Ryan's 12th Birthday!!!

My little Ryan turns 12 today.  I'm still in denial, I think.  How can he be growing so fast?!?  He has always been and still is the sweetest little spirit!  He has a natural tendency to do what is right and be a peacemaker.  Why can't we all just be like Ryan?  The world would surely be a better place!

Ryan's favorites right now include playing the piano, swimming (he's even an assistant instructor this summer), video games on the iPod, and fishing with Dad.  He is excited to graduate from Primary to Young Men and receive the Priesthood next Sunday.  He'll start passing the sacrament and home teaching with Tim.  Weird.  For his birthday, he came shopping with me for a new bike, which he's been wanting for a while.  Then tonight, we are going out to dinner.  He chose that over a party--easy enough!  And of course, there will be Texas sheetcake--another favorite--after that.

Love you, Ryan!!!

The resemblance continues...

When Ryan was little, he was obsessed with trains.  He had this train sweater that he loved, and we had his pictures taken in it.  Well, as luck would have it, I actually found that old train sweater a couple months ago, and put Jake in it to take some pictures.  Here are the side-by-sides.  Jake saw the pictures of Ryan on the counter and said, "Look, it's me!"  He was a little sad when I told him, "No, that's Ryan."  They continue to look so similar!  We apparently have 2 molds--the Brandon mold and the Ryan mold, repeated in Sydney and Jake, respectively.  What's crazy is that their personalities are so similar as well.  Jake is so much like Ryan is/was, and the same can be said for Brandon and Sydney.  Weird.

Jake is staying blonde longer than Ryan did.  They are almost exactly the same age in these pictures, and Ryan's hair is slightly darker.  Other than that slight difference, they are basically twins separated by 8 years.  So glad I kept that sweater!

Run, Forrest, Run!

My cute little 6th grader has a new interest. One or two days before practice was to start, he decided he wanted to run cross country. Really? You want to run and run and run on purpose, with no one chasing you? O. K. Sure. I fully believe in letting my kids follow their interests as far as sports go. And amazingly, this has been a good thing for him. It's something that his older brother doesn't do, something that is just him racing against himself, and something that has truly whipped him into shape. I've been so proud of him for trying something new and not giving up. A couple weeks ago was his first meet. This was my first time at a cross country meet, and I have to say, they are nice and quick. First, the girls raced. Then about 30 minutes later, the boys started. Ryan might have just been the smallest boy that was racing that day, but he did great. He beat his personal best by 2 or 3 minutes, I can't remember exactly.
Clearly, I'm not in the running for Mother-of-the-Year...  But I did go, and I did cheer, so that has to count for something, right??

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Ryan's Bday

Ryan is 11 now!!!  He can't possibly be that old, can he?  I remember when he was Jake's age--I would try to tuck him into bed with his blanket, and he would  take it off, lift up his shirt, and say, "My belly's hot!"  And when he was barely 4 years old and had to get glasses--how is he 11 now?

We let him open his family gifts before he left for camp, since he would need some of the gifts for the camp out.  He got a Bear Grylls packet knife, a flashlight, a mess kit, a Boy Scout shirt and book, $20, Almond Joys, and some other fun stuff.  For his family treat, he requested a Paula Deen cake we saw on her show one time.  It's called Volcano Cake and is like an Almond Joy in cake form.  He loved it!

The next week after his birthday, he had a party with some of his friends.  They went to our neighbor's pool and swam for a while, then we had dinner (Ryan wanted Sloppy Joes) and treats.  I made rainbow cupcakes for the first time, and they turned out so cute!  He had a great time and is excited to have a great year ahead.  He starts middle school next month...how can that be??

No more cub scouts for a while

While I was in Texas visiting my family, Ryan had his Arrow of Light ceremony.  He has been such a great little cub scout, and it's hard to believe we won't be going to pack meetings for 5 more years when Jake starts!

Ryan was able to go to the 11-year-old overnight camp out as a 10-year-old, and come home the next day as an 11-year old.  He thought it was a great way to spend his birthday!  He got a lot of camping/
Boy scout gear for his birthday.  The shirt just swallows him up.  One day when he is getting his Eagle, I want to compare how his shirt fits him then compared to now.

