The Rickers

Spring Soccer!!

2011-05-20T00:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of Sawyer and Quinn playing spring soccer.

"Throw it to me please!"

Love this smile!!

Cute Quinny....

with their coach Heather!!

Wouldn't be a game without the fans :)

Ice cream cone for scoring a goal!

Reese is here!!

2011-05-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

It's quiet here in the hospital with just me and little Reese. Josh went to get the boys and take them to Sawyer's soccer game. Reese is asleep in a boppy by my feet and I could just eat her up she is so cute!!

But instead, I thought I would take the time to post some amazing photos of yesterday. It was a scheduled c-section (since I was unsuccessful having a VBAC with Finn), so we have known that she would be born yesterday for the last 6 weeks...which was VERY nice. A definite plus to having a c-section.

We had to be here by 5:30am....

All checked in, in my ever-so-attractive warming gown and ready to go.

And Josh making sure he has food in his stomach...no one likes a fainter! Especially a wife giving birth.....

We ended up using the entire 2 hours before the surgery was scheduled at 7:30am, which was a surprise. Josh and I kind of guessed we would be sitting around waiting, but there was plenty of things to get done before they wheeled me into the OR. Our surgeon (Dr. Carter) had moved the surgery back to 8pm for some reason, so we did end up with an extra 15-20 minutes of time to just relax before we headed in, but that was fine. My mom and Josh got all dressed in their scrubs, hat and booties while I was in the OR getting my spinal and being "prepped" for surgery. Finally we were ready and they brought Josh and my mom in....she was my photographer (and more moral support!!)

I had mentioned to my mid-wife that I would really like to watch them pull her out and was there anything they could do to make that happen. She looked surprised when I asked and said no one had ever asked her that before, but she would see what she could do. When we got into the OR, we spoke with my Nurse Anesthetist and he okay'd them dropping the drape so I could see her for the first time with everyone else. It was AMAZING! My nurse, who has been working here for 14 years, had never seen this done before. It was pretty incredible and my mom got some great photos!

Pulling Reese out!! This was my view from the table! I loved seeing her come out...so amazing! Usually, you are behind the drape and they wipe the baby down quick and you get a brief glance before they take them over to the warmer to be checked. I got to watch my mid-wife cut the cord and everything...so cool!!

Another great shot!

Over at the warmer....7 lbs. 15 oz. and she was 20.5 in long

Dad holding her for the first time

Mom gets to see her close up

Keeping one eye on Daddy the whole time....

Check out those lips and the eyebrows! She has Sawyer's little mouth with slightly bigger lips, but Soy made this pose famous the first week of his life...we love it!

Even a bigger pouty face!!

Me and my sweet girl!

My awesome mid-wife holding her for the first time!

I finally get to hold her as they wheel me back to my room

She's checkin' me out!!

Just a couple hours old here

Soy and Finno waiting to meet her!

Oh man! I hope she's ready to go home to these 2!!

I can no longer say just "my boys"

Bath time

All cleaned up!

Meeting her cousins.....

Couldn't resist posting this little guy!! Such a cutie!!

So excited to have a baby sister!!

Literally has NO CLUE that he is now a middle child! :)

The day is almost over...how do we look???

And some more from today....

Thanks everyone for the well wishes! We are so glad she is finally here!!

Mother's Day Program

2011-05-06T01:30:00.000-07:00

Sawyer's Pre-school had a Mother's Day program for us. We all met at the park and spent a fun afternoon playing and then the kids sang some songs for us.

Sawyer with his pal, Henry. Love both of their faces. :)

Singing their hearts out....

Mr. Finn came to watch

Happy Birthday!!

2011-05-04T01:11:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Heather and Josh's 31st Birthday at Red Robin with the family.

Birthday Donuts!

Happy Birthday....love you guys!! xoxo

Newport Beach

2011-04-30T00:38:00.000-07:00

The last weekend of April we went to Newport Beach with Josh's family.

We stayed right on the beach....it was beautiful!

Soy hangin' with Grandpa

Soy playing on the beach!

Saturday we went to a local parade.
The kids loved it, especially the candy!

Sunday we drove up north to Tillamook.
We checked out the cheese factory.

I love Soy in this one!

We also went and saw the Octopus Tree

Chum, Sawyer, Finn and Josh

Mr. Finn had fun running around

Don't mind my prego belly hanging out!

The Fam...I'm 38 weeks pregnant here...awesome.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T23:30:00.000-07:00

We had lots of Easter celebrations this year! We love having our families so close to spend these fun holidays together!

We spent Saturday with Josh's family at their house. Grandma cooked us all dinner and then the Easter Bunny hid some eggs for the kiddos to find.

Josh helping Finno

Sawyer loved finding the eggs!

Gotta look in all the tight spaces too!

All his loot!

Grandma had fun games outside for them to play with too.

Sunday the Easter Bunny found us and he decided to leave the presents in the garage. What a silly Easter Bunny....

Unlock the door, mom!!

Sawyer's Easter basket....

Matching pj's

Finn's only concern was the snacks :)

All Soy wanted was a baby pillow pet to match his big one

So cute!

We then left and headed over to my parents for dinner and another Easter egg hunt.

Gwen had to put on Soy's boots, of course!

Soy and Quinn searching for eggs....

Chase helping Soy get some high ones

Finn got distracted by a toy :)

Miss Gwen

It was a fun weekend!!

Cousins!!

2011-04-19T01:20:00.000-07:00

Gwen and Soy hangin' out watching a movie

Quinn coming over to play...

Lunch at McDonalds

Kids Fest! NW

2011-04-16T19:36:00.000-07:00

I won free tickets to Kids Fest! NW and we invited our dobles for a day of fun!! We got to try out a bunch of new toys and the kids loved all the fun bounce houses and slides!

Sawyer helping Gwen down the slide

Finno with Daddy!

Josh and the kiddos

They all loved the animals...

Chillin' in the BOB!

Sawyer loved the go carts!

Such concentration!!

Finn in the bounce house

another bounce place for the smaller kiddos

Gwen and Finn wrestling...

Soy...not so sure about the zip line!

Gwen loved it!!

Fun little pedal cars

Soy wanted one...they were only a few hundred dollars!

Thanks for joining us dobles!!!

Multnomah Falls & Charburgers...

2011-04-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

Oh man..this blogging thing has taken a back seat and I'm not sure I'll ever catch up!! I'm sure going to try tho...

Brian and Monica came up the first weekend of April and we spent Saturday at Multnomah Falls. It was cold and rainy and I was very pregnant so we walked as far as the bridge and then headed further up the gorge to Charburgers for lunch.

Mr. Finn all bundled up

Baylee came with us to Charburgers....

Loving his snacks!

The view from out our window...

Baylee and Sawyer enjoying their dinner!

Cute little buddies eating their ice cream!

Back home in Oregon.....

2011-03-30T23:20:00.000-07:00

We had a day of sunshine! Yep, just one, but we took off to the park and made an afternoon of it!

So bright I can't even look at the camera!

Finno is ONE!!

Then it starts raining again and we have to bundle up to go outside.....

Finno

Finno and Soy

The Big Kicks!!

Soy and Quinn are playing soccer together! They are having so much fun and love having Jay and Heather as their coaches!

Awww...can't get enough of these 2!!

On the field...ready to go!

Sawyer super excited for his first game!! He even scored a goal!

