have seen the Lord's hand in our lives sending the good moments and helping us through the bad, and for that we are ever grateful.

Christmas all year

2009-02-02T10:42:00.001-08:00

So much for making up the slack of the holidays. I think the real "slack" hit after I got home from them. Despite what it appears like on our blog, we did have a Christmas, and a very nice one at that. But between moving from our garage into our house, illnesses that were passed around the family a couple times, and everyday life getting in the way, our blog has severely suffered. We have all heard people say they wish the Christmas season could last all year, well consider this my contribution to extending the life of Christmas for another month. (hehe)

Of course we have to mention gifts. As can be deduced from the previous posts, Cody and I got a house for Christmas (yea!). And, although technically the house was for all of us, Rya got some other fun stuff for Christmas too.

She got an electric toothbrush. I can guess what that makes some people think, but there is a story behind this gift. Despite having her own toothbrush, and a very cute Elmo brush, she constantly was stealing mine or Cody's. We would find our toothbrushes all places around the house and to top that, they were always slightly damp, obviously making us wonder if Rya's mouth was the only place they visited. My conclusion was either it was the mint flavoring, or that she found our toothbrushes far cooler than her own. So I was inspired to get her a toothbrush that could be considered cooler than ours, thus the electric toothbrush. Well, it worked, she doesn't steal ours anymore, but I have to admit that at times I am a little tempted to borrow hers and try it out (hehe).

There were a lot of other great gifts that she got from Aunt's and Uncles, grandparents and us that she loves and still plays with constantly, but the big one was the one Santa brought. Rya got her first tricycle. She can't quite reach the pedals, but fortunately it has a push bar so she can still ride. She loved it, the cousins loved it; it was a hit!

I think, though, the best part of the holidays for all of us was to be able to spend time with our family. Unfortunately, we were not able to see all of them, but we count it as a great blessing when we get to see those we love that are live so far from us.

Merry belated Christmas to all and I hope yours was as wonderful as ours!

Drumroll, Please...

2009-01-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

I realize this has taken a long time, but blogging took the holiday off as well. I am sure the next few posts, full of holiday celebrations, will make up for the recent lack.

But here it is, the unveil of our home improvements thus far. Obviously, we are quite enthused. I am sure to some it would be a disappointment that we removed the overstated wallpaper or intense accent walls (please reference the previous post for a reminder of such elements). I always think about that show on TLC, "Moving Up," where former owners come back and are so distraught that the new residences have gotten rid of certain elements in the house that they obviously loved, so hopefully no one was too attached, but they just weren't for us. So we spent hours (and hours, repeat this a few more times) removing every last fragment of the wallpaper and then had it repainted and the floors redone. We were pleased with the effect.

But, listen to me ramble on...without further ado (I have always wanted to say that), here are the new pictures of the house.

So there you have it. Now all we have to do is get all our furniture and other things moved in...no small feat. But this house will very quickly be a home. Thank you to everyone that helped- and the list is quite long!

But, we couldn't have done it without you.

Sold!!!

2008-12-16T15:44:00.001-08:00

Well, for those that haven't heard...we bought a house! We are really blessed, busy, exhausted, in debt, but most of all excited. We are making some repairs and improvements which is taking a large amount of our time (hence the reason this post is so long in coming). We feel very lucky and exceptionally blessed to have found a house that is everything we were looking for. And, we are looking forward to making this house our home. There is much to be grateful for this season, and this is a big one for us.

Like I mentioned, we are making some changes before we move in. So I am adding the before pictures right now, and will add the after pictures as soon as there are after pictures.

Enjoy! (I know we will).

He came into the world, even Jesus...

2008-12-16T09:45:00.000-08:00

I can't express how much I love this season. Beyond the festivities and present giving, it is the one time of year I feel we are all a little more kind, loving and considerate of everyone, even those we don't know. And, although it should be like this always, this is the one time of year we are all a little more Christ-like.

We attended the Bentonville Christmas parade the other day. It was so much fun! Cody rode on one of the floats, playing a shepherd in the Nativity scene (I know, don't you love his get-up; he wore a wig and everything). It was pointed out that in year's past there has only been the one float representing Jesus Christ and the Nativity. And, although this year was filled with a fair share of Santa's workshops and little elves, I am pleased to say this year I counted four Christ centered floats. It was a fun event, and I am glad that all aspects of the season were represented.

Let me just say how grateful I am for the savior, for his birth and his life and the sacrifice he made for all of us. I know he lives! And, I know he came to this earth to give us all the chance to return to him someday. I am so grateful for a holiday that stands as such a poingnant reminder of his birth and life.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Countdown...

2008-12-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

We started this year's Christmas season off by making gingerbread houses. And, before you "ooh" and "aw" too much, I should mention that when I say "we" I mean mostly Cody. I tell you this because I don't want to falsely steal credit for Cody's genius gingerbread design. He really is talented in gingerbread construction.

I have made several gingerbread houses in my time, and not one (until this day) survived the evening. Mine usually end up resembling the "Money Pit" house, with the roof caved in on the remainder of the house, basically a big pile of sugary rubble.

