4ish Months Old!

Maggie had her 4-month doctor appointment today. Here are her stats:

Height: 26 inches 95th percentile
Weight: 17 lbs 95th percentile
Head Size: ....... 105th percentile

That a girl!

Here is a picture of Maggie in her first pair of wheels. She is one crazy driver, must take after her mama.

Family Pix in Mexico

While in Mexico, we decided to attempt some family pictures. Sage did a great job snapping these photos and my sister, Nikker Picker, did a great job helping me edit them. Our kids were such troopers during these pictures and I am loving how they turned out.

Here is a funny story that happened while taking the pictures. After finished with the pictures of just the three kids in the sand, Kutter just let go of Maggie to get up. Well, she does not know how to sit up yet so she tipped face first into the sand. So basically, we rushed Maggie to the hose and had to get sand out of all her important facial crevices. It was so sad but yet, so funny! What kind of person does that make me?

Rocky Point Mexico, cont......

This isn't how I wanted to post our vacation but there was so much I wanted to write about, it would have taken 50 more posts to get it all in. So here is the rest of our trip in a nutshell, as captured on camera:

We went to a local bakery for breakfast and ate fresh rolls and pastries. The streets were trash covered and the smell all around was terrible but the food was delish. Yum!!

We went shopping at the flea markets. This is Payton trying on all the designer knock-off purses to see which one "fit" the best. When she found it, that purse never left her arm again. The look on Kutter's face cracks me up. I think he thought this whole process was nuts. I was a bit surprised at the interest Ryan took in the whole process. He pulled down every purse and even asked the owners if they had more options in the back. I was just standing back in awe and my princess and the unbreakable hold she has on her daddy.
Here is a picture of what the babies did most of the time. They just chilled. We were so lucky to have such great babies on vacation. It could have been such a miserable experience if the babies were cranky. They just loved to lay next to each other and play. Halston taught Maggie how to roll over. He taught her by example as he was constantly rolling over on top of her.
Our other kids got along so great together and just played, non-stop. There were no fights and no one got left out. It was such a perfect scenario for such an amazing place. Here are some great group shots we got of them. Let's play a game....which person in this picture does not belong? Hint: Compare skin colors

We pretty much swam non-stop. The kids loved playing at the beach and swimming in the ocean. As soon as we walked back from the beach, they were then all begging to go in the pool. The amenities were so nice at the place we were staying that we all enjoyed going swimming. The babies both fell asleep in their floaties at the pool. Kutter loved doing flips off the side of the pool and also when Ryan would launch him in the air. This lasted until mama (aka: me) could no longer handle it.

I did not have enough of burying Maggie in the sand the first time around, I had to try it again, this time in dry sand. She loved every minute of it. Afterwards, Payton wanted a turn, she hated every minute of it. This is her trying to smile because I would not let her out of the sand until I got a decent picture. Yet another reason, I should be mother of the year.
Our last afternoon there, we splurged and rented a jet ski. Man, can I tell you, worth every penny. It was $40 for one hour which was a pretty good deal. We utilized every minute of it. It was a windy day so I had the best time going full throttle over some massive waves and catching some gnarly air. Ryan said I was crazy, but I was never scared. I was having so much fun! Ryan was pretty gutsy out there himself. Poor Hayden, he did not have any sun glasses on so he got a salt water beating in his eyeballs that he will not soon forget. We even managed to get Kutter, Payton, and Cambri on there for a ride. Wow, what a great time! The only pictures captured were of Ryan riding. I guess he did not feel it was important enough to take a picture of me flying 50 feet in the air! Totally kidding, I am pretty sure he caught my rides on video.

I hated to leave when the trip was over. We immediately started planning our next trip back. We love the Harper's and had such a great time spending time with them. Good times, good times!

The Mexican Aquarium

On our last day in Rocky Point, we went to the local aquarium so the kids could see some of the fish life native to the area. We arrived a bit early so the owners opened up the gate and let us walk along the nearby beach until the aquarium opened. It was a windy day so the waves were huge but it was gorgeous. We took some cute pictures of our feet prints in the sand.

The aquarium was awesome. It was like nothing we had ever been to before. It was not your typical American aquarium but it was so fun, nonetheless. Kutter and Payton loved seeing the fish and other sea creatures up close and personal. They had giant sea turtles that you could feed and touch. Ryan was trying to let Maggie touch one of the turtles but every time he would get her hand down there, the turtle would stick up its head and open its mouth. I am pretty sure Maggie almost ended up as turtle food because her pale skin resembled a raw fish. Whoopsie! None of the kids wanted to actually feed any of the sea creatures but we all had a good time watching Ryan jump everytime a turtle took the food from him. Good times, good times!
The aquarium had little sharks, eels and sting rays, crabs and jelly fish. There was also a sea lion you could feed and talk to. I am quite certain our home videos has me using profanities because of that sea lion. I was just standing there minding my own business when that thing stuck its head up right next to mine. I probably could have kissed it. I turned and saw it staring me in the face and I jumped and swore. Everyone had a good laugh at my expense. The aquarium was well worth the $2 admission fee.