Finno and Soy

My new niece arrived March 25th on her daddy's b-day....Avie Jean Arnell!

The kids have been wanting to ride bikes and be outside, but us Oregonians have to go for the next best thing.....a garage!!

We always keep a helmet on Finno just to be safe ;)

Not sure Finn is enjoying this as much as Soy

More Random Pics from Utah....

2011-03-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

Some more random pics of our trip to Utah from my phone....

Jenn's modeling my new hairband.....

Mr. Potato Soy

New additions to Golden Corral made for some yummy treats for Soy....

I've never seen a chocolate fountain at an all-you-can-eat place!!

Oh delicious....

And a cotton candy machine....oh yum!!

Random Utah Photos

2011-03-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pics from Utah....

In the hottub at Annie's....Alex, Jay, Gwen, Sawyer and Jono

Meal time...love Gwen's cheese!

Love this one!

Hanging out with cousins Olivia and Evelyn.
Sawyer got to spend an afternoon with these 2 and loved it! He often will ask me when he can play with them again! Such cute cousins....

Logan Fun Center

2011-03-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

We spent Saturday at the Logan Fun Center. The kiddos loved the slide and spent the majority of time going down the slide and running back up to do it again.

Sawyer with a blue tongue from his sucker :)

My sister Shauna and Jaidyn...she's always great to help us out with our kiddos!

Bentley and Sawyer

These 2 had so much fun together!!

Bentley-Boo

More Boo

Then Soy

Gwen and Heather

Miss Gwen

Backwards Soy

Forwards Soy

Can't get enough of this cute smile! :)

Shauna helping out with Finno too!

Gwen and Heather

Soy-boy!

Annie and the boys met us there....

A nice "cheese" from Gwen

Me and my kiddos....love these boys!

I get so many "loves" from this little man...love it!!

All of us....

2011-03-17T23:19:00.000-07:00

I was so glad my U. Brent and A. Jan stopped by and had us take these photos...not sure we would have done it otherwise!

All the kiddos....

Gwen, Bentley, Finn, Jaidyn, Sawyer and Oscar

And the mommas too!

So many photos and not a one where we are looking at the same camera :)

Ryan's Place

2011-03-17T22:52:00.000-07:00

We spent one chilly afternoon at Ryan's Place, a playground in Logan. The kids had a ton of fun even though we were only there for a short time.

Sawyer loved this rocket ship

More Sawyer....

The slide was the most popular...even by the adult folk!

Gwen, Finno and Soy

Oscy had fun watching....

Gwen

All piled in the slide....
(Sawyer, Finn and Bentley)

Visiting Great Grandma Arnell

2011-03-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

Best get these photos posted before I'm up to my elbows in baby! Only 7 more days...crazy!

Okay, so one day while we were still in Utah we drove up north a bit to Bear Lake, Idaho to visit my Dad's mom, our Grandma and the kiddos Great Grandma. We were a little worried about the "perishable" items in her home, but were able to have one of us stand guard at each exit and cage them into one room. We had a great visit with Grandma and the kiddos had a ton of fun playing with her toys!

Sawyer teaching Great Grandma all about the DS!

Finn and Gwen hitchin' a ride on Bentley-Boo

Heather and Oscy with Grandma

Cute Soy with his DS from Annie and the boys!

Time to EAT!

Finno!

Gwen

Jaidsy

All the kiddos with Grandma
(Oscar, Finn, Jaidyn, Bentley, Great Grandma, Gwen and Sawyer)

Me and my kiddos with Grandma

Finn and Sawyer with Great Grandma

Sawyer wanted one with just him and Great Grandma :)

Hair cuts! (finally!)

2011-03-15T22:59:00.000-07:00

I know ya'll were thinking that my boys hair in the previous pics was needing some cuttin'!!
I wasn't going to pay for a crap haircut when my sista would do an amazing job for FREE!!

Thanks Jenn!!

Finno Before

And after.

No before....just Soy after.

And some randoms.....

More DS time

Jaidy

Oscy!

Finn and Jaidy getting some snacks!

Bath Time fun.....

Cousins!!

2011-03-14T22:15:00.000-07:00

The kiddos had a great time playing with their cousins...here's some pictures to prove it!

Jenn has an unfinished basement and she has some fun toys down there to play on...they spent a ton of time down there!

Heather slept down there at night with Gwen and Oscar

I think they're twins in this photo :) Too cute!

They also spent a lot of time in Jaidyn's room where Jenn had all the toys stored since me and my boys were in Bentley's room.

Eating time was always fun....lots of mouths to feed!

Gwen, Soy, Boo and Jaidy

Mr. Oscy....so stinkin' adorable!

These 2 rode in Jenn's car since Boo wanted to ride with Soy in ours....

Where did their necks go???

Jaidy loved my shoes....

These 2 are trouble! Only 6 weeks apart....

Soy and Boo spent time switching back and forth between the DS and the ipod.....

And still more to come....

Discovery Park

2011-03-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

We spent our first Saturday afternoon in Utah at Discovery Park with some friends.

Sawyer with crazy hair from the slide

Gwen's turn...

Miss Daisy-Mae!

Finno

Finno with Dad

Still more to come....

Off to Utah....

2011-03-10T15:27:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to Utah with Jay and Heather and all the kiddos last month. Heather and I wanted to spend some time with our sister, Jenn, who lives in Richmond and we spent our first weekend in Salt Lake with our good friend, Annie, and her twin boys, Jono and Alex.

It took us 14 hours from our house to Salt Lake. The kids did amazingly well until the last hour or so.

]'
They did A LOT of eating...

....and well, Finno, he just about ate the whole way!

Mr. Oscy...who we worried the most about...did the best!! Such a cutie!

More food please, MOM!!!

Every time Jay would toot we would have to roll down the windows and the kids loved it!! Let's just say it happened A.LOT! :)

Soy-boy, at around Multnomah Falls (15 mins. into our trip!), started asking the dreaded question, "How much longer, mom?". We eventually showed him (at a gas station) a map of Oregon, Idaho and Utah and the roads we were traveling on and how we had to travel through 3 states! When we finally got into Utah he did a "happy dance" and was singing, "Oh yeah, we're in Utah! Oh yeah, we're in Utah!".

More to come....

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T14:35:00.000-08:00

We ate cinnamon rolls for breakfast....yum yum!!

Finno always has great morning hair! :)

Cheese!

We celebrated as a family the weekend before, but that night Josh gave me another surprise....

I finally got my car in our garage!

I love not having to get wet putting 2 (soon to be 3!) kids in the car. One Sunday I showed up to church soaking wet and Josh looked at me like "what in the world??"...I gave him the death look and I think he realized it was time to clear out the garage, put the ping pong table away and let the wife be happy! :)

New Puppy Tent

2011-01-20T21:04:00.001-08:00

My sister, Jenn, got Sawyer this puppy tent for Christmas. We set it up on his bed the day he opened it and it's still there! He loves it!!

Ready for bed...

Chucked full of all his stuffed animals, nightlights, blankets, etc.....

Thanks Aunt Jenn!!

Christmas with my Family

2010-12-29T20:56:00.000-08:00

We went to my mom and dad's after we were done at Ricker's and had our family Christmas with them, my sister Shauna, and Jay, Heather and Gwen. We wanted to be there with Gwen when she opened her gifts since this would be her first year to actually "get it". We also thought it would be fun to have Grandma and Grandpa there to watch them open all their gifts.

