Just Another Day in Paradise

It is only Tuesday, but this week has already got me WORN OUT! It doesn't help that Rylee and I are both fighting chest colds and I haven't been sleeping well due to coughing. But I feel like work has been crazy too. My kiddos have been off the walls and we have a ton of tests right now: ESA, Star Reading, and Aimsweb all in a 2 week period. Ick! Plus we have to do Instructional Reading Level benchmarking this week, too. My kids are worn out, I am worn out, and we all hate being so off routine. But such is life. Rylee had to come to school at 3:15 today because Ryan had to get stuff done for his new job (Yay! Yay! Yay!) and she made it a bit difficult to get work done. She told every teacher on my wing that she wanted to go to the park, so around 4:30 I gave in and took her to the park. It was much needed fun! Maybe the rest of this week will be easy on me. I have a half day for a drs appointment on Friday, so maybe that'll help.

An Easy Week

     This week has been great! Due to icy conditions, we were out of school the second half of the day on Tuesday and all day on Wednesday. Rylee was so excited when I came home early on Tuesday. I got to play with her for a little bit and then it was her nap time. I worked on school work to make sure I stayed caught up even though we were missing school, but then I got the call that we were going to be staying home on Wednesday, too. Luckily, I had thought ahead and brought home anything that needed to be done before Thursday, so I stayed caught up.

      Wednesday, we enjoyed a lazy morning at home. By noon, all of the ice had melted, so we headed to run a few errands, and then we went out to lunch. It was a lot of fun. I love family time! When we got home, Rylee took a nap and I took a bubble bath. Thursday we were back to school and my kiddos and I worked very hard, but we learned everything that we needed to, so this week definitely didn't go to waste. While I was working hard at school, Ryan had a job interview at a local factory, we should hear back in the next few days, so prayers would be appreciated!

     Because of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we had a 3-day weekend this weekend: even more family time! :) Saturday we went to the park with Mary, Bailey, Liz, and Kade. Yes, it was icy on Tuesday and Wednesday, but it was sunny and in the mid-fifties on Saturday, so we got to spend some much needed outdoor playtime. We stayed at the park for about 2 hours while the kids played and played and played.

      Yesterday, we went to church in the morning and then came home so the kiddos could nap. After nap time, we headed to Liz and Brandon's to watch the NFL playoff games. The kids had a blast playing together while the adults talked, laughed, ate deep fried junk food, and enjoyed the games. Today, we are simply being lazy. I will have to do some more school work in a little bit, but not much, and after that I'm thinking it may be the perfect time for a bubble bath! Ha!

A New Adventure

      Sometimes, it seems like this was just yesterday, but sometimes it seems like a lifetime ago. I can't even remember what life was like before becoming a mommy. I love my Rylee-bug so very much! She has grown so much. Because she has gotten to be so mature, Ryan and I decided that our family might be ready to grow. We talked about it a lot. Even without him working, we are so much more financially stable than we were when we got pregnant with Rylee, and we have faith he will get a great job soon. I have good medical insurance. We have plenty of room in this house, whether Mary and Bailey decide to stay or go, we have plenty of space. Everything just seemed right. Plus our hearts were just ready for another sweet baby. We didn't want to do the whole "trying to conceive" thing and try to plan something as magical as a new life, we just thought that we would stop trying to not have a baby, and when the time was right it would happen. We liked how Rylee was a wonderful surprise, and we wanted the same experience for our next child.

      I guess the time was right right away because we are going to be parents again! It is almost more terrifying this time than last time because now 3 people's lives are going to be changed forever, not just 2. Like I said, we wanted this baby to be a surprise, but he/she had other plans. At week 3 (which is a full week before it is recommended to take a pregnancy test) I already had pregnancy symptoms including intense heartburn. I got suspicious and on 1/16/13, bought a test, and sure enough, we're on our way to being parents of 2! The line is faint because I took it early, but I took another a few days later and it was much darker. It is still surreal to me right now. We are going to wait until we go to the doctor and hear a heartbeat and make sure everything is okay before we announce it. I'm sure the secret will get harder to keep over the next few weeks, but right now it feels kind of intimate just keeping this little miracle between the two of us. From what I have researched I am due around September 30, 2013. This will be just before Fall break next school year, so the timing should be pretty good.

