Ryan's Blessing

We made our annual summer trip to Utah this year and blessed Ryan while we were there. It was a very special day for us. We were lucky enough to have most of Jon's side of the family there since we had a family reunion that following week and my family came up from Arizona for the blessing. Fortunately, Ryan was quiet and happy through his blessing for our special day.

Ryan- 2 months

This has been a busy month for Ryan. He had lots of visitors come to meet him, more moving and unpacking, and lots of growing. He also just started smiling. It takes a little work, but is such a cute smile when it happens. He wakes up once or twice during the night and the biggest challenge is managing is eczema and acid reflux. We hope those go away soon. We love our little guy and love watching him grow.

Curtis turns 2!

Curtis turned two on June 26th. We had a pretty low key day doing some of his favorite things like mowing the lawn and playing in the backyard. The kids helped me bake and decorate Curtis' dinosaur cake. They loved putting the m&ms on the cake and then sneaky Curtis ate more than half of them when I was out of the room. Oh well, I guess it is his birthday.

Curtis had an all-boy birthday with lots of trucks, legos and a car ramp. We had to open every toy and play with it for a few minutes before he would open another present.

A few stats about Curtis:

Weight: 26 lbs

Favorite food: meatballs, pb & j sandwiches, treats of any kind, cold cereal

Favorite color: blue

Favorite toys: trucks, dinosaurs, books, blocks

Favorite Books: How Does a Dinosaur Say Goodnight and How Does a Dinosaur Eat his Food

Favorite things to do: help Dad mow the lawn, go for rides in Dad's truck, play outside, give lots of hugs, help mom mop the floor, play with mom's pans and kitchen utensils

Curtis has the funniest personality. He is a teaser and says the funniest things. He is always smiling and loves to give hugs and lots of 'love' to his little brother Ryan. He loves his big sister and wants to do and be wherever she is. He is finally starting to say more words and put sentences together. Some of our favorites are:

mm-mm Dada- Dad's truck

nilk- milk

hun nu nu nu- lawn mower (like the sound of a lawn mower starting)

Natalieism

While Kathryn and Anna were visiting, we were talking one night about Kathryn's mission. We asked Natalie where she wanted to go on a mission when she got older. Her reply was, "McDonalds."

Nothing like talking about the Word of Wisdom over a Big Mac and fries.

Does He Think This is Comfy?

This is how I found Curtis sleeping one night. Maybe there is too much stuff in his bed.

More Visitors

Getting two visits from family in one month was sure fun for us. It meant more park time, hanging out, swimming and lots of laughter. We love it when Kathryn and Anna come to our house!

Swimming at the wading pool

Hanging out at the park together (photo courtesy of Natalie)

Playing at the splash park

Dancing Queen

This year Natalie decided to try out ballet. She had the three cutest friends take it with her and they had a blast. I loved hanging out at ballet and chatting with my friends. At the end of semester was the dance recital. We were lucky enough to have Grandpa and Grandma Amundson come all the way from Utah to see her recital. She danced to "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid. She did such a good job and we can't wait to do it again next year.

Part of the routine was for each girl to curtsy. Notice Natalie's concentration with her tongue sticking out.

Rebecca, Meg, Natalie, Abby-all of her dancing friends

Graduation

This year Natalie participated in playschool with 3 other friends. We each took a week focusing on letters, numbers and shapes. Natalie looked forward to going to school each week and learning-although I think her favorite part was playing with friends. We look forward to many more graduations with this bright, fun girl.

Natalie waiting for her name to be called for her diploma.

Natalie with her friends Emry, Tyler and Kye. What a cute bunch!

Ryan-1 Month

Ryan is such a joy to have in our family. He is a great little baby. The kids especially love to hold him and talk to him.
This is Ryan's one week birthday. He was asleep for most of the party, but the cupcakes were sure great.

We didn't have a washer a dryer after we moved, so I spent days a few days a week going back and forth to get laundry done. I put Ryan in the laundry basket so I could finish up and he promptly fell asleep. Doesn't he look cute?

Hooray he takes a bottle! After struggling with Curtis for so long to take a bottle, I wanted to teach Ryan to take a bottle right a way. He was a pro right from the start. I don't feed him a bottle very often, but when I do, Natalie loves to be my special helper.

Ryan also learn to smile this month. It takes a little work, but he has the cutest little toothless grin. we love our little buddy!

A New House

We finally became home owners! We closed on our house May 13th. We started moving in right away. We love the smell of the new house and cant' wait to make it our home. When we have a few more decorations up, we'll post some pictures. Our walls are still pretty bare because we are trying to finish going through boxes.

Our kitchen-this is my favorite room in the house since I know I will be spending a lot of time in here.


