ARIZONA!!!

So...my grandparents go to Arizona every winter and I have yet to travel down to see them. Last season they bought a Park Model trailer in the Mesa Regal Resort. They have always pulled their 5th Wheel down...but this season they are "Home Owners!" With Allegiant recently offering direct flights from Billings to Phoenix...I thought to myself..."THIS IS THE YEAR TO GO!! So...I told Matt to tell me when a good time would be for him to take some time off work to play mommy while I was gone. WELL...he NEVER got back to me so I just booked the trip and told him he HAD to play mommy!! I left on Tuesday March 9th (yes...I know...Ryder's Birthday but we had the party when I came home) to March 13th. Phoenix...HERE I COME!!!!

Matt had to play "Mommy" while I was gone! Not a glamorous job! I am busy and have to live my life Minute-Minute!! Above are the Day-by-Day...Minute-by-Minute time line of events for him to go off of taped to the cabinets! BELIEVE me...HE NEEDED THEM!!!

I flew out at 10 am and arrived shortly afternoon! My Grandma Marge & friend Joy picked me up at th Mesa Airport. We headed straight back to the resort where Grandma had to practice for the Annual Talent Show. She had a couple of acts. I really enjoyed the "Show" that evening. Above: The Regalaires preform their talent.



There were several "TAP" acts as well as "Hula" acts. ALL good! I was AMAZED at the LEGS on these ladies! WOWSA!!! I am gonna take up Tap Dancing again!!!

Grandma Marge (in the middle in a SHORT dress and WIG) and her friends...doing her second act. SO GOOD!!!

Everyone scoots around in Golf Carts in the resort. My Grandparents have a nice one as well. This is one of the carts in Mesa Regal that caught my eye! Flashy Teal Color Kart+Oak Cabinet+"Buildah" License Plate = Roger Lawien's Retirement Transportation!! LOVE YOU DAD!!!

Shopping with the ladies! I joined the ladies...Ardie, Marge, Joy & Karen for a day of shopping in a new Shopping village. Here we are headed to Macy's!

My Grandpa Leo! This picture was really taken for an April Fools for my mom...which by the way...he GETS my mom every year!!! Notice his WILD hair!

There was a "Viagra" joke with this hat! You can about imagine...huh?!?



Beautif Water Fountain in the Quad.

In the background...a cafe and bar which is right by the pools.

One of the pools in the resort.

Grandma Marge & I on my last night in Mesa.

On the last night I was there the resort had "THEME" night which is an annual event. This year was 50's Night. Fifties music by the band & Poodle Skirts galore! I LOVE the people here. They were having EMPTY Beer glass stacking contests. MAN...sounds like a Days of 1910 Celebration Tent activity!!!

The pools were beautiful and WARM!!! VERY WARM!!!


The days were not the warmest but the Sun was out everyday!! This vacation gave me the "Spring Fever" to come home and plant flowers! DANG...I have to wait at least another month!!!

(Above) I actually boarded through the BACK of the plane. NEVER have I done this before. I was in the second row on the flight down but further back on the flight home. Just a little strange for me!

My flight took off @ 7am on Saturday March 13th...so I had to be to the airport by 6 am...which meant...UP AT 4:30 am!! I arrived home in Billings 40 minutes early...which was WONDERFUL because I had a 6 year old's Birthday Party awaiting me. 30 minutes after I arrived home...I had my first batch of cupcakes in the oven for Ryder's Birthday Party with guests arriving @ 4:30pm.

As I was boarding in the "BACK" of the plane...the view of the sun rising over the mountains was amazing!! This picture does not even do it justice. It was amazingly ORANGE & PINK!!!

Thank you to my grandparents for the amazing time I was shown while I was there. Thank you to my husband for the time he DID take off! Thank you to Nicki for keeping my kids and Matt in check while I was gone! LORD only know what I would have done without you! I needed the break! I needed the family time because it is really tough to be around NO FAMILY! I miss you Pearman's and can not wait for you to come home so we can fry some long awaited Walleye this summer!!!

Where have the past SIX years gone?!?

On March 9th...Ryder D. turned SIX!! SHEESH!! When...How and WHY has the time flown by so fast!?! It was a BUSY BUSY Saturday we had...well "I" had. We had his party on Saturday March 13th. I was up at 4:30 a.m. that morning and in Phoenix, AZ. My flight left at 7am and arrived in Billings at 8:50 a.m. and by 9:30 I was at home with my first batch of cupcakes in the oven! We decorated, picked up balloons and prepped food. People were here by 4:30p.m. and the last to leave...left at 10:30 p.m. EXHAUSTED!!! Man...it makes me tired just typing about it!!

Ryder D. Wald

(1 hour old)

Born March 9, 2004

Ten days old! Finally going home from the NICU in Bismarck, ND.
(Daddy & 5lb 9oz Ryder D.)