Rocky Point, Mexico - Day 2

On our second day at Rocky Point, Sage and I ran some errands which involved going to the local grocery store. This was an interesting experience for so many reasons. Everyone was obsessed with our babies and would push me out of the way to get to Maggie. The people just got all gaa-gaa over how cute she was. They have good taste!! It was strange how there were so many people doing tasks for you wanting to be paid. Some guy took our cart and wanted paid. Another said he watched our car while we were shopping so he wanted a tip. Another man backed us out of our parking spot in hopes for some spare change. I was broke after one trip to the grocery store.

The rest of the day was spent at the pool, playing in the sand, and relaxing at the beach house. We headed down to the beach in the late afternoon and had a good time playing in the ocean. Kutter spent his time karate chopping the waves. Here is a picture of him showing me how it is done. He could have stayed out there for hours. I think he was made for the beach with his love for sand, waves, and ability to be tan.

Payton was more content to just hang out on the beach and watch all the action. Those waves were a bit much for her 30 pound little body to handle. She loved being out there just the same. However, I am not sure her snow white skin and strawberry-blonde hair not are as made for the sun as her brother's.

Maggie is the most chill kid you will ever meet. She was just fine hanging out in her car seat, snuggled in a blanket in the 100+ degree heat with 500% humidity. The rest of us were down right miserable unless we were in the water. Maggie on the other hand was dripping sweat and not complaining one bit. Amazing!!!

We convinced the kids into riding on a banana boat/whale with us. It was so much fun and so cheap. We talked the guy into giving us a ride for $5 for the adults and the kids rode free. I think we got a pretty screaming deal if I do say so myself. Kutter loved wearing the life jacket and was showing off in it. He had no idea what it was for so I took him out in the deeper part of the ocean for a bit to show him how it worked. Once he knew he would not sink, he was raring to go. Payton was a little hesitant but Ryan just kept reassuring her she would be fine. I made him promise me that if she went off, he would go off with her. I think I was more nervous than the kids because I was terrified of deep water when I was younger. It did not help my fears when the engine of the boat was smoking like a chimney and the second man in the boat's primary responsibility was to bail out the water to keep it from sinking. Good times, good times!

We asked the guy to just go slow. It got kind of boring so we had a discussion and decided to go for it. We had him crank it up on the way back to the beach. It was so much fun!! We did not lose any of the kids which was an added bonus. I was so sore the next day from trying to hang on the boat while hanging onto Kutter. I am still not sure how I ended up hanging onto the 55 pound kid while Ryan had the 30 pounder. Hmmm, interesting!

After we arrived back from our adventure on the sea, we decided to bury the kids in the sand. Strike that, we decided to bury the babies in the sand. The sand was so wet, however, that we only buried them up to their waste for fear of the weight crushing them. No worries though, I buried them in the dry sand the next day so we could bury them up to their necks. Those pictures will come later. The babies loved being buried. Seriously, they did! After we were done with the babies, we buried the girls. They did not like it so much. Payton screamed the whole time but we did manage to capture one good picture with the sun setting in the background.

After all that activity and entertainment, we headed back to the beach house where we bathed and showered sand out of all our nooks and crannies, if you know what I mean. I am not sure there was any sand left on the beach, I am certain we took it all with us. The kids crashed soon thereafter and the adults stayed up and played cards to the wee hours of the morning. It was such a fun, fun day!

Here is a little eye candy for all you ladies out there.....your welcome!

On the Way to Mexico...Ole!

We had a trip planned to Rocky Point Mexico to spend a few days on the beach with our friends, the Harper's. This would be our first vacation since moving to Arizona nearly 3 years ago. Kutter spent the night at Connor's house and we were going to pick him up on our way out of town. The "plan" was to leave around 8am. So at 11:30am, we were on our way. We decided to leave the mini-van at home and venture south of the border in the Corolla. We could not believe all 3 car seats fit! The kids did pretty good on the trip. Kutter and Payton were big helps to feed Maggie and they did a fairly good job sharing the snacks and the travel television. We had to stop at a little town called "Why" (Good question!) to buy Mexican car insurance to cover our vehicle while we were in Mexico. We also stopped at the border for a photo shoot.

Once we were in Mexico, it felt like we were in some other country. Oh wait, we were! The speed limit signs were in kilometers. There were people flagging you down to sell you stuff every few feet. It was interesting to say the least. There was a lot of gorgeous scenery along the way and also some not-so-gorgeous scenery. I was so glad we went with someone who had been there before, however, or we would have ended up in Tijuana or something. The roads were confusing and my Spanish is rusty. Once we arrived at our private villa on the beach, we were in heaven. It was such an amazing house right on the beach with the most gorgeous view and a pool right out the front door. We already were feeling as if 3 1/2 days was not going to be enough. It was amazing how all my cares, stresses, and worries seem to disappear while I was there. It felt good!

