Fall Festivities

I think I said this last year on my blog, but let me just reiterate how much I absolutely LOVE fall! It's by far my favorite time of year. A couple weeks ago my sister-in-law Michelle and I went to Medina's Love Creek Orchards with the kids. They had lots of fun activities for the kids, like tractor rides, hay maze, pumpkin painting, petting zoo, horseback riding, and much more. It was the perfect backdrop for some great fall photos too. We had a such a great time. I think we will be going there every year. Here are a few pictures of my niece Taylor and Rylan enjoying the pumpkins.

First haircut

Matt and I just love Rylan's little curls, but they were long overdue for a trim. Rylan is one busy kiddo and that made me a bit concerned for his safety during a hair cut. Thankfully the lady who cut his hair was really fast and I felt totally comfortable that she wouldn't accidentally let those clippers slip. It was interesting to see Rylan's reaction to the haircutting experience. He was totally confused for the majority of it. His curiosity kicked in near the end and he started pulling the hair lady's tools off of her apron. It was pretty funny. My baby looks like a handsome little boy with his new cut!

Telephone

A little boy and his favorite toy, Mom's cell phone.

12 Month Check Up

Rylan weighed in at 23.8 lbs and 29.75" at his 12 month wellness check. That's 70% in weight and 50% in height. I was caught by surprise when the pediatrician announced these statistics. Rylan is a bit of a chunky monkey so the weight was to be expected, but only 50th percentile in height? He went from 70th to 50th percentile within a matter of three months so I'm not sure I even believe it. I'm not dissapointed, just a bit surprised. Rylan has plenty of time to catch up and if he doesn't it doesn't really matter anyways. He's a cutie either way!

A few other recent developments:

• Rylan's top 2 front teeth have poked through and they seem to be pretty painful. Poor kid! I'm sure glad I don't remember when my teeth started coming in because I'd probably be a little grumpy too.
• Rylan is no longer eating formula. He eats big people food and milk all the time now.
• Rylan took 4 steps on his own! He'll be walking before we know it.

Birthday Fun

I have to admit that I wasn't going to do anything for Rylan's birthday other than maybe bake him a cupcake and enjoy a nice little dinner with mom, dad, and baby. I thought that was a reasonable, sensible way to celebrate a one year old's birthday. "He's one" I thought, "He doesn't even know it's his birthday." Then I realized just how much I would regret it if I didn't throw Rylan a 1-year birthday party. So with a week to plan, Matt and I quickly threw together a grocery list, guest list, and to do list and made it happen. Rylan didn't fully understand why our house was full of fun decorations, kids, cake, and gifts, but he sure did love all the attention. The cake was his favorite part (he has a sweet tooth like his mother). I allowed him to have way to much cake in fact, but I just loved how much he loved it!

Birthday at Grandma Jorgensen's

Birthday Party

Numero Uno

Depsite my efforts to keep my baby a baby forever, time is working against me and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. You'd think I'd be totally thrilled about my son turning one but I can't help but think that in 17 short years (we'll see if those turn into long years by the time Rylan's a teenager) he will be leaving home, then serving a mission, getting married, and starting a family of his own. This sounds a bit dramatic I know, but those of you who have kids can relate. Having a baby turned me into a baby. I'm an emotional wreck when I think about how dearly I love my son and how time is passing way too quickly. So unless someone can tell me how to stop the clock and allow me to enjoy my sweet baby boy just a little longer then I guess I better just learn to accept the inevitable and enjoy every waking moment. With that said, happy birthday son! Your mom and dad love you more than you'll ever know.

