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! 

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!! 

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)

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!

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!

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!!

Day at the park

Sunday afternoon since it was a little warmer, we decided to head to the local park. We had a great time. Sydney played for 30 minutes & did not want to leave. We decided since it wasn't the warmest day, we probably shouldn't keep her out much longer. Anyway, it was her first time to actually play at a playground. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Joy-filled days

Life with the little one has been quite fun lately. She has started trying to repeat words back to us. Most of the time, she can't say the word exactly. However, she almost always has the tone correct. It is so cute to see & hear. She now can say: "mama", "dada", "gigi" for my mom, "naanaa" for Nathan, diaper, juice, "no", "no" for nose, "mou" for mouth, "mam" for Sam (our dog), and "momo" for Elmo. She can roar like a lion & quack like a duck. It's not bad for a 15 month old, if you ask me.

It is really cool seeing her learn these new things. She's actually beginning to start "conversations" with us. The other night Ryan got up with her. She started saying "diaper, mama diaper". Then she realized it was Ryan. He got her to lay back down (because he didn't know what her version of diaper sounded like). I got up and told him what she said. He changed her diaper. Afterwards, she quit crying & tried to go back to sleep. How cool is that?! She told us what she wanted!! It was a very cool moment in this mommy's night.

Another thing she has been doing is singing. She will sing all kinds of songs. No telling what she is actually singing, though! It is all in her language.

So, my days lately have been fun days of anticipating what cool thing she is going to do next. I thought I would share with you the joy that I have been experiencing.

Oh, and my spell check isn't working so please ignore any misspellings that might be in this blog. Thanks!! :-)

Thanksgiving & Santa

This Thanksgiving has been a good one...and it's not over yet!! We found out after getting to Paducah that Ryan has to be in Memphis, TN Monday-Wednesday. So, Sydney and I are staying in Paducah while he heads to Memphis. That just means more family time for us.

On Thanksgiving Day, we were able to visit with family on my mother's side that we rarely get to see. It was a fun-filled day & we ate WAY too much!! Sydney got to play with 5 of her cousins! She was exhausted by the end of the day!! We also got to visit with Ryan's aunt & cousins that we don't get to see very often. It was a good day!

Friday, we went shopping!! If you know anything about me you will know this had me in heaven. What could be better than shopping?! Seeing Bret & Summer!!!! Summer called that morning to see if we could get together. I didn't get the message until after noon. It turns out that we were both at the mall at the same time! Weird! Anyway, we were able to visit with them for an hour or so. It was nice to see them! I miss them so much!

Today, we went shopping again! Yay! I have now crossed off 2 people on my list! Many more to go, but at least 2 are done! We also got to see Santa. He has a little house downtown. He was such a sweet Santa! Below is Sydney's reaction. I just hope he doesn't cross her off his good list because of this reaction. :-/

Tomorrow afternoon we will head to my parents' house where we will yet again stuff our faces! I'm going to have to starve myself until Christmas!!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!! Love to all...

Thanksgiving weekend

Last night, Ryan turned to me and said, "How much do you love me?" That is always a tell that he did something good that he wants credit for. ;-) He ended up telling me that he is getting Wednesday-Friday off next week!!!!! Whoohoo! Yes, Baby, I love you...and not just 'cause of that.

Anyway, I'm really excited. We were afraid that he would only get Thursday off. That would not be good. It would mean that we would have to visit 2 families in one day & drive 2 1/2 hours one way to get to there in the first place. I was not looking forward to that kind of day. Thankfully, we will have half of a week to visit both families!! Plus, it means that I get Ryan all weekend. He'll work 2 days. Then I'll have him again!! I know Sydney will be really excited to play with her daddy that many days in a row. Now, I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving!!

Only two more days until the Navy's Christmas Party! I can't wait for that either. Can you tell?

Cold weather, happy home, sickly child

It is raining outside. That combined with the forecast over the next few days has me very anxious. I have been looking forward to a REAL fall & winter (meaning it actually gets down to the temperature it's supposed to during these months). Now that I am getting the REAL fall & winter, I'm not sure I'm happy about it!! :-/ We have been quite spoiled over the last 4 years in TX. Sure, we had cold days but we didn't have 4 months of cold weather. For instance, we wore short sleeves & even shorts sometimes during Thanksgiving. And I typically put up the Christmas tree in a t-shirt & jeans. This year will be much different. I'm happy about that. I can't wait to see pics of my little one playing in the snow with her daddy. I guess it is just the realization that I am getting a cold winter. Even if it's not that cold to others, it will be to us. I do have to say, though, I'm happy to be acclimating back to Kentucky weather. That means I'm back home.

