Making Friends

There's a new family in the branch that we've become very good friends with.  We went to McD's one night with them and the workers were astounded when I told them we needed 9 ice creams for the kids.  This picture is not showing Anna or their youngest.  Sometimes it's hard to want to make friends when you move often, but then a great family moves in and they change your mind.  We have had a blast with them!

Funny things the kids say...

Tommy put on a new pair of shoes the other day and noticed that they made noise as he walked (normal walking sounds).  He got a huge grin on his face and said, "Mom, these shoes sing songs!"

We bought some antlers and Rudolph noses at the store the other day for the kids to use for dress-ups.  Ryan was searching for his and asked, "where are my ant ears?"

My mom and I were driving up to Middletown and were behind a big truck letting off some smelly exhaust.  After a couple minutes Ryan asked, "Why do I smell a dead pig?"

Tonight Katie showed me a small Cinderella action figure.  In her words, "I got this for Ellie for Christmas,, but her face got ripped off."  

I love some of the things that come out of their mouths!

12-1-1

 We had a very quick trip for Thanksgiving down to Philadelphia.  We went to the house of (get ready to follow this one…) Steve’s sister’s, husband’s, sister’s house.   We drove down Thursday morning, had dinner and enjoyed the company of family and friends, then drove back Friday morning.  It was a quick trip, but Anna wasn’t feeling well and cried most of the time we were there, so I was ready to get her home where she was happier.  I think there were 5 families with a total of 30 people there that day.  Pretty impressive, I think.   

My sister was here for about 5 days a week ago.  We had a really fun visit with her.  She did all sorts of make-overs on the girls, which they absolutely loved.  I won’t ever let them wear my makeup, so they were in heaven.  I am most definitely not ready for them to be wearing makeup!  Yikes- they looked so grown up!  She also did crafts and painted toenails and did all the things an awesome aunt should do with her nieces and nephews. 

We went down to NYC one day with just the older 3 girls and saw the “Radio City Music Hall” show, commonly referred to as the “Rockettes.”   I was very impressed by the show and appreciated that they not only brought in Santa Claus, but also did a beautiful show of the nativity with gorgeous costumes and amazing music.   It’s always an adventure getting into the city, but I think the girls really enjoyed that outing.   It’s just fun having family around.

Steve and I were able to see Blue Man Group a couple weeks ago as well.  I honestly can’t remember if I told you about that or not?  It’s kind of a variety show with drums and skits and lots of humor thrown in.  I had seen it many years ago in Chicago with my little sister and I remember enjoying it more then.  I think the smaller venue in Chicago was better than Ike Hall for that show.  Regardless, we had a really nice time going out on a date and doing something a little different than just dinner and a movie. 

We are certainly getting into the swing of Christmas.  We are hoping to put up our Christmas tree tomorrow night for FHE.  My parents fly in Tuesday morning and we are looking forward to a nice week with them.  It’s been since this summer that we’ve seen them and the kids change so fast at these ages!  I’m really looking forward to their visit. 

Here are a couple pictures to finish off this letter.  A kid dog pile and the kids wearing some fun glasses. 

11-11-13

Today is Veteran's day, so we're lazing around the house and enjoying the day off :)

Life has been pretty crazy busy for me.  So one thing that wives get to be involved in with the military is what is called "coffee's".  It is when the officer wives get together for a social event.  While there is usually coffee and wine, that is certainly not the center of the activity.  It's usually just a way for the wives to get to know each other within the department or company.  Anyway- I usually try to go to a couple of these, more to support Steve than anything else ;)  
- So last week I had one of these on Monday (and I forgot that I had invited the missionaries, so I had to throw together dinner and have Steve entertain them).  Plus I ended up staying and chatting until almost 10.   
- Tuesday was the girl's tap class until almost 6.  
- Wednesday we took pictures after school, had $2 Happy Meals at McD's and then Young Women's was at our house until almost 9.  
- Thursday we had gymnastics after school, then the Hohosh's had us over for dinner- didn't get home until after 8. I was pretty burnt out by then! 
- But then Friday Steve and I went on a date, so that was a more relaxing way to spend the evening :)  

