The Ritter Family

?!?!

2012-02-13T12:39:00.000-08:00

Do they still look alike??? Both Kaylee and Parker at 11 months. Parker is obviously a lot bigger than Kaylee was at this age but I still think they look a lot alike :) I love these smiley babies

Poor Baby

2012-02-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

Parker got his first ear infection.

My poor little guy was miserable.

My girly girl

2012-02-13T10:17:00.000-08:00

Kaylee loves getting a manicure and pedicure with me.

It is something I love doing with her.

Puerto Rico

2012-02-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and I were lucky enough to enjoy 5 nights and 6 days in Puerto Rico! The vacation was hosted by a company that Jeremy buys material from "Walter".We were there with 540 other electricians. Our 6 days were jammed packed with fun adventures, sight seeing, Jeremy golfed, I went to the spa and enjoyed the pool, cocktail parties, dinners, and some much enjoyed adult time. We met some great people and really enjoyed spending time with Zoltan and Krista.

Our first day we went zip lining. It was really fun!

I was so shocked I actually did it I am scared of heights.

That's me about to take off

Us the 2nd night at a Walter's hosted "Taste of Puerto Rico" night.

The next day we went to Zoltan and Krista to a beautiful rain forest and did a high to a water fall and then to an amazing white sand beach.

La Mina Falls

Zoltan got in the freezing water

So green and pretty this was my favorite thing we did

The last day we went to old San Juan this it is such a cool city with a lot of character.

Our farewell dinner

The view from our room.

As you can see it was very windy. The weather was super tropical, with lots of rain. I'm glad we got to experience Puerto Rico. And most of all I'm thankful I got to spend time with my hubby :)

THANK YOU to my parents for taking care of the Kaylee and Parker.

We are so lucky we can leave and not worry about our kids.

11 Months

2012-02-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

Parker is now 11 months! He is doing great and learning new things everyday. He still LOVES his food and has tried just about everything. He is no longer eating baby food he eats whatever we eat. He likes to feed himself. I love that he is not picky at all. He will eat anything. He now has 6 teeth, has gotten his first cold, had his first ice cream, drinks out of a sippy cup (finally), and has stayed with Grandma for a week. He is sweet, easy going, happy, chubby, and all boy!

He really enjoys bath time. I love the last picture he is having SO much fun splashing :)

EXCITED!!!

2012-01-19T15:36:00.000-08:00

I am just a little excited if you can't tell...

1 week from right now I will we laying in one of those chairs relaxing on vacation with my hubby!!! We try to go on a vacation just the 2 of us once a year but it has been over 2 years so I am really looking forward to some quality time with my man, some sleep, no cooking, no laundry, no cleaning, adventure, reading, and just being "us" for a week. I know we'll miss the kids but they will be having a blast and in great care at my parents! Thank you Mom and Kev :)

Puerto Rico get ready for the Ritter's (kid free)!!!!!

Lucky Girl

2012-01-19T15:21:00.000-08:00

Kaylee got SO spoiled for her 4th birthday!

She celebrated for 3 days and is obviously very loved :)

The day before her birthday Grandma Spike took Kaylee on a date to the Aquarium in LB. She is still talking about it.

On her real birthday Jeremy and I took her to Disneyland.

Of course she wanted to friends to come

Becoming a beautiful princess at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

Our Pretty Birthday Princess

Harper.Kaylee.Ella

They had so much fun together

Then the day after her birthday we had family and some of Kaylee's close friends over for a backyard BBQ.

Some of the kids

LOVE my younger brothers

Ryan.Me.Kurty

Hubby.me.Auntie Nellie

LOVE these girls!

Our FAMILY!

Days like this make me so happy. I love birthdays because it is a great excuse to spend time with people you love :)

HAPPY HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY KAYLEE KATHRYN

We LOVE you

FOUR!!!

2012-01-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

Our little princess is FOUR!!

That seems so old to me and it amazes me how incredibly fast the time has gone. Kaylee has grown so much this year. She is now in preschool, making new friends, a big sister and a great helper. She is smart, funny, crazy, feisty, bossy, dramatic, loving, thoughtful and ALL girl!! Kaylee I am so thankful I get to be your mommy. We love you very much!

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY!!!

Moments after her birth

01.06.2008

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

And now 4!!!!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-29T08:56:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas this year. We enjoyed Christmas Eve with all the Ritter's and Christmas day with my side of the family. I love the holidays and all the traditions that come with it! I'm so thankful that we have two beautiful healthy kids, that I am married to my best friend and that we have supportive and loving family and great friends.

Bubba's 1st Christmas

Santa came

someone is VERY excited

opening presents... I should have wrapped tissue paper and bows for Parker

Kaylee helping brother check out his new stuff

I think she is happy with what Santa brought her.

Merry Christmas from our house to your!!!

10 Months

2011-12-29T08:43:00.000-08:00

Our little man is now 10 months old.

It is hard to believe that he is almost a year. He is now crawling... yippee!!!! I was starting to think he would be one of those babies that just starts walking. He loves his food and is starting to eat more and more table food. He is also now sleeping through the night. We or should I say HE has accomplished a lot this month. Parker is always so happy and just seems so content all the time. We love his sweet personality and smile.

Family Pictures

2011-12-19T11:11:00.000-08:00

My friend Briana took our family pictures this year these are some of my favorites.

Thank you Bri you did a great job!!!

Had to post this one... Gotta love my feisty little girl!!!

Cousins

2011-12-19T09:33:00.000-08:00

~Kaylee.Parker.Hanna.Emily.Reid.Jake.Hailee.Blake.Ashlyn~

We had our annual family Christmas party at Aunt Debbie & Uncle Ron's house. It was so much fun and something I look forward to every year. This years theme was breakfast food & pj's. Thank you so much for hosting every year Swanson's. We are lucky we live so close to our family.

