We're ready

15 minutes until the first big wave hits...but no worries, our little guy is ready!

Three happy confessions (sounds a lot like a Chinese dish, eh?)

I've been holding out on you guys. There's been a lot going on lately, but I've been relatively mum just in case things don't work out. But since I've never been one to practice restraint, why start now, right? ;-) But before I jump in, allow me this one kinda-sorta disclaimer paragraph-

I recently read a great quote- "Today a peacock, tomorrow a feather duster." And I love the simplicity of the quote, but it's also pretty applicable to my life right now. Because for a very long time now, I have felt like a feather duster. For many years, I was a chubby, dowdy feather duster. And lately, I've just been a dowdy, tired, broke, chunky, boring, unemployed stay-at-home feather duster living in her parent's basement. Stupid feather duster. But thankfully, in many ways beyond what we have ever asked for or deserve- things are starting to look up.

Happy Confession #1- We're in the process of selling a couple of acres of land down in Napo'opo'o. It's a huge loss, but this is okay because we will be using the money to...

Happy Confession #2- ....buy an amazing home in nearby Keauhou Uka (a whole half mile from my parents)! If and when we actually close on the house, I will definitely post pictures!

Happy Confession #3- Again, if all goes well, we'll have a little $ left over to take our annual vacation this year after all (we were prepared to forgo it due to finances this year and just do the staycation I mentioned a few days ago). So now instead of going to Oahu, we're going to NYC (one of my favorite cities in the world) for a week, and then CA for a week (we'll spend 3 days in San Diego with friends and family, and then 3 days up in San Fran with my brother Joey)! This will be Mister Rizzle Fizzle's first trip back to the land of his birth (thank God I kept a bandana in his size), so we think he'll have a great time.

It was difficult picking where to go. Asia & Europe are still too far with a young 'un (there's a reason people don't travel THIRTY TWO HOURS with a 1-year old to Vietnam). So we agreed that we'd do a 2nd year in the good 'ol US of A ('09 took us to Seattle/Alaska), and after much lobbying on my part- NYC it is! It will not be our first trip (pics below).

Atop the Empire State Building in 2003

In our first trip to the city back in '03, Roy looked about the same. I, on the other hand, was about 10,20,30,40 45 pounds heavier. But only because I was taking copious amounts of a special hormone medication (called Pringles potato chips).

Celebrating New Years in Times Square in 2006

Even though we've done nearly everything we've ever wanted to do in Big Apple, its one of those vibrant cities you never get tired of exploring. I've already drawn up a list of things I want Ryan to see and do (since all 1-year olds remember everything they do on vacation, right?)- the Bronx Zoo, FAO Schwarz, Kay Bee (that indoor ferris wheel!), Central Park, etc.

I've also put in a request for a tour of the Federal Reserve Bank (remember folks, I'm Asian), and will OF COURSE be dragging the family across the water to New Jersey so we can get some cannolis from Carlos' Bakery (and maybe sneak a peek at Buddy & the gang from Cake Boss)! I also dreamed of going to high tea at the Russian Tea Room, but when I saw that $50+pp basically gets you some hoity toity Russian ambiance and dainty finger sandwiches, I decided to just flip through our old Hermitage Museum photos (in St. Petersburg, Russia) while eating a foot-long from Subway. It's roughly the same experience, and for only $5 a foot-long, aren't I thrifty?

And because I don't want Roy to feel like he was brought along only to serve as our baggage porter (no worries, we plan on tipping him, I have plenty of quarters)- I've made sure to put in a request for some Letterman tickets and have also scheduled a trip to MoMA (boy...can't hardly wait) for us. He's also requested that we go to...wait for it...Disneyland. I know, right? But he insists it's part of his childhood memories and so we must.

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Happy Confession #4 (bonus confession)- Roy & Josie are not our real names. Well, not totally. My parents have called me Josie my entire life, but my real name is Jolene. And I gave Rich his name (Roy Samuel Yoder) back in '03 when we were in Amish country and I decided that while we were there, we both needed Amish names. You know, so we would blend in better. Because once this brown-skinned Asian girl changed her name to Miriam Rebekah Yoder, NO ONE noticed me at all... And so pretty much since then, I've called him Roy as a joke. So while those our not our real God given names (and really, who would make a story like this up?), they are our names. I'm coming clean about it now because I can, and it's long overdue. When I started this blog 5+ years ago, I had a very serious job with a very serious goal- support the husband while he went back to school. So I wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize that, which included not using our real names in this blog, just in someone did a Google search on us and saw a picture of us mooning a kindergarten class or something (it was only once, the records have been sealed, no further details will be disclosed). ;-) And for the record, Ryan really is named Ryan. He did ask to be referred to on the blog as 'Mister Hot Stuff', but thus far, I have refused.