Needless to say, I've been looking forward to a more low-key day.  Steve is looking up restaurants that are supporting Veteran's day and we may do some restaurant hopping today :)  

Did I tell you about the non-LDS cadet that we had over last week?  Probably not...  Anyway- last week at church there was a cadet- Tyler Allen. He stayed all three hours.  After church Steve talked to him and found out his girlfriend (still in High School in upstate NY) is LDS and she encouraged him to check it out.  He showed up to Thayer Hall the week before, but since it was Stake Conference there was no one around.  So last week he showed up and it was Fast Sunday. (he said the two meetings he attended with his girlfriend were Stake Conference and Fast Sunday.  I thought that was funny).  We invited him over to our house last week and enjoyed his company. He is currently Methodist, but he seemed fine with us talking to him about Mormons and what we believe.  He's a plebe and is really a good kid.  Anyway- he showed up again to church yesterday so we had him over again, as well as David Arrowchis.  We had a really nice time with him and I think he has been enjoying himself.  The stake has encouraged us to pray for missionary opportunities, and it was neat to see one just basically fall in our laps!  The reason I stayed at the coffee so late on Monday was that we were talking "church" there as well.  

So we took family pictures a couple weeks ago.  We decided to do a swap with a new family.  They have six kids as well.  Anyway- we took theirs and they got a couple good ones.  Then they took ours and we couldn't even combine and cut and paste to make one good picture.  It was really quite disappointing.  Then it got cold and the fall colors began to fade and I was very sad.  I suppose it’s not terrible, but I don’t love it.

Then after Halloween we went down to the Cadet Chapel to take some pictures of the kids in their costumes (castles go well with Belle, Rapunzel and Hermione Granger).  We also went down to a friend's house with a tree swing for Katie to get a picture.  While we were there we noticed a little creek bed and I decided we would try again.  It takes an incredible amount of time to get all 8 of us prepped and pretty, but we managed and I think we ended up with a nice family photo.  It is actually the one Steve edited to put as the head photo on our blog.  Since this is a creek bottom, there was water everywhere and the leaves hid quite a bit of the water.  I warned Ryan to be still and just wait for one of us to help him, but if you look at his pants, you can see he wasn't too patient and fell in :)  There may have been a few tears, but he overcame and was actually happy when we took pictures.  You just can't tell by his expression...

A small catch-up

I just added 4 new posts.  I've been writing my missionaries the last couple months and I think that using their letters on here is the best way to stay caught up.  I love that it gets me writing in my journal!  I tried uploading pictures, but it is having issues, so I'll have to do a picture catch-up maybe later.  But here is one of my favorite places here on post.  It's Lusk Reservoir and every single time I drive past it I get nostalgic for my childhood spent on a lake in Wisconsin.  This place makes me happy every single time I see it!  I just had to stop and take a photo of it yesterday.

10-27-13

Another busy week at the Elgan household!

Steve’s Ultimate Frisbee season is nearing its end.  This past Friday was their semi-final game, where they played Math.  That was one of the only teams they had lost to during the regular season, so it was bound to be a good match.  It was cold and windy, so I brought a little kiddie pop-up tent for the boys (Anna of course runs free) and was able to enjoy the game.  It certainly did not disappoint.  It was a fast and tiring game for the guys.  In the end, CME won!  Hooray!  So, the final game is scheduled for Wednesday against a team that they’ve beat twice (DPE).  Here’s hoping!  It’s been a lot of fun to be able to go out and support Steve in this endeavor of his.  I don’t know how much it means to him, but it has been thoroughly enjoyable to me and I’ve gotten to know more of the other people in his department, which has been nice.  

Steve’s birthday is the 30th (Wednesday) so we’re hoping for a good win.  But also, (did I mention this?) since he turns 37 this year he has put off his APFT to get the “easier” standards.  He may be running on Halloween this year!  The kids are really looking forward to doing some trick-or-treating.  We’ve invited the Hohoshes to come spend the evening with us, which should be a ton of fun.  

