Anya relaxing...

with her daddy! Such a little copycat!

Ryan's bike

Having so much fun riding his bike without pedals from Oma and Opa.

Yellow Submarine

"Mommy, can you buy me a real yellow submarine so Anya and I can sleep in it?" -Ryan
"What?" -Me
"Yeah, I want a yellow submarine. A real one." - Ryan
"I don't have enough money to buy you a submarine and we don't have any place to put it." - Me
"Will daddy buy it?" - Ryan
"You'll have to ask him when he gets home from work." -Me
"But I want one RIGHT NOW!" -Ryan
"I'm sorry, Ryan." -Me
"Right Now, Mommy!" - Ryan
"They don't even sell them in stores, sweetie." -Me
"But I want to sleep in one right now!" -Ryan
"Why don't you go play with your bathtub submarine instead." -Me
"O-kay, Mommy!" -Ryan

Forget the pirate hat...

Anya has a new favorite accessory. A headband.
I find the headband to be a little cuter than
the pirate hat.

An outsider's perspective

The kids and I were going grocery shopping. I had Anya in one arm and was trying to get Ryan unbuckled and out of the car. A lady was unloading her groceries in her car and stopped to watch Ryan and Anya for just a moment. She looked at me and said, "You are very lucky to have two beautiful children. " I smiled and politely thanked her. She said, "You may not always feel lucky but you are."
This quick comment from a complete stranger made me really think. I have my days where Ryan and Anya completely ovewhelm me but I am truly lucky.

Professional pic

Ryan's 3 year pics

Always laughing...

Anya's 13 month pics

Can't believe we just got them back...
The bottom pic is her favorite pose.

Kiss it all better

I was complaining about my belly and the baby fat that I can't seem to get rid of despite running and Pilates. Ryan was listening in as I told Axel how sad I was about my fat tummy. Ryan looked up in all seriousness and said, "Don't cry Mommy. I'll kiss it all better for you." After kissing me on the cheek he said, "See your belly is all skinny now."

Don't you wish it was that easy?

Pirate

Anya's new big thing is to wear Ryan's Pirate hat. She puts that thing on and wears it all over the house and whenever we go out. Here she is wearing it on our way to the mall. People get a kick out of it but I could do without all the attention is calls on us. She also says, "Arg!!!!" every so often to emphasize the fact that she is indeed a pirate.

Traffic jam

One of Ryan's favorite activities is to create traffic jams at the traffic lights.
You can tell he is a city kid with this type of pretend play.

Come home soon!!!!

I am seriously wondering how much more I can take while Axel is in Germany before Ryan and Anya send me to the loony bin.
Today started out with me getting into the shower only to hear screaming and fighting. This is quite typical and extremely frustrating. I would put the tv on for Ryan but he refuses to watch it. So, everyday I take a shower the kids create absolute chaos!
I had to go to Target to get diapers for Anya and a few other minor necessities. Usually our weekly trip to Target is quite uneventful. Today, Anya wouldn't sit in the cart. She kept standing up and putting her legs over the top of the cart to climb out. Along with doing this she screamed her loud and very deep scream. I am sure that everyone in the store wondered where the mom was who was beating her child. My cart is full and I am almost ready to go pay when Ryan has to go pee. Ugh!
After Anya's nap I decide to take the kids to the mall since it is raining and we need to get out of the house. Everything is fine until Axel calls. Ryan is happily sitting on the bench while I talk and the next second I see him holding Anya's sippy cup over the balcony (we are on the 3rd floor). He is laughing liked crazy and says watch mom! The sippy cup falls down 3 floors! I am so pissed I can barely speak. I look over the balcony only to see everyone on the first floor with their heads strained upward and mouths wide open. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. Although, if the mall didn't have security cameras Ryan may have been!
I get the kids home and drop the pizza I got for dinner in the entrance way because I am trying to carry Anya and hold the door for Ryan. I am sooooooooooo frustrated at this point.
The kids are sleepinbg right now and I am finally getting a moment of peace before Ryan starts his sleepwalking.