Christmas Performance

2011-12-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

Kaylee had her very first Christmas performance last week. She did great... was really shy and had her hands in her mouth almost the whole time. But we LOVED watching her perform.

Peirside Preschool

2011

Kaylee and Sammy

(her best friend at school)

Ms. B's class

Her cousins came to watch her. She was pretty excited as you can tell.

Our family

We love you Kaylee and are so proud of you!

Santa 2011

2011-12-19T09:18:00.000-08:00

Santa was so much fun this year. Kaylee went right up to him and gave him a big hug it was so sweet. As she gets older the holidays are even more exciting for me. Parker did not cry which I expected. He just looked at him funny and then sat there. :)

Kaylee telling Santa what she wants for Christmas

We ran into Kaylee's friend from school Aly. The had fun running around the mall and riding the train.

My little Mama's Boy

Parks @ 9 months

2011-12-19T08:32:00.000-08:00

Parker had his 9 month check up 3 weeks ago.

He is healthy and happy!!!

Weight: 20lbs 4oz (45%)

Hieght: 28.5inches (60%)

Ballet

2011-11-17T20:08:00.001-08:00

Kaylee and her cousin Hanna took a ballet class together and loved it. I think I have found an activity that Kaylee really enjoys. We have done gymnastics and swimming and she has gone and done them but never loved them as much as ballet. I love watching her learn new things!

Kaylee & her teacher Miss Kim.

My Sweet BOY

2011-11-17T19:52:00.001-08:00

I feel like I have been bad about posting Parker's updates. This is my form of a baby book so I really need to work on this...

Parker has become the sweetest and happiest little baby. He is SO easy going and so dang cute I can't stop kissing his chubby face! He got his 1st 2 teeth on Oct. 25th @ 8 months and 2 days. He is still not crawling but can get where ever he needs to go. We call him the rollie pollie. He is VERY ticklish and laughs hysterically all the time. He is starting to sleep a lot better, some nights are better than others but I am usually only having to get up once at 4. As of today I am done breastfeeding. I am sad about it but it was time. He was so over it I was holding on for dear life trying to force it. He LOVES his food and eats everything. He is a wonderful addition to our family and I cannot imagine my life with out this adorable face!!

Kevin's 60th

2011-11-17T19:27:00.001-08:00

We celebrated my step dad Kevin's 60th birthday at the Corvette diner in San Diego. It was a lot of fun and very entertaining for the kids. Thank you for being so good to us. We love you and are so grateful we get to share specials days like this with you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-17T19:20:00.001-08:00

Our little Rapunzel

Kaylee & Parker

Our Family

The Keus Family

The Finston's

Parker's 1st Halloween

We had a great time this year with our great friends. We love our neighborhood for trick or treating. The kids have a blast and the adults enjoy watching it!

Conner's 8th Birthday

2011-11-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

Father & Son

Cute Kids

My sweet BOYS

Conner with his Grandmas

Conner and I at our wedding he was 2.5...Wow has be grown!!

I have really loved being this sweet little boys auntie. He has grown into such a nice person. I love you Conner Jacob!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Annual Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

Ella, Hailee, Kaylee, Hanna, Harper, Remi, Parker & Emily

Our Family

The finished product

Thank you Grandma Spike for putting on an amazing night. This is one of my very favorite traditions. My mother in law decorates her garage and makes yummy food... we carve pumpkins (and get really into it), eat, and do a pinata. The kids and adults all have a great time. I look forward to this night every year :)

Kaylee's 1st Field Trip

2011-10-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

Kaylee had her very first field trip at the pumpkin patch. It was a lot of fun to watch her interact with her friends from school. I even ran into my cousin Heather she is a teacher and was with her class on a field trip... small world!

Ms. B's class

Sammy, Kira, Eli, Aly

Kathleen, Kaylee, Jake, Cassie, Collin & Ms. B

feeding the goats

face painting

Kaylee & Ms. B

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

We had the best time at the pumpkin patch the other night. Kaylee has no fear and loved all the rides. It was a great little family night.

Parker's first trip to the pumpkin patch

HAHA! Sorry honey had to do it.

El Cap

2011-10-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

We went on our 8th annual family camping trip a couple weeks ago. We got beautiful weather and had a good time. I did a horrible job at taking pictures this year.

Happy Camper

Beach Day

El Capitan State Beach is so beautiful!

Children of the world

2011-10-15T10:06:00.001-07:00

At Kaylee's school they had a "Children of the World" day. All the kids dressed up as kids from different parts of the world and had a parade. It was super cute and she had a blast. Next year I will definitley get more creative!

7 Months

2011-10-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

Mr. Parker is now 7 months. He is such a great baby and always happy unless he is tired or hungry. We are enjoying watching him learn and do new things. He LOVES his food and has become a very chubby boy. I took if the the doctor a couple weeks ago and he was weighing in at 18 pounds 2 ounces.

09.23.2011

He is now sitting and doing the army crawl but still not crawling (lazy boy).

He gets where he needs to go that's for sure.

My sweet boy!

Swings

2011-10-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

We have been spending as much time as possible outside. Lunch at the park is one of Kaylee's favorites. Parker's newest fav are the swings. He laughs hysterically.

Brunch for Baby

2011-09-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

The Ritter family will be welcoming another little boy in about 6 more weeks. We got to celebrate and spoil the little man last weekend at a yummy Sunday brunch. I am very excited to meet my newest nephew.

Congrats Josh, Megs, Hailee & Hanna!!!

My Babies...

