Ryder's Mickey Mouse Birthday Party at School

Can't believe it...my baby is turning 2! Wow,how the time truly flies! My mom, GaGa, came in for the big celebration and helped me out with all of the party prep. Thanks mom! Our first event was Ryder's birthday party at school. I am not big on character parties and will never have his real party be characterized, but I figured for school it was okay. Of course, he picked out Mickey "Ouse." We had d'lites ice cream instead of cake...big hit. He was SHOCKED to hear the birthday song with his name in, but loved being the center of attention for a little while. All of Ryder's schoolmates had a great time and so did he.

Painting and Potty Time

Santa Claus brought Ryder an awesome Melissa and Doug art easel for Christmas, which Ryder was super excited about. We have been letting him color on the art paper and use the chalk board, but we haven't gotten brave enough to bust out with the paints. Since Tallahassee has been having a ton of rainy weather we decided to just let him go crazy. Boy did he ever! He did pretty well at keeping the paint on the paper. Towards the end, he decided to paint himself though. Luckily, it washed right off.


We decided since he was enjoying himself so much that we would just add a little potty traning into it. Ryder LOVES to sit on the potty, but only "potties" about one third of the time. He thought that it was fabulous to get to sit and paint. Kind of like a comfy artist stool or something. Needless to say, nothing actually came out. Oh well...better luck next time.

Happy Birthday Gammi!

PaPa and Gammi came over for a little while this afternoon to play and we threw Gammi a small surprise party. Her birthday wasn't for a couple of days, but we weren't sure if we would get to see her. So, we had cake early. Ryder is not a birthday cake fan....not sure that he's mine. :)

Eyes!

Eyes are what Ryder refers to as glasses. They can be any type of glasses...reading, sunglasses, or Mr. Potato Head play glasses. He loves to get Mr. Potato Head's glasses and wear them as his own. He also likes to get daddy and mommy to wear the other pairs. I'm sure that they have to kill his little face because they are super tight, but heaven forbid you try to take them off before he is ready. I have such a silly little guy on my hands (strong-willed, too).

Fun In A Box

We had to get a new chair for our home office, and of course Ryder found the box and wouldn't let it go. He and Marley had a blast crawling in and out of the box. They are just so cute together! After a while, I decided to crawl into the box with the boys. It was quite a tight fit, but we had a blast hiding in that box. I think that the box has gotten more use out of it than the chair.

Ryder's First Day at Good Samaritan

Ryder started his new school at the beginning of the month, and he loves it! He goes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 until noon. His new school is a ministry of a brand new Methodist church across the street from our neighborhood. He is the youngest child in his class, which is working out so well for us. Ryder has grown in so many different areas after watching all of the older children around him. It's simply amazing!

His school offers so much for him. He has a dance class on Tuesdays and a Kindermusik class on Wednesdays. All during school hours so that I'm not having to take him to a million classes. I also take him for a Playball class on Monday mornings. It is a class to develop ball and sport skills in young children. This is definitely the best class that I have ever placed Ryder in. You should check to see if you have it in your area. The very best part, aside from teachers and staff, is the devotional time each morning. The entire school goes to devotional for a quick Bible story and songs. It is so precious and meaningful. I love hearing Ryder try to teach me the songs that he has learned at school. I love school!!!

For the Love of Peanut Butter

Flying Baby, Where's Ryder and Cheese!

Just another fun night at the Marks' household! Ryder loves for Nate to toss him into this huge pile of pillows on our bed. It's just hilarious! Marley really likes being thrown as well. Disclaimer: No babies or puppies were hurt during the process. Another new favorite is playing hide and seek with Marley. Ryder loves to hide and have Marley come sniff him out and find him. They get along so well! Finally, Ryder got his very own digital camera for Christmas and is now paying me back for the millions of times I've had him "Cheese." Now he tells me to do the same.

Happy New Year!

Happy 15 day late New Years! We have really been on the go lately so I haven't had the time or the will to sit down and blog. Here's what has been going on with each of us, and our New Year's resolutions...

Ryder: Started a new school (Good Samaritan Academy) on January 6th. He goes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 8:30-noon. It is AWESOME! He was going to a different preschool last semester, but the drive got to be too much for both of us. Ryder was having a few behavioral issues (he was the biggest in the class and taking advantage of it) and I didn't feel as if he was developing there as much as he should be. Now, he is the smallest and youngest in his new class, and the difference is amazing. They haven't had any behavioral problems, he is a much happier little guy, and his vocabulary and play skills have grown by leaps and bounds. Hooray! He can now say and recognize all of his ABCs, count and recognize 1-20, sing a few different songs, and tell me about his day. Everyone says that the twos are terrible, but we are really enjoying them...except for an occasional tantrum. Speaking of the twos, my baby will be two in two weeks. I am nervous/happy/sad/giddy about this birthday. I just cannot recall where the past two years have gone or what happened to my 7.5lb baby!

Nate: Started his second semester towards his Masters Degree. He continues to get busier and busier at work (no complaints) and school is a little bit harder this time around. On the upside, he only has two semesters left until graduation. Please keep him in your prayers as he goes through this crazy time. Somehow in all this business, he still manages to be the best husband and daddy that a woman, little boy and small dog could ask for!

Jenn: REALLY enjoying a little bit of free time while Ryder is in school. Right now, I am in total birthday party planning mode. I am planning a Mickey Mouse party for Ryder at school. Then, we are having a construction birthday party at home with all of his buddies. We are bringing in a truckload of sand/dirt for the party and letting the kids play outside. We have a few other construction activities planned and lots of cool food ideas. The decorations and favors are coming in everyday and I am SUPER excited! This should be a lot of fun with 17 children under the age of 3. Pray for me (and good weather)! I also have a birthday next Thursday, but it's just 27 so I'm not too excited about it. Other than that, I spend a lot of time at the gym. Trying to get into swimsuit shape for our upcoming trip to St. Thomas in March.

That should catch everyone up on the Marks family. I have a ton of pics that I need to upload, but I'll just save that excitement for another day. Hope that you and yours are doing great!