Give Me Liberty

A couple weekends ago we spent the first decent Saturday we’ve had this year at Liberty Park. The kids played at the playground and ran up and down the many sidewalks. Ryan and I tried to keep up with them and also enjoyed watching the groups of people who were beating each other with foam swords. (Side note: Ryan spent a lot of time trying to explain to me why these people aren’t as bad as the people who play D&D. WASTE OF HIS TIME!)

We also took a loaf stale bread down to the pond and fed the ducks and geese. Well, we tried to feed them but the seagulls kept swooping in and eating the bread before the ducks could get to it. Dumb state bird.

After the park we went to dinner and Gabe had a great time sitting next to Becca and eating oranges. Becca teaches the kids such lovely things!

I have been having a really difficult time recently in my personal life and I find that I often get wrapped up in my emotions and forget the focus on the important things-mainly my family. I need to remember days like this and be happy. I need to remember that it gets better. So I hope you will all forgive me if I haven’t been keeping up on my posts. I am making the commitment to myself to try to blog more because it helps me remember all the reasons I have to smile. Much love to you all!

2 Year Celebration!

Last night Ryan's mom Linda sent me some pictures of Ryan as a toddler and some of Sera. I was blown away by Ryan's picture! I can hardly believe that the pictures are of my dark-haired husband. So after giving it some thought and getting a picture from my mom I decided to post a blog with pictures of all 4 members of our family when we were about 2-years-old. It is amazing to me how much Gabe looks like his Daddy. Hope you all enjoy these as much as I do.

Ryan at 2-years-old. His kids look so much like him!

Me at about 2-years-old. To me, I still look the same!

Sera at 2-years-old. She had such adorable chubby cheeks.

Gabe at 2-years-old. Such a big boy with such an adorable smile.

Much love to you all!

I Love Ryan Scott Baker

Last weekend my work threw a wonderful Christmas party for all their employees. The food was good and the dancing was fun. And the best part? PHOTO BOOTH!!! It was so much fun! Here are the pictures Ryan and I took and yes those are mustaches on sticks.
I love my husband and it was fun to have a date night with him.

My Good Looking Guys

On Tuesday Ryan had the day off from work and so he and Gabe decided to go to the park. It was cold outside so they bundled up and headed out. According to Ryan the park was empty so Gabe had free reign and loved it. Usually this park is packed with kids and Gabe gets pushed around a little but so this must have been a nice change of pace.

And this has to be one of the cutest dang pictures of the two of them I have ever seen. I love my boys so much and it is pictures like this that make me love them a little more.

Thanks to Ryan for being such a good dad. Some day when Gabe is older his going to really appreciate that you took the time to have special moments like this. Much love to you all!

Cross It Off His Bucket List

Ryan once told me that before he died he wanted to go skydiving. I thought he was crazy because unless it is on fire, there is no good reason to jump out of a plane. But I love him and want him to achieve his dreams so for our anniversary I bought him a tandem jump along with a video and pictures. Yay for him!

After many attempts and having to cancel because of weather, today we were finally able to get him out to Skydive Utah in Erda, UT.

Safety is the first priority so Ryan had to watch a video and learn a few things before he could jump. When it is your first jump you have to jump with someone which is called a tandem jump. The tandem master does almost all the work which takes a lot of pressure and worry of the first-timer.

After getting hooked up into his harness they got a few pictures of the family. My guess was this was just in case this is the last time we ever see Ryan in one piece. Just kidding!
Ryan's parents also got to be there to see Ryan live one of his dreams.

To jump safely the plane was to reach a height of 13,000 feet. It probably felt like one of the longest moments of his life but he kept a big smile on his face! I can tell from the pictures hownervous but also how trilled he was to be doing this. That was his tandem partner Avery behind him in the blue shirt.

So he assumed the correct position which looks similar to a banana with chicken wings and you jump from the plane to go free-falling to Earth. I love Ryan's face in this picture because he looks like his heart is racing and and he is having an awesome time.

And even while plummeting to the ground he is still smiling and giving the experience 2 thumbs up.

He is obviously having the time of his life!

