Candy Lane

First off.... Look where Ryder and I are....

We had a last minute change of plans and ended up flying into The Cape on Saturday afternoon instead of driving. Ryder is so excited to be at Mack and Grammy's house and has seriously played with his Auntie Ally and Auntie Hailey all day, but I still have some PA blogging to do. I just couldn't resist posting that photo :)



Derrik is still in Pennsylvania and flies back out to Arizona for a couple weeks of rehab before the Christmas break tomorrow. On mine and Ryder's last night in Pennsylvania we went to Candy Lane at Hershey Park with his mom's side of the family. It has become a tradition for us to go the day after Thanksgiving I guess since it's our third year in a row. I've looked forward to it every year, but knew this year would be the best. Hershey Park is a huge amusement park, but for the holidays they open all the kid rides, put up a ton of lights, and play Christmas music. It is always beyond freezing, but it doesn't matter because we love it anyhow. This year Ryder was finally really old enough to enjoy it and all three boys were in great moods the whole night. Thanks for a great night guys... we truly enjoyed it!

All bundled up to head into the park

(P.S. - How cool is Uncle Cole and Uncle Dalton's blanket?!)

Ryder, Daddy, and Me-Maw

Daddy, Ryder, and Uncle Tommy

Ryder and Uncle Cole checking out the buttons on the ride

My Hubby and I...

I miss him so much already. What an amazing husband to let me visit family so often :)

Ryder and Poppy

Ryder and Poppy on the "choo-choo"

Ryder was pretty thrilled to get on this ride! He kept asking to go on "choo-choo soul" for anyone who watches the Disney channel

"The Guys" as Ryder calls them

Sorry for photo over load of these boys, but they rarely cooperate for pictures so I had to take advantage of the situation!!!

Warming Up! He was freezing!!!!!!

Ryder and Daddy going on the frog hopper

This was probably the most daring ride we've put him on, and he loved it!

Ryder BEGGED Me-Maw to go on, and she was a trooper and went

No Hands!!! Cole kept belly laughing that he couldn't do it yet he had them up the whole time.

If you look close enough you can see Ryder has one hand in the air too!

Ryder and Uncle Cole on the "big trucks"

So glad I was pregnant and didn't have to go on this ride!!!

The Tilt-O-Whirl

Most of the group

Ryder with the grandparents

A photo op of Aunt Cindy and I...

You'd never think we attended anything because we're always the ones with the cameras!

A HUGEEEEE thank you to all of our family in Pennsylvania for making this trip happen. It truly wouldn't have happened this year with out everyones help. We enjoyed every second we got to spend with each and every one of you! We are truly hoping was can be east-coasters again next off season so we can make lots of trips and a whole other year doesn't pass before we get back!!!

Vacation Photo Overload

We have been busy... exhausting busy... but REALLY good busy! We have been having so much fun running around seeing family getting in as much quality time as we can during the way too short amount of time we have here. As if the running isn't exhausting enough... trying to have a camera handy to snap a picture at every memorable moment (which is like every one when you get to see family about once a year) is so exhausting. I try hard to have my good camera in my hand, but I have a nagging mother who wants photos A.S.A.P. which means some are snapped with the iPhone so I can text them immediately. It makes me crazy because the quality just isn't as great. I could probably make ten different blog post from the pictures below, but consider this a mash up of our last five days here in PA!

Sunday morning Aunt Gina came over with her dogs Bandit, Jasper, and the newest addition Nyke. Ryder was so excited to see them and run around outside!

Ryder meeting Nyke

Ryder with his Aunt Gina

Sunday afternoon was spent over at Robin and Keith's watching football. The last two years over there left me exhausted chasing after Ryder, making sure he wasn't getting into anything, and that he was a happy baby. This year was so much more relaxing! He got to play with the boys around the house, go outside and play basketball, and I got to spend some actual time on the couch. It was so nice... only to have to start the whole process over again next year with Landon.

