ryanandbernadette.com

One of the things both Ryan and I love to do together is get a good deal.  We enjoy spending our Saturday mornings (not all, but quite a few) going garage saleing or to baby stuff sales.  We’re fairly picky about what we’ll buy, and we’ve gotten some really great deals on a lot of things that have either been brand new or things that don’t matter if they’re new or not.   And we’ve learned quite a few things in the process.  One, the nicest neighborhoods don’t necessarily have the nicest stuff.  We spent part of the morning driving around a really nice neighborhood that was having a community garage sale and didn’t really find much of anything worth buying.  Sometimes these areas will have great things so we try to go, but like today many times we find the best buys in the more middle class areas.  Two, craigslist is great for finding listings but a lot of people don’t know how to use it to their advantage.  Don’t tell me you have too much to list, I won’t stop by if I have no idea what you’ll have to offer, so take the time to write some of it out.  I don’t need to know everything but I do want to know if you’ll have beer posters or exercise equipment or kids toys, it makes a difference as to whether I’ll make the effort or not.  And please learn how to spell!  The things you wear are clothes, not cloths.  Three, the way you lay things out really does matter.  We passed a lot of houses having sales that we didn’t even see because they actually had everything in the garage.  I don’t think they are called garage sales because you have them in the garage, rather they are to clean out the garage.  Ryan stopped by one house today that apparently had a lot of nice stuff (I wasn’t there, I was feeding Isaac in the park) but it was all in boxes and you couldn’t tell what anything was from the road.  I hate it when people just do “drive bys” when we have a sale, but we do the same thing to a lot of people.  If you don’t give me a good reason to stop and see what you have, then I won’t.  Four, doing something with your spouse that you both really like is a great way to get some couple time even with the kids.  And it’s a fairly cheap way to do it.  We spent a lot of time together as a family today and had a great time doing it.  It sparks conversation and you have to work together to decide how to best spend your allotted money for the day.  Five, driving around following whatever random signs you see is a great way to see a lot of places you might not otherwise know exist.  We found a great park last weekend with a free tennis court that we want to take advantage of some day when we don’t have the kids with us.  Six, your kids can’t tell the difference between new and used and really couldn’t care less how much you paid for something.  Quite a few of Ethan’s toys have come used, and he plays with a lot of them more than the ones that have come in their very own hard to open packages.  I’ve also bought a lot of his clothes at baby stuff sales so he has a pretty extensive wardrobe that I haven’t paid a lot for, and I don’t feel guilty buying my own clothes brand new (not that I ever buy anything that isn’t on sale).  Then when he breaks something or I decide I really can’t stand it, I don’t feel bad about throwing it out.  Seven, you can feel good about being green – recycling someone else’s old stuff and saving some of the green in your wallet.  Eight, you can make fun of the ugly things people have.  We saw one really beautiful house today that was selling some of the ugliest furniture I have ever seen, and we were completely free to make fun of it in the privacy of our own car.  It’s so satisfying to find something you need, want, or just like and to pay so much less for it than the person you are getting it from.  Yes, there are a lot of ugly knick knacks out there, but you may just find a gem in amongst them.

Ryan and I have been married for five years as of today.  I was thinking about that this morning, thinking back to the morning before walking down the aisle, and thinking how much different life is now.  Not only do I not live in the same state anymore, I have two kids, one more cat, a mortgage, lots of experience in home improvements, lessons in patience and communication, and hopefully a more mature outlook on life.  I won’t lie, the first five years of marriage aren’t all roses, as anyone who’s married can tell you, but they’ve been filled with way more good than bad.  I’m still not used to being Mrs. Melton, perhaps because I’m not ever called that, nor am I used to the titles of “wife” or “mother”.  I don’t get used to change very fast!    But I’m used to loving and living with my best friend and two of the sweetest boys on the planet.  There’s nothing like marriage, or being a parent for that matter, for teaching you the things about you that need to change.  I never used to believe that the only person you can change is yourself, and sure gave changing Ryan a valiant effort, but I really do see that more now, not that I always live like it.  I had no idea of what a selfish person I was before getting married, and I still find myself rediscovering that just about every day.  Ryan’s job isn’t to complete me, but part of it is to show me how much more completing I need to become more like Jesus.  The job will never been done this side of heaven, but getting a few steps closer will do everyone in my life a lot of good!

We didn’t do a whole lot for our anniversary, well, I really should say I didn’t do much of anything.  Ryan baked an entire three tier cake!  He knows how disappointed I was in our wedding cake (I doubt anyone else remembers, but it was ugly and not at all what I saw in my head) so he decided to make me a new one.  I think it also had something to do with the fact that he’s tired of hearing me complain about it for the past five years.    He took the afternoon off work and went to a friend’s house to bake the cake, make fondant icing from scratch (tastes way better than store bought by the way), and stack and frost the three cake layers.  It still didn’t turn out just like the one I see in my head, but I think it’s even better because of the thought, time, and effort he put into it.  And because we actually got to eat some of it.  We’re not entirely sure what we’re going to do with the rest of the 2 1/2 layers!  He also picked up dinner on the way home so that neither one of us would have to cook, a feat I still haven’t managed to do other than throwing something from the freezer into the oven since Isaac was born.  So it wasn’t a big flashy anniversary, we have about 50 more years for that, just a comfortable evening at home surrounded by love and family and the life we’ve worked hard to have.  And for me, that’s worth celebrating.