But the point of all this is- I am far beyond worrying about all that stuff now. So I'd like to be the real us now- Rich, Jolene & Ryan Spears (okay, so the last name isn't ours, but I swear, our last name does rhyme with Spears!).

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So things are definitely looking up, and I'm thrilled. We've got some super busy, super exciting months ahead of us! Next up...the Kalopa camping trip in just 9 days!!!

One more pic!

Found this pic posted on someone else's Facebook album of the race yesterday...love it! We had no idea someone was taking race photos! If you can't tell from my big grin- we're about 400 yards from the finish line! My only regret is that it was just a few steps before my nephews joined us!

Oh, and despite being in worse shape this year than we were last year at this time, we finished the 5.25 miles in 50 minutes...good stuff for us! My favorite part of this photo is of course- Ryan. I don't know what I love more, the look on his face (he's probably wondering why once again, no one else is behind us...), or the fact that he's still in his shark and fishie pjs!

1 little boy + 2 cousins = fun! (Noisy fun!)

Ryan loves his cousins. Anytime he hears their voices off in the distance he instantly perks up and begins hopefully calling out for them- "Keeeeeni! Riiiiiiki!" So he must have been thrilled this weekend, because he got to see his cousins every single day!

On Friday night he got to run around with them and cheer on Grandma (& the other survivors) at the Relay for Life. And then on Saturday night, we met his cousins at the Old A kiddie park before hitting up Target. And if this isn't the cutest picture ever- Ryan being carefully escorted into the store by his two cousins!

This is what shopping would be like if Roy & I had two more kids (a FULL, noisy, chaotic cart), which I must note, would still be one less child than my parents had. It makes my palms all clammy just thinking about it.

And then on Sunday, we all met up at near the King Kamehameha Hotel for the Peaman races (1, 2 and 5.25 mile distances). It was Kenichi and Riki's first race ever! They ran the 1-mile distance with their mother, and we did the 5.25-mile distance with Rizzle. They waited on the seawall for us to finish and then ran the last 300 yards in with us, which was awesome, because it gave me the juice I needed to power through!

And then once the race(s) were over, I hit the road to run/walk back home (another 5 miles, for a total of 10) while daddy, Aunty Mika and the three boys played in the surf!

Daddy was too lazy to go back to the car to get Rizzle's swim diaper and swim trunks, so he got to run around in his soggy, white diaper before eventually going nude (again)! Roy thinks this is cute and funny...as do I, but I can't help but worry about a sicko wandering by, snapping photos and distributing them online. Perhaps it's paranoia on my part, but I told Roy the nude swimming may have to stop soon (he thinks I'm nuts...but am I?).

Ryan dodging the surf and giggling with glee! This kid just loves the beach, so we're still trying to take him there once a week!

And lastly...I wanted to post a picture of my most recent pottery painting project! It took an astoundingly long time for me to finish it, partly because I'm untalented, but mostly because I talk too much while I paint and by now, you should all know that I'm incapable of doing two things at once (unless it's eating and watching tv...I do those REAL WELL together).

And how does the perfect weekend end for our family? With another trip to Bubba Gump's of course! Is it sad that our 1-year old can chant the name of our favorite restaurant because we go there so often? :-)

Two more weeks until camping at Kalopoa!!! Whoo-hoo!

Grandma rocks

Tonight was the Relay for Life at Kealakehe High School, and that's my mom (a breast cancer survivor), second from the left, holding the sign and waving. And why is she smiling and waving? Because...

...her three grandsons all completely surprised her during the Survivor Victory Lap by waving signs (each one has a different photo with the three of them that says "My grandma is a survivor!"), noisemakers and cheering her on!

The boys went nuts once they saw Grandma, everyone shouted, cheered (even Ryan clapped and yelled "Yaaay! Yaaay!") and to our surprise, they all ran alongside her for most of the lap!

This was taken post Victory Lap with a very proud, very happy Grandma and her three boys.