Shootin' hoops with Papi

Papi and Ryder

Monday we were lucky enough to travel about 45 minutes to go visit with The Heisey's. We never get to bump into baseball family during the off season, but this year it worked out that we could make the trip to see them. We got to see their brand new house they just bough... it was so nice! We were lucky enough to be their first guest too :) We spent the early part of the evening letting Ryder and Homer play and going to the park. Lisa then cooked Derrik's favorite meal (she introduced us to it when we lived with them during spring training) and we ate some dessert. Later in the night I put Ryder down to bed and we played three games of Settlers. 10 pm is considered a late bed time for me, but we were up to about 1 am trying to soak up our precious time together over our one night together. I definitely paid for it the next day. We had to get a quick breafast the next morning and say our good-byes. We are definitely counting down the days until we see them again at spring training! I think the night went by too quick to think to get some group pictures, but I think everyone likes seeing Ryder and Homer anyhow.

Ryder and Homer

Chris showing Ryder how to pick his feet up going down the slide

Tuesday night we went to the horse track with Papi, Julie, and the boys. It was freezing!!! The only reason I was there was to see my sweet boys face light up when he saw the horses, but gosh it was cold!!!

All bundled up at the horse track

Wednesday Me-Maw had the day off to see headed over to spend the day at their house and let the boys hang out. It is really fun watching Ryder interact with Cole and Dalton. I wish they could grow up together because you can see the love they have for each other even in the short time they have seen each other this week. Hopefully once rehab is over we can see them more often.

Ryder and Uncle Cole

Cole is SOO patient with Ryder and is such a sweetheart

AND... look at how much bigger Ryder's head is... they are five years apart!

Uncle Cole, Ryder, and Uncle Dalton
Such a sweet moment... Ryder curled right up on the couch with them. I gave him his blanket and he much have laid there for like twenty minutes watching Cole and Dalton play video games.
Lunch with the "guys" as Ryder calls them.

Crash in Uncle Cole's big boy bed for nap time

MIRACLE PHOTO!!! This may NEVER happen again...

The six "kids" on Derriks side (Derrik's three brother with Ryder and I)

Derrik, Tommy,

Cole, Danielle, Ryder, and Dalton

Ryder and Uncle Dalton

Don't let this photo deceive you... these boys are spitting images of each other... temper and all! Dalton is trying to lay in his fort while Ryder is trying to tear it apart... LOTS of screaming happened because of this! It is very funny watching them together. Let's just hope Landon is as calm as Cole so I can keep my sanity... two strong willed little boys in one house is craziness!

That night Aunt Gina got us all tickets to go to the hockey game. I was slightly nervous how Ryder would be since it started close to bed time and sitting still for long periods of time isn't somethign he's too great at. He proved me wrong though and was awesome! We were two rows up from the ice, and he sat through the whole game. He kept cheering "Go Hockey!". One of Derrik's good friends from high school is the equipment manager for the Hershey Bears so after the game we got to go into the locker room and let Ryder run around. Ryder has NO idea how spoiled he is when it comes to sports... he'll have some fun stories to tell when he gets into school. All the boys will be envious of him and the connections he has :)

My little guy at the game

He thinks his Aunt Gina is so funny

Gina showing us how quick she jumped to cover Ryder when a puck came over the ice into our section

Ryder got the puck through the whole at the turkey shoot and won a free turkey!

And last, but not least... my ONLY photo snapped over Thanksgiving... I must have been over picture taking!!!

Ryder with David and JR

(Derrik's cousin on his mom's side)

We are enjoying ourselves so much. Ryder has been great. He has his moments of toddler-hood, but that would happen at home as well. He is sleeping great, napping great, playing great, and really eating up all the attention now that he has gotten use to everyone. It is obviously always hard saying good-bye, but it will be extra hard this year. Ryder is already so in love with his family, and it breaks my heart to take him back across the country soon to a place where no family is ever around. Hopefully in the coming years we will be closer! We still have a day and a half left, and we can't wait to make the most of them.

