Preschool Orientation

Daddy and Ryker getting ready to go.  This was Daddy's first time to see the school and meet the teachers.

Ryker by the doors getting ready to walk in.

He found his name on the bulletin board and was all excited.

He liked these dinosaurs.  This little girl cracked me up.  I was trying to get Ryker to look at the camera and she looked up and started smiling.  It was too cute!

Last night was Ryker's preschool orientation.  We've been talking about getting ready for school for weeks now.  He would go back and forth between being really excited and not wanting to go at all. He was excited until shortly after we got there and then wasn't such a fan.  He was really shy with his teachers and wanted us to stay in the room with him while he played.  Shortly after they separated the kids and parents for good he came back out and stood in front of the entire group with a huge scowl on his face.  Robert and I were super embarrassed of course but hoped if we ignored him he'd give up and go back to his room.  No such luck!  He started making noises like he was mad and I had to take him out of the room.  When I got him in a quiet corner he started crying and said he was upset because there weren't any barn animals in his room.  (In case you weren't aware, Ryker is obsessed with all things farm.  That is essentially all he plays with.)  Earlier in the day he had asked me if they'd have barn animals and I said I thought they probably would.  I took him back in the room and asked the teachers if they had any animals.  They had a big barn and several animals they got down for him.  He was happy as a clam after that and tons of other kids liked the barn too.  Two of the students in his class are boys that go to our church which should be nice since he's already familiar with them.  He has 16 other kids in his class which should be interesting.  The director explained that they split into groups for major activities so the kids get more one on one attention if needed, but the bigger groups are better for other activities as well.  He says he's excited for school to start next week, so we'll see how it goes!  I just keep praying that I'm not in the hospital with #2 on his first day.  I can't believe it's time for preschool already!  I hope he'll have fun learning new things and meeting new friends.  I think it'll also be good for him to have his own thing with the new baby coming so soon too.  One of the other moms has a boy in Ryker's class and is due with another boy on 9/17, just a week after me so it was nice to talk to her too.  Wish us all luck!

Brandom Family Reunion

Yesterday was the Brandom Family Reunion.  We gathered with several of my dad's relatives on his mom's side out at the Smith Family Farm north of Fortville for the afternoon.  It was a great location and the blackberry cobbler was to die for!  Seriously, Mom and I both had more than our fair share...it was SOO good!  There were animals and a play set, so Ryker was in heaven. 

Nana trying to get him to go high on the tire swing...doesn't work too well!

Aunt Kate trying to go high on the regular swings...he wouldn't face her so it made it a bit harder.

Now, Uncle Dave, he can do some crazy stuff on the swings (and everything else)!  Uncle Dave is just plain crazy!  Friday night as we hung out for Game Night at Mom and Dad's he "hid" on top of their 2-story roof during a game of Hide and Seek with Ryker.  Try explaining that to your 3-year-old!  Gotta love crazy uncles!  :-)

Riding the horsey

Feeding the goat.  We got to feed the cows too, but don't have any pictures of that. 

Me and my boy!  I LOVE this picture.  My belly looks ginormous, but Ryker looks so sweet!  Props to the photographer, Aunt Kate.  I guess it really isn't my camera, it's the idiot using it (that'd be me)!

My turn to feed the goat.  They were hungry!

Wrestling with Uncle Dave and his new buddy, Nolan.

Uncle Dave took it like a champ, but those boys were beating up on him for sure!

Mom and I relaxing at the picnic tables.  Love her so much!

Nana dragging Ryker around chasing after Uncle Dave.  There's an infamous story in our family about the Easter of 1985 when my mom dragged me around by my little 17-month old arm at an Easter Egg Hunt.  To hear my dad tell it, she was quite determined to get me some eggs!  As she dragged Ryker around yesterday, I asked Dad if he was having flashbacks to that Easter.  We all got a good laugh out of it! 

Recent Phone Pics

Ryker woke up REALLY early one morning and Robert let him lay down in bed with me as he was getting ready for the gym.  I told him he had to wait about 15 minutes before we could turn on the TV.  He and I both fell back asleep for quite a while.  When I woke up, this was how I found him sleeping.

He was out!  So sweet!

36 wks 3 dys.  Sidenote: I edited my 38 week appt post with a belly shot from this weekend.

Ryker LOVES to help me mop...he thinks he needs to wear shoes though, which is funny.  He went and got these out of his closet and put them on before mopping.

Ryker and I's toes are IDENTICAL!  They are shaped the exact same!  The 3rd toe on his right foot is even longer than the second just like mine, but the left foot is all in descending order (like normal people).  My dad and I's feet are identical too.  Weird, but funny!

He was eating some pretzels while I cleaned a client's house today and showed me this broken one and said, "Hey!  This an e like in Ryker!"  Smart boy!  Hopefully he'll get even better with his letters and numbers soon since preschool starts next week! Eek!

Philosophical Musings of a 3-Year Old

So, last week Ryker and I are at the grocery store when we had an very interesting conversation.  It went like this.