Messy Baby!!

(Ryder @ 7 months old)

Ryder @ FOUR years old!

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Party Balloons!!

Ryder decided that he wanted a "Teenage MutantNinja Turtle" party. That wasn't an easy feat as TMNT are vintage and HARD to find...unless you want to spend a FORTUNE on EBay!!

More decor for the party.








Goody Bags for the kiddos!
(Complete with Turtle "Ooze" for everyone)








Some of the GREEN Turtle Cupcakes.
Everyone got a "Turtle" Cupcake Ring





Ryder's Friends: (Front) Grace, Ryder, Sophia, Aleena (Middle) Brooke, Anthony W., Michael, Addie, Jasmine, Gabby (Back) Anthony O. Missing: Baby Gavin, Brandon & Evan (we couldn't tear them away from the Toy Room!)

Present Time:

Ryder LOVED his RC Turtle 4-Wheeler from Nicki & JJ!!

A TMNT Cowabunga Pizza Van...complete with a Pizza Cannon!

Neighbors Michael & Grace gave Ryder an awesome 4-in-1 Transformer Robot!

Birthday Cupcake Tower!

Six Year Old Birthday Boy Ryder!

Blow out the candle!!

Kannin had FOUR pieces of pizza...which led me to think that this poor little guy "FASTED" in protest while Mama was in AZ! He was STARVING!!!



We ordered the UFC Boxing match on Pay-Per-View at the end of the night. Neighbor Chad and kids stayed as did Nicki & JJ for the fight.

(Above: Little Exhausted Grace passed out in Daddy Chad's arms. She partied too hard!)

Kannin cuddling up with Nicki...just trying to stay awake for the fight.

What a great Party we had!! Fun was had by all!!

Pink Ribbon Cookies!!

Kannin's Speech Therapist, Beth, asked if I would help her out by making some cookies to take with her to Wisconsin while she visited her daughter at college. Her daughter's team was having a "Parent's Night" as well as recognizing Breast Cancer awareness. I made her 40...4"x6" cookies and they ALL survived the trip from Montana to Wisconsin.

Valentines Weekend 2010

What a BUSY Valentines weekend! I had planned an entire weekend of Valentines themed activities and food for the boys...and Matt too! I love doing special little parties to celebrate these "off" holidays. Creates memories!!

We started the weekend with a Birthday party for our little friend Evan. HE TURNED THREE!! He had a Wow Wow Wubzy Party. The kids had a blast running circles around their house playing with friends Brandon, Evan & Addie. The cake that Laura made was IMPRESSIVE!!

Birthday Boy Evan...Excited about opening presents!!

Brandon, Evan, Ryder & Dad Eric checking out Evan's new Space Ship.

Kannin can not WAIT to dig into the Wubzy Cake!! It tasted as FABULOUS as it looks!!!

Singing to the Birthday Boy Evan

Everyone gets a Valentines Bag full of goodies. The boys woke up EARLY Saturday morning and woke us up too! You would think Santa had just came! They were so excited!!

Ryder shows daddy his bag of goodies!

A Valentines movie..."Alvin & The Chipmunks!"

Kannin got a Valentines book from his favorite series of books (Give a Mouse a Cookie). He read it 20 times before breakfast!!

Poor Tysen...the little boys ran down and woke him up so they could open their bags! I know he wanted to still be sleeping! SO DID MATT & I!!!

I gave Matt a new watch...with all the bells and whistles! He loved it!

Daddy & the boys gave me beautiful flowers.

After the boys opened their bags...we had "Heart Shaped Pancakes! Mmmm!!

Ryder & I did some Valentines art projects. One of them was a melted crayon shaving mosaic. He got to use an IRON. He was really careful and excited.

Threading his heart to hang it.

Our hanging Valentines Mosaics.

For lunch we had heart shaped hamburgers!

Ryder's cousins from Kansas City, Tristan & Sidney, stopped for a Valentine cookie before their long roadtrip back home. Ryder made them Valentines to take home and also made some for their 2 sisters who were back home in Kansas City. Wish they would have been able to come over to play with Ryder while they were here BUT they are planning a trip back here in July and we have already planned a sleep over for their whole family! YAY!!

100 Days of School!

On Tuesday February 2nd...Ryder celebrated 100 Days of School! Where has this year gone? He is loving Kindergarten, LOVES his teacher and has made so many new friends. He is reading very well. His handwriting is beautiful and he is able to write his number 1-100 without any help in about 2 minutes! To celebrate this 100th day of school Ryder & his classmates were asked to each bring 100 edible things to add to their "100 Day Trail Mix." Ryder counted out 100 pretzel stix and brought them to add. Each student got to have a scoop of the trail mix. Fun Fun!!

Ryder & his BIG eyes counting!!

Concentrating

Almost done counting!