2011-09-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

I love looking back at old pictures of Kaylee to compare her with Parker.

Here they both are at 6 months...

Do they still look alike???

1st Day of Preschool

2011-09-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

Our little girl is growing up! People are not kidding when they say enjoy every minute because it goes SO fast. Well it's true!! Kaylee started preschool this week and did awesome. I am so proud of her no tears, no hanging on my leg, no nothing she gave us a kiss and off she went. She is already asking over and over again when she gets to go back and tells me her teacher is Ms. B and she is my friend. She even has a Parker in her class. She is very excited about it as you can see in the pictures. I did shed a couple tears when I got in the car and drove away. I have been looking forward to this for a long time and now that it is here I am a little sad. I just feel like she is so independent and old now. On the plus side I get to spend some quality one on one time with Parker and get my errands done with just 1 child!

Being her sassy self

Daddy and Kaylee

My girl!

She cannot wait to get there

Kissing brother goodbye

In front of her room

I'm looking forward to the new adventures of having a child in school!

We love you Kaylee girl xoxo

Mr. & Mrs. Leslie

2011-09-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend Diana got married last weekend in Santa Ynez. It was a gorgeous wedding at Bridelwood Estates. She was a stunning bride and we had a lot of fun.

Lee & Diana Leslie

Cocktail hour in the barrel room

Before the wedding we went wine tasting at one of my favorite wineries.

Jeremy and I got to enjoy a whole weekend with out the kids. Thanks to my parents!!!We were able to catch up on some much needed sleep and do things we cannot usually do with the kids. It was awesome!

Congratulations Lee & Diana!

Family River Trip

2011-09-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

We got to spend some quality family time at the river a couple weeks ago. It was HOT as heck but we still had a good time.

Daddy and his girl. Kaylee is so in love with her daddy.

Our adorable river man
The little fish

We got to meet up with the Clarke family. It was so great to see them!
Leah.Parker.Kaylee. Harley

My sweet boy Kaylee girl...

I am so thankful both of our kids can handle the heat and love to do the same things we do!

Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Llanes

2011-09-08T09:22:00.001-07:00

August 21, 2011

The bride and her bridesmaids

Holly.Stacey.Jenn.me

Congratulations David & Angelina!

Your wedding was beautiful and so much fun I was honored to be a part of it. Love you :)

6 Months

2011-08-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

Our little Parker is 6 months old today! I fall more in love with this little boy each day. He is getting such a cute personality and is learning new things everyday.

Parker is now....

~ starting solids so far rice cereal & carrots (above picture)

~rolling across the room

~ grabbing and playing with toys

~he is STILL not sleeping through the night

~he loves his family & of course a lot of attentions

We are lucky to have him in our family xoxo

6 month stats...

16lbs 9oz~ 30%

26 inches long~ 30%

Daddy's Girl

2011-08-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

Kaylee loves her Daddy and had a great little date with him at some boat races a couple week ago.

Rolling

2011-08-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Mr. Man is rolling and scooting everywhere. He is getting SO big and is SO happy! I cannot believe this baby is the same baby I had 2 months ago. He has turned into the easiest baby and I'm loving every minute of him.

Parker & Remi

2011-08-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

sitting in a tree k.i.s.s.i.n.g, first comes love, then come marriage...

These two are so cute I can't get enough of them.

Remi~ 10 months and Parker~ 5 months

Petting Zoo

2011-08-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

Last week we met up with Zoie and Elle and had a really good day. We went to this adorable petting zoo in old town San Juan Cap. It was way to HOT but the girls had fun feeding the animals, going on train rides, and running around!

Bike Riding

2011-08-04T12:52:00.001-07:00

Santa brought Kaylee a bike for Christmas and she is finally getting the hang of pushing the petals and stirring. She is getting so big!

Pool Day

2011-08-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

Our cute little man

Pieter with all the girls in the pool

Jeremy doing all the girls hair after they showered. Maybe he was meant to have girls :)

We went to the pool over the weekend and has so much fun. I love summer!!!

5 Months

2011-07-26T15:38:00.000-07:00

Our little guy is now 5 months old. He is doing great and growing SO fast. I get sad when he starts new things because before I know it he will be Kaylee's age and no longer my baby. Parker is now rolling from front to back and almost back to tummy, he grabs things, holds stuff, laughs, has found his voice, and LOVES his mommy. He is still waking up a least once a night :( and is my cuddle bug in the early morning. He has so many nicknames... Park, Parkman, Mr. Man, Parky, chubba whubba. We love him to pieces and cannot believe how fast he has grown.

The "Kara Dawn" Salon

2011-07-26T14:58:00.000-07:00

I had a ton of fun having a pretend spa day with Kaylee Ella and Harper.

"Kara Dawn Salon"
They got to pick a color, have a foot massage, hot towel, and then design on toe :)

finished product
Beautiful Sisters after make up

Kaylee & Remi (10 months)

Our girls!!

What a fun day

Palm Springs

2011-07-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

All of the Ritter's went to Palm Springs last weekend. We had a really nice time. The kids absolutley loved it and were SO good! Thankfully we had great weather (not to hot) and everyone was able to hang by the pool all day and go to dinner at night down town.

Cute Cousins

Mr. Blue eyes

The Boys with one more coming soon

The Girls... Wow are the men out numbered in this family.

Mama Jan and I in the pool enjoying some people watching

So thankful...

2011-07-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

I am one lucky woman. I have 2 beautiful healthy children and a wonderful husband that I love more than anything! I am feeling extra thankful today :)

Our family of 4

My sweet Parker and I on the 4th

Kaylee girl and I on a date with Daddy... We went to dinner and Cars 2 just the 3 of us.

Brother and sister LOVE!

