Blue-eyed boy

I would have never thought in a million years Ryan and I would have a blue-eyed baby! We both have such dark coloring so it is such a huge shocker to see Weston's eyes get bluer and bluer as he gets older. They have such a softness about them...it always reminds me that he is fresh from heaven.

He smiles all the time...I have not seen a more smiley baby in my life. It's so funny too. Every morning he wakes up right at 6am...it doesn't matter if he went down at 5:30am after a feeding...his eyes pop right open(I swear he doesn't even blink!). It's just about that time your exhaustion catches up with you and it's all you can do not to cry and then he gives you that big sweet grin....awww...then it's all worth it! You put on a little extra concealer to hide those bags and carry on! They just melt your heart!

Weston is also turning out to be quite the giggle box...today my mom even got to hear him while I was talking to her on the phone and feeding him (I'm quite the multi-tasker! Haha!).

He also has the saddest little frowns...sweet baby Wes. We love you so much!!!

A fun afternoon with family

Today Ryan's Uncle Eric and Aunt Amanda came through town. They are on a cruise visiting all the islands and luckily we got to meet up with them for lunch and visit for a bit. It has probably been about 2 or maybe even 3 years since we've seen them and we always have a great time when we're with them. We ate at this really fun restaurant on the water and had a good time catching up. They even treated us to lunch...you guys are too sweet! They got to meet both our little guys for the first time, too. It was so nice to see some friendly familiar faces because being so far away from family it almost feels like we might as well be in a different universe! It was almost surreal to see someone from back home here with us. Definitely a nice change of pace. We wish everyone could come and stay with us while we're here!

All of us at the yummy restaurant "Paradise."

Amanda and Weston...He loved just hanging out with her during lunch.

Eric and Emmet :)

Here on Cayman there are wild chickens...during lunch one was walking around and Emmet was determined to catch him...we couldn't get a pic of the chicken though, he was too fast!

Emmet warmed up to Eric really quickly after he let him drink some of his strawberry/banana colada (virgin, of course). Actually he drank so much he had to order another one! Eric was sweet enough to let him eat off of his plate too. After that he and Emmet were buds!

Getting some snuggles in :)


The restaurant is right on the coast line so we had a beautiful view of the water and the huge cruise ships...there had to be atleast 5 or 6 of these big guys!

This was the whole group right before we had to say goodbye...we will miss you guys! It was so much fun!

Poor sick babies :(

So, about a week ago Weston woke up with the most horrible sounding barky seal cough :( It kind of came out of nowhere so we just watched it. By Wednesday he was so much worse so we took him to the doctor. Turns out the poor baby has an upper respiratory infection. He hadn't been sleeping well at night and I was completely exhausted so Ryan (bless his heart) offered to take him that night. Come to find out he was up all night with him with a fever! I felt horrible! My poor little two month old and my sweet husband for having to stay up all night then go to school early the next morning. Now Weston is feeling much better thanks to the antibiotics, but now little Emmet is getting sick! Yesterday he woke up from his nap with a low grade fever :( He had a fever all through the night and it's still lingering today. We're hoping he can fight it off on his own, but we'll see. Needless to say last night was the LONGEST night we've had in a long time. Between Emmet up screaming every 2 hours and Weston up for feedings we both got absolutely no sleep (I almost think these pictures were taken at the only time these boys were actually sleeping)! Today we've been walking zombies with huge headaches...ugh! We both agreed we've aged quite a bit in the last few years...I'm feeling 30ish already and I haven't even made it to my 24th birthday!
I thought with this warm weather we'd be in the clear from these bugs...darn! It's the saddest thing in the world to see your little guys so helpless. Hopefully this passes quickly!
I have to say though that I have the BEST husband in the world. He has been the greatest dad to our boys. I don't know many dads' that would stay up all hours of the night in order for their wife to catch up on some much needed sleep. Let alone be up with a baby with a fever. The best part is I know that even though he is so bombarded with school and stressed to the max with our crazy life he rarely complains and is always there to help me first and foremost. It's not because I nag him or complain (which I know I do...sorry!) it's because he loves his little boys so much. So it's more of an act of love then anything else. I don't tell him enough how much I appreciate him. So thank you SO SO much for being our "World's Best Dad"! We're so happy to have you! Love you!