The upstairs toy room and family room-I love all the extra space for the kids to keep their toys and play.

A Busy Summer

It has been a busy summer for us with a new house and adding a new baby to our family. We have had lot s of fun with visitors, playing outside, vacation and swimming. Catching up with take a little time, but we will get there.

Ryan's Here!

Ryan Oscar Amundson was born on Monday, April 26th at 2:34pm. He came out in a blaze of glory with a quick one hour delivery, weighing in at 8 lbs 11 oz and 21 inches long. His siblings, Natalie and Curtis, love having a new little brother. Natalie is very attentive to Ryan's needs, letting him know she is right by his side when he starts to cry. Curtis, on the other hand, thinks he has been dethroned as the baby of the family and is not too sure about it. However he likes to come two inches from the baby's face and give a nice resounding 'hi.' Grandma Toone has helped keep us on schedule and the kids busy as we adjust to a new little one. We love having Ryan in our family and can't wait to introduce him to each of you.

One Month To Go

Tomorrow will be the one month mark before the baby is born! I have been trying to get everything in order from organizing all the baby clothes to making lists of things to get done before the baby comes and our move in May. It is a little bit of a crazy time, but I think the next four weeks will go too quick.

We were lucky to have Jon's sister Haley visit with her cute little boy Mitchell this week. We spent a lot of time at the park and just hanging out together. Come back soon Haley!

Say, "Curtis"

Curtis loves to say everyone's name in the family... that is, unless you ask him to say his own name.

Our Blood Runs Blue

We try not to indoctrinate our children, but we can't help it if the only word Natalie can spell by herself is BYU. Even if it is backwards.

House Update

It's hard to believe how quickly the house has gone up. Within three weeks we went from cement footings to having the roof completed. I have become a regular driving to the house at least once a day. The workers and I wave a friendly hello each time I pass. Natalie considers it a highlight of our day to see the progress on her 'bedroom' and can't wait to move in. I'll be sad when the outside is finished and have to wait for the inside to be done.

February

This last month has been a little bit of a crazy one for us with two birthdays and a two week trip to Arizona with the kids.

I had a great birthday at the beginning of the month. We spent the day as a family running errands and shopping. Part of my birthday present was buying some decorations for our new house at one of my favorite stores, Real Deals. It's been fun to start envisioning how we want the inside of the house to look. That night Jon got a sitter and we went to dinner at Carmine's with our good friends, the Stewart's. It is a quaint little restaurant that serves one dish family style each night. It was fabulous!



The next Saturday was Natalie's birthday. It was a big surprise to Natalie to have Jon's parents show up on our doorstep that morning. In the afternoon, we had a princess party with six of her friends. We played kiss the frog, find the pea under the pillow, and poison apple (hot potato). The girls also made bracelets and had pink cupcakes with pink lemonade. Natalie had a great time and the party was a success. It was so much fun to have Jon's parents in town to celebrate the weekend.

Natalieism

Tonight at dinner Jon was teasing Natalie about when she was going to get a job.

J: Natalie, you could get a job at McDonald's and eat all the chicken nuggets you want.

N: No, I am going to go work in Portland.

J: In Portland? Where are you going to work in Portland?

N: In the desert.

We just couldn't stop laughing after that. Where does she come up with this stuff?

The Dirt

We did it! After several months of looking for a house to buy, we found the perfect one for our family. It is in a new neighborhood not far from where we are renting. We are so excited to be building a new house with everything we want inside. It has seemed like a whirlwind in getting this home. In a week, we went from having nothing, to choosing a lot, the upgrades and having the house staked out. We look forward to the coming months of watching it come together.

Holiday Fun

We spent Christmas this year with Jon's family. We had a blast going sledding, seeing 'Princess and the Frog', playing games and spending time with family.

We have such a talented Grandma that made these cute Christmas skirts for all the granddaughters.

Santa surprised Natalie this year with a new babydoll and swing. She spent every waking moment loving her new baby and pushing her in the swing.

Curtis's favorite gift was his new tricycle. We love it because right now it is a rocker for inside the house. Once the weather turns warm, it can change into a tricycle. Curtis can't wait to try out his new ride.

The kids were well-loved and spoiled by Santa and grandparents. There were not enough hours in the day to play with everything they received.

The day after Christmas we went sledding together at Rock Canyon Park. It hadn't snowed in a few days, so the hill was all ice, but we had a great time! Grandpa and Grandma Amundson graciously watched all the little babies so we could have fun. Natalie was our super sledder. She would go down the hill every chance she got. Her favorite was going by herself on her stomach. We all hit the bumps and took a few spills, but it was nothing hot chocolate couldn't take care of when the fun was done.