Memorial Day Weekend 2011

Let's see... I put memorial day weekend , but now I don't think anything else is worth mentioning except actual Memorial Day.

On Memorial Day we go to Tucson with the Gibson's. One of the very few traditions from that side of the family. We visit the grave of Grandpa Gibson. We give family updates and have the opportunity to share memories. The sad thing is it has been 19 years so memories are fading, and people I think are shy to say anything. I really wish I could know more about him because Chase looks up to him so much.

After the graveside we have lunch at a park. Always yummy food:) This year we played softball, it was a lot of fun!

we had a lot of fun in the sun. Hopefully Ryder and I didn't get burned too bad. Lucky Chase doesn't have to worry about it. Below are some pictures of our day. I need to get better at taking more pictures, especially at events like this.









After the drive back to Mesa we went to the Packer's to celebrate.

We had burgers and the fixins and sides. Really good food as always! We enjoyed playing and talking. Chase started a really intense game of duck duck goose!. It is so funny when kids don't quite get the concept or when they start choosing someone else instead of chasing the person.

I think Ryder had a lot of fun on his first memorial day. He was decked out Red, White and Blue!


Oh forgot to mention, Chase got a summer route! I really didn't think it was possible. It is for a very short time, but it is better than nothing. He will be working for about 4 weeks for about 16 hours a week. Like I said it's better than nothing and will be extra money we weren't expecting.

Chase and I went on date in Friday. We did a sealing session at the temple and then went to Lenny's Burger. It was our first time and it was good! Chase got the Southwestern Pistromi and I got the double burger. We liked and definitely want to go back. We also went swimming at my sister's community pool. We left early because other people were there and they were smoking and drinking. Not the best enviroment. We headed back home and watched an episode of Smallville:). Then it was time to pick up our little Ryder. It's funny how I look forward to having a little break from him, but the whole time I am thinking about him and missing him. He has me wrapped around his finger.

I went back to Primary. It went ok. My class is a little rowdy so that will take some getting use to. Ryder got a little fussy, but the Primary Presidency is more than willing to hold him:). Chase is still getting use to getting to know what Ryder wants. He does't know his schedule like I do. But I'm sure he'll have it down in no time.

Ryder is still rocking at sleeping at night! I am so lucky! This week I am really going to try hard at sticking to a schedule. I'm going to write it down so Chase can help me. We'll see how that goes.

Ryder is doing the reading program at the library this summer. I know, I know, Ryder can't read! But I can read to him and he can get some pretty cool prizes. And I read to him anyways so why not? We are still going to the baby lap sit class at the Mesa Library and Ryder loves it! And I love it because it gets us out of the house.

Summer is near...

For some reason I have been having trouble sleeping at night. I don't know what it is, but I hate it. My family is all tuckered out having sweet peaceful dreams and here I am looking things up on the internet. Not all bad I guess, I do have some ideas for Ryder's 1st birthday! I know it is 8 months away, I am just excited! Go ahead, call me crazy!

Other news, we went camping with the Packer's last weekend at Bear Canyon Lake. I will do a post on that later when I get some pics from my sister-in-law Jen who took some of the group. It was a lot of fun. Ryder somewhat likes being out doors. He just had a rough time. I think he may be teething. A lot of the signs are there, but I'm not seeing anything.

Ryder is sleep around 7 hours at night which is wonderful! (if only I could). His naps during the day are a little tougher, but I can't complain. He will sleep for like 20 mins at a time if he's in his crib so to give him a good nap I'll put him in his bouncer or I'll take a nap with him.

He is talking alot. He loves his voice I guess. He was really happy in relief society. He was just fed and good to go. So I had him playing on the floor. He was making some noise. It was so cute. Now I am biased, so my question to you (if anyone reads this), are you bothered by babies making noise during sunday school or Relief Society or those types of settings. He wasn't being too loud at least I didn't think so and it wasn't crying, it was "talking" but kinda a whinny tone. I don't get bothered by it so I want to hear that from other people. Give me your honest opinion!

He has also recently found his toes! It is so funny! It is amazing how they use their abs. He can easily kick his feet in the air likes it's nothing.

I go back to Primary next week. Bitter sweet. I have really enjoyed my time being able to go to Relief Society and Sunday School, but I really do love Primary. I wish I could just go to Primary, but not have to do anything. So anyways we'll see how Chase does with Ryder. Sometimes he gets fussy and tired and wants you to stand and walk around. I think he is excited to show off his boy! He always talks about the other babies that go to Elder Quarm.