     I can't believe my baby is going to be a big sister! She's going to be great at it though. She is so easy-going and independent. She's going to love helping take care of her new baby brother or sister. She already kisses my belly and says, "Hi, baby sister!" That's what she insists is in there. We tried to tel her it could be a brother or a sister, but she's set on sister. She doesn't really understand what's going on because she was too young to remember when Mel was pregnant with Austin, but she will understand more once my belly starts growing. :)

Back to the Grind

 

     Well, I've made it through the first week back at school after Christmas break. I must say, I am worn out, but I have actually enjoyed being back. I missed my kids while I was on break. I don't know what I'm going to do when May comes, and they are gone for good! I am halfway through my first year teaching, and I already feel like I have learned more in this half a year than I did in all 4 years of college combined, and I am so thankful for this experience. I love my job, I love my kids. It is HARD work, and things don't always go how I would like them to go, but I have come to the conclusion that I am exactly where I am supposed to be right now. 



     I have worked late everyday this week. We technically get off at 3:15, but no one actually leaves then, I usually leave around 3:45 or 4, but this week I have been staying until closer to 5. There's just so much work to be done! That has made it hard on Rylee, though, so I have been making sure that when I am at home, she has my attention at all times. She's acted out a little this week, but she will get used to me working soon.

           I sure am glad it's the weekend, though! I have missed this baby girl. She is so full of life, she just fills me with joy. I love her more every single day! I have kissed her and hugged her about a million times today. That's what I like about being a working mom. I never take my time with her for granted, even when I have breaks, I know they will end and I will go back to work, so I never take my time with her for granted. She is growing up way too fast as it is, I can't waste a single minute that I have to make memories with her! :)

2012 In Review

      This is Rylee on January 1, 2012. She could tell 2012 was going to be a great year, and it really was! I can't believe how much she has grown in these last 12 months and how much things have changed, but I can honestly say that everything is right where it should be right now and we are happier than ever. Here is how we spent 2012...

 We spent lots of time in laughter...

We spent lots of time with those we love...

We had many firsts...

We made some big changes...

But more than anything, we spent time together as a family. :)

     2012 was a fantastic year for us! I love my little family, I am learning so much at work and I love it, and I love all the people God has placed in our lives. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in 2013!



Christmas(es) 2012

       This Christmas has been busy, busy, busy. School got out on Thursday, the 20th, at noon and we were on the road headed to Georgia to visit Ryan's family before 2. We haven't stopped running since. Christmas in Georgia was a lot of fun. We visited with family, ate lots of good food, and opened presents. We stayed from Thursday night until Sunday morning. Sunday morning we headed to Mel, Josh, and Austin's house to celebrate Christmas with them. It was so much fun.

     Monday was Christmas eve, we took advantage of a quiet house that morning since Mary and Bailey were out and opened our gifts from each other. We usually open our gifts on Christmas eve, it's been our little tradition, so it worked out great. Rylee got lots of good stuff, and she had a ton of fun opening her gifts. Ryan and I also got some good gifts, including a new camera for me and an Ab Rocket for him. We are very blessed.

      Monday evening, we headed over to Liz, Brandon, and Kade's house to have the 3 cousins' little Christmas party. They got lots of good gifts, but most of all, they had a lot of fun playing together. They were wild all night and they all enjoyed playing and playing.

      Christmas morning we woke up, opened stockings, then headed to Granny and Paw Paw's for Christmas breakfast. It was great. Again, Rylee got tons of great gifts, and we had a good time visiting with family.