Ryker: "I want you to die."
Me: "What?!!?  Why?"
Ryker: "Well, Jesus died so we can go to heaven and I want you to go to heaven."
Me: "Well, yes, we want everyone to go to heaven, but not necessarily right now."
Ryker: "Why?"
Me: "Well, once you go to heaven, you stay there forever.  Wouldn't you miss Mommy if she went away and couldn't come back?"
Ryker: "Yeah, but you'd be with Jesus."
Me: "That's right, and that will be amazing some day, but for now Mommy is ok with just staying here with you.  She'd miss you too much.  So, we probably shouldn't tell people we want them to die even if you just mean you want them to know Jesus because that might hurt their feelings."
Ryker: "Ummmmm....ok"

All I can say is wow!  This little boy is picking up SO much lately.  He's now in the 3s class at church and they do an actual lesson with a bible story and verse every week.  It's amazing how much he's learning and retaining.  He can tell you the whole story of Jonah in detail.  In fact, he was telling someone the story the other day and they said, "the whale swallowed him."  He was quick to jump in and correct them saying, "No, it not a whale!  It's a big fish!"  LOL!  Very true little man!  He's been asking lots of questions about Jesus, heaven, and God lately. 

We also had a big lesson in forgiveness the other day.  He was outside playing and he was tearing leaves off the tree and broke one of the branches.  I told him God would be sad that he was hurting His creation and that he should say sorry.  We quickly said a prayer asking God to forgive him.  Ryker said, "Dear God, I'm sorry for hurting your tree.  I love you Jesus, Amen"  I explained that one of the best things about God is he always forgives us no matter what we do as long as we pray and ask him for forgiveness.  He simply said, "I love Jesus."  So do I bud!  And, I love you too!  As we raise our first child it's amazing to see how much of this you can teach them at such a young age.  I couldn't be more pleased that he is picking up on everything and is curious too.  There is nothing in this life I want more for him than a relationship with Christ!

Sprinkled with Love

Back on August 7th, my fantastic sister-in-law and best friend threw me an AMAZING sprinkle!  My ever talented sis of KT Design & Photography took some amazing pics she just shared with me.  She and her cousin also started a party planning company called Sugar Circus & Chic Soirees that does awesome work.  Just take a look at this sprinkle!

The amazing table!

Delicious cupcakes!

Everyone got one to take home with them...so sweet!

Me with the decorations

Opening gifts...this was one of the few pictures where I wasn't making a super weird/crazy face. :-)

Me and Kate...she's quite excited for her newest nephew!

35 weeks 1 day :-)

Nothing like a best friend (of 16 years) to make you crack up laughing!

Auntie Em's message for #2

We had a little photo booth action too! This is Christy and I's serious pic.  We did a goofy one and a serious one with each guest.

This would be a goofy one with Tami...you know how itchy your skin can get while pregnant???  Mine was giving me a hard time that day...lol!

Laura and I

Em (39 wks) and Me (35 wks) were joking that we weren't going to fit in the hallway when we turned sideways!

My sis-in-law, Michelle, and my adorable nephew Nathan!

So, this turned out funnier than I imagined.  She was pretending to bite the belly (i.e. my horrified face) but instead it looks like she's kissing him and I'm freaking out....lol!

Now a sweet one of Jenn and I!

Me with the amazing hostesses!  Thanks ladies!  You rock and I love you both so much!

38 Week Appointment

38 Weeks 8/27/11

Weight Gain: 28.4
Blood Pressure: 110/60
Fundal Height: 38 cm
Baby's Heart rate: 140 bpm
Dilated: 2 cm
Effaced: 50%
Station: -2

Thursday was my 38 week appointment.  I am pleased to be measuring on target again.  However, I wish I had a bit more cervical change, but I guess this little guy is content in there.  Ryker came at 38 weeks 2 days, which is this coming Monday for this little guy.  I don't think he'll be coming that soon at all!  My doctor said she'll definitely want to induce me if I make it to 41 weeks.  She also said she'd be OK with inducing me closer to my due date (which is 9/10/11) if I want.  She said the 8th and 12th are open for her.  I'd rather wait and let him come on his own, but we'll see how I feel next week.  I'm definitely feeling very pregnant and tired, but want this little guy to bake for as long as God deems necessary.

Once again, for comparison's sake, here are my stats with Ryker:

Fundal Height: 41 cm
Baby's Heart rate: 142 bpm
Dilated: 3 cm
Effaced: 90%
Station: +1

Clearly, I was already laboring with Ryker, especially considering this appointment was on a Thursday and he was born the following Monday!

Here's to waiting on #2!

37 Week Appointment

Weight Gain: 26.6
Blood Pressure: 110/64
Fundal Height: 36.5 cm
Baby's Heart rate: 152 bpm
Dilated: 2 cm
Effaced: 50%
Station: -2

Today was my 37 week appointment.  I'll be honest, I'm not thrilled with my stats.  It may be the only time in my life I ever say this, but I am slightly concerned about my weight gain (or lack thereof). My weight gain was less than 1/2 a pound and I don't like that my fundal height was under for the week I'm in.  Ryker always measured ahead and I never worried about it. This baby has been a whole new experience. Praying for a better, more reassuring appointment next week. I'm not sure I'll know what to do with a little baby!