Once you reach a certain altitude the instructor pulls the cord and deploys the parachute. On the way down, Avery asked Ryan if he wanted to do a few loops in the air. Ryan wasn't sure but agreed. He said the the first loop made his stomach do a flip but then he loved it and asked if they could it again. He is a fearless guy!

After Ryan landed and got unstrapped the photographer asked him what he thought about the experience and he said, "That was so bad ass!" He had a fantastic flight and could not stop smiling the whole way home.

For me, it was an incredible experience to watch the man I love accomplish something that was a big deal for him-he already wants to go again! Ryan is brave and loves to try new things. I could not be happier that I was able to help him achieve the dream. I love you Ryan and I hope that I can be there for you when to reach all your goals in life.

Good Clean Family Fun

Memorial Day weekend was rainy here in Utah. And if it wasn't raining then it was overcast and kind of chilly. We were lucky enough to have Ryan's brother and his wonderful wife in town until Monday morning. We went to the zoo, played games, and just enjoyed getting to hang out. We don't get to see Ryan's family very often so it is great when we get to spend time with them.

Monday afternoon we went with my family to Wastach Lawns Cemetary to pay our respects to my Grandpa Byron and my Dad's mom LuRee who passed away from breast cancer when my dad was a teenager. We also visited my Dad's Grandparents who I never really knew. My Great Grandpa passed before I was born and my Great Grandma passed not long after I was born. But my parents have always stressed the importance of paying respects to our loved ones and even though it was cold and wet, we took Gabe to put flowers on the headstones.

I hope that when you read this someday Gabe, you will remember these times as being happy and just as important. It is so important to remember those who came before us and made our lives possible. I hope that all my kids remember that lesson.

Here are my Mom and Dad in front of the headstones of my Great Grandparents. I picked this picture not only because it is a nice one of my parents but also because you can see Gabe wandering in the background. He was OBSESSED with all the flowers and things people had left-I was worried he was going to start acting like Gabezilla and destroying things but under our watchful eyes he did very well.

I also want to take this opportunity to say Happy 4 Year anniversary to my amazing husband Ryan. On Friday night he surprised me with a wonderful dinner at Tucano's down at Gateway and then we spent the night at the Anniversary Inn in the Mysteries of Egypt Room. I should have guessed that when left in charge, Ryan would chose a room with a Snake Tub & Shower.
I love you so much Ryan! This past year has been full of difficulties for our family. From skin cancer to custody battles, we have been through a lot together. I want you to know (along with anyone else who reads this blog.) that I know you are the greatest man I could have ever hoped to marry. You love me with all your heart and treat me better than I could have ever hoped for. And as for your skills as a father...you are incredible. Your love for your children and the depths to which you will go to protect their well-being in unsurpassed. You are an amazing parent and anyone who truly knows you can see that.

This evening we had dinner at my parents' house with Becca, Spencer, and Spencer's father Larry. Spencer is always the first to offer to do the dishes and tonight he had a special little helper.

Becca had me take this picture of the 2 of them standing at the kitchen sink. They are so cute! I know that someday (Hopefully Soon! Hint hint!) that Becca and Spenny will be great parents!

I was trying to get Gabe to look at me and when he finally did he was not happy that I was trying to disturb him during his very important work.

I guess you could look at the theme of this post as being "I Have An Amazing Family!" And it is true...I DO! Much love to you all!

Two Amazing Sundays!

On Saturday March 5th Ryan and I took Gabe to Hogle Zoo for the first time this year. When we went last year Gabe was still too little to really enjoy. But for Christmas Ryan's uncle Tom and his wife Annie got us a Yearly Family Pass to the zoo so we decided to put it to good use.

We weren't sure what to expect because we didn't know if he would get the whole "Caged Animals! Woo!" thing but luckily he grasped the concept. We saw the monkeys first which he went crazy over. He loved watching them jump from branch to branch and would giggle and clap when they got close to the windows.


He also liked the baby orangutan who was sitting right next to the window. He would put his tiny little hand up against the glass and the orangutan would do the same. It was fun watching them interact with each other.

But what Gabe really loved were all the birds. He wanted to pet the peacocks, chase the chickens, and catch anything with feathers. If it flew, he loved it! I think it is the bright colors and loud squawking that makes him love birds. It was really fun to watch Gabe show such an interest in them.

