My cute and crazy boys...

With a new baby there are lots of pictures to be taken, but lately I feel like I've been missing out on some cute pics of the boys so I decided to take a few the other night.

Bedtime

Bath time

I love my cute and crazy boys!

More Proof

Well in case you need more proof that Jake is Chris's kid, here it is:

The boys got army men for Christmas from my Aunt Steph and I don't know who was more excited, Chris or the boys! They started having battles lately and the above pictures are Jake's set-up for an upcoming battle with Chris.

Yesterday on his day off from school he sat in the living room for about a half hour setting them up just right. Its hard to tell from the pictures, but he set them up in a pattern. When Chris saw this last night he was incredibly proud:-) Not only was his son prepared for battle, but he had set them up so perfectly, just like dad would do!

Time to explore!

It seems that Rylan's curiosity button has been switched to on lately. She's been trying all sorts of new things, some good and some that could cause some troubles ;-) Most of it is your usual, trying to pick up more things, trying to move around, etc. But some of it seems a bit early and/or advanced! Let the crazy begin!

So here's what we've got...

She's gotten a lot better at rolling over from her stomach to her back. She now knows when she's doing it as opposed to doing it by accident in her sleep - which still happens a bit. And she can now do the back to the stomach roll, but that still seems to take a lot more effort. I've noticed that if she's on her play mat she tries to grab onto something to help pull herself onto her side, sometimes it helps and sometimes not so much. If I get her to her side she finishes the roll with no effort at all, I think its just putting it all together in one sequence that she's still having a little trouble with, but trust me she's working on it and she'll get it soon enough.

She can sit up now! Most of time when you put her in a sitting position she leans over and holds herself steady with her hands and can stay that way for quite a while. I've also been able to get her to hold herself upright for a few moments before toppling over. And she has no trouble sitting if someone holds one of her hands for a little support. It should be no time at all before she's able sit with no support for longer periods.

She has figured out a form of crawling, its on her back! I think this is quite funny. When she's on her stomach she's able to lift all the way up, but really doesn't try to go anywhere. But when she's on her back you see her digging her heels into the floor and moving all about. She's not going more than a few feet, but I don't see that lasting too long. Jake starting crawling at 4 months and had it mastered by 6 months, Brenden had the army crawl at 4 months and "regular" crawling by 7 months, so Rylan crawling on her back at 4 1/2 months seems about right.

Another new thing I've noticed over the past few days is that when I give her a pacifier at naptime/bedtime she's trying to pull it out and then seeing if she can put it back in her mouth again. This seems good in theory, and eventually when she gets it it will be good, but for now its a bit annoying because she's keeping herself up and then getting frustrated. Tired and frustrated are not a good combination for 5 month old babies, or for 32 year old mothers. She only gets the pacifier in bed, but today I gave her one while she was in her exerciser to see what she would do and the same thing happened. She first tried to take it from me so she could put it in herself and then once it was in she tried to take it out and repeat the process.

The last thing I've been seeing more of lately is she doesn't seem to want to stay put. Meaning whatever contraption she's in she wants out. I put her in a bouncy seat while I take showers and the other day I saw her trying to figure out how to unlatch the buckles that keep her in. She sat there fidgeting with it for five minutes determined to figure out how it worked. Also, at the pool on Monday she figured out how to get out of her carseat when I didn't have her strapped in, luckily the carseat was on the floor instead of the bench, that could have been quite the head bonk otherwise! She stretched her body out to move down the seat and then she could feel it tip forward and she started moving a bit faster until she slid right out onto the floor, it was quite the sight to watch.

Needless to say, things are about to get a whole lot more crazy around here! Chris has also been working on walking with her...because you want to get the third child walking ASAP (said with A LOT of sarcasm). I took my first steps around 6 months according to my mom so its not out of the question to see her walking soon, but I would be MORE than fine with her waiting a bit.

I just have to accept that have movers and shakers and that's the way its going to be. Quite frankly, I don't think I would know what to do with a quiet, chilled out kid ;-)

On another note, the boys are great, driving me crazy at times, but great. Chris's parents left for warmer climates for the winter and offered to take the boys for the weekend before they left. The boys had a great time and it was really nice for Chris and I to have some quieter time. We left Rylan with a sitter one night to go to dinner, which we hadn't done in forever. The boys had a lot of fun and were spoiled to death, as they should be when they are with their grandparents:-) I think it was good for them to be the center of attention for a couple of days and to get away from Chris and me. As much as we love the boys and the boys love us, it is always therapeutic to have some time away, Thanks so much Ginger and Pete for taking the boys!