I'm not sure what will make her prouder, the fact that all three boys surprised her, or the fact that one of her grandson's smiles (I won't mention names...because it wouldn't be fair to Kenichi) just might win him a Most Photogenic contest someday!

2 days into the 3-day weekend...

SATURDAY... We didn't want to fight the crowds on Valentines Day (psst! I got the greatest gifts ever, a three-year subscription to Us magazine & a pedi!), so we decided to celebrate on Saturday instead. Before we headed out, we got Ryan decked out in his new Converse slip on shoes from Uncle Joey...


...and took him to his favorite restaurant (1-year olds can have a favorite place to grub, right?), Bubba Gumps! Here's Dada & Ry Ry chowing down on some mud pie!

Then we took him shopping and tried to convince him that by wearing a safety helmet, he could significantly reduce his chances of becoming one of the hundreds of toddlers hurt each year in shopping cart accidents. He was not convinced. In fact, I believe his exact words once I put the helmet on his head were, "All done! All done!"

SUNDAY... Since daddy needed some study time to himself, I drove Ryan out to Waikoloa again (we were just there last weekend, but he had such a great time!) to spend half a day at the resort. Here is Mr. Saavy World Traveler, arm thrown up on the chair, cruising along in the tram. Though he looks cool and collected in this picture, he spent approximately 98% of the time in the train alternately applauding, laughing and happily shrieking, "Yaaaaaaay! Doors closing...yaaaaaay! Train! Train! Yaaaaaay! More train! Yaaaaay!" In doing so, he managed to convince approximately 7 other tourists to applaud along with him! God I love this kid!

After an hour or so, Ryan's beloved Aunty Mika and his two cousins came out to join us. Here's 7-year old Kenichi helping Ryan to see the dolphins!

And look which Aunty got suckered into plunking down $26.04 for single digitial image of her two nephews posing with a parrot?! Ah...'twas well worth it. They each got to hold the parrot separately, then together, and they loved it. After that we drove 2-3 minutes over to their daddy's restaurant (my brother) to eat lunch, where their daddy (the man whose photo is beside the word carnivore in the dictionary) surprised me with a delicious garden burger!

Later in the afternoon, we drove down to End of the World for a walk. Here are the boys at the entrance to the area (Likeleke Burial Grounds).

It's kind of hard to see the raised beds of rocks in the distance, but those are where the 300+ bodies of native Hawaiians (lost in a bloody battle there) are entombed for all of eternity. We did our best to avoid walking any near the graves, but at one point while exploring, we found ourselves in the bushes surrounded by little crosses bearing the word "Burial" on them. Whoops. We beat a hasty retreat and apologized.

We saw a few crazy cliff jumpers out there jumping into the high surf. We observed. Ryan wasn't feeling it because he said he forgot his goggles.

Roy was pleased to see that the rock pile he placed there in honor of the island's beauty a few weeks ago was still (mostly) there.

On our way back out, it took Ryan about a solid minute to notice that we were both gone (we were both hiding up ahead about 20 yards). Here's his big smile once he saw us!

From there we drove a mile or so down to the Keauhou pier so Ryan could see a few boats (which he loves).

I thought it would be hysterical to take a picture of me holding Ryan over the water, but Roy wisely counseled that it would be too Michael Jackson-dangling-Blanket-over-the-balcony-ish! And I agreed!

I love this photo- a happy, beaming little boy at sunset (and his son)!

...have we convinced any of you mainlanders yet that it's time for a visit?

Let the Elmo mania begin!

Ryan's 2nd birthday is still three whole months away. However, last year I made the mistake of not planning far enough in advance for Ryan's 1st birthday party- which meant I ended up doing maybe only half of the things I'd intended to do. But because I've since learned that planning a child's birthday party is only slightly less stressful than planning say, a wedding...well, mama ain't makin' the mistake twice! So this year, mama done already started! :-)

Even though Ryan's toy area is filled with Elmo, Elmo, Elmo...I decided to go with an Elmo-theme because, well, an Elmo cake is a lot easier to make than Ryan's current other interest- Thomas the Train! Or as he says it, Thomas Train? Thomas Train?! So now that the theme has been decided, here's what I've done over the last 3 days during naptimes and in the later evening after he's gone to bed!

The invitations- made in MS Word! I have no idea how to use any other graphics programs, so this is as good as gets, folks! (I blocked out all the personal info just in case there are any 2-year olds who religiously follow this blog and want to try and crash the party.)



