Day 206 / 365 - My Little Moose Head

So I am in the process of transitioning this kids room from nursery to big boy room. We all love moose in this family, so we are doing a few "pops" of moose accents in his room. I spotted this pillow and grabbed it, I am glad I did because he thinks it is hilarious! "Mom, wook I a moose". I also heard giggles coming from his room and went to check it out, he placed his Scout dog on the pillow and was telling him he was a moose. Oh. My. Cuteness!

Day 205 / 365 - How Sweet It Is

How sweet it is to be loved by you. You my dear make my world whole. It was no easy task being away from you on vacation. I love being back and having full time access to snuggles, neck hugs, tickling, and playing catch. He is talking up a storm and a little wilder than I remember him being when I left. I think he had an amazing time at grandma's house, and found a bit of his personality while he was away from us. As hard as it is to be away, it is such an awesome thing to be able to return and feel the power of love.

Day 204 / 365 - Villa Bougainvillea

Yes we are back and yes this post is a tad bit of a cop-out. We are traveling back to Indiana today and quite frankly I am tired and pulling my camera out is the last thing I want to do.  So I did not give our house the proper credit it deserved in my Costa Rica posts, so I am using this post to show how unbelievable this home was. Every single wall in this house was made of glass doors that slide open to the most amazing view of the coast.

 Also, if you are interested it is for sale for 2.7 Million. ;))

Day 203 / 365 - Costa Rica Day Nine

This sticker is an inside joke, and like most inside jokes they are better left untold because they will never be as funny as they were in that moment. So Andy, I am giving you this one a day and to Costa Rica... you far exceeded my expectations. You are a true gem. I am so sad to be leaving this beautiful place but I plan on returning for most of my future vacations. Pura Vida Costa Rica!! Until we meet again.

Day 202 / 365 - Costa Rica Day Eight

Okay, so I am not a "bucket list" kind of person. I don't really believe in them, because I think in life everyday we are given different opportunities that should fulfill you. However that being said, some may say that I did have paddle boarding on my list. I have had a slight obsession with wanting to try it and be one of those people that take my paddle board everywhere I go to all the lakes. Yes... I am weird. But today I DID IT! I paddle boarded and I LOVED IT. Seriously so much fun, I thought for sure I would try it and end up being awful at it and never want to do it again. But it was so awesome and Andy and Christy liked it just as much as I did. In fact when we were done Andy told me my weird paddle board "take it everywhere" dream wasn't so weird after all. So to the bucket list community this is for you - check! 

Day 201 / 365 - Costa Rica Day Seven

Today while the others were out taking on their "wild" side and jet skiing Jarin and I decided we would go the chill route and walk the shoreline back in some of the low tide pockets. It was very cool and so gorgeous. Lots of critters in the water pools and just nice to enjoy nature the two of us for a little bit.

Day 200 / 365 - Costa Rica Day Six

Tonight as we ate at what I think is probably fair to say our most favorite restaurant any of us have ever been to we laughed and were met with another amazing view during dinner. In fact this restaurant is so cool that Jarin, Josh, and Andrew went deep sea fishing today and they were very successful. The boat owner cut up the fish on the boat and told us to bring it here and they would cook it for us. So we walked in with two huge bags of Mahi-Mahi and sure enough they cooked it for us. It was by far the most amazing thing I have ever ate!
One of our waiters did not seem very "Costa Rican" I decided to ask him if he was from the area especially after I heard him say "yep". He said he was from Canada and six years ago his parents told him they were retiring to Costa Rica to open this restaurant and he was going to finish high school there. He never looked back and said it has been an awesome experience. So very cool, I think at that same moment we all kind of decided how cool it would be to be a "local" here and talked about how we would do it. I think it was also at that moment that we decided we would probably be frequenters to this beautiful area.

