Missing my Husband....Blogging is a great distraction!

Well I know some of you have been hoping for a Ryanna update and I have so much to share. Ryanna is really growing and becoming a curious, sweet(sometimes spicy;), and active/walking little girl. Brian is gone this week to a training conference in Salt Lake and I'm already bored and missing him...so what better thing to do than blog about my beautiful daughter!

I brush Ryanna's teeth before bed and after breakfast. This last week I started having her stick out her tongue so I can swipe it a few times with the brush. She now loves to stick her tongue out at me because she knows I'll stick mine out too.

There are two cupboards in the kitchen that Ryanna empties about 5 times a day. One has all the cookie sheets, pizza pans, cutting boards...that kind of stuff. She likes to jabber to herself as she pulls them out and bangs them around. She also loves to sit herself on the pizza pan and use her feet to spin in circles.

She's got a mouthful of teeth now. 12 to be exact and I think another molar is breaking.

Today we got home from visiting Brian at work and Ryanna wanted to watch the kitties while she drank her milk. So I busied myself in the living room and after a while realized I hadn't heard Ryanna banging anything or jabbering. I went in to find her asleep in her high chair - a first for her. Lately she just calms herself down and falls asleep when she's ready. It used to be she had to be lulled to sleep for naps and bedtime. Now though I just read her a certain story, give her a kiss and lay her down with her glow baby, then I leave the room. Life is good!

I was pouring some milk when Ryanna got her hand in the door of the fridge and wanted to explore this colorful world. She didn't pull anything out, just wanted to look I guess.

One of the biggest event of the year is X94's annual easter egg hunt. It was INSANE! There was something like 4,000 or 5,000 people there. I have never seen so much candy in my life. One downer was the weather - windy, rainy, and cold. That didn't stop the thousands of kids from having fun grabbing candy though Ryanna didn't really get the hype. I'm sure next year she'll be all about it.

Here are the oh so talked about dumpster kitties. On this day we hadn't seen them. By dinner time Ryanna was repeating "kitties, kitties" so I thought I'd do something to entice them...so we set some tuna out by the dumpster and the two bravest kitties were grateful for the free dinner.
I can no longer put my hair in a ponytail so on lazy days I have to wear headbands. Ryanna wants to have pretty hair too and steals the headband at her first opportunity. Isn't she pretty!

Let me tell you a little more about our "house" or the promise of a house to be built. I had been keeping a close eye on the market here which unlike many parts of the US has remained strong. It is expected to remain strong long term because of the growing industry in the oil and gas fields but there is no crystal ball to tell us for sure. Just like Brian said I saw a listing online for a new construction home for less than what 20-30 year old homes are listed. We were the first family to sign up and give earnest money for the subdivision. The prices are considerably low for these homes because they need to get the first handfull of families signed up before they can start construction...therefore the lower the price the more enticing to the buyer. Once the first group of homes are built and there are model homes for people to see, the prices will be jacked up for the rest of the subdivision. They are still working out all the details of the construction, etc. so we are just waiting to hear what comes next. We are patient and excited!
Wow - Starting to WALK! This was one of the first times I helped her walk behind her toy...she's pretty wobbly at first.

Little by little Ryanna gained balance and confidence though anytime she'd run into a wall or couch she'd squeal for help. Now she is a pro with her toy walkers. We take them to Daddy's work and she walks all over the big gym. She loves it! Several times I've let go of her and she stands by herself but the second she realizes she is unsupported she sits down and reaches for me. She's physically ready to walk. As soon as she's totally ready I know she'll just take off!

Glow Baby how I love thee - let me count the ways. If your toddler is having a hard time going to sleep by themself try buying a glow baby. This has been the key to Ryanna going to bed smoothly every night. I love whoever invented this toy.

So far Ryanna's vocabulary includes: Mama, Dada, Hi, Bye, Puppy, Kitty, Dough Baby(for glow baby)...that's all I can think of right now. She also uses signs for More, Milk, and All Done. This day she was telling stories about "puppy, puppy."