       When we got home from Christmas breakfast, Ma and Pa arrived to celebrate Christmas with us. We were excited to be able to spend Christmas day with them, because it has been 3 years since we've been together for Christmas. It was wonderful. We had so much fun visiting, playing, laughing, eating, and opening gifts.  It was really fantastic.

      Friday evening, we met Nonna and Granddaddy for dinner, then headed to their house to celebrate Christmas with them. Rylee got spoiled beyond belief! She had so many gifts to open that she had to take breaks in between! She loves her Nonna and Granddaddy so, and she sure has them wrapped around her little finger! They spoil her rotten, and I love it! Ryan and I both got several gifts as well. We were very blessed this year.

    We all got a lot of great gifts this Christmas, but the greatest gift is the gift of family. When Jesus was born to Mary, she began the enormous job of raising the Christ. I am forever thankful for that gift, and also for the gift of my sweet little family. We had a very merry Christmas, I hope you and yours did as well!

First Snow of the Season

      Today we woke up to a winter wonderland. It is the first snow day of this 2012/2013 winter season!! Rylee LOVED the snow. She just ran around and around. We went out and played in it 3 different times, and each time she did NOT want to go in but it was COLD out there and she has a bit of a cold, so I didn't want her staying out too long.

    It didn't snow a whole lot, but it was enough to be pretty and to play in. It is so crazy the difference a year makes! Last year, Rylee hated the snow because she wasn't steady enough to walk in it yet.

    I'm hoping this snow day only 5 days into winter is a sign of a snowy winter. Like Rylee's shirt says, "I love snow days!" We're on break from school right now for Christmas, but if it wants to snow several more times during January and February and cause a few school closings, that'd be just fine with me... ;)

Half Birthday

      Happy half birthday to my Rylee Love! I cannot believe that my BABY is two and a half! She is growing more beautiful, more full of life, and more intelligent everyday. I love her with my whole heart, and I am so very blessed to be this angel's mommy!

      Rylee wears size 3T clothes and size 7/8 shoes. She is just over 3 feet tall and weighs about 27 lbs. She wears big girls panties all day, even during naps, but still wears a pull-up to sleep at night, mostly because we still have pull-ups to use. Once they are gone, she will not wear anything but panties 24/7. She is fully potty trained and has not had any accidents in the last month, except when she was sick with a stomach virus. She eats well and sleeps well. Her picky eating has gotten better gradually, but she's still very opinionated about what she eats.

       And she is just the smartest toddler I have ever met. She has such a love for learning and she picks up on everything she comes across. We don't have to sit down and drill her for her to learn new things, but we do try to work with her a little each day, for about 20 minutes each morning, and she just keeps on learning. Her vocabulary is clear and phenomenal, sometimes she says thing that just blow me away. She can identify all of her letters, lowercase and capital, and she knows which sound each letter makes. She also knows that vowels make 2 sounds. She can identify her written name and tell you how to spell it one letter at a time. She knows her full name and age. She knows all of her 2D (square, circle, triangle, rectangle, star, heart, oval, arrow, crescent, pentagon, octagon, hexagon, trapezoid, parallelogram, quadrafoil, diamond) and 3D shapes (sphere, cone, cylinder, cube, pyramid,  rectangular prism, hexagonal prism, octagonal prism). She knows all of her colors, and she knows that red and blue make purple and red and yellow make orange. She can count to 20 with one-to-one correspondence. She shows a lot of signs of pre-literacy, like pointing to each word in a book and saying one word for each word written. Right now, she's learning her days of the week and months of the year. She pretty much knows everything. Haha. Can you tell I am just a little bit proud of my sweet girl?!

Austin's Birthday Party & Zoo Lights

      Yesterday, we had a very busy day, but a very fun-filled day! We celebrated Austin's first birthday with his first birthday party yesterday! It was a great party. Everyone seemed to have a very good time and the kids all had a blast. Austin didn't understand the opening presents part yet, but he got lots of good stuff. I was so mad that I left my camera at home, so I didn't get any pictures of all the fun, but it was a great time. I cannot believe that this little man will be 1 on Wednesday. It really does seem like he was just born! He is the cutest little buddy. He has such a sweet face and smile, he can light up any room. Happy 1st birthday, Austin Charles! We love you!

