May Re-Cap

Welcome to the new and updated blog!  How do you like it?

It's now the middle of June and I haven't blogged in for-ev-er.  Sorry about that!  Hopefully I can try to get back on the blogging train and keep everyone updated with our fun and crazy lives!

May was Rylee's month.  Jake and Brooke had a great month too, but May was mainly all about Rylee! Let's get into it, shall we? Be prepared, it's a long one!

Country [flower] girl

Rylee was the flower girl in my friend Michelle's wedding [techincally it was in April...but who's counting?].  Rylee was SUPER adorable in this cream, knee-length dress with cowboy boots and pearls!  She had the BEST time in her "wedding dress" and loved hanging around all the big-girl bridesmaids! :) Funny story about the boots:  Michelle (and another close friend Kim) actually bought these boots from Boot Barn for Rylee's baby shower.  Yes, you read that correctly.  4 years ago they bought these boots for Rylee while she was still cooking away in my tummy. The boots were too cute, and the girls just couldn't pass them up.  And now, Rylee was wearing them in Michelle's wedding!  So neat!

Rylee did an awesome job strutting down the aisle with Michelle and Rick's nephew, Jaxon.  He was a bit afraid but as soon as Rylee took his hand, he became as confident as she was and walked down the aisle with no fear!! They were so cute together!

Mama and Rylee after the ceremony.  Love my little flower girl!

Rylee's "Special Day"

Darrin and I decided that we will only be having big parties for "milestone" birthdays for the kids.  On their other birthdays, we will plan a special day just for them with just mommy and daddy.  This year, D and I planned a trip to Disneyland!!  My highschool friend, Christiana, works for Disneyland and so generously signed us in for the day (translation: she got us in free).  I'll be honest, it didn't start off very well but after some lunch, a little rest time and a good attitude check for mom and dad, we had a much better time the second part of the day.  I'm hoping to do an entire (photo heavy) blog post about D-land, so I'll save all the details for that.  All in all, it was an amazing day that we were able to spend with our little girl!! We certainly created memories we'll never forget!!

Memorial Day Celebration and Birthday Party 

For Memorial Day, D and I took the kids to a Memorial Service at our local cemetery.  It's a gorgeous place, with dedicated Flags that line the entire cemetery.  They put on such a nice service, too.  I'm really happy we've started this tradition.  I pray the kids grow up remembering our freedom comes with a heavy price and to actually honor those men and women on [at least] the one day our nation sets aside to do so.

Later that evening we had close family come over for some BBQ and to celebrate Rylee's birthday.  It was a great, relaxing time with those who love our family the most.  We're so blessed by each of them!

Jake eating some yummy BBQ....with his booty hanging out. It's how he rolls. :)

Happy 4th Birthday, Rylee! 

May 29, 2012

On her actual birthday, we blew up a bunch of balloons and snuck them into her room at night.  She woke up (yes, in that sparkly pink dress  :)  ) with balloons galore covering her floor.  It was such a great surprise!! {sidenote -- If you decide to do this too, I would recommend not forgetting to blow the balloons up the night before.  Lest you wake up at 3:30am, remembered that you never did the balloon thing and spend the next hour and half blowing up balloons.  Yea...I wouldn't recommend doing that.  Not that I know or anything. ;) }

Pizza Party 

We visited Rylee's school the week of her birthday and brought her class some pizza! She was "Queen for the Day" with a birthday crown and that day, her school was having bounce houses and face painting! She thought everyone was making a big parade just for her! :) Rylee was so excited we were coming, that when we walked into her classroom, she immediately wanted introduce us to everyone! Melt.My.Heart!  It's was so cute! She was the perfect hostess, asking all her classmates what kind of juice box and pizza they wanted. I was so proud. Mimi was even able to swing by and help out too! What a blast we all had!

"Which plate would you like, Mimi??"

Rylee Rides with Papa!!! 

My dad's the best horseman I know.  I mean, I might be a bit bias, but seriously, he's amazing!!   And the light that shines through him when I see him with these majestic creatures is amazing.  He just lights up and shines from within.   As a birthday gift to Rylee, my dad took her to my Aunt and Uncle's house to start teaching her how to ride.  This has a special place in my heart because some of my most cherished childhood memories are from being around horses.  Whether it's going to my Grandpa's house with my dad to hang out in the stalls with Charlie (my favorite horse), or riding bareback at my cousin's house, or my cousin and I riding around town as teenagers ....horses seems to flood the great memories of my childhood.  I really hope that my kids can have, somehow, some of those same memories and experiences.
So Papa and Rylee went over and spent about an hour riding both in the corral and over at the big arena.  I think my Uncle took some photos - so whenever I'm able to get my hands on those, then I'll share them here. When my dad got home (later than expected) he was in such a happy mood! :) He was late to a work meeting and he didn't even care! :) :)  It warmed my heart to see both him and Rylee so happy together.  I know they made some lifetime memories that day!   I'm really hoping that this can start to become some kind of a consistent thing.  I'd love for Rylee to continue to learn all about horses from the best one who can teach her!!


And now for the other two kids (you might have forgotten that we have them by this post, huh?)

The Jakester:

He's 2 and half now.  He's crazy, destructive, e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e, doesn't listen half the time, totally mischievous and an absolute delight! Seriously, the boy is HILARIOUS and constantly keeps us on our toes.  Right now, he's totally into superheros and insists on tying blankets or towels around his neck like a cape as he runs around saying "SUPER JAKE!!"  HE also gives "superman" booms (a high-five using the knuckles) and really big "superman kisses".  It's can't-stand-it cute.  Not so cute when he jumps off of furniture pretending to be a superhero or rams into his older sister pretending she's a bad guy....but cute nonetheless!

This is how he sleeps -- with his hands behind his head like he's a big boy or something.  It pretty much rocks my world.

Brookie 

Ahhhhh.....my sweet, sweet Brooke.  She just turned 4 months and is still the sweetest little thing.  She's so relaxed and easy going.  I just eat her up!! She's 12.9 lbs now and has hit some MAJOR milestones.  She's a master at rolling over from her back to her tummy, she kicks like she'll be a star soccer player, she's not only discovered her hands but she's also reaching and grabbing for things!! She sits in her little exersaucer (a bouncer) and actually plays with the toys.  She's still eating and sleeping great.  She takes about 3 naps during the day and then sleeps about 11 hours or so at night.  No complaining here! :)   Technically, we could start her on some solid foods now (we started Jake at 4 months too) but I don't see any kind of signs that she "needs" it, so we'll be waiting a little longer until we feel like she's ready.  No rush!  We have plenty of time for all of that stuff.  She can, however, sit up in a high chair.  So that's fun for when we're over at Papa and Mimi's house! :)  But for now, we're just continuing to enjoy her easy going personality and infectious smile!!  It's funny, I find myself cherishing small moments more and more. I kind of had a fear that life would be so crazy that I wouldn't be able to really enjoy or cherish this time, but I find that I cherish time MORE now than ever before.   Maybe it's because I can see first hand how quickly it passes.  I don't know.  But for whatever reason, I'm certainly trying to just live in the moment and hang on to this special time.  The days are long but the years are short.  Isn't that the truth!

Hi Daddy!!

Sitting in her high chair at Papa and Mimi's house.  I love her sweet little half-smile! :)