Ryder's Mickey Mouse Party

This past Saturday, we had Ryder's party at our neighborhood playground and pavilion and it was so much fun! We had it at 4pm after naps and kept is super simple- Walmart decorations, fruit, veggie straws, pizza and cupcakes. This was the least Pinterest-worthy party I've ever planned, but it was SO EASY and the kids loved it. It ended up being a beautiful day and the kids just played outside for two hours! Here are some pics from the day.

 I bought these hats that I thought were super cute but Ryder was less than thrilled about them. Thankfully, some of the other kids enjoyed them.

 Finn was so excited about Ryder's party. He's been talking about it for weeks and wanted to serve all of his friends veggie straws when they arrived.

 Finn and Nonna

 I love how this pic sums up their little friendship so much. Finn is just all in covered in chalk from head to toe. Ryan has a little bit of chalk on his fingers and is a little unsure about what Finn is doing.

 But they are just the sweetest little buddies to watch!

 Ryder, you are such a joy and we love you to pieces! We love watching you grow into such a sweet, snuggly and spunky little boy!

Two

Our sweet boy turned TWO yesterday! In some ways, the past two years feel like they took ten and in others it feels like I blinked.

Ryder, you are such a JOY! You love to snuggle and this might be one of our favorite things about you. Even now at two years old, you will crawl in our laps with books and jump on us on the couch, dig your little hands underneath you and squeal when we snuggle you.

You are absolutely obsessed with your brother. You two can fight like cats and dogs sometimes, but when you play together and give hugs before bedtime it is just the sweetest. Nobody can make you laugh quite like Finn and there are nobody's buttons you'd rather push than his.

You love to sit and look at books, watch Paw Patrol, color, play with your guitar, stack blocks and many other things that Finn would've never even thought about sitting still for at your age.

It took you a little while to warm up, but you love church and your Waumba Land class.

You love animals- real, stuffed, commercials- doesn't matter. You squeal and wave to almost any animal you see.

You love being outside just as much as Finn and will throw quite the tantrum when it's time to come in for dinner.

"Wop" is your word for "yes" and it seems like your vocabulary is exploding by the day.

You love breakfast, tolerate lunch, and will only eat dinner if it is breakfast, hot dogs or mac and cheese. You have your mommy's sweet tooth and this is why we had chocolate chip pancakes and bacon for your birthday dinner.

You still love beating the sun up and are usually awake by 5:30. Thankfully, you're a great napper like your brother to make up for it.

We don't go for your two year check up for a couple weeks, but you're definitely still our little peanut.   I would guess you're still barely 25lbs and wearing size 18mo and 2T.

Your very favorite days are Tuesdays and Fridays, because you get mommy and daddy to yourself while big brother is at school.

Sweet boy, we love you so much and it is such a joy watching you grow into a little boy with a big personality. We are so blessed to be your mommy and daddy!

The One with the Moving Truck

I have learned over time that the busier life gets with more blog-worthy events, the less time I actually have to blog- shocking, I know. To play catch-up, we listed our house for sale the week that we left for Disney World back in January. We have loved our little first home immensely, but it was time for "the move". You know the one I'm talking about- playroom, basement, cul-de-sac, community pool and good schools. Our house ended up selling pretty quickly and we were able to put an offer on one in a neighborhood we LOVE within a few days of each other.

Our first home wasn't perfect by any means, but we worked hard and made it our own. We started out with our own little kitchen reno.

 Then we got a real kitchen reno a few years later.

 We celebrated our first Christmas in our house and decorated a tree that gradually got bigger every year.

 We had a few snow days.

 We brought home our first baby boy.

 And our second baby boy.

 We celebrated birthdays.

 And our last family Christmas in our house.

Our home was filled with a lot of laughter, tears, celebrations and friends.

Fast forward to the end of February, and we had a moving truck packed and ready to move our memories to our new home that we hope to fill with more of the same. The past few weeks have been an adventure of unpacking, setting up house, painting and greeting neighbors who bring us freshly baked blueberry muffins. I hope to post some pics soon!