He's a Big Boy Now!

Ryder is a big boy now. The other day he and I went out shopping for last minute Christmas gifts and he got to go in the "big boy carseat" for the first time with mom. Boy did he love it. We sang songs and watched all of the cars go by on the freeway. He would talk as he saw something interesting as we drove by. It was a whole new world to him! He was so used to watching the back of the seat move around while he was sitting backwards in his old carseat for so long! What an experience it was! He was the happiest kid the whole day! As I look at this picture, I see Evan in him when he was little! It is just the most adorable picture...and I dont even know how I got such a great one! I took it with my phone while driving! Shhh...dont tell anyone! Lol!!! As for now, we retired the infant carseat and graduated! My little man is a big boy now! What can I say...it wont be long before he is driving his own car!

Karly & Bridget

These are 2 of my crazy best friends who are family no matter what! I love them so dearly and have for 18 years now. We have all been friends since our high school days and have always been there for each other throughout our good and bad times! Karly lives down the street from me and always comes to join my family for dinner and drinks. Her son Dylan and Emma have the greatest time together while they play and destroy Emma's room! As for Bridget, she now lives in Florida and just got married on December 14th. This is the day Tim & I met & started dating! What a coincidence! She is also 3 months pregnant with their first child. She is very happy and shines like the sun coming up over the mountains in the early morning! I am so lucky to have both of these girls in my life. They mean the world to me and we all will grow old together! We have been saying that since the day we all met! There is one thing that is certain, we will always be by each other's side and never let anything come between us! It is a true friendship forever!

Cousin's

Emma just enjoys her cousins. She loves to play with them when ever she gets the chance to do so. She and Bailey (top center) are "best cousins;" they are 2 weeks apart and are exactly like each other. As for her cousin Evan (top right), both of them are like 2 peas in a pod when they are together. There is no stopping them! They are so silly when they get together; everyone enjoys watching them! Emma's other cousins, Aeden & Austin (bottom left) are two of her favorite boy cousins on Tim's side of the family. She is just like one of the boys when she hangs out with them....there is no stopping her from getting "down & dirty" with them!

Me & the Kids

The kids and I went out and played in the backyard all day long. We took the hose and sprayed water all over each other and made ourselves look like wet dogs! It was a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed it a lot. Emma really loves to make sure her brother has lots of fun with her. Since she is the big sister...and knows it...she wants him to live life to the fullest like she does!

Talk About Pink!

Mom left for work one morning and forgot that she had the Ryder's carseat in her car. Well dad wanted to take the kids out for the day and needed a carseat for our little man. "What shall we do...we asked?" I thought of something quick and called up Melissa to see if we could borrow Macy's. She said yes, so Tim went up to the house and got it! What a man Ryder is! It takes a real man to wear pink...as they all say, right? I am sure that many people around wondered why this little boy was in a pink carseat, but hey...at least he was safe and following the saftey rules! Thank you Melissa and Macy for giving them the opportunity to go out for the day! You gave Ryder, Emma and Tim the opportunity to have a great time together as a family! You are the greatest! We love you all!

Ryder Stephen Spikes

Here is our little man! He is such a joy to have in the family. He is a character and loves to make people laugh just like his sister. On this day, he was with his Aunt Debbie and his cousins. They all went swimming over at his Aunt Stephanie's house for the day while mommy and daddy were at work. He enjoyed playing in the water all day long with everybody. As the day went on, he decided it was time to relax in his carseat and watch his sister and cousins play games in the pool. He was so excited and only wished that he could play along too!
So far, it has only taken him a few months from that day to crawl....he is crawling everywhere! We cannot keep up with him! Today, he is pulling himself up and starting to get the idea that he can walk around the furniture that he is holding on to. Talk about "No Fear!" He is going to be walking before we know it. He will be 9 mos. on Christmas Eve. Our little baby is growing up so fast right before our eyes!

Little Miss Social Butterfly

Talk about a silly little girl! Miss Emma Kate has the funniest outgoing personality and loves to make everyone laugh! This day she was over at my parent's house eating lunch. I took one look at her while she was eating and she immediately asked me to take her picture. She loves to be in the spotlight. I cannot believe how big she is getting. She is already 3 1/2 years old and wanting to be independent! She has proven that she can be at times. There have many days that her room looked like a tornado hit it and before I ask her to clean it, she is pulling me in to show me that she did it all by herself. I created a chart with her own chores that she needs to do. When she does, she gets a sticker and puts it in the box under the chore that she completed. It is the best idea and she loves it! She has said many, many, many times...."Mom, I'm a big girl because I can do it all by myself!" Talk about cute! I cannot say enough about how proud of a mom I am to have a smart, energetic and funny little girl named Emma!

Daddy and Ryder took the day to themselves while mom was at work and Emma was at school. They got dressed and headed out into the cold to go Christmas shopping. They enjoy each other's time together and take advantage of it when they can. Now that Ryder is 8 months, he loves to be out and about no matter where he is.