We made them stay in Gwen's room until we were ready and then had them come out.

Sawyer and Finn ventured out first....

We had Gwen's new slide in the middle of the room and I'm not sure anything else was noticed. Everyone went straight for the slide....

Gwen loved it!

We finally had to remove it from the room to get the kiddos to focus on the other presents awaiting them!

So excited for presents!

A new submarine!

Tractors for Finno!

A new book full of pirates!

Finno loved his Tonka Truck...(note the adorable truck noise with his lips!)

Gwen loved Finno's workbench too!

Airplanes are the best!! Especially ones that drop rescue rafts out of the bottom and the propellers move!

This is Finn playing with Gwen's cute piano, but I wanted to include a photo of the matching blankets I made for the boys. They were A LOT more work than I expected, but they turned out super cute!

Pillow Pets all around....

More time on the slide....super cheesers!

Must say it is STILL the most played with present of all the toys purchased! Yay for Craigslist!

We spent the rest of the day at my parents. Ate Fondue, talked with my BIL, Jade, in Arizona and I even got a nice nap in! We had such a great day and are so happy to live by both sets of grandparents and share these special days with them and most of our family!

Christmas Morning at Rickers....

2010-12-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

We always go celebrate with Josh's family first thing Christmas morning and this year was no different...

The famous picture on the stairs.....

Jaylo and Headow! (and Oscy)

Jordan and Shanna

Gwen running around before everyone got there

Chum with Sawyer and Gwen

Sawyer and his Buzz Lightyear car

Finn opening his new truck...loved it!

Sawyer with his Cars puzzle and Buzz car

Mr. Oscar's cute Santa bunz.....

Christmas Eve

2010-12-28T17:55:00.000-08:00

Here are the boys in their cute Christmas pajamas....

Big Cheesers!!

Last year we had Sawyer open up just his pajamas and he was very disappointed it wasn't a toy. So this year, we let him open one present.

Here he is with his new Dr. Seuss puzzle....

.....and all ready for bed!

Lost and Found

2010-12-28T17:41:00.000-08:00

So 2 years ago for Christmas Santa brought Sawyer these fun little cars....well, minus the orange car on the end.

A month or so later....they were NO WHERE to be found. I searched our house for days looking for these buggers, but seriously could not find them. I figured they would turn up, but after a few months I gave in to the fact that most likely Sawyer had thrown them in the trash without us noticing.

Well, this past December when I was moving stuff around to decorate for Christmas I moved this brown flask and heard something jiggling inside....

And look what I found inside....

...the opening is just perfect for these little guys to slide through!

Sawyer was VERY excited to find them, but I still cannot figure out he got this flask down off the shelf (at 2 1/2 years old!) to get them in there! Or how I have not noticed them when I dusted or moved it before!

2010-12-28T16:21:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours....

Josh, Leslie, Sawyer and Finn

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree....

2010-12-10T23:02:00.000-08:00

We set off last Saturday to find the perfect Christmas Tree!

Sawyer was VERY excited....

"This is the ONE!"

My cute, cute boys!!

Sawyer helping daddy cut the tree down....

All decorated and ready for Christmas!!

Our stockings are hung by the chimney with care....

And it looks like we'll be getting a baby GIRL for Christmas!!

Happy Holidays!!

We got snow!!

2010-12-09T15:05:00.001-08:00

A wee bit of snow came in November...

I think he ate more than he played!!

Poor Finno...watching from the window :)

Free From Shutterfly

2010-11-22T16:48:00.000-08:00

Free From Shutterfly

So I'm sure you all have seen this on a million blogs already, but who doesn't love a great deal?? And by a great deal...I mean FREE FREE FREE!! So this year we are going to give Shutterfly a chance to impress us with their 50 free cards. We have always used Etsy in the past or I've designed my own, but I am anxious to see the results on premium card stock and not photo paper.

I'm also excited to purchase a photo calendar poster!!

So go to Shutterfly have a look around and see what you think! If you like what you see you can enter to win your 50 FREE cards! It's easy as this!!

You can enter by clicking HERE!

Finn's one year stats

2010-11-16T11:45:00.001-08:00

Finn Campbell Ricker

Weight: 22 lbs 14 oz - 51%
Height: 30.25 in - 65%

Mr. Finn turns ONE!

2010-11-11T17:00:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Finno!!

We celebrated Finn's actual birthday by having both family's over for cake and ice cream. We are so grateful we live close to our family on these special occasions. We had quite the crowd and felt so much love for our dear Finno!

I.AM.ONE!

We visited for awhile and then opened presents.

Gwen carrying around ALL the balloons!

Choo Choo Train from mom and dad

and books too!

Super cute hat and shirt from the Rickters!

Lots of bath toys from Grandma and Grandpa Arnell and Crawfords....

Tonka Monster Garbage Truck from Todd, Jacki and Quinn

Randy and Teri with Soy

Miss Gwen...so cute! (and still holding ALL the balloons!)

Rickters, Chan & Andee, and Angie, Traci, Ashley and Dustin all came too!

The highschoolers in the back...too cool to join the party! ;)
(Fabian, Chum, Chad and Taylor)

Finno with Grandma

I helped my mom make this cute banner

Ready for cake and ice cream!

BRING.ON.THE.SUGAR!

Finn's very own birthday cake! (the rest of us had Red Velvet...delish!)

First bite...

So delicious Mom!

Forget using my hands....

Sawyer with his side of Finn's cake!

Finn has been such a joy in our family! Always so sweet and full of loves! He puts up with quite a bit having Sawyer as an older brother, but Finn LOVES Soy and is always laughing and smiling at him, well most of the time! He was such an easy baby...hardly ever cries and sleeps like a champ (naps too!) from the first night I brought him home from the hospital! He has been much more "normal" in his development and we at times are finding this to be a relief and a challenge all at the same time. Sawyer by 1, was running and climbing and Finn, even though he started walking at 10 months, is much more calm and tends to stay put! Sawyer also spoke A LOT of words by 1 and could sign over 20 more and Mr. Finn has a vocab of about 3 words...Mama, Dada and baba. Needless to say, a talking one year old is A LOT easier to figure out! We are trying to figure out the grunts and the screams and the woo's...I think we'll eventually get them! ;)

Thanks to everyone who came and shared his special day with us!

We love you Finno!!

And lastly....

Sawyer wanted me to post this of him and his pumpkins. I mean why should Finn get all the attention anyways. It's only his birthday! :)

Red Robin Birthday Dinners

2010-11-03T23:26:00.001-07:00

We had a joint birthday dinner for my mom and Finn at Red Robin!

Jacki, Todd and Quinn gave Finn this cute little garbage truck....he loved it!!

Happy Birthday to my mom!!

Crawford fam and the Rickters

Cute Quinn and Gwen

Chad, Jacki, Todd, Josh and Finno

Singing time...Finn just loved the balloons

So excited over the balloons!!

the Birthday Boy!!

Good food, family and fun.....love it!!

Happy Halloween!!

2010-11-03T23:02:00.001-07:00

Here are my cute boys in their costumes!

Too cute! Love this kid!

Sawyer loved his shark costume and LOVED scaring everyone!!

I'm not sure this cute face could scare anyone!

Happy Halloween!!

