It's official

I am changing blogs. From now on, if you want to read about anything new, please go to ryanandlesli.wordpress.com. THANKS!!!!! Sorry for the inconvenience!

Testing New Blog Site

I am having issues with Blogger. It doesn't always want to allow me to upload photos. Since it has been more frustrating than fun, I'm trying out a new site. Feel free to check it out. It's ryanandlesli.wordpress.com. I'll let you know for sure if I decide to make the switch.

Colorado Trip

Our Colorado trip left us wanting more! We had a great time with my parents. To my knowledge, no one got on anyone’s nerves. That’s success in an of itself! Not many people can be together for 12 days & be sad to split back up. Colorado was beautiful. We started with a few rainy days, but by the middle of the week, it was all sun & warm days. It was perfect!

We arrived to Avon on Saturday. That night we went to the grocery to get some things to eat in the rooms so we didn’t have to eat out each meal. I had been up since 2:30 AM, so I was exhausted for that grocery trip. By the time I went to bed that night, I had been up 22 hours! I was almost to the point of not making sense with my speech. Since we were so tired, our only outing of the day was grocery shopping.

Sunday we went to Vail, which was about 5 miles away. We got a great surprise & found out that they were having a huge farmer’s market. It was all really cool. Ryan and I had been to Vail 4 years prior, but they had changed so much it was like seeing a brand new place. For lunch, we ate at a favorite restaurant of ours from the time before. It was a really fun pizza place. After playing in Vail for the day, we headed back to the resort & let Sydney swim. She loved being in the pool!!! Everyday, she would say “water, water!” It was cute…& annoying! ;o)

Monday, we headed to Breckenridge. It is a very neat town. Along the main strip are little houses that have been turned into restaurants or shops. We shopped for a little while before it started raining. After it started raining, we decided to drive to a cookie shop that we had walked passed. It had delicious smelling cookies. Later in the day, the cookies proved to be as delicious as they smelled! After the guys picked up enough for all of us, we drove around for a little while enjoying the beautiful scenery that God has created there. Once the sun came back out, we stopped at a little park to enjoy our cookies. It was a nice place to stretch our legs & enjoy the beautiful weather.

Tuesday, we went on a really cool train ride in Leadville. It took us 11 miles up in the mountains. While we were on our way back, it started sleeting!! It was amazing how quickly the temperature changes when going up in the mountains. As soon as the sun hides behind the clouds, it can drop 20 degrees or more! Nothing like at home. The train ride was one of the highlights of the trip for both Ryan and me. Sydney slept through part of it, but the part she was awake for, she loved, too. After the train ride, we drove around to see the beautiful scenery. Later on in the day, we let Sydney swim again.

Wednesday we took the gondola ride up Vail Mountain. From there, we hiked to the top. It was a H-I-K-E! No, not because it was steep or strenuous. It was because of the high altitude. Our minds were telling our bodies that the climb we were doing was an EASY climb. However, our bodies were disagreeing. We were all out of breath at times. If we had been hiking the same thing but been in LBL, it would not have been a problem at all. It was a very weird feeling because our eyes were not seeing what our bodies were feeling. The view from the top was worth every step! It was absolutely beautiful! Since we had to get back to the gondola to get down, we didn’t get to spend as much time up there as we would have liked. It was gorgeous, though!

Thursday we decided to be kind to our bodies. So, we headed back to Breckenridge to see more of the shops. It was a beautiful day & was perfect for what we had decided to do. We walked around the town until we had seen everything we wanted. After that, we drove up one mountain so that we could look down on the city. We got a really cool view!

Friday was by far one of my favorite days. We made a loop that went from Avon down to Aspen & back up. It took all day, but was worth every minute. The views were breathtaking. We stopped at the Continental Divide at Independence Pass. It was a little windy for Sydney, but the rest of us were in awe of what we saw. Aspen was a little disappointing. It was very commercialized in our opinion. It was a bigger city than we expected, too. We were very thankful that we had spent most of our time in the areas we did, because they proved to be the prettiest. On the way to and from Aspen, though, was proof that our God exists. It was the most gorgeous place in the world. I think Ryan and I could have moved into any of the remote areas & have been happy.

Saturday we headed back to Denver. We spent the evening downtown. Denver has a really neat downtown. I had heard about it from several different people. So, I was glad to be able to see it for myself. I believe every big city needs a downtown like that!

Sunday morning, we headed back to the airport. It took us 3 planes, 4 airports, and one car ride to get us home. Ryan and I were thankful to be back in our own bed, but were missing CO already that night.

Yesterday, while grocery shopping, Ryan told me that he was sad we weren’t in CO and wished we could turn around and go back. How many husbands can spend over a week with their in-laws and call it a happy vacation? I am one blessed woman!!!

Also, since I posted a book, I decided not to post any pictures. To view pictures of our trip, go to gallery.mac.com/ryanandlesli. :o)

Vacation & Dora

We got home tonight from our Colorado trip with my parents. We had a BLAST!! It was beautiful! I think if Colorado was closer to Kentucky, you'd never get Ryan out! We all had a really great time. More pictures & info to come.

Before our Colorado trip, we took Sydney to see Dora & Boots at the Louisville Zoo. Thankfully, it rained that morning, so the zoo wasn't too busy. Being a holiday, we were prepared for the worst. The line took a little while, but it wasn't as bad as we expected. We got our picture with Dora & were able to see many different animals. The day was a complete success! Below are a couple of pictures of our little family with Dora and Boots. Hope you enjoy!

Nashville Weekend Pics & CO

Here are a few pictures of my weekend with my TX friends a few weeks ago. If these pictures don't show that we had a GREAT time, I don't know what does!!!!! It was one of the greatest weekends!! Love you girls!!!!!!!

Giddy girls in the dressing room! (Me & Summer)

Tricia & Crysty

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On another note, there will probably be a blog silence from me for the next several days. My parents are coming up the 3rd. We are heading to the Louisville Zoo on the 4th to see Dora the Explorer!! Then on the 5th, we are heading to Colorado for a week!!! I am so excited to be getting away with my family. There is no huge agenda. We are going to go and do as we please, or not go and do if we don't please. ;o) (Nathan & Kacey, we wish you guys were going with us! We'll have to plan a trip closer somewhere next year so that we can all go!!) Anyway, we will be back on the 13th. So, watch for plenty of pics soon after!!!

Going Deeper Still...

I just got back from the Deeper Still (Beth Moore) conference in Atlanta! It was AWESOME!!!!! I went with a group from Reidland. I have to say that I enjoyed every moment with those ladies. God really gave me a chance to get to know them better, & I feel so incredibly blessed!! 

The conference was much more than I could have ever imagined. The speakers were amazing. The praise and worship time was...well, I can't find another word besides awesome. At times, I was singing so loud & couldn't even hear myself sing. It was so neat to hear 19,000 other women praising God at the same time! 

I am NOT the type of person that enjoys being around people I'm not really close to...mostly because I have to put myself out there. I'm not good at that. These women made it so easy to be myself. Thank you, ladies, for making me feel so comfortable around you! You are such precious women and I was privileged to be in your presence.

Just What the Doctor Ordered

I hadn't realized until I was driving down that I had never left both Sydney & Ryan. Typically when I leave Sydney with someone, it is because I am spending some quality time with my hubby. This time, it was just for me. I have to say that I felt very selfish while driving to Nashville. I told myself that I really needed the time away with some friends to recharge, but I didn't really realize how true that was.

Summer and I stayed up talking until 3:15 AM!! If that doesn't tell you that friends are happy to see each other, I don't know what does! We finally got so tired we couldn't figure out what we were saying. So, we decided it was time to go to sleep.