Speaking of Hohoshes… Thursday I convinced Sister Hohosh to come spend the day with me, so she showed up at 9 and hung out until after 3, when the girls got home from school.  She was awesome and helped me put some finishing touches on the girls’ costumes.  I found out that she actually was a costume designer for a little while, so she was a huge help for me.  

Friday was an insane day for me.  I bit the bullet and took the three kids shopping with me.  Lately I’ve wimped out and waited to go until Saturday, when I can shop alone.  Unfortunately, food was scarce in the house and I had to get ingredients for the food I was taking to the branch chili cook-off.   We survived Walmart and the commissary with minimal screaming from Anna.  We attended the Frisbee game, rushed home to get Anna a nap and I made chili, cornbread, salad, and finished costumes just in time for Steve to get home and leave again for the trunk-or-treat.  Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures, as we were running very short on time.  This week I will for sure get some great pictures to share.  The chili cook-off was fun, as usual.  There was a great turn-out and my chili won :)

Sister Echeverria and I have been going to PWOC (Protestant Women of the Church) for Bible study the last couple months.  Yes, I realize we are not Protestant!  We just thought it would be a good diversion and a great way to be examples of “Christian Mormons”.  It has mostly been a great experience.  I am learning a lot about other faiths and it has been eye-opening to 1) how many great, Christian women there are out there and 2) just how amazing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is in its full, restored form.  I am even more appreciative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.   There was a “Retreat” on Saturday that Sparkle and I attended (supposed to go from 9-3).  We lasted 2 hours and then we snuck out and went out to lunch.  Hehe… Sometimes it’s hard to sit and sift through truth and half-truths.  I decided that I would wait until the adult session of Stake conference that night to be fully uplifted spiritually.  And I was.  The theme across the world for Stake conference is “The Work of Salvation.”  All of conference was devoted to missionary work.  It was an amazing theme and I came home with some great insight and drive to be a better member missionary.  I’ll let you know how that goes.  

And to finish off, here are some funnies that I caught…

Funny Ryan moment of the week:

“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” is Tommy and Ryan’s favorite song, so they sing it all the time.  Ryan therefore likes “The Lion King” music.  I don’t know if you can hear it in your mind, but do you know the very beginning music of the movie- as the sun is cresting the hill on the African Landscape?   Hopefully you can, because here is Ryan’s version of how it goes… (I’ll give it phonetically then I’ll spell it out)  “Haaaaaaaa-la-pennn-yo baba beee ba-ba-ba”  (jalapeno baba be bababa).  Who knew he could speak African?

Then tonight we got Sarah’s definition of: To disappear:  To poof out of the planet

10-20-13

I had a very fun weekend this weekend.  My oldest brother, Brad, was in NYC for a conference.  He works at BYU in the sound and lighting department and professionally he is a sound designer.  Anyway, since he was in town with his wife we decided to meet up and do something fun.  

Friday afternoon we drove into the city and took the subway down to the 911 memorial.  I don’t know if you ever went down there, but it was a little bit of a let-down for me.  I guess I was hoping for something inspiring, but instead it was a bit depressing.  Two big holes where there used to be the Twin Towers.  I appreciate that they want to remember those that died during that tragic event, but I suppose I wish they celebrated their lives, instead of their deaths.  Regardless, it was a beautiful day and spending time with family is never a waste of time!  

After our visit to the memorial we went back to Midtown to stand in line for the lottery for “Newsies.”  In case you don’t know, the lottery for a Broadway show entails putting your name in a bucket then waiting to see if they pick yours to get discounted seats.  Typically these seats are ones that while close, have some sort of disturbance in the line of sight of the stage.  We went to try the lottery for my brother and sister-in-law.  We figured 4 people had a greater chance than 2 to win tickets.  Steve was the 4th name they pulled out of the bucket (he could choose 1 or 2 tickets).  But why stop there?  We decided that if another of our names was called, I would stay and send Steve home to relieve our babysitter.  (He’s not nearly as big a fan of Broadway as I am.)   It got down to the very last name with just one ticket left… and boo- no luck.  The gal thought about it and decided she really wanted 2 tickets, so she was about to refuse it when my SIL Brandalee called out, “I’ll buy if from you!”  And the girl agreed!  So hooray!!!!  A ticket for me!  We went to Junior’s for some amazing burgers then with a big kiss I sent Steve home and we went to the theater.  I was raised listening to live music, so being in a theater with extremely talented actors/singers was heavenly.  The show was awesome, my seat was close (with a speaker only partly blocking part of my side view) and it was wonderful.  I love Broadway!  