Trunk O' Treat

2010-11-03T22:50:00.000-07:00

We went to our church Halloween party the week before Halloween. Sawyer was so excited to finally wear his costume!

Quinn and Jacki joined the fun

Sawyer was super excited to see Luigi

The cutest dragon I've ever seen!!

Sawyer with his favorite Aunt Teri

Chad and Gwen

Cute Ethan and Sadie as Wall E characters...so creative and cute!!

Cousins!!! Cort, Quinn, Finno, Soy and Gwen

the younger cousins...

Hanging out with Jay Jay after

Pumpkin Carving

2010-11-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Our pumpkins!

My sad face, Sawyer's Haunted House and Dad's pirate face

All lit up!

Sawyer wanted to be in the picture with Finn :)

Baby Oscar!!

2010-10-07T13:21:00.001-07:00

Oscar Cleneth Ricker arrived Friday, September 24th! He was one super size baby....topping the scale at 9 lbs. 8 oz. He sure is a cute little guy.....

Here are some of my favorite photos of him!

We stopped by before the "pushing" to bring Jay some lunch and for them to see Gwen.

Taylor (Chum's friend) and Finn

with mommy

meeting Grandma and Grandpa Ricker

Me, Oscar, Finn and Josh

So cute....love this one!

Grandma Arnell's turn....

Right after his bath

Love the double chin!

With Uncle Chum

and momma again...

He will be 2 weeks tomorrow and is such a good baby! We love going over to see him everyday!!

Anniversary Weekend

2010-10-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend at Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond, OR for our 8 year anniversary this year! It was so much fun and we had fabulously, warm weather! We brought our bikes and went on some great trails and also enjoyed 2 of the resorts great pools! The boys were in heaven...outside, bikes and water! What could get better than that??

Friday when we got there, we went straight to one of the resort pools. The area was mostly shaded so it was pretty chilly with no sun out! That night we went out for some nice Authentic Mexican food....it was delish!

It wasn't too bad...as long as you were under the water! Easier for the kiddos than us!

Finno loves the water! In the kiddie pool he could touch and just wander around with this floating thing around him!

We eventually ended up in the hot tub! Much more my style!!

Finno and daddy....

Saturday we went on some bike rides and hit up a sweet pool at the resort! They had a great splash park and kiddie pool.

The Splash Park...between the big pool and the kiddie pool

The big pool

Finny started off with a great nap!!

Sawyer lovin' the pool!

And then he tried out the kiddie pool

Finn finally woke up to join the party!

Finno LOVES his big brother!!

That night we went into Bend and did some shopping at ate dinner at Red Robin....one of Sawyer's favorite places to eat! We hit up Dairy Queen on the way home and called it a night! Sunday we got checked out of our room and then went back to the resort pool for the afternoon. We had over 80 degree weather all weekend...it was so relaxing and fun!

Finno ready to go home!

Sawyer...not so much! We would have swam all day, but we had to hurry home for Grandpa's birthday party!!

It was such a great weekend and so fun to just be together as a family!!

Sawyer starts Preschool!!

2010-10-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

My Soy-boy started Pre-school in September!

All ready to go!

So excited to use his Scooby Doo lunch box....

Such a goof ball....

He had to have a picture of his back pack.....

And let's not forget to take one of his lunch box!

"Come on Mom! No more pictures!!"

His storage cubby

He is in Teacher Laura's Class

Paint on the first day!! One lucky kid!!!

Bye mom!!

Hood to Coast 2010

2010-10-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

We hit up Seaside again this year for the Hood to Coast. Jay was on a running team and John-man was on a walking team. The weather was great and we actually spent 2 full days on the beach, which rarely happens!

Day 1 at the beach!

Mr. Finn...eating the sand.

Sandcastles with daddy

Sawyer giving Dusty a "few words"....well, that's what it looks like anyways. Who knows what was really going on!

Finno's infamous "I'm too sexy" pose

We tried putting his binki in to see if he would stop eating the sand....

Chum with the Ricker's new exchange student from Sweden...Fabian

Finno loves the water!

All my boys!

Finno is so chubby! We love it!!

Soy-boy!

A good shot of his 2 bottom teeth....he has 2 on the top now and 2 more on the way!

Getting some loves and tickles from daddy....

Out on the town

All the strollers for all the kiddos!

Finny loved the backseat of the Phil & Ted

Bumper Cars!!!

Sawyer, Josh and Dustin on the Tilt-a-whirl

My Finno!!

Day 2 on the Beach

Both boys wanting a turn on the pipo board

Dustin's turn.....

Now Sawyer's.....

And finally Josh's turn....

We had a such a great time! So grateful for wonderful in-laws who make this trip happen every year for us!

Jade's Farewell Open House

2010-08-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

Jade entered the MTC on August 18th, but before he left Rickers had an open house for people to come and say goodbye!

Friends & Family hanging out....

Ariel and Finno

Jay and Jordo uke-in'

Preggars Heather and Shanna (seriously...your eyes are closed in EVERY photo I take of you!!)

Friends from church

Miss Gwen

And just fyi...Finno is giving kisses now! ;)

Matching Outfits....

2010-08-29T18:26:00.000-07:00

So Sawyer loves to match outfits...with anyone! We had Quinn stay the night a few weeks ago and in the morning when I put this pink outfit on her...Soy just had to match!!

Cute cousins!!

These 2 are quite the pair! They are more like brother and sister.....

Love all the uncontrollable giggles...

Thanks for spending the night Q....we love having you!!!

Oaks Park

2010-08-19T18:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Dr. Angle, we were all able to spend an afternoon at Oaks Park Amusement Park the first part of August. Dr. Angle is a local orthodontist here in Gresham and bought passes for all of his patients and then decided to include all of his referring dentists and their employees with their families. Josh was on the High Adventure with our church, so he missed out! I headed down around noon with my kiddos and my nephews, Chase and Cort. Teri and Randy came later, along with Heather, Jay & Gwen....ALL.FOR.FREE!! Thanks Dr. Angle...we had a great time!!

First up...the Tug Boat Ride

We got free water bottles too!

Cort, Chase and Sawyer

Sawyer absolutely loved hanging out with Chase and Cort...he thinks he is such a big boy these days!!

....so excited for this little boy to sit by him!!

The kid roller coaster

Thumbs up for a good time....

The spider

Sawyer had to go on these little cars while the big boys went on the bumper cars

Finn relaxin' in the stroller....love the foot!

SAWYER.LOVED.THIS.SLIDE

Nap time for Finno

Fred Bear was there giving away coloring packets

Cort

The Scrambler

More slide....with Jay and Gwen this time......

Gwen loved the carousel

and these cars!

Proof that Teri and Randy went on the Screamin' Eagle with me!

Still had time for the train before we left

Randy stayed with the stroller :)

Matching Pj's

2010-08-19T17:38:00.001-07:00

Sawyer loves to match Finno....here are their latest matching Pj's.

Don't mind Finn's eyes...we spent all day at the pool.

They sure do love their dad!

Swimming Lessons

2010-08-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

Jacki and I signed the kiddos up for swimming lessons at Barlow High School the end of July.

Soy was pretty excited!