The menu- Notice that we're doing a Sunday brunch? I've been wanting to host a brunch for years, and now I finally get my chance! I figure a brunch is earlier in the day and therefore cooler, but moreover, better accommodates naptime for all the little kiddies! I've already drafted a menu, which I'm pleased to say, includes...chocolate covered strawberries. Yum. Haven't made those since Roy's Nursing School graduation party in '06! My plan is to also make Elmo cupcakes for his preschool if all goes well...

The fun & games - I've decided that Roy and I will collaborate to make an Elmo pinata! Though I have some concern that my innocent 2-year old could potentially be horrified watching other kids beating Elmo's head with stick, remember- he was born in Riverside, CA. He can handle it. Moving on...because I don't want to fill the pinata with only candy, I've been searching for some candy-less options. One idea I liked? Bubbles! I found these tonight at the store and whipped up some Elmo labels for them! Now if I only I can find the other things on my list here in the islands without having to pay a ton in shipping charges...

The attire -I was cruising around the arts and crafts section (a first for me) this evening for inspiration and decided to make...Elmo visors!!! I can't believe how easy these were to make- I got the foam visor(s), some felt, craft glue, fabric scissors and ta-da! Instant coolness! I made Roy model this magnificent creation (I'm in near shock that I actually crafted something). But that's not all- I also scooped up two red tank tops (for myself and my mother) and a red t-shirt (for Roy) so that I can craft us all some Elmo shirts to wear as well!!! I tried to justify the cost to Roy by explaining that if they end up looking okay, that we can also wear them for Halloween with Ryan!!! So really, he should be congratulating me for not only being crafty and thrifty, but for saving the planet as well! (He wasn't buying it.)

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The decor - So far I've created 9 out of 12 pennants to hang from a wall that day, one for each month of Ryan's life from his 13th - 24th months (each one features a picture of him from that month) with red and orange Elmo-inspired borders. I also got red table cloths, plates and napkins so that it will basically look like Elmo exploded in our backyard that day.

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Ahhh, three months and counting...can't wait to see what else manic mommy comes up with- Elmo-shaped waffles?! Elmo-porta potties for all the guests? ;-)

The busy little bee

Life in Kona would just not be the same without cousins. They surprise us with early Saturday morning breakfast visits...

...they surprise us with later weekday evening visits to do artwork. Either way, once Kenichi or Riki show up, Ryan's face lights up!

Ryan does not find nature to be an acceptable place for flies (look at the exasperation!), and neither do I.

Lookin' pretty fly in his jacket and matching shoes at school...(everyone goes to school at a beautiful hotel right on the beach, right)?


Ryan sashaying around sporting the latest in toddler haute couture (Elmo t-shirt and matching red footwear by um, Jimmy Choo-Choo's?)...notice how he's already mastered the intense "I know I'm beautiful" model stare?

Behold....

Ask. And you shall (provided you are a VERY good person like me)...receive!!!!

So I've been desperately wanting a little pick me up lately, and whaddaya know- ladies and gents...can you guess who will be attending the Waikiki Spam Jam 2010?!?!

Did you guess me?! Did you?! Because IT IS ME! And how did this come to be? Was that rhyme intentional? You bet your sweet a** it was!

So yet another thing that I've been holding in for MONTHS is that we're currently in the process of buying a home. And though it pains us both considerably, we've decided that instead of attempting our first international vacation with Ryan as planned, that it would be financially prudent to take a staycation this year. I excitedly went into trip planning mode about a week ago, but did manage to heed Roy's one request that I not book our trip until after his last day of school, which was April 24th. And so...I tenatively booked our outgoing flight to Oahu for (can you guess?)...April 24th!!! Because that's just how I roll. Patience has never been one of my three two virtues.

So a couple of days ago I was at Borders flipping through a few guidebooks (because what self respecting local is gonna be caught dead with a Lonely Planet Oahu tucked underneath their arm?) when I saw it- a brief little mention of a Spam festival held every year in Waikiki during the month of April. And it's no small little shindig- last year there were over 20,000 attendees.

And it was at that precise moment that the skies parted, the angel choir started singing, and the sun shineth down on me. I rushed straight home, hopped online and immediately checked the date of the festival. And surprise, surprise- it's on April 25th. So if that's not fate, I don't know what is. Because what are the odds that the SpamJam would be held on the one week out of fifty two that I plan to be there? And what are the odds that I happen to be just the kind of gal who would love nothing more than to stroll around Waikiki in a tank top and shorts, my smiling son strapped to my back, giddily sampling Spam prepared 17 different ways? Yes, definitely divine intervention.