       After we left Austin's party, we headed to Memphis to go to Zoo Lights. We had so much fun. The girls were absolutely thrilled and they were happy the whole time. We didn't have a single melt down or freak out or even a single tear. It was a fantastic time.

      The lights were absolutely beautiful, and the girls loved them, but they loved the animals even more. Bailey has never been to the zoo before, so we'll have to take her back during the spring when she can see all of the animals. They only had a few animal exhibits open since it was night time. Rylee was amazed by the reindeer, Bailey wanted to keep her distance because of their horns, but she still enjoyed them from afar.

     We rode on a train that went all the way around the little farm animals exhibit, then we rode a tram that went all around the zoo so we could see all the lights, and for the grand finale we rode the Ferris wheel! The girls loved it! It was so high, that we were worried they would get a little uneasy, but it didn't phase either one of them a bit. They were looking out and taking everything in the whole time. It was the bets possible way to end the night. We look forward to going back again next year.

Christmas City 2012

     Tonight we went to Christmas City in Burlison, just outside of Covington, and we had an absolute blast! Liz and I took the kids last year and we had fun, but this year was so much better! The kids were old enough to really react to all the beautiful lights, and plus this year Bailey and Mary got to come with us, too!

     First we went to La Huazteca and had a yummy Mexican dinner. In true-to-form fashion, Bailey and Rylee shared a kid's pizza plate, but everyone else enjoyed their Mexican food. All 3 kids sat in regular seats, no high chairs or boosters, and it was kind of sad how they've grown up on us! After dinner while checks were being paid, Liz and I took Rylee and Kade outside and they were being silly on the chairs in front of the restaurant.

      When we got to Christmas City, Kade headed to go talk to Santa, while Rylee and Bailey went to get their faces painted. When we headed back to meet up, Kade was just getting his turn to sit on Santa's lap. He did not like being so close to a stranger. Rylee's exact words while observing were, "Mommy, I don't want to sit on the old man." Haha! But she decided he was a "nice old man" after he gave Kade a bag of candy. ;) When we got on the train to tour the campgrounds and see all of the lights, the kids were amazed. They all loved every minute of the ride. We stayed on the train and went around the grounds twice because they were so into it. Rylee wanted to stay on the train, and I bet she would have ridden all night long! After we got off the train, we grabbed some funnel cakes and headed home. The kids were thoroughly worn out from a night of Christmas fun.

     I love making memories like this with my Rylee-girl. I couldn't imagine a better job in this world than being her Mommy and showing her all the best things in life. Just judging by her reactions to all the fun things we've been doing lately, I would say that this is going to be our best Christmas yet! It just keeps getting better. :)



My Little Man is Growing Up

       It's sad, but true! Kaden Scott will be 2 tomorrow! We have spent the weekend celebrating his life, and it has been so much fun. This little boy is loved by so many, and it's easy to see why. He is just the cutest! And I must say he's also the most well-mannered. I love him like my own!

      Saturday was his birthday party. It was John Deere themed. Even Rylee and Bailey wore John Deere outfits to fit in. It was a huge success. Kaden got so many great toy, and everyone had a wonderful time! The kids played and played and played. The party started at 2 and Rylee and I didn't leave until 8:30 because the kids were having so much fun!

      Today we headed to Chuck-E-Cheese to continue celebrating his big day. Te kids loved Incredible Pizza for Rylee's birthday, so we had to do something like it for Kade's special day. It was a blast. It was way more fun this time than it was for Rylee's birthday, it's crazy how quickly they grow, but they were able to play many more games this time and they seemed to be better able to enjoy all the activities.

    We sure do love this little man and couldn't imagine our lives without his infectious laugh. Happy birthday, Kade-man! We can't wait to see all you become!