Arizona Trip :)

Last week Ryan and I had the opportunity to go and visit my side of the family in Arizona. We have been able to go about once a year for a few years now, and it is always such a sweet time. Last year Jason and I went when I was 5 months prego for one of my cousin's wedding. I always stay with my Uncle Randy, Aunt Patrice and their kids; Rachel, Hannah and Andrew. I always cherish the time that I have to be involved in their busy and fun lives. I was the flower girl in my Uncle Randy and Aunt Patrice's wedding, and they have always been two of my favorite people in the world. They both love Jesus and display His love through all that they do. I am always so inspired and encouraged by my time with them and love watching them as parents. This year was so fun to be able to introduce Ryan to my family. We were able to have a big family reunion on Sunday where most of my family in Arizona were able to be there. It was great to reconnect and be together. I am so grateful that although I was disconnected for many years, God has allowed me to reconnect and enjoy the gift of family. Here are a few pics from the week:

Ryan had his own high chair that my aunt had borrowed :)

Cousin Rachel lovin on Ryan

Hannah and Aunt Patrice hanging out in the kitchen....where we spent a lot of our time :)

This is their cute dog Fitz...he like veggies...I thought that was pretty funny 

Andrew was great at entertaining Ryan

We were able to watch Andrew's football game for a little bit :) 

This one is at a cute tea place called Gooseberries...it's a special place that my Aunt usually takes me to and we have the same thing every time...I love it!

Cousins! 

My 3 aunts on my mom's side :) 

And...Aunt Patrice letting Ryan slobber all over her remotes...she is so sweet, she let Ryan play with anything and I loved watching her just enjoy Ryan, and of course Ryan loved her too! 

It was a great vacation, we missed Jason though! Hopefully next time he will be able to come too! 

8 life changing months!

Wow! It is so hard to believe that 8 months have already gone by. I was just looking through a photo book that I made of Ryan's first month, and it made me think of all the sweet, precious moments that we have had with him already. I have learned so so so much in these last months and I am amazed at how much things have changed and how I know that I will never be the same (in a good way). Of course, I am still learning every day more and more what it means to be a mom, and how I can serve God and my family and the world in my new role. Going through the experience of being a new mom has been amazing. Of course there have been some hard times....like being ridiculously tired, trying to get my pre-baby body back, and just not knowing what to expect, but the good times that we have had FAR outweigh any of the struggles. I love love love his sweet smiles when I come to get him from his crib, how he laughs at the goofy sounds I make, watching him explore the world and learn new things daily, comforting him when he is upset or teething and just taking joy in the amazing miracle that our God has created.

Some things that I have learned that I want to remember, and although I would say I wished that I had heard before I had him....I don't know if I would've listened :), it takes the experience of having a baby to learn some of these lessons.
      -books are a great resource, but your God-given mother's instinct is best....trusting my intuition has been when I feel the most confident.
      -every baby is different! It's so fun to see what other babies are doing at Ryan's age, but just because he may or may not be doing the same thing doesn't mean anything. Each baby has their own time-table, enjoy the process. :)
      -Yes, life is different. There are some things that will get put on 'hold' for now...but how fun to figure out your new life as a family of three!
       -You will never ever sleep the same again...I'm sure one day I may get to sleep through the night, but not for now....but I get to enjoy the sweet snuggles of my little baby that only last for a short time.
       -I have never understood the love that God has for us more than after I have had Ryan. I love that little boy more than life itself, and I have grown more in love with my husband through having him together, and more in love with the gift of life. God loves us more than any love that we can possess, and it is unconditional...nothing will ever stop Him from loving us, just like nothing will ever stop me from loving Ryan.
        -You need to figure out what works best for your family. It doesn't matter what the books say, or what others do... God will give you the wisdom to do what's best for your situation.

And, now for a time of reminiscing. What a privilege to be Ryan's mom. I cannot be more thankful for such an amazing husband as well to share the joy of parenthood. He has been such a gift of encouragement and love as I am pursuing mommy-hood as my main career right now. I love watching my two boys interact and I know that Jason is the best role-model for Ryan...so excited to watch their relationship grow as time passes. Ok, I'm getting a little off-track....here are some of my favorite pics from these past 8 months:

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months (really...that just sounds crazy!)- He had fun with his oatmeal and prunes :) 

I cannot thank the Lord enough for our little gift. Loving every moment! Definitely good times! 

Because He first loved us, 

Alicha <3

Another first :)

I am amazed at how many firsts Ryan has every week. It's so hard to keep up. But I love watching him grow and develop, it is such a blessing. Today we had a major first: he held himself up on the chair. He was just playing and pulled himself onto his knees and I didn't think that he would get further than that.

 But then I looked over and this is what I saw:

I literally screamed when he actually got up and I think I scared him, but he just looked at me funny and then smiled his sweet smile. It was like, "yeah mom, I'm getting big and this is fun!" So of course I grabbed the camera and had to get documentation for this momentous occasion. :) What a blessing it is to be able to witness these little milestones...life is such a gift!

My new babysitter

Our little dog Layla is a very loved (some would say spoiled) dog. Well, she has a new best friend: Ryan! Ryan can't get enough of her lately. It's so cute. As soon as he sees her he gets excited and just laughs and laughs as she runs by him or even just sits near him. So, when Ryan starts to get a little fussy I just call Layla and he can be entertained forever by her, especially when we throw the ball. He loves watching Layla run back and forth. And sweet Layla is so good with Ryan. She is so gentle and doesn't mind when he pulls on her ears or tries to put her tail in his mouth. :P Here's some pictures of the two cuties:

This makes my heart smile! :)

Fun in SD!

