Rylee Love is 6!

     Yep, it's true. My little BABY is 6 years old! How does that even happen?! I don't know why time has to speed up so much once you become a parent, but I do appreciate every moment I have had as her mother. I love the smart, silly, brave, beautiful, and sometimes quirky little girl she has grown to be.

     We kicked off her birthday by heading to Dyersburg to Bounce With US. The kids jumped and played and had a blast. Then we got some lunch and brought Kaden home with us to try out Rylee's new Wii U before her party.

    Her party was a huge success. We ate cupcakes and pizza and opened way too many presents. Then we went to the pool to swim. Rylee is spoiled rotten, and she loves it. At first I was worried it was going to be a bad night because some dark clouds were rolling in and the pizza delivery was late, but the pizza came and the clouds passed, and everything was great.

      Rylee is blessed with so many great friends and family and so many wonderful people who love her.

   The swimming part of her party was so much fun. The kids swam, and slid down the slides over and over again. A few of the kids even got brave enough to go down the big slide. Rylee was content going down the kiddie slides, but of course wild-child Payton Joy had to go down the big slide 3 different times. That child is fearless!

    Last night we went to see Finding Dory with Aunt May and Bailey. Rylee got to spend some quality time with Kaden on Tuesday and was glad to get some quality time with Bailey last night. What she wanted most for her birthday was to spend time with her first friends, her cousins, so I'm glad we could make that happen.

   Man, I can't believe how the time has flown. Rylee and I have both grown so much together. I thank God every single day for blessing us with this precious child. Being a mom is not always easy, but it is always worth it. I love you so much, Rylee Love. Happy Birthday!!

Father's Day 2016

      Today is Father's Day. The girls and I surprised Ryan with his gifts early. I stink at surprises, so the only way for me to pull them off is to give them before they are expected. He was thrilled with his gifts. Then Friday night I made him pot roast, potatoes, carrots, green beans, and rolls. I think he may have liked that more than his presents. Haha. Today the girls and I made him muffins for breakfast before church and he liked that, too. Hopefully these little things let him know just how much we appreciate him.

      During Sunday School today we made awards for fathers. I told the kids to pick 1 thing that their dad was really good at. 1 child said her dad was really good at working out. Rylee Love said her dad was really good at playing video games. That is her favorite thing to do with him. It's so sweet.

      Last night we surprised her with her birthday presents from us. We got her a Wii U and a few games for it and a couple of games for her 3DS that her Aunt Mel gave to her. She was beyond excited. She and he daddy have been playing together every moment that we have been home since she got it.

       Don't I have a good looking crew? I feel so blessed with these 3. There are days that they drive me crazy, but I wouldn't trade them for the world. I love my little family so!

    Happy Father's Day, Ryan. We love you and appreciate you so much! There's no one I'd rather spend my life with more than you!

Summer Break Week 3

    Saturday, we got to see my oldest sister, Sarah and her daughter Ava. These 3 kids have not seen each other since they were in diapers, but they immediately took up like best friends. It was so good to see them. 

     Monday and Tuesday I caught up on housework, got some much needed rest after going, going, going for the first 2 weeks of summer break, spent time with my girls, and tried to catch up on some of my orders for my embroidery and vinyl business: Love, Joy, and Designs. Wednesday I had a doctor's appointment, did some grocery shopping, and then we had dinner with Nonna.

      Thursday we were ready for some fun in the sun, so we headed to Atoka to visit the Splash Pad. It's a really cool sprinkler park and the kids absolutely love it. It was a great way to have lots of fun, but also stay cool while playing outside. The kids were sad when it was time to go.

     Today I took Rylee Love for her first birthday present. She has been begging for pink hair for months now. I thought only a crazy person would allow their child to get her hair dyed, but then I asked my hairdresser what her thoughts were. She has a daughter around Rylee's age who she has used temporary hair dye on, and she said it was no big deal. It doesn't damage her hair in any way and after a while it will wash out.

     So we did it, My 5-almost-6-year-old has a streak of pink in her hair. She could not be more thrilled. She is one spoiled little lady.

VBS & Summer fun

    This week we had VBS at Mary's Chapel. It was a lot of fun. Ryan and I were in charge of recreation, so I got to meet and interact with all of the kids. That was my first time not being with one specific group and I rally liked being able to see all the groups instead of just 1.

    During the day we would try to do fun things together to enjoy our summer break, then each night we would go to VBS. It got to be a little exhausting, but a lot of fun.

     Wednesday we went to Dyersburg to meet up with Mary on her lunch break to celebrate her birthday, then we got to "steal" Bailey and we took the kids to Bounce With Us. Then Liz took Bailey to VBS. After VBS Bailey got to have a sleepover at our house. IT was awesome to get so much time with our sweet Bailey.

