Caden's New "Bike"

Like all little boys, Caden LOVES bikes. It was actually one of his first words. He loves big wheels, tricycles, mountain bikes, motorcycles, ATVs.. you name it. If it has wheels, its a bike. One of his favorite things to do is ride the motorcycle with his dad. Since he's not quite big enough to ride his own bike, we opted for the next best thing. One that rides for you! So here are some pictures of Caden enjoying his new "Spidey bike"....


He's got tricks already!

Dallin at 3 months

I can't believe our little guy is 3 months old already! It's just amazing how quickly time flies. Justin and I were talking about how we can't wait to be able to play with him and chase him around and tickle him like we do with Caden. Then we sort of stopped and realized... that time will be here before we know it! Why is it we're always wanting what we don't have, when what we DO have is just perfect =)
Anyways, here are some sweet shots of Dallin. He is a BIG boy, that's for sure. He loves to "coo" and "goo" at anyone who will listen. He is a happy baby, very smiley almost all the time. He likes to watch his big brother and is a really good sport with all the sibling torture. He still has his big blue eyes and cute little dimples. We love our Dallin!

Like Father, Like Son....

There's a song on the country radio stations called "I've been watching you." It talks about a little boy who learns many things from his dad by just observing what he does. All the while, the father has no idea his son is watching him. He learns to eat his vegetables, swear when he's mad, and even pray on his knees at night. We had a fine example of accidental parental modeling last night. Justin got home from work a little late and helped himself to some soup that was still hot on the stove. As Caden sat eating in the living room, he watched his Dad drink the leftover broth from the pot. Within seconds, Caden decided he was going to eat his soup the same way. Check out how the story ends...

Take me out to the ballgame...

Compliments of Justin's work, we took the boys to the Diamondbacks game against the Cincinnati Reds. Our seats were great! You can see from the pictures how close to the field we were. We also got to see Jessica Simpson who was scheduled to sing after the game. Unfortunately, Caden wasn't feeling too well and started to get cranky around the 8th inning, so we left a little early. I'm sure Justin was secretly relieved! But it was a beautiful night and great to be out as a family!

Here we are, the Ramirez crew!

Not sure who this is up to bat, but you can see we had some pretty good seats!

Here's Jessica Simpson doing a little interview between innings.

11 weeks already!

Time sure flies. Our little Dallin is quickly approaching his 3 month mark! He is such a good little baby. We just love him to pieces! He is very vocal and smiley. He usually sleeps about 5 1/2 to 6 hours before he has to eat in the middle of the night. I wish I had started blogging when Caden was this young so I could compare the two of them! But he is a very good eater and finishes in record time! It usually takes about 5 minutes (TOTAL!) and he is done! I timed it the other night... he woke up at 3:50 am. I fed him, burped him, changed his diaper, and layed him back down. It was 3:57 am. I told you he's a good baby. Here are some shots of our dimpled boy...

Love the belly!

And those cheeks!

Happy just hangin out!

Grass and Anniversaries...

I remember one year for Christmas when my mom got a vacuum cleaner from "Santa." I thought it was a cruel joke. But she was so thrilled! Today reminded me of that day. As Justin and I celebrate our third wedding anniversary, the day has been overshadowed by the arrival of our sod! It is the best present ever! No more rationalizing with an 18 month old about why he shouldn't throw dirt, bury the dog with sand, or eat the mud he created from the liquid in his sippy cup. We finally have our grass. We are especially grateful to the Schneiders for their time, knowledge, and resources in helping us novices get it done right! Here are some pictures to commemorate our great day.

Here is our good friend, Justin Schneider, working away before it gets too hot!

Caden enjoying the finished product!

Fun with the hose...

I think I've got this down.

Oh, HAIL no!!

Today was one of those days where I was trying to catch up on the cleaning that didn't happen over the weekend. I love how people think its so easy to keep the house clean when you're a stay at home mom. It's actually pretty tricky! You've really got to utilize nap times and get creative with keeping the kids occupied when they're awake. And today Dallin wanted to be held and "cooed at" a whole lot. So when he finally dozed off to sleep, I went to town on my cleaning. I noticed the storm clouds start rolling in, and shorty after that, I heard banging against our bedroom windows. My first thought was that Caden had snuck out the doggy door again and was hitting the window with his baseball bat. He'd wake up the baby for sure! I couldn't believe it when I looked outside and saw the hail and downpour of rain! I quickly grabbed Caden to show him the spectacle and he was eager to check it out in person. So here are some pictures of our hail storm and Caden playing in the rain for the very first time!