July 4th 2011

2011-07-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed the 4th a little differently this year. We spent the day at our pool and then BBQed at our house with great friends and my sweet nephew Conner joined us for the whole weekend . It was very mellow and so easy!

Sweet Faces

Ella.Conner.Harper.Parker.Kaylee

The Moms being silly

Fun in the sun

I love these kiddos!

Twins

2011-07-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

Just when I started thinking that Kaylee and Parker look nothing alike anymore....

Why do my kids always look so surprised?!?! :)

Welcome Mikayla Jay

2011-07-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

My brother Nathan and sister in law Dawn welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. I cannot wait to meet my newest niece! If only theyed lived closer.

MIKAYLA JAY BLACKBURN

Born June 27, 2011

7 lbs 6 oz

19.5 inches long

4 Months

2011-07-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

Parker's 4 month stats:
13 pounds 15 ounces (30%)
24 inches long (20%)

Our happy handsome little guy!!!

Parker has turned into a completely different baby this month. He is happy, sweet, and so loving! He laughs and everything and everyone. He is so enjoyable to be around now and SO easy compared to the first 3 months.

His newest favorite

At his 4 month check up.

I love you Parker James!!!!

Father's Day at Cottonwood Cove

2011-07-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

Jeremy wanted to go to his favorite place for the Father's Day so we enjoyed Cottonwood Cove with the Finston's. It was a great weekend... the kids had so much FUN and so did the adults.

Happy Father's Day
Kaylee & Matthew

Matthew and Kaylee feeding the fish

Keeping little man cool

Our tired Harley

Kaylee loved her princess sleeping bag

Happy Father's day Jeremy we love you and appreciate all you do for our family! Kaylee Parker and I are so lucky to have you xoxoxoxo

Also Happy Fathers Day to my step Dad...Thank you Kev for being a sweet caring Grandpa and Dad to me and my kids. We love you so very much!

Adult Trip

2011-07-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to get away for the weekend with out kids. Thanks to my parents! It was so nice to spend time with our great friends and actually be able to lay out, relax and not have a schedule. I look forward to doing it again next year.

Our beach

Nicole.Elishia.Stacey. Me

Pieter.Dave.JR.Jeremy

My Stac & I

Hubby & I

Stacey turns 32

2011-07-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Miss Stacey!

We love you!!!

Napa

2011-06-03T16:12:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago I was lucky enough to go on a girls trip to Napa! It was so beautiful, fun and full of good laughs!

Beautiful view from Sterling

All the girls @ Hess

Our first tasting of the weekend

3 Months

2011-05-25T16:31:00.001-07:00

Cannot believe our little guys is already 3 months. I wish 3 months of pregnancy went this fast. He is starting to be a little happier and smiles at us all the time!

Happy Boy

I tried the bumbo seat today and he did not like it at all... Sorry buddy for the pink seat I should have gotten a unisex color.

He likes his activity mate

Poor Guy

2011-05-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

Poor Parker is gonna have many more experiences like this...

Reminds me of me and my little brothers

Big Blue eyes!

Meeting Reid

2011-05-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

We got to meet the newest addition to our extended family last week. Ashley and Kevin had a sweet baby boy March 31th.

Reid Patrick
7 lbs. 8 oz.
Cousin Nichole and Emily

Kaylee having fun in all the fountains... we will be visiting the Irvine Spectrum more often she had a great time.

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was great this year!! I was able to meet up with my mom on Saturday to spend some quality time with her. Then on Sunday we went to brunch and relaxed at home for the rest of the day. I was even able to take a nap!

Our family of 4

My Hubby was so sweet... he spoiled me this year with a new camera, flowers, washed and waxed my car, and my favorite cupcakes from Crumbs. I love you honey thank you for making Mother's Day so special!

Me and my sweet babies!
~I love being your Mommy~

Do they still look alike???

2011-05-04T16:53:00.001-07:00

Everyone tells me that Parker looks just like me and my brothers... I still think he looks a lot like Kaylee did has a baby. Looking at these pictures they look like siblings but maybe not exactly alike anymore

Kaylee @ 10 weeks
Parker @ 10 weeks

Easter

2011-05-04T16:14:00.000-07:00

Easter Bunny 2011

Conner 7, Parker 8 wks, Kaylee 3
Easter morning

dying Easter eggs

I think she was excited about what the Easter bunny brought her.

Gotta love the Christmas jammies :)

To be a kids again...

2011-05-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parts about being a Mom is you get to relive being a kid again through the eyes of your children. It makes holidays, birthday parties, Disneyland and so many other things SO MUCH FUN! We have been enjoying a lot of good times in the past couple months.

Crafts

dress up

Fun in the sun
Harper & Kaylee

Pool Days
From left to right
Cannon, Hudson, Harper, Alyssa, Ella, Remi, Kaylee, Hanna, Parker, Charlotte, Elle, and Bronson

Cannon, Hudson, Harper, Kaylee, and Ella

These cute moments make all the hard work worth it.

2 Months

2011-05-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Our little man is now 2 months old and this is the first smile I caught on camera. I love how happy he looks in the picture. Parker is now smiling and cooing at us which has been nice. He still has the acid reflux and is a very hard baby. But I just keep telling myself this will pass. I just wish he were happier. He is starting to sleep pretty good at night only waking up twice usually at 1 and 4. He has become a little Mama's boy and looks for me when he here my voice and LOVES to be held.

2 month stats...

weight: 10 pounds 10 ounces 25%

height: 22 inches 15%

A year older

2011-05-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and I celebrated being a year older last month. We enjoyed spending time with our family and friends! I love that our birthdays are only 2 weeks apart!