The Big Apple

Back in March my boss brought me into her office and asked me if I would be willing to leave Rylan for a few days and go on Labatt's annual company trip. This year's destination: The Big Apple! Of course I eagerly accepted the invitation. Anyone who would turn down an all paid vacation is crazy! Labatt is celebrating 100 years in business so I knew that this trip was going to be nothing short of spectacular. Well, we weren't disappointed. We were totally spoiled and pampered the entire trip and enjoyed every minute of it. Matt and I have visited NYC on several occasions, but never have we seen the city like this before. Here is a day by day snapshot of the vacation's activities:

Thursday:

• Arrive in Newark and take private tour bus to Katz deli for lunch. All you can eat knishes, pickles, sandwiches, potato salad, cole slaw and cheesecake. I think this was the best cheesecake I've ever had before. YUMMO!
• Check-in at the Ritz Carlton Hotel across from Central Park where we stayed for 3 nights. I could not wait to catch up on some much needed sleep in this luxurious hotel.
• Walk in Central Park
• Four Course filet mignon & lobster dinner at the Lincoln Jazz Center. I immediately recognized this famous venue as the set of the Ellen Show while she taped from NYC. It had incredible views of Washington Circle from it's gigantic all glass wall, the perfect backdrop for our dinner entertainment. Juilliard students performed song, dance, and instrumental pieces throughout the evening.

Enjoying some lunch at Katz Deli

View of Central Park from our hotel room

Dinner backdrop from Lincoln Jazz Center

Friday:

• Eating Tour through Yiddish Town, China Town, and Little Italy. On the menu: Candy, knishes, soda bread, black and white cookies, pickled everything, cannelloni, gelato, dried fruit, and much much more.
• Empire State Building with VIP Express passes. Our guides told us to waive the Express ticket every time we saw a line and we'd be escorted right past the 3 hour wait and straight to the top. I don't think people waiting in line were very happy with our group, but heck there is no other way to see the Empire State Building! There's no way I'd wait in that line for a 15 minute birds eye view of the city. It was pretty sweet though.
• Dinner and Yankee vs Red Sox game from 5 private suits. This was an incredible, once in a lifetime event! We enjoyed a catered dinner and dessert in true Yankee baseball style with unlimited ball franks, short ribs, mini sliders, peanuts, popcorn in every flavor, drinks, and an ice cream sundae bar (amongst a lot of other good food). Final score: Yankees 3, Red Sox 6.

Delicious bakery in Yiddish Town

Labatt's Heinz Rep, Karen, her husband, and I enjoying some Yankee Stadium ice cream. Matt and I had a blast hanging with this couple on the trip.

Saturday:

• Meatpacking District Tour. This was the most interesting part of the vacation for me. Our tour guide educated us on the history and transformation of this once dilapidated meatpacking district to home of the trans sexuals & whore houses to upscale Chelsea Market and Greenwich Village. Now it's the home of high end clothing boutiques, world famous restaurants, and specialty food vendors. The transformation is amazing! This is definitely where I would live if I could afford one of the $25+ million dollar homes in the area. Of course we sampled lots of food on this tour as well: fresh breads, New England clam chowder, fresh pasta, chocolate milk and cookies, cheese & crackers, biscuits and fruit spread, and more.
• Private dinner at the New York Zoo and South Pacific Broadway Show. I've always wanted to see a broadways show in New York and I finally got to do it. We even got to enjoy it from the third row. I was so impressed by the entire performance. The actors and sets were even better than I had anticipated.

Famous sugar cookies from Eleni's. I had to try them and compare to my own sugar cookies. Eleni's cookies may look better but mine win on taste!

Meatpacking Tour Guide with some fresh lobsters from the seafood market

Dinner at NYC zoo

Broadway

Sunday:

• We enjoyed breakfast with one of our vendor's and his wife. I can't remember how we got on the topic, but Matt and I actually talked to them a lot about the church and what we believe. It was a neat and unexpected missionary opportunity. Before we parted ways for the airport they actually said that they feel like they should invite the missionaries over for dinner if they come across some in their neighborhood again. I thought that was so cool! I loved getting to know other Labatt employees and our vendors on a more personal level during this trip. I think you can truly understand a person when you see them in a more relaxed and fun environment, especially when they are with their spouses.
• Home to see our favorite little baby in the whole world. Michelle surprised us and brought Rylan to the airport to welcome us home! What a sweet surprise!