A year in review

2010 has come and gone, but certainly won't be forgotten. The Eby family had a great year, one that might not be topped for a while.

January

10th - first ultrasound of Rylan to see that everything was looking good - we found out Christmas day I was pregnant

23rd -Jake, my baby, turned 5!

February

1st - Brenden turned 3 and soon would no longer be the youngest

10th - Second ultrasound of Rylan, we weren't supposed to have one, but she was hiding and we couldn't get a heartbeat so they brought out the ultrasound

March - kind of uneventful, dive meets and work

April

9th-11th - First time coaching at Nationals! Legacy finished 3rd!

12th - It's a girl! Rylan's 20 week ultrasound where we found out we would be having our first girl!

May - another quiet month

June

4th - The boys "graduate" from Pre-school. Jake would be moving on to Kindergarten in the fall and Brenden would be one of the older kids in his class

14th - boys start their first official class of swim lessons - Jake did great and Brenden wasn't too interested, but by the end of summer seemed to be coming around

July - INSANE MONTH!!! So busy with work, coaching, kids, pregnancy, you name it! The boys and I did travel to Arizona for 10 days so that I could coach at summer nationals and so the boys could have some time with Mana (my mom). It was a lot of fun, but really tiring and made me more than ready to deliver Rylan!

August

16th - started my eigth season with the Pioneer Women's Swim and Dive team

17th - Welcomed Rylan Josephine Eby to the world at 6:12pm

30th - Back to coaching at Pioneer...world's shortest maternity leave! :-)

September

8th - Jake starts Kindergarten, my little man is growing up!

October, November, December

A total blur! After having Rylan, Jake starting kindergarten, Brenden back in pre-school, Chris traveling for work, and me back coaching it became hard to separate the days, weeks, and months! I do know that it was a lot of fun most of the time and a lot of work all of the time, but I wouldn't change a thing.

I have felt immensely blessed for my wonderful family. They keep me going each day and support me 100% so that I can be the best mom, wife, and coach that I can possibly be. 2010 was a great year! And looking forward to another great one in 2011!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas has come and gone...

We, more like I, survived Christmas! It really is crazy with three kids to manage, especially with this being our first Christmas with a full, fledged baby - both boys were nearly a year old for their first Christmas. We had lots of fun with family and we were able to keep things pretty low-key.

Christmas eve day my dad came over to celebrate and open gifts with us. When my dad asked the night before what he should bring to eat for lunch I honestly hadn't thought about it so I asked the boys where they promptly replied "Cheeseburgers and Macaroni". I told my dad we'd think about it as this didn't seem the ideal christmas eve feast. Well the boys were pretty insistent, so they got their wish and Papa (my dad) brought them McDonald's, obviously they were thrilled! And the rest of us just snacked and enjoyed the delight - and a fry or two - from the boys. We had a nice couple of hours opening presents and playing with the new gifts. The boys received books, Michigan Pj's, lincoln logs, games, and some clothes. And their "big gift" was a full set of instruments and power tools! The boys had a blast with both. The power tool set came with a drill, chain saw, saber saw, circular saw, blow torch, jack hammer, and safety goggles and helmet, everything you could need except ear plugs or aspirin to survive all the noise! The instruments were a recorder, triangle, moroccas, tamborine, and all the other little noise makers I remember from my grade school days. We got everyone to grab an instrumentand we all rocked out together as a band, it was pretty funny! Rylan got a new outfit, a stuffed animal doll, and some new books, but I think she most enjoyed watching the boys act crazy and excited with their new gifts.

After my dad left we enjoyed a quiet evening. The boys and I made chocolate chip cookies to put out for Santa. Chris finished making his homemade meatballs and sauce for all of us to eat for dinner. We had the fire going all day and night, it was very warm and cozy with the Christmas spirit everywhere! At bedtime the boys got to read "The night before Christmas" with their Grandman (Chris's dad) narrating the story, they loved it! Of course they also were full of energy and super excited for Christmas to come. We tried to explain that if they didn't go to sleep then Santa might not stop with gifts, after a little arguing they seemed to buy it and finally went to sleep. Once the boys and Rylan were in bed it was time for Chris and I to wrap presents and stuff stockings. Surprisingly we were able to finish by 10pm, I thought for sure it would take us until midnight at least! After setting everything up and putting the presents in their places, Chris and I enjoyed some nice quiet time by the fire with a drink and watched a show, a great way to end Christmas Eve.