So aside from the SpamJam and a required trip to St. Louis Drive-In & Angelo Pietro's (restaurants I pay homage to everytime I fly to Oahu), the rest of the trip is pretty much all about young Master Ryan. I have an itinerary that would make any soon-to-be 21-month old drool with excitement- a trip to the Honolulu Zoo, the Waikiki Aquarium, romps in Ala Moana & Kapiolani Park, the Oceanarium, plenty of swimming on the white sandy beaches of Waikiki, evening walks around the Ala Wai canal, taking in a few free hula and fire dancing shows that are sure to dazzle and enrapture my little musician (our little boy loves performances), etc.

In other words, all is good. I am no longer quite so sad about not being able to travel abroad. Spam has once again, saved the day.

"If you don't create change, change will create you"

I haven't written a whole lot of text here over the past few weeks, and it's because I've been struggling with something. I was hoping to figure it all out and then write all about it, but I'm not sure that's gonna happen...so here goes.

Four years ago I started running (and yes, calling the speed at which I plod along at 'running' is a stretch). Nonetheless, running very quickly awakened a fortitude within me that I never knew existed. If you include training runs- I've run dozens and dozens of half marathons, a few full marathons (2 I ran, 2 I ran and walked), and dreamed of running an ultra marathon someday. I devoured books and magazines on running, and was euphoric after meeting Dean Karnazes & John Bingham.

Once I got pregnant I stopped running around the fourth month of my pregnancy, right when I started to feel uncomfortable with my hard, growing belly bouncing around (and yes, some women run until they're 7-8 months pregnant, but these women suck and we hate them). ;-) But aside from that break, I've been running regularly since 2006. So it both surprises and saddens me to say that for at least the last 4-5 months, I just haven't really felt like running very much.

I've written about this before, so it should not come as a huge shock to anyone. I guess I was just hoping this was a phase. Because I desperately wish that this wasn't so- I LOVE what running has done, and continues to do for my mind and body. More recently, it's nearly single-handedly sustained whatever withering self confidence I had after giving up my career. In fact, it pains me to admit that on more than one occasion I have pounded the pavement thinking, "I don't have a job. I don't have a nice house. I don't go on fancy vacations anymore. I'm not toned anymore...but damnit, I can still run 13 miles!"

So because I'd obviously LOVE to keep doing what manages to sustain my already fragile ego, I've spent countless hours trying to figure out why I feel this way-

Is it the hot and humid climate in Hawaii?
Do I miss the soft running trails of California?
Am I just embarassed at how much slower I run now?
Am I just busier/more tired now that I have a child?
Is it because I can't afford to join a gym right now and feel like I'm forced to (only) run?
Am I just lazy?

And of course, I have no idea why I'm suddenly tired of running. But I do know that my recent strategy of trying to ignore the negative feelings in hopes that they'll go away has not worked. In fact, maybe they've even backfired, because now I wake up on Sunday morning feeling pressured and resentful. Plus I've held it all in and...ha ha ha (cliche!), instead...have been eating all these feelings! [Feelings taste great by the way...they're just also very caloric.]

But I had good intentions- the half (the half that I've already PAID for, and no one laments this fact more than I, a part-Chinese blooded woman) is coming up next month. And since I've never dropped out of a race before (other than the LA Marathon in '07 when I could barely walk from my sciatic injury), I would feel like such a quitter/loser if I did. So I tried to ignore my internal misery by getting all 'old school' on my a**- Suck it up! No pain, no gain! Nobody likes a quitter! Would you like some cheese with your whine?! And then (surprise) when that strategy didn't inspire me, I tried the dangling carrot- Look who's getting a brand new, pretty pink Fuel Belt!!! Guess who just got a brand new, bright reflective Addidas cap?! And uh...that didn't work either.

And so here is where I'm at- Change is inevitable, even if you don't want it. Ignoring your feelings, trying to reason with your feelings, or buying off your feelings will not stop them. Running is not who I am. It is a part of who I am. Just as I struggled to (re)define who I was post-career (which as it turns out, I am/became a great mom, a supportive wife, an aspiring cake decorator, a runner, a baker, a candlestick maker, and someone who is increasingly passionate about healthy, vegetarian, locally grown, organic food) I will struggle to find out who I am without the running shoes. It will take time, there will be plenty of mistakes...but I will find a new set of challenges to take on. I've learned that in order to live a truly authentic life, it requires you to find the courage to not worry about what other people think (which includes that persistent, guilt-inducing, negative voice inside your head).