The next day, we all went to Cracker Barrell for brunch...ok, it was lunch time, but it felt like brunch to us! :o) After brunch, we went to Opry Mills. Shopping with 3 other girls = fun! We had a blast! We would all try on clothes if one person was going to try something on even though we knew we weren't going to buy anything. A lady even asked us if we were sisters or just really good friends. Isn't that awesome?! We haven't all been together since Ryan and I left TX over a year ago & we are still close enough that someone could mistake us for sisters.

Friday night, Summer left. That was hard because we had only been with her for 24 hours. It was great having her for that small amount of time, but it had us all craving for more time. Crysty, Tricia, and I went to Olive Garden to treat ourselves since we were feeling sad. For me, it was a great treat! Ryan and I never go there because it is a quiet restaurant & my daughter doesn't really know how to be quiet.

After dinner, we went back to Tricia's sister's apartment (Thanks, Jennifer, for letting us crash there while you were away!!!!). We stayed up & talked, but crashed a little earlier. It was great spending quiet time with the gals.

Saturday we ate more, shopped more, and laughed more. Tricia and I dropped Crysty off to ride home with Summer. After that, we shopped a little until I had to head to Paducah.

It was such a refreshing time with people who know and love me. I had never really experienced what a true friend was until I went to TX. Thank you girls for being such an amazing support to me. I can't wait until the next time we are all able to get together!! LY!

Friends

Leaving Texas was a very hard thing for me to do. One would think that moving closer to family would be a piece of cake for me since I am such a family gal. But no, it was terribly difficult. I was thrilled to be getting closer to family for me and for my daughter. The difficulty came because I left the best friends that I have ever had. I had never been able to be myself around other girls before TX. I feel like most won't open up & be themselves, which to me typically equals fake. I had 3 friends with me in an prayer group that really allowed themselves to be vulnerable & open up about their wants, desires, fears, struggles, etc. They allowed me to be me. I never once had to act like someone that I'm not. You just don't find that very often. So, when we moved there was the mommy in me that was thankful that my daughter would know her grandparents. Then there was me...Lesli...the one who wanted to selfishly say, "We're staying!!" 

As you all know, the mommy won over & we moved. I have now been living in KY for a year & 3 months. I am thankful for my decision because my daughter LOVES her grandparents, aunts, & uncles (and soon to be cousin!). We made the right decision, but that doesn't mean that I don't miss my friends terribly. 

Me with Tricia

Today is a special day. All four of us are meeting in Nashville for a girl's weekend!!!!! We will all get there about bedtime tonight...which means we will be terribly exhausted tomorrow since it is a given that we won't go straight to bed. :o)  We won't get long all together, but at least I'll be able to be in their company for a few days.

Summer, skinny me, & Crysty

Thank you Summer, Tricia, & Crysty for being such amazing friends. Even though we've been apart for over a year, you still are as close to me as you were the day we left. I can't wait to be with you this weekend & will cherish every moment! 

Now, I don't want you to mistake me to say that these were my only good friends in TX. That is SO not the truth. I had another friend that was like a sister to me. I also miss her terribly. She also, has girls that are really close to Sydney's age. I wish so much that Sydney could have grown up with them. That is a playdate that you don't have to worry about! She is a great mom & they are great girls! I miss you, too, Brit!! One of these days we'll have to meet in the middle with the girls. :o)

I will post again after the weekend. Hope you all have a great weekend, too!!! 

My Blue-Eyed Loves

Happy Father's Day, Dads!

I tried and tried to find a recent picture of Ryan and Sydney, but the picture above describes it best. My husband absolutely adores his little girl! He is the most amazing man & father. I know you've heard me say before, but he works full-time, goes to school full-time, is in the Navy Reserves (which occupies 1 weekend a month & 2 weeks a year), and is a wonderful husband and father. How he balances it all so well, I'll never know. He's never too busy for me, and he's never too busy for Sydney. There are times when she ONLY wants her daddy. It's quite sweet, if you ask me. When those times arise, he stops what he's doing & gets in the floor to play with her. After she's satisfied, he goes back to what he was doing. He's nothing short of amazing.

"I love you, Ryan. I love you for the way you love me. I love you for the way you love her. You are more than I could have ever asked or imagined for the father of my child. Thank you! Happy Father's Day!!!"

There is another man that completely adores Sydney. That would be my daddy. It is so cool to see him with her. His face lights up & his whole personality changes. If he's having a bad day or tired and she walks in the room, you see that fade & happiness replace it. It's really neat.  

Besides adoring my little girl, my daddy has been an great dad. He has always been there when we needed him. Matter of fact, he comes running. It is nice to know that no matter what the world throws at you, you have someone in your corner. For us, that has always been my daddy. It didn't matter if it was an ear just to listen or advice to help us out of a sticky situation. In any way we have needed him, he's been there...including 5 moves. He must really love us!! :o)

"Thank you, Daddy, for always being what we need & never hesitating to help. You are a great inspiration of what a godly man should be. I am thankful that you are in our life & our daughter's life. She can learn a lot from you. Happy Father's Day!!!"

The last daddy that I need to mention is our "daddy Pops", as Sydney has been referring to him. I read something the other day that fit him perfectly, it said "Strong faith, gentle spirit, quiet advice, wonderful father". I read that and said, "Ryan, that's your dad!!" It fits him to a T. He has such a strong faith & has raised his boys to love God. His spirit is calm and gentle. His advice is always given in a tone that is easy to accept. And to say that he's a wonderful father & grandfather, is almost putting it mildly.

"Thanks, Pops, for raising such an amazing man. Ryan is who he is because of the example you set. I could not ask for a better husband or father to my child, and that is thanks to you. I am thrilled that Sydney has you for her 'daddy Pops'. She is one lucky gal! Happy Father's Day!!"

That covers the fathers in my life. Thank you for being men of character & men we ladies can be proud of! There really aren't many men out there like that & to say that I have 3 in my life makes me feel very blessed. Love you all!

Being Sydney's Mom

I have never underestimated my job as a mom. To tell you the truth, at times, I am so overwhelmed by it that it scares me. I've heard the saying that "a child can eventually overcome having a bad dad, but never a bad mom". I can't remember where I heard that, but it stuck with me. Now, I know that I'm not a horrible mom. Don't hear me saying that. I just feel the importance that I have on my daughter's life & I don't take it lightly.

Last night, my mom and I went shopping for a dress for her for Nathan and Kacey's wedding. We had a great time. I really love spending time with her! On the way home, we got to talking about her wedding to my dad. I asked her if it was a hard day for my grandfather (her mother passed away a year or so before). She said that it was one of the hardest on him...right up there with my birth.

We then began talking about her mom. I mentioned that I wish that I could have known her. I honestly can't tell you how much I wish I could have known her...not just met her but really known her. She said that just the other day at church she was talking to a lady that knew her mom when my mom was little. My mom told her that she really wishes that she would have known her mother adult to adult. There really is something different about having an adult relationship with your mom. I wish she could have had that relationship, too.

While I was laying in bed waiting for my daughter to go to sleep in her bed last night, I began thinking about what my mother said. Her mother passed away when she was 17. Even at the age she is, years later, she still longs for her mother. As much as I have felt my importance in Sydney's life, I had never felt it as strongly as I had in that moment. I pray that I can be a mother that Sydney needs in the moment. Not a mean mother, nor a walk-over-me-easily mother, but what she needs in the moment she needs it. I pray that God will give me the wisdom to know what each moment calls for.