Day 199 / 365 - Costa Rica Day Five

Okay, okay picture overload on this one. I have so many from this day that I really just could not decide which ones. This day was pure adventure and full of different emotions. We walked into the Ricon de la Vieja Volcano national park and didn't really know what to expect. We hiked down a creek to a small volcanic hot springs area and we painted each other with volcanic mud and dipped in the freezing cold creek and ended in natural sulfur hot springs that had temperatures around 107 degrees. holy hot tub. We then decided to forgo the zip lining and the super "adventure" tours and do our own hiking into the rain-forest up near the volcano's peak. We started walking our trail and those of you that know me know what my face looked liked as I met the trees in this forest. They were amazing. A tree-huggers paradise.

We then heard a rumbling off in the distance and thought it was the distant sounds of the volcano, since it is active right now. We turned the corner to a waterfall and were met with the loudest animal growl/rumble we have ever heard. It made your insides shake and your eyes widen as big as possible. To call a couple of my loving sisters out - Christy started crying she was so scared and Amy turned to run the opposite direction. I just stood in amazement and Jarin and I tried to figure out what was making that sound. The canopy just opened up with howls from what I then figured were monkeys. We then spotted monkeys that were swinging from the rain forest canopy and in the same instant we figured out it was not volcanic rumbling it was a thunderstorm and we were about to be caught in torrential downpour. So there we were in the middle of a rain forest, with what we found out later were Howler Monkeys (please YouTube these creatures) around us screaming at us and rain so hard it was hard to see or walk up these unsteady trails. I stopped to take it all in. It was perfect, there is really nothing better than being on a hike in the wilderness and being reminded that you are so small and are not in your world anymore... you are just a visitor.

So as we all ended the day at the top of the gorgeous mountain looking at the steam pockets and the mud pots and were giggling about everyone's reactions to the day's events I realized that this day will be one of my favorites in life I am sure.

Day 198 / 365 - Costa Rica Day Four

This was our view from dinner tonight. We dined on the beach and ate an amazing dinner (I had a full grilled snapper on my plate.. head and all!), and this was our view... does it get any more spectacular than that? On a side note, this is the newlywed couple below. Are they not just a gorgeous couple! 

Day 197 / 365 - Costa Rica Day Three

There is something amazing about driving down a road and deciding you are too hot so you stop at the closest outside bar for a pina colada with these girls. #sansmakeup #nojudgement

Day 196 / 365 - Costa Rica Day Two

 

Well we had our first real Costa Rican adventure today. As we figured out most of the roads in Costa Rica are in fact labeled "unpaved road". Even on the GPS that is their name. Directions are pretty much non existent in the area and you just have to trust your gut when you see a small dirt road with huge rocks in it and a sign that says, "unpaved road". So when trying to find this little gem of a waterfall, what should have been a 30 minute drive ended up being about an hour and a half. However walking into this amazingness pretty much just melted away any frustrations and worries we were feeling. Wow... to swim in this waterfall and to just sit underneath it and look up at the beautiful sun and falling water was just pure magical. I have a feeling this is just a first of many amazing adventures here. 

Day 195 / 365 - Hello Costa Rica Day One

Goodbye United States, hello Costa Rica. This trip has been a longtime in the making, I am so looking forward to finding out what this country is all about. So excited for a week full of adventures and a Costa Rican state of mind.

Day 194 / 365 - Miss you Little Dude

Leaving tomorrow for a week in Costa Rica. So excited to seek this new adventure, but will miss this little dude. He will be staying with Grandma and I know he will have so much fun, but leaving him is not going to be easy.

Day 193 / 365 - Wedding Day

Today was literally filled with perfection. I watched these two lovebirds get married and it was nothing short of a magical day. The ceremony was perfect, there was not a dry eye in that barn. Love you two and love your love.

Day 192 / 365 - Maid of Honor

So excited that tomorrow will be the big day and I will see my sister get married. Thankful for all of my blessings in life and my sisters are a huge part of that. Let the festivities begin!

Day 191 / 365 - Bring on the fun!