I just barely missed the earlier train, so didn’t get back to Garrison until after 1am, but it was all completely worth it.  Plus, it was my first time at Grand Central Station and that was pretty cool.  Such an enjoyable day with Steve, Brad and Brandalee.   

Saturday we watched the Army and BYU games.  As I was looking for goodies to pull out, I realized that I didn’t have any Oreo cookies on hand.  That NEVER would have happened last year with my band of cadets!  I really, really miss those boys. But I'm also extremely proud of them for going out and serving the Lord for the next two years.  My kids keep asking if we’ll see them again, and I assure them that somehow or some way we’ll make it happen.  

10-13-13

Here are some of the Elgan happenings:

We are doing great.  Steve is still enjoying his teaching.  He is working on a patent for an iPhone case idea that he has and hopes to market and make his millions on :-)  Then he has also started ILE (or whatever it's called now... the training for Majors) and that is extremely time-consuming and just tons of busy-work.  So he's pretty swamped with everything.  It's still ultimate-Frisbee season, so we go to all his games still.  They've lost only 2 games, and the last game was when Steve couldn't show up because he was sick (he's a pretty important part of that team). 

Steve and I went up to Boston a couple weeks ago to see a Michael Buble concert.  It was such a fun trip with just the two of us.  And the concert was amazing.  I am a huge fan of live music, so I was as happy as can be.  

Things are just the usual crazy busy for me.  We went with the Hohoshes and picked apples last Saturday, so I processed a ton of apples to make applesauce.  It smelled great in my house all week long.  I’m also working on Halloween costumes for the girls.  Ellie has decided she wants to be Hermione (she’s fully immersed in Harry Potter right now).  Her costume was just ordered.  But Katie wants to be Rapunzel and Sarah wants to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast.  I’m working on sewing their costumes now.  Ryan has decided to be Captain America and Tommy is going to be Spider-Man.  Anna will get some sort of hand-me-down from the costume bin. :)  This is actually the first year I have let them just pick their costumes.  In the past I always did a theme and everyone was part of it.  Ellie is getting a bit too old for my ideas, I suppose.  It actually makes me a bit sad.  

Ellie and Katie are really enjoying gymnastics.  I can see significant improvement each week, which is neat to watch.  They're still working on the basics like headstands, handstands and cartwheels, but they're getting more balanced on the balance beam and learning new tricks on the bars.   

Sarah and Katie started tap class this week and so far are very excited about it.  There is a new dance teacher and I am thinking she will do a great job with the girls.  The last dance teacher loved the kids, but there wasn’t a whole lot of actual dancing happening.  

Now, since everyone needs a Ryan, here are a couple more stories from him...

He was doing something rather naughty and said, "I couldn't help it.  Satan was talking to me too loud and I had to listen to him."

 He really, really wanted Steve to play video games with him, but Steve had to go to work.  Ryan was not going to be deterred.  He said, "Are you going to play with me?  Yes, or yes?"

We were driving home from a baptism tonight and Tommy asked if we were going to “Dick Donald’s?”  Steve and I got a chuckle out of that one- it was a McD’s…

So Anna has become quite the stinker lately.  She can climb on anything and everything and so she does.  For example, right now she is sitting on the dining room table playing with crayons because she pulled out the dining room chair, climbed on that, then climbed onto the table.  That's actually her favorite place to play, much to my chagrin.  Not exactly the safest place to be!  She is still as opinionated about life as ever.  And we hear about it.  She has a very tenacious personality and can be frustrating, but also extremely adorable and fun to be around as well.  We love that little girl. 

