December 2008: A new word

Ryan has found a new word and Ben is loving it. Right before Christmas Ryan started saying "Golf Ball". He is in love with Golf. Here are a few action shots of Ryan and his golf set.

December 2008: The Children's Museums

December 29th Shanna and Ryan spent the day downtown at the Chicago Children's Museum with Mike, Ginger, Matthew and Nathan.

December 30th Shanna and Ryan went down to Bloomington to see Rebecca, Jason, Mitchell and Morgan and went to the Children's Museum in Normal.

December 2008: Christmas

The end of December brought Michelle, Adam, Cy and Aspen the Chicago. They made the long journey in one day! They got to see Ryan interact with his friends when we hosted playgroup. Before we knew it all the shopping and wrapping and preparing was done. Christmas was here! We started a new tradition this year. Christmas Eve was spent at our house making homeade pizzas and laughing and we were hoping to play some games, but time got away from us.

Christmas Morning was so much fun this year. Ryan understood how to open presents and to look in his stocking for some small treats. Santa brought Ryan a t-ball set, a golf set, a Thomas the train memory game and a Little Tykes Camera. After a brief look at what Santa brought it was off to Grandma and Grandpa's house to open presents with everyone and go to church. After church we went home and waited for Grandma and Grandad to come over so that we could spend some time with them. (FYI- Grandma and Grandpa are the Letts grandparents and Grandma and Grandad are the Dixon grandparents) Finally, we drove with the Dixon's over to the Letts's house for Christmas dinner and games. We were so lucky to have so many people with us for Christmas dinner this year.

Next day: Boxing Day. Boxing Day is a holiday in England that is celebrated on December 26. There are no specific traditions for the day so Brenda and I went shopping to get some after Christmas deals and Ben and Derek worked on the basement! Then we ended the day with dinner at a local pub! Brenda and Derek even got to have Shepherd’s Pie (a British favorite).

Last, but definately not least is The Wallace Family Chirstmas! Mom hosts a get-together around Christmas every year for the Wallace family to come together and be a family and eat wonderful food. Yum!

December 2008: An encounter with the flashlight

One lovely day in December Ben lost something (no one at this point remembers what it was). Anyway, Ben got out the flashlight to look under the couch for whatever it was and that's when the fun began. Ryan started to try and catch the light from the flashlight. He was running all over trying to catch the light. Later that day we capture the following video. Enjoy!

December 2008: A visit with Santa

This year we headed to Rain Forest Cafe for Breakfast with Santa. We ended up having a great time. First we had a nice breakfast buffet and watched the animals and Santa and Mrs. Claus came over and said hi. Then we went and took a picture with Santa! Ryan was not thrilled about sitting on Santa's lap so we took a group picture! After that it was story time Mrs. Claus read the Night Before Chirstmas to the kids. Fianlly, after a brief look in the store it was time for us to get our goody bag and head home.

December 2008: Let the remodeling begin

One of our goals for the winter is to finish our basement allowing us more living space and Ryan more running space. Below is pictures of what the basement looked like at the begining of December. Stay tuned for progress pictures.

November 2008

Wow, time really does fly! I can't believe that November has come and gone. We started out the month in Vegas! Ben and I took a long weekend trip with our college friends to Vegas. We enjoyed spending time with our friends and seeing Uncle Greg and Aunt Debbie for breakfast one day. Unfortunately, Vegas kept all our money. While we were in Vegas Ryan enjoyed a weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's. Ryan enjoyed feeding Jody multiple dog treats in one day and watching his silly elephant movie over and over again. Has Grandpa got those songs out of his head yet?

The next weekend was a very important weekend in the Dixon house. Ben and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary! Neither of us can believe how our lives have changed over the last five years. Luckily for us all of the changes: Ryan, new house, new friends and more happiness and love have been positive. We only hope the next five years can be this wonderful.

November also included Kim and Jamey's baby shower, Nathan's Baptism and finally Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving brought a visit from the stomach flu for our family. We were healthy enough to do some Black Friday shopping and visiting with Mike, Ginger, Matthew and Nathan on Saturday.

October 2008: Barrington High School Homecoming

Shanna teaches at Barrington High School and October 4th was their homecoming. The day started at 10 am with a parade through town. It was so fun to see the fire trucks and taste some candy that Mommy's students tossed. Then after a little nap we went to the Varsity Football game. One of Mommy's students scored 3 touchdowns in the first half! Wow!! Finally we hung out at one of our neighbors house and just played. What a fun day.

Connor and Ryan waiting for the parade to start!
Ryan snacking and watching the football game.

Ryan and Nikolas eating dinner at Connor's House.

October 2008: Cary Mom's Group Halloween Party

What a great day for a party! In between Barrington Homecoming events Mommy and Ryan went to a Halloween Party sponsored by the Mom's Group. They always have the party early in the month hoping for good weather and not too many schedule conflicts. We snacked and colored a Halloween paper and watched the older kids swing at a pinata. Ryan made a great Nemo from the movie "Finding Nemo".

September 2008: 5K Race

On September 27th we ventured downtown to do a 5K walk/run for Breast Cancer. Our neighbors work for Pepsico and asked us to join their team. The weather was beautiful, a perfect fall day.

Here we are just after the race.

Ryan and Nikolas found a box to amuse themselves with.

Sometimes the best toys are free!

We found a second box so now they can both fit in.