This past Sunday the weather was gorgeous so we decided to take Gabe over to the park. He, of course, went crazy over the slides and swings like always.

I love that it is getting warmer outside because that means we can have more weekends like this was smiles as big as this!

But like I have said many times before, it isn't always the special things that we got out and do together as a family. Sometimes it's the nights that we spend playing in the living room. Tonight was no exception as I caught this moment between Ryan and Gabe. Ryan was tickling Gabe to the point where they were both laughing and the perfect moment they both looked up and gave me the 2 biggest smile I have seen in a long time.

I love these two guys so much and cannot seem to get enough of them. Much love to you all!

For the Benefit of Mr. Kite

Today I wasn't feeling well because I had another headache. I think it is all changing weather plus the nasty cough I've had for a week but I've been get more headaches than usual. But when I got home the cool wind on my face felt so good that we decided to take Gabe over to the school across the street to try flying a kite.

The picture below is from a distance so I could get both Ryan and Gabe in the shot. And since you can't really see the kite I circled it in yellow. I wanted to prove that Ryan and I really can fly kites.


And natrually Gabe was very helpful in the whole process.

What did you say Internet? Is that a Yoda kite you ask? Why yes! Yes it is. Would we have any other type of kite? Honestly Internet...did you even have to ask? This is Ryan's son we are talking about!

So I am going to go find my lung that I think I just coughed up on the living room floor before the dog eats it. Much love *cough hack cough* to you all!

Secret Code

I really felt like I needed to write to Ryan today. So forgive me Internet. Forgive what is sure to be the most annoying blog you have ever read on my website. But with kids, work, and family, I never get to write about the man who is helps me hold my shit together.

You hear all the time that to make a marriage work you need romance, candles, flowers, and private dinners for two in dimly-lit French restaurants. But after being married for 3 years I have realized that although those are nice, they aren’t what keeps us going. (Yes Mom! I know…you are going on 28. But let’s be honest, lots of people don’t make it past 2 years, so I am going to praise myself.)

Every couple has their own secret language. Their own lexicon — phrases that have come out of some shared experience and have become an inside joke for them. I think it is that type of bond that really makes a marriage work. Knowing each other so well that you can communicate an entire feeling or moment with a word as simple as “Tam-poon.”

Allow me to explain. Ryan and I went to a restaurant close to our home one night for dinner. Towards the end of our meal, I had finished but Ryan was still picking at his steak. Our waitress, clearly distracted, came to the table and asked to clear our plates. I handed her mine but Ryan said, “I am still working on mine. Thank you.” The waitress then absent-mindedly grabbed his plate and began to remove it. Ryan held on and said “I am still eating.” But the waitress was looking in the other direction and kept pulling on his plate. Ryan then said very loudly and in one of the saddest voices I have ever heard, “But I still want it!” The waitress then realized what she was doing and apologized.

We can still look back on this moment and laugh. It was the look on Ryan’s face combined with his tone of voice added to the fact that his was holding onto his plate like a hungry kitten that made the situation so funny. And now when we want to describe a pathetic situation all we have to do is look at each other and timidly say, “But I want it.”

This is not funny to other people. In fact, you are probably reading this and wondering why you are still reading . But it is moments, like those, that in a very strange way make you closer as a couple. Those moments that you share and you can always look back and laugh about. They are what make my marriage stronger. And they always end up making me love Ryan a little more.
Ryan is an incredible man. Yes we have romantic dates and flowers. But I appreciate even more the special friendship we have together. He makes me smile and we always end up laughing even when things are not going okay. So to Ryan: thank you for being my friend and my husband. Our secret language may never make sense to anyone else but you will always know the following:

“By the rules that bind us…”
“Cause you’re the Queen of the Night”
“Seriously!”

Although we may NEVER make sense to anyone else, at least we have each other.

4th of July Fun

Not only did this 4th of July mark Gabe's first 4th but we also got Sera this year as well. Ryan gets Sera every even year so we were really looking forward to this holiday. Sera is so much fun and Ryan and I miss having her around. We feel very lucky that it was Ryan's year to have Sera because we were needing to spend some extra special time with her.

