Ugh... Hair

Okay... So I'm writing this to help myself 

remember something.

KaDee, DON'T CUT YOUR HAIR

Every... 3 - 5 years or so I get sick of my long hair and decide to cut it. Both times I cut it, it was completely spur of the moment. Not thought out at all. I just sit in the spinny chair and say, "Let's take it all off." The beutician tries to talk me out of it. "Are you sure?" And I just say, "Yeah, I'm ready for a change. Just do it." 

This was back in 2007:

BEfore

After

This was this year:

BEfore

After 

(This is my niece Hannah. I love her to death. She is on a competitive cheer team in Idaho Falls and comes down to Utah a lot to compete. So I get to go watch!)

Don't get me wrong, it's super cute and everything and I absolutely LOVED my haircuts... for about the first 2 months.

Then I start to notice all the girls around me with long flowing hair and I just want it to all come back.

It would be pretty sweet if there was a way that we could cut our hair and then have it grow out again when we ask it to. 

The other day I had a lady come in to get her teeth cleaned. I knew from the notes that I had seen her before but I really didn't think that this was the same woman. When I saw her before, she had long, curly brown hair that just laid perfectly and didn't get all nasty in the back from laying in the dentist chair. I remember it specifically because I thought it was so pretty. WELL this time she had a super cute short boy hair cut that was blonde with fun highlights. I thought to myself how drastic of a change it was and was amazed that the color was so perfect. Then I noticed something else... She had to adjust her hair when she laid back. 

IT WAS A WIG! 

Man... It made me seriously debate getting some wigs. Her hair was awesome BOTH times.

I decided I just don't have the hair to sport a short haircut. This is what I was going for this last time:

(I love Gwenyth.)

Well DUH! I could never get my hair to look like this. I don't have enough of it... And other reasons.

So KaDee, although you may think it's time for a change and that it has magically become thick enough to style it all cute and that you will ACTUALLY style is all cute everyday.... you won't. So don't!

ASL, adorable laugh, new tile

Ryker is such a personable child. He loves interacting with people and is naturally happy all the time. He loves when people come over. He smiles, jabbers and shows off for them. 

He has gotten pretty good at signing. We started signing with him when he was 9 months old and he picked up on "milk" really quick but didn't do anything else until just the last month or so. But now he does pretty much all of the signs that we do. It makes it a lot easier to communicate with him. He used to just SCREAM when he wanted something - now he yells to get us to look at him and then does a sign. He says "please" pretty much anytime that he wants something. How can you say no when he says please?!
We have a dog that is right across our backyard and when it barks, Ryker says, "Doge" like he has a canadian accent. It cracks me up. This video shows him doing pretty much everything I just talked about:

For some reason, when I make crepes, he laughs hysterically when I flip them. He does it every time. I don't understand why it's so funny but I'm glad that it brings him joy.

They recently put tile in our apartment. We LOVE it. The process, however, was not so great. We basically could not walk in our kitchen for a week... and then they did the BATHROOM. You can imagine how difficult that was. I had to be creative and get out of the house with Ryker. I decided to get a 7 day trial membership at The Sports Academy. I basically spent all my time there. Ryker and I went swimming and i worked out a lot. The few days that they were doing the tile in the bathroom, I would wake up at 5:30 in the morning to go work out because I had to pee and couldn't walk in the bathroom! At least having to pee motivated me to get to the gym early...
Ryker and I spend a lot of time at fun places to eat because we didn't have a kitchen.

Kneaders was a great place to spend a couple of hours. Ryker liked it - and the french toast.

I got to go see little Braden Papke as well. What a cute little baby. Congrats Natasha and Keaton!

Snowboarding Awesomeness

Every year we go to the "Warren Miller Show." It is a ski/snowboard movie premier and they always give out tickets to The Canyons in Park City. I go to it because it ensures that Nate will take me snowboarding at least once a year and it also ensures that he will drop his school work for one day and come with me.

This year, James also got a ticket so we all got to go together.

The snow was awesome.
I am so happy to report that Nate is catching on! He started out the day saying that he only wanted to fall "when he was trying something new." By the end of the day, he was pretty good a carving... and he did fall a few times but had a great time. Actually, Marli was the only one of us who DIDN'T fall. I ended up flat on my back, sliding down the backside of a jump headfirst and James caught an edge and left a nice body print in the snow. All James had to say about it was, "No pain, no gain."

They have some sweet beach chairs to chill out in... Unfortunately, they lack the Beach

The Joys of Ryker

I know, I know... It's been FOREVER since I've updated my blog. I thought that I would do it regularly now that I am out of school but I guess that didn't quite happen.

Here is an update on us:

I graduated from Dental Hygiene school last April. I was fortunate to get a job at Dr. Workman's office, where I was working before. I LOVE it here. I work 3 days a week, which is perfect!

Nate is doing a master's in Aerospace (Mechanical) Engineering. Currently he is working in a lab where they build big model airplanes that take pictures of the earth. Needless to say, he comes home everyday as excited as a kindergartner, wanting to tell me what he did at school.

We are so blessed to have so much family around to watch Ryker while I work and Nate's at school. Erika, James, Marli, Brett and his girlfriend Sierra have been so willing and Ryker loves them. I love the fact that he gets to build a relationship with his Aunts and Uncles.

Ryker is 15... almost 16 months old now. He is the best thing that has happened to us. He brings joy into our lives each and everyday!

Here are some things that Ryker loves, that we love too:

Ryker LOVES to smile

Ryker was R2D2 for halloween. It was a big project to sew all the pieces onto his costume... Mostly because I don't know how to sew.

Ryker LOVES to climb in and on things

Who knew that putting him in
 the dryer would bring him so much joy...

...Anything for Brownies

Ryker LOVES to be outside... Even when it's cold.

 

Zebra Gloves = So Cute



Ryker LOVES to brush his teeth

And last but not least... Ryker LOVES to DANCE

ChRiStMaS

What a great Christmas this year. I love the holidays because I love spending so much time with family. 

Here are some pictures of the festivities. 

Ryker was so bundled up, he couldn't move. And, as always, we have Aggie Pride

 

 

Even if you asked, I wouldn't be able to tell you what this is about...

How do you not LOVE this face?!

  

Yay! Clap for my present

 

Ryker's 1st

An ENTIRE YEAR has completely flown by! 

I can't believe that little Ryker is already a year old. Where did that year go? I think being in school made it go by so fast. 

We had a lot of fun for Ryker's birthday. We started the festivities by getting his pictures taken and allowing him to engorge himself with a sugar filled cupcake. He loved every minute of it.

True Blue Aggies!

We then had a great party for him where a bunch of his friends came to play.

 

Grandma Hoffer wouldn't like this picture too much...

We then traveled to Colorado to visit Richard, Sara, Briley and Ali.

Sara and Ryker's birthdays are on the same day! They got to celebrate together

We stayed at the Breckinridge Resort. WAY NICE.

Papa and Ryker taking a nap while the ladies go shopping

Ryker LOVES his cousin Ali. He followed her everywhere she went

By Ryker's first birthday, he was walking, signing "milk," saying "mama" and "dada" and giving big open mouthed kisses.

We love him SO MUCH.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYKER