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!

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)

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.

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!!

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)

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!!

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!