September 2008: Nice and Quiet

September was a very quiet month in the Dixon Household. We spent a lot of time enjoying the beautiful fall weather and each other's company. Ryan continues to amaze us with his interests and curiosities. Here are just a few of the random September photos.


We are working with Ryan on using a spoon to feed himself. What a messy experience.

The laundry basket makes a great basketball hoop! Swoosh!

Ryan and Daddy get ride to slide at the local park.

August 2008: As the Summer Comes to an End

Well, the summer is over and Mom is back to school, Ryan is back at Ms. Heather's having fun. Mom and Dad are looking foward to a slowing down a little bit. We looked at our calendar and realized that we have had something going every weekend since the middle of March! Here are some cute pictures that really didn't fit in another category. Enjoy and happy fall!


I want to be like Grandpa and take my shoes off and wear his!

A little artist rubbed off on me while Aunt Michelle was here!

While driving in his car Ryan spotted a bug! Better get out and take a closer look!

Ryan loves his Uncle Tim!

August 2008: The Arrival of Nathan William Schroers

Nathan William Schroers is here!!! We are so excited for our cousins! He arrived Aug 27th at 12:32am, weighing in at 6lbs11oz and 18inches long.

Ginger had a great and VERY fast labor/birth! Her water broke at 9:30pm on the 26th and luckily she happened to be at Hinsdale Hospital where she was going to delivery! She had just ended teaching Lamaze class - too funny! 3 hours later and only 15mins of it was pushing Nathan was born!!
Congratulations the Mike, Ginger and Matthew!

August 2008: Aunt Linda Turns 60!

The end of August brought Aunt Linda's birthday. This year she turned 60! And in those 60 years she has never treated herself to an afternoon at the spa so we did! Mom, Ginger, Lisa and Grandma Letts took Aunt Linda to the spa for a relaxing leg treatment. It was wonderful Ginger brought cheese, crackers, strawberries and wine. She was also having a few contractions! So while the ladies were at the spa what were the boys doing? Playing of course. Matthew and Ryan kept all the men quite busy playing in the kiddie pool, with the car and scooter and the slide. After the spa we went to Aunt Linda's to meet up with the men for a great BBQ!

August 2008: Uncle Greg, Uncle Jeff and Golf!

The middle of August brought a visit from Uncle Greg and Uncle Jeff. While they were here they enjoyed lots and lots of golf! Ryan loved being tickled by Uncle Jeff! During their visit Dad hosted his annual Foxford Hills Golf Outing. What great fun! This year Justin (Nickolas's dad) golfed in the outing so after golf Nickolas and his mom came to the BBQ after. Look at Ryan and Nickolas eating strawberries on Grandma's new floor!

August 2008: Ryan Still Loves the Park and Outdoors

In August we continued to go to "Play at the Park" and meet up with our friends from the mom's group. Here a just a few shots I got of Ryan. It's hard to chase a 1 year old and take pictures!

August 2008: A visit from Aunt Michelle

The beginning of August brought a visit from Aunt Michelle! She came in from Denver to visit and attend her 10 year high school reunion. The week Aunt Michelle came also happened to be the same week that Grandma and Grandpa Letts' new hardwood floors were being varnished. The Dixon house was full of guests and a lot of fun. On Thursday the 7th the girls had an afternoon out. Aunt Michelle, Mom, Grandma Letts and Kim (Uncle Tim's Girlfriend) went for lunch and then relaxed at the spa. Aunt Michelle spent some time helping Mom and Dad update the house with some new decorations and suggestions for paint colors (now all we need is time to paint). She helped us complete the office. It has new paint, art and a whole new elegant look! Unfortunately, our visit was short and Aunt Michelle headed back to Denver on August 11th :( Even sadder Mom didn't get any pictures of Aunt Michelle and Ryan. Mom did get this one of Ryan at Trader Joe's!

July 2008: Outside Fun

One thing that Ryan and Mommy love to do while Daddy is at work is go to the park. At least once a week we meet some of our friends from the mom's group at a local park. We mix things up by going to a different park each week. Ryan is becoming more and more independent at the park. He can climb up some of the equipment on his own and recently discovered that he loves running and jumping on bridges. His favorite park toy is still the swing!

July 2008: Kayli's Birthday Party

July 12th we went Kayli's 2nd birthday party. Kayli is a little girl that lives up the street from us. Her grandparents were very kind to host Kayli's party at their house. We got to play in their big backyard and see their 3 horses. In the backyard they had set up a kiddie pool, a water table, a trampoline, a swingset and a bouncyhouse. Kayli's uncle surprised everyone by showing up dressed as Elmo. The young kids had a great time singing songs and running around with Elmo. Ryan was very excited, but did not want to get too close or let go of Mommy or Daddy.

July 2008: Pink Flamingo Party

July 12th we went to the 19th annual Pink Flamingo Party. Our family friends Tim and Carole Benson along with their two kids throw an annual BBQ. The picnic area is decorated with tons of pink flamingos, great food is served and tons of fun is had by all. Ryan found the hula hoops particularly fun this year.

July 2008: Gymboree Playdate

July 10th Ryan and Mommy went to Gymboree with our friends from the mom's group for open gym play. Gymboree is a safe place for kids to climb and explore different gym equipment. Ryan had such a good time, climbing, running, sliding and even playing basketball. We can't wait to go back and have more fun!