Things are a bit nutty politically here.  I don't know if you heard that there's a government shutdown right now?  We haven't been very affected, besides the commissary being closed for a week, but there are others that haven't been paid and sometimes it's just frustrating to watch the country act so wickedly.  If only everyone understood the Gospel and gospel living, we would all be a much happier people!

I've been reading about Moses and how the Lord blessed them over and over and still they just whined and complained when things weren't handed to them right when they wanted them.  Makes me think about how the world is these days.  We want to be blessed and we want it in our own time!  We all fall into that trap, that's for sure.  

This year we just have two new cadets that we sponsor.  There weren't any LDS ones left, so we have 2 non-LDS that we sponsor.  We've had them over only a couple times, but they're nice kids and we enjoy them.  We also have one return missionary that we have over as well.  Otherwise all the cadets in the branch are really well taken care of.  We can never find anyone last-minute to have over on Sundays like we could last year.  That's a good thing- having them all so well taken care of, but it makes it hard for us to have people over.  

10-4-13

So, the happenings at the Elgan household…

School has started back up as of almost 2 weeks ago and the kids are really getting into a groove.  Sarah has the same teacher as Katie last year and she’s excited to be learning.  Sarah always has a positive attitude, though.  Katie likes her new teacher and seems to be doing very well.  It’s hard to get too much information out of that kid!  And Ellie loves her teacher again.  She was lamenting all the homework she had today, but 4th grade was inevitably going to be harder.  She’ll excel and do just fine.  

Katie and Ellie started up gymnastics 2 weeks ago and are loving it.  Katie is a natural, and since she’s done gymnastics in the past she’s picking right up where she left off.  Ellie is still figuring things out and last week was a bit discouraged that she’s a little behind Katie, but I think she’ll do awesome once she gets into the groove.  

Ryan is having fun being the big man on campus again with the girls gone.  I’ll give you a few Ryan stories to brighten your day:

• We were at BJ’s getting groceries and he saw an older gentleman walking out.  Ryan walked right up to the man and asked, “are you old?”  To which the man replied- “I don’t feel old”.  Ryan, “well, you have gray hair, so you must be old”
• Steve had made a lemon meringue pie and accidentally burnt some of the meringue.  He tasted it and mentioned it tasted kind of like burnt marshmallows.  To which, Ryan replied, “I LOVE burnt marshmallows!”  A bit later we were getting ready for dinner and Ryan asked what we were having.  I let him know we were just doing leftovers- pasta, chicken, beans,… to which Ryan interjected (in the same tone of voice I was using to list the food) - “and burnt marshmallows….”
• Ryan was looking at pictures of him as a baby.  He looked over at me and asked, “Mom, what are we naming the next baby?”  To which I responded that first of all, there was not another baby!  But if we were to come up with a good name, how about George?  Ryan looked at me with a very thoughtful expression for a few moments, then stated, “George is a monkey name.  But I guess it could be a human name, too.”  

Tommy is finally potty-training and we’re making strides there.  He’s also a master at his little balance bike now.  He rides up to the top of the hill, turns around gains as much speed as possible and just flies back down.  Steve put him on a pedal bike today and while he pretty well, he just likes his balance bike.

Anna started walking 2 weeks before her birthday.  And as is par for the course, she doesn’t do anything halfway.  She was pretty much running a couple days later.  She loves to climb on everything and has been caught climbing stairs, chairs, tables, and even up the ladder in the girls’ room.  Her curiosity got the better of her 2 weeks ago, though.  Katie had put her up in the top bunk with her to play.  Katie turned around for a second and Anna decided to take a look down the ladder and rolled right down.  I was at the Musick’s house for a YW meeting when Steve called and told me Anna couldn’t move her left arm.  I rushed her to the ER and 3 hours later discovered she had broken her arm right at the inside, top of the humerus.  It was on just one side of the bone, and was not causing her any pain at all.  The diagnosis was to just let it go and heal on its own.  For a week she basically didn’t use the left arm, and after 2 weeks you’d never know anything had happened.  With her adventurous spirit I think that will not be our only visit to the ER!  She is still a screamer, but the episodes are becoming less frequent, thankfully.  We have decided it is that little bit of red in her hair that is manifesting itself in her personality   She has become a very fun little girl and we are enjoying her more and more each day.  

