Ryder's Birthday 2

We (including Ryder) all sang 'Happy Birthday' and enjoyed cupcakes after Ryder's birthday dinner....pizza.

Ryder's Birthday 1

Ryder had a great second birthday. Grandma Hutton was in town for the occasion and to meet Taggart. Ryder opened Nana and Papa Leveque's gifts and Grandma's gift on Friday evening. Nothing like the pure joy and excitement on a child's face when they open gifts.

Halloween Candy

Dressing like a fireman; staying up past your bedtime; achieving new levels of excitement/anxiety with all the costumes and characters; seeing zoo animals out of their cages; eating Halloween candy! What a great night.

Daddy leaving a light on in Ryder's room; waking up early; not getting enough sleep; immediately asking to go back to the zoo; remembering the less than spectacular magic show; finding out that all your Halloween candy has disappeared! What a crappy morning.

Wow, Halloween is still over a week away.

Seriously, it was not Mommy and Daddy; we believe it was Tagg! That's right he is the culprit who at the candy.

Zoo Boo

Fireman Ryder and Sleepyhead Taggart spent Saturday night at Zoo Boo ~ Check out the new double wide stroller. Ryder was amazed that if he handed someone his pumpkin, they would fill it with 'treats'. He was not too excited about all the costumes. Let's just say that the animals in the zoo are supposed to be in their cages; when the gorilla approached and asked for a high five Ryder proceeded to hide his eyes and put a death grip on Daddy's neck. We will see what he thinks of the gorilla next time we visit the zoo.

Pumpkin Patch

Halloween is almost here so we took Ryder and Taggart to the pumpkin patch. Tagg slept through the experience and Ryder took it all in. Ryder could not believe how big the pumpkins were and how many they had. The next Halloween experience is Zoo Boo.

Tummy Time on Quilt

Just as she had with Ryder, Grammie B quilted an amazing baby blanket for Taggart. Ryder thought it was funny that Tagg could not move much once placed on his tummy; so he decided to cheer him on and demonstrate how to puch himself up.

Bath Time

Taggart's first bath was a family event. Ryder does not really like it when he gets water poured over his head, especially if it gets in his eyes. As any good brother would, Ryder immediately suggested that we pour water over Tagg's head.

I See You

Tagg becomes more aware of his surroundings each and every day. He was not to happy about us using a flash and watched us closely as we walked around the room on this given day.

Fire Chief

Ryder got angry that Taggart couldn't play firemen with him. So after the fire chief had a good cry, he decided to rescue baby Tagg.

Morning request

The first thing Ryder ask for in the morning is his little brother, Tagg.

Mud Island River Park

The River Park provided a morning of humor as we all watched Ryder explore the replica of the Mississippi River; later we all had a good laugh as Ryder, Nana and Papa took the dragon paddle boat out for a spin.

Grandfatherly Advice

Ryder has enjoyed spending time with Nana and Papa. We don't know what these conversations were about but we certainly hope Papa provided guidance to Ryder on how to be a great big brother who does not get jealous and make life difficult. It has not happened yet but we are on the lookout.

Pizza

Ryder loves pizza. Not only does he enjoy eating pizza, he is learning the finer points of making pizza. On this night, he chose to make everyone's pizza's. Yes, he did wash his hands first.

Nana & Papa

Tagg enjoyed meeting Nana and Papa for the first time; Ryder enjoyed playing with Nana and Papa again.

Exhausted

Ryder wants everyone to know that being a big brother is exhausting; the late nights, early mornings, diaper changes, crying, nap schedule......So much to do and so little time. It just makes you want to stop and lay down to rest.

Entertained

Oh, the boys watching.....

ESPN? NO.

College Football? NO.

Golf? NO.

Discovery Channel? NO.

Word World???? Yes!

Who knew that the PBS Kids program could entertain all ages.

Big Brother

Ryder is really enjoying his little brother. He kept asking if he could hold baby Taggart. He was super sweet and very gentle. After some time, he decided to point out all of Tagg's body parts.....the ears and nose were not a concern but when he said, "EYES" we decided it was time to save his little brother.

Brotherly Love

In his new role as a big brother, Ryder decided that he should look Tagg in the eyes and set some ground rules. Aterward, he decided that he should announce to everyone how the conversation went and the specifics of the ground rules. Ryder seems to think this is going to work out just fine.....as long as the little one remembers the rules.

Comparison Photos

Taggart Day 1
Ryder Day 2

Many people have asked who Taggart looks like and if he looks like Ryder. We are starting to see many similarities between our two boys.

Blog

With the arrival of Taggart, we will now stop updating Ryder's original blog http://www.ryderhutton.blogspot.com (yes, he gave us his blessing) and continue to update everyone through this new family blog.

Home Sweet Home

Today, we left the hospital and headed home. Ryder and Wilson (not pictured) were so happy for us to be home.

Calm Before the Storm

After Ryder and Nana left, we all needed a little nap. Big things to come and we need to be prepared.....heading home may be a little chaotic.

Family Meeting

Well, we had our first family meeting on Friday. Nana brought Ryder up to see all of us in the hospital. Ryder was amazed at all the babies in the nursery. He was a sweet little boy when he finally met Taggart.

Taggart Payne Hutton

We would like to welcome Taggart Payne Hutton to the family. He joined us at 4:06am this morning. He weighed in at 6 lbs 15 oz and measured 20 in. Courtney and Tagg are doing well. Ryder and Nana will be visiting for the first time later today......an update will definitely follow that introduction.

Quality Time

Well, Courtney is due to have baby #2 any day now. We are as prepared as possible and eager to welcome him to the family. We are all enjoying the quality time with one another. Ryder has really enjoyed spending time with Mommy. He is probably going to be a little jealous.