School's Out!/Memorial Day Weekend

 
 

      School's out! I made it through my first year of teaching, and I am so excited about spending all summer with my sweet girl! I have learned so much in this year, much more than my students, I am sure, but nonetheless, it was the hardest year of my life, but also the most rewarding. I am so thankful for my job, and very glad to be returning next August.

     But in the meantime, there is summer fun to be had! Last week, Mel and Austin came down for a visit, and it was a blast. It was the first time that Austin and Rylee really played together, and they had a ball! Friday night, we had a cookout at Granny and Pawpaw's, and for the first time in a long time, I think since Thanksgiving, the whole family was together. It was so much fun. The 3 kids had so much fun playing together. I can't believe how fast they've grown!

    Today is Memorial Day, so we had a cookout over at Liz and Brandon's and let our 3 kiddos play. These 3 are definitely best friends. They ran and laughed and played the entire evening. They didn't slow down for a second except to eat and then they were right back at it. I love these 3 kiddos so much, and I enjoy watching their special bond grow each and every day.

     This weekend is only just the beginning of a summer full of fun times, but the best thing is I get to spend every single day with my sweet girl! I love these little breaks when I get to be a stay-at-home-mom!! I am going to make the most of every minute because before long I will have 2 very special girls to give all my love and attention to. :)

Our 4th Anniversary

      Thursday was our 4th wedding anniversary. It feels like time has flown by, but it also feels like we have been together our whole lives. I guess because the most important things in our live have all happened in these last 4 years! :)

    We didn't do much Thursday to celebrate because we both had to work and were tired, so we decided it'd be best to go out to celebrate on Friday night instead. Thursday, we just ordered a pizza and enjoyed some family time.

     I did, however, surprise Ryan with a new drill set on Thursday. He had been wanting a drill for a while now. On our date Friday night, he bought me 3 new pairs of shoes. I must say his gift was better than mine. I'd take shoes over tools any day! Haha! Gifts are all well and good, but the most important thing is 4 years later, we are still very much in love. We still enjoy being around each other, and we're still genuinely happy together. I love our little family and I can't believe on our 5th anniversary we will be a family of 4! I can't wait! :) 4 years down, forever to go!

Mother's Day 2013

     Today is my 3rd Mother's Day being Rylee's mommy. I feel so blessed that God chose me to mother her. I am looking forward to next year which will be my first mother's day as Payton's mommy. I can't wait to meet her!

         Today was a great day. Yesterday, I got my gifts. Rylee made me a jar with her hand print on it at school. It is so adorable! "Rylee" (Ryan) got me flowers and donuts yesterday, too. I love all my gifts! :) Rylee also made me a card today at church. We heard a great sermon, then we took Ryan's mom out to lunch for mother's day. It was fun.

       This whole weekend has been absolutely perfect. Friday, we got to see Miss Payton at the baby doctor, and yesterday we took a trip to the zoo with Liz, Brandon, Kade, Mary, and Bailey. It was a lot of fun. I couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day weekend!

    I think the most important thing about being a mother is that it is a learning process. This year I have learned how important acceptance is when it comes to parenting, and how detrimental comparison can be. All children are not the same, not even close. Accepting your child for who they are, how God created them to be, and realizing that a difference in personality traits is not a flaw make parenting a lot smoother. Rylee has quirks like every child. She is not bad, but she can't be expected to be perfect. I love her for who she is every minute of every day. I love her quirks. I love her personality. And I love her more than words can express. She can be one of the most loving, compassionate children on the planet, if she's given a chance to warm up. And anyone who isn't willing to give her that chance is really missing out. She has so much wisdom for someone so small. She teaches me something everyday, and I am forever grateful that she is mine. I thank God for guiding me as I raise her, and I pray that with each mistake I make, the lesson learned helps me and her to grow as human beings and as children of Christ.

It's A...

       Girl! We are officially expecting little Miss Payton Joy Massengill. We couldn't be more thrilled!

      Payton is developing right on schedule. She weighed in at a whopping 13 oz today, I have finally started putting on weight. I am at a total of +3 lbs from my initial, pre-pregnancy weight. I know it's natural, but seeing the number on the scale go up still sucks! Her heart rate was 151 beats per minute. And she was showing out her little spunky personality during the ultrasound. Every time Rylee would scream, she would put both of her hands up and cover her ears. Later when the tech was trying to get a picture of her profile, she kept turning around right when she tried to take the snapshots. It was so cute and funny. I already love her so!

      Rylee came along with us today because we wanted to involve her in the process and help feel more connected with her sister. Well, it didn't exactly go as planned because she began to freak out once we got to the Dr.'s office because she thought we were tricking her into going to the Dr. She had a meltdown when they cut the lights off to do the ultrasound and didn't watch it one bit, but as soon as it was over, she was excited as can be about her baby sister. We had a lot of fun shopping and getting ideas for things for Payton. On the way home, Ryles passed out from all of the excitement. Things don't always go as planned, but it was still a perfect day!

This Adventure We Call Life...

     This week at school has been one of the most tiring weeks so far. 2 field trips and 18 kids with a severe case of spring fever has made for one exhausted teacher! So we decided to make this weekend a fun one and take the three kiddos to ChuckECheese in Jackson.
     I kept Bailey yesterday morning while Mary worked until noon, and the girls had a great time. After their nap, we got ready to go and the kids were thrilled. On the way to Jackson, Rylee spit up a little bit. The car was stuffy, so we assumed it was just a little carsickness and went on.

      Unfortunately it turned out to be a stomach virus of some sort, and she ended up getting sick again about an hour later at Chuckecheese. We got out of there as quickly as we could and headed home. Rylee was getting sick in a bag in the backseat while Mary and I tried to help keep her clean. Ryan was hurrying home because she was sick. We had both got puked on so he had his shirt and my shirt in the trunk. I was wearing his undershirt and he was shirtless. And we got pulled over for speeding. It was a bit surreal, a child was literally green in the back seat, we had a bag of vomit, Ryan was shirtless, and this guy writes him a ticket anyways. Oh well, such is life.
     Once we got home, Rylee continued getting sick until about 11:30 PM, then she finally fell asleep. She got up around 6:30 AM and drank some watered down juice and has seemed fine ever since, just very weak and tired. This is her 4th stomach virus since December. Lets hope she can stay well for a while, now....