April 3rd my 32nd

April 19th his 34th

I love you honey Happy Birthday!

1st River Trip

2011-04-22T20:50:00.001-07:00

We went to the river the end of March for a couple days. It was beautiful weather and a great way to start this years river season. Parker was only 5 weeks old but he did amazing! I told Jeremy I would move to the river for the next 3 months if it guaranteed a happy Parker.

I love how kid and family friendly our new boat is. The kids both took a nap right after this picture.

My adorable little man in his life vest.
Cuteness!!!
She LOVES the river just like her daddy

My Babies

Pics with Parker

2011-04-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

I have not posted in so long I have a ton of pictures with special people in Parker's life holding him for the first time... I wanted to share

Cousin Hanna

Cousin Haliee
Uncle Josh

Kelsey

Uncle Ry Ry

a BIG one...

2011-04-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my beautiful Mom...

It was a big one this year but I won't say how old (she would kill me)We had a wonderful time celebrating with all of the family!

My Mom and Auntie Nellie have the same birthday... This makes for a busy time full of fun for our family. I am sad I did not get any pictures from Janelle's birthday dinner.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to 2 wonderful women!

We love you so very much

2011-04-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

Parker @ 1 Month old Weight: 7 pounds 15 ounces Height: 20.5 inches

5 Years

2011-03-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

We had our 5th wedding anniversary on St. Patty's Day! I cannot believe that 5 years have already passed it has gone by so fast. We have created so many memories, traditions and a beautiful family. I am so glad I married my best friend he is a great person that I love and respect so much! We went to dinner kid free (Thanks Grandma Spike) at Captain Jacks and enjoyed some yummy food and great conversation. I LOVE YOU BABE!

March 17, 2006
March 17, 2011

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

While at dinner we talked about our top 5 memories/events and here were mine of course the top being the birth of Kaylee and Parker...

1. Our Honeymoon

2. Cabo for Ryan & Katie's wedding

3. Hawaii

4. Our sweet Kaylee's Birth

5. And most recently Parker's arrival

Looking forward to MANY more years together!

~Happy Anniversary Honey~

Weeks 2 & 3

2011-03-21T14:41:00.000-07:00

2 weeks old
3 weeks old

1st bath together

Kaylee has to have him by her to watch morning cartoons

Sweet Face

Palm Springs

Grumpy Buns

The past 3 weeks have been a big adjustment for me. I am getting use to it finally! But with a very needy baby and whining 3 year old it has been hard I'm not gonna lie. Kaylee is such a sweet big sister and wants to help with everything but I also know she is having a hard time adjusting to sharing my time. She is doing great and gets better at it everyday. Parker is still waking up every 2-3 hours at night and has been much more alert during the day. So far Parker has been a much harder baby than Kaylee was. This little boy can go from zero to ten in seconds. When he is mad he is MAD! He is a sweet little cuddle bug and I love that. I am learning how to juggle the two kids, being a good wife, homemaker and while trying to keep my house peaceful. I feel very blessed to have our family of 4!

Do they look alike???

2011-03-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

Parker
Kaylee

Yesterday I put Parker in his crib for the first time for a nap and when I looked at him it reminded me of a picture of Kaylee when she was a week or so old. So what do you think? I think they look A LOT alike... Kaylee just had more hair!

1st weeks

2011-03-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

Love them

1st Bath at home 4 days old

3 days old

6 days old

Grandma Spike

Auntie Nellie

Harley is excited and wants to meet his new little brother too

Papa

Uncle Kurty

1st walk 8 days old

Parker's 1st time at the beach (8 days old)

The first couple weeks have gone really well. Jeremy stayed home for 1 week. My mom stayed with me for a couple days and then Spike took Kaylee for me on Friday. Kaylee has done great with her little brother although she has been VERY whinny toward Jeremy and I. I am happy she is being nice to Parker but I really look forward to having my sweet little girl back. Parker is eating every 2-3 hours during the day and night. He already seems so much bigger to me. We are having fun adjusting and being a family of 4.

Kaylee meets Parker

2011-03-08T13:22:00.001-08:00

Kaylee was not able to meet Parker in the hospital because he was in the NICU... SO when she finally got to meet him she was more that excited.

The 1st time she saw him

Helping Daddy bring him in the house

Kissing him for the 1st time

Kaylee is the best big sister. I don't think she could possibly love Parker any more. She has been a great little helper and SO sweet.

I cannot begin to express how thankful I am to be these special kids mom. Life does not get much better!!!

NICU

2011-03-08T12:07:00.000-08:00

Ready to go home

Parker's 1st car ride

Shortly after Parker was born he started breathing strangely. I called the nurse into our room to ask if it was normal and she said no and had a pediatrician come to check him out. Once she listened to his lungs she asked to take him to the NICU for a chest xray and some other testing. Little did we know he would be staying there for 3 days. This was SO hard for Jeremy and I. Never did we think we would go home without our baby when he was born full term and seem completely healthy at birth. I was devastated that I could not breastfeed right away and that we could not hold and love him as much as we wanted. I have not cried that much in a VERY long time. After running all the tests we found out Parker had TTN (Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn).

TTN, also called "wet lungs" or type II respiratory distress syndrome, usually can be diagnosed in the hours after birth. About 1% of all newborns develop TTN, which usually eases after a few days with treatment. Babies born with TTN need special monitoring and treatment while in the hospital, but afterwards most make a full recovery, with no lasting effect on growth and development.
In infants with TTN, extra fluid in the lungs remains or the fluid is cleared too slowly. So it is more difficult for the baby to inhale oxygen properly, and the baby breathes faster and harder to get enough oxygen into the lungs.

The NICU staff was amazing and we were more than thrilled to bring Parker home on Friday. He is now doing well you would never know it happened.