Thanks, Mom, for being such a wonderful mother. Thanks for handling your heartaches with grace & dignity. Thanks for helping show me what a mother should be. I'm sorry that life hasn't always given you what you wanted. I am happy to know that one day I will be able to know your mother. Love you!

Pool Party

Yesterday afternoon, we got out the little pool at my parents' & put water in it. It was very cold at first, but warmed up quickly. Sydney and I played in it this morning. We had a blast!! It was a good way to keep her cool outside & to get me some much needed sun! Sydney LOVES to play outside, but since it's been so hot I haven't let her play out there much. This turned out to be such a good way to get to play with my little girl! I'll have to take some pictures & post them. She's a cutie in her little bathing suit!

Ryan is out-of-town again this week, so as long as the weather cooperates, it looks like we'll have some more time this week to enjoy the outdoors...we do miss him though! She would probably love playing in the pool with him much more than me. Daddy is much more fun...and that's ok by me!

Rambling...mostly

Sydney is finally feeling better! Yay! She is still coughing some & her nose is still runny, but we are on the mend. She LOVES being outside & it has been so hard to keep her indoors. I'm hoping by Sunday or Monday she'll be feeling 100%.

Ryan called last night & said that his schedule for next week has him in Henderson, KY & St. Louis, MO. So, it looks like we're going to stay in Paducah until next Friday. That's much better than us being home alone for the week. :o) Although, I'm sure my parents are beginning to wonder whether or not we're ever going to go home!!! I promise, Mom & Dad, we will leave...eventually. :o)

My dad use to have this saying that once we were out of the house & off to college, he was going to put his "No Vacancy" sign out. Well, I moved back in & Nathan moved back in...he welcomed it. We've had several long visits like this & he has welcomed it. So, I think the no vacancy thing was all talk. ;-)

My sister-in-law finds out soon whether she's having a boy or girl...assuming the baby cooperates. I am so excited to hear! In my experience, seeing other people pregnant & having babies is much more touching after you've had your own. I can't wait to find out whether I'm getting a niece or nephew. Either way, I'll be thrilled! They're going to make great parents! I can't wait to see them transform & I can't wait to meet this little one!!

Ryan is coming back to Paducah tonight. I am very ready for him to be back with us. Although he's going to be away all next week, it will be nice for us to all be together for the weekend!

I hope you all have a happy Friday!!

Update

The AC is fixed! Yea!! :o) I talked to Ryan, who is home, to find out that it had been fixed & the house is cool! I'm happy he doesn't have to sleep another night in a hot house. That will make for much better sleep than I'm sure he got last night.

On another note, Sydney is still not feeling well. I took her to Redicare today for her cough & congestion as well as a bug bite on her finger. The doctor said her finger is fine, but gave her some medicine for her congestion. I hope that it helps her start to feel better soon!!

That's about all for the updates. We're still hanging out in Paducah & will be here through the weekend. By Friday we'll all be back together. That, I'm looking forward to! :o)

Moving Nathan, No AC, & Sick Baby

Saturday, my parents, Ryan, and I helped Nathan move into what will be his & Kacey's apartment. It was very cool to be apart of that experience. My mom & I spent the better part of the day cleaning the old apartment while the guys moved his stuff to the new apartment. I think by the end of the day, we were all exhausted!

Since Sydney was sick, Ryan's mom kept her that day & night. It was great to know that she was playing & having fun instead of getting in trouble for getting into things while we were moving! She had a blast there. So, it was a win-win situation. Thanks, Mama Rita, for keeping her!

Yesterday, Ryan stayed home with Sydney while I went to church. After church, he worked on a paper for school while Sydney and I took a nap. After our nap, Ryan and I headed out on the town while my parents kept the little one. We went to dinner at TGI Fridays. After dinner, we saw the new Indiana Jones movie. We both thought it was pretty good. Even if it would have been horrible, it would have been worth it to have a date with my hubby!

After returning to my parents, my mom & noticed some spots on my parents' ceiling. Turns out, the AC was leaking on the ceiling! That meant it had to be turned off for the night & people called this morning. I began wondering if we were jinxing them by being here! (Our AC is still not fixed.) At 8:30am this morning, people were ringing the door bell. By 9:30 or so, they were gone & the AC was fixed. Yea!

That brings me to now. My baby is still sick. She is much better than she was last week, but she is still not feeling 100%. I think I have figured out that keeping the windows open at the house instead of turning on the AC is what did it to her. When she is inside, she is so much better. It seems her allergies caused the ear problems & sore throat. :o(

Since the AC at the house doesn't work, we are staying with my parents until it is fixed. I'm hoping it's going to be fixed quickly because we were planning on having a yard sale on Saturday! We have it all pulled out, but nothing is priced. We'll see. That yard sale may have to happen another weekend...I'm just not sure we have any other weekends this summer free!

So, that's our weekend in a nutshell. :o)

Sick baby

Well, things have not gotten better since my last post. Sydney hasn't been throwing up anymore, but she's still coughing. I called the doctor yesterday morning & they wanted to see her. The doctor said her throat & ears were really red. Ryan and I are fairly certain that she got this bug at the doctor's office Tuesday, because she was fine up until that point. Quite frustrating! 

She looks like she's just miserable. Her eyes are red and watery. She coughs like someone who has been smoking all her life. It's just sad. I really think we have allergies going on in addition to the ears & throat thing. 

This weekend we are heading out-of-town. We're moving Nathan from one apartment to another in Nashville. I really hope that Sydney gets to feeling better so that she can enjoy the time visiting with family...we'll see. Prayers for my baby are welcomed! Thanks!

Update on the Little One

Yesterday Sydney had her 18 month check-up. She's 19 months old now, but because of vaccination timing, we had to wait. Anyway, she checked out great. She's a little above the 50th percentile for her height & a little below for her weight. The doctor said all is well & she is performing at the 21 month level! Whoohoo!!! Yesterday was a great day to celebrate the healthy little girl we have!

Today was a different kind of day. We woke up to a COLD house due to leaving windows open in Ryan and my room. While trying to get one of the windows down, I about broke my elbow. I pulled & pulled trying to get the window down. When it finally came down, my elbow crashed into our headboard. It hurt so bad I cried & felt like I was going to be sick. Luckily, I didn't break it & am much better now.

*This part is not for the weak stomach!*

Later in the day while Sydney was trying to nap, she started coughing & coughing. She coughed so hard that she threw up twice all over her bed, clothes, Tigger, pillows & self. I immediately rushed her to the bathtub & stripped her down (while getting sick myself). Normally, I'm ok while taking care of her. Today was a different story. Anyway, after getting her in the tub & water run, I ran the clothes to the washer so that we didn't have to smell them. When I got back to the bathroom, she had gone #2 in the tub! (You know, I didn't realize kids did that before I had Sydney...naive, I guess. 'Cause before they're potty trained, when they gotta go, they gotta go!) So, I got her out of the tub, to clean it. While standing by the tub, she pottied on our bathmat. At that point, I just started laughing. I wasn't going to catch a break & I could tell it. When I started laughing, she started laughing. It was a fun moment. Although, it wasn't much fun getting to that point, it will be a memory I will hold forever.

Work, work, work, work, work!!

In the past 2 days, we've mowed, mulched, put out flowers, trimmed hedges, planted 2 tomato plants, organized our garage, got ready for a yard sale, washed 2 cars, washed house off, painted table & chairs, cleaned 1/2 of the living room carpet, & kept up with laundry & dishes! Wow! That is a lot with a little one in tow! We are so satisfied with our accomplishments that we are taking today off to play! Yay! 

