San Diego Trip Day 1 (Thurs)

Heidi, Ryker, Cyrus and I got home from our San Diego trip on Tuesday and I have been meaning to blog about our trip, but I have been super busy playing catching up with life. Plus any down time I had it had to be spent finalizing my Relief Society Lesson that I taught today. With that all over I have the chance to update.

 

Thursday (Feb 14) was spent driving. Ya I guess you could call us crazy for driving instead of flying to San Diego with two kids. But the airfare was just too expensive. I think with it being President's Day weekend the prices were really high.

 

We left around 6 in the morning and just had a relaxed drive down. The boys did really well. They watched their movies, played games, sang, and munched on some goodies.  

 We stopped a few times to get breakfast, lunch and gas. The boys would get out to stretch their legs and get their wiggles out.

 The drive was suppose to be 11 hours and we were making really good time. But when we got about and an hour from San Diego we were stuck in some serious traffic. We were just crawling inch by inch for two hours. The boys did really well up until that point. Which made the traffic feel that much slower. Our 11 hour drive turned into 13.  Rough.

Oh man we were so excited when we finally got to our hotel and eat some dinner.

When we got to our room the boys were jumping off the walls and acting super crazy. Heidi and I just stood back and laughed because we knew they had all this energy built up from our 13 hour car ride.

When the boys and I went to bed, Heidi left to pick up Uncle Christian from the airport. We were asleep when they got back. So we didn't really chat until the next morning.

One of the things I was super stoked about this hotel was the gym. It was a full gym located right by the hotel and the Wyndham gave us free access to it. So that made me very happy. Especially the next morning after being in the car for 13 hours. I too had energy I needed to burn off. So a nice run on the treadmill and some weights was therapeutic.

5 year check up

Ryker had his 5 year Doctor checkup this morning. I think I was dreading it more than he was. Jesse and I had to give him a little talk last night to warn him that he'd be getting his Kindergarten shots. He handled the idea OK, until I mentioned that he'd need to pee in a cup as well. And for some reason that tipped the emotional scale. He lost it just sobbing, saying he's afraid to pee in a cup. Haha I thought we would get that reaction from the thought of shots not peeing in a cup.  But I think he was tired.

Also on Mondays I have been watching my nephew (Sterling) in the morning while his mom (Emily) goes to school. And of course when I made this Dr. Appointment a year ago I didn't know I'd be helping Emily out at the same time. So I was worried about taking all three kids and how I would keep track of the young ones.

I took the stroller inside with both Cy and Sterling packed in there. And they were really good while Ryker got checked out.

In addition to weighing in and getting his height measured, Ryker had to get his blood pressure taken along with a quick little eye exam. His blood pressure was 111/68 and his eye sight is 20/30. Dr. Reese said 20/30 is totally normal for a five year old.

Back when I was waiting in the waiting room with the boys, I realized I had forgotten to bring Ryker's urine sample from home. So luckily Jesse was on his way home from Ogden and he was able to swing by the house and bring it over. He was able to stay the rest of the time since Todd called him to tell him he wasn't going to start work until a little later. So it was nice to have Jesse there to help me manage the three boys. Dr. Reese came into the room surprised to see a full house.

Ryker weighs 45.2lbs (78%) and measures 43 3/4 inches (68%).

After Dr. Reese checked Ryker's ears, eyes, mouth, speech, colors, writing, and tummy the nurse came in to give Ryker his shots. He had to get THREE today. The nurse was really sweet with him. She asked Ryker if he wanted them in his arm or leg. Ryker chose his arm. I thought at this point he would be freaking out. But he seemed really calm. He started to get a little freaked when she was about to start. But he did pretty good. The first two he didn't really cry, but the last one he didn't like. He yelled "Hurry Hurry Hurry!" 

Then it was over. Phew! I told Ryker I would take him to Orange Leaf for being such a brave boy. So we'll go tonight after dinner.

Birthday Partying

In addition to the good news from Jesse's new job, we got to celebrate Ryker's 5th birthday on Friday Feb 8. In the morning he requested waffles for breakfast and then Jesse and I sang him Happy Birthday. (Disregard him being just in his underwear. Lately that's what he wants to sleep in regardless of the snowy weather).

 

Then he was off to preschool. The last half hour of preschool I went there to do a little spotlight on him. I brought a few of his favorite items and talked about what Ryker likes to do. Then all the kids got to have a shark cupcake.



