A really long catch up post!

Before I write the post... I have to write this before I forget. I'm sitting here watching my boys finally get to play for the first time. We got home Friday afternoon and Derrik has pretty much worked since the second we got home. Ryder is showing Daddy every single one of his old toys because it was like Christmas in itself when we got back for him he was so excited to see them. Anyhow... Derrik sits on the couch and it makes a fart-ish sound. Ryder says, "I hear Dad's butt!" I said what your heard dad's butt?? He tells me yeah and then touches his butt. He is sooo funny with his words right now!!!

Sooo back to the point of this post... We're back in Arizona. We're unpacked, clothes are washed, sheets are changed, house has been cleaned top to bottom, groceries are back in the fridge, car has been washed to get a month and a halfs worth of dust off of it... it feels good!!! Derrik has been working non-stop since we got home, but today it's Sunday and we have no plans but to watch the Eagles game. It's nice... really nice!

Rewind a few days though... We had some sad good-byes to say. I always have a hard time with the transition of our "home" for baseball and our "home" with our family. I think it's getting harder and harder the more Ryder understands it. It doesn't necessarily phase him too much as he just looks at the positive of who is is getting to go see, but I have the guilts of taking him away from the person we are leaving. It breaks my heart to watch family have to kiss him good-bye.

My new years resolution... enjoy the present! I spend a lot of time worrying about leaving family, leaving Arizona, anxiously awaiting spring training, upcoming trips to see family, Landon's arrival, surviving with two kids, what July-August holds for our family as rehab comes to an end, and what our off season has in store, and what even more into the future will hold. I honestly can't tell you what any of that will bring and am tired of ruining some of my days worrying about it and forgetting to enjoy the present day.

Ryder and his Auntie Hailey

Ryder and his Auntie Ally
Ryder and his Gigi
Doesn't she look great in this picture?
(This is who Landon's middle name Brennan is for)
Ryder and the Larry's P.X. Crew
Debbie, Carrie, Brooke, and Jay


Ryder lovesssss Brooke!
He might need to have a little talk that she is his 2nd cousin sometime soon... lol

He posed like this and said "Mom look" and then asked me to take a picture.

Enjoying his old bouncer before we broke it down to put into a box

One last bath in Grammy's sink

What we looked like outside the airport in Pheonix waiting for Daddy to get there.
Imagine a toddler and prenant woman trying to get all this stuff from baggage claim to the pick up area... not a pretty sight!

Side note.. I checked all this stuff without spending anything extra! Jet Blue is awesome!!!
When we got home Ryder jumped right on his potty. I thought this might be our turning point... haha no such luck! Do notice though he has his potty seat that fits on the big potty sitting on his floor potty... he's weird like that.

He also walked around in this for hours while I unpacked. Daddy made him take it off before we went grocery shopping. He's not ready to be that parent with the kid dressed up at the store.

Yesterday we finally got to meet Baby Logen!!! Logen was born about three weeks ago while we were back in Cape Cod. We were so excited to finally meet him, see Page, and of course were excited to see Tricia and Steve too. Yesterday was Tricia's birthday so we went over to their house to watch the games, let the kids play, and most importantly snuggle Logen!

I had a long talk with Ryder before we left about how Page now has a baby brother. How Page's baby brother isn't in Miss Tricia's belly anymore. How Page is a big sister now. He was really excited, and I thought finally was starting to get it. Then as we were leaving he told me we were going to see Page's baby sister... go figure!

Excited to go see Page and give her a Big Sister present

The man himself...

Mr. Logen!!! Such a cutie!!!

Derrik watching some football with Logen.

I think he's ready to snuggle Landon soon :)

Like I said it feels amazing to be back and settled. It was really hard saying bye to my family, but it was time. We all have very excited stuff coming up in our lives and are ready to move onto our new adventures. Of course i'm already planning a trip to see them at the end of February!!! Pretty excited about that.

And since this is already a super long post... why not make it a little longer... A little on Ryder... he is like a whole new kid. This was by far the most enjoyable trip to my parents house. Ryder could go off on his own some, played so great, we didn't really have to make sure he wasn't breaking stuff, watch out for the stairs, and stuff like that. My sisters were great! Ryder wanted NOTHING to do with me if they were around. He loved playing video games with them, dancing, playing computer games, playing with their teck-decks (Sp?... little skate boards), and just honestly getting their attention in any way possible. If they had a friend over you could be guaranteed I wouldn't see him AT ALL! He is talking up a storm now and can really have full conversations with people (he even throws a little chinese in there lol... what we call his jibberish we can't understand). Honestly... people talk about Terrible Two's... I think we had Terrible 1 1/2's... he is amazing right now, and I couldn't love it anymore! He is just sooo fun!!!

And one last thing... to try not to confuse anybody who keeps up with our crazy moves around the country. We had moved our dog Chloe and two cats Hannah and Turbo back to our apartment at my parents house last summer in anticipation of Derrik making moves to be back with a team at the end of rehab. When he got hurt and had to have the surgery again the pets never made it back out to Arizona. It was just a huge expense to fly all three of them or drive a car back across the country. Chloe was on my mom's side of the house so she was fine, but the cats were all by themselves. My family obviously made sure they were ok, but they just weren't getting the attention they deserved. Over Christmas we knew we needed to make the decision to give them away or bring them back out to Arizona. With our life so up in the air in the coming months we knew it just wasn't fair or practical to bring them back out here. Derrik's Aunt Cindy out in Pennsylvania offered to take both of our girls into her home. It was convenient that my Uncle Scott and Aunt Karen were visiting the cape and offered to take them back to Pennsylvania on their way home. The girls have settled in and are apparently doing great. We've gotten a few pictures of them and they look so happy in their new home. It was the hardest decision we've had to make yet due to this rehab, but in my heart I know it was the right thing to do. AND... Chloe to go fly back with Daddy out to Arizona!!! I am sooooo excited to have my baby girl back out here with me! Minus taking her potty down three flights of stairs while convincing Ryder he doesn't need to come with.

That's all for now.... enjoying the day with my boys now!!!