 Seriously--how cute is he?!?

You think that was enough stuff for 2 days?!?!?

Working Out

Sometimes for my morning workout, I do Jillian Michaels's 30 Day Shred DVD.  It's a nice change from running sometimes.  And she kicks my butt.  Often, when the kids wake up, the first thing they see is me sweating to this DVD.  Well, a couple weeks ago, they caught me doing it and sat and watched me...then I went to shower...then when I came out all dressed a little later, this is what I saw:

I laughed so freaking hard!  They were both so intense.  It was awesome!

 Sydney is those stinkin' boots!  I asked her later why she was wearing them, and she said, "Well, I needed some shoes and these were the only ones I could find.  I think she's channeling her inner Wonder Woman!  If that weren't enough, she was also using canned soup as her weights, since Ryan was using my hand weights.  It was such a sight!

Ryan was trying not to laugh--he must have had an idea how ridiculous they looked!  I was pretty glad that they wanted to try the workout, too.  Of course, they went with Level 1.  Level 2 almost brings tears to my eyes...someday I hope to be able to get to Level 3...


Someday.

Yellow Belts

First off, a disclaimer as to why there have been no blog posts from me in a month: I repainted the entryway, family room, kitchen, and dining area over the last several weeks. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time now, but just never took the time or jumped in. Well, as part of my New Year's resolutions, I jumped in! It looks awesome and I'll post about it soon, but for now, I need to play catch up on what we've been up to over the last few months.

Ryan and Sydney had their first karate belt advancement tests in December. Pretty much nothing cuter than those 2 in their uniforms...especially Sydney with the bow in her hair... They are both doing an awesome job in their after-school class and love it. In fact last week, I asked Sydney if she still thought karate was better than dance, and she just rolled her eyes like she does and said, "DUH, of course!!!" (No offense, Ashley, if you're reading this...that's just Syd!) So I guess the lessons will continue. This is the 2 of them when we first got to the gym. Here is Ryan doing a kick. So focused.

Sydney preparing to knock this guy's socks off.

I love this shot of her side kick!

Another kick from Ryan.

We found out once we were there that each child was going to be able to try and break boards that night. That made Syd pretty nervous since they had never tried that before. It just made Ryan super-anxious! Here he is getting instructions on just how to do it. I remember something about it being very important to have your thumb on the outside of your fist...

Here's his practice, just to make sure he has the form down.

He did it!

Now my girlie gets a little instruction...

And of course, has to bow.

I love her expression in this one!

I didn't get a good shot of the break, but she did it! None of the other kids as little as her were able to break their boards with their fists. I wish I could say I was surprised, but she is just one tough cookie! She's so satisfied with herself in this photo!

Now to try and break one with a kick...she was successful in that too, as was Ryan. They both pretty much rocked!

Not the best angle, but this is Sydney being presented with her new yellow belt. Gotta love the guys covered in tats. And here's Ryan getting his new belt. He can't wait to advance again and break more boards!

Mr. Vice President

You are looking at the new vice president of East Canyon Elementary!!! Ryan decided a few weeks ago that he wanted to run, and Tim and I were very encouraging. But I didn't want him getting his hopes up too high, because his older brother had run the same race 2 years earlier with different results and a few tears walking home from the bus...

But that's another story...

So we helped him make some cute posters ("DON'T PICK YOUR NOSE; PICK RYAN" among others :)) and write a little speech and wished him luck...and didn't really have high hopes... Then last Tuesday, I had honestly forgotten that it was "election day," and he came home from school with a dejected look on his face and said, "Guess who won for vice president...." in a mopey, sad Charlie Brown-ish sort of voice. I was so sad for him and asked who. He then put on the hugest grin and said, "ME!!!" I was so shocked! And excited! He's just always been such a shy, reserved kid, so I think this will be awesome for his self-esteem and social life. I was definitely one proud momma!!