Chase has his own bus route! Hopefully he will get a few more hours in the fall and be a contracted driver. It would be such a blessing! He would get vacation days and qualify for health benefit and then we would be able to quit Dominos. (We cannot wait for that day to come!) Right now he is working enough hours to cover insurance for Ryder and himself. He has like 20 bucks left of his check after that.

He is starting to ride a bike to work. His cousin let him borrow one and he was really excited about it. Only downfall is it is starting to get hotter. Now we want to get me a bike and do family bike rides. We'll see when that ever happens.

Next up...

Chase is done with work this week. He bid to get a summer route which would be great, but very slim chance of him getting it. They go by senority and Chase is one of the newbies. So good bye income for a couple of months. People keep asking what we are going to do? We just say hope we saved enough. Prayer will help us too:) It will be a tough summer, but we know that if we do what we are suppose to we will be blessed and everything will work out.

Speaking of doing our best, me and Chase are making some goals, summer and life long. It is always fun to see what each other thinks we could be doing better at. I'll have to do a summer goals post so we can see how we did at the end of the summer.

Memorial Day. So one of the few traditions of the Gibson's is to go down to Tucson and visit the grave of Grandpa Gibson. It was a lot of fun last year so we are pretty excited about it. It will be Ryder's first and a lot of families first time seeing him. I'll have to do a post about it next week. I'll take a lot of pics to give you a nice visual.

Let's see what else is happening? ...

Me and Chase are enjoying this extra time we get to spend with each other with School out and soon work. We spend a lot of that time watching smallville. We are hooked! We are on season 3 and are planning on watching all 10 seasons! Hopefully we don't get burnt out. Some of the episodes get repetitive. You know Kryptonite effects someone, gives them special powers, Chole crys, victim gets hit in the head and gets knocked out, Clark saves the day!


Thanks for reading and don't forget to answer my question:


Are you bothered by babies making noises in Church? What are your thoughts on the matter???

Rolling over!

So Ryder first rolled over from his stomach to his back AT his 2 month Dr appointment on April 1st. He did it a few more times that weekend and has kinda forgotten about it. He has tried recently rolling from back to front, but usually gets stuck on his elbow. His bottom half will be turned just not the rest. Well yesterday I was doing something and he was playing on his back. I went to check on him and he was on his tummy. I was confused for a little while. He doesn't like being on his tummy so I never though this day would come. But yes, my baby boy rolled over! I am so proud! Here is a picture of him after he rolled over. Hopefully he'll keep practicing.

10 things I wish I knew before having a baby!

So, not that I am an expert or anything, I thought I would list some things that I wish someone would have warned me of prior to having a baby. IDK maybe it is in the girl rule book not to share this, but sorry ladies I never read it so it if is I'm breaking the rules:)

So here is MY top 10 list (not in any order) of things I wish I knew before having a baby...


10. Your bladder will never be the same again. You're bladder will like to surprise you out of no where. One minuet I'll be fine, the next I need to get to a toilet ASAP or I will pee my pants!

9. An episiotomy is the worst part. What I didn't realize is that these stitches are there for 6 weeks give or take a few. And you have to take special care when going potty. SO ANNOYING!!!

8. If you start going into labor when the cafeteria is closed order a sandwich or something that can be eaten cold right before it closes so you have 11pm. I was starving. By the time we got everything together it was around midnight. Chase went to get me food, but we had to pay for it we only got a $5 credit. So our meal ended up costing us like 15 bucks. Or I guess that is where your snacks come in handy. My DR gave me some crackers to hold me over a bit, NOT.

7. Record the "birth story" as soon as possible, believe it or not you wont remember every single detail and things will start to fade together. I journaled the birth when Ryder was around 3 months and I couldn't believe the big details I wasn't sure on. And I usually have a good memory.

6. No matter what anyone says, breastfeeding is hard and sooner or later it will hurt. But stick with it, it will get easier. I have no idea how many times I have been tempted to quit nursing and just pump, but it always gets easier. Take advantage of the lactation consultants at the hospital. I think I had them come in like 3 times while in the hospital. With them I'd do it right, but on my own it never seemed that easy. Also, banner gateway (and I'm sure other hospitals) have group support meetings that a Lactation consultant runs and they will help you with any questions you need.

5. Babies will be hungry until your milk comes in so don't be surprised if you don't get sleep. The first night Ryder was born Chase took care of everything, minus feeding. The second and third night I did and I got no sleep! Every time I set Ryder down he would cry. It was really hard and I was exhausted. My Mom in law came over one day just so I could nap! I can never repay her that is how wonderful it was!