Well we are headed home today for the last time this summer. The next couple weeks are going to be an absolute whirlwind, but so much fun! My beautiful sister is getting married on Friday, and we leave for Costa Rica on Sunday. This little dude is staying with his grandma, and I am not worried about him one bit. But holy cow is it ever so hard to leave your child. I have been struggling this week when I think about leaving him. He will be fine and have fun, but the thought of something happening to us while we are gone is tearing me in two. Trying to breathe and pray and remind myself that no matter what happens this child will be so loved in life. So excited to visit Costa Rica and spend some time with two of my sisters, their husbands, and my wonderful hubs in an AHHHMAAZING beach house, but those sweet giggles and silly ways you make us laugh will be missed my boy. The hug when I return will feel oh so good though. :))

Day 190 / 365 - Well we started at the park...

Well he slept in today so I was determined to wear his tush out at the park. So we went, and we played for about 20 minutes and before I even realized was happening we were throwing rocks and were wet up to our waists. This kid is good... real good. He has a way of finding rocks, dirt, and water... I am not going to lie, I secretly love it. I would much rather be in our own world with running water than at the playground.      

Day 189 / 365 - Banana Pancakes

Like waking up too early

Maybe we can sleep in

I'll make you banana pancakes

Pretend like it's the weekend now

And we can pretend it all the time, yeah

Can't you see that it's just raining

There ain't no need to go outside

... oh Jack Johnson you will be in my head all day today. 

Day 188 / 365 - Running

Anyone who has spent time with Ryder over the last couple months will laugh at this picture. My child is always running. Whenever we go somewhere I hear, "mom I run down der and tome back". Then I say sure and I hear a "ready... set... go" and off he goes. Now you may be thinking that he is going to be a runner, but please keep in mind he is not fast at all. :)) In fact almost all kids the run with him will lap him at least once if not twice. He really does not care though, he just wants to run and thinks it's amazing. My favorite is when he gets to the end puts his hands on his hips and bends down and breathes like he just ran a marathon.

Day 187 / 365 - Pool Days

Enjoying some fun in the sun today. My mom goal for the rest of the summer is to take my child to the pool more often. Although very hesitant at first, he loved it and made awesome progress.

Day 186 / 365 - Happy Fourth of July!

I hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th. We sure did! Being away from family on these holidays is so hard for me. I hate not being able to have family cookouts like the rest of the nation seems to be doing. However that being said, last night was a little bit of magical with our family of three. We had an awesome spot to watch fireworks and we were the only ones there. We had airplanes taking off over our head and fireworks all around us off in the distance. It was pure little boy magic! Jarin and I laughed because there was a genuine debate going on in Ryder's head when a plane would take off and the fireworks were going. He did not know which one to watch. Usually the airplane won out. I love sitting in a blanket with my family and being able to be dorks as we watch and laugh. The fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. This one just sealed that in a little deeper.

Day 185 / 365 - Fun at the Zoo

This picture seriously cracks me up. Today we headed to the Indianapolis Zoo with a couple of our best friends. It's an hour drive and lots of things to see... their favorite part... the very overpriced plastic animal drink cups and a ramp with stairs they could run around together. You never quite know what is going to get your child excited on these adventures. One thing is for sure, it is never really what you think it is going to be! They thought they were hot stuff with their animal cups. This was pretty much the view most of the time.

Day 184 / 365 - 'Skoooool

We often run into my classroom for one reason or another. Usually I need to grab something in there to help me with a project at home. He is very familiar with my classroom and loves to go to mom's "skooool". He opens my closet door and gets a snack out along with a beach ball or math cubes. Tonight we stopped in for a quick minute and he was doing a "balance bean". I love that he loves it here. Two of my best friends growing up were teacher's children and I would always go to school with them and I can remember it perfectly. "Helping" to grade papers, drawing on the board, snooping through kids desks, pretending I was a teacher. It was a very happy time and I love that I have that memory. I am sure it was a big reason I am a teacher today. I hope he feels the same excitement that I did when he enters the school on the "other side".