We went to Veteran's Memorial Park in West Jordan on Saturday July 3. There was a HUGE carnival with rides, food, a movie in the park, and of course, Sera found the petting zoo right away! There were goats, bunnies, sheep, a pony, and the cute pig. Sera said that is was really hairy but I still think it was pretty cute! And a special thanks to Ryan for getting this cute picture. I had to wait outside the pen with Gabe and Linda.






After Sera spent a couple hours riding on rides with her Grandma Linda, we all settled in to watch the movie flushed away but as you can probably guess, we had more fun playing then watching a movie. And Ryan being the great guy that he is, went and bought a glow stick and some flashing devil horns which Sera thought were AWESOME!


And even though it may not look like it in this picture, Gabe loved them too! It was so much fun hanging out at the park with our family, Grandma Linda, and our neighbors Jay, Rosie, and Logan. We snacked on chips and cookies and just had a great time watching the kids hang out.

And when it finally came time for the fireworks, I will admit that I was a little worried about how Gabe might react. But let me tell you something Internet, this picture below says it all! He sat in Ryan's lap the whole time and could not take his eyes off the fireworks. No crying or screaming. He was hypnotized by all the lights and sounds. It was cute to watch Ryan and Gabe share that moment together while I got to cuddle with Sera while we watched the fireworks together.

The next day on July 4th we decided to take a family trip to Hogle Zoo with Grandma Linda. It was great to be able to spend so much time with Ryan's mom this past holiday. It made everything even more special. Linda is always so much fun to be around and it is great to she her relationship with the kids.

And of course no trip to the zoo would be complete without a ride on the carousel. This time Sera decided to ride the kangaroo because...wait for it...she wanted to slide down the tail once the ride was over. She is always good for a laugh. Her sense of humor is truly one-of-a-kind.

And Gabe also got his first ride on the carousel. We chose something a little less exciting and went on the peacock. Gabe was having a great time until the end of the ride when I smacked his head on the giraffe. OOPS! But eventually he forgave me.

When all was said and done, I felt like the weekend was way too short. We had so much fun with kids and I wish we had another couple days. Thanks to Linda for coming down and spending the time with us. We could not have asked for a better holiday weekend!

He's a Real Mover

Hello again Internet! Another week down and not much has been going on. I will mention that today is Ryan's 28th birthday. Sera picked out a new shirt and jeans for him. Gabriel bought him the last expansion for his Killer Bunnies game. And I bought him tickets to the CAKE concert for June 19th. He did not have to work today so he spent his time relaxing with Gabe and playing with his new Droid phone. I will admit that I am worried he's going to have an affair with his new phone.

Now that I have said all that: TIME FOR BABY PICTURES!!!

This is a picture of Bubs with a wipe on his head. For some reason this wipe was really freaking him out. And the look on his face says it all!

A little later that day we gave Gabe his first real taste of an Otter-Pop. He loved the whole thing except he did not want to hold it-I think it must have been too cold for him. I also find it FREAKING ADORABLE that his food matches his eyes.

And finally this video is for Grandma Linda, Grandpa Scott, Great Grandpa Willard, and Uncle T. Let me start by saying sorry to Linda for not getting this loaded sooner. It seems like every time I went to take video, something went wrong with my camera or Gabe started screaming. But tonight I finally got it right and I give you Bubs On the Go! The quality isn't perfect but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Much love to all our all family and friends from Montana, Utah, and everywhere else!

Big Events

This past week has been very busy for my family. With mostly fun and happy moments but also a sad one. I will start with that because I feel it is the respectful thing to do.

On Monday morning my Grandma Diane's older sister, my Aunt Ruth, passed away. I didn't know my Aunt Ruth as well as my sister or my brother did, but the moments I did share with her were often filled with laughs and fun. I mean, how can it not be fun when you hear a woman in her late 80's talking about Auto-Erotic Asphyxiation? She was intelligent, kind, and hard-working. And I know that she will be missed by many people.

That being said last week was crammed with BIG events. Starting with my sister graduating from the University of Utah with...are you ready for this Internet? HER MASTERS! I KNOW! HOLY SHIT! I am so incredibly proud of her and all the hard work she has put into this. She is smarter than she gives herself credit for. And I know that she is going to take her MSW and change lives. She truly is making a difference and is doing good in this world.