Jake so excited for Christmas he put socks on his hands - strange boy!

Christmas day was wonderful, and VERY long. Brenden crawled into bed with me and Chris around 2am, Rylan woke up to eat around 3:30am, and Jake came in our room sometime around 6am saying "he was too excited and couldn't sleep anymore!"

The boys up bright and early - well not bright since it was still dark outside

We first opened stockings before breakfast since the boys were so excited. I thought this was a bit of an off year for me in the stocking department, but everyone seemed to enjoy everything they got. Poor Rylan only had three things in her stocking, but was very pleased with the $0.80 plastic keys!lol. The boys got the a few small toys, socks, underwear, an ornament, and some new markers and paper for coloring.

After we made a nice breakfast - waffles, eggs, bacon, cinnamon rolls, and orange juice. Its so rare these days for all of us to sit down to a nice breakfast, it was really great! After breakfast it was on to the presents! Everyone got exactly what they asked for and so, so more!

Santa, grandma and grandman, and our family were quite generous for Christmas this year. Chris's parents sent lots of gifts, some from them and some from "santa". Chris and I had some gifts from us and some from "santa" as well. The kids all got clothes, books, and movies. Rylan got a new doll especially for teething and has been thoroughly enjoying it. Brenden got a new race track and Jake got a marble track as their "big" gifts. The boys and Chris also received survival packs from Santa - really Grandma and Grandman - that were a big hit. The kids enjoyed all of their gifts and so did Chris and I. Somehow I managed to not take a single picture, but Chris got lots on video.

The rest of the day we played, relaxed, talked with family and friends, and just enjoyed being together. We decided not to go anywhere and the boys had a nice dinner the two of them and Chris and I had a nice dinner the two of us after all the kids were asleep. It was a lovely Christmas!

The Mantle with all of our wonderful Christmas cards!

Thanks to everyone who sent one, we love seeing everyone and it makes the house feel so festive!

Christmas with Mana

My mom came into town from December 8th to the 18th. While she was home we celebrated Christmas with her and my Aunt Steph, Uncle Don, and Bamma (My mom's mom). My mom and brother first did Christmas at my Aunt's house and had dinner and when they were all done, everyone came over to our house for dessert and presents. For dessert I made my mom's homemade Chocolate mousse pie, it was just as good as I remember it from my younger days! Jake was a little disappointed, he was expecting a cake not a pie, but quickly got over it when he saw all of the presents to open.

Pictures of my Mom and Bamma before they came over:

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As usual, everyone went overboard on gifts. They were all very thoughtful and did much more than we needed. The boys got new Batman Pj's, some clothes, a cardboard Rocket Ship playhouse, legos, and much much more. But the big hit were the Leap Frog Leapster Explorer. They are a hand-held game system for kids where the games are to help with different types of learning, i.e. math, spelling, language, etc. The boys have been playing with them non-stop, they even went through one set of batteries in less than a week! I'm hoping they'll be good for long car rides and plane trips.

The boys in their new Pj's

Brenden investigating the present before opening

Brenden playing with his new Woody - Wow that sounds bad...lol

The night of this celebration was the same night as our first big snowfall here in Michigan so it took a while for everyone to arrive. By the time everyone made it here it was nearly bedtime for Rylan. She was able to visit with everyone for a bit and she got to show off her big smile while we changed into Pj's, but she didn't get to "open" any presents. Once I got her down to bed, Chris and I opened her presents for her. The next morning she learned that she had received lots of cute new outfits and a new play mat that made animal sounds, as you can imagine, she was thrilled:-)

Rylan with Me, Bamma, and my Mom

Rylan getting ready for bed - her favorite time as you can see by the big smiles

We had a great time. It was so nice to have everyone over. Even though it wasn't actually Christmas day, the Christmas spirit was everywhere!

This is what happens...

My mom is in town for the next week and a half to celebrate Christmas with our family. And when Mana is home in the winter it means UofM Basketball games for the boys. Both boys went with my mom and brother to the game tonight and here are the pictures my brother sent me tonight from the game....apparently they had a little trouble with the law :-)

"It wasn't us officer"

"Let's see what you've got there, son"

"Looks like I'm gonna have to call this one in"

"It was me, I did it! Please, take me instead!"

Looks like all trouble could be forgotten with a silly picture of Brenden

Looks like it was quite the fun time! Can't wait to hear all about it :-)