Our first day consisted of getting settled in. We immediately went swimming where Kutter ran and did flips off the side. Yikes!Maggie seemed right at home in the pool and Payton loved the water. Later, Ryan and Hayden took the kids to the beach while Sage and I unpacked. We headed out for dinner to an authentic Mexican restaurant. Hayden ordered a meal suited for 6 people and I lost $10 when I bet him he could not eat it all himself. My mistake! No one slept great that night because the air could not cool the house that fast and the humidity was really bad this time of year. I ended up having to take a cold shower and fall asleep wet. The next 2 nights were much better. Kutter and Payton had their own beds in their own room with their own bathroom. Ryan and I had a queen bed and our own bathroom with Maggie in a pack n play. Hayden and Sage stayed in the master suite with their girls. Everyone had their own beds and bathrooms, it was so nice and so comfortable. We were so happy to just be there and relax!

Payton's First Day of Preschool

Payton started preschool today. A few friends of mine got together and are doing a Joy School. We were not going to do a preschool for her until next year since she is still two years away from kindergarten but with Kutter gone all day, we felt she needed something to break up her day. She misses Kutter so much! Payton will go twice a week for 2 hours and she could not have been more excited.

It was fun to see Payton get her clothes all picked out and tell me how she wanted her hair done. (I am sure it did not come out quite how she pictured it, I am not very good at the hair thing.) She wanted her picture taken with her school clothes on and then with her backpack. She wanted this day all about her so she was not inviting anyone to be in the picture with her. When we took her to "school" she wanted her picture taken with her teacher. I guess I will be taking her picture every week with her new teacher since it just rotates houses. : )

The day went great and she loved her new adventure. She loved it so much, she did not want to leave. She threw quite the fit when I showed up to pick her up. Plus she was devastated at the idea that her pencil box and school supplies had to stay. I literally had to carry her out of the house. She cried for another half hour or so until she zonked out asleep on the couch. That two hours of learning really did her in.

One thing for sure about Payton, there is never a dull moment with her around. She is so much fun even when she is kicking and screaming. I love you so much my little Pay-Paylicious!

This is a picture of her first teacher, Megan Zierse, and of her fiancee' Carson Zierse. Right now she is planning on marrying him and Ty Jankowski. At least she will have great in-laws!

Ryan is.....old! : )

Well, today is Fry Guys birthday. I am following the inspiration of some fellow bloggers and thought I would post about Ryan. He is 34 today so I will post 34 "facts" about Ryan.

1. He has a twitchy leg. (His leg rarely stops bouncing. I used to hate this until we had kids....now I just put the kid on that bouncing leg and it calms them right down.)
2. He absolutely loves his kiddos.
3. He drove a Ford Tempo in high school and just got rid of it a few years ago. To this day, no car seems to fit him like that Ford Tempo.
4. He is excellent at building stuff. I can draw him a picture, he will make it come to life.
5. He is extremely patient and very rarely gets mad. One of the few times in our marriage that Ryan has ever gotten mad was at a sofball game. He ended up yelling at the umpire for something and felt so bad he immediately went back and spent 5 minutes apologizing to the guy. I think he even tried to give him a hug, just kidding!
6. He hates olives.
7. He doesn't get jokes.
8. He says his laugh instead of actually laughing. This is awesome...when he laughs, he just says Ha ha ha ha ha, over and over again. Classic!
9. He loves WWE.
10. He is a complete fantasy football addict. I always joke that it is going to be funny someday when the judge asks why we are getting divorced and I answer.."fantasy football." Okay, it is not that bad. But answer me this, is it just me or is 4 separate fantasy football teams a bit excessive?
11. He is a mamma's boy.
12. He is a daddy's boy.
13. He is an amazing big brother. I guess I should ask his brothers and sisters if this is true but from my perspective, his a good one.
14. He LOVES baseball.
15. We named our first born after a nickname given to Ryan by a mechanic.
16. He primps way longer than I do.
17. A good analogy about Ryan given by his friend Brett...."Ryan could be neck deep in poop and still find something good about his situation."
18. He is a hard worker
19. He is allergic to tomatoes. (Not really but this is the excuse he used to use to avoid eating them.)
20. He likes to cook.
21. He is a tremendous help with the kids, always. He is a pretty dang good daddy.
22. He can fall asleep in the middle of a conversation.
23. His favorite food is Lasagna. (Funny since he is allergic to tomatoes)
24. He likes to fix stuff. He does not like to pay other people to fix stuff he thinks he can fix himself. This was the inspiration for # 15.
25. He recently developed a snoring habit.
26. If you ask Ryan to hurry, he slows down. : )
27. He does not know how to dust.
28. He is really good at stacking. This is how he cleans, he stacks but he is really, really good at it.
29. Everyone loves Ryan. He has got to be the most likable guy. I have never met anyone who has ever even been mad at Ryan, except for me, of course.
30. He is a bit gullible. He pretty much has such a trusting, big heart that he believes anything anyone tells him. I love this about him, so much!
31. He is a band wagoner. Love it!
32. He loves me. Don't ask me why, but he does.
33. He would do anything for his family.
34. Last but certainly not least.... he has got to be the best husband ever. I am not sure what he did wrong to deserve me but I am certain I must have done something very right to deserve him. The only flaws in our marriage stem from me. He is as pretty much as close to a perfect dad and a perfect husband as any human being could get. We are so very lucky to have him in our lives. Love you Ryan!