Now, on my behalf, I did assist with this year's creation of which I take pride. After Cody constructed the base of the structure, I applied the initial frosting base to apply the gingerbread (really, they were graham crackers, but nevertheless). I feel it was a success from the sheer fact that I touched it and it is still standing 4 days later.

This activity has assured me of two things; one, that whether my gingerbread house stands or falls, I love this season. I love the chance we have to celebrate the Savior's birthday, for he is the true reason for this all. And, two, this proves once again that Cody is my perfect match, he is strong where I am weak and together we stand stronger than apart.

Big #5

2008-12-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

Cody and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary this past week. It is amazing to me to think that we have been together for 5 years and the time has gone by so quickly.

To celebrate we had a night away (special thanks to the Shepherds for making that possible). Cody had planned a romantic getaway evening, and it was so nice. We went to Twilight (see what a great hubby I have, he let me choose the movie-- I won't mention that he read the books and wanted to see it also...oops, hehe). We saw it opening night but during the afternoon which helped us avoid the Twilighter crowds. Then we went for a romantic Italian dinner, where we shared a meal (again, my sweet husband appeasing me- I wanted to share a meal- which I am sure for some springs to mind a picture of Lady and the Tramp sharing a romantic spaghetti dinner, but that's okay-- I still loved it!)

And then we spent the night in a beautiful hotel downtown. Now, I may be bragging on Cody too much, but he really is the romantic. He checked out a dozen different hotels to pick the best one, I mean he went there in person to see the place. He really is something, isn't he?!

To top everything off, Cody bought me a new wedding band lined with diamonds. Now I don't agree with the whole "diamonds is a girl's best friend" thing (which some may, and that is okay). Don't get me wrong, I loved the new ring, a little more sparkle is always nice, but I'll take one amazing husband over diamonds any day.

Graduation...

2008-11-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

We attended my Grandfather's funeral this past weekend, which we lovingly refer to as his "graduation" from this life. He was such a strong willed and independent man, despite his many trials. There is no way we could understand what he had to bear. For those who did not know him, he suffered from Norrie's disease, which causes blindness, deafness, and other circulatory problems. So he lived much of his life in his own world, literally, but he endured it well.

He was stubbornly persistent in his devotion to his family, beliefs, and faith. I know he lived this life valiantly, and that is something we can all strive for. So I know that although he has passed on, really he has just graduated from this stage to be happily reunited with his sweetheart in heaven. I know I will see him again someday, and he too will be able to see me. I have many fond memories of him, which I will cherish. I loved him very much, and although he will be missed, I am very happy for him, because I know he has graduated to a much better place.

I Passed...

2008-11-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

So, there will not be any pictures with this post, which I think, after you read it, you will be glad for the courtesy. I have decided, just like in school, where you pass from grade to grade based on your performance the same is true in motherhood. As your children get older, you learn new things and then there is a test. If you perform well enough on this test, you are passed to the next level.

Some of you heard this story before, but I will add it in for those who haven't. A few months ago, Rya and I were enrolled in a Mommy-n-Me swim class. Things were going swimmingly (excuse the pun) until the third to last class. Now going into this class, I would have never expected it to be different than any of the other classes, but I was in for a surprise. With about ten minutes left in the class, we had reached the part where we dunk our child under water. This part always makes me nervous so I was very concentrated on Rya. I dunked her and when she came out rather than sputtering for air, she was smiling. (Too be honest looking back, I think she knew something I didn't, but I digress.) I was so excited that for that moment I was totally focused on Rya. It was when I finally looked up that I noticed something different about the pool. It was as though someone had dumped dirt and leaves in the pool, or something....and then it clicked. Maybe it was the other mothers staring at me or maybe realization was just hitting me. Rya had blown out of her pants. At that moment, I felt like I was back in elementary school, having just done something wrong, and wondering if there were anyway to pretend it didn't happen to avoid telling the teacher. Being a grown-up can be so hard sometimes. There was no avoiding this, I sheepishly approached our instructor and explained what happened. They then had to evacuate the pool and cancel classes for the next 24 hours. I was mortified-- like I had just been sat in the corner in front of the whole class. Everyone was very understanding about it, but I couldn't bring myself to return for the remainder of the classes. Now, really, would you?

So this was the beginning of my lesson. Since then we have had several instances of bedwetting, and diapers overflowing. Nothing nerely as embarrasing, but if nothing else a nuisance to clean up. I guess you could say, we have been studying hard. Well, it all culmenated to my test, which happened yesterday. I was giving Rya a bath. After soaping her up, I let her play for a while. I was standing right there at the mirror putting on my makeup. I guess it serves me right for taking my eyes off of her for a moment. About a minute later, I looked over at her and had to look again. There was something, no, a lot of somethings floating in the water. You got it, we had another pool incident, but this time I would have to clean it up. I had a new empathy for the guys that cleaned the pool.

