Chillin by the pool

Ryan climbed out of the kiddie pool and, when I asked him what he was doing, he replied "I just want to relax" and then sat down in his chair...

Day with cousins...

Rachel and Kayla spent the night last night, and today we just enjoyed spending time together. Ryan was in heaven with his cousins around - We went out to breakfast, to the playground, and then later they played hopscotch and grilled out for dinner. In between they did a lot of reading to Ryan and he loved every minute of it. As a special thank you for taking such great care of thier litle cousin, I snuck the girls out for a manicure during Ryan's nap - which we all enjoyed :) We can't wait to see them again!

Bend it like Andrew

Today Ryan's Uncle Pat, Aunt Amy and cousins Andrew, Rachel and Kayla were in Maryland for Andrew's soccer tournament. After a little mishap finding the location of the tournament, we arrived at halftime and just in time to see Andrew's team come from behind and finish their second game of the tournament in a tie. Ryan was treated to an Italian Ice by his Aunt Amy, and lots of attention from his older cousins. After the game we all went out to dinner (minus Andrew who went to see the DC United play), and then the girls came home with us for a sleepover. Ryan could not have been happier, and we had a great time seeing everyone as well!

Another Friday...

...another Happy Hour at Austin Grill! Tonight we spent Happy Hour at one of our favorite Friday spots with the Karpewiczs and the Adkins. Andrew is not even 3 months old, and already a happy hour expert! Ryan really enjoyed entertaining Andrew, singing "Where is Thumpkin", and hugging him. He even tried to hold him, and was very gentle. And Andrew just loved watching Ryan, smiling big smiles at him! We have a trip planned to the beach with the Adkins family in July and are already looking forward to spending the weekend together!

No fooling him

A few weeks ago we went to the Curious George exhibit at a local children's museum. Curious George himself made an appearance, accompanied by a museum worker dressed as "The man with the yellow hat." He wasn't that authentic looking, and Ryan insisted (both that day and every time it is brought up since then) that the man with the yellow hat was not there. This past weekend, my parents (Ryan's Nana and Grandpa D'Agostino) were visiting and we talked about it again. My mom asked him if he remembered seeing George and The man with the yellow hat. "No, Nana. The man with the yellow hat wasn't there!" We said to him "Yes, he was there. We have pictures of him." Ryan responded with "No - The HAT was there, but the man wasn't."

The real thing

The imposter

Practice makes perfect

If you follow this blog, you know that Ryan will be a ring bearer next month in our friend Katie's wedding (only 2 weeks away, yikes!) Last night he tried on a suit lent to us by a friend...And it fits! My little handsome man...

Lucky indeed!

This past Saturday we continued our tradition of having friends over to watch a Triple Crown Race, while serving the drink of the race. This time it was the Preakness, and the Black Eyed Susan (Vodka, Bourbon, Orange Juice and Sour mix). For three years in a row (1999-2001), I attended the Preakness as part of the raucous infield crowd. That was certainly enough, and I much prefer now to watch from the comfort of my living room! I didn't get many pictures of anyone other than the kids, but there actually were many more adults than kids in attendance, and a great time was had by all! Super Saver lost any chance at a Triple Crown, with Lookin at Lucky taking home the Preakness title. See you all at the next race!

Bedtime for Ryan

Bedtime has always been easy in our house - We take Ryan upstairs, read 2 books, give hugs and kisses and down he goes into the crib. Over the past several months we have added singing the Barney "I love you" song, as well as going to the bathroom on the potty, to the routine, but in general the entire process takes about 5-10 minutes (depending on the length of the books he chooses). Of course there are times when he protests a little bit before we head upstairs, but it is usually very short lived, and we just continue on upstairs to start the routine. We know we are extremely lucky that he goes to bed so easily, rarely complains, and then falls asleep on his own - no asking for a drink of water, no asking for one more book, no stalling techniques. Last night, after dinner, Ryan requested an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on TV. We had finished dinner early, and he had not watched TV yet, so I agreed. When I started the show, I told him that after Mickey Mouse was over, it was time for bed. I made him repeat it back to me - "Ryan, where are we going when Mickey is over?" He replied "Going to bed." Twenty Five minutes later, as the episode ended, Ryan got off the couch, turned off the TV, started walking toward the stairs, then looked at me and said "Time for bed!" I just love this kid!!

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

I just realized that in my post Ft. Lauderdale girls weekend haze, I did not properly wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day!! I was gone for most of the day on Mother's Day, but when I arrived home my boys were waiting for me on the steps (dressed alike in matching polo shirts and shorts!). Inside they had cards for me, snacks, and a promise by Tim to cook me dinner after Ryan went to bed. Flowers and a large wrapped gift were also waiting for me - the gift was something I have been asking for for a LONG time - The Keurig! Yay! The snacks were hand picked by Ryan at the grocery store - carrots, pretzels and candy :) Apparently Ryan told Tim "We have to get her carrots. Those are her favorite!" Ah, I'm thinking I might weigh a little less if carrots were truly my favorite :)

Last year, I wrote a very sappy post here about my mom and mother in law so this year I will keep it simple! Happy belated mother's day to both my mother and my mother in law - truly amazing women in their own right who are also amazing moms, grandmothers, sisters, and friends to all that know them. I am lucky to know a ton of great moms and I have learned from each and every one of them. And to those who have not been blessed with a child yet but are longing for you - I know you will all make great moms when the time comes and I'm pulling for you!

Bits and Pieces

It's been awhile since I have blogged. I think it is a combination of not taking a lot of pictures lately to post, feeling like there is not enough time in the week to get things done, as well as preparing for a close friend's Florida bachelorette weekend (this past weekend) and upcoming wedding (one month from today!!) The bachelorette weekend was a ton of fun - you never know how it will go when you have 12 girls traveling together, but it could not have been a more successful weekend! Perfect weather, perfect company, TONS of laughs, lots of drinks and a permanent stomache from laughing. And thanks to my wonderful husband for letting me go and holding down the fort at home while I was away :)

So this post will just be a random collection of happenings with Ryan over the past few weeks

• I was hesitant to post about this too soon and jinx it, but Ryan is FULLY potty trained. Not only that, he basically potty trained himself. He has now been in underwear for a few weeks and has not had one accident. He sleeps in a pull up at night and has woken up with a dry pull up almost every night (with the exception of last night). I am so so proud of him!! I was not going to aggressively potty train until this summer but now I don't have to! I can honestly say I never thought he would be fully trained at 2 1/2!
• This weekend, randomly, Ryan looked at Tim and said "I am so proud of you!" For what, we're not exactly sure!
• Yesterday when I picked Ryan up at school, I stood there and watched him "cook" in the play kitchen with his friend Olivia for a few minutes before he knew I was there. I heard him tell her he didn't want milk, he wanted orange juice. It was adorable to watch them play and interact and then when we left and I told him to say goodbye, he waved and said "Bye Olivia!" As we walked out the door, another little girl said "Bye Ryan Doody!"
• Ryan's new favorite show to watch in the morning before we go to school is Handy Manny. One of the characters is named Mr. Loparte, but Ryan calls him "Mr. Little Parts." This makes me laugh every time he says it!