He's HERE!!!

2011-03-08T11:41:00.000-08:00

Parker James Ritter

Born: 02.23.2011@ 3:51am

6 lbs 8 oz

19 inches long

The final belly shot (37 weeks 2 Days)

Parker's 1st picture with Mommy and Daddy

My amazing support team

Daddy.Grandma Kathy.Grandma Spike

Not so sure about this...

Grandma Kathy

Grandma Spike

Proud Daddy

Minutes after birth and he already loves his Mama!

We are SO excited that Parker is here and a healthy beautiful boy. The birth was a good experience over all and so much different than the 1st time. I went to the Dr on Tuesday morning 2/22 and was dilated to 3cm and 60% effaced. My mom and I had planned to spend the day together so after my appointment I met up with her we did a little shopping and then had lunch. I was contracting as I normally do but started have some stronger contractions that were 4 minutes apart and never stopped no matter what I did. At about 3pm I started noticing that with every contraction I thought I was peeing my pants (sorry TMI) and then my mom mentioned that maybe was water had a leak. So eventually I called L&D and the wanted me to come in to check it out. I waited as long as I could before calling Jeremy to come home but the contractions started getting even stronger and 2-3 minutes apart. Jeremy came home we got the hospital at 7pm and I did end up having a high leak in my bag but had also progressed to 4cm and 100% effaced. We were having BABY!!! After a long night of laboring and NO sleep Parker James arrived at 3:51AM...

He is sweet TINY and perfect!

I could not feel more blessed to have 2 beautiful and healthy children.

37 Weeks

2011-02-21T08:19:00.000-08:00

Well we have officially made it "full term".

Which is a great feeling after a long 3 months of taking it easy and hoping he would not come too soon. Now that I know he is ready and big enough to make it on his own in the world I am READY for him to come. The last couple of weeks always go by so slow for everyone because it is a waiting game.

So that is what we will be doing waiting but I have my fingers crossed that is won't be to much longer...

1st Sleepover

2011-02-21T08:06:00.000-08:00

Kaylee had her 1st real sleepover at Auntie Nellie's new place! She had SO much fun with her Auntie and cousins that she did not want to leave. She seriously cried for 20 minutes after we left. THANK YOU Nellie for being such a great Auntie.

We love you!

All ready to go with her new princess sleeping bag.

Silly girls

(Hailee, Auntie Nellie, Kaylee & Hanna)

Cozy watching morning cartoons in Auntie's bed.

Girl Time

2011-02-21T07:44:00.000-08:00

With the upcoming arrival of Parker. I have been taking every opportunity possible to spend some quality time with Kaylee. If there is one think I have learned from friends that have multiple children it is that I will miss this one on one time. Well Kaylee and I have been having a blast. We have gone to Disneyland once a week (my pass expires soon), we went on a couple dates to Chuck E Cheese and CPK, have been doing a lot of baking, painting, and just spending time together.

FUN FUN FUN!!!

Disneyland

Starbucks & Bagels

Baking

Chuck E. Cheese

Soon enough Parker will be here to enjoy all the fun we have!

I love you my Kaylee girl and will cherish this time forever.

xoxo

25 Days

2011-02-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

WOW!

I am officially in the FINAL stretch of this pregnancy with only 25 days left.

I went to the Dr. a couple of days ago and I am now dilated to 2.5cm and 60% effaces. Parker's head is down and she could actually feel it which surprised me. I have also reached the point of being over it. I have really enjoyed this pregnancy so much more than I did with Kaylee but I am now at the point of being uncomfortable all the time, sleeping horribly and feeling huge. My Dr. has given me the go ahead to increase my activity level and do whatever I wish... so I went to the gym yesterday and it felt SO good to sweat. I plan to continue walking and working out until he gets here.

I am SO excited to meet Parker and see his sweet face. I can't wait to see how Kaylee is with her little brother. Although I am nervous about all the changes of becoming a family of 4... I can't wait we have been wanting this for a long time.

The Belly with 25 days left (36 weeks 3 days)

And what a difference 75 days can make.

This is my belly with 100 days to go.

Sunny So Cal

2011-01-31T16:20:00.001-08:00

I love where we live. We had a great family day down at Crystal Cove over the weekend. I love this warm weather.

Jeremy & Kaylee checking out the tide pools

Me & Parker (8.5 months or 34 weeks)

Only 6 weeks to go!!!

Feeling Ready...

2011-01-31T16:04:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had an amazing shower for Parker throw by my sweet friends and family.

(more pictures to come)

I was able to get the nursery done and am feeling ready for my little guy. I got his bedding through "The Baby Guy" and I think it turned out great. My creative friend Haley made his name. I love the colors and can't wait for little Parker to occupy his room.

The bedding and beautiful quilt made by my mom.

I have even washed and put away everything. All I have left to do is pack a hospital bag, diaper bag and clean all of the contraptions (swing, car seat, bouncer etc.)

More Birthdays

2011-01-27T17:48:00.000-08:00

January is a VERY busy birthday month for our family... We have Uncle Ryan & Aaliyah on the 3rd, Kaylee on the 6th, Uncle Kurty & Uncle Nathan on the 16th, Auntie Megan on the 17th and George (Jeremy's Dad) on the 26th!!

We went to dinner with Uncle Kurty at Matsu...

We had a really fun girls night for Megan's birthday at Twisted Vine then a family dinner the next night.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Uncle Kurty & Auntie Megan

Family Weekend

2011-01-27T17:27:00.001-08:00

We spent the weekend in San Diego just the 3 of us. It was so much fun. We went to Sea World and staying at Paradise Point!