But of course this night was really about me...



And of course, it wasn't just me that was there-Gabe and Ryan came along to show their support to Becca. I mean look at Gabe stare at his Aunt Becca in awe!



And then Saturday marked a HUGE moment for my parents as they were married in the Manti Temple. I am happy for my parents to reaching this goal that at one point in time, seemed like it would never happen. I know how much this means to them and I cannot truly express how happy I am for them. They have both worked very hard to get here and that says A LOT about them.

After they were sealed in the temple, we all went to my Aunt Wynn's dairy farm in Sterling, UT. Sera enjoyed all the cows and climbing on the hay. I was worried that she was going to have allergy issues but she did just fine. She played and ran so much that she slept almost the whole 2 hours for our drive home. I only hope that we will be able to go back before she gets so old that a day on the dairy farm won't be so cool anymore.

And of course Gabe had fun too. Here we see one baby bonding with another baby. Shortly after I took this picture the cow licked his face. NASTY! He didn't seem to care about it nearly as much as I did.

And here is a picture of my family outside the Manti Temple. I know this picture is a little out of order but oh well! My blog! Sadly this is the best picture I have of all of us together that. Please forgive the blurriness of the photo. But just look at how happy my Dad looks? That right there is priceless.

Thanks to everyone for a great week! I love you all and will post again soon!

HA-ZAA!

As some of you may know, Ryan and I have been trying to get into Geocaching. Thanks to a friend of mine who blogged about it, I heard about this wonderful activity. And since we have a GPS we decided to give it a try.

After the first time we went, I will admit that I was ready to throw in the towel on Geocaching. We looked for one at Decker Lake and couldn't find it, plus the GPS died. After we tried another near Gabe's daycare and even though the GPS said we were right on it, we couldn't find anything. In fact, the only thing we brought home was dirty laundry for me to wash because Ryan fell in a ditch trying to locate the cache.

So when Ryan suggested that we go "Treasure Hunting" tonight, I grumbled on the inside. I really did not want to go but it was such a nice evening. Not to mention that Gabe and I could use a little fresh air and walking. So I agreed to go and even plugged the coordinates into the GPS for Ryan.

We went to find our first cache and found nothing but a green gas station dinosaur statue that smelled like cat pee. (Don't ask!) Second one we tried to find, Ryan ended up jumping over a wall and disappearing for about 5 minutes so I thought he might have been dead. This was strike 2 for the night. Now all of Ryan's hopes hung on a cache supposedly located at Taylorsville Park.

We drove over to the park and got out of the car. We started walking towards our destination per the GPS. As we got closer I could not off-road the stroller with Gabe inside so Ryan headed into the bushes. I could see his red shirt through the sticks and was starting to get restless. I was already frustrated by our first 2 caches coming up empty.

But suddenly Ryan holds up a pipe with a sprinkler attached to it. I am about to yell at him for destroying public property when he comes running towards me with a HUGE smile on his face and sprinkler-pipe still in his hands. He twists off the lid to the sprinkler and it turns out, it isn't a sprinkler at all. Inside it a ziplock back with a small notebook and various little items. He then yells "HA-ZAA!" in victory. I had to admit my defeat at that point. From that cache we took a small soccer ball whistle and left a little green army man.

But we weren't done there. Oh no! Now Ryan had a taste for treasure. He knew that if we went went to the place where he had fallen in the ditch that he could find the other cache. That cache was his Unicorn or something. So we head back. And after getting busted by a security guard who, after we explained that we were "hunting treasure" (Who would honestly believe that?!?!?), pointed us right to the hidden cache. Where was that guy 4 weeks ago before Ryan ended up in the ditch? He explained that he had met a few Geocachers and knew that we meant no harm so he didn't kick us out, but instead helped us. From this cache we took a little pink plastic chip and left a small green army man.

But we still weren't done because now, I am into it. So we plug in one final set of coordinates. It is so close to our house we could walk there. We drive up to it and trying to be as stealthy as possible to avoid any "muggles." (What Geocachers call passersby who might catch us trying to get our treasures.) We looked under a pile of very large and heavy rocks to find a large old ammo box. SUCCESS!!! From this we took a small rubber snake and left yet another green army man. When it is all said and done, Ryan and I hope to have sleeper cells of little green army men hidden in caches all over Salt Lake Valley. BEWARE!!!

