General Conference

Here is what General Conference looked like at our house:

We moved one couch up closer to the computer monitor & it felt like we were just watching General Conference on TV at my parent's home in Utah. :) The other couch was utilized to block the computer (since Ryan has figured out where the on/off button is)

Ryan loved going up the computer monitor and watching whenever the choir was singing. I would try to set him on my lap, especially whenever President Monson spoke & point, saying "prophet." His attention span was about 1 second long before he would squirm out of my lap and down to his toys. But I won't stop trying. :) I keep hoping that one of these days he will figure out how to fold his arms for just a split second even; I am also really hoping that we can keep him in the chapel during all of sacrament meeting this coming Sunday. Wish us luck.

I hope you all enjoyed General Conference. It was truly amazing! I am looking forward to studying the talks. Oh, and do you all have a copy of the October 2011 Ensign? It is all about The Book of Mormon. It is absolutely amazing!!! I'm looking forward to studying it as well. I haven't fully perused it yet. Incredible though, incredible.

 As I listened to conference I felt like several of my questions that I have been seeking answers to were answered. By the end of conference I felt like my eyes were opened a little to understand some things that I needed to understand, including some changes I need to make. I want to be a better person after watching conference. It was truly what I needed. How thankful I am to be alive at a time when the gospel has been restored in its fullness & there are living prophets on the earth again. I feel so lucky.

Play Time

A few pictures of Ryan at play:

 He has grown a love for this basketball. Still hasn't figured out how to roll it to you, but he will pick it up and bring it back to you & wait for you to roll it again. So cute!

 He found our boogy board in the laundry room. Now whenever we go in there to do laundry he pulls it out of the laundry room & drags it around the house with him.

 He loves to get inside the cupboards! Most of them have locks on them...but not the tupperware, cutting boards, or pots & pans. He probably gets inside the cupboards a few times a day.

When you play hard you just might get a little sleepy. You might try to resist it...but try as you might (read: "hold on to that foot as tight as you can") you just might have to give in.

Ryan's 1st Birthday

A few pictures from Ryan's first birthday:

I wanted it to be memorable for us as well as Ryan's grandparents and other relatives. So we had a Skype party. They picked up birthday cakes from Target and we all ate cake together and opened presents during our "Skype birthday party." It was fun. Ryan loved it!

I wasn't sure that I even wanted to give him any cake. But really wanted to decorate a mini one for him & get a picture. He ate a few bites & he loved playing with the frosting. Never too young to start playing with food, right?

 

 Then we went to Ocean Drive for a quick walk along the bay.

This was the best picture I could get of Jeff & Ryan (with Ryan looking at the camera). Unfortunately Ryan untucked Jeff's shirt & the wind thought it would pull a little prank on Jeff & make it look like he has quite the belly - which is not the case. I love that their facial expressions are so similar in this picture. So cute!

 We figured we would give him something a little healthier than cake for lunch (sweet potato, bananana, & avocado). He actually liked it much more than he did the cake.

Jeff called a few friends to come over for cake and ice cream. Somehow I missed getting pictures of our friends and all of the cute gifts they brought with them. It was so incredibly nice of them. It wasn't a planned "birthday party" by any means - just a last minute, "hey, do you want to come over for cake & ice cream?" They made him feel extra special & gave him lots and lots of attention.

We love little Ryan so much! What has happened to the last year? Where did it go? In some ways it feels like a dream that he was ever a newborn. I keep thinking, "This is my favorite age." Then I realize that I think every day and every stage is my favorite. Just recently we tried playing "hide & seek" with him. He loves it & has really caught on. It is so cute & so much fun.

Jeff told me once that his dad said, "Jeff, if you do it right it just gets better and better." Now those are true words. I love being a mom.

Future Texas Rodeo Star

Video of our little walker