i like to ride my bicycle...

we head over to lafayette park (luckily it's right next door) just about every day so ryder can cruise on his bike. he is so good, we just can't believe how easy he is making it look, what a natural!

quinn is desperate to ride too. i bet she will be cruisin on the wooden bike in the fall.

skinny quinny

quinn had her wellness checkup today and she is happy and healthy! she is 23lbs and 33.5" (long and lean....yeah, i'm jealous of a 1 year old). she is also starting to wear big girl undies (only because they look super cool) and is clearly making the transition from our baby girl to our big girl.

the par-tay

we all had a blast at the park. yummy food, super bubbles (thanks for the recipe mom), a beautiful day, and the best cupcakes ever!! (i used the raspberry cake recipe from shelly, which she used for josh's 5th b-day, and frosted them with the bestest frosting ever-which is a recipe that comes from my mom.....so mimi and grandmama helped make ryder's party a hit this year, thank you!)

the three amigos. i said make the sweetest face possible, and this is what ryder comes up with, what a little goof ball.

to see more pics from the party click here

july 25th

the day finally came, ryder is 5! a whole hand:) we started our day with birthday breakfast, which consisted of cinnamon bread, greek honey yogurt with fresh berries, juice, and a huge box of trix (can you believe it, i asked ryder what he wanted to eat for his birthday breakfast, anything i said, and he wanted trix, those damn commercials won again!). he opened all his wonderful presents, and then we packed up and headed to golden gate park for his party.

taking a moment to reflect

as ryder, quinn and i were finishing up our bedtime stories, i said to ryder, "this is your last night being a four year old." he got a little quiet, we looked at each other silently, and tears just started to weld up in our eyes. he said, "i still want to be 4, i like being 4". it was such an amazing moment to share with him, reflecting on a year that has passed, watching it go, letting it go, and then being excited for the new year to come! we are saying good bye to 4, and greeting 5 with open arms:)

working with color

today ryder got to go with jesse to the art studio. they listened to neil young, mixed paints, learned about the color spectrum, made color swatches, did a few paintings, played darts, and had a popsicle on their way home. do you think ryder will want to that again.....yes, indeed! we are hoping to work studio time into the schedule once a week.

his creative juices were still flowing, so we had to get some supplies out on the table.

and quinn just loves art! has mastered the crayons, and now is onto the paints (non-toxic, of coarse!)

lucky girl

our neighbor brought us some cupcakes this morning, so after our brunch we all had one. quinn was hilarious eating hers, and making this goofy squinty face (which looks similar to her grandpapa's) every time she would take a bite!