     Levi was anti-nursery throughout VBS, so we would jailbreak him and let him be our assistant. He would rotate between hanging out with Ryan and I and going with Brandon and Liz. I loved all the snuggles I got this week. He is my sweet little man!

    Tonight was family night and the official end of VBS. The kids performed their songs on stage and then we enjoyed a small meal with all of the workers, the kids, and their families. Throughout VBS there were 8 professions of faith in Jesus Christ from the kids. What a blessing it is to be involved in the salvation of our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Destin 2016

      Bright and early Saturday morning, we started the journey to Destin, Florida. For the first 5 hours, our trip went very smoothly. The kids behaved, the traffic was light, and everything was going as planned. Then we hit some shredded tire on the interstate and immediately the front passenger tire started losing air. We pulled off on the first exit we saw, and what do you know? A used tire store that was open on the saturday of a holiday weekend. That was definitely God watching out for us. They changed our tire and had us out of there in under 20 minutes, and all it cost was $30. I wouldn't have believed it if I wasn't there.

      The rest of trip went smoothly as well, and before we knew it we were standing on the beach!! The girls were so excited, and we were, too. There is nothing like the sound of the ocean and the smell of that salty air. We went to dinner at Mellow Mushroom with Nonna and Granddaddy. Then Payton started going downhill. She was warm to the touch and fell asleep in my lap. We got home and she was running a fever. I thought Oh great, our vacation is ruined. But I gave her some motrin and put her to bed, and she woke up cool as a cucumber and ready to play. I was so glad that her mystery illness did not stick around.

     We woke up early on Sunday and headed down to the beach. It was crowded because of the holiday, but the girls still had a blast and so did we. After we went in from the beach and had some lunch, the girls wanted to go to the pool a little bit before nap time, so we let them swim some more, then gave them a bath and let them get some rest while we got ready to go out that night.

    Sunday night we took the girls to Fudpucker's for dinner, then to the Track to ride rides. They had an absolute blast. It was Payton Joy's first time on a Go-cart and she loved it. She rode all the rides that she was big enough for and loved every minute. By the time we got back to the condo, both girls were worn out and ready for bed.

    Monday morning, the beach was less crowded and the girls were able to have even more fun. Rylee didn't like going very deep into the ocean, but she loved playing in the waves. Payton on the other hand liked to be carried out into the deeper water. The both loved playing in the sand and finding shells.

     Sunday evening, we got dressed up and went down to the beach with my tripod to get some family pictures. I think they turned out pretty good for being on a tripod with a timer.

    After our pictures, we headed to Harborwalk Village to eat dinner at Margaritaville. The girls had a blast watching the boats come into the harbor and dancing to the music.

    After dinner, we walked down the harbor and the girls got to go into bubbles and jump on bungee trampolines. This was Payt's first time for both of these activities and she had a blast. Rylee Love had been looking forward to this since we told her about the vacation. Harborwalk Village is her favorite part of Destin.

     Tuesday, we took a break from the sand and spent the entire morning at the pool. The pool was adjacent to the marina and had a gorgeous view of the boats on the water. The girls swam and swam and Rylee even made a little friend to play with for a while.

     Tuesday night, we ate dinner at Harry T's, then took the girls on a pirate cruise. It was so much fun. There were water gun fights, sword fights, face painting, lots of dancing, and a treasure hunt. Payton was really into and participated in most of the activities, but Rylee was more timid and didn't really want to be around the pirates. However, once we got off the boat she said it was the best night ever, so I guess she had fun in her own way. Haha.

     Wednesday was our last day, so we stayed at the beach all morning. We built sandcastles, hunted shells, and played in the waves until we were ready for lunch.

    After lunch, Ryan and Granddaddy headed to the Track to play minigolf and the girls and I headed to the pool. We swam and played until the girls just couldn't go anymore.

      Then they each passed out on lawn chairs as I soaked up a few more rays of that Florida sunshine. After we left the pool, we got cleaned up and changed and headed to Golden Corral for dinner. Payton ate her weight in food at the buffet, and we all got stuffed. After going and going all vacation long, Wednesday was a nice change of pace and that huge dinner was the perfect ending to our trip.

       Today we are home and the reality of laundry, grocery shopping, and neglected housework has set in. I had a blast spending the last 5 days in Florida with my little family and Ryan's parents. It was such a great time to make memories, relax, and kick off our summer break. But I am glad to be home. There is just something about sleeping in your own bed after coming home from vacation that makes the end of a great trip seem a little less sad.