It is our last day to play before Ryan starts back to work & back to school. He has taken the last 2 weeks off from school since he was traveling with work & visiting family. It has been a nice break for us all. So, today...we head out to spend the time as a family. Since there's 60% chance of rain, I'm not sure what is in store...maybe the Apple store...heehee! We'll see.

I hope you all enjoy your day off! Thank a veteran or current military member. They are the reason you are free! 

Week with the Hughes Family

This past week, we were fortunate enough to visit with Ryan's parents & siblings! It was great to have us all together!! The last time we were all together was at Jon & Corena's wedding 2 1/2 years ago...pre-Sydney days! So, they had never met Sydney. It was great to see Sydney meet her aunt & uncle for the first time. She LOVED them both!! It was also fun being around Kit & Laura. Laura is 16 weeks pregnant & we are so excited to be getting a niece or nephew! 

We spent our days out on the back deck of Ryan's parents' house. Our days were full of hanging out & being together. It was so refreshing. Sydney was quite spoiled with all of the attention from grandparents, aunts, & uncles. I'm sure the next few days will be quite challenging since she will not get near the attention she received from them. That's ok, though! It was well worth it!! Soon, I will post pictures here & on our website. Be sure to check it out!! 

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend! Say a quick prayer for our troops who are overseas & their families back home. 

Funny Moments in the "Wee" Hours of the Morning

Sydney and I decided to accompany Ryan to Evansville yesterday & today. That meant, a hotel stay. Since his company picks up the bill for his stays, it wasn't a big deal. Yesterday, Sydney and I went to 2 different Targets, Burlington Coat Factory, McDonalds twice (because they had free biscuits & free Chicken sandwiches for the day!), tried to nap at the hotel, and picked up Qdoba for dinner. She was so tired from our long day that she fell asleep on the way home from the restaurant. We tried & tried to wake her up, but it was not happening. So, at 8:15pm Central Time, we all went to bed. She slept sound from 6:30pm-2:30am. Then at 2:30 she was thirsty and AWAKE! She was good to stay in bed and sing to herself so that mommy didn't have to get up. (Smart girl!) It was her singing that made me bust out laughing.

As I said in my last post, Sydney LOVES to sing. She "knows" the words to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and sings it all the time. It is quite cute. If I start singing & stop, she'll pick up & help me "remember" the words. Of course, that is my way to prompt her to keep singing. Anywhoo, last night I started listening to the words she was singing. Here is Sydney's versing of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star:

"Tinkle Tinkle it ul sar,
How I onder ut oo are,
Up abobe du orld o high,
Ik a diamon in uh sky,
Tinkle, Tinkle it ul sar,
How I onder ut oo are,
Up abobe du orld o high..."

Yes, it is the never-ending "Tinkle, Tinkle" star. I started laughing so hard I woke Ryan up. In all my years of life...I never knew that stars had to potty.

Praising God in the Morning

This morning we were watching & singing along with our Praise Baby Collection DVD. Sydney LOVES to sing!! It is not uncommon for her to start singing along with us at church when we're at Reidland. She's been doing this since she was little, little!! It has always been cool to hear her singing along, even if we couldn't understand the words that she was saying. 

This morning, however, was quite different. We were sitting in the floor singing along to the DVD. At first, it was gibberish. Then she started singing along with How Great is Our God. She started saying God at the right moments. It was so cool to hear His name come from her lips...so cool that I began crying. I sat in the floor holding her sobbing like a little baby & thanking God for my little girl. I pray that His name is never far from her lips & that she will spend her life praising him as we did this morning!!

Mother's Day Weekend

These are a few pictures of our weekend. We had such a GREAT weekend with our mothers. 

Saturday we played with Dita & Pops (Ryan's parents). We played out back with Buster, their dog, and the Backyardigans ball that was a huge hit with Sydney. It was a very relaxing & enjoyable day!! Next week we get to spend Monday night-Thursday afternoon with his parents & siblings!! We haven't all been together in 2 1/2 years!!! I'm quite excited to be able to see & visit with everyone!

Sunday we played with Grandma, Gigi, and Pawpaw (my parent's and grandmother). We went to church that morning. Kacey, Nathan's gal, kept Sydney with her during church. I couldn't believe how still she was!! It was nice to have a Sunday without having to worry about her. Thanks, Kacey!! After church, we went to Kentucky Dam Village Resort for lunch. Let me just say...yum! Thanks, Dad, for treating us to a special lunch! After lunch, we headed home to hang out for a while.

 

We truly loved every minute of our weekend. We didn't get in until after 10 pm last night & we were exhausted, but it was worth every minute! We have such great mothers (and fathers). We are blessed by their faith in God & love for us!! Thanks, Moms, for being such great mothers & grandmothers! Love you!

Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers & Mother's-to-be ;o)

I am forever changed because I am a mother. I see things differently. I feel things differently. My life has a meaning and importance that it never had before. I now get how much of a miracle it is to see a child come into this world. The word "hero" now fits every pregnant woman who is doing everything she can to have a healthy baby. My world and everything in it has changed. For that I am thankful. I cannot imagine my life without my baby girl. My mom asked me one day if I could remember my life before Sydney. Although I can, it is quite a different world! 

So, thank you, Mom for all the many things that I could not see before I was a mom. Thank you for the love that you feel towards Nathan & me. Thank you for being a "mean" mom & not one that gave us everything we wanted. Most of all, thank you for being the definition of a good mother.

I love every day that I get to wake up and be a mom. I praise God for our beautiful, healthy little girl. I am thankful to be called "mom" and hope that I can live up to all that really means.

To my husband, I thank you. Thank you for giving me the chance to be a mom. To my God, thank you for blessing me with the family you have. I am not deserving, but am forever grateful.

Big progress!

This week has been a great week. Why specifically, you ask? Sydney has put herself to sleep 3 times (two naps, one night). I am so excited!!! I fully expected a fight to be on our hands, but I told her to lay down and go night-night. She laid down. The next thing I knew, she was asleep!!! How cool is that?! I do realize that most parents have gotten to this point long before 18 months. We did, too, before we moved from TX. Once we moved, all bets were off. Our floors of the apartment were paper thin, so we couldn't just let her cry it out. Well, I guess we could have. I would have felt horrible to keep the people up below us. So, I decided the other day that it was time. Evidently, she did, too! :o) 

Last night, she went to sleep. When we were heading to bed, I went in & closed her window. When I did that, it woke her up. My thoughts were, "Great! She'll never go back to sleep on her own!!" I told her to go night-night & left the room. Less than 2 minutes later, she was back asleep! Yay! I hope this trend keeps up! Now, to tackle the paci or "pati" as she calls it...

Wow! 7 years!

Seven years ago today Ryan proposed!! It seems like just yesterday. It was the perfect proposal. Since I knew it was coming at some point, he worked very hard to surprise me. He proposed at his brother's wedding reception! I would have never thought in a million years that he would pick that moment. It was perfect, though. I was completely surprised & he had his family around to help us celebrate. 

Thank you, Kit & Laura, for sharing your special day with us! It was very kind & selfless of you to let us in the celebration! Love you both!!

Thank you, Baby, for loving me through the last 7 years!! They say time flies when you're having fun. We must be having fun because time sure is flying!! I love every minute of every day because I am your wife. I can't imagine anyone more perfect for me. You have made me a better person. For our little one, I can never say thank you enough. Love you.

Pics from the weekend

Smelling the flowers at Gigi & Pawpaw's

The Love Birds

Sydney's favorite person for the day!