It has taken a while (8 months to be exact) for Elizabethtown to feel like home. It is starting to. I think it is because we are meeting more people in church. The people we have met have really made us feel at home. I'm very thankful. Although it has been a HUGE adjustment, I am at peace & happy with where we're at...just in case you were wondering. ;-)

Well, the little one seems to be feeling better. She's still not well & able to socialize with others, but she seems to be drying up. As for Ryan and me, we're doing much better. We enjoyed our lazy weekend. Ryan was the only one that left all weekend. He ran to the grocery to get a few needed items. It was very nice for us to have a lazy weekend together. Even though none of us felt great, I think we were able to enjoy it a little anyway.

Pumpkin Patch, Lincoln Birthplace, & Fall Leaves

Sunday the sun finally decided to make an appearance! After 6 days of not seeing the sun, we decided we had to get out & enjoy this great fall weather. So, after church we went to a local farm. They had a small pumpkin patch & maze. Sydney had a blast! There were several kids playing in the maze. She laughed each time any of them would run next to her. Then she wanted to walk the maze, too. It was cute.

After the farm, we headed to Lincoln's Birthplace. Ryan's been wanting to check it out & the day was perfect for it. It was neat, but I have to say that I was disappointed. A lot of what you read says that in that place sits the log cabin that Lincoln was born in. That is not true. It is a replica of what the cabin he was born in would look like. It didn't seem to bother Ryan, but I was disappointed. That area was gorgeous. The air was crisp. So, I can't really complain.

The last pictures are of trees that I took yesterday. You'll see a church in some of them. That is First Christian Church...the church we've been attending. The trees next to the church are some of the prettiest in the area. Hope you enjoy.

Off again!

Tomorrow morning we begin our vacation!! Florida here we come. We will stay with Kit & Laura (Ryan's brother & sister-in-law) tomorrow night to break up the drive. Since we don't get to see them very often, we are really excited!! I think we'd be excited even if we got to see them all the time! They're awesome siblings to us & role models for Sydney. Saturday we'll head to Florida, Ormond Beach to be exact. I have been looking forward to this trip ever since we began thinking of it!! I LOVE the beach. Since I believe Ryan is ADHD, he has never been very eager to take a beach vacation. This one just kind of happened & I have been thankful for it!

The three of us need some much needed time away. You say, but you live in a city without anyone around you. "Time away" doesn't mean from people this time. It means from Ryan's work & school. He's been working so hard that we all feel we need some serious play time!

I've been looking forward to the sunrises & sunsets seen from the beach. The days being lazy by the pool & beach and then I see...weather.com had forecast rain EVERY DAY we're there!! Ah...hurricanes! It seems that we will be there just in time for the hurricane to make it's mark on Florida. No, the hurricane won't hit Florida, but it looks to bring plenty of rain. So, now I'm praying for some sunshine!! PLEEEAAASSSSEEE!!! I'll give the full report when I get back.

Getting better

Sydney's crawl is getting much better. I don't say that being critical only to say that it is coming much easier for her. Since she is becoming more advanced, she has begun to explore. It is so funny the things that keep her attention--the bottom of her high chair, the bottom of the table, the remotes in the basket beside the TV, the hardwood floor, and the tile floor. It is quite amusing & interesting to see things through her eyes. It makes perfect sense. She's never really seen the bottom of the high chair. It would make sense that she would want to touch it and see what it is like.

I often wonder if how I watch Sydney learn & understand new things that is how God is watching me...with amusement at times. Honestly, I really don't know. I'm still the kid in that relationship. I only hope that he has more amusement as he watches me and less frustration. As mentioned in many blogs before, I have a tendancy to be a slow learner.

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This weekend was a great weekend. We didn't really do anything, but we were together. It seems that there are so many times that we are physically together but for whatever reason we aren't mentally or emotionally together. Does that make sense? With so much going on in our lives and add a 9 month old to it, it is hard to keep connected to each other. But this weekend I feel we actually did that. It was great!! It SO makes me look forward to our vacation that is coming up at the end of this month. We will have 9 days of just us!!! Plus, we'll be at the beach--BONUS! Well, that's a bonus for me. Hopefully Ryan will learn to love it!! :-/ We'll see. I'm just looking forward to spending some time as a family with no other obligations! Whoohoo!