Okay, so don't judge our backyard by this picture.. we are in the process of redoing the whole thing! But here's a cool pic of the hail and rain just pouring down!

Here's a closer look at the size of the hail!

Caden was a little reluctant to play in the rain at first, but when he saw mommy splashing around, he figured it was legit...

This is GREAT! I can't believe they're lettin' me do this!

Does this mean I don't have to take a bath tonight?

A glimpse of the rainbow...

But I don't WANNA come in!

Our trip to New York

We had a great time in New York visiting our family this past week. It's always amazing how long you wait in anticipation for a trip, and how quickly it flies by once its actually here. The plane ride was challenging at first, but we were able to keep Caden occupied with country music videos I downloaded on my Ipod. Gotta love the hair!

He got a kick out of all the random buttons on the plane. I also put together a picture book of all his favorite family photos. This kept him occupied for quite a while. We had a short layover in Cincinnati and then introduced the Dramamine for the second leg. Don't think I'm a bad mom, but this stuff is miraculous. For those of you who know Caden, he is not a calm child. I didn't realize how curious and busy he is until I met some other children his age. Needless to say, 5 hours of sitting still was alot to ask. But the Dramamine helped settle him down and actually fall asleep! Dallin did a great job and slept most of the time. The change in elevation bothered his ears a bit, but he was a trooper! Finally we arrived in New York and how happy we were!


Here is Dallin on his very first plane ride!

And we're off!

Caden and Dallin loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa. We spent most of our days just sitting around visiting, enjoying a break from the Arizona heat. The weather was so nice! My grandparents have an RV that they park in my parents' driveway for the summer months. So we spent time outside under their canopy just enjoying the warm days and cool evenings. Caden particularly enjoyed playing basketball and legos with Grandma and riding the lawnmower with Grandpa.

Here is Caden and Grandma shootin some hoops!

Thanks for the new Legos, Grandma!

Caden and Grandpa, ready to go!

This is great!

Caden also enjoyed going to the horse races. I grew up in a small town in Western New York called Batavia. When I was young, I remember 'Batavia Downs' as a happening kind of place. The horses would race every night and attract people from all over. The track shut down for quite a few years and re-opened after I moved to Arizona in 2001. So it was neat to go there with my family after all this time. You can see Caden sitting on the fence watching the horses race by. We also watched from inside the restaurant, where we had a yummy buffet dinner. Dallin enjoyed sleeping at every restaurant we went to. He is such a good baby. Sometimes he slept on the floor at our feet, other times he opted for a quiet corner. A couple times he fell asleep right on the table where we ate!

Here is Dallin camped out on our table!

Caden enjoying some "bones" with Grandma and Grandpa!
Caden was brave enough to try his first lemon. We've given him tastes of a lemon before for mere entertainment, but this time he ate a big bite. It was hysterical to watch his face change as the taste got more and more sour! You could almost read his little mind wondering if it would ever end. Finally mommy spoiled the fun and let him spit it out. We did get it on video and as soon as I figure out how, I'll put it online. We laughed so hard, we were crying. Here are a few pictures, which of course don't do it justice!

We also got to see Uncle Ryan and Uncle Cory before they headed off to college. Ryan starts his sophomore year at SUNY Delhi and Cory will be a freshman at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology). I loved this shot of Cory and Dallin talking to eachother. Dallin was just smiling and cooing like it was the greatest conversation ever...

Justin got to enjoy 3 straight days of golf with my Dad and brothers, bless his heart. We also got to play lots of Euchre with my aunts and cousins. This is a popular card game in Western New York, but I don't find too many Arizonians who have heard of it. My family is always playing some sort of game, mostly cards, and the competition is brutal!

Caden and Grandma playing their own little card game!
With the weather as beautiful as it was, we took Caden to the park down the street as often as possible. He enjoyed the slides, the swings, and all the great new things to climb. He just loved being outdoors and getting dirty!

Here is a view of the beautiful greenery and the leaves starting to change. But don't let it fool you.. the snow will be here SOON!!

Caden and Daddy taking a "guy" break...

Caden really loved these swings because he could sit by himself and go "high" (as he kept saying!)...

Okay, so Dallin wasn't so crazy about the whole park experience. His little expression says it all!
One night, at a loss for what else to do to occupy Caden, my Dad took him outside to play catch. Caden got a kick out of Grandpa throwing the ball up on the roof and trying to catch it as it rolled back down. These shots are priceless!




We are so grateful to have been able to make it home and see so much of our family. We miss everyone so much already.

Brothers forever!

Now we need a vacation from our vacation! Oh the laundry!