Sydney & Kacey

Sydney & Pawpaw

Mowing with Pawpaw

Home...

We arrived home last night. I have to say, it is the first time that I have had that "Ah..." feeling when arriving home. Usually, I get that feeling when I get to my parents' house. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED every minute of being with them this last week!!!! It was an awesome week. However, it is nice to be home. I'm excited to get back into our routine & get back out in the yard. 

I'm thankful to have parents who are so willing to open their doors to us. Years ago, they gave us a key to their house & told us to come & go as we please. They mean it, too!! If they came in one day & saw Ryan asleep on the couch & had no idea he was coming, they would think "Oh, I didn't realize he was going to be in town. Cool." They would not be upset that he came in and laid down on their couch. It is cool that they accept us both with open arms! Of course, they adore Sydney...so, that makes it even sweeter. 

It was nice to spend a week with people like that. I'm lucky that I can also call them my parents! It is also nice to be home. :o) I'm not sure Sydney is agreeing with me on that last one, though. She loved all the extra attention! 

Fun but Busy Week

This week has been a great week, but it has been busy! So far, we have played outside with sidewalk chalk, eaten dinner at Grandma's, eaten dinner at Pizza Hut with family, gone to Wal-Mart, got Gigi's hair cut, got my hair colored & cut (for almost 1/2 the price I normally pay! Yay!), talked to one of my bestest friends for an hour and a half, met PawPaw for ice cream during the middle of the day, went for a walk around the subdivision, & played, played, played. It has been a refreshing change of pace! Today, if I can quit procrastinating, we plan to do a little shopping before picking up Gigi at work & grilling out tonight for dinner...yum!

In a few days I'll post pictures of this week. We haven't made a ton, but there have been some cute ones. Hope you're all having a wonderful week, too!!!

Paducah bound

Sydney and I are still in Paducah. Ryan found out that he was going to be in Evansville from Tuesday-Friday, so we decided to stay put. It is nice to have the change of pace & chance to visit better with family, but I do miss my hubby!! Love ya, Babe!!

Another Zoo!!

Yesterday we were able to go to another zoo!! Sydney and I tagged along with Ryan to Evansville, IN. The Mesker Zoo there was very cool. Thanks to our Louisville Zoo membership, it was also free! :o) It was a workout, though. It was very hilly & with a stroller that = burning calories! Yay!

Sydney's favorite part of the Zoo was the bobos or monkeys. In Go, Diego, Go (her favorite show at the moment), there are 2 bobos that are "silly monkeys". Anyway, as soon as she saw the monkeys she started giggling and saying "bobos, bobos!" It was very cute & cool that she connected the two separate things! In this picture, she's pointing to the monkeys.

After the zoo we headed to Target. I don't go there very often because it's just not as much fun with a toddler who would much rather be running around than in a cart. She's good, don't get me wrong. Her time of willingness to sit in the cart usually runs out before I'm finished shopping. For me, Target is a place to take your time. Wal-Mart...I want in and out as fast as I can! Anyway, we were on a hunt for shorts. It ended up being much hotter than I thought it was going to be! Anyway, with an OK from the hubby, we headed on a hunt to find us cooler clothes.

After Target, we searched for a good park, but did not find one. We settled on the mall. I walked from end to end & then decided that the kids play area was a much better idea. After a while of playing, we decided to get some dinner. Thankfully for everyone, after dinner, Ryan was done. We were all exhausted and ready to head home. We left the house at 8:15 AM and returned at 9:20 PM. LONG day for all!! It was a ton of fun, though! Sydney was so much fun to play with and we both really enjoyed the day together. Thanks, Babe for letting us tag along!! Love you!

Weekend with the Parents!!

Last weekend was a great weekend. Saturday, Ryan's parents came to visit. It was the first time they had been to our house. It was nice showing it off to them. We've been working hard to get it decorated & the yard looking nice. It was great to be able to show it off. 

Shortly after they arrived, we headed to Louisville. We had hoped to go to the Zoo, but the weather did not cooperate. Instead, we headed to one of the malls & Target. We had a lot of fun shopping. We got Sydney a small chair to use outside. As soon as we got it off the shelf & her out of the buggy, she ran over to it and climbed up in it. It was cute. I can't wait to get it out for her to use. 

After our Louisville outing, we headed back to the house. We had planned on grilling hamburgers, but with it raining we decided not to make the guys stand out in the rain. So, we headed to Mr. Gatti's. The one here in E-town is new & we really like going there. His parents headed home after Gatti's & we headed home as well. We were lazy the rest of the evening.

Sunday we headed to church & then hung out at home the rest of the day. Ryan worked on his school work while Sydney and I played inside & out. It was a GREAT weekend. :o) I hope you all had a great weekend, too!! 

Can anyone say "cheese"?!

Sydney can!! This girl from the moment she gets up until the moment she falls asleep is saying "ont more cheese". When we say "What?". Just to get her to repeat it, she says "CHEESE". She has grown to greatly love cheese. She wants it for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and snack. Of course, she doesn't get it that much every day, but she would if she could!!! I have to say, it is quite cute. Plus, I'm loving that it's cheese & not "cookie"!! :o)

Fun in the backyard

Today was a super fun day! We worked out in the yard & played. The yard is coming along nicely, if I do say so myself!! I have been looking forward to spending afternoons out there. Finally, today I was able to! Yay! I took a few pictures of Sydney playing. It was so fun to see her explore. She played with the flowers, rocks, & dirt. Ryan told me at one point that she was eating the dirt!! I was so proud. Now, that might sound funny to a mom, but I was totally proud of her!!! I do not want a prissy little girl who will not get dirty. I want a little girl who can have fun with the best of them. Just proves she's mine! If you want to see the pictures, you can go to our web gallery or website. The sites are web.mac.com/ryanandlesli and gallery.mac.com/ryanandlesli. Hope you enjoy!

What fun am I anticipating?

We are getting excited for the spring weather to get here. It has been bouncing around between cold & warm lately. I'm hoping that the latest cold spell is the last one. Why are we so excited about the weather getting warmer you ask? Camping!! We've been wanting to go for years. Texas was way too hot & ugly to want to go. Last year we wanted to go, but didn't figure it would be too much fun with a baby. This year...we expect it to be a lot of fun! We've been researching places around here to camp & believe we have found the perfect place. We'll have to drive out there sometime soon to see if it really is what we think it is. Of course, we love LBL. We're hoping to get there sometime this year, too. We also want to find other places to explore. 

Ryan and I are so different in many ways. It is nice that this is one way that we see eye-to-eye! We both love spending a day/weekend outdoors. It is so freeing to get away from the computer, tv, & everyday routine. Plus, we get exercise. 

I'm almost to the point that I'm antsy about it. I wish I could look up on weather.com to find out when the perfect weekend would be. BUT I guess I'll have to wait. Patience has never been one of my strongest attributes! 

Well, that's what's on my mind! Camping, camping, camping!! :o)

On the Mend

Thankfully Sydney, Ryan, and I are all on our way to being healthy again. Ryan and I started getting sick last Wed/Thurs. It wasn't a fun week for any of us! Besides the lagging cough, we are feeling much better. I hope we all stay well for a long time!!

Saturday, we headed to Central City, KY to pick up Sam. We dropped him off on our way to IL a week and a half ago, but when our destination for that Friday changed from Paducah to Evansville, IN we weren't able to pick him up like we had originally planned. Luckily, my parents love Sam. So, they didn't mind keeping him. It is nice to have him home. :o)

We also picked up a lawn mower that my parents graciously gave us. Now that we're in a rental house, the yard work is up to us. We're not complaining, though. We're actually looking forward to it. We were very thankful to my parents!! It definitely saved us $$! 