 

After preschool we had Ryker's birthday friend party. All the kid's moms dropped them off at our house. Then we all loaded up the cars (thank you to my mom for lending her suburban and willing to come along) and headed up to the Trampoline Park in Kaysville.

The kids got to jump around for about an hour and a half. They loved it and had a blast. The best part is that we were allowed to go there an hour before they opened, so we had the whole place to ourselves.

 This is the perfect place for kids. I didn't expect that they all got tired after awhile. But about the time they were suppose to be done jumping they were ready to be done. Which I was happy about because I was worried about getting them into the party room without a fight.

 Having a blast in the foam pit.

Left to right; Boston, Lexi, Ryker, Ever, Rafe (who I think needed to go potty at this point, but said he didn't need to haha) Tyler, Sophie...

and Jace (who had just jumped in the pit when I took the picture of the group). 

A BIG thanks goes out to these two. I wasn't sure if I could to keep track of 9 kids all by myself, so I called upon them to help me out. I seriously don't know where I'd be without my dear mom and sisters. 

 While the kids were jumping I was able to set up the party room. I decided to make it a Shark theme since it is what Ryker's cake was. When I got these plates Ryker was just thrilled.

Oh the simple things in life that make them happy.

The kids built up quite an appetite from jumping. They chowed down there pizza like there was no tomorrow.

 A very satisfied Birthday Boy!

Cute little Cy dipping his finger in the frosting and licking it off over and over again.

Time for presents. This part made me laugh. K wait, let me back up... during the party I was noticing that the three girls were all wanting to be by Ryker. Which I thought was rather cute. Ryker had all three of them holding hands (him in the middle of course) walking into the building. And while eating lunch they all wanted to sit by him. Well, when it was time to open presents the kids all went over to the other table. I had my back turned for a minute to get something and when I turned back around I saw one of the girls in tears. I knelt down and asked her what was the matter (thinking someone hit or shoved her). She went on to explain (through her sobs and tears) that she wanted to sit by Ryker and someone else was. In my head I was laughing because I thought it was so cute. But I just explained to her that we needed to take turns being next to Ryker. She was hesitant to share.

I then decided it would be best to have Ryker by himself so nobody would fight over him. So my mom gave me the idea to play "Heavy, Heavy Hangover thy poor head". Which solved the sharing Ryker issue (Thanks mom).

 They each took a turn giving Ryker their present. Each of them crowded around him. Ryker was feeling so loved.

A quick attempt at getting the whole group together (Cy wasn't interested at all). Take note that Ryker has a girl on either side of him. Haha, He's quite the ladies man.

 

 After that we all went back to our house where their mom's were there waiting for them.

We had a few hours of down time before we met the family for dinner. Cy got a nap and Ryker was able to play with some of new toys his friends gave him.

At 6pm we met our families at Rumbi's. Chan, Mom, Grandma and Grandpa were there.

 Along with Mike, Emily and Sterling.

 Heidi too was there. My Dad, Tyson and Andrew all had to work so they couldn't make it.

 I'm very proud of this kiddo. The fact that he is FIVE YEARS OLD is mind boggling. It's strange to think that I have been a mom for that long. Ryker is such a sweet boy. He makes friends so easily and loves to be around his family. I wouldn't trade him for the world.

 After dinner everybody came over to our house to open presents and eat some Shark cake.

 Ryker is really lucky to have so many people around him that love and care about him. It was almost better than Christmas for him.

 Manda and Jon were even sweet enough to send him a present from Oregon.

Look how excited he is about his cake. For me, that is what makes it all worth doing.

 Blowing out the candles...

The rest of the night, we all just hung out and enjoyed each others company. When the young ones (Cy and Sterling) started to melt down we called it a night.

What a great day! Happy Birthday to our Amazing,Energetic, Smart, Fun, 1,000,000 watt light bulb. We all love and cherish Ryker so much. He brings so much life and energy into our lives.

Birthday Cake Requests

About a month ago Ryker randomly came to me and said "Mom, I want a great white shark cake for my birthday."

 

So over the next few weeks I contemplated how I would execute this shark cake. The morning before his birthday I made a sheet cake from a cake mix. Poured the batter in the cookie sheet and cooked it. Let it cool down then put it in the freezer so it would be easier to frost.

 

That night I googled a great white shark out line and found this...

 I then drew it bigger, cut it out and secured it on top of the sheet cake with toothpicks.

 I then cut around the paper shark to get this...