What a face!

Last week we noticed Emmet making this face, while watching tv. I'm not sure if he's concentrating or reacting to something he's watching? Either way it's so funny to watch him, watch his shows. I thought for sure as soon as I got a camera near him he'd run off, but he must've really been into the show (Hannah Montana).

He's getting so animated and day by day we can tell his imagination is growing. He has his certain voices he talks in while playing...so so funny. He also is starting to sit like a little pre-schooler. Crossing his legs and playing with his toes. He's growing up so fast!

Our backyard zoo

Yesterday we had a huge rainstorm and after it stopped we were looking outside our sliding glass door and saw this HUGE iguana! This thing had to be about 2 or 3 feet long. Emmet loves to look out our huge window to our deck and just watch whatever...birds, lizards, frogs, moths...he is such a boy. He gets really excited and starts talking (his jibberish language) and pointing, trying to get our attention so we'll either come over or pick him up so he can get a closer look. I'm just waiting for the day that he catches one of these gross things and brings it to me in his little tubby palms :) It's getting closer because a few weeks ago he spotted a little beetle on our tile in the living room and was poking and prodding at it...until it started crawling away...then he stomped on it with his little fat foot. So it was pretty hilarious watching him kill his first bug! Haha! Then Ryan had to hurry and throw it away because he went to pick it up...I just know he would've tried to eat it! Ewww!

Our first backyard pet...


We have all kinds of these gross lizards EVERYWHERE...since we've been back we've found two in our room upstairs...dead in a trap thank goodness....these things just give me the creeps. As you can see in the picture...this is why there are so many of them...Ryan made me post this!!!

Tagged!!!

10 years ago: I was at the end of my seventh grade year about to turn 14 and attend my first junior high dance! Man, was I pumped. I even went shopping for the perfect dance outfit with my best friend Desiree and her mom! Oh, and the dance was So much fun! I danced my heart out! Haha!

5 things on my to-do list: Exercise (I'm not just saying it, I've actually been doing it!), clean the upstairs bathroom, unpack my LAST suitcase from Washington (pathetic I know...I've been here almost a full month), and organize the boys clothes.

Snacks I enjoy: Rice crispy treats, Rits bitz crackers...the ones with cheese in the middle, Diet coke, and nutri-grain bars.

Things I would do if I were suddenly made a Billionaire: Well, I would pay off all our debt...Med school sucks you dry. Buy my mom and dad a trip to Norway and make them go. My mom has been dying to go there forever and meet her family. Buy my sister and her family their new house their building, Go on a huge shopping spree and buy a new wardrobe for all of us in the Ras clan, and just spoil all the ones I love with whatever they wanted.

3 of my bad habits: Sighing/gasping...when I'm annoyed or frustrated...Ryan HATES it! Not posting when someone tags me...haha, not returning phone calls or emails...quickly...or at all! That's a really bad one!

Places I have lived: Zillah, Washington, Rexburg, Idaho, Richland, Washington, Pasco, Washington, Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Islands.

Jobs I have had: Lifeguard, Swim instructor, Cashier at Zillah Drug store, I worked in the bedding dept. at Linens n' Things, I sold jewelry for a year at Fred Meyer Jewelers, Receptionist at a Doctors Office, and now full-time mom...that NEVER sleeps!

Things people don't know about me: I really don't like being pregnant...even though my kid average is super high! Haha! Love the kids...just not carrying them for 9 months! I'm planning on running a marathon in the near future, I love to swim and would live in the water if I could. I'm a huge perfectionist and need things to be just so. Makeover shows are my ultimate guilty pleasure. Home or self makeovers...doesn't matter...I just love the transformation process. When I was little I would beg my mom and family to call me Diamond, Crystal, or Sparkle because I loved glittery things so much. They named me Sparkle Queen because of it and it's still a nickname of mine. Now my sister has a little girl and she is my twin in that she LOVES all glittery girly things too. I've now passed the crown to my little Katie. She is the new generation Sparkle Queen! Haha! I would love to go to culinary school and become a pastry chef. Maybe someday opening up my own little shop. I'm a huge scaredy cat when it comes to anything...stage fright, traveling/flying, the dark...haha...it's a constant battle for me to overcome these big and little fears. I've made it my life goal to accomplish anything and everything I've ever wanted to do. I've been working on this fear/goal since high school and have come pretty far. I'm still working on it!

