Updates

Well, once again, I'm a bit of a slacker, so here's an update on Ryland life. Italics throughout the post are provided by Sam.

1. We went to Vegas and had a great time, even packing Jackson around with us. We didn't do heaps, but we did enough. Sam and I were able to go to a show: Ka (Cirque du Soleil), which was really awesome. And we got to catch up with my fantastic cousin, Boedee. Not only did she feed us a delicious home-cooked meal, but she also watched Jackson while we went to the show. Thanks again! We love you!


2. Sam became a budget cut. Next week is his last week of work, he's being laid off because of the new state budget. We're hoping to find a new job soon, obviously. (Sam wants to remind everyone that there is a bright side to unemployment: lots of pajama time).

3. Jackson turned 18 months today. He's so big. He loves singing the itsy-bitsy (incy-wincy when dad is singing it) spider (while trying to do the hand motions), riding his silly tractor toy, and throwing things. And he loves dogs. Hopefully he won't actually want one.


4. I guess this is the big one. We're having another baby (could also be a tape-worm, results aren't in yet). What were we thinking? (I know what I was thinking...) I'm pretty sure it's all Sam's fault. But, either way, it's happening. The arrival date is sometime around 20 Sept. I'm so happy to almost be through with the first trimester. And I'm sure Sam is pretty happy about that as well (no comment). Jackson, he's clueless, but he does say "baby" a lot, so maybe he has some idea.

So there you have it. You are all updated. Maybe one day I'll get better at this blogging thing and start giving all these updates their own posts. Maybe, but if not, oh well, I'm pregnant, it's a great excuse for everything, right?

3 years later....

Today is our 3 year wedding anniversary. I feel like we've been married so much longer than that...in a really good way, of course. We didn't do anything special today, but we are going to Las Vegas tomorrow for a few days, so that's our big celebration. We are taking Jackson, but we don't really mind sharing our trip with him. We're looking forward to some warm weather!

When I think back to our wedding day, I really think it was perfect! Well, except for the snow and cold. But it was a wonderful day, and we were so blessed to have so many of our family and friends there to celebrate with us.

Thinking back over the last 3 years, I definitely can't say that it's been perfect, but it sure has been fun. I know that I'm not always the easiest person to live with, but Sam hasn't given up on me yet! I'm so lucky that he still loves me! He really is the best husband that I could imagine, and my best friend. I think I'll stick around for at least another year! Love you babe!

And here are some wedding day photos for all to enjoy! Awww....

This is where Sam proposed, minus the snow

I won this race!

We got married on Grandma's birthday!

Update

I haven't had a whole lot to say lately, as I'm sure you've noticed. But I do have some photos that I'd like to put up, so I thought I should leave a little note as well. Jackson is getting so big and is so much fun. He has so much energy that he makes me tired just watching him. One of his new favorite things is to take his pants off. The funny thing is he can't get them off when his shoes are on, so he just walks around with them around his ankles. He's also starting to talk a little, although the only word you can really understand is "baby", which he says all the time. It's fantastic. He can also tell you that a cow says moo, a dog says woof, he wrinkles his nose like a bunny, and makes a fish face. I love it! He was also super helpful with the sugar cookies we made for Valentines Day. He had flour everywhere, but was pretty good at using the cookie cutters. What a big helper!

He spent most of a whole day like this.

Our new family Valentine's traditions, heart-shaped pancakes. I was surprised it turned out so well! Nice job me!

How could you not love this face?

Jackson helping with the sugar cookies!

