Happy Thanksgiving

The boys both had a feast last week at their school. It is so sweet to see them dressed up as Indians. Learning about Thanksgiving and being thankful. There is a lot to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy 3rd Birthday Dylan!!

My baby is 3 years old. Where has the time gone? I know in life it will continue to fly and each and every year I will ask the same question.

Dylan has been the rambuntious one of the two boys. Getting into everything, tearing everything up, breaking things, and just writing on things that shouldn't be written on. That doesn't stop us from loving him though. He is precious and sweet. He is also a character. He just cracks us up with the things he says and does. Happy Birthday Dylan we love you!!

Dino-mite Birthday

Since the boys birthdays are close we figured it would be just as easy to celebrate them together this year. Once again we had it at the park. In my opinion this is such a great place. The outdoor activities, bathrooms, trash cans that I don't have to empty, and simple fun. The weather was AWESOME!! A beautiful day for a birthday party. Since the boys are so into dinosaurs, of course they had a dino cake. Thanks to everyone that came. We are so blessed to have such great family and friends.

Happy 5th Birthday Joshua!!

Where have the past 5 years gone?! All I know is that they have flown by and my son is now the big "5". It has been fun to think about all the fun times we have had with Joshua over the past 5 years and we look forward to celebrating more birthdays and special occassions with him. He is such a joy and sweet boy. We love you Joshua. Happy Birthday !!

Boo at the Zoo

I love fall and it is so much fun enjoying all the different festivities. We look forward to Boo at the Zoo. The boys enjoy dressing up in their halloween costumes, trick or treating, and riding the train. We went with some friends this year which makes it even more fun.

Chicago Marathon 2009

It has been quite a busy month. After getting back from Chicago after my father's passing, I turned around 4 days later and flew back with Scott so that he could participate in the Chicago Marathon. This was his 3rd year to run this marathon. His first year the temps reached up into the high 80's. The second year low 80's. This year 40's. He had an awesome run!! I am so proud of him. He actually shaved 35 minutes off of last years time. To a runner you are always trying to better that time. I'll stick to the spectator side of it all, which is so much fun for me. I always enjoying walking downtown. I just wish I had some one to tag along with to enjoy it during the race. Congrats Scott and I look forward to cheering you on in future marathons.

We Love You Papa!

Papa (as Joshua and Dylan called him)-Joe Rybak my dad, passed away September 24th in Chicago. I never thought that a just a little over a year later I would be writing about my dad and his passing away. It's has been a difficult year as it is with the loss of my mom. I'm 38 and now both of my parents are deceased. That is actually very hard to say.

Within a years time I have learned more about my dad than I thought I ever would. Things I knew about and things I didn't. He loved my mom very much. He was an electrician and very hard worker who loved to fish, drink his beer, and watch Chicago sports teams play. He was definitely a character with his Polish background and a way with words.

So many different memories flood my head of when I was a child. I just keep seeing my parents as the way they were when I was younger. I need to hold on tight to the memories of my parents enjoying Joshua and Dylan. They both loved the boys very much. I just hate the fact that my parents will not get the chance to know my boys as they grow into men. I know that God is in control but I just wish we had more time with both of my parents.

We love you Papa. Now you can rest with Nanna.

Soccer

This is Joshua's first time to play an organized sport which we are thrilled about. When we signed Joshua up he was as well. Game day came filled with excitement, a uniform, cleats, and photos. For some strange reason Joshua just didn't seem himself. He attributes it to being tired. To his defense he is getting rid of his nap and getting up early. All that to say, he kept telling us he was tired and didn't want to play. Just when you think you know your child well enough, thinking he would be aggressive and have so much fun. This is all new for us as well as for him. I guess we need to put ourselves in his shoes because he didn't know any of the other kids on his team and he has never played an organized sport. We are hoping it is a matter of getting his feet wet and loving it. We'll see what next week brings. The funny thing was Dylan wanted to be on the field more than Joshua did and was disappointed that he didn't get his chance.

Baby Steps 5K

Last weekend Scott and I ran a 5K. I guess you can say I have been training for it. Trying to run at least 2-3 times a week. Not exactly my idea of fun considering Scott enjoys running marathons. It is good to keep in shape though isn't it?

We ran in the first annual Baby Steps 5K. The proceeds from the race go to the Amelia Center which is connected with Children's Hospital. It is a grief counseling center for families/mothers that loose babies. For those of you who don't know or remember, Scott and I lost baby Iann at 19 weeks in the womb. This was definitely something we were wanting to support.

The race took place at Tannehill. The weather was good, not too hot. The surroundings were beautiful and the trail wasn't bad. It's been a long time since I've run outside so I know I will definitely do better the next time. Yes, I did say the next time. I really enjoyed running 3.1 miles and look to better my time the next run. I'm not sure when that will be but I'm looking forward to it. I highly encourage getting out there to run or walk. We all could use the exercise.

One Year

Today it is one year that my mom had passed away. I thought the weekend would be harder than it was but I was pretty busy and didn't take time to think about it. It has hit me harder with today being the actual date.

I didn't get to see my mom on a regular basis because we lived so far apart. Some days I can't believe she is gone. I can't call her up to talk. I blog about the boys and she'll never get to know them. It just makes me very sad. I really miss her.

How long did the maze last?

I posted on Thursday and here is the picture I took on Saturday. It lasted 2 days, yippee!! They had fun.

Marble Mazes

My boys love marbles and mazes. Put them both together and look what you get. The only problem is setting it up. It takes a good 30 minutes to put together and about 30 minutes for my boys to tear it apart. It is not something they play with everyday but when given the chance... it is all they will play with. We'll see how many minutes/hours/days this maze will last.

The Things I Get Into

Dylan could probably have a blog of all his own. That is because he tends to get himself into some interesting situations. He obviously found a soft somewhat melted crayon in the car...I guess he put it to good use huh?! During his nap he got into some stickers he found in his room. Once again the face tells it all. What are we going to do with that boy?!