So I'm going to switch gears for awhile. Though I doubt I'll be hanging up the running shoes completely (I've still been dutifully putting in 13-milers every weekend), I will be running a lot less, and I will not be running the half next month. At this point, I don't know what's around the corner, but I'm pretty excited to find out. ;-)

"Change is inevitable, except from vending machines."
~Robert C. Gallagher

Saturday with Ry

Dear Ryan,

Even though nearly everyday is all about you, this Saturday was particularly alllllll about you. We planned a day trip to Waimea for the town's annual Cherry Blossom Festival and then Waikoloa, since you love all of the activities there.

First stop in Waimea? Giggles...the coolest toy store on the island. You loved the Thomas the Tank train table...and why not? At only $250 a pop, they're a steal (and by steal, I mean that's exactly what we'd have to do in order to get you one).


Once at the festival we were lucky enough to do something I've ALWAYS wanted to do- help pound mochi*!!! That's Uncle Joel and I pounding away while Uncle Jon's friend (and yes, all of our names start with J's, and yes, it's very cute...when you're like FOUR) had the uneviable job of flipping over the mochi for us amateur mochi pounders (thankfully, he survived with all ten digits intact).

*For the white folk- mochi is a sweet, steamed white rice that is traditionally made during the New Year by pounding it into a soft paste that is used to mold into (mostly) desserts. It's nearly flavorless, very sticky, and when wrapped around a sweet bean paste or peanut butter, very, very delicious. And of course, I force myself to eat it for the sole purpose of ensuring that our culture is honored and preserved. Sigh...is there anything I WON'T do for culture and the arts?

Here we are with Uncle Joel, Aunty Lynne, and the left side of Grandpa's body (I try to only showcase his good side) posing with our finished mochi, which btw, you were not allowed to eat because you tend to stuff your cheeks full like a chimpmunk with food and would likely choke to death on the sticky mochi.


You have always loved entertainment (clearly you take after daddy in this department, since mommy would rather read the lastest issue of Us magazine than sit through any type of performance). Here is a picture of you contentedly watching all the hula dancers at the festival.


After leaving the festival we drove home on the lower road so we could stop off at the Hilton in Waikoloa (I figure I owe 'em a shout out here since we frequently mooch of off them for free entertainment). And here you are patiently waiting for the tram/train to arrive!

On second thought, I need to amend that prior statement. Because on this particular day, even though your tired, sweaty Mommy single-handedly (daddy was studying in the lobby) schlepped you and your diaper bag across dozens of acres to see all the best attractions the resort had to offer...you most enjoyed running up and down this tiny grass hill. Like twenty times. Screaming with delight. Priceless.

You clearly have mad respect for the Buddha.

Your first camel! (And yes, I'm sure the Hilton Waikoloa LOVES it when classless, riff raff show up uninvited to their resort and plop their 1-year olds everywhere for cute photo ops).

...after stuffing ourselves on lilikoi mochi and macadamia nut brittle all day long, our long day ended with a healthy, redeeming dinner at home. We're not bona fide vegetarians, but we try not to purchase, cook or consume meat at home (spam being our primary, notable exception). However, this doesn't mean we eat nearly as healthily as we should. So about a month ago I made a committment to cook our family at least one fresh tofu-veggie stir fry per week (to be eaten with brown rice). So far, so good! This week's dish had a black bean garlic sauce and 9 different veggies- edamame, broccoli, snow peas, purple onion, bell pepper, carrots, tomatoes, green onions and zucchini. You were so appreciative for the meal that you waited two whole seconds before spitting it all out and asking for yogurt instead. What a gracious, good little boy.

Happy Saturday, Ryan! Hope you liked it.

PS- Thank you for being such a good boy today at Mel & Nando's Superbowl party and only asking out loud ten or so times to go home in front of our hosts and then waving and yelling "BYE!" to them excitedly once we said you could. Such a gracious child...

Love,

Mama

Smiley Ry!

I figure this is the only time I'll ever be able to strap a set of butterfly wings on my son without him getting beat up, so why not go for it!



Ryan and his two g's kickin' it in the hizood (their gold chains are all getting cleaned at the jewelers).