Work is going great for Steve.  He’s course directing two classes, so his work load is a bit heavier, but he still loved what he does.  Ultimate Frisbee is going on right now as well, so I take the kids a couple days a week to watch some Frisbee.  The kids like it because they know they’ll get a juice box and ring pop for being good and not running away.  

We have had a lot of great families move into the branch, which is nice.  Tons of new little kids to keep the Primary on their toes!  Sacrament meeting feels almost full with everyone now.  Young Women’s is going well and I’m starting to get a hang of the calling.  It’s interesting being on the leader side of it, that’s for sure!  Our lesson on Sunday was on virtue and the importance of guarding that virtue.  I know that I appreciated the example the cadets shared with my kids about living a virtuous life and how happy you can be by living clean and pure.   I want my girls to marry an “Eric” someday! We all adore him!!!

6 month Anna

This has also been sitting on my computer for weeks.  Again, eventually I might get pictures done.  Maybe.


I have not posted a whole lot since Anna was born.  There have been good things happening around here.  But when I think about Anna, I just sigh.  It is sad that I do it, but so often I hear myself say, "oh, Anna," in a fairly exasperated way.  That is the baby we love- Anna banana.

At 6 months Anna weighed 16.2 pounds and measured in at 26 inches.  Anna had her 4-month shots on her 6-month birthday.  Yes, that's how far behind we are in life here.  Speaking of which... It seemed to me that when we hit baby #4 it wasn't much of a change.  Just one more little person to add to the fun dynamic of the family.  We had food allergy issues with Ryan, but otherwise nothing too overwhelming.  Then Tommy was a dream baby.  He is the reason people adore babies.  And now Anna.  Life is a million times harder with Anna.

Some things Anna can do at 6 months:
- Roll over both ways.  She will instantly roll over to her belly when placed on her back.  Then she gets mad that she's on her tummy and usually forgets that she knows how to undo what she just did.
- Grab and play with her feet (still not to her mouth)
- Grab at toys and get them to her mouth
- Push all the way up on her hands when doing tummy time
- Can almost sit up on her own
- She is very observant and insists on being in the middle of the action when awake
- She occasionally laughs.  She does enjoy smiling quite a bit
- She will occasionally eat cereal.  She has to be in the mood, though
- She has amazing balance and loves to do the stand-on-daddy's-hand-and-float-trick.

Other notes about Anna:
- She is not a very good night sleeper.  She is up every 4 hours at night.  If we try to let her cry it out, she always wins... even if it's 2 hours later.  Thankfully she usually takes two consistent naps every day.  A short one in the morning and then her afternoon nap typically lasts around 2 hours.
- She cries... a lot.  If she is not being held she is usually pretty upset.
- She absolutely LOVES to be naked.  If she's having an especially crabby moment, a diaper change will usually perk her up a bit.
- Her siblings love to take care of her- until she starts up the crying.  Sarah and Katie are the ones who usually fight over Anna.  Even Ryan likes to come up and give her hugs and kisses.
- She still detests her car seat.  Running errands with Anna is a necessary evil.  I can usually get about an hour before she loses it.  Thankfully the two boys are typically champs when we go shopping.
- She no longer sounds like a seagull when she cries.  That went away about a month ago.  Now she just has an ear-splitting scream.

I wish Anna was an easy baby.  I really do.  I feel very jealous when I'm around or read about moms that just adore this stage in their child's life.  Life with Anna is pretty tough.  So I just have to keep reminding myself... "Come what may and love it."  Or follow Elder Uchdorf's admonition not to wish away this time in my life.  I'm trying.  I tell ya, it's a good thing she's cute!  :-D

But also, it's not all bad.  She does laugh at times.  And she really likes to smile.  She is just a very social baby and makes sure she's always being social.  I actually think she's just like Ellie.  I remember Ellie having a similar personality.  I had to be attached to that girl as well.  But it wasn't as hard, since she was the one and only baby.  I could give her 100% attention whenever she wanted it.  Anna just doesn't get that privilege and doesn't appreciate it.