Baby Lutz #2 Update: Week 17

How Far Along: 17 Weeks

Size of Baby: 5 inches long

Fruit Size (According to my e-mail from BabyCenter.com): Turnip

Total Weight Gain: 3 Pounds

Maternity Clothes: Some jeans

Gender: It's a BOY! Landon Brennan Lutz

Movement: Yes... we pretty much confirmed with the doctor last week that this is definitely what I was feeling. I haven't felt it as much this week, but I think i've just been too busy to pay attention.

Food Cravings: Nope

Labor Signs: (no comment until third trimester or so)- Still no comment because it's not "labor", but I've been having braxton hicks contractions. I thought it was crazy, but this is exactly what it felt like. Apparently you can start having them as early as the first trimester. Nice treat huh?!

Sleep: Given that we are on vacation in a strange bed with Ryder on an air mattress in the same room as us i'd classify it as pretty good.

How’s Ryder Handling It: Clueless to any of it at the moment. He's way to preoccupied with family :)

What is the same/different as the last time: Very much the same at this point. I don't think I ever had the braxton hicks contractions this early on last time though.

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks contractions... everything else seems to have faded away.

Best Moment This Week: Finding out the sex and spending so much time with family.

What I Am Looking Forward To: The rest of the week with Derrik's family, and heading to the cape this weekend!

I'll have some more vacation photos up soon... I need to upload pictures!

Uncle Love

BIG Mommy Fail... totally forgot my camera last night. I must have been too focused on getting Ryder's neccesities and it slipped my mind. Anyhow... we went to see Me-Maw, Poppy, and Ryder's Uncles last night. Unfortunately we hadn't seen them in a year (a seriously big downfall to this year long rehab), and we got him excited to go over there by telling him they had lots of Geo-Trax.

Check out this track!!!

I'm sure our small one at home will never be sufficient after this!

So we did bribe him to be excited over the geo-trax, but he kind of made himself at home the second he went through the door. You would honestly think he saw his Me-Maw and Poppy every single day. There was lots of family over there so we didn't get any pictures of Ryder with them, but trust me he was lovin' on them. We'll be sure to get some this week... Me-Maw is good at escaping from every picture. I'm not going to let it happen this trip!

Sometimes I get sad that we have such young siblings (and brothers in their 20s that can't seem to keep a girlfriend)so that Ryder won't have cousins close to his age, but who cares... he has uncles and aunties that fill that void. It was so sweet to watch Ryder play so great with his uncles. Cole is at a perfect age where he can still play on the same level as Ryder, but has the patience to just give into Ryder and deal with him. Dalton and Ryder even played pretty decent together too... although they both have the same exact personality which allowed them to have a screaming match or two at each other.

Ryder and Uncle Cole

(Uncle Cole is missing all sorts of teeth and looks so adorable)

I asked Dalton to get on the couch and take a picture with the boys. He told me to hold on and came back like this. He wasn't being grouchy... I can guarantee you he was fully cheesing underneath this face mask... how cute!!!
The boys wrestling after we got them in their PJs

Ryder is so in love with his uncles, Me-Maw, and Poppy! (Uncle Tommy might have some work to do... haha... Uncle Tommy is always too busy hanging out with Derrik when we visit). I can't wait to watch him with them more this week :) He went to bed last night saying all their names to me!

Boy and Basketball

Yesterday morning Ryder's Papi came over for a bit with his girlfriend Julie and her two boys, Andrew and Alex, to play at the playground and shoot some hoops. Derrik's cousin Noah came over as well. It was just what Ryder needed. After a long travel day and unfamiliar faces and places he needed to let lose and be a little boy for a bit!

Noah and Derrik with a hat that obviously needs to be passed onto Ryder

(P.S. - He will NEVER give up this sweat suit outfit... a little outdated huh?)
Ryder showing the guys his skills

Some swing time with Papi

Noah and Ryder

Ronnie and Julie

Derrik playing ball with the little guys.

They did all the running, and Derrik and Ronnie just kind of stood there.

Papi with all of his boys

Ronnie, Derrik, Noah,

Alex, Ryder, and Andrew