Karate kids pictures

As promised, here are some pictures of Ryan and Sydney in their karate uniforms. What's cuter than Syd in that uniform??? And after lesson number 2, they both seem to like it even more--especially Syd. They haven't really learned much yet, but they sure like to pose as if they have. :)

Karate Kids

Ryan and Sydney started an after-school karate program today. At first, only Ryan was going to do it, since he isn't in anything else right now...but Sydney has been bugging me and bugging me about it. I kept telling her that she couldn't do it because she was already taking dance, and every time she would say, then take me out of dance. But I really didn't want to rip her out of something that just started back up a month ago... But is it fair to not let her choose what she wants to do??

So today, I signed Ryan up (he's been wanting to try this for a while, and this year it finally works out, schedule-wise...) and Sydney, Jake and I were just watching. Sydney started in again with the "pleeeeease" and those big brown eyes... So I told her she could try it out and see if she liked it and the instructors. She loved it, of course. Long story short, ballerina-girl has been replaced by karate-girl.

I should've known this is the type of thing a girl w/ 3 brothers would want to do. She can be so girly sometimes, but it's not that way most of the time. She loves worms, frogs, getting dirty, and helping her daddy with all things manly. And she can't wait til she's old enough to go hunting w/ him. Go figure.

But I really can't wait to see her in her little uniform...should have pics of that in a couple weeks...

Ryan turned 10!!!

I just did this whole post and it disappeared before I could publish it...thanks a lot, Blogger! Ryan had his 10th birthday on Friday! A child entering a new decade makes you a little melancholy. Sometimes I really wish I could pause my life. Why must my children get bigger??? Of course it's so they can grow and progress and learn...blah, blah, blah. I just want my little babies back sometimes. But watching them grow and become independent is fun, too. Luckily for me, Jake has been such a little baby Ryan repeat that it's like getting to watch him grow up all over again. :)

Favorite gift: WII game--big surprise!

For our kids' birthdays, we let them either have a friend party or a nice dinner out with the family at a restaurant of their choosing. Ryan chose dinner out at Chili's. And like the Super-Mom that I am, I totally forgot to take the camera. Just know that we went, we ate, we enjoyed. :) And we spent...our family is growing, and a night out at Chili's costs a lot more than it used to...

Requested birthday dessert: Texas Sheet Cake. I don't blame him--I make an AWESOME Texas Sheet Cake. But it makes this whole huge pan, and it's like a gazillion calories per serving, I'm sure... Oh that I had more will power! Notice how he licked every single morsel from his fork! ( He is SOOO my child!)

All his loot. He had a great birthday and is excited to be in Webelos now for Cub Scouts.

Some of my favorite things about Ryan:

His calm, quiet temperament.

His blue eyes (they remind me of Tim's, sigh...).

His awesome piano abilities.

The way he helps with Jake.

His snuggles.

The fact that he actually sleeps in (which is more than I can say for the rest of my kids).

His love for puzzles (like me).

His awesome back-flips on the trampoline.

He is just a great kid and I can't wait to see who he becomes over the next ten years!

Pinewood Derby Champ!!!

Well, he did it! Last week, Ryan won his Pinewood Derby! The secret: the "wedge." We had very little time to cut out the car, so Tim just made ONE cut 2 nights before the race, and that proved to be a secret weapon. Either that or the fact that we painted it like the Texas flag. That must be good luck, right??

Ryan was pretty excited when he kept on winning--he only lost one race out of ten or twelve. The top 3 boys were really close all night, but Ryan came out on top. Tim was SOOOO excited. Ryan was sort-of excited, but nothing compared to Tim, haha! In the end, I have come to the realization that winning is much more fun than losing. :)

Blond Hair, Blue Eyes: Take 2

I've been wanting to do this for a while now--compare Baby Ryan pictures with Baby Jake pictures side by side. They are a little over 8 years apart and sometimes memory fails, but I'm always calling Jake "Ry-Ry" because he so reminds me of Ryan as a baby. And people who didn't know me when Ryan was little (and still blond) ask how Jake could have blond hair, and I say, "It's just a repeat of baby Ryan..."

They do look distinctly different, but yet so much alike. I sometimes think of them as twins separated by 8 years...what do you think???

Back to School

Well, the kids started school last week...phew! The last month or so has been crazy around here with our Disney trip (I'll get around to blogging about that now that school is back in session) and all our family visitors (also more blogging to come). I'm looking forward to a more structured schedule and some time to myself (with Jake, of course...).