4. It is hard to leave them. Banner Gateway makes you attend a discharge class the night before you leave the hospital. As far as I know it is mandatory. (If anyone knows a secret to get out of it let me know for the next kids). When I left to go to that class my eyes teared up. I did not want to leave him. Even now when I am away from him he is all I think about and I want to hurry back to him.

3. They grow so fast. This one is a trick because EVERYONE tells you this, but it is so true! I know Ryder is only 14 weeks old so I don't have room to talk, but it is amazing! I already miss some of the younger stage things he did. But I get excited thinking about the things he'll do in the future.

2. Ask for samples:) I don't know maybe this is tacky, but someone was telling me that before they left the hospital they asked for samples of all the stuff that they would use. They came home with a bunch of formula, wipes, diapers, and pads. In the end it saved them money. I did try to get some pads to take home, but they gave me the huge ones, well by then I wasn't bleeding that much so I didn't really use them.

And the number 1 thing...

It is in my opinion the hardest thing you will ever do. I imagine it is with each new addition because you can never prepare for it. There are so many different things to consider and so much going on. You can't just hand them off to someone else and it will just go away. You have to work it out! It may be hard but it is also the best thing you will ever do. Ryder has blessed our life so much! As hard as it is, I love being a mom and I enjoy every moment of it. The hard just makes you enjoy the easy fun moments even more.

If you have any "I wish I would've knowns" of your own, leave a comment and share.

Why the name change?

If you are a follower you may or may not have noticed that I changed the heading on the blog. We are no longer just CGsquared which we have so proudly been. Ryder is here so I needed a new clever title to put. I can't think of anything awesome like all the blogs I follow so this will do. But for now, I like this because it is us for so many reasons.

We are a happy family. Nothing gets us down. We know that if we trust in God then everything will work out. We are getting everything we want/ need in life. For some reason Heavenly Father keeps deciding to bless us. I'm still trying to figure out what we have done to deserve the wonderful life we have.

The other reason for this title is because it has become our family song. On a daily basis I sing to Ryder (several times a day). " I love Ryder he loves me. We love Daddy yes siree. He loves us and so you see, We are a happy family." I guess love is all you need to be happy. It is working out pretty well for us so far...

Sleeping in the crib...

My little baby is getting so big! He has been sleeping through the night for over a week now. From like 11:30pm to 6:30am. It is exciting!

So I thought I would try having him sleep in the crib. He took a nap yesterday in it for a few hours! Last night he slept from like 10:30pm woke up to be fed at 5:30am and went back to sleep. It is 9:45am and is still sleeping! Amazing!!!! Lets hope this is his new schedule.

I can't believe how grown up he is getting! I love him so much!

I think I jinked myself, I think he's up...

I walk in and he's just laying there looking around sucking on his knuckle. What a happy baby!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Yesterday was my first mother's day! It was nice. Chase, I mean Ryder did really good! They did a little scavenger hunt (there goes my father's day idea hahaha)

Chase woke me up and next to Ryder was a magnetic picture frame to put a picture in and hang up on the fridge. On it was a post-it that said There is another one in the kitchen. So we went in there and on the fridge was a frame with Ryder's footprints in it.

Then hanging above my desk where I keep my scrapbooking stuff etc. was letters that said moms crafts! So cute. We are going to paint them this summer when less is going on.

Then there was a post-it that said it ends where it started. So I went back to Ryder's craddle and there was a KING SIZE 3 Musketeers bar! My Fav! It was a fun morning. Here is a picture of Ryder like 20 minutes after. I guess it was just too much for him...

I was getting ready for Church in the other room and went to check on him and this is what I came in on.

This was one of the hardest year to get something for our mom's. Usually I can think of something or my mom has unintentionally hinted something. But this year I had nothing. This year we gave Chase's mom a huge cutting board and my mom some spray paint to paint an outside table she has and a huge "pimp" glass that says Hot Mom on it. I thought it was fun. She could drink her Pepsi out of it.

From our ward they gave us this scripture and quote:
Who can find a virtuous women? For her price is far above rubies- Proverbs 31:10

"I believe the women of the Church today... are every bit as strong and faithful [as pioneer women]. The Priesthood leadership of this Church at all levels gratefully acknowledge the service, sacrifice, commitment, and contribution of the sisters.

