living room

Welcome to our living room! Though it is usually strewn about with toys and blankets and diapers and wipes, with the computer out and an episode of Friends playing, I thought I'd clean it up for you just this once ;) The large empty space above the couch is waiting for our moose antlers to take a visit to the taxidermist so they can look like this and I can decorate them like this...

It's the first room you see when you walk in the house and I love that it represents us so well - so many different colors, patterns and styles, and so many books! The aviator leather couch was a Craigslist purchase, the blue velour love seat was found at a furniture consignment shop here in Boise, the trunk was stained and given to us by my mom, the mirror was a Christmas gift from my sister, the painting of Indian Beach that I love so much, a wedding gift from Grandma Brown, the '&' signed by all our wedding guests... I love this room and I love the days I spend playing with Uriah on the run and the nights I spend snuggled with Stephen on that couch.

baby boy's room

After receiving family pictures yesterday, I went right to Walgreens and printed pictures! ...For the first time in a year! We finally have prints of Uriah around our house! And I finally have frames hung up! Our walls have been pretty empty since we moved in, so I was excited to get some more of our house completed, feeling more like home. I started with Uriah's room. We didn't have a nursery set up in Seattle because the spare room was Stephen's study and he slept in our room for the first month, anyway, so I was very excited to give him his own space! I've been pinning nursery pins since I was pregnant, and while this room will never make it to a blog (other than my own) or some magazine, I love his attic nursery! It is so cozy up there - it's perfect for him. As he gets older the closet door will be painted with chalk and a teepee/tent will sit over his quilt. We spend our mornings on that quilt digging through his toy basket and we spend our evenings in that chair rocking and reading... So many people helped make this room just perfect for us. Our friends, Ben and Amanda, gave us that rocker, my parents got us his crib, our friend Charlotte made Uriah that beautiful quilt, my Great Aunt Connie crocheted Uriah the blanket draped over the chair, my Aunt Teri made the 'Uriah' banner on his closet door, my friend Melissa made the 'Uriah' sign over the ac unit, my Nana saved and revived the bear on his dresser, I made the mobile over his crib... It may be just a small space in our house, but it means so much to me and I'm so happy it is (finally!) set up and ready for our baby boy to enjoy!

family of three

Though my next blog should be about my trip to Pocatello after the wedding, I took zero pictures and have nothing to show for the Harper kisses, Uriah loving, daycare cleaning, bagel eating and birthday celebrating. Instead, I'll share some family pictures my mom took when she came to town a few weeks ago. In order to catch the good light, we kept Uriah up past his bedtime and were trying to take pictures with a fussy crying baby. It was difficult and tiring but we love the pictures and are so grateful my mom took these for us. 6 months old is such a fun age - I sure do love this time in our lives and this little family of mine!

8.11.2013

Sunday after the wedding, the Ryan family got together at a park to celebrate Grandma's 75th birthday! (And give a little birthday love to Shawn, John and my mom) Sandwiches, presents, cake and carousels ! I was happy to have another chance to spend some time with my family - I don't get to see them often enough! Uriah is so loved by them all - I'm so glad he will grow up knowing my amazing family! It was another long goodbye (in typical Ryan fashion) left with promises to see each other soon (which I hope we do!) Next year will be the first in many with no scheduled graduations or weddings so a Ryan family reunion is a must! Love you all!

Mr. & Mrs. Ybarra

On August 10th, I got to watch my cousin marry the most perfect girl, the best addition to our family! I was so happy to spend the weekend with the Ryan clan and celebrate in the love of these two. Spenser was the closet thing I had to a brother growing up, which makes Hannah my new sister :) These two are unbelievably perfect for each other in every way! They are both so incredibly caring, loving, genuine, goofy, FUN people and I know they will make each other so happy! Their wedding was beautiful - the bride, the location, the decorations, the weather, the smiles on their faces... It was such a fun day and I loved getting to dance the night away with my family! (Missing Stephen like crazy all the while, of course!) Our little family is beyond happy for you, Spenser and Hannah, and we wish you the absolute best! The couple takes off for their honeymoon tomorrow - Enjoy every minute of it, you lovebirds!