Sawyer and Quinn

They would stand on these platforms that would allow them to have their bodies above the water. This is the shallow end, but it is still 4 feet deep. So, of course, on the very first day Sawyer accidentally falls of the edge. Luckily the instructor was on her way back with another kiddo, so I just yelled her name and she grabbed him quick. He spent the rest of the lesson so sad and would cry every time it was his turn. Fortunately, it didn't scare him too much and he got much better every day and even now since they have ended, he has been putting his head under the water and will jump off the edge of the pool by himself.

At the end of the lesson each day, they could choose from a starfish or a mermaid activity. Sawyer said those were "for girls", so here is teacher Page doing a helicopter just for Soy!

Finn wasn't too impressed....

Grandma came to watch on their last day...

All done!!

Ricker Reunion

2010-08-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

We took my par's RV up to the Deschutes State Park for the Ricker Reunion back in July. I loved this place and definitely want to go back! It was so cool that our spot was right on the river....

My parent's RV is enormous and we had us 4...Jay, Heather & Gwen....Jordo & Shanna.....and Ariel in there!

This was the view from our spot....gorgeous!

We set up these hammocks and enjoyed them for the day until the camp directors told us we had to take them down. They are dangerous when it is dark outside and someone could potentially hang themselves! We got a good laugh out of that....

Shanna and Finno

The John Ricker Fam.

Hanging out at Todd & Jacki's

2010-08-18T17:34:00.001-07:00

My brother Todd and his wife, Jacki bought some property out in Boring and it is one of our favorite places to go and hang out. When Jenn was in town, we spent the day out there and let the kids run around and got out the toys for them to play with.

Quinn and Sawyer on the John Deere

Sawyer with Uncle Chummy

potty break for Soy :)

These 2 are quite the pair.....

Josh and Bentley

Everyone loves Grandpa AND the tractor!

Josh and Gwen

The train....they love this!

....especially Gwen!

Soy!

Bentley-Boo

Julz brought Miss Jackie over to play!

Love Jenn's face...

Finno!

Finno and Jackie....they are 6 weeks apart!

Finno's first 4-wheeler ride

Gwen loving the swing....

Thanks for letting us come over and play!!

4th of July

2010-08-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July. We celebrated on Saturday and then got together late Sunday evening just to set off a few fireworks.

My Dad and nephew Chase

My mom, me and Finno

Gwen obviously was thrilled with all of the fireworks!

My sisters, Shauna and Jenn were in town.

Josh and my nephew Chad

Bentley-Boo and Sawyer hanging out

Me and Finno

Sisters....me, Shauna, Jenn and Heather

here comes a loud one...

Bentley-Boo!

Grandmda with my boys...

Crazy faces....

The fam.

JJ Jump....

2010-08-07T00:48:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos of our afternoon at JJ Jump. The kiddos seriously loved this place! Definitely will go back...they even let all of us adults play on it for FREE!

Shauna and Quinn

Jenn and Jaidyn

Shauna and Sawyer

Bentley Boo

Sawyer and Quinn

Chase, Chum and Chad

Nice face Josh.....

Chum's friend Taylor came for awhile

Josh with the babies

The gang....Jenn, Jaidyn, Chad, Chase, Chum, Josh, Taylor, Finn and Shauna

Oh my....love these 2!!

Okay...so I was laughing so hard. Toward the end these 3 were inseparable and would first take turns shoving each other through the beginning whole....one after the other....

Ladies first.....

Next up....

A little push.....

Going over the first climb....

Then finally the last big climb to the slide....

So stinkin' cute! I wish Boo lived closer so the 3 of them could play together more often!!

Pool Time!!

2010-08-06T23:37:00.000-07:00

We've been enjoying my Mom and Dad's pool a lot this summer. When Jenn was in town, she brought her camera so we got some shots of all the kiddos!

Chad and Bentley-Boo

Gene...Jacki's Dad, Jacki holding Jaidyn and Me and Finno

Soy-Boy!

Quinn and Haley (Jacki's sister)

Gwen, Heather and Cort

Bentley, Chad and Jaidyn

Chase

Bentley-Boo!

Jaidyn

Jenn and Jaidyn

Oh Sawyer...

Bentley-Boo and Soy-boy!!

2010-08-05T00:37:00.000-07:00

My sister, Jenn, came to visit for 2 weeks the first part of July. I have a ton more photos, but wanted to post these quick of Sawyer and Bentley. They seriously make laugh.

Jumping on the tramps in their matching capes I made for them

Love these photos! So cute how they took turns pushing each other...and their face expression make me smile!

Oh man...the glasses and nakedness.....

And check out these 2 cuties!

Finno and Jaidyn are only 6 weeks apart....love it!!

Happy Birthday Jay Jay and Soy-boy!!

2010-08-04T23:49:00.000-07:00

Sawyer turned 4 on June 29th and Jay's birthday was on the 28th. Neldon and JoAnn Dickey invited all the Rickers and Arnells over for a BBQ on the 28th so we decided to bring some cupcakes and call it a birthday party! A lot of the Widmers were in town so they came too and it was such a fun get together!

Neldon, JoAnn and Avey Dickey with Edie Richey

Shanna and Jordon came

Jessica and Brooke

Laurinda and Josh

Heather and Gwen

Krista with Jaidyn

Jacki and Quinn

Bob and Brynlee

Krista with Jack and Finno!

The kids loving the bunny

The toys the Dickey's have in their yard are AMAZINGLY fun!!

Krista and Jack

Time for cupcakes!

Happy 4th Birthday to my sweet Soy-boy!!

Making a wish!

Some of the kiddos...waiting for cupcakes!

Miss Quinn

Bentley-Boo and Sawyer eating their cupcakes and ice cream

Time for presents!

Oh man...a pirate shark!! Just what I've always wanted!!

Lots of fireworks from the Widmers!!

2 thumbs up...he loved all his presents!!

A train ride to end the night....

Could this day get any better???

And we're done!!

Thanks everyone...especially Dickey's...for such a great night!!

Cousins!!

2010-07-08T00:01:00.001-07:00

Jenn, Bentley and Jaidyn have been in town this week...we've had so much fun playing with our cousins!!

Quinn and Soy...love Soy's face here....and eyebrows!!

Big squishy hug for Quinny!

Boo not so excited about his photo-op with Soy-boy!!
They got matching birthday outfits from Jay, Heather and Gwen....

Sneaking my arm around....

Nope....not gonna happen!

Bentley....not so sure about the group photo either.....

Come on Boo....just let me put my arm around you!!

Okay, but I'm not going to be happy about it!!

Happy Father's Day

2010-07-07T19:15:00.001-07:00

We are so grateful for all the Dad's in our family....

Grandpa and Quinn

Grandpa and Sawyer

Happy Father's Day Daddy!!

Books for daddy to read to me before bed!

Josh and Quinn

Finno!!

Brody and Austin come to Oregon!!

2010-07-07T19:14:00.001-07:00

Brody and Austin Kearsley came to Oregon and we were lucky enough to have them come over to our house for a few days.

Friday was pretty rainy so we stayed inside and had a picnic under the patio.

Austin and Brody

This kid has some amazing faces!

Mr. Soy and the pups eating lunch....

Saturday the weather was much better so we headed over to Todd and Jacki's for the afternoon.

Lots of play time on the tramps!

Miss Quinn

Finno with Daddo!

Lots of 4-wheel riding....

Jacki and Austin

Brody and I

Josh, Sawyer and Liam

Brody...so adorable!!

Love this beauty!!