Much of what we accomplish in the Church is due to the selfless service of women. Whether in the Church or in the home, it is a beautiful thing to see the Priesthood and the Relief Society work in perfect harmony. Such a relationship is like a well-tuned orchestra, and the resulting symphony inspires all of us." - Elder Quentin L. Cook, April 2011.

So they gave us all Symphony bars. YUM!!!

I am so grateful for my mom's. They are a great example to me on how I can be a mom. I am so blessed! I am also grateful that I can be a mommy! Ryder has blessed our lives so much and I love having him on our family. I love every moment I get to spend with him. He is growing up so fast!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms and future moms! This day isn't just for Moms but for women!

... great is my joy!

Last night Chase & I were reading our scriptures. We came across the saying "great is my joy". How many times do we come across that term, but don't really think about it. Last night it really stuck out to me. I started to think great is my joy, but why? I feel like I have so much joy in my life. I have alway been a happy person (at least I have been told that and I feel like I have). These last 2 years I feel like my joy have grown so much that I never imagined. So after the thought of last night I thought It would be nice to list what brings me joy. So not in any order here is my great is my joy list!

Chase is my joy- Chase and I met June 1, 2009. Since then there have been very few days where we have not seen each other and I can't think of a day that we didn't talk or text (oh the world we live in...). I am so grateful for that. I NEED HIM! I don't think he realizes that. He is such a strength to me and a awesome example to me. I love the time I get to spend with him. The conversations we have are so special to me. the times where we just sit and talk are some of our funnest time. He is my best friend! I love him so much and he brings me great joy!

(this is going to be more difficult than I thought. I'm getting teary eyed...)

Ryder is my joy- so in case you didn't know, I gave birth to our baby boy February 1, 2011. He has been a great blessing to us. From the first time I saw him I have a hard time looking away. He is such a joy to be around. He is the best boy I could ask for. It is amazing how much pride grows over such a short time. Well the good kind of pride. My & Chase have to be the proudest parents. How many parents do you know will applaud and cheer and Good Job when their baby burps or ever toots? The first time Ryder rolled over when I was expecting it he started crying because I cheered too loud and it startled him. I love him so much and each day grows stronger and stronger!

Ryder's smile is my joy- Ryder's smile makes my heart melt. It is the sweetest thing! He makes everyone else smile. I hope he keeps this trait.

Being an Eternal Family is my joy- Chase & I were sealed together October 30, 2009 in the Mesa, AZ Temple. It was one of the happiest days of my life. I am so grateful that we belong to a Church that believes in life after death and marriage and family too. Family is so important to me and I am so glad I don't have to give that up after this life. One of my good friends got married civilly. It was one of the saddest things to hear "til death do you part." I am so glad that me and Chase lived worthily that we could start our Eternal family the right way. Now as our family grows we know that no matter what we will be with each other forever!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is my joy- I know a lot of people think that being Mormon brings you down. It doesn't let you do anything you want. Being "Mormon" has given me everything I want. I have the Spirit to guide me each and everyday. I have been blessed with a wonderful family and as it grows it just gets more exciting. I was blessed to meet and Marry Chase and now we have Ryder and hopefully many more kids to come:) everything I love in my life was given to me through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the strong testimony that I have and have never questioned the truthfulness .

Being a stay at home mommy is my joy- Growing up I never imagined I would have the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. I thought only the rich families were able to. Luckily I married a man who strongly believes in having his wife home to take care of the kids. I am so blessed that Chase is willing to make the sacrifice that I am able to stay home and take care of Ryder. This is the greatest thing that I have been able to do. I know that our family will be blessed because of it. I am so glad that I will be there for every little milestone Ryder goes through. I love it!

Family is my joy- Before I got Married I loved being a Packer! I thought I had the best family in the world and I thought I would be sad to have to change my name. Now I love being a Gibson! Not only do I get my Packer family, but I have a whole other Gibson family that I get to love. I am so glad that I have a wonderful Big family that I can count on for anything!

Friends are my joy- Well I already have talked about my closest friends so I'm going to talk about non-related friends. I love you! I am so grateful to have you in my life and for the example you have been to me. Sometimes I try to think where my life would be if it weren't for the friends I had and I stop because I don't think it does any good! Thank you for caring about me and my family.

Chocolate is my joy- I know this is somewhat of a serious post, but I have to pay tribute to chocolate! I love you! Please be good to me!

Great is my joy!!!

I'm going to stop here, Ryder is getting antsy!

I recommend everyone giving something like this a try. It was nice to do.