Ok, so even though I miss my friends and family and ministries up in Fresno, San Diego really isn't a bad place to live. We have had fun exploring this week.
So far we went on a picnic dinner at a Lake called Murray Lake in La Mesa. It was pretty fun...a beautiful evening, but there was a Jewish celebration going on at the 'picnic' place, so we just sat down at a spot overlooking the lake. It wasn't grassy, but it was still nice.

And...we had fun eating out in the sunshine!

Layla enjoyed being out as well! She stayed close to Ryan...such a protector! 

On Friday night, we tried our first 'family night' by going to Pacific Beach and getting some frozen yogurt. The frozen yogurt was delicious, but it got to be a little late for our little guy. He wasn't too happy, and it was a bit chilly. But he at least looked good in his beanie! 

Then, this past Sunday we went to Balboa Park after a great church service at Journey. It was an absolutely beautiful day. We were able to walk around....go into a free art exhibit, and also walk through some international houses and try their tasty treats. We are excited to be so close to such a fun place. 

Well, its a start to learning how to live life in a new city. Until next time! :) 

What a month...from here to there and back again!

Well, it is official....we are moved down to beautiful Spring Valley in San Diego, Ca. This month has consisted of moving our stuff down here, unpacking, and then going back to Fresno, coming down to SD for a few days and then leaving Jason in SD while Ryan and I wen to Dinuba to help with wedding stuff and spend time with Jason's parents for two weeks. Jason's parents were for the month, so when they came down for a few days and absolutely spoiled us. They bought us a grill for a house-warming gift and I don't know if I'm ever going to cook again...I LOVE bbqing...wait...I love that Jason bbq's and I just have to make the sides. :) It was a privilege to have Mom and Dad Ekk as our first guests. They worked their tails off helping us with yard work, and of course...spending quality time with their favorite grandson :) They were also able to come with us on a boat cruise of the harbor for part of Jason's law school orientation. :)

And then...Jason has officially started law school. This was his 'first day of school' picture: (Aren't they cute!) :) 

He seems to be doing very well...confident in himself and his studies. He is learning his study patterns and how to be a full-time student again. Overall...he is adjusting well to being a law student. He has his first exam next week...Go Jason! 

Well, while Jason was starting law school, Ryan and I were staying in Dinuba with Mom and Dad Ekk for two weeks. We enjoyed spending quality time, and Ryan was so loved and it was great to be able to leave Ryan a few times with Grandma and Grandpa to go run errands (and they didn't protest :) ). We helped a little with getting ready for Heidi's wedding and I was also treated to a manicure, pedicure and massage package as a gift from my husband! :) One of Ryan's favorite things was to sit outside and watch the big trucks go by.

And then...Heidi got married! It was a beautiful day and a beautiful bride. We had three amazing high school girls watching after Ryan, and they did a fantastic job. It was fun to get all dressed up and catch up with family. 

And all the Ekk kids: ( I must admit...a good looking bunch!) 

And now....we are here...in San Diego. I have to admit...I miss life in Fresno. I miss my friends and bible study and my high school girls and playgroup and MOPS. I went to a women's bible study today and it was hard to not want to cry because I was sad to not be in the group that I was last year. But, I know that God has me here and I am going to try to not to compare. It is hard to not know anyone and be sort of a 'nobody.' I loved our community at The Bridge and am so thankful that God allowed us to be a part of it for so long. It's hard to think that we are starting from ground zero, but we're just praying for leading on where we are supposed to be. 

Ok, sorry that's a little depressing. Here are some stats of my sweet little Ryan. Each month just gets better and better and I love watching my little man learn and develop. Here are some of his accomplishments for this month: 

-He has become OBSESSED with cups...grabbing at them and/or throwing himself towards them. There are three things he cries about when they are taken away: cups, keys, and books (he puts all three in his mouth:) 

-he rolls all the way over on both sides, but hates being on his tummy...and mom has a hard time letting him get frustrated, so it may be a while until he crawls. :) 

-he is a great sitter :)

-he turns the pages of books when I read to him

-He is about 20ish lbs

-He has conquered solids this month with eating butternut squash, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, pears and avocado! 

-He also is getting pretty good with a sippy cup...has never taken a bottle...so a sippy cup would be the next step :) 

-He laughs a lot (and it's contagious)

-He likes to roll balls

-Some of his new favorite toys are spoons and spatulas :)

-He seems to recognize people now...it became obvious with Grandpa and Grandpa

-He has his bottom two teeth! 

Well, this has become a bit lengthy..so until next time...I will end with me trying to be artsy, but I absolutely love this picture! I know I'm biased...but he's sooo cute! 

Because of His love, 

Alicha :) 

Adventures of baby food making

Well, now that we are settling in our new home in San Diego, I am getting into my new hobby of making baby food. :) Here are some pictures of making his first 'real' food...butternut squash.

I love butternut squash and was excited to make it for my little guy. I bought some storage trays for baby food to freeze it, and so I will have the right amount for Ryan to eat. :)

boiling the cubed squash

mashing it...using my cuisinart...no need to by a food mill :) 

It made so much! One jar of organic food is .89 cents at the store....the squash was $2...and made about 5 times the amount that the store's jar had. 

Now...for the real test: 

What does he think? 

He isn't quite sure......

It's ok mom...not my favorite thing right now, but after a few tries....maybe it'll grow on me. 

I have to admit...I had a lot of fun making food for my precious boy. I am excited about all the yummy creations to come in the next months. Praying that I'll have a good eater. :)