My Sweet Valentines'

Our Valentine's day was a pretty laid back one. We just all spent the day together playing and went out to lunch at our favorite cafe "Eats Cafe," great name I know. They have the best food and such a great variety...we LOVE it. I would even go as far as saying it rivals Red Robin. They have everything from soup and salad to stir fry. YUMMM! Emmet loved to eat off our plates and Weston hung out in his car seat...bless his heart for being so good on his first V-Day! We were going to spend the evening at the beach but by time we got back from lunch and Emmet got up from his nap it was about to get dark :( Why is it the kids will take two hour naps when you want to go somewhere...but when you're home and trying to get things done they take 20 minute power naps!!! I'm sure you can all relate to our dilemma!

My one true love...Ryan Wade...haha :) I mean how could I not fall in love with this face...what a heart throb! Happy Valentine's Day, Ry!

My future heartbreaker...Emmet Ryan.

My little angel...Weston Scott. I love them all so much. Happy Valentine's Day, boys!

Dad and Weston posing so cute for the camera. I'm so lucky to have all these cute men around the house!

Ryan and I! Aren't we so photogenic...NOT! We took tons of pictures of ourselves trying to look half decent...by this point we just gave up! Haha!

Whenever Emmet starts getting bored or tired me and Ryan lay or sit on the ground...for some odd reason Emmet is fine if we're down at his level, regardless if we play or not. Funny, I know. Well I was just laying on the ground and my sweet little man came and snuggled on me. I was yelling at Ryan..."Quick, take a picture!" so I could remember this little moment. I know it will never happen again. That way I can prove to Emmet that he loves his mom...even when he's all grown up and grounded for breaking curfew!

Weston and mom...such a snuggler.

Dad and Emmet...so cute.

Brotherly love

This afternoon we were all kind of feeling warm so we stripped the boys down to just their diapers...and what comes next??? Pictures of course! We sat Emmet on the couch next to Wes and he immediately started giving him "loves." What a sweet brother. Emmet is really taking an interest in Weston and it's just so cute. He's always watching when I feed him or when I hold him and has to be right there at all times. He's so curious it's so funny. Luckily he's pretty good to him, even though he tries to gouge his eyes out on occasion!

Emmet getting a closer look at his brother. I just know these guys are going to be best buds. As you can see Wes is catching up to Emmet's size pretty quickly! Haha! Look out Emmet!

Smiles :)

Weston always wakes up in the morning full of smiles. I caught a few of them on camera and had to post them for all to see. Please ignore my embarrassing and annoying "mom" voice. You do whatever it takes to get your little guys to smile so just turn down the volume!PLEASE! Haha!

Posing for the camera :)

This is just a typical day of mom and the boys...hanging out, playing,and having snack and camera time :) Emmet was being so silly. He saw me snapping pictures of Weston and I could tell he wanted in on the fun. So, every time he came by I'd point the camera in his direction and he would just stand there and pose. He knew he was being so cute, but of course I ate it up and took full advantage of him wanting a picture (Usually I'm chasing him around the house trying to get him to laugh!).

Such a silly nut...he is such a playful little guy.

This is his innocent look...don't be fooled! Haha! No, he really is a sweetheart. I'm a lucky mom to have two sweet boys.

Weston smiling so big! He melts my heart :)

2 months old!!!