 I moved it to a clean sheet and proceeded to frost and decorate it with homemade cream cheese frosting. Not to toot my own horn, but I was very pleased with the results. It turned out much better than I'd expected. I knew no matter how it looked that Ryker would think it was the greatest. I'm no "Cake Boss", but in Ryker's eyes I was.

I also made cupcakes for Ryker's friends at preschool and his party. The little shark fins I found on amazon. So that made it nice and easy, but still went along with the theme.

Part time and Full Time Firefighter

The past few days have been one to contemplate about. Awaiting the phone call from Ogden and wondering what the future has in store.

Well around 5pm Friday night Jesse got that very phone call. And to his pleasure it was a very GOOD phone call. They offered him a FULL TIME position. YEAH!!! It'll be so great to have the benefits that a full time job offers.

It's so weird to think that this day has arrived. We have been wanting it so bad and waiting for this day to come that it's almost hard to believe it is really happening. And it's so crazy how he got two jobs within weeks of each other. Patience has certainly paid off.

We don't know for sure if Ogden will do a swear in ceremony. I guess not all departments will do it. But I really enjoyed going to SSL's because it gave me the chance to see where Jesse would be working and meet the Chief. Jesse is going in tomorrow to fill out some paper work, so maybe when he is there they will fill him in with details like that. All we know right now is that Recruit Camp starts March 11.

So that's that. Jesse has successfully landed a Part time and Full time Fire Fighter Job. Which is freakin' awesome! He'll continue to work with Todd until recruit camp starts then after that, he'll Fire Fight his heart out.

Ogden?

Yesterday Jesse got a phone call from Ogden Fire Department. They called to set up a Chief's Interview for today at 2pm.

So of course Jesse goes and talks with the Chief. Afterwards Jesse comes home to talk to me about it before he had to go to class.

The chief told him that they were interviewing 8 guys and hiring 4 Full time. They would let Jesse know by FRIDAY if he gets the job. Then if he does get the job he would start March 11. Crazy Right?  Talk about Quick.

Jesse told the Chief that he is in Paramedic school right now. But the Chief said Jesse would have to see if School would work around Ogden Schedule. They talked awhile about that because Jesse said if school wasn't going to be flexible then he can't just throw away that money he put towards school. So the next question was... Will school be flexible for Jesse? Or will he have to postpone until next session in January?

Then there was the other option of SSL's full time position coming up. If Jesse gets Ogden full time, then SSL wouldn't be a possibility anymore. And what is the right choice? So many factors and "What ifs?"

Jesse text me a little while ago while he was at school and it sounds like they are willing to work it out. So that's good news. I'll get more details tonight when he gets home from class.

I never thought when we started this journey that Jesse would have a full time Fire job and a Part Time one. I had imagined it to be full time Fire and part time Construction. So at first the thought of it was throwing me for a minute. But Ogden will be a great place to be. Apparently they get alot of calls, so that would give Jesse alot of experience.

Anyway, just food for thought. I could talk about it all night. But it won't do any good "What if-ing?" We just have to take it day by day. Jesse has so much on his plate. At school they have to schedule ride-alongs and ER time ON TOP of school hours. So between that, working construction, SSL, class, and now possibly Ogden he's got quite a bit to swallow. SHEESH! All this time we have been waiting for him to get a job or start Paramedic school... and now it's being handed to him ALL AT ONCE. That's alot to juggle. I wish there was something more that I could do to help him. All I can do it be supportive, loving wife and provide him dinner for class. Haha. Hopefully that helps a little.

Like I said before, one day at a time. That's all we really can do. We'll know more by Friday. Until then we wait to know what the future will be. 

HE'S OFFICIAL!!!!

Tonight was the big night we have all been waiting for. Jesse is now officially a FIRE FIGHTER for South Salt Lake. I want to shout it from the roof tops. I'M MARRIED TO A FIRE FIGHTER!!!!! So Cool!!!!!



Before the ceremony started they let the kids check out the fire trucks. And my goodness Ryker and Cy were so excited. All I heard Cy say was "tuck" over and over again. And Ryker was Cy's little guide just showing him around like he knew the place.

Then Chief Morris got up to get things started. He seems like a really nice guy. Very friendly and welcoming. It's great to know that Jesse will be working for someone like him.

 After the three full time guys were sworn in it was the part timers . The five of them repeated what Mayor Cherre Wood said.

 Then one by one their "significant other" got the honor of putting their badge on. It was so COOL that I got to be apart of that.