Surgery

Well, yesterday was a big day for our little man, Jackson. He had to have surgery. It wasn't a big deal, it was simple and straight-forward, but still a little bit nerve wracking for a mum. He had one undescended testicle (how embarrassing for him, hu?) that they had to surgically pull down. One day, he'll probably be really mad that I told everyone about it! Poor kid!
Anyway, we had to go up to Primary Children's, and for the first couple of hours of waiting rooms, Jackson thought he was in heaven...so many toys, and paintings on the walls. We were a little afraid that they might cancel him because of ear infections that he's recovering from, but luckily he passed and we were able to go ahead. Finally, we sent him off with the doctor, as he calmly waved goodbye to us, unaware of what was coming. Good thing he's not afraid of strangers... although maybe he will be now!
While he was out, we continued waiting. It's really tiring. But, they brought us some complimentary breakfast goods, so we can't complain too much. After about an hour and a half, the doctor came in and told us they were finished and everything was fine. We just had to wait for him to wake up. Everytime the phone rang, I would think it would be for us, and when it wasn't, I got a bit worried he wouldn't wake up. But...he did, and he was such a trooper! He had a little trouble keeping stuff down, but once that was worked out, he was great. Even after we got him home, he just played and was happy, like it was any other day. I haven't even had to give him the extra strong drugs. What a tough kid.
We are really happy that the whole adventure is over with, and very happy with the great doctors at Primary Children's. Now we just have to keep him from straddling anything for a month. I'm pretty sure that'll be the hardest part of all!

He was so cute in his little hospital clothes

He's ready to go. I love this face!

Happy New Year. We're a little late.

Hi there. Well, I was thinking of writing a "New Year" post, and then never did. So, now that January is half over, I thought I'd better get onto that. Guess it's better than waiting until February, hu? As the new year has arrived, I have been reflecting on the many adventures that we enjoyed during 2008, and wondering what the new year will hold. (And I heard that some of your were inadvertently left off our first annual Ryland Christmas Letter list, so maybe this will make up for it a little bit?)(And for those of you who got the letter, this might be a bit boring for you.)
As for our 2008 adventures, there were many! We spent the first 3 months in sunny Brisbane, Australia, where we ate lots of fish and chips, drove on the wrong side of the road, and loved every minute with Sam's family. What a great way to start the year! (We miss you all!) Then on the way back to the U.S. of A. we spent 2 1/2 weeks traveling around New Zealand. We got to spend a week on the south island, which was definitely a huge highlight of the year. What a beautiful place! We spent the rest of our time catching up with good friends, where time went too fast! We love all of you down there in the southern hemisphere, thanks for making our year so wonderful!
Back at home, Sam finished up his final semester at BYU, and the day he took his last final, we headed off on a cross-country trip with my parents and little brother, Dustin, to see my sister, Heidi in Maryland. It was a long and wonderful journey. We got to see family, lots of history, and found out that driving through the night wasn't a great choice for us.
A couple of weeks after getting home, we moved into our new apartment, Jackson turned one and started walking, and our lives have never been the same! After a couple months of searching, Sam got a job, and not much has changed since then.
We really were blessed last year, and looking back, we can't believe all that we were able to do. Looking forward to 2009, we're not sure what the future holds (quite obviously), but we are sure looking forward to it! What an adventure!
P.S. If you are interested in "seeing" our adventures, you can find them at the bottom of the blog, on our picasa site. But I warn you there are lots and lots of them.

Jackson Dance!

Christmas!

We had a great Christmas! Isn't it wonderful? We were really excited about having Christmas with Jackson this year, since he would be at least a bit aware of what was happening. And we weren't disappointed! Jackson loved it. He loved ripping the paper off and dropping it on the floor. And if the paper didn't quite get to the floor, he would pick it up again and throw it until it did get to the floor. We didn't take any photos, but we did videotape for the benefit of grandma's living far away! He even took the time to play with each gift before moving onto the next one...he's very considerate like that. He got all kinds of toys, and loves them all. He's a spoiled boy. 

 We had our little family Christmas and then went over to my parent's house for some cold, but delicious, breakfast (cold was totally our fault since we were late) and opened yet more gifts. It was fun to be with everyone and see everyone opening gifts, I like it. Sam hadn't had much sleep at this point, so he went home and slept the rest of the day away, poor guy. We spent the evening at Vicki and Paul's (my aunt and uncle) eating yummy food and playing games with all of my extended family. It was great fun. All in all, we had a great day! 

Jackson getting into trouble in his new Christmas pj's

(He really loves the dishwasher)

Our little Christmas tree

This is my adorable mother and her ridiculous Christmas outfit. She was showing off the socks Heidi sent her. It's terrible, and I'm a little embarrased for her. 

Jackson and Malachi