Yesterday Weston turned 2 months old! The time has just gone by so fast and we have had such a great time being a family of four. Weston is growing like a weed, I swear he must weigh around 15 lbs. He has the absolute sweetest disposition and is still such a mellow little guy. He sleeps pretty great at night with 4-5 hour spans. So on an average night I'm only up 3 times max. Such a welcome change because Emmet would only go 2 hours on a good night! Most nights he didn't even sleep!!!
Weston fits into our family perfectly and we feel so blessed to have him. I couldn't imagine not having him in my life. It's been really challenging raising two babies. I really have to make a conscious effort not to forget that Emmet is still a baby too and needs his mom just as much as Wes does. I'm so not a patient person so I feel like this is one of those tests in life that will make you or break you. But I do have to say I have come a long way in terms of multi-tasking. I can feed two kids at once...bottle in one hand...spoon in the other...haha. Rock Wes on one knee and Emmet on the other. I've gotten really good at my morning routine, having both kids fed, bathed and down for a nap in two hours! I'm pretty proud of myself on that one! Before it took me half the day to do all that stuff! All in all I'm adjusting pretty well with a huge help from Ryan. He has been so great helping me out with both guys when he gets home from school. I don't know what I'd do without him. Life is so busy, but atleast I'm NEVER bored! I'm just taking one day at a time!

Emmet's washboard abs

Emmet was being his crazy self running around the house rubbing his buddha belly...such a goofy boy!

Hanging out on Superbowl Sunday...

Weston always wakes up so happy and he is always so sweet. He is smiling all the time now and a couple days ago (Feb. 1st!) Ryan actually got him to laugh for the first time! Yesterday he got him laughing too. He has the cutest laugh. It's a much deeper and raspier voice then Emmet had. It was the cutest thing ever. Mom hasn't gotten him to laugh yet, but I was just grateful I was there to hear it both times!

Wes is also starting to coo and kind of talk...he's so alert and really strong! When you try and sit him on your lap he pushes off with his legs really hard and I kid you not he almost leaps out of your arms...we gotta watch that one! We also have to keep an eye on Emmet with him. I think he's finally realized that Weston is here to stay and that he's part of the family. It's so cute because Emmet loves to watch him and give him "loves"...which is a little snuggle/hug he does to him. Then he turns right around and tries to poke out his eyes with that darned pointer finger he uses for everything..haha!

This morning Ryan was listening to music and studying for his exams and Emmet was getting pretty bored, so he let him listen to his music...He LOVED it. He just sat there and kind of bobbed his head and smiled. What a doll. He kept putting the headphones up to Ryan's ear, and then his own...again and again.

We finally had to take the headphones away once he started to try and eat them...it was fun while it lasted though!

Emmet is so sweet spirited...when he's not throwing his horrible tantrums! Haha! He loves to give Mom, Dad, and Wes "loves." We've also noticed that he knows when he's been naughty because after he does something he's not supposed to he runs over to the person scolding him and gives them a big hug. He's already working our emotions!!!

Me and Wes just hanging out while the other boys watched the game...I can't help but be surrounded by all these crazy boys! Needless to say that's why we're watching the Superbowl and not reruns of America's next top model....like I was earlier...haha :)

I'd say we all had a really fun day wrestling and goofing around...poor Ryan got in on the fun in between study sessions. He has his 2nd block exams this week and I know is feeling a little stressed out. Now more than ever because of the new addition to the family!

I can't believe I got Emmet to sit and pose for me! This little monkey was out of control tonight yelling at the top of his lungs...waking his brother up like usual...and just being goofy as heck! This guy is into everything. Here he was helping me sort out all the clean laundry by throwing it all over the house. He's so helpful! You can really see all of those new teeth too! He has 8 total now!

This is the best picture we could possibly get of me and Em...I was basically pinning him down! By this time it was almost 8 (which is usually bedtime) and I knew he was going to crash hard!

As soon as he saw Ryan giving Wes a bottle he wanted to go down too... although, I am very pleased to say that Emmet is no longer taking a bottle and only uses his pacifier for naps and at night. Yay! I'm slowly taking that one away to avoid the huge headache (literally...I know he'll be screaming) while taking care of Weston. Wish me luck on that one! Overall we had a really fun and relaxing day all together. It has been so nice being a little family again. There's no place like home....even when home is a million trillion miles away from all our family back home....we miss you all so much!!!