 Isn't it just pretty?

 Mike and Heidi were so great to come because they stayed to see Jesse get sworn in before they had to leave for St. George. They have a convention down there in the morning, so it was so sweet of them to give Jesse that support.

This might be my new favorite picture of the family!!!! Especially because Cy is smiling. Like I said in my last post, Ryker is always ready for a picture, but Cy doesn't care. So when I saw the picture and that he was all smiles, it made it that much better.

 My heart swells for this man! He has worked so HARD to get to this point. I am so dang PROUD of him. Tonight the Fire Chief reminded everyone that even though these are part time positions, that these guys have come a long way. The fire business is in high demand and it's super competitive. So I am SO grateful to have a DEDICATED and DETERMINED husband. Even though he has made it this far he still has goals set. Full time and Paramedic. And I KNOW he will get there.

My mom and Chan were so sweet to come as well. Before the ceremony started Mom and Chan picked me up and the three of us went to dinner (Jesse was at school and the boys with Mike and Heidi). It was great!

After everything was over the Fire Chief and Battalion Chief's told us to wander around the station to get to know where Jesse would be staying on his shifts. They also let the kids play on the trucks and wander around as well. Everyone there was super friendly. A very good atmosphere. It gave me a really good feeling that this was where Jesse was suppose to be (Now if he could just land that full time position that would be BOMB).

In the car on the way home, Ryker told Jesse that he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. How sweet is that? It just touched my heart. Ryker has a great example to follow. I'm sure for years to come our boys will be looking up to Jesse. He will be their Hero!

I can't say it enough.... I'm so PROUD of you Jesse! Way to go!

Day Dates

Ever Since Jesse has started Medic School, I have had more time with the boys. For example... on Mondays and Tuesdays I am with them all day, and because Jesse has class those nights, I get to have the boys all night as well.

 

There are only so many things the boys and I can do at home. Especially with it being so cold outside. So... the past two Tuesdays I have made it a part of the day where we go and do something OUTSIDE of the home. I think they get bored (and it's just nice to get out).

 

First week I took them out to the Living Planet Aquarium.  Before we left we ate lunch at Costa Vida (the boys favorite) and then we went over to Orange Leaf (because I had a gift card to use). This frozen yogurt shop now has become a favorite treat of Ryker's as well.

 

Once we were filled to the brim with beans, rice and frozen yogurt we were on our way. For Utah this place is actually pretty good. Granted it's nothing like the one we went to in Seattle. But the kids don't care. They get really excited over the simplest little fish. 

 

 

The favorite: Turtle and Shark Tank.  

Haha, Cy isn't one for pictures. Ryker on the other hand will pose as long as you need him to. Cy could care less. Two very different personalities, yet come from the same DNA. Quite amazing if you ask me. I love the both of them so much!

 You can't really tell, but they are standing in front of pictures of penguins to see how they measure up. Cy thought it was really funny.

 I don't know how long we stayed in the penguin area, but that was Cy's favorite by far. He kept watching the penguins swim back and forth, Then when it came time to feed them, he couldn't keep his eyes off of them. Very intrigued.

 

The next week I  wanted to check out this Trampoline Park in Kaysville for two reasons. One, we had never been there before and wanted to give the boys the opportunity to go. Two, I wanted to talk to the manager about holding Ryker's birthday party there.

It was super cool. The boys just stayed in the Kid's Zone where they had their own foam pit and trampolines. The boys were in HEAVEN.

 They were running and jumping around so fast that it was very difficult to get a good picture. This one is of Ryker doing a running somersault,

 Cy kept falling down. Bigger kids would jump by him and it would bounce him to much to make him fall down. But he didn't seem to mind one bit. Just picked himself back up and kept on jumping.

When it was time to go both of the boys were really bummed. But after talking to the manager and seeing how much fun the boys had I decided this would be the perfect place to have a friend party for Ryker.

Ever since then he asks me how many days until his birthday. He's so excited that he's already telling everyone that he is 5. Haha, he just makes me laugh. I can't wait to blog about his birthday. It's going to be a very fun filled day. I'm going to take the day off of work because between preschool spotlight, friend party and family dinner/party that night it's going to be a busy one. But memorable.

Anyway, getting back on track.... I had so much fun taking the boys out on a little Mommy/Son date. We wanted to do something today, but we got busy around the house and delivering Ryker's party invitations. So hopefully next Tuesday we can get our date in.