01.08.2011 @ Sea World

Kaylee waiting for the Pets Rule show to start

Hanging out at the resort...we made a bonfire on the beach

Sea World day 2

My belly @ 31 weeks with Parker

Our little poser

3 Year Stats

2011-01-27T17:23:00.000-08:00

We had Kaylee's 3 year check up today.

She is now...

28 pounds 8 ounces (25%) and 36.5 inches long (25%)

01.06.2011

2011-01-27T16:48:00.000-08:00

Kaylee's fun 3rd birthday

Birthday breakfast... she wanted a cupcake and banana

We spent the morning at Disneyland

Purple and yellow cupcakes as she requested

Fun with her friends & cousins

(Ellam Hailee, Aaliyah, Liannah, Kaylee, Harper, Matthew)

Elle, Bronson & Hanna are missing

Our very happy girl

The next day Grandma Spike took her to Disney on Ice. She loved it!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY KAYLEE!!!

We love you sooooo much

3 Already...

2011-01-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that 3 years have already passed. Kaylee has been such fun sweet and entertaining little girl. She is smart, loving, funny, stubborn, animated, feisty, beautiful inside and out. I always catch myself getting emotional on her birthday... I truly cannot imagine my life with out her. I am so thankful I get to be a mom and even more thankful I am Kaylee's mommy.

01/06/2008

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

~We love you Kaylee~

Happy 3rd Birthday

Ryan & Aya

2011-01-10T16:06:00.000-08:00

My little brother Ryan and his daughter Aaliyah celebrated turning a year older last weekend. They have to same birthday January 3rd! We had a great time and loved being there.

The Hurley Family

Aya the big #6

Me and some of my brothers...

Kurt, Ryan, me (30 weeks prego), Ron & Justin

I am missing 3 others Jeremy, Ian and Nathan

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN & AYA

WE LOVE YOU

29 weeks

2010-12-28T11:54:00.000-08:00

Here is the belly at 29 weeks.

Our little man is now about 3 pounds and 17 inches long.

I have grown a lot in the past couple weeks and I know I am only going to get even bigger. I am getting a little uncomfortable finding it harder to bend over, get out of bed to go pee every 3 hours and put my shoes on... I laugh at myself a couple times a day. Little Parker is also starting to wake me up with his strong kicks and gymnastics moves at all hours of the night. But I can say that I am still feeling good.

I am still having contractions but less than before now that I have been taking it easy and making myself rest. My Dr. did take me out of work which I was bummed about but I know it is best for me and the baby.

Now that the holidays are over the realization that we will be a family of 4 is starting in set in. I am getting a little nervous about having 2 kids. All of my friends with more than 1 child always say "just wait tell you have two". This time around I am less scared about labor and more scared about the first couple weeks and months...

Christmas Day

2010-12-28T11:17:00.001-08:00

Christmas was a fun and very busy day at our house. We had everyone over at our house this year and it turned out wonderful. This was the 1st time in 13 years that I did not have to drive anywhere on Christmas.

Santa came to our house

Kaylee opening presents from Santa...

This year was so awesome she really "got it" and had so much fun. All day she kept singing Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus and talked about Santa coming to her house.

Her new purple bike from Santa (she asked him for a purple bike and kitchen)

Me & my parents

Our house full of gifts

Cousins eating dinner

They are so sweet together...

Aaliyah (almost 6), Liannah (1.5), Conner (7), Kaylee (almost 3)

This Christmas I felt an overwhelming amount of joy and appreciation for all that I have. I am so blessed to have an amazing family, husband, healthy little girl and a sweet baby boy on the way and of course great friends. For me Christmas is not about the gifts but about spending time with the ones you love and giving to others. I love this holiday for all the traditions, family time, music and beautiful decorations.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-28T11:07:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Christmas Eve at Gramma Spikes house. She made a delicious dinner of course and the girls were of course spoiled rotten by Gramma, Aunties and Uncles.

Can you tell she is really excited

Hanna, Kaylee & Hailee opening presents

Kaylee girls new kitchen from Spike

All ready for Santa and the reindeer

Reading Christmas book before bedtime.

She is such a Daddy's girl

Christmas Fun

2010-12-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

We love the Christmas Season...

There is always so many fun things to do and so many great yearly traditions.

Cousin Hanna's Preschool Christmas Performance

The Newport Boat Parade

And of course making cookies for Santa!

Santa 2010

2010-12-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

Kaylee & Santa 2010

This year was SO different... NO tears! She loved Santa and told him what she wanted for Christmas and then just kept talking and talking... he had to cut her off.

So excited waiting for Santa

Riding the train after.

This year Daddy came with us... it was really fun to have him there! I look forward to making this a yearly family tradition.

27 weeks

2010-12-13T13:16:00.000-08:00

This is the final week of my 2nd trimester. We only have 13 weeks left and time seems to be going by so fast. I am still feeling really good but starting to get a little uncomfortable and tired. I have been trying to take it easy which is hard for me to do. Those of you who know me well know that I am a busy body :) At my last appointment I was 25 weeks and 5 days my Dr. decided to check me because I am having contractions and I am already dilated to almost 1 with a softened cervix. Which is not great news considering I am only 27 weeks. She did a test to check on the likelihood of preterm labor happening in the next 2 weeks and it came back negative which is good news. I have not been asked to stop working or exercising yet. I had contractions early with Kaylee as well but these are a little stronger and more frequent. At this point I am trying to listen to my body and lower my activity lever. I am still working but only 1 day a week. I have an appointment again on Thursday to see my high risk Dr so I am hoping that nothing has changed in the past couple of weeks. Little Parker needs to do A LOT more cooking before he joins our family.