Now, I know for most of the mothers, you will just smile and nod, all having gone through this situation. But I feel this was my test. And when I saw what was going on, there was no gag reflex, just a little laugh and then immediate action. I got it all cleaned up and taken care of without much thought of how truly gross it was. It was a proud moment upon reflection. I passed a new level in motherhood, one where your children's bodily functions is just another day on the job. Now, I am sure this is not the end of this lesson altogether, but at this moment, I feel I have moved a step closer to being the kind of mom I want to be. On this particular test, I feel I passed.

Halloween Celebrations...

2008-11-02T12:25:00.000-08:00

We took advantage of the Halloween holiday to celebrate in every way possible. We carved pumpkins as Rya watched Charlie Brown's "The Great Pumpkin" for family night. Cody carved a witch in the moon, and I carved a cat. My cat was inspired by all the cats that run around the neighborhood, I figured what's one more. I am not sure what the inspiration was for Cody's choice.I thought they turned out really good, but alas they melted only a few short days later. At least they survived through Halloween.

Some friends and us went to the nearby (in Missouri) Right Choices Corn Maze. It was built on a farm, so they had a barn with a few animals and lots of activities for the kids, including slides, a hay jump, and a corn box. The kids had a blast. We started the afternoon with a short lived picnic. I say short lived because there were so many bees following us, it made us too nervous to sit down and eat. So we had our food on the go (walking around the farm). Then we headed straight for the fun! We played until we were all worn out. We lasted a couple hours and all the kids were conked out for the ride home. We finished off our adventure with a trip to the ice cream shoppe. What a fun afternoon!

And, what you all have been waiting for...Rya's first Halloween trick-or-treating. She went as a flapper, and her costume turned out well (if I don't say so myself). Many thanks to Susan Blaylock for shortening it, or it would have looked more like a evening gown with a nice long train. We made the feather headband (I felt very crafty) and polished it off with a boa. She played the part well!

Of course, plans don't always go the way you want, but it was a good time for all of us. Rya wouldn't sleep for her afternoon nap, so had it not been for her outfit she might have been mistaken for a zombie. She was in a daze for the first bit of trick-or-treating, not her normal social self, that is until Cody decided to give her a hit of sugar. After she finished her blue lollipop (I wish it had of been a different color because her mouth and dress, arms and hands, etc. were blue for the rest of the night) she was, although prehaps artificially, back to her happy self.

We took her to Cody's office. Every year they have employees bring their families trick-or-treating. So there were two gigantic floors, with rows each decorated with a different theme where the children could load their bags with goodies. Kids were walking out with so much candy my teeth were hurting. Rya loved wandering around seeing all the strange people dressed in costumes, with the exception of the few more fierce costumes that gave her a good scare (unfortunately, Scooby-Doo was on that list also). And, as long as she had a peice of candy in either hand, she wasn't terribly concerned with adding to her candy booty (she ended up with maybe a hand full of candy by the end, which is more than enough).

Cody and I ate up all the compliments on how cute she was in her little costume; that was all the sweetness we needed. But, biased as I am, I have to agree that she did look adorable. After a couple hours wandering around looking at all the people, decorations, and collecting a little candy, we headed for home. It only took Rya a couple minutes after we put her in her carseat to come down off her sugar high and before we could even get home she had crashed. She was worn from all the excitment and slept well that night, dreaming of sugar plums and such, I am sure. I would definitely say this was one of my most favorite Halloweens yet!

Fall Festival...

2008-10-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

I guess this is our first actual posting. It is funny that since we have started this blog everything we do becomes a photo session because we need to have stuff to blog. It probably drives Cody and Rya crazy, but they deal. It has changed my whole perspective on everyday events.

This past weekend we went to our Ward Fall Festival. It was held on a member's property, which was beautiful. They had a big fire, which all the "big kids" ran to play with (Cody included-- shocking, I know) and, they had games and face-painting that all the "little kids" ran for.

As most of you know, Rya is the socialite in our family. She was right in her element, running from place to place smiling at everyone. All the while I chased her around with the camera. We did everything from eating homemade chili and dogs to the bean bag toss, and a hayride. Rya got her face painted with a flower- so adorable!

To finish the night we sat around the fire while Rya gobbled down a marshmellow the size of her fist (no kidding this was like a marshmellow on steroids-- never seen one that big before). This was her first marshmellow experience, and you could tell because all the while she was eating it, she kept trying to shake the stickiness off her hands. Obviously, that didn't work so her efforts turned to rubbing dirt on her hands to rid them of the stickiness.

We left that evening with an exhausted but elated Rya smeared with marshmello, dirt and paint. What more could you ask for?

We all had a great time!

We Have Arrived...

2008-10-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

Well I have succumbed to the peer pressure. We have officially joined the blog world. I was, and am still, a little hesitant to have a blog for the main reason that I may not have anything worth blogging. With the exception of this little cutie to your left, Rya, life is pleasantly boring right now. As for Rya, she keeps life on it's feet. There is always something new and wonderful that she has discovered. She grows and learns too quickly to always comprehend. So if it is merely to keep my friends and family abreast of the simple happenings in our lives and the exciting ever-changing happenings in Rya's, I have decided blogging our stories will be a good thing. For our friends and family too far away to see or hear of our goings-on...here you go... Christensens² Blog is now available for your viewing pleasure.