In the end I am glad the Ryan kept pushing this activity. It turned out to be a lot of fun. And hopefully the next time we have Sera we will be able to go again so that she can find some treasure for herself. I know that she would be just as into it, if not more, than we are.

Also for those of you who ONLY stop by to see pictures of the kids, here is a picture of Gabe after a long night of playing video games with Ryan. As you can see, his Mountain Dew high has clearly worn off and his hand are tired from all the "L2, R2, X,X,O...DAMN YOU! I SAID JUMP!"

Geometry Is Not Her Strongest Subject

Last night Ryan picked up Sera for our weekend. When they got home, Gabe, myself, and my sister Becca were already here at the house. Sera loves Becca because as I have mentioned before, Becca will do all sorts of fun stuff with her that often leads to mischief. Last night they decided to use the big foam blocks to build towers up around Gabe so that he could knock them down. They did this by Sera looking at a picture and then directing Becca on where to place certain blocks. Becca, always looking to sneak learning in where she can, was asking Sera what shapes all the blocks were. Green square...CHECK. Purple triangle...CHECK. Polka dot triacticle....wait what? Folks, you heard me right. Sera was trying to remember the word rectangle and instead came out with triacticle. Personally, I like it much better than the world rectangle but oh well.

After building block time was over "someone" started throwing blocks (NO! NOT ME) and one thing led to another and Sera ended up getting pegged in the face by a not-so-soft red bridge looking thing. Ryan tends not to know his own strength and while trying to play, instead smacked Sera in the face with a block. Sera didn't cry and there was no mark, I think it startled her more than anything. And I will be honest that it was all Bec and I could do not to burst out laughing.

We also had dinner and played one game of Killer Bunnies. After all that Becca headed home and I read Sera a very long book about kangaroos. Fun fact: kangaroos cannot go backwards because their tails are too long.

It was a great night with the family. Ryan was really tired and didn't feel up to going out anywhere and now I am okay with that. It was such a quiet but fun night at home with my family. But in hindsight maybe instead of reading a book about kangaroos we should have read one about shapes...triacticle...

Busy Busy Bees

We had a very busy week this week. Tuesday night we had Sera and were out late with her. We had our normal Tuesday evening with dinner and games. It is a great way to spend time together as a family.

Wednesday my Grandma Diane watched Gabe while Ryan and I went to Brewvies with our neighbors. We watched one of Ryan's favorite movies Barry Gordon's The Last Dragon. It was fun to be in a theater with other people and watch the movie-it made it all so much more fun. and Gabe had fun at Grandma's house too. She said he ate a lot and then was asleep by 8:00 PM. HE NEVER DOES THAT FOR US! Grandma Great just knows what she is doing I guess.

And last night I was totally worn out! I did get this picture of Gabe eating his "G" block but shortly after I fell asleep. We move my work office yesterday and I was so worn out. I didn't even realize how worn out I really was until I ate dinner and then got ready to watch the Olympics. I was asleep by the 4th skater and didn't wake up until Ryan told me it was time to go upstairs.

But now it is time for the weekend and hopefully I will stay caught up with my blog a little bit better. And let me tell you, I am ready for a great weekend!!!

A Quiet Evening

Sorry about missing yesterday. It was my birthday and Ryan took me out to dinner at Faustina's and then to see Ballet West's Swan Lake. We didn't get home until about 11:30 pm and by the time we got Gabe home, in bed, and then changed it was really to late to post. But for those of you who are curious, I had a wonderful bithday. Ryan is the BEST and did so much for me.

This is while we were trying to feed Gabe some dinner. He was not as interested in food as he was in grabbing my camera. And I take so many pictures of him that he is really starting to
show an interest in it. I think he is just getting sick of that black plastic thing that is in his face EVERY DAY!!

After dinner Gabe really needed a bath. We don't bathe him every day because it isn't good for his skin but sometimes we let him go more than a couple days which is not so good for his smell. And at daycare today, I think he decided to wear some of his lunch as hair product so I really needed to get him clean.

Hope you all have a great night! Love to you all! Thanks again for all the birthday wishes from my friends and families.