We had a birthday party for Tobi, who turned 8!!

Popsicles for everyone!!

Jackie comes to visit!

2010-07-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

My friend Julz' little cutie came over one morning to play with us! We had so much fun and believe it or not, Finn is only 6 weeks older than her!

Can you say GINORMOUS!!

So cute!!

Mr. Finn

Finn and Jackie....cute buds!!

Champoeg State Park - June 2010

2010-07-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

We went and spent the day with Josh's family out at Champoeg State Park. The first weekend in June all Oregon State Parks are free for the first night and Rickers go to a different park every year. The boys frolfed, Sawyer was able to ride his bike and we had great weather! It was a fun day!

It was Jordan's birthday on May 31st, so we celebrated out there with cake and ice cream!

Jay and Finno!

Such a happy kid!

This is how Jay and Heather kept Gwen contained....

Miss Gwen

The roads are all paved which makes it perfect for bike riding!

Soy-Boy!!

2010-07-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Sawyer!!

Sawyer turned 4 on the 29th of June. It's hard for us to believe that we have a 4 year old, but we sure do love this kid and are so glad he is part of our family!

Welcome to the world baby Sawyer...

.
Love the pouty face!

Sawyer was awake for SO.LONG the day he was born!

Chubby, red cheeks!!

There's a smile under that Binky!!

Binky attack!

Sawyer at ONE.....

2 years old!!

He LOVED the Backyardigans!!

With his cousin, Chad

THREE....

Pirate party with Jay Jay!

4th of July

With Dad on Father's day

Swimming in the pool!

And now he's FOUR!!

Loves Scooby Doo these days! Got the mystery machine for his birthday...

Loves to ride his bike. He is always telling me "today looks like a great day to ride my bike!"

With some of his favorite cousins!

Happy Birthday to our little buddy! We sure are grateful for you and all the joy and happiness you bring into our life!

Flag Plant

2010-06-04T10:38:00.001-07:00

We went and planted flags at Willamette National Cemetery again this year. It was so much fun and Sawyer really loves it!!

Finn loved all the flags!

Such a cute smile and look at that chubby belly!!

Mr. Finn

Soy-boy! He turns 4 this month...FOUR!! Wowzers...where has the time gone!

Soy sure loves putting the flags on each grave and is so good at making sure he doesn't stand on the headstones and places each flag in the center and then salutes!

My boys!

Finno and daddy

A family photo...this is as good as they get these days!

Jade's Day!

2010-06-04T10:13:00.001-07:00

Jade's first time to the temple!

Jade, John and Kat

With Kat, Grandma and Aunt Val

The Bros and John-man

Everyone who went with Jade

It was a great day and we were sure glad we could be there with Jade on his special day!

Finno!

2010-06-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

Mr. Finno is 7 months old as of June 2nd! Wow, it's hard for me to even say that! He has grown up way too fast! This little guy is such a champ and we love him so much. I just weighed him last week and he topped the scale at 19.5 lbs! WHAT??? He is such a chunker...he gained 3 lbs in under 4 weeks. He is the best little guy...only cries when he's tired or hungry and just smiles that cute smile with his little tongue sticking out 100% of the time. He is always content with just being part of the party.

He has been rolling around all over since we returned from Arizona mid-April and is now scooting around and rolling to get what and where he wants. Believe me, we are enjoying this kiddo taking his time being mobile! By this age, Sawyer had given up crawling and was walking around furniture like a pro. He was walking steadily on his own by just after 8 months and running by 9 months! So Mr. Finn, please just keep scooting!

I started him on solids right when we returned from Arizona in Mid-April. He was sucking down the bottles and went from sleeping through the night to needing a bottle in the early morning. He had a hard time at first getting used to the texture, but for the most part doesn't care what you give him and will eat most anything. He went right back to sleeping his 10+ hours at night. Once he's up, he'll only last a few hours and then goes back down for 1.5-3 hrs. Then he is up and good for the most part until bed time at 8 or 9. Sometimes he'll take a 15-30 minute quick snoozer in the late afternoon, but I think this kid will be a one time napper during the day like Sawyer was.

Eating a strawberry out of a safe feeder...

Not sure what he thinks about it!

It's kinda messy....

But he loves it!!

Fell off my bed and got his first bump!

These were taken of Finn at 6 months back the first part of May.

Finn sure puts up with a lot of abuse from his older brother. I think it's safe to say that Sawyer really LOVES Finn...sometimes WAY TOO MUCH! But he is willing to share one of his pups with him so that is a start. I mean it's not P.U.P.P.Y but Finn doesn't really care which one he gets. Now that Finn is on the ground more, Sawyer likes to lay by him (or ON him really) and then he'll pull Finn up so their bellies are touching. Usually this is fine, but every once in awhile he'll start rocking Finn back and forth wildly and I have to come to Finn's rescue very quickly! I think these 2, even with the age difference, will be great buds! Finn lights up when he sees Sawyer and Sawyer will often jump in his crib in the morning and just play with him and make him giggle and laugh like crazy. Boys will be boys and I keep telling Sawyer that he better watch out! One day Mr. Finn is going to be bigger than you and then.....YOU.ARE.IN.TROUBLE!!

A little TV time together (Soy sharing his pup)

Sawyer making him laugh

Finn doesn't really care what's on TV...just likes to smile at mommy!

Some great bed-head and a cheeser from the Soy-Boy!

2010-05-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

We went to Preston and Rochelle's Wedding a few weekends ago...

Kurt & Francis came for the weekend and these 2 hit it off! Come back and see us soon Abigail!

Finn with Grandma

Not bored at all....

Finn with Grandma & Grandpa and Dad

Silly boys....

Miss Gwen!

Jade's Mission Call

2010-05-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

My awesome brother-n-law Jade got his mission call! He reports August 18th and will be serving for 2 years in the....

Honduras Tegucigalpa Mission (spanish speaking)

So proud of you Jade-E-buns (as Soy would say)

I can hardly believe you are 19...you were so little when I married into the fam!!

With Ashley

Love this one...

At the Portland to Coast 2003 (Jade, Me, Ashley, Josh, Amber & Chum)

We'll miss you while you are gone!

Utah/Arizona Trip Part 2

2010-05-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

Utah/Arizona Trip Part 2

We had a great time in Arizona visiting with Jeff & Becky and Angela & Krista!

These 2 were pretty cute together! They kept calling each other Buzz and Woody...

Sweet Brynlee....

We went to the zoo one day...

Heather and Krista

Heather & Gwen with Lars & Carden

Sawyer, Brody and Jackson checking out the giraffes

Finn chillin' under cover

Brody and Jackson holding hands walking through the monkey exhibit...so cute!

Getting a ride for a bit

Miss Gwen

Finno!

I loved the orangutan exhibit!

So did Sawyer!

Krista and Brynlee

Sawyer and Brody got along so good!

Jackson didn't want his photo taken :)

Jackson playing with Carden

Brynlee Dawn...so stinkin' cute!

Gwen & Carden

Lars & Carden

The Arizona Zoo has a splash park which I think is the greatest idea ever! We need one of those at our zoo! The kids loved it. It was perfect for them to run around and us ladies got to sit and chat! Awesome idea...

The kids loved it!

We enjoyed more Splash parks, Cafe Rio and lots more...

These 2 cuties sacked out each night from all the fun!

We love visiting Arizona and can't wait to go back...