Just for fun... Here I am 27 weeks with Kaylee

The Happiest Place on Earth

2010-12-08T19:08:00.001-08:00

Kaylee and I met up with my brother Ryan and his family at Disneyland last night. We got to see the Christmas parade, Small World all decorated for Christmas, the fireworks show and snow. I absolutely LOVE Disneyland during Christmas time. It is so beautiful and definitely puts you in the holiday spirit.

Uncle Ry Ry

All the girls

Cousins having fun

The girls waiting for the parade

~Ryan and I~

I am so thankful I live close to my family. I am lucky to have amazing brothers that I really enjoy spending time with.
Thanks for a fun night Jess and Ryan xoxo

Happy Birthday Elle

2010-12-08T19:01:00.000-08:00

We got to celebrate Elle Belle's birthday over the weekend. The Mermaid party was great and all the kids had so much fun!

Happy Birthday Elle!

Elle & Kaylee

They love each other it is so sweet

All the kids loved the beautiful Mermaid (Auntie Lolo)

100 Days

2010-12-04T06:46:00.000-08:00

The belly with 100 days left...

I did this same post when I was pregnant with Kaylee so I thought it would be fun to compare my belly as well as my emotions.

In my post about Kaylee I talked about how the count down has started and that I was starting to get super excited and nervous about all the little details. I was starting to clean a lot and had nesting feeling.

Well things are VERY different this time. Maybe because I remember the last 100 days going by pretty fast. I am now thinking that I cannot wait to meet our little boy and am very excited for our family to become 4. But I have absolutely NOTHING done. Parker's room has become the room I put everything in that I am not sure where I want. So it is full of boxes and a bunch of crap. So I am really hoping that I will become motivated to unpack the rest of the house and get his room ready. I do have to say that I am enjoying this pregnancy much more than I did with Kaylee and I appreciate being able to be pregnant so much more. I have also gotten very excited about having a BOY.

25.5 weeks...

I wanted to be sure to take a picture of me in my work uniform. hahaha... I feel like I look so silly in it but it is something I want to remember.

And this is my belly with Kaylee when I had 100 days to go... I think I was a little bigger and was carrying a lot higher.

A night to remember...

2010-12-02T15:06:00.000-08:00

Last night was our first real trip to the ER... and I say real because we have been once before but if was for an allergic reaction and we were able to go to an after hours Kaiser facility. This time we had to do to the actual emergency room.

Kaylee fell while trying to climb up one of our bar stools and hit her chin on the edge of the chair on the way down. She cried but not that bad and seemed fine very soon after but the cut on her chin was deep so I wanted to have it looked at. Sure enough our baby girl needed 4 stitches. She did really good and was more upset about them holding her down than the actual stitched. Today she is happy and seems totally fine. She just keeps telling me that we have to keep her band aide on...

Daddy holding the topical numbing stuff on...

Our little burrito
so so sad....

All finished and ready to go home.

Kaylee sure is a tough little cookie!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-12-02T14:58:00.000-08:00

We had a busy weekend as always for Thanksgiving. I of course forgot my camera on Thanksgiving but on Friday and Saturday we went out to the river. It was cold but we still had a nice time as a family.

11.26.2010

Kaylee LOVES the river and is always such a trooper when we go. Daddy is very happy about that.

Some new BLING

2010-11-24T07:36:00.001-08:00

Kaylee got her ears pierced last week. I have always been ok with her getting them done it is Daddy we had to get to approve. So finally gave in after many phone calls asking for earrings. She was so excited and is definitely a girl that know what she wants.

I don't think she was expecting this... but she did great only cried for 15 seconds. Now she LOVES her new earrings

Lots of Birthday Fun

2010-11-24T07:20:00.000-08:00

Last week was a fun and very busy week full of birthday celebrations. We were lucky enough to join Hanna, Cannon, Ella and Grandma Spike as they partied it up.

Our beautiful sweet niece Hanna who turns 3 on Nov. 26th

She had a party at Build A Bear. It was such a cute party and great for the kids I highly recommend doing a party there with a small group of kids.

Mr. Cannon James turned 2 yesterday

Cannon had his party at Prehistoric Pets. The kids got to touch and hold so many animals. I was surprised that the girls (mainly Harper and Ella) liked it more than some of the boys. And of course my man is still a kid at heart and had to have a HUGE spider on his head...

And Ella had her party at SCATS her gymnastics place. All the kids got to play on the gym floor and had a blast.

Ella Reese turns 5 Nov. 26th also... WOW how is she 5 already!

We had a ton of fun! Thank you for including us in your special day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Hanna, Cannon and Ella!

23 week belly

2010-11-15T07:58:00.000-08:00

Here is our little guy at 23 weeks.

When I went to the Dr. I got a full ultrasound which was nice. He is measuring exactly 23 weeks and 2 days so we are right on track. The Dr. said our baby is healthy and doing great.

The belly just keeps getting bigger by the day. It's hard to believe we have less than 4 months to go. I have a Dr. appointment with my specialist today so I am hoping I get to see my little man.

Happy Birthday Papa

2010-11-15T07:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Papa!

We had fun celebrating with you.

We love you xoxo

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T09:24:00.001-07:00

We had a great Halloween!!!

Our little Minnie Mouse

(She picked out her own costume this year)

We started the day by surprising Grandma Spike at work. She and the girls loved it.
Cute cousins

All ready to go trick or treating

All the kids ready to go...

Our neighborhood is awesome for Halloween all the houses are decorated

Harper the Angel, Ella the Bride and Minnie

The first house... Harper and Kaylee were so funny they ran from house to house as fast as they could. Kaylee had so much fun!

My love

Daddy's Girl

My sweet girl

Our little family

Happy Halloween 2010