When we got home from Central City, I mowed our yard while Ryan worked on cutting back 3 of the plants that were hugely overgrown. I wish we would have taken a before & after picture because it is a huge difference! Our yard was in desperate need of mowing! It looks great now & I can't wait until the weather warms up again so that we can get out there and play!! 

Thanks to all for your prayers for Sydney. It was a scary time for this mommy. Although the sickness itself wasn't a scary sickness, the fever was. It just wouldn't break at night. That part really had me freaked out. Now, she's fever-free & sleeping through the night!! Yay!! :o)

On a side note, Sara, you were right!! Once she got close to the 18 month mark, she began sleeping through the night with no problem. We still have to get up with her occasionally, but it's only a few times a week. That, I can definitely handle! Thanks for giving me hope! 

Finally

She's sawing logs on the couch! Yay!! She's finally getting some much needed rest.

Dr. appointment

The doctor said she has an infection & has prescribed her a few different things. He said we should see a drastic difference in her by tomorrow. Yay!! He also said that this medicine will help her sleep. Hopefully we will all 3 get a good night's rest tonight! Thanks to all who've been praying! It means a lot!

Still have a sick baby...toddler

Sydney is still sick. No fun! She's been running a 102 temp every night since Friday night. It goes away by morning & only comes on when she falls asleep at night. Quite weird, if you ask me! Now, besides the coughing (that sounds like someone who has smoked all their life), a sore throat, & fever, she has a nasty runny nose, watery eyes, and is sneezing her head off. Plus, Ryan and I noticed last night that she has 2 teeth that are trying to come through. Poor thing, she's just flat miserable. 

She hasn't been sleeping at night, either. Her coughing begins about the time the fever does. Plus, her throat begins to get more sore than during the day. I know this because she will wake up, put her hands on her throat, & say, "owy, owy, help!" Then she crawls into our arms. It is so sad! 

So, today we have another doctor's appointment. Hopefully, they'll be able to do more for her today than they were able to do on Saturday. We'll see. I'll keep you posted.

Sick baby

Well, our trip came to a gloomy end. Friday morning, Sydney woke up with a nasty cough & sore throat. Throughout the day it got much worse. By last night at 9:30 PM, she was running 102 degree temperature that lasted all night & until her 9:45 AM doctor's appointment this morning. She was tested for strep & had a blood test done to see if she had an infection. All came back fine. So the doctor has determined that it is a virus & will have to run it's course. That's great news, but it also means that we may see more high fevers over the next few days. The doctor said she should be better by Monday. If she isn't, they need to run the tests over. Hopefully, she will be much better by Monday! 

I know I have said it before, but I HATE it when my baby's sick!! It's such a helpless feeling to see her so miserable. Prayers for my little one to get better quickly would be appreciated! Thanks!

Little trip

Sydney and I have been lucky this week to be able to take a mini-vacation. We've been in IL & IN. Ryan, well, he's still working. :o( BUT he did get some GREAT company on his off time! In other words, we got to tag along on Ryan's business trip. Sydney and I have had a great time. We've shopped in 2 different malls, slept in, played in 2 different pools, and just spent time together. It has been so great for me because I have been able to play with my little girl 24/7. I haven't had to worry about laundry or cooking. I've just been able to be Mom. It's been nice.

Today we head back. It has been a very good trip & I have no complaints! Thanks, Ryan, for letting us tag along as much as you do!!

Zoo outing & Little One Update

Today has been a wonderful day! It is my 29th birthday...the last one in my 20s. :o(  ANYWAY, I spent it with my 2 most favorite people (Ryan and Sydney) at the Louisville Zoo. We LOVE the Louisville Zoo!! At first, we were a little nervous that it would rain on us, but God was good & made the rain, rain go away. By the time we were ready to leave, it was sunny and very warm. It was great!

Saturday, we went to the Zoo as well. Two days in one week! How lucky can one girl get? It has been so much fun. Here are a few pictures:

I also wanted to update you on our little one. She is getting SO big & growing so much faster than this mommy likes. BUT I'm loving every minute with her! She's saying so many words these days. Here are a few that I can think of: Mommy, Daddy, go, stop, hi, bye, thank you, please, helpin', no (of course), yes, monkey, cracker, apple, juice, hungry, Amen, and puppy. She can bark like a dog, meow like a cat, roar like a lion, ribbit like a frog, and quack like a duck. In other words, she's getting quite vocal and I'm loving every second! There is so much else that she is doing, but I will have to give you more updates at another time. Hope you've enjoyed this one!

Easter 2008

Easter was a ton of fun this year! I wasn't sure that Sydney would get the concept of hunting Easter Eggs, but she did...sort of. When we clean up, I tell her to get one thing and put it in whatever it goes in. When she does that, she will put the toy in it's place and say, "Good girl". So, when she would pick up an egg & put it in the basket, she would say, "Good girl." It was quite cute, if you ask me! Then I started saying, "YAY!" When she would put one in the basket. She quickly changed from "good girl" to "yay!" That was cute, too. After she got all we would let her get, she decided it was time to hide them again & started taking them out of the basket and putting them back where she found them. Funny! 

After the Easter Egg Hunt, Nathan, my Mom, and me went out to the mall to hit the sales. I can't say that it was the highlight of the weekend for Nathan, but I had a ton of fun. It's not often that the three of us get to hang out, so it was nice being together. Plus, I was at a mall with others & no stroller! :o)

Saturday night we celebrated Nathan and my birthdays which occur next week. We had our favorite...lasagna! This year it was extra special because it was made by my dad! He doesn't cook things like that normally. My mom is usually the cook. Since Mom had a full day, he stepped up and made our dinner. It was delicious! Good work, Dad!

Sunday was great having our immediate family together. I love worshipping at Reidland, but it is extra special when all of us are together. That afternoon, we had another great meal at the Anderson home. The Williams came over to help us eat it all. It was a great time & we were all well fed. 

The weekend was almost perfect! Ryan's mom has been struggling with a really bad sinus infection lately & wasn't up for visitors. We were sad that we missed seeing them & hope that she gets better soon!! 

To see more Easter pics, you can go to our website.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter & remember the meaning of that special day!

Easter Weekend

This weekend is Easter weekend. I am quite excited & quite disappointed. What is with this weather? Is it ever going to get warm? Ah, I guess I'll just have to get use to the fact that Easter is cold here in KY. I guess it probably always has been, I just don't remember it that way. 

Anyway, it is going to be a FULL weekend. Nathan and my birthdays are week after next. Since we're both going to be in Paducah this weekend, we're going to try to have birthday time as well as Easter time! With two families (Hughes & Andersons) to visit, that is no small order!! Hopefully we can juggle everything and make everyone happy. 

Truth be told, we never seem to make everyone happy. I wish just once we could leave town and have satisfied all commitments. There just isn't enough time in one weekend to do everything we want to do. It does feel like we did a better job of it when we were in visiting from Texas than we are doing now. Maybe it's because we were in for longer period of time when we visited. Maybe it was because expectations weren't as high. I don't know. Hopefully this weekend will be different & we will be able to be all things to all people. (Now do you see my personality? I am definitely a "people-pleaser" and this situation has me going in circles sometimes.)

Well, wish us luck! I can't wait to see everyone. It feels like it has been forever since we've been in!! It will be great to see family & to worship with everyone at Reidland on Sunday. Love you all!! Hope you all have a very HAPPY Easter!