Day 183 / 365 - Big Boy Room

We have finally started turning his nursery into a big boy room. He wasn't too sure what I was talking about when I told him I was painting his room today. After a little bit of watching he was getting into it, "Mom, I help you". He was not too thrilled with me when I handed him the roller with no paint and told him he could pretend. But once I started pretending too, he got a little more into it. He was very excited to move his mattress to the playroom and sleep there for the night. All those toys around in that room and he still waited for permission to get up out of bed in the morning. <3

Day 182 / 365 -Adventures in Potty Training

My child had horrible colic for 7 and a half months of his life, he screamed for about 16 hours a day... that being said, potty training seems to be my biggest challenge yet. I hate it, I feel lost, and it's so dang time consuming I would rather just give it up.  I like to be completely honest about motherhood, I am not the kind of mother that feels competition at all. If it wasn't for preschool "looming" over our heads he would probably still be only in diapers. So we push on...

This weekend was amazing. He was completely dry all weekend other than one accident. Even with store outings and frozen yogurt, he was such a trooper about public toilets. This pretty much sums up his attire for the weekend. Staying with the completely honest I would like to share a story with you. On Friday I took him to Shirley's house and told her we were continuing to work on it. Up until this moment potty training consisted of me putting him on the toilet and we would sit and read, sing, play for 45 minutes until something would FINALLY come out. In my mind he could not make the connection between what makes it come out. Well Ms. Shirley put him on the potty and he says, "Shirley watch this" (he also pointed down there) and sure enough he peed! {insert me retracing all my steps, and coming to the harsh reality that I was taken for a ride} When I got him home, I put him on the potty and said, "Ryder potty like you did at Shirley's house" ...

I think you know what happened next ... yep... he peed. Only two and much smarter than I give that kid credit for.

Day 181 / 365 - It's a Boy's Life

Does everyone plan their weekend around huge mounds of dirt that have moved into their neighborhood? This was the question I asked myself today as we sat and played at Mount Dirtmore. I am doubting it... but when we tell him where we are going and he jumps up and down and yells out, "I so e'sited" and claps his hands together it kind of makes it all worth it.

Day 180 / 365 - Balance

Enjoying some creek love like always and feeling the need to just write. (In fact I am already throwing around a 365 idea for next year with a focus on writing) So bear with my rambling. More and more I am met with the question, "when are you having another one?" or this one, "Ryder really needs a brother or sister". The guilt trip one always gets me thinking a little, "How can someone who is so close to their siblings not be having lots of them for Ryder". I can't tell you what will happen with our small family unit. One day... yes we will probably add another. But for now we are balanced. We are a unit, we are perfect. Life is so incredibly easy and I am so very blessed. I love being able to stop on a whim and go jump in a random creek, or crawl up a dirt mound, or take a trip back home and pretty much know what to expect. Do I feel bad, like I am denying him of something? ... of course I do. As a parent don't we feel that way about a lot of things? I wish I could give my child the world at his fingertips, but we give him love and lots of it. We give him spontaneity, so much attention , and outdoor adventures. He is happy and that is what I think truly matters. So for now I will bask in the blessing of balance that god has given me. Tomorrow might be completely different, but today it is working and that is where I will place my focus.

Day 179 / 365 - Mount Dirtmore

I always love when we stop to do something and the sun is setting beautifully and I do not have my camera. Thankful for iPhones and the fact that I always seem to have one with me! This shot is of Mount Dirtmore, it is in our neighborhood (where they are building) and every time we pass it, Ryder always yells out, "Mom, I climb that sandbox mountain". Tonight on our way back from dinner, dad yells out... "Ok Ryder, let's do this". Needless to say, I think Ryder felt like he was a thousand feet up, he loved it... but did not want to stand on his own. So fun to have a little boy and notice things like a massive dirt mound.

Day 178 / 365 - Learning to sort

We have been practicing colors and shapes this summer and this little man just grabbed his buttons today and starting sorting them by color. I am not one to go on to everyone about how smart or talented my child is, but I can assure you we celebrate his successes together. Good job buddy!

Day 176 / 365 - One with the trees.

We enjoyed some park time with Aunt Amy, we got lunch and played outside. He loved it. Although I have to admit he was happier walking around in between all of the trees than playing on the equipment... I wonder where he gets it from. {insert sarcasm}