Ryker's Stats:

Fundal Height: 38 cm
Baby's Heart rate: 146 bpm
Dilated: 2 cm
Effaced: 80%
Station: +1

Nursery is Ready!

The nursery is finally ready for the baby!  We're so excited for #2's impending arrival!

The new crib is ready for a sleeping baby!

We even got his monogram painted and hung this week.  That picture board is anxiously awaiting some real baby pictures instead of just ultrasound shots.  The closet is full of clothes (and a swing, bouncy seat, Bumbo, Johnny Jumper, boxes of diapers, etc.)

His shelves are decked out with fun books and a picture of his family!  He even has a new piggy bank.  See that chrome elephant on the top shelf?  Love it!  Nana purchased that for her little guy and his brother has even made some contributions to it already...so very generous of him!

This corner was the hardest part of the room!  We used this chair with Ryker since it is THE BEST chair for nursing EVER!  My mom even nursed me in it.  With Ryker we slip covered it, but I got to where I hated the less then clean look of it so we decided to have it reupholstered this time around.  Unfortunately, the expense of that was much more than we bargained for!  We could've bought a new chair for cheaper!  After getting everything in the room however, we decided the original fabric wasn't so bad after all and we're going to leave it as is (for now, anyway.)  The end table was the next challenge.  After searching high and low for something the right size, I ended up finding a nightstand at TJ Maxx HomeGoods for a great price that I thought might work in Ryker's room.  Lo and behold, it was perfect!  It is the exact same shade of red as his bed and was a much better height and size for his room.  To make matters even better, the table we were using in his room (which was a $10 purchase on Craigslist) was a perfect fit in the nursery!  I just used some leftover paint from the designs we did on the nursery walls before we had Ryker and put a few coats on.  It turned out great and it fits perfectly! YAY!

A better shot of the crib. 

The dresser is packed full of clothes and blankets and the diaper changing goods are stocked and ready to go!  In case you can't read the saying on the frame it is, "We took one look at you and our hearts stood still."  It's the same one we had in there with Ryker.  I've looked at some others, but nothing that screams, "Buy me!" quite yet.  :-)

Now, just for this baby to get here!

State Fair

Our Monday was spent at the State Fair.  We drove down with Nana and Papaw at noon and met Daddy there.  We spent 9 hours there.  It was a long, tiring day, but we had an amazing time!  First, we headed straight for the horse barns.  They are my favorite!

Checking out the Percherons...my favorite!

There were so many foals this year...it's amazing how big they are already!

They were giving this foal a little exercise.  Ryker was eager to watch!

He LOVED the piglets!  They are pretty cute (when they're little!)

Checking out the fish in the DNR building with Daddy

He was pretending to be a bear....Roar!

You could shoot some pellet guns in the DNR building.  He was spinning in circles while waiting in line.  He ran over to me and said with the biggest grin on his face, "Mommy, Mommy, I goin' shootin'!" 

 He hit the target several times.

He loved feeding the goats.

We decided Grandpa should get one of these...a cashmere goat...SO soft!

He loved this part.  In fact when it was time to leave, he refused to come with us.  We went ahead and started walking out.  He came stomping after us with the grumpiest face.  Nana thought it was so funny....Mommy didn't think it was quite so humorous though!

They had a Little Hands on the Farm activity that was amazing!  I cannot say enough good things about it!  Each kid was given an apron and a basket to collect goods on the farm.  They collected corn and soybeans, an egg, etc.  Here he is getting the egg from the chicken coop.

This is after he got his free Pioneer hat.  This was the main reason we went.  The other day he told me he wanted a green hat.  I explained he had one, but he responded, "No!  A green hat like Grandpa's!"  He meant Grandpa Sheepie's Pioneer hat.  He's quite pleased to have one just like Grandpa's now.

Here he is planting a seed in the garden before he collected his vegetables.

He even got a turn to ride a tractor!

Then he milked a cow!

After he was done, he sold his goods to the market and was able to buy a Nutri Grain bar for a treat...So very cool!

Waiting for a pony ride with Gigi, Nana, and Natalie

Gigi's turn

He loved it!

He would've ridden 20 times if we'd let him!

Taking a wagon ride with Gigi

Then, he thought he'd take her for a spin!

We finished off the night with watching the Sheep Shearing Contest.  My uncle Matt got 2nd place and Best Pin (meaning Best Looking Sheep)

The newest addition to the family was there...little Garrett Alexander Kennedy.  The kids were so excited to meet him!  Nana wasn't quite ready for the picture obviously, but Gigi and Ryker looked too cute not to post it (sorry Mom!)

Gigi's turn to hold him

Ryker figuring this thing out...

Now he's all excited, even if Garrett wasn't!  I was surprised the crying didn't bother Ryker one bit.