Not Great Hosts

If you read my last blog about having one of my bestest friends come to visit, you know we had a good time...all except Sydney. She had a good time. She just got sick while Crysty was here. As it turns out, we have ALL gotten sick! I got a message from Crysty yesterday saying that she was sick & had been for a day or so. It seems that we adults got the virus much worse than our little counterpart. While I'm thankful she didn't get it as bad as we have, did we really have to be worse? Ah...I hope that we will all be better by tomorrow so that our sickness doesn't interfere with our Easter weekend plans! 

Thanks, Crysty, for coming!! Sorry we got you sick! I promise, we don't make it a habit to get our guests sick!! You can come back one day. ;o)

Great friend

My friend, Crysty, from Dallas, has been here for 5 days!! It has been GREAT having her here. She was one of my closest friends in Texas & I have missed her dearly. It had almost been a year since I had seen her, but as soon as we got together it felt like we were together just yesterday. I am blessed to have a friend like that! 

Thursday afternoon, I picked her up at Lipscomb. We then headed to Opry Mills!! We were in search of an Easter dress for Sydney. After much searching & ending at Rivergate Mall, we were successful. Yay! We then headed home.

Friday, we went to Louisville to shop for Easter dresses for ourselves! I was successful in finding & buying mine. Crysty has picked hers out, but will be making the purchase in Dallas. It was so much fun shopping with her!! 

Saturday we were L-A-Z-Y!! It was great! We watched home improvement shows all day. After all the education in decorating, we should be qualified as interior designers!! Well, the day could have been better since Sydney had a stomach virus & was not feeling well. Because of that, it was the perfect day to be lazy. 

Sunday we weren't quite as lazy, but still had our moments. Sydney was still sick, but felt better than Saturday.

Today was the sad day. The day that we took Crysty back to the airport. If it wasn't for the fact that she hadn't seen her husband in almost a week, we probably would have kidnapped her & not let her go back to Dallas! 

We had a great time! I am so thankful to have a friend that can live 650 miles away, but always feel like she's right next door. There aren't that many out there like her. Thanks, Crysty!! 

Ode to Hubby

Last night after waking up to hear my husband having troubles getting Sydney back to sleep & me taking over, I wrote this blog in my head. 

My husband is an awesome man! He works full-time, goes to school full-time, is with the Navy Reserves one weekend a month, and is an AWESOME husband and father! I don't always give him the recognition that he deserves, but I think the world of him. His day normally looks like this: get up by 5:30 & out the door by 6-6:30, home by 4:30-5, say hi to Sydney and me, walk Sam (now with the back yard he can scratch that one off his list), start working on school, eat dinner while working on school, stop to play in the floor with Sydney when she is wanting only him, finish working on school for the evening, & head to bed by 10pm. That is one FULL day! If it was only one day, it wouldn't be as remarkable. He does it 5 days a week, at least. Plus, he is always willing to help me with Sydney at night if I need it. (Last night, I was sick. I definitely needed the help.) On the weekends, he's as much ours as he can be but also has to work on school. In his spare time (aka right before bed) he helps me with my little things I can't do alone. Like last night, he helped me hang things on the walls. I did as much as I could, but some of it was a two person  job. Oh, did I mention that he makes A's & B's in school & HATES it when he doesn't get an A? The fact that he is able to be everything to everyone & NEVER complain is way more than most people. He never asks for recognition & honestly thinks that what he's doing isn't a big deal. I wish he knew how many men out there can't even do one of those things well! He is absolutely amazing & I adore him! 

Thank you, Ryan, for being such an amazing man. Our daughter is so lucky to have you as her father. You are a wonderful provider in so many ways. We never go without & you are always available despite your hectic schedule. I don't say it enough, but I think you are the only person on this planet that can balance the things you do as well as you do! I am one lucky gal!! I love you!

S-N-O-W!!!!!!!!!!!!

We woke up this morning to over 6" of snow!! We haven't measured, but it is definitely over 6"!! It was great! Thank goodness the Reserves canceled drill weekend for Ryan! We were all able to stay home & play. 

We went out this afternoon & played in the snow. Sydney has been looking out the doors and windows saying, "Snow!" So, we figured we ought to bundle her up and get her out in it. She wasn't so sure about it at first. After a while, she would crawl around & just squeal. It was pretty cool. She was not happy when her mean mama made her come in!! It was a fun time for all!

Ryan was a sweetheart & got our sidewalks and porches cleaned off. Now Sam can go out without getting covered up! Thanks, Baby! Although I think you had fun doing it, it was nice of you to take the time to do it. I have an awesome husband!! He steps in whenever needed & rarely complains! 

For some reason, I have not been able to get Blogger to allow me to upload pictures to this blog. If you want to see pictures of our day, go to gallery.mac.com/ryanandlesli. I've uploaded them there as well as several other albums. Enjoy!

We made the switch!!

We have been saving up & thanks to our added tax return, we today made the switch to an iMac!! :o) This chica is muy happy!!! Ryan's brother Kit has been highly recommending us making the switch for quite a while. Being in graphics design, he has been using Mac's for years now. Ryan has been frequenting the Apple stores and salivating over the computers for several years. It told him that one day we would make the switch. What he didn't know until recently was that I was wanting one just as badly as he did. I just knew that if I told him that little bit of info he would be further encouraged to buy one. Now don't get me wrong, that would have been fine for me except for the fact that they are fairly expensive...at least on our budget. Anyway, today the day finally came to where we could get one!! I've been playing on it all night! I'm loving it! 

We're in!!

Well...mostly. We have a few things we have to get from the apartment. We still have to clean there, too. So, the work is not done. The big stuff is, though! Thank goodness!

A HUGE thanks to my family (that includes you, Kacey ;o) ) for helping us move. They're always there when we need them. I think Nathan counted that this is our 7th move since we've been married!! It hurts my muscles to think about it right now! We've always moved out of neccessity, except for this move. So, thanks family for always being there to help!!!!

The weather yesterday afternoon & most of today has been sunny & beautiful!! I have had the windows open while I've been unpacking. It's been great!! Unfortunately, the rain & cold weather are back heading this way (according to my grandma). I was a little sad to hear it. It has been so nice to have a taste of spring! Hopefully soon, spring will be here for good. For now, I'm enjoying the warmth as I'm making this place home.

Thanks to all for your warm wishes & prayers as we were hunting & then moving! God has found us the perfect little place, and we're saving money, too!!! He has always been faithful, even if I was impatient. :o/

Silence

We are moving tomorrow & will not have internet until Monday. It is scheduled for Monday 1-5pm. So, that means midnight on Monday night knowing Comcast!!! Anyway, there will be a brief silence in our little section of blogger world.

Thanks to everyone who is helping us move!!! LOVE YOU!! We promise to one day buy a house so that we will be there longer than a year and a half! :o)

Why are we moving?!

Why are we moving again?? That's what I keep asking myself as I pack. I remind myself each time that we will be in a better place, but this move is not an easy one! Little miss has to help me do everything! I've been letting her help & giving her jobs. She's been doing great with the jobs I give her. Besides the packing & cleaning, Sydney has been quite cranky.

It finally dawned on me this morning that she is probably cranky and clingy because I am packing and we are by far not in a routine. Her nap times and sleep times are the same, but the day-to-day things have changed greatly. That's the part that makes me say, "What in the world was I thinking?!" Hopefully after we get all moved in at the house, she will get back to her normal cheery self.

Well, she's playing quietly in her toy corner, so I better get moving and get a few things accomplished.

She said "snow"!