2010-05-07T23:48:00.001-07:00

This is mainly for my sister, Jenn, but I found this online. It is a way to keep your blog's private, but still have the news feed to let people know you have updated.

A friend of mine mentioned a "sort of" work around for this - it's a little cumbersome, but I've found it helps a lot -

Step 1.) Create a "front page" blog for your private blog - for example, your private blog is "http://myblog.blogspot.com" - so make a new (public) blog that is "http://myblogfrontpage.blogspot.com"

Step 2.) Publish a post on myblog.blogspot.com

Step 3.) Publish a post on myblogfrontpage.blogspot.com that says that you posted a new post on your private blog, complete with either a link to your private blog, or simply a link to the new post.

I know it sounds stupid, but at least then your readers don't have to check your blog every day (or 2-3 days) they can just see in their reader that you published a new post, and they can click on that link to take them directly to the post.

I think this is an excellent idea for you Jenn....

Grandma's 90th Birthday

2010-05-06T15:36:00.001-07:00

We took off for Utah the first part of April. My Grandma...my Dad's mother and my only living grandparent...turned 90 on the 10th. We decided to make a mini-vacation out of the occasion. We borrowed my Dad's Denali and us, Jay and Heather and Chad took off on Wednesday and spent until Sunday with my younger sister, Jenn, and her family in Richmond, UT. My parents were already there, JR and Becky flew in on Wednesday also and Teri and the rest of her family came on Thursday. We were only missing Todd, Jacki and Quinn and Aaron.

Here's Chad in the back of the Denali between the 2 kids car seats...

We decided to scrapbook our letter that we had each written for our Grandma that was going into one ginormous book for her.

It took us awhile....

Cort even joined in on the party

Heather's cute page for Gwen

Shauna arrived from Provo on Friday, so then she worked on her page

Becky and JR...takin' his turn on the Uke!

Miss Gwennie M.

Lots of Ukulele-ing was going on...

Friday night, Annie and the twins drove up from Draper to see us!

Annie and Finno!

Sawyer LOVES Jono and Alex!

Jono, Finno and Sawyer

Annie and Sawyer

Gwen, Jono, Annie, Finno, Soy and Alex

Finno with his BFF Jono!

Saturday we were all up early and at the temple for the 10:30 session. It was very cool to all be there together...

Teri, Jenn, Me, Gwen and Heather

Jay...bringing sexy back!

Jenn, Taurean, Josh, Me, Teri, Gwen, Heather, Jay and cousin Winston (from Jay's mission)

Gwen, Heather and Pratt (also Jay's mission buddy)

Miss Gwen and Headow

The Logan Temple

We then ventured over to my Uncle Brent and Aunt Jan's house for a nice brunch and birthday party for Grandma.

The girl cousins always love Headow (Tiff and Bre)

Cute Grandma

She loves her some Krispy Kremes!!

Cousins...

More cousins....

We had a fabulous time visiting with cousins we hardly see and were so happy to be able to celebrate with our sweet Grandma! Sunday, the Crawfords, Jay and Josh headed for home while Heather, Me, all the kiddos, and JR & Becky hopped into the RV for Arizona...

More to come.

Easter!

2010-05-06T14:24:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter!

We got up early on Satruday and went to an Easter Egg Hunt over by Reynolds High School.

Getting ready to hunt for eggs!

And they're off....

Gwen!

Jay, Gwen and Heather

Sawyer's loot

The grandkids with Grandma and Grandpa Ricker (Finn's in the stroller!)

Sawyer and Dustin

Doughnuts...the Breakfast of Champions!!

We then came home and decorated Easter eggs

Soy and Dad

Finn trying to escape the Bumbo chair

Josh's egg....it has to be perfect.

Sawyer with the dyed Easter eggs

Finno!

All done!

Soy and Mom

The next morning the Easter Bunny came!

Most of my family was out of town, so we got to spend the weekend with the Rickers. Kathy cooked us up a yummy meal and did an Easter Hunt for the kiddos!

Getting some help from Dad

You know you are in Oregon when....
(that's Jay helping Gwen find some eggs)

Headow and Gwen with her eggs

Jared, Traci and Jordon

Great-Grandma Meredith and Finno!

On Monday night following Easter, some friends in the Ricker's ward had an Easter Program in their barn. Of course, the Rickers were asked to participate.

Jade, Jay, Josh and Kathy

Josh and Erik Arter

Even our niece Ashley sang!

Jay and Gwen

Finno taking it all in!

Josh turns 30!!

2010-05-04T23:32:00.000-07:00

(This is on our honeymoon at the ripe ol' age of 22!!)

Happy 30th Birthday Joshie!!

To list all the things I love about you would take WAY.TOO.LONG! And really there is no need to brag about you...any and all who know you, love you. You are such a blessing in my life and I am so grateful for you and all you do for our family!

Here is Josh weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs 2.5 oz and 23 inches long

Take one look at this photo and you'll see why everyone says our 2 boys look JUST.LIKE.YOU! I love that! I hope that they become JUST.LIKE.YOU in every way!

Except maybe this way ;)
(From LtoR - Jathan, Jeff, Angie, Jordan and Josh)

Us in the beginning....

Half way here....

Today....

Two of the greatest joys in our life!

I do love my boys! Crazy and all!!

We hope you have a great day! We sure do love you!!

FAMILIES.ARE.FOREVER

2010-04-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

April 2, 2010

This was Finn at 5 months (better late than never, right??)

We bought this off of Craigslist for $30!! He loves it!!

Soy-boy

Matching Pajamas.

Spring 2010

2010-04-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

Spring 2010

We had some great weather back in March, so we took our bikes out for a ride. It was the first time Sawyer had been out on a trail with his own bike and let me tell ya...there is A.LOT to teach this kid. Ya know...the usual...stay on the right side of the road/trail, don't stop suddenly when there is a line of bikers behind you and most importantly...DO NOT get tired of biking when we still have to turn around and bike ALL.THE.WAY.BACK!! It was still fun...

Hi! My name is Sawyer and I am crazy!!

Gwen hated it.

Licorice did the trick.

Finn not too impressed with his first taste of cereal.

We still get a big smile out of him though!!

We got this leash puppy thing out to let Jacki and Todd borrow it for Quinn on their cruise. He had to play with it a bit before he'd let it go.

Hmmm...wonder who stole the missing letter from my Easter Decor????

St. Patrick's Day

2010-04-27T14:27:00.001-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Love,
Soy and Finno

California Adventure

2010-04-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

Day 2 - California Adventure

First up...riding the Carousel while the big kids take on The Screamer!

We did A LOT of this....

On the Mickey Mouse Ferris Wheel with Grandma's and Grandpa's

The other side of the basket - Grandma, Headow, Jay Jay and Gwen

Bugs Life train with Dad (Kat and Heather behind)

Thumbs up and ready to go!

We did some waiting....

Jade and Sawyer

Gwen loves it!!

Jade, Me, Gwen, Sawyer, Chum and Grandma

Big Cheeser from Gwennie M.

Headow and Gwen

Soy, Me and Grandma

Bumper Cars with Dad

He was SO.EXCITED to meet this guys!!

And this guy!!