Ryan Turns 4

This has been sitting on my computer for a couple weeks now waiting for pictures.  I will add those later.

It is hard to believe that Ryan is four.  It really is quite alarming at times.  But I absolutely adore that kid.  He is just hilarious.  About a year ago I was headed to the airport to pick up my mom and I asked if he wanted to come along.  He thought about it and replied, "I think I should come.  Everyone needs a Ryan."  And it is so true.  Everyone does need a Ryan.  Life is just funnier, sweeter, more loving and wonderful with that kid.  He has certainly found a stubborn streak, but even that can be pretty adorable.  When I look at Ryan I can totally see what Steve must have been like.  

- He loves to make people laugh.  Steve's nickname when he was little was "Ham."  That could apply to Ryan as well.  

- He is also such a  handsome little guy.  Yes, I am obviously biased in that opinion.

- Ryan is extremely athletic and loves to show off how fast he can run in his "running shoes."  He is a champion at his 2-wheeler and can mostly keep up with his sisters when riding around the block.  It's tough on those little bikes to pedal and keep up!  He has started to pick up on the razor scooter and is finding his balance there. 

- He loves to sing and dance and that in itself is hilarious.  Since he knows how goofy it is, he really plays it up. 

- Ryan loves to have a quick snuggle and kiss and then be on his way again.  

- Steve has taught him, and he has picked up on the phrase, "Mom, you're the best mom ever."  It makes me so happy to hear that.  So then I turn around and repay the compliment and he loves it.  

- When he's happy or proud of something he has done he flashes that adorable grin and give the thumbs-up sign which again gets me laughing.  

- Ryan loves superheros.  Batman is definitely his favorite, but he isn't too picky when it comes to watching a cartoon or playing pretend.  

- Ryan is also still a lover of all things T-Rex.  We have so many sizes and varieties of T-Rex toys but every time we go shopping he informs me that we need to go buy him a new one.  For his birthday he had a T-Rex cake and he got some new T-Rex accessories, so he was in heaven.  

Ryan has learned to enunciate most of his words, but the one sound he still can't do is the "r" sound.  So any word with that letter will lengthen and have the "w" sound typically.  For example, breakfast would  be "ba-wek-fast".  He is trying so hard to get that sound out!  He is an extremely intelligent and astute little guy and amazes me with some of the deep things he comes up with.  He's definitely gonna keep me on my toes!

So I totally stole these questions from a friend (thank you Sarah...) for Ryan's interview.  We actually videotaped this as well, so Ryan was doing a tad bit of performing while answering the questions. 

For the record, Ryan is 42" tall and weighs 41 lbs.

1. When is your birthday? February 12th.  (umm- he totally knows that's not the right date)

2. How old are you now? 6! (okay, strike two.  Obviously knows how old he is now)

3. What is your favorite color?  blue
4. What is your favorite toy? T-Rex, because I just like them.

5. What is your favorite fruit? apple- red and yellow
6. What is your favorite TV show? Ironman, Hulk, Avengers, Transformers.  

7. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Cheese and turkey
8. What is your favorite outfit? Batman

9. What is your favorite snack? Food
10. What is your favorite animal?  T-Rex
11. What is your favorite song? The Jungle Song (ie "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"... and he then breaks out in song)
12. What is your favorite book? T-Rex
13. Who is your best friend? T-Rex (can you sense a theme here?)
14. What is your favorite cereal? T-Rex oatmeal
15. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Jump on the Trampoline
16. What is your favorite drink? Juice (especially lemonade)
17. What is your favorite holiday? Eating food 
18. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My turtle with lights and songs (a constellation turtle) 
19. What is your favorite vegetable? Broccoli
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A big guy, but not so big.  Maybe a soldier.  
21. What is something you are good at? (No words, just got up and ran around the kitchen as fast as he could.)
22. Where is your favorite place to go? Dinosaur Museum
23. What will you do now that you are four? Four-year olds clean their room.
24. What is your favorite thing to learn about? (proceeded to count to 20)

25.  Can you sing us a song? (sang the ABC song)