Happy Birthday Ryan!

On Sept 3rd, we celebrated Ryan's birthday. Keira was very excited about it all day, and was very anxious to have him open his present. I was worried that I had shown it to her too soon, because she wanted it with her at all times, and it even came on our errands with us (fortunately, she left it in the car, though).
Keira wanted to have Ryan open his present as soon as he got home from work. She also needed to help him do it.
Ryan with his "surprise" present from Keira and I. He had picked out several other biking items that were very specific in nature, so he was present when they were purchased. He received new pedals from my parents, shoes from his parents, and helmet from Keira and I, all for his mountain bike.
Linda made her infamous layered birthday cake. Keira was very very excited to see it enter the house, and kept screaming. "Cake, Cake, Cake" and "Cake ah (for) Keira" over and over again. She cried during dinner, but eventually it sunk in that if she ate dinner, she could have a piece of cake and ice cream. I made a lasagna for Ryan's birthday dinner, and Kris and Linda enjoyed it with us. Linda also made sure that the cake had the appropriate number of candles on it. We didn't set off the smoke detector (which happens nearly every time we make toast), so Ryan can't be too old yet!

Keira helped Ryan open his present from Kris and Linda. She couldn't let Ryan remove even the bow himself.



Aside from Ryan's birthday, this was a short week due to the Labor Day holiday. We made a few preparations for the new baby, such as acquiring a few duplicate things that Keira is still using. We still have all of our larger baby items in storage, in hopes that someone will want to see our condo before we turn it into baby central. Keira has really liked sitting in her old infant carrier. She is light enough that if the straps still fit, she could still use it!

She is also turning into a little diva. I called her a rock star in her sunglasses, but she wore them during an entire trip to Costco, and everyone there commented on what the little diva she was.
On Friday, we went to a well attended Kindermusik class where Keira was able to play with her friends, Brooklyn, Katie, and Alex. Brooklyn is Dominic's cousin, and Alex is from her church nursery. Afterwards, we did some shopping with Valerie, Katie, and Luke. I accidentally brought the big Ironman stroller with me, and it did surprisingly well. It was about the size of Valerie's tandem stroller, which was actually not any easier for her to maneuver than for me with my fixed front wheel, mostly due to weight. I am glad Keira is so light! My double stroller has not yet been to the mall (I have seen them there before, though), but it is only a few inches wider than the Ironman, and it is more agile, so hopefully it won't be any more difficult than this trip. We did have some trouble with some of the more crowded stores with our single width strollers, so I guess I will have to rely on salespeople and online preparation to get what I need, or just shop less!
Keira and Katie posing after Kindermusik before heading to Laurel Park. Can you believe that Keira is a month OLDER than Katie!
Keira lined up all her dolls and wanted me to take a picture of her with them. She also needed to wear her sunglasses indoors again. Too bad we couldn't get her to wear them more in the sun this past summer when it is actually beneficial!
Ryan is at the UM vs Miami Ohio game today, and UM won. OSU and BYU also won their games, so it was a good day for us for football. While Ryan attended the game, Keira and I went to the Novi Sports Park. It was a beautiful day and not too hot to spend outside. She didn't slide down the fireman's pole, but was instead trying to climb up it. She didn't make it too far.

That was pretty much our week. No news on the baby front from Ellyn or me, but my checkup went well.