Brandon and Ryan each started school on Wednesday. Ryan is in 4th grade and his teacher is Miss Schofield. This is the first year that he won't have an older brother at the elementary school with him. He had a great first day and seems to be liking school so far. Brandon is in sixth grade, which means he has moved to middle school, also known as junior high (how old am I?!?). I think I was more nervous about it than he was, but he loved it! He forgot his ID card on the first day and was freaking out a little, but everything worked out and Mom eventually got him his card. He likes most of his teachers and doesn't mind the uniform code too bad. He just wishes he didn't have to tuck in his shirt!

Sydney started kindergarten on Thursday. She was SOOO excited! She is in the same class as her two little neighbor friends, so she is thrilled about that! Her teacher is Mrs. Browning and she loves her! This year her school has changed the kindergarten schedule. Instead of going every day for half of the day, she will go on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every other Monday for the whole day. On her first day, I went and ate breakfast at the school with her, per her request. It was fun to watch her excitement! Then I dropped her off and drove away... Once she got home that afternoon, I asked her how her day was, and she said she liked everything except recess. What?!? She said it was too hot and she wanted to go inside, but all she could do to cool off was to sit in the shade. Never in a million years would I have thought that her least favorite thing on her first day of school would be recess! Oh, the irony!

I'm so happy they are back in school and things can get back to normal around here. I have high hopes of catching up on my scrap booking (I'm only 2 years behind...) and getting a lot of other things done. Just 5 more years and Jake can go to school!

Happy B-day Ryan!!!

Ryan Mitchell Bryson is 9 years old today!!! He is my original blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy and is so stinkin' cute! I remember when he was little and looked nothing like his older brother. People sometimes wondered if they were really related or not. I assure you they are. :)

He has always had such a sweet temperament. He is so much easier to please than some of our other children...such a wonderful thing! He is a total gamer and would play board games, card games, and/or video games all day long if I let him.

He is getting his wolf bagde in Cub Scouts tonight, along with 1 gold and 6 silver arrow points (more that either his dad or older brother got!!!). He has been taking piano lessons from his uber-talented mom this summer and is already doing so well! He just finished baseball and was a great hitter this year. He has decided he loves fishing and caught more than Tim last time we went camping. :)

I'm so glad to have him in our family and to have been able to watch him grow and learn up to this point. I can't wait to see what an amazing man he becomes one day! He makes me smile all the time. :)

Ryan's New Bike

The third grade students at the kids' school have the chance to earn a free bike each year from Tom Scott Toyota if they have perfect attendance and score proficient on their IRI (state reading test). Thank heaven, we haven't had any sick kids this year, and on the last day of school, Ryan got the certificate for his new bike! He has been so anxious! We went right after school that day and picked it up, then took it to the mountains when we went camping this weekend. He's only had it a few days, and it has a lot of miles on it already! Yea for Ryan!!

Playlist

So I spent way too much time today figuring out how to add a play list to my blog, but I did it, and nobody even helped me a little bit! It's no secret that I'm SO not good with computers, so I was pretty proud. I've also figured out blogging a little more...nobody tells you that you should definitely add your photos before you start writing, cause it's easier...thankfully I've figured that out, too, though.

The weather has been gorgeous the past couple of days! We planted to beginnings of our first garden in 6 years a couple of weeks ago, and our little peas and radishes are up and growing...make me feel so domestic! Tim and Ryan have been playing catch to get ready for baseball season--it's so fun to just sit outside and watch them...Ryan has improved so much from last year! I'm excited for him to start in a few more weeks! I'll take some pics of them practicing and post them soon. He also has his first Pinewood Derby tomorrow, so I'll take some pics of that, too.

I found out last night that Sydney will most likely have all-day kindergarten next year. I have mixed emotions...it will be so nice to not have my day broken in half by school...it's hard to be home at 11 am EVERY day. But I don't think it will be the best learning environment and she'll only have school 2-3 days a week--what do I do with her the other 2-3 school days?? We'll see... She registers next week, and I'll ask some questions at the school when we go.