Seeing as how this is Ryon's first Father's Day, I thought I would put together a little slide show of Ryon and Hoyt over the past 9 months. Many of the pictures bring to mind some funny stories....
When we found out that Hoyt was 9 pounds and breech, and that he would have to be born via c-section, Ryon was worried to say the least. (If you didn't know, Ryon suffers just a bit from paranoia!!) The day Hoyt was born he was pretty nervous. Everything, however, went great with the c-section and Ryon was beaming when he held Hoyt for the first time. He then got to go to the nursery with Hoyt while I remained in the OR getting "stitched up". While in the nursery, one of the nurses explained that Hoyt had some fluid in his lungs due to the c-section and would need oxygen.
Ryon flew into action! He asked what the optimal oxygen levels should be, and stood by Hoyt's bedside while the nurse administered the oxygen. A little while later the nurse went to check on another baby, and Ryon took it upon himself to administer the oxygen to Hoyt. When the nurse saw what Ryon was doing and questioned him, he replied with (I'm paraphrasing here) "His oxygen levels went down and you were busy, so I gave it to him myself!" When one of the nurses came into my room and explained that she thought Ryon could use a xanax - I thought she was kidding. However, Ryon told me "the oxygen story" later that day and I knew that the nursing staff would probably be happy to see us go!!
For Christmas this year, Ryon picked out a present for Hoyt by himself and wouldn't even tell me what it was. One night while I was out at a church activity, I came home to find a box wrapped in birthday paper sitting under the tree. I had to laugh because 1) Ryon hates to wrap presents and 2) He said he couldn't find the Christmas paper so he just used the "birthday stuff". When Hoyt and I opened the present we found a stuffed deer head for Hoyt's room - Ryon was extremely proud of himself! Ryon can't wait until Hoyt is old enough to take roping, hunting, etc. We already have enough camo for two little boys, and Hoyt is already learning to like horses.
I could go on and on, but I guess those stories will do. I am thankful that I found a man that is a wonderful husband, and also a terrific dad. Hoyt could not ask for anything better. I look forward to watching them "grow up" together! Happy Father's Day Sweets - we love you!!
Hoyt and I were able to take a quick trip to California last week to see my brother Brandon and nephew Austin graduate from 8th grade. We had a great time swimming in Grandma and Grandpa Hoyt's pool and spending time with family. Hoyt spent 2 hours in the pool the first day and absolutely loved it. I told Ryon that we definitely need a pool now - you can imagine his response!
Well....I guess "outdoor adventures" may be stretching the truth a little at this point, but Hoyt does love to be outside these days. Whenever he is the least bit cranky all we need to do is step outside and miraculously his mood changes. Even though it was a bit windy a few days ago, we put on our ball cap and ventured out into the backyard and sat on the grass, crawled on the patio, and even stopped to have our picture taken. (I couldn't resist taking off Hoyt's socks to try and get a picture of his fat little feet - I wonder how they will ever fit into shoes?!)
I am often asked how I am enjoying staying at home after twelve years of working, and while there are some days when I look at myself and think "what should I do now?", who would ever trade an afternoon in the backyard with an exploring nine-month-old for a principal's office? Not me. When I went into Human Resources to resign from my position, all of the ladies were so excited that I would be able to stay home with Hoyt. One of my favorite HR technicians said, "We will miss you Heather, but there isn't a more important job than being a mom. I respect your decision to stay home." While I might not receive the same "kudos" for changing a messy diaper as I would presenting in front of the school board - what greater honor is there than being a child's mother? I can't think of one!
Hoyt has been working on crawling for the past month. For the last few weeks he would get on his hands and knees and try to move himself forward, but other than that he hadn't quite figured it out. That is....until today. While he has yet to crawl across the room, he has finally started crawling short distances.
He loves to crawl to the bookcase and open up the drawers, as you can see in this video. He also loves to crawl to anything that "isn't a toy!" Why is it that when you have all the toys a child could ever want......all they really want is a piece of paper, tupperware, or metal bowls and spoons??
Last week we took a trip to Idaho ( according to Ryon the "promised land") to see Grandma and Grandpa Murray. We decided to drive and Hoyt did amazingly well for all 8 1/2 hours there and back. We had a great time visiting, eating, shopping, staying up late, etc. Why is it when you go on a trip you never seem to get enough sleep?
We also got to see my sister, Noelle, who lives in Pocatello with her husband Kyle. She is in her last year of nursing school at Idaho State University and loves to tell us gory stories of her rounds at the hospital! She will be a great nurse.
Ryon can't wait to move back to Idaho, while I could probably wait a little longer. I like to joke that I almost had to sign a pre-nup. stating that I would move to Idaho before we could get married! Whenever I ask Ryon how long it will be before we move he says "two years". We'll see - he has been saying that for three years now. Not that I don't like Idaho; it would just put me further away from my family and that might be hard for me!