Isaac turned one month old on Tuesday.  It’s hard to believe he’s already one month old and that he’s only been with us for one month.  He’s already growing and changing.  He started out at just over 7 pounds and is already at 8 1/2 pounds.  He’s also grown 1 1/2 inches, though some of that is probably just from uncramping; his momma isn’t that tall you know.  He’s found some of his voice in the past week and is starting to “talk” to me.  He’s also started smiling, though he’s very stingy with his smiles.  Big brother Ethan got a really big one today though!  He’s a pretty quiet little guy and studies everything.  He seems like he’s going to be a studious one, very observant and will take his time to form opinions.  He loves to be held, and is sleeping pretty well on his own.  Hopefully he’ll start stretching out those sleeping periods overnight soon!  He has an uncanny knack for knowing the second I’ve put shampoo in my hair and can’t get out of the shower, which I don’t really appreciate.  He also has a knack for knowing exactly when I need to change Ethan’s diaper, go to the bathroom, have dirty dishwasher loading hands, and generally any time I just can’t get to him at that exact moment.  Hopefully we’ll both learn patience!  He also loves to cuddle and is the happiest when he’s held so he can see my face.  He has adorable feet, the sweetest little hands, and pinkies that have my heart wrapped around them, which is really fortunate for him since he’s managed to puke all down the front of me three times now.  He has lots of dark hair and the sweetest baby smell too.

It’s harder than I thought it would be to have two kids (not really sure what I thought it would be like) but so much more fun already. The boys get along great so far; Ethan is a very good big brother.  He tries to share his cars with Isaac, he lined a bunch of them up next to him on the bed this morning, but he gets mad sometimes that Isaac won’t take them.  He tries to either give him the paci when he’s crying or take it away while it’s being used.  He loves to sit in the crib and point to the stars and circles on the wall and give Isaac kisses.  He likes to sit with me in the evening after bath time so that I can read both boys a story at the same time.  And he gets very agitated if we’re getting ready to leave, and he has his shoes on but Isaac isn’t in his seat yet.  He also is quick to inform inform us the baby “goes” in the bassinet or the swing when he wants undivided attention and feels Isaac is getting too much of his share.  It is already fun to see the interactions between the two of them, Ethan already tries to teach Isaac how to play with his toys, and I know I have so much more to look forward to.  I love my two little boys, and only in having them have I learned how much I can love.

I had a really great day today.  My mom is in town until tomorrow and has been helping me with the boys for the past few days.  Thanks mom!  We went down into Denver to the Nature and Science Museum this morning and just had a great time.  Ethan was so well behaved (he usually is but was even more so today), it was just a pleasure to be with him.  He was interested in all the exhibits, stayed in his stroller the whole time without any complaining, and just had a lot of fun. We got some really cute pictures of him as an astronaut too (Ryan is super jealous!). It was so much fun to teach him things, show him the exhibits, and just watch him absorb the things that he saw.  He was so excited about the animals, the dinosaurs, and the “planes” (space shuttles) – I love seeing his enthusiasm!  It makes me more interested in what I’m looking at to see him so interested.  He had a great time with “Gransee” too.    Isaac had a good time too, he liked the gems area which was about the only area he was awake and not eating in. 

Then when we got home my mom stayed home with the boys while they napped, and I got to go to the store all by myself!  I had been wondering how I was ever going to go clothes shopping with two kids.  The answer: you don’t go with two kids.  It was just about impossible to go with just Ethan, and Isaac doesn’t really add much difficulty, but really they are just too distracting and it’s just not fun or fair to take them.  So my mom stayed with them, and I got some time to myself to go spend some money.  It was a great day!

I had decided yesterday while the boys and I were at the grocery store buying our weekly 5 gallons of milk (yes I did say 5 gallons! (3 skim and 2 whole)) that since today was Mother’s Day I wanted to buy us doughnuts for breakfast since we never have them and they just sounded good.  So we bought a dozen doughnuts knowing that we’d not eat them all before they went stale but it’s easier to just buy the pre-packed box than actually go through the case and pick them out.  So this morning we had our doughnuts, which Ethan highly approved of (have I mentioned that child has a serious sweet tooth?!)  and while we were eating, he christened them “happy cakes”.  I think it’s a pretty accurate observation on his part, don’t you?    I’m pretty sure it’s the first thing he’s given his own name to, and it was pretty stinkin’ cute.  And while we don’t plan on having doughnuts much in the future, I may have to get them occasionally just so Ethan can have his happy cakes.

One of the first things we taught Ethan was “no touch” so that we didn’t have to completely rearrange everything and because it’s just not possible to have his every environment childproofed.  There aren’t a lot of things in our house that are off limits, but things like the remote control, dvd player, tv, floor lamp, and such are forbidden territory.  It’s a good phrase to know because it applies equally to our house, friend’s houses, and piles of dog poo at the park.  We figured that it would be Ethan’s first phrase because we say it so much.  (It wasn’t though, “cars vroom” earns that official title!) But he does say it now, with a funny little accent on touch, and usually when he’s pointing out something he knows he’s not supposed to touch.  He does it possibly to inform us that yes, he really does know and yes, he’s going to push it as much as he can.  Lately he’s started saying it with his little finger hovering sightly above whatever he isn’t supposed to touch, which has made me laugh on more than one occasion.    I have a feeling he will be the big brother that holds his finger just an inch from Isaac’s head saying “I’m not touching you, I’m not touching you” making for fun and relaxing car rides.