This morning, I pulled the curtains back over the sliding door & Sydney ran to it. She LOVES to go outside to play...even if it's just on our balcony. Anyway, when she got to the sliding door, she said "snow". I was already walking away. I turned around and said, "Yeah! That's snow!! Good girl!". I was so excited. I didn't really expect her to know what snow was for a while. It was a pretty cool moment in this mommy's morning!

It has happened...

All of my life, I have dreaded the day that my brother would be engaged. I know that may sound funny, but I have. My fear wasn't him growing up or being replaced as a mom would feel. It was more of whom he would pick than the actual engagement. Nathan and I have always had a decently close relationship. Of course, we've had our moments as any siblings would. For the most part though, we genuinely like to be around each other. So, my fear was that I would not get along with "her" whoever the "her" turned out to be.

That all brings us to Saturday night. I knew when he was walking out the door to pick up his girlfriend for their date, he would return through the same door as an engaged man. With all of the years of dread I had running through my veins gone & excitement overwhelming me, I stayed up to hear "the story".

His way of proposing to some could be seen as mean (See Steph's blog for the details of the night.), I saw it as sweet. She knew he was going to propose eventually (we were already bridesmaid dress shopping). He wanted more than anything to give her the surprise that many women get. He didn't just want to pop the question in an obvious way. He wanted to give her "that" moment. I thought it was sweet that he cared so much about how she would feel in the moment that he proposed. "The story" went as he had hoped and planned. It was precious seeing the excitement come out of him as he told my mom & me. He was bubbly, and I was relieved.

Kacey is a great girl! My fear has always been that I would not get along with the love of his life. My dream has always been that our families can be close & our children (no rush kids!) will know each other. I am thrilled that he picked a gal that I can call my sister & am happy to teach my daughter to call her aunt. She makes my brother happy & she's a girl that I can easily just hang out with. That's all I could ever hope for.

So, you two: CONGRATUALTIONS! I hope the transition from dating, to engaged, to married is an easy & fun one for you! I pray that God will bless you with years of happiness & that you will grow to be one in mind, body, & spirit. I couldn't be happier & can't wait to officially call Kacey "sister". Love you both!

How society defines success...it seems

This blog has been roaming around in my mind for a while now. I haven't really been sure how to word it, so I have just left it up there instead of putting it out for the world to read. My fear is that my blogger friends...or any of my friends for that matter...will think I am speaking of them. I'm not. I'm not quite sure what sparked my initial thought, but it has stuck with me. Anyway, please know that I am not speaking of any of you. :o) Here goes...

Our society has really been bothering me lately. Maybe it's always been this way, I don't know. I've always heard the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses". So, I guess it has. It just seems like people our age are so quick to have the big house & expensive cars. When you look at the price of most new cars, they start at $20,000! Many people have 2 new cars & a nice new house. Now, I'm not judging those who can afford it because there are many who can afford it. But can they all REALLY afford it?! My fear is that we have grown up in nice houses thanks to the hard work & dedication of our parents. What we didn't stop to think about is that they worked their tails off to get those places. They started small, sacrificed, & now are able to have the nice things. If that is how they got there, what makes me think I can get there at 28? It seems many believe it is their right or they deserve a nice car or house. Who said anything about that?! I don't remember anyone telling me that when I got out on my own I would deserve a nice car. I've always been told that you have to work hard & earn it. Of course, God provides all. I do not dispute that.

I just fear that my generation has gotten quite greedy. It seems that banks, credit card companies, and others are capitalizing on that greed. I mean, any company who would send a pre-approved letter for a credit card & allow a high school student to get $30,000 in debt before she graduates is evil in my opinion! (No, I was not that student, I saw it on the news a few weeks ago.)

Ryan and I are trying very hard to not get roped into that greed or feeling of deserving things. Of course, we would love to be driving nice new cars & live in a nice house of our own, but what would that cost us? Right now...it would cost us everything. I know that is not what God intended. He did not intend for us to be so majorly in debt that we can't sleep at night.

So, our plan is to go by our parents' examples & the Bible. We will work & sacrifice as they did. We will try to teach our children the values that we were taught. If we are blessed by nice things, we will give praise to God for those things. We will not be guilted & pressured into doing things that society deems successful but in reality will suffocate our family. Living this way is not easy by any means. Our world says that if you don't have those things, you aren't a successful. Our job is to take off the glasses that our society puts on us & see what God intended & what He has provided. It isn't an easy job, but we're working on it.

We found a place!!!

We went on Friday afternoon to look at a house & it was a D-U-M-P!! The lady met us at our car & warned us that it had not yet been cleaned. I wanted to say, "Then why in the heck are you showing it?!" After seeing what it looked like, even if the cleaning wizards came in & made it spotless & not stink, there would be NO way I would live in that place!! I am not as picky as you would probably think. My standards are: working, clean, in safe area. I do not have to have a top of the line place. I just want to know that it will work for us & be safe for our daughter.

With those standards in mind, we headed out Friday. As I said earlier, our first appointment did not meet those standards! It was in a safe place, but that's about all it had going for it. After leaving that house, I was very disappointed. Grasping at straws, we drove around to see if we could find any houses with signs in the yard. We found a couple and called on them. To my surprise, we lucked out and found a place that night!

It is an older home, built in the 50s. It has been taken care of & the inside has been remodeled. The bathroom & kitchen have were completely gutted & redone. They are brand new! It is a 2 bedroom/1 bath...a little smaller than we wanted, but has a big fenced in back yard & detached garage. With that being the case & the fact that it is cheaper than we are currently paying, we jumped at the chance. We get the keys in 2 weeks & can begin moving in.

I am so ready to be out of an apartment. Although this is not a house that we are buying, I think I'm as excited as if we were! I will no longer have to worry about Sydney being loud to those below & around us. Neither Ryan nor I will have to walk Sam in the cold or rain!! We can just open the door & let him go out! Plus, we will have a place for Sydney to play outside. I'm sure that to others this is a lot of rambling & not much fun info to read, but for me to write...I'm quite excited!

Valentine's Day & Chuck E. Cheese

Yesterday since Ryan had the day off, we headed out to see if we could house hunt. No, we're not looking to buy. We're not committed to E-town. Not that we don't like it, the 2 1/2 hour drive to Paducah is just getting O-L-D! We're going to wait until Ryan finishes school & see what adventure awaits us before getting settled into a house only to move & have to sell it! Anyway, we drove around Hardin County to see what we could find. We have a couple of appointments set up. Hopefully we'll get lucky. Being in a 2nd story apartment with a toddler who is not always the quietest with her toys is challenging at times. So, hopefully something will work out.

After house hunting, we headed to Louisville. We went to a mall to kill time before our final destination of the evening...Chuck E. Cheese!! I know...it doesn't sound like a very romantic evening for Valentine's Day, but when you have a little one & no babysitter, you get creative. Sydney had never been to Chuck E. Cheese, so we decide it would be the perfect thing for our little family. We had a blast!!! Sydney played & had a ton of fun...so did Mom & Dad! :o) Although Sydney LOVED the restaurant, she wasn't too thrilled with Chuck E. himself. Oh well, maybe in time she'll grow to love him!

Seeing Chuck E. Cheese for the first time. She loved him from a distance!

Yummy pizza!!

Ryan played the game while Sydney pushed the buttons on the top. It was a win-win!

Sydney and I "rode" a roller coaster! She loved it!!

Ryan and Sydney rode the roller coaster, too!

This is Sydney on the fire truck. It played the "ABCs" to which she sang along! It was cute.

If this doesn't show we had fun, I don't know what does!!