After the Toy Story ride

Funny story about this photo. My mom wanted my Dad to take a picture of her and Sawyer in their 3-D glasses after the ride. My mom had actually already put her 3-D glasses in the bin where they all go after the ride. She had forgotten, and they took this picture with her thinking she had on her 3-D glasses. Anyways, after this picture she took off her REAL glasses and put them in the bin where all the 3-D glasses go with Sawyer as he put his 3-D ones in also. As she was doing it, Sawyer was making a funny face and says "But Grandma! Those are your REAL glasses!" Lucky for her she has a very observant grandchild!!

Gwen and Grandpa

When California Adventure closed we used hopper passes to get back in to Disneyland so Sawyer could watch the parade.

Waiting for the Disney Parade to come to our section

Might as well enjoy a Disney sucker while we wait....

It finally arrives...

Sawyer LOVED the parade! He was dancing like a crazy fool and we just sat and took IT.ALL.IN!

There is definitely something quite magical about Disneyland that's for sure! Watching your child's face light up with pure joy and excitement is priceless! We had a great time and are so glad that both sets of Grandparents made it possible for us to all be there together!

Here's Soy with his parting gift from Disneyland...he's a sucker for Cars!

Disneyland

2010-04-06T16:41:00.001-07:00

Disneyland

Monday we headed to Disneyland....

Loading up.....

All ready to go. My Mom, Josh, Dad, Sawyer and Finn

Entering Disneyland. Classic photo.
Jay taking a picture while talking on the phone and Josh and Jude in the background checking out the map!!

Gwen already looks tired!

On the Jungle Cruise

Me and Soy-boy

Jude, Heather with Finn, Jay and Gwen

Miss Gwennie M.

Heather, Jay (still on the phone), Gwen, me and Soy

The dobles

Soy HAD to be in the photo

Waiting for a ride

OH MY....could she BE.ANY.CUTER!!

Sawyer with Grandma and Grandpa...

My mom and dad

Josh with Finn, Heather, Sawyer, Jay and Gwen

Loving this ride! (Storybook Land)

Toon Town!

Proof that Disneyland isn't just for kids!!

Joaquin, Jay and Gwen

We had to say goodbye to Joaquin Monday night...he left for Canada. Boo!

Sawyer LOVED Joaquin! This is their sad faces cuz they have to say goodbye!!

So Sawyer was a tad bit too short for some of the 40" rides. No problem for us!

Sawyer with his napkins and shoe

The stack of napkins we put in his shoe to make him tall enough! He loved it!

Next up....California Adventure

(PS. I swear my in-laws and Chum and Jade came with us. Not sure why I don't have any photos of them at Disneyland)

California....Here we come...

2010-03-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

Our Road Trip to California

So my in-laws have had a trip planned to Disneyland. Jade graduated from high school last year and is about to head out on his mission so they wanted to take him and Chum there before he left. They mentioned to us a few times about going with them, but at the time we just didn't think we could afford 3 flights to California plus all the theme park expenses. About a week before they headed out, Jay and I got some crazy idea to drive there all together instead of flying and making it much more affordable. We did some last minute planning and things just fell into place for us to go. Within a few days we went from taking the Denali, to my parents joining us and all driving in the motorhome. We took off Friday, March 5th and drove all day and into the night. Heather had flown to Baltimore for a friend's wedding, so she was joining us in Cali on Sunday evening. Josh couldn't miss too much work, so we used our flier miles to get him there on Saturday with the rest of the Ricker fam.

Securing the car seats in. Not a lot of space while we drive.

The kiddos buckled in and ready to go. It was 7am...a bit early for these late risers!!

Joaquin watching a movie

Sawyer watched a lot of movies too!

We let the kids out every once in awhile to stretch their legs. Sawyer always wanted to be up front by Grandpa and Grandma!

Miss Gwen during the ride.

And Mr. Finno.

Bedding down for the night!

The kids did super on the way down. We decided to stop outside of Bakersfield, but the next day we were kicking ourselves for not going all the way into Anaheim. There was SO MUCH TRAFFIC that our 2+ hour drive on Saturday turned into twice that! There were 5 accidents just to get into LA. How do people live in that?? It was crazy.

The Rickers and Josh had arrived and got the rental cars and checked into their resort before we even made it to Anaheim. We went straight to In & Out and met them for lunch before heading over to the RV Resort.

We finally arrive....

Gwen is READY to be out of this thing!!

Gwen's excited to see Chum!

That night we went to Downtown Disney and did some shopping.

Finn loves to shop!!

Loved our Chariot. Doubled as a stroller or it can carry all your crap! (not that Finn is part of our crap :))

Sawyer LOVED the Lego Store.

Playing with some Legos

Joaquin and Jay/Heather/Gwen stayed with Rickers and Josh/Soy/Finn and I stayed in the RV with my parents. The next day we were up early for a long day at Universal Studios.

First up....Shrek 4D....loved it!

Sawyer and Gwen got to meet Sponge Bob (notice Soy's shirt?)

Sawyer loved the Curious George play area

Stopping for lunch after riding the Revenge of the Mummy and Jurassic Park rides.

These escalators were pretty cool

Jathan

Chum, Soy, Josh, Me and Finno...they seriously go straight up!!

At the top...me, Chum, Soy and Josh

So random, but I love this photo...so funny!

You go down 4 of these escalators to get to the bottom lot

Hangin' in the Chariot....oh my red haired Finno :)

We all loved the Simpson's Ride...Soy wasn't tall enough so we took turns.

Waiting for Water World to begin....John, Chum, Gwen, Kat, Jay and Joaquin

Pretty cool effects

Sawyer got to meet lots of characters

Dora

Diego

Feivel

Josh, Chum and I took Sawyer and Finn on the Studio Tour

Chum and Soy

Josh and I (and Finn)

Some Daddy time for Finno

Finally awake from his snoozer

The floods are coming!!!

The Great Outdoors

Murder She Wrote

"Psycho" with "Who-Ville" in the background

Sawyer's "prize" from Universal Studios...a Build your own Sponge Bob

Finn was such a tropper! He did great the whole day....

All done and heading home.

Next Up....Disneyland!!

Gwen turns ONE

2010-03-26T22:22:00.001-07:00

.....Gwennie M. turns ONE.....

Sawyer and Dustin

Quinn giving loves to Gwen (with her new ball)

Aunt Val and Finno

Chase

Chum and the birthday girl

Loving this balloon....I absolutely LOVE her face! So funny.

The yummies

Opening presents...Gwen only wants the balloon!!

I made this blanket for Gwen and gave her this dress...

Gwen eating her cupcake

Happy Birthday sweet Gwen! We love you....

Sandy Park

2010-03-26T21:58:00.001-07:00

We had a non-rainy day in February so we hit up the park.

Gwen and Sawyer

Quinn

Miss Gwen

Finno

The sunshine is out!

2010-02-20T01:18:00.000-08:00

We've been having some gorgeous weather around these parts and we have been taking advantage of it!

Here is Josh trying out my Dad's new hedge trimmer...works great and our yard definitely needed some trimming (as you can see in the photo)!!

We found Soy a sweet bike on Craigslist and he is loving it!!

Finno outside watching the yardwork getting done!!

Sawyer vs. Finn

2010-02-20T01:08:00.000-08:00

Sawyer vs. Finn at 3.5 months...

Here is Soy-boy!

....with Grandpa

...with momma!

SO serious!!

And Finno....

Mr. Serious also

Big Smiles...

Awwwww.....

Well, what do you think??